SUMMIT Programmable Battery Charger with Instant-On Capability

Contacts:
Marketing: Abid Hussain, Summit Microelectronics, Inc.: T: 1 408
523 1000, ahussain {at} summitmicro(.)com

Media: Barbara Kalkis, Maestro Marketing & Public Relations, T: 1 408 996
9975, kkalkis {at} compuserve(.)com

Summit Expands Family of Tiny, Programmable Switch-mode Battery Chargers
Featuring Fast and Efficient “Green” Technology

Supports charging and safety standards and new battery technologies.
Instant-on power improves consumer convenience and reduces system cost.

Sunnyvale, Calif. – May 18, 2009 – Summit Microelectronics has expanded its
third-generation programmable battery charger integrated circuit (IC)
family with the introduction of the SMB329. Based on the award winning,
highly-integrated SMB339 family, the SMB329 integrates additional features,
such as “instant-on”, even with a dead battery, and real-time charge
current monitoring. Like its predecessors, the SMB329’s parameters are
programmable in non-volatile memory for power-up configuration, and in
volatile memory for in-system adjustments via the I2C host interface. In
addition, high-efficiency switch-mode operation and TurboCharge mode allow
for thirty to fifty percent shorter charging times, while reducing thermal
dissipation and wasted power by 80%. The SMB329 supports all relevant
interface (USB2.0, USB OTG, USB charging, etc.) and safety (IEEE1725,
JICS8714, etc.) standards, resulting in reduced development time and cost
associated with system compliancy efforts. Additionally, the SMB329
supports the industry’s environmental and Green efforts by enabling
universal USB charging, eliminating electronic waste while dramatically
reducing energy usage (www.summitmicro.com/mobilegreen).

Features
The SMB329 is based on a 3MHz, switch-mode architecture, with minimal
external components, which allows for very efficient power delivery and
extremely compact solution size. High-efficiency operation enables fast
charging due to higher output/charge currents, while reduced thermal
dissipation improves user comfort and system reliability. Furthermore,
Summit’s proprietary TurboCharge patent-pending technology enables high
charge current, even from relatively low-power sources (example: up to
750mA output from 500mA USB source). As consumer devices continue to employ
larger batteries, the SMB329 reduces charge time for consumer convenience.

The SMB329, like all products in the SMB339 family, provides the means to
accomplish true, universal USB charging and to meet the various USB
industry standards, without the need for additional hardware and software
support. In addition, the SMB329 provides instant-on power from the input
source to critical system components, allowing them to wake-up and perform
system functions, even with a deeply discharged (dead), or missing battery.
The SMB329 provides integrated instant-on operation, improving consumer
convenience without the cost and size penalty of alternate implementations.
The SMB329 also allows the host to directly measure charge current in
real-time, thereby allowing the system to recognize the operating mode it
is in, and making necessary adjustments for increasing battery life,
monitoring for safety and communicating information to the user. The
SMB329’s Power Source Detection and Automatic Input Current Limit (patent
pending) ensure that the charge current is safely and dynamically optimized
regardless of power source capability (USB or AC/DC). The resulting
improved user experience translates into fewer service calls, fewer
merchandise returns and increased subscriber revenue for wireless carriers.

“The SMB329 further expands Summit’s offering of intelligent,
high-efficiency battery charging products with the integration of new,
innovative features, that solve customers’ system design challenges in a
very cost effective way,” stated George Paparrizos, Summit marketing
director. “The SMB329 provides unparalleled design flexibility and
integration to enable ultra-compact designs.”

In addition to USB battery charging, the SMB329 (like all SMB339 family
chargers) supports USB On-the-Go (OTG) with integrated VBUS power without
additional components or cost. The SMB329’s step-down converter, that
normally operates in “forward mode” to charge the battery, can operate in
reverse to boost the battery voltage to +5V for USB-OTG and deliver up to
500mA, exceeding the USB OTG Supplement Specification requirements. USB-OTG
allows two portable USB devices (phones, digital cameras, etc.) to connect
to and/or power each other without the presence of a host PC. This creates
virtually unlimited opportunities for mobile connectivity, such as exchange
of media files between portable devices or charging a Bluetooth headset
from a mobile phone.

The SMB329 supports existing and emerging safety standards (IEEE1725,
JISC8714 and others) for portable devices including the industry’s most
complete set of safety features: input/output current limits, input and
battery over-voltage protection, battery and chip thermal protection,
charge safety and watchdog timers, trickle charging, and status/fault
monitors. In addition, the chip’s parametric programmability allows the
implementation of sophisticated embedded charging algorithms, further
increasing system performance and reliability.

Applications
The SMB329 is ideal for any portable device, such as mobile phones,
smartphones/PDAs, portable media/MP3 players (PMP), portable GPS
navigation, portable game consoles, and digital cameras/camcorders
(DSC/DCC). The features and integration of the SMB329 make it especially
suited for portable devices that require compliancy with USB battery
charging specifications, utilize higher-capacity batteries and feature very
compact industrial designs.

The SMB329 operates with an input range from +3.5V to +6.2V input and
safely withstands continuous input over-voltage up to +18V (non-operating),
while protecting downstream circuitry. The SMB329 is offered in a tiny
2.3mm x 2.0mm, 20-ball, lead-free chip-scale (CSP) and in a 4×4 QFN-24
package with an operating temperature range of -30C to +85C.

Pricing and Availability
Available now in production quantities, the SMB329 is priced at $1.15 each
in quantities of 10,000 units.

Design Software and Programmer for Prototype Development
To speed user product development, Summit offers customers the SMB329EV
companion evaluation board and a graphical user interface (GUI) software so
designers can quickly see the features and benefits and design a prototype
battery charging solution with the SMB329. This is a complete development
tool that lets designers easily manipulate the characteristics of their
systems. The SMB329EV design kit includes menu-driven Microsoft Windows (R)
GUI software to automate programming tasks and also includes all necessary
hardware to interface to the USB port of a laptop or PC.

Once a user completes design and prototyping, the SMB329EV automatically
generates a HEX data file that can be transmitted to Summit for review and
approval. Summit then assigns a unique customer identification code to the
HEX file and programs the customer’s production devices prior to final
electrical test operations. This ensures that the device will operate
properly in the end application.

About Summit Microelectronics
Summit Microelectronics is the leader in flexible, highly integrated power
management solutions combining precision power regulation with
sophisticated digital control in a single chip. The Company’s devices are
found in a variety of consumer, communications and computing applications.

Summit’s unique programmable, non-volatile mixed-signal IC technology
combined with a convenient GUI development environment allows for
unparalleled functional and parametric flexibility in power supply design.
This flexibility applied to common problems such as dynamic voltage/current
control and intelligent battery charging, allows for significant system
performance improvement while realizing drastic reductions in design
effort.

Digital programmability enables high integration and system flexibility in
a single chip – impossible with conventional “hard-wired” analog power
ICs. Additionally, this integration reduces the bill-of-materials yielding
the lowest total system cost and size. Summit solutions address the biggest
challenges facing OEM developers today: increasing system functionality,
performance and complexity accompanied by shrinking development time
cycles.

Summit Microelectronics actively supports industry efforts towards creating
a greener planet. The Company’s MobileGreen technologies significantly
reduce the energy consumption and waste material footprint in our
customers’ products. Visit www.summitmicro.com/MobileGreen for more
information.

The URLs for this product is
http://www.summitmicro.com/prod_select/summary/SMB329/SMB329.htm

The URL for this news release is
http://www.summitmicro.com/comp_info/press/09-0518

The URL for the product photo is
http://www.summitmicro.com/prod_select/summary/SMB329/SMB329.jpg

The URL for the product application block diagram is
http://www.summitmicro.com/prod_select/summary/SMB329/SMB329_block.jpg

The URL for the product fact sheet is
http://www.summitmicro.com/prod_select/summary/SMB329/SMB329FactSheet.pdf

-ends-

Summit Microelectronics
757 N. Mary Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
T: 1.408.523.1000
WWW.SUMMITMICRO.COM