The new LNK632DG allows low bill of materials (BOM) cost for cellphone chargers designed to attain a five-star efficiency rating with no-load power consumption of 30 mW or less. It also cuts the cost of USB chargers and the LED light bulb designs by removing the need for clamping circuitry, hence reducing component count.

The new LinkSwitch-II introduced in 2008, it simplifies the design of accurate-output CV/CC converters by removing the need for optocouplers and all secondary-side CV/CC control circuitry, and also all control-loop compensation circuitry. The original LinkSwitch-II devices attain output CV and CC tolerances of +/-5% and +/-10%, respectively. The new LNK632 part relaxes the CC specification to +/-18% while increasing system power output by operating in the continuous conduction mode. Accuracies are attained over a 0-100degC temperature range by including precision-improving features that compensate for transformer inductance tolerances, input line variations and external component temperature variations. All the new LinkSwitch-II devices provide frequency jittering to reduce EMI filter costs.

The star-rating system was launched by top cellphone makers like: Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG Electronics. Ratings for the no-load energy consumption range from five stars for the most advanced chargers consuming just 30mW in no load mode down to zero stars for the units consuming the most energy, making it easy for consumers to compare and choose the most energy-efficient chargers.

Doug Bailey, vice president of marketing, Power Integrations said: PI’s new LNK632DG power supply IC will enable cellphone charger manufacturers in the sub-three-watt bracket, including the China-charger specification and other USB charger designs, to trim component count by up to nine parts – reducing cost while still achieving the coveted five-star rating.

The new LNK632DG incorporates sophisticated protection and safety features including auto-restart, output short-circuits protection, and hysteretic thermal shutdown. IEC 60950-1 HV creepage requirements are met between drain pin and other pins and all single-point failures are safely handled.

The new LNK632DG is housed in a simple 8-pin surface mount package and are available immediately from $0.42 each in 100,000-unit quantities.