Analog Devices announces the Power by Linear™ LTC7106, a PMBus I2C controlled precision bidirectional current DAC designed to adjust the output voltage of virtually any DC/DC regulator. Through its PMBus compatible interface, the LTC7106 receives a 7-bit serial code and converts it to a bidirectional (source, sink) output current. When the current is fed into the feedback network of a regulator, its output voltage can be programmed dynamically for load power/performance optimization or margining in response to serial VID commands. Available in a 2mm x 3mm DFN-10 package, the LTC7106 enables small and simple solution for a wide range of discrete and modular DC/DC voltage regulators.
Its internal power-on reset circuitry keeps the DAC output current at zero until a valid write takes place. Other features include a range bit for easy interfacing to almost any impedance resistor divider, and an open-drain output for controlling the Run or Enable pin of the regulator. To prevent abrupt changes in the DAC output current and subsequently the output voltage of the regulator, an internal digital programmable slew rate can be programmed from 500ns/step to 3.5ms/step.
The LTC7106 operates over an input voltage range of 2.5V to 5.5V and is supported by the easy to use LTpowerPlay® development tool with graphical user interface (GUI). Additional features include ±1% output current accuracy over temperature, a wide range bidirectional DAC output current from ±16µA to ±256µA, wide DAC operational voltage range from 0.4V to 2V, and a precision enable threshold to support external undervoltage lockout.
For more information, visit http://www.linear.com/product/LTC7106.
