STMicroelectronics announces highly flexible compact 60V DC/DC converter

     The STMicroelectronics L7983 is a compact 3V-60V, 300mA synchronous DC/DC buck power converter with flexible dynamic mode selection to meet the requirements of noise-sensitive applications and maximize energy efficiency at light loads. The L7983 uses ST's proprietary, innovative technology to control low-side power MOSFETs and offers two operating modes: Low noise mode (LNM) at constant switching frequency and Low Power mode (LCM). In LCM mode, the converter maximizes energy efficiency under light or no-load conditions. The operating mode can be selected using an external pin, and the mode control pin can be dynamically controlled by the application or preset by pulling a high or low level.

     With a wide input voltage range, the L7983 can operate at industrial bus voltages of 12V and 24V with sufficient safety margins. The new products are also suitable for battery powered applications and can be used in fault protection systems for industrial equipment, distributed intelligent nodes, home appliances, robots, telecommunications equipment. Precision sensing applications will benefit from easy-to-use, low-noise modes.

     While the high maximum input voltage ensures robustness and reliability, the L7983's wide switching frequency of 200 Khz-2 MHZ increases design flexibility. In addition, the optional extended frequency jitter feature helps minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI). A static current of 10µA has minimal impact on the system's power requirements and provides an external enable pin that reduces the static current to 2.3µA in off mode.

     Other features include support for power supply timing and external clock synchronization. Internal safety protection features include soft start, overheat protection, pulse-by-pulse detection current limiting, overvoltage protection, and undervoltage lock (UVLO) that can be adjusted to the input voltage. Compensation circuits are also integrated to help simplify design and save bill of material costs.

     A total of three L7983 products are launched, respectively, L7983PU33R with 3.3V fixed output voltage, L7983PU50R with 5.0V fixed output voltage, and L7983PUR with adjustable output voltage. Each product has an associated evaluation board. The STEVAL-L7983V33 speeds up the development of product projects using the L7983PU33R. The STEVAL-L7983V50 and STEVAL-L7983ADJ support the L7983PU50R and L7983PUR, respectively. The L7983 is now in production in a 3mm x 3mm DFN10 package.