Analog Circuit Protects Portables From Over-Voltage Conditions

Made using a BiCMOS process, the NCP345 analog circuit is said to be particularly effective in protecting portable and other low-voltage electronic products from over-voltage transients and power supply faults. The IC is designed to sense such conditions and to quickly disconnect the input voltage supply before damage can occur. The chip can be used with external ac/dc adapters or car accessory chargers to power the portable products and/or recharge their batteries.
The NCP345 IC can withstand transients up to 30V and contains the following integrated features: an over-voltage turn-off time of less than 1 µs; under-voltage lockout protection; a precise voltage reference; a comparator with hysteresis; control logic; and a MOSFET gate. The new over-voltage protection IC comes in a 5-pin TSOP costing $0.50 each/12,000.