A high-side octal driver IC from AMI Semiconductor provides a single-chip, medium-current solution for interfacing 3.3 V or 5 V MCUs and most physical loads, including transistors, relays, solenoids and LEDs.
Bob Klosterboer, senior vice president for integrated mixed-signal products, says the AMIS-70050 simplifies automotive load management and dashboard or other applications where actuator control, LED indication, and relay and solenoid operation are controlled by a microcontroller.
The device integrates a three-wire serial peripheral interface (SPI) and eight high-side driver switches, with fly-back diodes and comprehensive protection and diagnostic features, in a 28-pin, thermally enhanced SOIC package. Klosterboer says that, compared with a parallel interface, the SPI interfaces allows more comprehensive control and diagnostic information to be passed between the microcontroller and the AMIS-70050. An integrated charge pump drives the gate voltage for the integrated high side driver transistors, guaranteeing a low Rds-on and avoiding thermal runaway even at low battery voltage. The high-side driver switches have integrated fly-back diodes and can deliver up to 415mA of continuous current (with all drivers active).