Dual-Alarm Output IC Can Replace Thermistors And Thermocouples

Equipped with dual-alarm outputs, MAX1619 digital thermometer is designed to report the temperature of both a remote sensor and its own package. Remote accuracy is ±3°C and local accuracy is ±2°C. The remote sensor is a diode-connected transistor (typically a 2N3904 NPN type) that replaces conventional thermistors and thermocouples. The remote channel can also measure the die temperature of other ICs, such as microprocessors, that contain an on-chip diode-connected transistor. Further, one of MAX1619's dual-alarm outputs can be used to activate a CPU fan controller without system intervention. The chip uses a 2-wire serial interface to accept standard SMBus commands to program alarm thresholds and read temperature data. Measurements can be taken automatically or autonomously, with the conversion rate programmed by the user or programmed to operate in a single-shot mode. MAX1619 comes in a 16-pin QSOP. A pre-assembled evaluation kit also is available.