Full-Featured NiMH Charger IC Speeds Time to Market

Maxim Integrated Products (NASDAQ: MXIM) introduces the DS2710, a stand-alone, NiMH charger IC with alkaline-cell detection. The industry's smallest charger IC to incorporate fast-charge control and alkaline-cell detection, the DS2710 saves space and cost while speeding time to market. Eliminating the need for circuit design or microcontroller programming, this device offers an elegant, single-chip charger solution that protects against system damage due to corrosive cell leakage. The DS2710 thus makes it easy to add in-system NiMH charging to end equipment powered by AA or AAA batteries. Ideal for charging batteries from a USB port, the DS2710 is well suited for MP3 players, voice recorders, handheld games, toys, or any other application capable of using standard-size alkaline or NiMH batteries.