Converters Lengthen Battery Longevity

The performance and battery life of portables powered by single- and dual-cell batteries are both said to be improved by members of two new families of low-power dc-to-dc converters. The TPS6100x family of boost converters can continuously deliver at least 100 mA in single-cell systems and 250 mA in dual-cell systems. And the ICs can start up and run from as little as 0.9V and 0.8V, respectively. They also boast of battery-prolonging features such as a power-save mode.
The other family, called TPS6014x charge pump converters, allow designers to achieve a regulated 5V supply with a continuous output current of at least 100 mA from a 2V input. They can work with 1.8V to 3.3V and tout an output voltage ripple of just 50 mV. In 10-pin MSOPs, TPS6100x converters cost $2.13 each/1000 and in 20-pin TSSOPs, TPS6014x converters cost $1.93.