Value-Optimized PMIC Steered Toward Automotive Systems
What you'll learn:
- Key features of STMicro's new SPSA068 PMIC targeting automotive apps.
- Safety measures taken to meet ISO 26262 approval.
The SPSA068 is a compact and cost-effective AEC-Q100-qualified power-management IC (PMIC) for automotive applications. Designed for use with microcontrollers (MCUs) that operate from a single-supply voltage, STMicroelectronics’ PMIC can operate from a direct connection to the battery. Its comprehensive feature set includes all of the features required in a turnkey solution for MCU power management.
Capable of achieving ISO 26262 functional-safety (FuSa) approval up to ASIL B, the SPSA068 integrates a 1-A battery-compatible buck voltage regulator, a precise (1%) voltage reference, watchdog supervisors, diagnostic indicators, MCU reset control, and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) for configuration and status checking. Both versions of the PMIC include digital and analog built-in self-test (BIST) capabilities; input, output, and ground loss monitors; and a dedicated FAULT pin.
The device’s parameters can be customized via its integrated non-volatile memory (NVM). The buck regulator output is configurable to 5, 3.3, or 1.2 V. Its output current can set for 0.5 or 1 A, while the switching frequency can be set to 0.4 or 2.4 MHz. Integrated protection includes over/undervoltage, overcurrent, short circuit, and thermal shutdown. The SPSA068 supports a low-power mode with quiescent current of just 50 µA.
The PMIC, available now in a 32-pin 5.0- × 5.0- ×1.0-mm QFN package, is priced at $1.40. Designers can quickly start new projects with the SPSA068 using the dedicated STEVAL-SPSA068 evaluation board. Additional resources include:
- Product overview - SPSA068
- Datasheet - SPSA068
- User manual - STEVAL-SPSA068
About the Author
Lee Goldberg
Contributing Editor
Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.
Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.
Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.
Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.
Lee also writes the regular PowerBites series.