PoL Voltage Controllers Support Margining

To uncover voltage sensitivities on pre-production boards, engineers may evaluate design corners by independently varying dc-dc converter supply outputs. Summit Microelectronics says that most computer, industrial, communications, and datacom OEMs now mandate such margining.

The company has added a four-channel point-of-load (PoL) voltage controller, the SMM465, to its two- and six-channel family members. The Active DC Output Control (ADOC) on the chip maintains the output voltage of up to four dc-dc converters from 0.3 V to V_DD. Converters can use a trim or regulator voltage-adjust pin to adjust the output voltage, or they can use I²C commands. Voltage accuracy is guaranteed to ±0.2%. This contrasts to several percent or more for conventional dc-dc converters.

The SMM465 comes in a 48-pin TQFP. It costs $6.30 in 10,000-unit quantities. Summit also offers development tools and an evaluation kit.