PMIC suits tiny wearables with low standby drain
The nPM1304 PMIC from Nordic offers precise fuel gauging for products with small rechargeable batteries and strict energy budgets. It charges single-cell Li-ion, Li-poly, and LiFePO4 batteries—intended for devices like smart rings and trackers—with charging currents as low as 4 mA and a programmable termination voltage from 3.5 V to 4.65 V.
Estimating battery state of charge, the nPM1304 applies an algorithm-based fuel gauging method that tracks voltage, current, and temperature alongside a mathematical battery model. This approach reportedly achieves accuracy comparable to dedicated fuel gauge ICs, without their added power consumption or error accumulation.
According to Nordic, dedicated fuel gauge ICs can draw up to 50 µA during active operation and 7 µA in sleep mode—significant figures for products averaging just 200 µA. In contrast, the nPM1304 consumes only 8 µA when active and zero in sleep, delivering accurate state-of-charge estimates without noticeably impacting battery life.
In addition to battery charging (4 mA to 100 mA) and fuel gauging, the nPM1304 provides two 200-mA buck regulators and two configurable 100-mA load switches or 50-mA LDOs.
Contact Nordic Sales to join the early sampling program.
The post PMIC suits tiny wearables with low standby drain appeared first on EDN.
