Battery IC charges at 3.5A

Maxim Integrated Products’ MAX8730 battery-charger IC charges three to four Li-ion cells in series. Analog inputs control input current limit, charge current and voltage, while the integrated 3.3V low dropout regulator supplies over 20mA current to any external circuitry or ICs. Two analog outputs are available for charge current and input current. A digital output is used to detect AC-adapter presence.

The IC provides 0.5% accurate battery-voltage regulation, which increases battery capacity and minimizes charging time. The device can be hardwired or controlled by a microprocessor to set the charging current or voltage. Based on the presence or absence of an AC adapter, the product uses two positive-channel MOSFETs to automatically select the appropriate source for powering the system.

The IC features AC-adapter current limiting. It monitors the current drawn from the adapter and adjusts the charge current so that supplying the system load and the charger simultaneously does not overload the adapter.

For more information, visit www.maxim-ic.com.