Micrel's Hot-Swap Power Controller Targets High-Reliability PCI Hot-Plug Applications

- Compliant to the latest PCI Hot-Plug version 1.1 standard. - Adds SMBus support with integrated analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for sophisticated power management and diagnostics.

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A new hot-swap power controller IC supporting the latest PCI hot-plug standards is now available from Micrel Semiconductor (Nasdaq: MCRL - news), an industry leader in power management and high speed communications integrated circuits.

Manufactured in a 48-pin TQFP package, the MIC2590 is a dual-slot power controller that supports all system voltages required by PCI, including the 3.3V auxiliary voltage specified by PCI Standard Version 2.2. The device supports +12V, -12V, 3.3V, 5.0V primary supplies, and 3.3V auxiliary supplies with overcurrent protection. The MIC2590 offers adjustable overcurrent timeout, circuit-breaker fault protection, undervoltage lockout, output voltage monitoring and output voltage slew rate control.

The MIC2590 also regulates the output current to ensure that inrush current never exceeds the programmed threshold. This feature improves the performance of a system with highly capacitive loads associated with many PCI adapter cards.

System reliability and performance monitoring is increased by an integrated 8-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that provides the system designer with the means to monitor the voltage and current of any supply in any PCI slot. In addition, the specific cause of a fault in any supply is recorded in internal registers accessible via the SMBus interface. This feature provides the system designer with comprehensive diagnostics and power management capabilities supported by the Intelligent Peripheral Management Interface (IPMI) standard.

"System reliability is key in network servers, so the MIC2590 was designed to address PCI power distribution applications with the additional flexibility and enhanced performance demanded by network system designers," said Larry Mazer, business unit manager for hot-swap products.

The MIC2590 is available now in a 48-pin TQFP package for $8.20 when purchased in 1,000-piece quantities.

                     Summary of Features & Applications:
                   MIC2590 Family Hot Swap Power Controller

    Features

    -- Compliant to PCI Hot-Plug standard version 1.1 and PCI Standard
       Hot-Plug Controller and Subsystem Specification, Revision 1.0
    -- Supports two completely independent PCI slots
    -- Integrated 12V, -12V and 3.3V auxiliary MOSFETs (compliant to PCI
       version 2.2)
    -- Overcurrent protection with adjustable timeout eliminates false
       tripping of circuit-breaker
    -- Integrated ADC for output voltage and current monitoring
    -- SMBus interface for complete control and status information of slot
       power

    Applications

    -- Hot-Plug PCI Power Distribution

Micrel Semiconductor is a leading manufacturer of advanced, high performance communications, clock management, mixed signal, analog and power ICs. These products include devices for fiber-optic telecommunications and networking, cellular telephones, servers, portable computer systems, computer peripherals, process control systems, consumer electronics and power supplies.