The 150mA step down synchronous rectification micro DC/DC converter has a 200nA low quiescent current, a low power consumption circuit, PFM control and an output voltage selectable function. The VSET function switches between two output voltages by signal input. When mounted on a low power MCU with a wide operating voltage range, it provides low voltage during standby and high voltage during operations such as sensor communication. This dramatically extends the battery life of small appliances, says Torex.

Efficiency at a light load current is dramatically improved by implementing low power consumption circuits (200nA) and PFM control. The power consumption of MCUs and SoCs is getting lower, and the efficiency of output current during sleep is important for battery life. The XCL233’s efficiency is over 80% says the company, whereas in traditional DC/DC converters it is less than 20%. Additionally, a low output voltage, from 0.5V, can be selected, which is suitable for low voltage SoCs.

By integrating control IC and coil the device is compact as well as efficient, with low EMI through the attachment of two small, external ceramic capacitors.

The DC/DC converters can be used in IoT, mobile and wearable devices where long life, small size and high efficiency at a light load current are important.