Nordic Semiconductor nPM1300 multi-function PMIC

The Nordic Semiconductor nPM1300 multi-function Power Management IC (PMIC) is designed to simplify system design by integrating the features required for Bluetooth Low Energy embedded designed, while supporting longer run times and efficient battery charging.

The PMIC adds support for both charging of larger batteries and four regulated power rails. The multi-function PMIC will be optimised for efficiency and compact size (3.1 x 2.4 mm WL-CSP or 5 x 5 mm QFN) and is digitally configurable through an I2C-compatible Two Wire Interface (TWI). The digital interface provides access to several system management functions that are usually implemented as discrete functions in Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) embedded designs — such as hard reset, battery fuel gauge, system-level watchdog, power loss warning and recovery from failed boot.

The multi-function PMIC is designed to provide efficient power regulation for Nordic’s nRF52 and nRF53 Series advanced wireless multiprotocol systems-on-chips (SoCs). The PMIC’s four regulated power rails and battery charger make it suitable for compact and advanced IoT products.

The PMIC operates from an external power supply of 4.0 to 5.5 V and can operate from a battery voltage down to 2.4 V. Two power rails are regulated by separate DC/DC buck converters that are configurable between 1.0 and 3.3 V and up to 200 mA maximum current. The other two power rails operate as load switches — switching currents of up to 100 mA from external sources — but can also perform as low drop out (LDO) voltage converters when powered directly by the PMIC. When operating as LDOs, these power rail outputs are configurable between 1.0 and 3.3 V with a maximum output current of 50 mA. The unregulated input voltage is also available as an output from the nPM1300.

The PMIC charges single-cell Li-ion, Li-Pol and LiFePO4 batteries with a linear charging module that supports up to 800 mA charge current. The termination voltage is programmable from 3.5 to 4.45 V. The battery charger features automatic thermal regulation with programmable maximum chip temperature during charging to enable simple thermal management that can be adapted to any system requirement.

The nPM1300 also features USB port detection with automatic current limits of 100 or 500 mA through standard USB or up to 1500 mA through USB-C PD (power delivery); dynamic power path management which automatically switches to battery power if a mains power connection is removed; voltage, current and temperature monitoring for accurate fuel gauging; and ultra-low current hibernate mode with a programmable wake-up timer in addition to the other system management features already mentioned. The PMIC also features three LED drivers and five GPIOs that can be repurposed to direct control lines to time-critical control functions as an alternative to serial commands.

The nPM1300 will be available to order from Nordic’s distributors mid-2023.