News: Press Release: March 07, 2005

iWatt Unveils World's First Single-Stage, Digital Controller For Power Factor Correction

Innovative Power Supply Control Technology Recovers Two-Thirds of Wasted Energy and Enables Smaller Size Adapters

March 7, 2005 - Los Gatos, CA - iWatt Inc., a leader in power conversion IC technology, announced today the release of the iW2202, a revolutionary new power control IC based on the company's proprietary adaptive digital control techniques. This new chip enables power supply manufacturers to produce smaller, lower cost, and higher efficiency AC adapters. The part is ideal for AC power adapters that are used in battery charging applications.

The key markets for the iW2202 include notebook computer adapters, flat panel displays, utility meters and LCD TVs.

“High performance electronics require a sophisticated power source,” said Curtis Davis, president and chief executive officer of iWatt. ”iWatt technology makes power factor conversion affordable in applications that were previously reluctant to implement costly energy saving measures.”

The iW2202 uses a new digital control technology to eliminate entire circuit blocks from a typical power supply. For example, the part enables accurate regulation of the power supply’s output without opto-couplers, references and external compensation circuits, which are required in today’s adapters. By removing this output sensing circuitry, the iWatt solution achieves improved reliability and reduced cost.

iWatt specifically developed these digital control techniques to solve the most important challenges facing power supply designers, such as loop stability, highest possible efficiency, improved power factor, high reliability, and idle-mode power consumption. Innovative digital signal analysis techniques allow the iW2202 to achieve key performance objectives while reducing the number of components required inside the power supply. A power supply made with fewer components results in lower cost, improved reliability and reduced size.

Regulatory agencies, such as Energy Star®, have mandated increasingly stringent power saving measures, including restrictions on the harmonic distortion that complex electronic equipment is allowed to reflect back onto the AC line. In order to meet the latest agency standards, power supply manufacturers must include power factor correction (PFC) in any adapter over 75W. This PFC circuit requires an additional power converter that is used to condition AC line current, so that it is in phase with AC line voltage. The iW2202 has an intelligent digital core that combines both the PFC converter and the output regulation stage. iWatt's single-stage PFC is made possible by simultaneously controlling multiple operating parameters, a feat that has been previously unachievable using analog control techniques.

iW2202 key features include:

Digital, single-stage, active PFC controller
Over 90% conversion efficiency
Less than 300mW stand-by power consumption
Primary side control eliminates opto-couplers
No external loop compensation required
Built-in cable drop compensation
High reliability
Built-in protection features: OVP, OCP, OTP and short circuit protection
Smallest size, lowest cost, highest efficiency.

The announcement of this revolutionary power controller comes during the Advanced Power Electronics Conference, or APEC (http://www.apec-conf.org/), which is being held this week in Austin, TX. Jim McCreary, iWatt's VP of engineering, will be presenting a technical white paper describing the technology to an audience of power engineers at APEC. The whitepaper explains iWatt’s novel approach to achieve single-stage power factor correction.

The iWatt iW2202 is available now in production quantity with a starting price of $1.29 in 1,000 piece quantities. The part is offered in a lead-free, small outline, 14-lead package, with an option for tape and reel.

About iWatt

iWatt, Inc. is a power control IC company that designs, develops and markets semiconductor products for the computer, communication and consumer market segments. The company's patented digital control technology is raising the bar in power supply price/performance metrics. iWatt is currently working with market leaders in notebook computer, flat panel display and portable devices to develop high density, lowest cost AC/DC power supplies. iWatt, is based in Silicon Valley with headquarters in Los Gatos, CA. For more information, visit www.iwatt.com or call iWatt at (408) 374-4200.

Press Contact
Doyle L. Slack
Director, Corporate Marketing
408-385-1947
dslack@iwatt.com

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News: Press Release: March 07, 2005

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