Sustaining up to 4 A continuous current over a wide operating input voltage range of 8 V to 48 V, with low insertion loss thanks to its integrated low-RDS(ON) VIPower MOSFET, the STEF01 programmable electronic fuse from STMicroelectronics extends the benefits of fast-acting overload protection to applications at higher power ratings.
When connected in series to the main power rail, the device protects the load against over-current and over-voltage. The voltage is clamped to a user-defined maximum, preset with external resistors. Excessive current is restricted to the programmed safe limit by controlling the internal power MOSFET, and folds back to a lower limit if a strong over-current or short circuit is detected.
The STEF01 leverages ST’s BCD8 high-voltage process to integrate features including dV/dt control to prevent excessive inrush current during startup or hot-swap insertion. This slows the output voltage ramp-up time to at least 3 ms, which can be increased if desired by connecting an external capacitor. Programmable under-voltage lockout (UVLO), also set using external components, allows the user to fine-tune the desired voltage rail minimum value to suit the load requirements.
Further features include thermal shutdown with latching or auto-retry, and maximum dissipated-power protection, which each prevent exceptionally high power from damaging the STEF01 when starting up into heavy capacitive loads, or during large load transients or short-circuits at high voltage. There is also a power-good indicator and an enable/fault pin that can be used as either a status monitor or to control the device. A dedicated gate-driver output for controlling an external N-channel MOSFET simplifies implementation of reverse-current protection.
The STEF01 delivers protection for a wide range of applications, including industrial hot-swap boards and control equipment, circuit breakers, power buses, security or lighting systems, telecom power modules, or distributed power systems. It is available now in a 14-pin HTSSOP14 package.
For more information contact Dirk Venter, Arrow Altech Distribution, +27 11 923 9600, [email protected], www.arrow.altech.co.za
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