Octal high-side switch / diver demagnetizes inductive load for Industry 4.0 applications

Designers of industrial controllers can safely drive and demagnetize any inductive load for Industry 4.0 applications with the new MAX14913 octal high-side switch and driver from Maxim Integrated Products. With a unique, innovative and safe-demagnetizing clamp on each output it easily and reliably interfaces low-voltage digital signals to 24V output-control lines, says the company. For most industrial applications, engineers need a high-side switch to control inductive loads. The challenge is how to discharge the energy in the inductor when the switch opens and current flow stops. If the inductance and the resulting stored energy are high, a driver IC could be permanently damaged due to the generated heat. Using its safe-demagnetization feature, the MAX14913 can discharge and demagnetize any inductive load safely via its integrated clamps. For a more robust solution, it provides open-wire and short-circuit diagnostics, the most-common external failure mode. Its best-in-class propagation delay enables higher system speed and throughput. Compared to its predecessor, the MAX14913 achieves 15x space savings by eliminating 16 diodes from its previous solution. In addition, it has eight 640mA high-side switches that can also be configured as push-pull drivers for high-speed switching. Applications include programmable logic controllers (PLCs), motion control units, drives, and other industrial and process automation applications, says the company. Key Advantages 1 - System speed: Ultra-high speed switching up to 200kHz improves system speed by >15×; Handles 24V (nominal)/36V (max) loads at up to 0.5A with minimum delay 2 - Robust: Safely drives and demagnetizes any inductive load with integrated safe-demagnetization clamps on outputs; each output is also protected against 1kV of surge 3 - Small footprint: Industry’s smallest octal high-side driver reduces board space by 40% compared to other solutions on the market; enables compact high-density I/O modules 4 - Diagnostic capabilities: Reduces downtime through multiple diagnostic capabilities; simplifies plant troubleshooting “The MAX14913 is the world’s first and only octal high-side switch with integrated fast and safe- demagnetization clamps capable of discharging and demagnetizing any inductive load,” said Tony Partow, executive business manager, Maxim Industrial and Healthcare Business Unit.