PMIC extends the battery life of wireless products and meets environmental responsibility

Rutronik now offers the nPM2100, the latest addition to Nordic Semiconductor's Power Management nPM family, as part of its product range. The PMIC was developed for highly efficient energy regulation for primary cell applications. The 150nA IQ internal boost regulator is currently the most efficient on the market. It can deliver output voltages ranging from 1.8V to 3.3V, given input voltages of 0.7V to 3.4V. Target applications include nearly all out-of-the-box products that can be employed immediately without charging, such as wearables and smart home sensors.

According to a survey by the European Commission's information service for research and development (CORDIS), around 28 billion primary batteries are currently disposed of every year. The production of this type of battery requires, on average, 50 times the energy it can store without the complete stored energy of the cell ever being used. The PMIC greatly extends the service life of primary cells and the products equipped with them, thereby helping to decrease battery waste.

The device is optimised for maximum efficiency and highly efficient power control for any primary cell application: Precise, algorithm-based fuel gauging permits access to the entire energy in the battery with minimal additional load. Standard voltage-based estimates are often inaccurate, leading to premature replacement or unexpected depletion.

One notable feature of the device is its special shipping mode (Ship Mode). This means that devices with a pre-installed battery can be transported without the necessity for a plastic tab to stop the battery from losing power. The mode requires a sleep current of only 35nA, with various wake-up options, including the patent-pending 'break-to-wake' function, which allows a buttonless product to wake up from Ship Mode by simply interrupting an electrical connection.

Hibernate mode decreases the sleep current to 175nA for up to three times longer battery life with time-controlled wake-up functions. Also, the PMIC features an extremely energy-efficient timer for deeper sleep settings.

Thanks to its extensive software support, the PMIC delivers optimal performance in conjunction with Nordic's nRF52, nRF53, and nRF54 wireless multiprotocol SoCs. However, the device is also compatible with host devices from other manufacturers.

Supported cells include one or two AA/AAA batteries (in series), a 3V CR2032 button cell, single or dual silver oxide batteries, and zinc-air button cells. Any other battery within the PMIC's input voltage range can also be used.

Samples of the nPM2100 are available in compact 1.9mm x 1.9mm WLCSP and 4mm x 4mm QFN16 packages. The nPM2100 Evaluation Kit from Nordic enables easy evaluation and code-free configuration of the nPM2100.

Typical applications include IoT and wearables, Healthcare, medical tracking, smart home sensors, Fitness accessories, Computer peripherals and remote controls, and Bluetooth Asset Tracking.