Power Integrations has expanded its CAPZero family of X-capacitor discharge ICs with the introduction of the CAPZero-4 device for industrial and consumer applications. Power Integrations pioneered the X-capacitor discharge function, which disengages the energy-consuming discharge resistor in an AC/DC power supply until the device is unplugged and the resistor is needed to safely bleed power from the X-capacitor.
The latest iteration, the CAPZero-4 family, reduces system no-load and standby input power by up to 1000mW – critical when total system standby power requirements can be as low as 300mW. This is achieved by a device which consumes less than 1mW to support zero-watt no-load operation. It also features a wide operating temperature range of -400C to 1250C to support demanding outdoor industrial applications.
“CAPZero-4 makes it easy for our customers in industrial and consumer markets to meet increasingly stringent standby and no-load requirements,” said Edward Ong, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Power Integrations. “The fourth generation of our CAPZero technology delivers more of the available power to the load during standby. With its pin-to-pin and package compatibility with previous CAPZero devices, customers can adopt it without redesigning, making it an ideal solution across a wide range of markets.”
CAPZero-4 ICs meet the needs of the appliance, display, adapter, and industrial markets, supporting AC/DC converters with line-to-neutral input capacitance between 100nF and 6μF. It is ideal for appliances requiring ErP Lot 6 compliance and adapters requiring ultralow no-load consumption (less than 300mW). By eliminating the losses typically caused by the X-capacitor bleed resistors, the technology increases the available standby power for embedded power supplies that must meet strict standby power limits. Since introducing the technology in 2010, Power Integrations has shipped more than one billion CAPZero ICs.
Key features include:
- Ultra-low power consumption below 0.75mW at 230V AC, enabling solutions with zero no-load power
- Extended operating temperature from -400C to 1250C to support industrial, outdoor, and other harsh-environment applications
- Drop-in replacement through package and pin-compatibility with CAPZero-3, enabling easy migration to the new family. Designing with the CAPZero-4 is simply a matter of selecting the appropriate external resistor values to meet the necessary X-capacitor discharge time
- Global safety compliance – designs using CAPZero-4 meet IEC 60335, EN/IEC 62368-1 (NEMKO), UL 62368-1, and GB 4943.1 (CQC) standards
