Power Integrations has launched the CAPZero-4, the latest entry in its line of X-capacitor discharge ICs built for consumer and industrial AC-DC power supplies. Engineered to eliminate standby energy waste, the new family slashes no-load and standby input power by up to 1,000 mW, giving design engineers crucial breathing room when targeting strict system standby budgets as low as 300 mW.
Since pioneering X-capacitor discharge technology in 2010, Power Integrations has shipped over one billion CAPZero units. Standard power supply designs rely on bleed resistors that continuously draw current while connected to grid power.
CAPZero ICs eliminate this constant parasitic loss by disengaging the discharge resistor during normal operation, only reconnecting it to safely drain the X-capacitor when the plug is pulled.
The CAPZero-4 family operates on less than 1 mW of self-consumption, supporting true zero-watt no-load performance. With a widened operating temperature range spanning -40°C to 125°C, the chips are designed to withstand harsh outdoor industrial environments as effectively as indoor electronics.
Supporting AC-DC converters with line-to-neutral input capacitance between 100 nF and 6 ?F, the new series targets appliances, displays, power adapters, and industrial equipment.
It simplifies compliance with key efficiency standards, such as European ErP Lot 6 rules for appliances and sub-300 mW no-load limits for external adapters and by redirecting energy usually lost in resistors back into the system’s available standby power budget.
Key features include:
- Ultra-Low Power Consumption below 0.75 mW at 230 VAC, enabling solutions with zero no-load power.
- Extended Operating Temperature from -40 deg. C to 125 deg. C 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.
Leadership Comment
“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.”
Availability
The CAPZero-4 is in production and shipping to customers.
To Know More About CAPZero-4: CLICK HERE
