iWatt leads the industry in providing the power supply for chargers and adapters in tablet computers, with power outputs up to 40W. Leveraging PrimAccurate™ technology, iWatt offers high efficiency, small size and low BOM cost by eliminating the need for an external opto-isolator and removing all compensation components. In the case of the iW181x family, the high voltage power bipolar transistor is integrated, further reducing solution size.

Most chargers and adapters have only a handful of requirements. One is to make sure that it is efficient enough as to not overheat. The more efficient the solution is, the smaller the solution can be as well, so finding the optimal mix of size and efficiency is critical. Since the charger/adapter is an accessory and not the main selling point of the product being used, the solution also needs to be low cost. The AC/DC converter family from iWatt offers the right combination of size, high efficiency and low BOM cost by offering a solution with a minimum number of external components while maximizing the power savings by using proprietary digital algorithms to monitor all conditions and adjust the converter to optimize its operating mode.

In the case of chargers, its also important to control the constant current mode of operation to ensure that the battery being charged does not get charged at a current higher than its programmed maximum. With PrimAccurate™, the iWatt AC/DC converters control the constant current at better than 3%.

Incandescent light bulbs around the world are being replaced by low consumption alternatives, one alternative being high power LEDs. The cost/lumen is now at an attractive level and solutions are becoming available on the market using LEDs as the main lighting element. The biggest attraction to LED technology is the possibility of a light bulb that can last 25 years (50,000 hours of use) while consuming only a fraction of what incandescent bulbs consume.

The complication is that LEDs are best driven by direct current and not the alternating current that currently powers the vast majority of the light sockets worldwide. For that, the application requires an AC/DC converter that steps down the AC voltage to a usable DC level where the LED can safely be driven. That converter must be capable of regulating current to the LEDs and be backwards compatible with the broadest range of dimming circuits possible. The iWatt family of PrimAccurate™ SSL drivers are capable of converting the main line voltage down to a usable level and then provide a constant current through the LEDs, provide Flickerless™ dimming and do so in a form factor that can fit into the small confines of the majority of the exist bulb types.

For more information on Flickerless™ or PrimAccurate™ technology, see our technology section.

Virtually all televisions and monitors are now flat panel display, all of which have some retroillumination in order to make the screen visible under all conditions. Technology like Active Matrix OLEDs is a self-illuminated technology, while LCD displays must be backlit by CCFLs or LEDs. LEDs are the dominant technology for backlighting today because of their reduced cost and the ability to use the LEDs to light locally behind the panel, giving the display manufacturer flexibility for lighting effects or for power savings through local dimming.

When larger panels are used, the number of LEDs required to backlight that display also goes up signficantly. The number of drivers for each of those LEDs also goes up, increasing cost and complexity, especially since its critical that all LEDs have the same brightness, so as to avoid having brightspots or dead spots, with more or less backlighting compared to the rest of the display. Conventional solutions are costly, inefficient and do not provide the channel-to-channel current matching required by LCD panels today. The iWatt BroadLED™ family of DC/DC LED drivers provides a high level of integration and can only do so because of its innovative technology that reduces power loss by up to 60% over comparable solutions. This reduces power dissipation and allows for a large number of LED drivers to be integrated into one device.

For more information on BroadLED™ technology, see our technology section.

iWatt leads the industry in providing the power supply for chargers and adapters in tablet computers, with power outputs up to 40W.  iWatt has applied this same world-class technology to Networking products where performance and durability are key to these high reliability applications.  Leveraging PrimAccurate™ technology, iWatt enables isolated power supplies that remove the opto-isolator, a component needed to provide feedback, and therefore significantly improving the operating reliability of the power supply and the entire end product. 

Networking devices such as routers, modems and wireless access points also need to consume as little power as possible, especially in the ever-connected world in which these devices are always-on.  iWatt’s unique multi-mode control, an adaptive technology that changes modulation technique based on operating conditions, and quasi-resonant switching technology allows the power supply to obtain high efficiency at max load current while reducing no load power consumption to virtually zero, enabling Energy-Star^® compliant devices without significantly increasing cost or complexity.  This same power supply technology also avoids any audible noise by maintaining the switching frequency above 22kHz, outside of the audible range, keeping these networking devices as silent as they should be.

Smart Meters are revolutionizing the utility industry. The main power supply inside of a typical smart meter needs to be highly reliable, rugged, consume a minimum of power when at minimum load, provide high efficiency under max load and offer immunity to RF interference. iWatt’s PrimAccurate™ technology enables highly reliable solutions for Smart Meters, removing components susceptible to failure like opto-isolators and Y-caps. The AC/DC converters from iWatt also offer near zero stand-by power consumption, high efficiency at full load, and they offer better RF/EMI immunity than competing solutions by integrating intelligent drive for power bipolar transistors, inherently lower noise than equivalent power MOSFETs. Additionally, iWatt’s AC/DC converter technology integrates the intelligence necessary to maintain stability and offer fast start-up in spite of the large capacitance at the load. This same power supply technology also avoids any audible noise by maintaining the switching frequency above 22kHz, outside of the audible range, keeping the meter as silent as it is smart.

The rapidly evolving home appliance market has made the average kitchen as connected as the rest of the modern home. From washers and dryers to refrigerators and toasters, white goods now can be controlled and programmed from your smartphone or tablet PC. But, with such integration requires cost effective yet sophisticated power supply technology to power and protect the downstream components. iWatt’s AccuSwitch™ and PrimAccurate™ technologies enable white goods that easily meet Energy-Star^® and other and other efficiency standards for stand-by power consumption. iWatt’s PrimAccurate™ AC/DC converters and controllers offer near-zero stand-by power consumption, efficiency greater than 85% and a high level of integration, removing fragile opto-isolators and Y-caps that are susceptible to durability issues whether from high in-rush currents or large voltage spikes from lighting strikes.