Nordic Semiconductor’s nPM1300 PMIC enters mass production

Volume release of highly integrated Power Management IC enables customers who have developed products based on samples or nPM1300 EK to move to commercial production

Nordic Semiconductor, a global leader in low-power wireless connectivity, is pleased to announce that its recently released nPM1300 Power Management IC (PMIC) is now available for volume purchase through Nordic’s distribution network. The nPM1300 is available today as a QFN package with the CSP (chip scale package) coming soon.

“We’re excited that the nPM1300 PMIC is now available in volume because it enables customers who have developed products based on samples from Nordic or evaluated the part using the nPM1300 Evaluation Kit to quickly move their projects forward,” says Geir Kjosavik, Product Director – PMIC with Nordic Semiconductor. “The product has been exceptionally well received by the market, and we are thrilled to announce to everybody who is actively in design that they can safely enter commercial production with their end devices.”

Ideal for battery-powered operation

With its two ultra-efficient buck DC-to-DC converters, two load switches that double as Low Drop Out voltage converters (LDOs) and integrated battery charging, the nPM1300 is ideal for battery-operated applications. It reduces an end-product’s Bill-of-Materials (BoM) by combining circuitry that typically requires five or more discrete components into a single chip. The circuitry includes system management features and accurate fuel gauging for low-power wireless applications.

Unique fuel gauge functionality

The unique algorithm-based fuel gauge functionality of the nPM1300 uses battery voltage, current, and temperature monitoring for higher accuracy than voltage-based fuel gauges, while keeping the PMIC’s own power consumption considerably lower than coulomb counter-type fuel gauges. Nordic is the first company to achieve this balance between high accuracy and low power consumption, without relying on the fuel-gauge vendor to profile your batteries prior to use.

The product has been exceptionally well received by the market, and we are thrilled to announce to everybody who is actively in design that they can safely enter commercial production with their end devices.

Geir Kjosavik, Product Director – PMIC at Nordic Semiconductor

Support through nRF Connect SDK

With the latest releases of the nRF Connect SDK and nRF Connect for Desktop, all features of the nPM1300 PMIC are now fully supported. For final-stage production, drivers are now included in the nRF Connect SDK, for easy integration with new and existing nRF Connect SDK-based applications.

The integration of PMIC drivers simplifies the development process and enhances the overall developer experience. In addition, the nPM PowerUP app has been updated to include all the nPM1300 features in the app, as well as the option to export overlays to be used with nRF Connect SDK applications - which enables easy evaluation of and development with the nPM1300. the settings of the nPM1300 can be simply configured through an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). The configuration code can then be ported to the System-on-Chip (SoC) or microcontroller for integration with the application software.

Part of a power management portfolio

The nPM1300 is complemented by the nPM1100, an ultra small form factor PMIC for charging batteries and power delivery, and the nPM6001, a multi-rail PMIC for advanced applications, in Nordic’s power management portfolio.