Semtech announces new battery charger ICs

Semtech yesterday launched the SC802 series of Lithium-ion/Lithium-polymer battery charger ICs. Now available, the two new devices give portable product designers two ways—-a six-hour programmable charge timer and a thermistor voltage input sensor—-to terminate the charge to protect against damage caused by overcharging a faulty battery.

“Portable designers are looking at all aspects of their power systems to improve safety, and they increasingly want charge termination redundancy built into their products to ensure that overcharging isn’t the cause of battery safety issues,” said Eddie Yeow, vice president of Semtech’s Portable Products Group. “With the SC802 we give designers two types of redundancy without sacrificing the small size and strong features for which Semtech battery charging solutions are known.”