Dual Battery Charger/ Selector with SPI Interface

The LTC1960 is a highly integrated battery charger and selector intended for portable products using dual smart batteries. A serial SPI interface allows an external microcontroller to control and monitor status of both batteries.

A proprietary PowerPath architecture supports simultaneous charging or discharging of both batteries. Typical battery run times are extended by 10%, while charging times are reduced by up to 50%. The LTC1960 automatically switches between power sources in less than 10µs to prevent power interruption upon battery or wall adapter removal.

The synchronous buck battery charger delivers 95% efficiency with only 0.5V dropout voltage, and prevents audible noise in all operating modes. Patented input current limiting with 5% accuracy charges batteries in the shortest possible time without overloading the wall adapter.

The LTC1960’s 5mm × 7mm 38-pin QFN and 36-pin narrow SSOP packages allow implementation of a complete SBS-compliant dual battery system while consuming minimum PCB area.

Applications

* Portable Computers

* Portable Instruments

* Complete Dual-Battery Charger/Selector System

* Serial SPI Interface Allows External µC Control and Monitoring

* Simultaneous Dual-Battery Discharge Extends Run Time by Typically 10%

* Simultaneous Dual-Battery Charging Reduces Charging Time by Up to 50%

* Automatic PowerPath™ Switching in <10µs Prevents Power Interruption

* Circuit Breaker Protects Against Overcurrent Faults