Vishay announced two 150-mA low-noise low-dropout (LDO) regulators with high current density in a five-pin SC-70 package. Under a 150-mA load condition, the SiP21101 and SiP21102 feature a low dropout of 130 mV and a ground current of 110 microamps. Designed to maintain regulation while delivering 300-mA peak current, the new ICs both feature a start-up time of 50 microseconds. Fifteen fixed output voltage options ranging from 1.2 V to 5.0 V are available.

The SiP21101 can be used as a pin-for-pin replacement for the MAX8510 and MIC5253. An active pull-down circuit is built into the devices to clamp the output voltage when it rises beyond normal regulation, discharging it automatically by connecting the output to ground through a 100-ohm n-channel MOSFET when the device is put in shutdown mode. Reverse battery protection limits the reverse current flow to approximately 1 microamp to prevent damage to the IC in the event that a reversed battery is applied at the input. Short circuit and thermal protection are also built in. The SiP21101 provides an quiet voltage source because of an external noise bypass capacitor connected to its BP pin that reduces noise to 30 microvolts. The same pin on the SiP21102, which has a noise output of 75 microvolts, functions as an error flag output that goes low when the output voltage drops 4% below its normal voltage. The SiP21101 and SiP21102 use low-cost ceramic capacitors or tantalum capacitors, giving designers a flexible choice of magnetic components. Samples and production quantities are available now for most voltage options. Pricing is $0.40 each in 1,000-piece quantities.