Analog Devices Inc. Digital Power System Management

LTpowerPlay, Analog Devices Inc. engineering-level development environment for PSM devices, controls and monitors the power-supply voltage, current, power and energy use, sequencing, margining, and black box-fault log data. This industry-leading development software with a graphical user interface (GUI) is proven to support up to 256 voltage rails.

PSM Product Types

Power System Managers

These devices manage any adjustable point-of-load (POL) supply with enable and trim capability, be it a switching regulator or a linear regulator (LDO). Keep your existing power system while adding capabilities such as trimming to ±0.25% accuracy, margining, sequencing, fault logging, and telemetry (reading V_IN, V_OUT, I_OUT, temperature, and faults).

DC-DC Converters with Power System Management

These ICs or µModule devices feature a fast analog loop for DC-DC conversion with digital telemetry and control. Programmable parameters include V_OUT, I_LIM, OV/UV levels, frequency, ramp rate, sequencing time delays, and margining. Readable parameters include V_IN, I_IN, V_OUT, I_OUT, P_OUT, duty cycle, temperature, and faults.

Why Use PSM?

System-Level Benefits

• Software management of power supplies
• Digital monitoring and data-logging of voltage, current, power, and temperature
• Trimming, margining, sequencing, supervision, fault-logging/management of multiple point-of-load supplies
• On-the-fly adjustment of configuration parameters
• Remote supervision and command of power system
• Energy Consumption:
  
  • Monitor and predict energy use vs. system load/traffic
  • Optimize performance vs. energy consumed with power domains, load shedding, and tweaking supply voltages
• Precise control of power supplies over time and temperature
• Continuous monitoring and correlating board failure to EEPROM fault logs (black-box recorder)
• Predict Failures: Avoids failures by monitoring board health in real-time to predict board aging and replacement
• Maintenance: Provide power system field upgrades via firmware, and control the power system remotely

Design-Level Benefits

• PSM brings the software model of rapid prototyping and tweaking to hardware
• Easily trim, margin, sequence, supervise, fault-log/manage, and monitor multiple rails with one product
• Margin boards to improve reliability, increase yield, and test FPGA timing
• Improve time-to-market by avoiding costly board re-spins
• Complete access to board level diagnostics
• Replace discrete circuitry with a space-saving integrated solution

Benefits of PSM

Power System Management devices offer the following benefits:

• A complete, ready-to-use solution designed by power-supply experts using the industry-standard PMBus digital interface
• Trim, margin, and monitor supply outputs to ±0.25% accuracy, guaranteed over temperature
• Comprehensive portfolio of Power System Managers and DC-DC Converters with Power System Management
• LTpowerPlay GUI provides an engineering-level development environment with remote debug capability and integrated help
• PMBus compliant commands over I²C/SMBus digital interface
• Autonomous operation with no software coding required
• Coordinated sequencing and fault management across devices