Archive for category: News & Press

San Jose, Calif. May 23, 2016 – Kinetic Technologies, a high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductor company focused on developing power management solutions for computing, consumer, industrial, and communications markets, today introduced the KTD2686 a three channel, high current LED Flash driver IC, with independent channel control.  The KTD2686 is a one chip solution, aimed at Smartphones featuring a dual LED main Flash and a single torch LED, reducing the total component count, pcb area and cost.

The KTD2686 consists of a high switching frequency synchronous boost converter, two independently controlled current sources and one current sink in a small WLCSP package size. LED 1 and LED 2 are powered from the boost converter, supplying 1.5A and 1.0A respectively, and LED3 directly from the input, supplying 0.5A. The inductor-based boost converter integrates two low RDSON power MOSFETs, and operates at a switching frequency of 2MHz or can be programmed to 4MHz minimizing the size of the external inductor and capacitors.

The control interface is designed for maximum flexibility and compatibility with various types of system controls. The KTD2686 is mainly programmed and controlled via an I2C-compatible interface, but also includes three logic inputs that can provide a hardware flash enable (STROBE) and a hardware torch enable (TORCH), as well as a flash interrupt (TX), which can be used to reduce the flash current during power amplifier pulse event to lower the battery load current. The I2C control features include the independent on/off and current control of the two current sources (LED1/LED2) in Flash/Torch/IR modes, their on/off ramp timing and current shape control, three input low voltage protection modes, flash safety time-out protection, boost converter current limit and switching frequency options, and various fault events read back. For the current sink LED3, the I2C interface can control its current value in Torch/IR modes. In addition, the KTD2686 also has various protection features including LED open and short protections, thermal regulation to prevent IC temperature from going too high, and thermal shutdown protection.

“Most LED driver ICs normally only provide the capability of driving a single or dual, rear-facing LED flash,” said Phil Dewsbury, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Kinetic Technologies. “With the increasing use of smartphones for video conferencing, or for taking selfies, the KTD2686 provides an extra LED driver to provide additional light to the front-facing camera, significantly enhancing the picture quality. Using the KTD2686 allows the designer to not only reduce the solution size, but also dispense with the need for another driver IC and the associated inductor and capacitors, significantly reducing the system cost.”

The KTD2686 is supplied in a WLCSP-12, 1.42 x 1.66mm, RoHS and Green Compliant package and is rated over the -40 degree C to +85 degree C temperature range.

Key Features of KTD2686

• High efficiency synchronous boost converter with 2MHz/4MHz switching frequency option
• Two-channel independent current sources and one current sink
  • LED 1 Flash current up to 1.5A
  • LED 2 Flash current up to 1.00A
  • LED 3 Flash current up to 0.5A
• Flexible I2C interface programming plus hardware control
  • STROBE/TORCH control
  • Flash/Torch/IR modes
  • Independent LED on/off and current settings
  • Programmable ramp shape and time control
  • I2C fault read back
• Comprehensive protection
  • Three input low voltage protection modes
  • Flash time-out protection up to 400ms
  • LED open/short protection
• LED1, 2 cathode ground connection for improved thermal dissipation

About Kinetic Technologies

Kinetic Technologies designs, develops and markets proprietary high-performance analog and mixed-signal power management semiconductors for consumer, computing, industrial and communication markets. The company۪s product offering consists of integrated circuits that transform, regulate, deliver and monitor the power consumed by analog and digital semiconductors and other electronic loads. The company develops application-specific products to take care of the power management needs in devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, netbooks, GPS and MID, as well as serving a wide range of industrial, computing and communication product segments. Kinetic Technologies, a Cayman Corporation, has R&D centers in Silicon Valley and Asia, with operations and logistics based in Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.kinet-ic.com/.

*The Kinetic Technologies logo is a trademark of Kinetic Technologies. All other brand and product names appearing in this document are the property of their respective holders.

Sunnyvale, Calif., Sept. 28, 2015 – Kinetic Technologies, a high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductor company focused on developing power management solutions for computing, consumer, industrial, and communications markets, announced the acquisition of Akros Silicon, a leading supplier of intelligent energy management ICs, which integrate high-voltage digital isolation and discrete components into a single device. Terms of the asset transaction were not disclosed.

The Power-over-Ethernet market continues to grow and the specifications continue to evolve, enabling new and higher power applications for the future. “We are excited to have the Akros team join Kinetic”, said Kin Shum, CEO of Kinetic Technologies. “They have proven themselves by creating an impressive amount of intellectual property which has enabled a leading position in the PoE market and beyond. The acquisition is consistent with Kinetic’s strategy of acquiring and developing leading edge technology which supports the company’s system architecture expertise. We see the Akros products to be a perfect addition to Kinetic’s broadening product portfolio.”

For more information, please visit http://www.kinet-ic.com.

About Kinetic Technologies

Kinetic Technologies designs, develops and markets proprietary high-performance analog and mixed-signal power management semiconductors for consumer, computing, industrial and communication markets. The company’s product offering consists of integrated circuits that transform, regulate, deliver and monitor the power consumed by analog and digital semiconductors and other electronic loads. The company develops application-specific products to take care of the power management needs in devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, netbooks, GPS and MID, as well as serving a wide range of industrial, computing and communication product segments. Kinetic Technologies, a Cayman Corporation, has R&D centers in Silicon Valley and Asia, with operations and logistics based in Asia. For more information, please visit www.kinet-ic.com.

About Akros Silicon

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Akros Silicon provides leading edge, intelligent energy management ICs. Akros’ disruptive silicon technology makes it possible to integrate multiple ICs, high-voltage isolation and discrete components into a single device, thus enabling electronic OEMs to develop cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions.

The Kinetic Technologies and Akros Silicon logos are trademarks of Kinetic Technologies. All other brand and product names appearing in this document are the property of their respective holders.

Sunnyvale, Calif. October 21, 2014 – Kinetic Technologies, a high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductor company focused on developing power management solutions for computing, consumer, industrial, and communications markets, today introduced the KTD2150 and KTD2151 product families, LCD Bias Supplies for Full HD panels used in Smartphones. The converter۪s input voltage range makes it ideal for single cell Lithium-ion battery-based equipment, including Smartphones and other portable devices.

The KTD2150 and KTD2151 product families represent the latest offering in the System Power product line from Kinetic. Using a single inductor, the dual-output products deliver positive and negative voltages to power the bias voltages needed by the latest generation of FHD panels in Smartphones. KTD2150 boasts high efficiency, up to 90%, achieving a new standard for this product category.  Both KTD2150 and KTD2151 product families offer +/-1% Voltage Output accuracy on their positive and negative outputs.

“With higher resolution displays becoming mainstream in Smartphones, the requirements for LCD Bias are become more demanding,” said Erik Ogren, Director of Marketing at Kinetic Technologies. “High accuracy output voltage combined with the highest efficiency is critical for these next generation Smartphones.”

KTD2151 offers I²C programmable output voltages between +4.0V~+6.3V and -4.0V~-6.3V in 100mV steps, respectively in the positive and negative outputs.  KTD2150 offers a wider output voltage and higher resolution programming, with +3.2V~+6.4V and -3.2V~-6.4V in 12.5mV steps.  KTD2150 offers additional features including programmable headroom settings for increased efficiency, up to 90%, and it can be programmed to disable I²C inputs which achieves less than 1uA shutdown current.

Each of the devices are available in a 2.2mm x 1.45mm x 0.62mm 15-pin WLCSP package. The devices are rated over the -40 degree C to +85 degree C temperature range.

Key Features of KTD2150 and KTD2151

• Dual Output Converter uses only one inductor
• High accuracy output voltage: +/-1%
• High Efficiency Converter: up to 90%
• KTD2150 Zero current shutdown mode programmable through I²C

About Kinetic Technologies

Kinetic Technologies designs, develops and markets proprietary high-performance analog and mixed-signal power management semiconductors for consumer, computing, industrial and communication markets. The company۪s product offering consists of integrated circuits that transform, regulate, deliver and monitor the power consumed by analog and digital semiconductors and other electronic loads. The company develops application-specific products to take care of the power management needs in devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, netbooks, GPS and MID, as well as serving a wide range of industrial, computing and communication product segments. Kinetic Technologies, a Cayman Corporation, has R&D centers in Silicon Valley and Asia, with operations and logistics based in Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.kinet-ic.com/.

*The Kinetic Technologies logo is a trademark of Kinetic Technologies. All other brand and product names appearing in this document are the property of their respective holders.

Sunnyvale, Calif. September 9, 2014 – Kinetic Technologies, a high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductor company focused on developing power management solutions for computing, consumer, industrial, and communications markets, today introduced the KTD3156, a 6 channel LED backlight driver featuring PWM-Controlled, Mixed-Mode Dimming.  The KTD3156 is ideal for use in single cell Lithium-ion battery-based equipment, including Portable DVD Players, Notebooks, Netbooks, but specifically high resolution LCD displays in Tablets.

The KTD3156 is one of the most advanced, and full-featured LED backlight drivers in the market, specifically targeted at Tablet LCD displays. As one of the many backlight products from Kinetic Technologies۪ Display & Lighting Product Line, the KTD3156 provides an extremely wide dimming ratio necessary in today۪s high definition tablet displays.

The KTD3156 is the ideal power solution for LED backlighting in medium to large size LCD panels. It is a highly integrated step-up DC-DC converter with input voltage from 2.7V to 5.5V, accommodating 1-cell lithium ion batteries or 5V supply. KTD3156 integrates a 40V power MOSFET as well as six current sinks, which results in a simpler and smaller solution with fewer external components. High switching frequency allows the use of a smaller inductor and capacitor to further reduce the solution size. Each of the six current sinks regulates up to 30mA. With a 40V rated output, each string of the boost can connect up to 10 LEDs in series, for a total of 60 LEDs.

Featuring mixed-mode dimming, the KTD3156 switches between PWM dimming at a low dimming duty cycle and analog (DC current) dimming at high dimming duty cycles to increase the total power efficiency. The transition point of these two modes is programmable to 12.5% or 25% PWM duty cycle. The PWM dimming mode۪s output PWM dimming frequency can be programmed to fixed 22kHz or following input PWM dimming frequency. For fixed 22kHz output PWM dimming, phase shift function is implemented among these six channels to further lower the input current ripple and output voltage ripple.

“As tablet display resolution increases, consumers are demanding wider backlight dynamic dimming range for the best user experience, and at the same time maintaining high efficiency with minimal LED color-shift,” said Erik Ogren, Director of Marketing at Kinetic Technologies. “The KTD3156 achieves this by the combination of both analog and PWM dimming together with handling very low duty-cycles at high efficiency.”

Various protection features are built into KTD3156, including cycle-by-cycle input current limit protection, output over-voltage protection, LED fault (open or short) protection and thermal shutdown protection. The leakage current in shutdown mode is 0.1A. KTD3156 is available in a RoHS and Green compliant 16-lead 3 x 3 x 0.75mm ThinQFN or 16-lead 1.65mm x 1.65mm WLCSP package.

Key Features of KTD3156

• Input voltage range: 2.7V to 5.5V
• Drive up to 60 LEDs (10S6P)
• High efficiency LED driver, up to 90%
• High frequency step-up converter (940kHz) with Integrated 40V power MOSFET
• Integrated 6-channel 30mA current sinks with 0.5% Typ. current matching and 2% accuracy at 20mA
• Wide input PWM dimming frequency range from 100Hz to 30kHz
• Programmable Mixed-Mode Dimming controls
• Mixed analog dimming and PWM dimming with selectable transition points
• Selectable output PWM dimming frequency either fixed 22kHz or following the input PWM frequency
• Fixed 22kHz channel current phase shift

About Kinetic Technologies

Kinetic Technologies designs, develops and markets proprietary high-performance analog and mixed-signal power management semiconductors for consumer, computing, industrial and communication markets. The company۪’s product offering consists of integrated circuits that transform, regulate, deliver and monitor the power consumed by analog and digital semiconductors and other electronic loads. The company develops application-specific products to take care of the power management needs in devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet computers, netbooks, GPS and MID, as well as serving a wide range of industrial, computing and communication product segments. Kinetic Technologies, a Cayman Corporation, has R&D centers in Silicon Valley and Asia, with operations and logistics based in Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.kinet-ic.com/.

*The Kinetic Technologies logo is a trademark of Kinetic Technologies. All other brand and product names appearing in this document are the property of their respective holders.

Sunnyvale, Calif. February 4, 2014 – Akros Silicon Inc., a premier supplier of leading-edge intelligent energy management ICs, announces its participation in APEC 2014۪s Industry Sessions conference program with a presentation titled: Tripling the Power of PoE. The presenter, Faisal Ahmad, Akros Silicon۪s VP Marketing, will offer the audience an informative discussion on the future PoE and how it is opening new opportunities and challenges for power supply designers and systems integrators. Ahmad۪s presentation (IS3.3) is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, March 19, 2014, at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The Akros session will consist of a 20-minute slide presentation, followed by a brief Q&A session, and will cover the following topics:

PoE Overview

• 4-Pair PoE Power Delivery;
• Network Power Management;
• Delivering 90W in PoE Systems;
• Energy Conservation with PoE

APEC۪s Industry Sessions were first introduced in 2004 and have grown in popularity every year since. These presentations, solicited from leaders in the power electronics industry, are geared to address topics of current interest; particularly the impact of emerging technologies on today۪s designs. Unlike APEC۪s General Session papers, Industry Sessions presentations are not published in the Conference Proceedings and will only be made available to session attendees and upon request following the conference.

About Akros Silicon

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Akros Silicon provides leading edge, intelligent energy management ICs. Akros۪ disruptive silicon technology makes it possible to integrate multiple ICs, high-voltage isolation and discrete components into a single device, thus enabling electronic OEMs to develop cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions.