Maxim's MAX77596 is a small, synchronous buck converter with integrated switches. The device is designed to deliver up to 300 mA with input voltages from 3.5 V to 24 V while using only 1.1 μA quiescent current at no load (fixed-output version). Voltage quality can be monitored by observing the active-low RESET signal. The device can operate near dropout by running at 98% duty cycle, making it ideal for battery-powered applications.

The MAX77596 offers a fixed 3.3 V output version, as well as an adjustable version. The adjustable version allows the user to program the output voltage between 1 V and 10 V by using a resistor-divider. Frequency is fixed at 1.7 MHz, which allows for small external components and reduced output ripple. The device offers both forced-PWM and skip-modes of operation with ultra-low quiescent current of 1.1 μA in skip mode.

The MAX77596EVKIT# demonstrates the MAX77596 synchronous step-down converter IC with integrated switches. The EV kit operates over a wide input range of 3.5 V to 24 V and can support loads up to 300 mA. The EV kit comes standard with the 3.3 V fixed output voltage version of the IC, but can be easily modified to evaluate the adjustable output voltage version by adding two external feedback resistors.

The EV kit includes jumpers to enable or disable the device, as well as to select either forced-PWM mode (FPWM) or skip-mode operation. A RESETB test point is available to monitor the voltage quality of the converter’s output.