Maxim Integrated Products introduces the MAX17497, a one-chip solution for all the power requirements on the communications and metrology boards in smart meters. A high level of integration eases design, adds flexibility, increases accuracy, improves reliability, and lowers the total solution cost and footprint. This single power regulator is ideal for smart meter/smart grid applications as well as factory automation.

Industry Needs a Compact, Economical Power Regulator

Typical competing solutions for smart meters integrate only the flyback controller and high-voltage FETs. This design, by itself, is usually expensive. To it, they add external regulators and other discrete devices to complete the application. As expected, solution footprint and overall cost increase. Today’s utility companies and energy providers want a more compact, more economical alternative.

This High Integration Is Unprecedented

The MAX17497 has been designed and optimized as a multioutput solution specifically for industry’s leading smart meters. It supports all the power-supply requirements for both the smart meter’s communications board and the metrology board.

The MAX17497 integrates the control circuitry required for the universal-input (85V to 265V), nonisolated flyback power supplies. It adds a secondary-side synchronous buck regulator with integrated MOSFETs.

All these integrated functions support the supplies for a powerline communication (PLC) driver or RF transceiver, the PLC/RF modem (2.5V/3.3V), a circuit-breaker relay, and the tightly regulated supplies for the sensitive metrology and application system on chips (SoCs).