April 4, 2014 – Exar introduced the XRP7725 quad-output, synchronous step-down, programmable PMIC compatible with Intel Node Manager energy monitoring. By sampling the current on each of the 4 outputs every millisecond and accumulating those readings the accuracy of the power monitoring is greatly improved over what can be accomplished through a limited I2C interface. Able to accumulate up to 512 data points, the ME (Management Engine) need only pole the XRP7725 for data every 0.5 seconds without losing information about the average power flow in the system. This feature can also be leveraged by any non-server applications requiring accurate dynamic power monitoring at all levels.
This programmable power system offers full control via a SMBus compliant I2C interface allowing for advanced local- and remote-reconfiguration, full performance monitoring and reporting, as well as fault handling. The output voltages can be programmed from 0.6V up to 5.5V without requiring any external components.
The XRP7725 comes with PowerArchitect 5.1 design and configuration software which provides specific tools to quickly optimize the current monitoring. The XRP7725 is available in a RoHS compliant, green/halogen free 7x7mm TQFN package and is priced from $8.29 in 1000 piece quantities.