Energy monitoring is possible from the intermediate bus input to the POL converter.

Analog Devices announced the release of Power by Linear LTC2972, a new 2-channel power system manager (PSM) capable of monitoring current, power, and energy from intermediate bus inputs to point-of-load (POL) converters.

To reduce cooling and utility costs for server racks and data centers, it is necessary to reduce, manage, and optimize the power consumption of circuit boards; a prerequisite for this is monitoring the power and energy usage of the circuit boards.

The LTC2972 significantly reduces tedious polling and computational tasks by conveniently providing input energy and elapsed time reported in joules via the PMBus interface. When POL output voltage, current, and power are measured digitally, the LTC2972 enables long-term monitoring of power system conversion efficiency. By adding extensive software-based monitoring and control capabilities to power systems on FPGA, ASIC, and DSP boards, the LTC2972 accelerates time-to-market, enhances system reliability, and optimizes board energy consumption.

The power output voltage is set and monitored using an industry-leading 16-bit ADC with a total unadjusted error (TUE) of 0.25%, improving board yield and durability. The power output current is measured using a sense resistor, an inductor DCR, or the power supply's IMON output. It also features built-in power sequencing, supervision, and EEPROM fault logging capabilities. Since failures are recorded in the EEPROM black box, this not only simplifies the analysis of failures but also aids in future system improvements.

Programmable power-goods, GPIOs, and pins can be used for each channel. When the LTC2972 is connected to other PSM products, sequencing and fault management for two or more power rails can be coordinated. Programming and power system data readback are possible using PMBus-compatible commands. The LTpowerPlay development environment is provided to facilitate user configuration and supports all Power by Linear power system management (PSM) devices. Once programming is complete, the software operates automatically without the need for additional software coding.