The Tundra Tsi257™ is a secondary side power controller. It provides a large degree of control and monitoring capability for power supplies found in numerous communication, server, and storage systems. It greatly simplifies the design of a power system that requires multiple power supplies. Complete with features that ensure delivery of power control functions needed in Advanced TCA (ATCA) cards, the Tsi257 also makes new power management functions possible.

The Tsi257 shares many of the Tsi252™ features but adds 10-bit resolution ADCs, PI-Link™ for communication with a primary side controller like the Tsi206™, and an intermediate bus monitor capability. Like the Tsi252, the Tsi257 provides completely configurable power management for up to six power rails, including: sequencing, time based thresholds, over voltage and under voltage levels, system alarms, auto-retries, and a non-volatile fault log. An integrated EEPROM makes this power controller fully re-configurable. Interfaces include: JTAG, I2C, GPIO, and the PI-Link interface.

The Tsi257 is easily configured using the Power Center Designer, a graphical-based tool that programs limits, timers, and sequencing data. Configuration of the Tsi257 is stored in an internal non-volatile EEPROM which can be programmed either through an I²C interface or the JTAG port according to the customer’s manufacturing preference. If required, parameters can be changed during operation using the Tsi257 registers.

Business Benefits

Integration

The ability to monitor this number of power parameters and control them has not been possible before. Startup thresholds and delays, interlock thresholds, over and under voltage, sequencing of multiple power rails, card keying, controlling things like fan speed are all programmable. In the event of a fault, the number and timing for automatic retries are also programmable. If the fault is permanent (unrecoverable error) – for example, a power supply is bad – then a signal can be sent across the isolation barrier to shut the primary power down. With PI-link, data from primary side can also be acted on and stored for fault diagnosis later.

Ease of System Design

Before this kind of secondary side power controller existed, the nature of power system design meant specialized design experts were needed to create custom analog circuits and program microcontrollers. Now anyone familiar with digital design can create a first time right sophisticated power system on their card. Changes are now as easy as uploading a new program created in PowerCenter Designer to the controller via its JTAG or I²C port. In the past this would have meant changing components on an assembled card.

Easy Fault Diagnosis

The non-volatile fault log means that the condition that caused a problem can be found quickly and simply. This can simplify repair and reduce the number of no-fault found incidents. With a Tsi206™ and Tsi257 your whole power supply system can be kept track of.

Easy System Margining

The ability to actively trim the Power Converter’s output level means that system-level margining and “burn-in” is now easily done using simple I²C commands. This simplifies system-level qualification process by temporarily adjusting power rails up or down.

Note: This part was formerly marketed by Potentia Semiconductor Corporation as the PS-260.