Diodes Incorporated (Diodes) has announced the ZXCT18xQ series of automotive-compliant* high-precision current shunt monitors. These single-stage instrumentation amplifiers accurately measure very small sense voltages across a wide range of common-mode voltages up to 26 V while operating from a 2.7 V to 5.5 V supply. Automotive applications include ambient lighting control, battery management, heated seats, and other body control systems.
The ZXCT180Q current monitor supports unidirectional current measurement, whereas the ZXCT181Q also
Source: Diodes Incorporated supports bidirectional flow. The ZXCT180Q has two pin assignment configurations — versions A and B — with its OUT-pin at different locations, allowing flexibility during PCB layout. When the ZXCT181Q is used for bidirectional current sensing, such as those found in battery management systems, a voltage is introduced to the REF-pin. This action serves to offset the output voltage. For unidirectional current flow, the REF-pin of the ZXCT181Q is tied to GND.
The ZXCT18xQ series has four fixed voltage gain options — 20 V/V, 50 V/V, 100 V/V and 200 V/V. These devices measure voltages across shunts at common-mode voltages from -0.3 V to 26 V, independent of the supply voltage with a maximum supply current of 370 µA. They support small-signal bandwidths as high as 400 kHz at 20 V/V and fast large-signal slew rates of 2 V/µs. These capabilities enable them to detect rapid changes in the sensed current as well as quickly slew the output for applications that require a quick response to input current changes.
The launch of the ZXCT18xQ series strengthens Diodes’ 26 V power rail current monitoring portfolio. It complements the previously released ZXCT199Q and the ZXCT21xQ series, which support highly precise high- and low-side current sensing across sense voltages down to 10 mV.
All versions of the ZXCT18xQ series are specified for an operating temperature range of -40° C to 125° C.
The ZXCT180Q and ZXCT181Q are available at $0.11 and $0.12 for 1,000-piece quantities, respectively in SOT25 and SOT26. Standard compliance versions, ZXCT180 and ZXCT181, are available and are suitable for industrial and commercial applications.
