DAC8775: power dissipation

Kai,

We have a document which covers the benefits of the adaptive power management feature. In order to make a more fair comparison the document actually focused on DAC8760 versus DAC8771, but very similar benefits would extend to the DAC8775 as well.

The main benefits are as it concerns density of PLC AO modules by reducing heat. In many cases the system is defining an ambient temperature for the system-level product, meanwhile inside of the enclosure temperatures may be significantly hotter. This has two areas of impact. One is availability of adjacent components - while many signal chain devices are rated up to 125C the same may not be said for other devices, so from a functional perspective the heat must be reduced. Secondly, as you eluded to, many modules will face de-rating either based on the orientation of the cluster of modules (vertical versus horizontal) or based on the ambient temperature. By controlling internal temperatures both of the aspects can be improved.

Finally, and related, there is a push for more channels in less space - of course in this case both of the previous points are relevant but also just the physical implementation size. By implementing a SIMO DC/DC in the DAC some external power components are eliminated, thereby enabling an overall size reduction from a purely physical perspective.