This week’s EYE ON NPI (video) is an essential part of your power supply tool kit – it’s Analog Devices MAXESSENTIAL02EP Efficient Power Tool Kit, a nine-piece pack of ready-to-use modules that have a range of different DC/DC converters in buck, boost, buck-boost and LDO topologies.

This slim kit is perfect for trying out different power supply solutions from Analog Devices / Maxim without spinning up different board versions. Eight of the nine even have swappable pinouts that work with 0.1″ spaced headers; the 9th is a larger reversible buck-boost with a big footprint.

The entire kit is available at the same price you’d normally pay for a single evaluation board, so if you’re looking at a few options, this kit is good to have around.

Each board features a different chip or module, with some onboard solder jumpers you can use to configure, they default to 3V output. The kit’s datasheet documents the schematics and 4-layer board layout for each solution.

Here’s the cool power supply boards you get with the kit:

1. MAXM38643 Tiny, 1.8V to 5.5V Input, 330nA IQ, 600mA nanoPower Buck Module – This pick-and-place capable buck module has the inductor on top, so it uses an absolutely miniature amount of space, but still has a hefty 600mA output. Adjustable Vout with a single resistor. Good for ultra-tiny devices where space is at a premium.
2. MAX38640 Tiny 1.8V to 5.5V Input, 330nA IQ, 700mA nanoPower Buck Converter – This is the ‘chip only’ version of the MAXM38643, it’s less expensive but also about 2x larger on the PCB since you’ll need to add the inductor on the side.
3. MAXM17225 Tiny, 0.4V to 5.5V Input, 300nA IQ, nanoPower Boost Module with True Shutdown – This pick-and-place capable boost module has the inductor on top so it uses an absolutely miniature amount of space, the internal switch has 1A peak current, start-up voltage as low as 0.88V, and adjustable 1.8-5V.
4. MAX17227A 400mV to 5.5V Input, 2A nanoPower Boost Converter with Short-Circuit Protection and True Shutdown – Similar to the MAXM17225 except this is just the chip, and it has a 2A peak current switch. You can get typical 850mA at 5V out with 3V input! You’ll need to add in the inductor so its larger than the MAXM17225 module.
5. MAX77827 5.5V Input, 1.8A/3.1A Switch Buck-Boost Converter with 6μA IQ – A high-efficiency buck-boost designed for Lipoly usage, with either 1.8A or 3.1A current limits for about 1 Amp output at 3.3V. Available in WLP or QFN packages.
6. MAX77839 5.5V Input, 4.4A/3.6A Switching Current 6μA IQ Buck-Boost Converter – This little chip has a massive 3.6A or 4.4A internal switch current limit, and 1.8-5.5V in, 2.3 to 5.3V out so you can use a range of battery inputs and get a nice stable output no matter what. Available in WLP or QFN packages.
7. MAX38889 2.5V–5.5V, 3A Reversible Buck/Boost Regulator for Backup Power Applications – This bidirectional buck-boost is designed to be used with a large supercapacitor, the eval board comes with a 2.7V 1 Farad cap. Power can flow both directions based on two GPIO that control which way current flows.
8. MAX38902C 10.5μVRMS Low Noise 500mA LDO Linear Regulator – This ultra low dropout regulator can maintain 1% output regulation with 10.5μVRMS noise, with just 100mV of dropout and 365µA quiescent.
9. MAX38913 4µVRMS Ultra-Low-Noise 1A LDO with Two-Level Output Voltage Selection – This regulator is higher current than the MAX38902 with 1A max output and a stunningly low typical dropout of about 30mV with 3.6~5V input! The nifty thing is that you can select between two different adjustable output voltages, disable the output, or set the output to be a pass-through voltage.

Whether you need to optimize for small space, low dropout, or high current, with so many great options in the Analog Devices’ MAXESSENTIAL02EP Efficient Power Tool Kit you’ll find a perfect match for your next power supply here. And, best of all, the kit is in stock right now at Digi-Key for immediate shipment. Order today and you’ll be mixing and matching from these powerful modules by tomorrow afternoon!