Finding Equivalent PMICs

[LukeKnepp]

Hello Everyone,

I am making a custom circuit board with many different parts(dc dc converters, chargers, battery management, battery protection, isolation, etc)....
The product is to run on 18650 Li-ion battery cells, and if you are wondering why I don't use the ones with built in protections, it is because the shutoff point is different, and we have batteries already without the protection, that will be made into 4-cell parallel packs...

Anyway, to the point that I am getting to....
I found the IP5306 Charger/Boost converter with a built-in fuel gauge, and that is EXACTLY what I am needing...
Except.... there are a few problems.

- I have to use google translate to read the datasheet(Means it's not a commonly used/stocked part)
- The ship time from anywhere I can find is between 60 and 90 days
- And it is not stocked by ANYONE in the U.S.

So, I went to trying to find an equivalent off digikey.com, and mouser.com, and every other place I could think of(Analog Devices, ON Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, ...)
And the only things I can find are 64 pin BGAs and 56 pin QFNs that cost $32 apiece, or else they have to communicate with I2C, which I think means they have to be programmed...
And plus, they have hundreds of features that I do not even want, much less need....

So my question is
Does anyone know of any place I can look for something like this?
Am I going about my searching the total wrong way?
Does anyone know of any components that might work for any one of the functions I am needing from the IP5306?

And, I am having the same problem with the protection IC that I found, which is also produced by INJOINC, the IP3005....

Here are the links for the two ICs...
https://lcsc.com/product-detail/PMIC-Battery-Management_IP5306_C181692.html

IP3005A INJOINIC | C181685 - LCSC Electronics

IP3005A INJOINIC $0.1668 - ESOP-8 Battery Management ICs ROHS datasheet, price, inventory C181685

lcsc.com

Thanks everyone in advance!!!!

 

[gophert]

- The ship time from anywhere I can find is between 60 and 90 days

60 to 90 days is only for the cheap $3.50 shipping option.
If you pay the $11 shipping option, you'll have it in two weeks. You'll spend $11 from a US based distributor, why not a Chinese distributor?

 

[Visitor]

I've ordered parts from LCSC several times. They have been reliable for me. With the DLI shipping option, I've had the parts in less than a week.

For my last batch of parts, DLI shipping was about $11 to the US. I've paid $12 to US distributors for UPS ground shipping with a delivery time of nearly 2 weeks.

Small rent– for shipping in the US, USPS Priority Mail is LESS THAN UPS ground, and gets to me in a few days. I am nearly to the point of refusing to do business with anybody who doesn't offer USPS Priority Mail.

 

[LukeKnepp]

Okay, so where do I find the $11.00 shipping option?
I did not go through and actually order anything, I just looked on the ship times, and it said like June 30 to July 14 or something like that....

Sorry about the big long schpeal for nothing, if it is that easy!!!

 

[Visitor]

Here's the shipping options. I had confused the shipping cost with are order I made from Tayda Electronics, so I'm slightly in error with what I said.

For ~$11, you can use DHI eCommerce shipping, which will take less than 2 weeks.

For about twice that, you can use regular DHL shipping, which will take a few days.

You can add quite a few parts before you go up to the next weight category, so stock up on other parts you may need and spread out the shipping cost.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

We always use DHL for PCB orders, absolutely incredible service and well worth the cost.

 

[LukeKnepp]

Thanks Visitor for the snip image, a picture is worth a thousand words!!

Nigel, I completely agree about DHL, I just could not find them anywhere on LCSC!!!

Thanks guys!

 

[LukeKnepp]

For the next thing though, someone that I know fairly well that has lots of experience in this kind of thing said he wouldn't recommend a chip that the datasheets are all in Chinese, and that you have to get from overseas....

What do you think?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

For the next thing though, someone that I know fairly well that has lots of experience in this kind of thing said he wouldn't recommend a chip that the datasheets are all in Chinese, and that you have to get from overseas....

What do you think?

I think you've got no option, can you get something to do the job elsewhere?

As for getting them from overseas, if you get them locally they will still have come from China anyway, just someone has imported them and stuck a big profit margin on.

 

[LukeKnepp]

can you get something to do the job elsewhere?

I was just thinking of getting a charging IC, a fuel gauge IC, and a boost converter IC and combine them all onto a board...

if you get them locally they will still have come from China anyway, just someone has imported them and stuck a big profit margin on.

Like Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Microchip, ON Semiconductor, etc, do they not have their own manufacturing facilities in the US?
Their locations are all over in the US???

 

[gophert]

I was just thinking of getting a charging IC, a fuel gauge IC, and a boost converter IC and combine them all onto a board...

Like Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Microchip, ON Semiconductor, etc, do they not have their own manufacturing facilities in the US?
Their locations are all over in the US???

Each IC model is made in one or two locations around the world by each manufacturer. No reason to make every chip at every location. Some microcontrollers and higher profit margin parts are made in the US but most semiconductor manufacturing is done in low cost areas of the world - closer to where the chips are used to manufacture the circuitboard for consumer electronics and almost any electronics.

Also, many of the older parts are outsourced to the current owner of the FAB that a major IC manufacturer sold of years ago. There are some IC manufacturers that outsource everything (known as Fabless manufacturers). They only design and market chips.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I was just thinking of getting a charging IC, a fuel gauge IC, and a boost converter IC and combine them all onto a board...

Like Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Microchip, ON Semiconductor, etc, do they not have their own manufacturing facilities in the US?
Their locations are all over in the US???

Do any of those make the chips you're wanting? - you've already said datasheets are only in Chinese, so obviously none of those are relevant.

As for manufacturing facilities of those you mentioned, 'some' may be in the USA?, but certainly a lot are outside it from what I've seen on their chips most probably aren't - I don't think I've ever seen a chip that claimed to be made inn the USA?

 

[gophert]

Do any of those make the chips you're wanting? - you've already said datasheets are only in Chinese, so obviously none of those are relevant.

I think you COMPLETELY missed his point. He said the first chip he found that meets all of his needs has a datasheet only in Chinese but he wants to eliminate that one based on business risk/continuity of future supply basis. So he is now asking, which charging related chips are made in the US.

Serendipitously, In your second paragraph, you are somewhat back on track in saying some FABs are in the USA but few.

Let me add, again, the USA based fabs are typically making high value specialty ICs, CPUs or US Military "mil spec" parts imposed by the Defense Authorization Act (you know, the Act that Trump doesn't want to use for COVID-19 but is used on thousands of military products each month).

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I think you COMPLETELY missed his point. He said the first chip he found that meets all of his needs has a datasheet only in Chinese but he wants to eliminate that one based on business risk/continuity of future supply basis. So he is now asking, which charging related chips are made in the US.

I think it's you who missed his point - there are no other suitable chips he can find, it's a minority market and the 'big boys' probably aren't interested - or as the 'little boys' have already cornered the market there's no point in them trying to bring out a far more expensive product.

 

[LukeKnepp]

I think you COMPLETELY missed his point. He said the first chip he found that meets all of his needs has a datasheet only in Chinese but he wants to eliminate that one based on business risk/continuity of future supply basis. So he is now asking, which charging related chips are made in the US.

This is exactly what I am saying, but the chips do not need to be made in the USA, I am just after a common chip that a common US distributor would carry...
Ex. Digikey, Mouser, etc...

 

[LukeKnepp]

there are no other suitable chips he can find, it's a minority market and the 'big boys' probably aren't interested - or as the 'little boys' have already cornered the market there's no point in them trying to bring out a far more expensive product.

Is this true? If so, I may be wasting my time, although I already found the LTC4002, which should do my charging part of the circuit, and the AP3012 for my boost converter, and now I just need something that will do for my fuel gauge... The only ones I can find on Digikey are BGAs.....

 

[gophert]

I think it's you who missed his point - there are no other suitable chips he can find, it's a minority market and the 'big boys' probably aren't interested -

Oh, please...

PMIC - Battery Chargers | Electronic Components Distributor DigiKey

PMIC - Battery Chargers are in stock at DigiKey. Order Now! Integrated Circuits (ICs) ship same day

www.digikey.com