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Nordic Semiconductor

 

Nordic Semiconductor nPM1304 Power Management IC

Ultra-low power PMIC with integrated Precision Fuel Gauging for small-battery designs

The nPM1304 Power Management IC (PMIC) from Nordic Semiconductor delivers a highly integrated, ultra-low power solution for compact, battery-powered products such as smart rings and body sensors. Designed to complement the award-winning nPM1300, it supports charging currents down to 4 mA and provides advanced system management features in a single, space-saving package.

Nordic’s industry-first precision fuel gauging for small batteries uses a unique algorithm that monitors voltage, current, and temperature together with a mathematical battery model to accurately estimate state of charge. This approach achieves accuracy comparable to dedicated coulomb-counter devices—without their added power consumption or error drift—making it ideal for wearables and other size-constrained applications.

Configurable through an I²C-compatible Two-Wire Interface (TWI), the nPM1304 simplifies design by integrating functions typically handled by multiple discrete components. Designers gain easy access to features such as a two-button hard reset, battery fuel gauging, system-level watchdog, power-loss warning, and failed-boot recovery, reducing component count and board space.

Engineered for maximum efficiency and compact size, the nPM1304 efficiently powers Nordic’s nRF52, nRF53, and the nRF54L/H Series wireless multiprotocol SoCs, as well as other microcontrollers, delivering a streamlined power-management solution for next-generation small-form-factor devices.

Features

  • Highly efficient PMIC with built-in system management features
  • Supports model-based precision fuel gauge running on host
    • Watchdog and boot timer
    • Power loss warning
    • One- or two-button hard reset
  • 4 - 100 mA battery charger
    • Supports Li-ion, Li-poly and LiFePO4 batteries
  • Four individually controllable power rails
    • Two highly efficient buck regulators with 200 mA current limit
    • Two 100 mA load switches or 50 mA LDOs
  • Input regulator with USB support
    • USB-C compatible
  • Ship- and hibernate modes
  • Five GPIOs and three LED drivers
  • -40°C to 85°C operating temperature

Benefits

  • Intelligent system management features eliminate the need for discrete system management components like dedicated buttonreset ICs and external watchdogs
  • Ultra low-power, accurate fuel gauging capabilities for battery state-of-charge monitoring and battery runtime estimation
  • USB-C compatible battery charger for single-cell Lithium-ion, Lithium-polymer and Lithium iron phosphate batteries up to 4.65 V.

Applications

  • Smart rings
  • Smart glasses
  • Health & fitness sensors and monitoring devices
  • Smart/low-energy sensors
  • Computer and gaming equipment
  • Asset tracking

Block Diagram

Nordic Semiconductor — nPM1304 Block Diagram