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Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. Announces Automotive Addition
to Family of Stepper Motor Driver ICs
New Automotive Stepper Motor Driver IC (A3980) 
Worcester, MA — July 28, 2004 — Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. announces the release of the A3980, an automotive-friendly addition to Allegro's line of stepper motor driver ICs. The A3980, which is capable of up to 1/16th microstepping, features fault diagnostics and reporting and has integrated DMOS outputs, which are protected against short-to-battery and short-to-ground. Offered over a junction temperature range (TJ) of -40°C to +150°C and packaged in a very small footprint TSSOP (thermally enhanced), the A3980 is an excellent choice for driving automotive stepper motors.
A key feature of the A3980 is the integration of Allegro's unique two-wire STEP and DIRECTION interface. This unique interface allows for up to 1/16th microstepping without the need for a complex system controller. By simply inputting a pulse on the STEP pin, the A3980 will take one microstep in the direction, which is set by the DIR pin. To enhance the microstepping performance, the A3980 also includes mixed-mode current decay which further reduces audible noise and minimizes motor heating and torque ripple.
The A3980 output drivers are capable of operation between 7 V and 35 V and depending on thermal considerations will typically run up to 1 A of output current. Battery over-voltage sensing allows the IC to stand-off up to 50 V, allowing the chip to meet automotive IC load-dump requirements.
Two fault output pins (open drain) report faults for over-voltage, under-voltage, over-temperature, and short circuits to battery or ground. The integrated DMOS outputs of the A3980 self-protect themselves during any short-circuit events.
The A3980 is manufactured using Allegro's ABCD3 (Allegro Bipolar CMOS DMOS 3rd generation) process, and is supplied in a 28-lead thermally enhanced TSSOP package (suffix 'LP').
About Allegro
Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. is a leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing high-performance power and Hall-effect sensor integrated circuits. Allegro's innovative solutions serve high-growth applications within the automotive, communications, computer/office automation, consumer and industrial markets. Allegro is headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) with design and applications centers located in North and South America, Asia, and Europe. Further information about Allegro can be found at www.allegromicro.com.
Editorial Contact:
Stephanie Fennelly
Director - Marketing Communications
Tel: (508) 854-5363
sfennelly@allegromicro.com