Power Integrations (Nasdaq:POWI), the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, today announced a new reference design for an 8 W, universal-input auxiliary power supply that achieves zero standby power consumption** for appliance applications. Based on a member of Power Integrations’ LinkZero™-LP family of ICs, DER-417 describes a universal-input, 5 V, 1600 mA flyback power supply that consumes less than 4 mW at 230 VAC and provides 1 mW of power in standby mode.

Products such as TVs, appliances, security and monitoring systems and HVAC equipment use power while waiting to be used or while monitoring sensor inputs prior to executing their proper functions. This wasted power amounts to both an environmental cost and an economic cost to households and businesses; in fact, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has estimated that standby power accounts for 5-10% of residential electricity use in developed countries, and is responsible for approximately 400 million tons of global CO2 emissions each year.

Comments Edward Ong, product marketing manager for Power Integrations: “We are moving very close to the ultimate in standby power performance. By leveraging recent advances in low-power sensors and processors driven by the mobile-phone market, 1 mW of standby power is more than enough to operate functions such as a digital clock, environmental monitoring, wireless signal reception and infrared activation. We think that DER-417 will inspire designers to implement zero-standby auxiliary power supplies for their products – leading to an overall reduction in wasted standby energy.”

DER-417 is downloadable for free from the Power Integrations website at http://www.powerint.com/sites/default/files/PDFFiles/der417.pdf.

**IEC 62301 Clause 4.5 describes zero standby as ‘power dissipation below 5 mW’.

About Power Integrations

Power Integrations, Inc., is a Silicon Valley-based supplier of high-performance electronic components used in high-voltage power-conversion systems. The company’s integrated circuits and diodes enable compact, energy-efficient AC-DC power supplies for a vast range of electronic products including mobile devices, TVs, PCs, appliances, smart utility meters and LED lights. CONCEPT IGBT driver systems enhance the efficiency, reliability and cost of high-power applications such as industrial motor drives, solar and wind energy systems, electric vehicles and high-voltage DC transmission. Since its introduction in 1998, Power Integrations’ EcoSmart® energy-efficiency technology has prevented billions of dollars’ worth of energy waste and millions of tons of carbon emissions. Reflecting the environmental benefits of the company’s products, Power Integrations’ stock is included in the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Green Energy Index, The Cleantech Index®, and the Ardour Global IndexSM. For more information, including design-support tools and resources, please visit www.powerint.com; visit Power Integrations’ Green Room for a comprehensive guide to energy-efficiency standards around the world.

Power Integrations, LinkZero, EcoSmart, and the Power Integrations logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Power Integrations, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.