Semtech SurgeSwitch Protects Cobots from Surge and ESD

­Semtech Corporation announced TDS2621LP, the latest addition to its SurgeSwitch family. Purpose built for 24 V DC power buses in industrial robotics, collaborative robots (cobots) and automated manufacturing, TDS2621LP delivers near-constant clamping voltage, IEC 61000-4-5 surge compliance and a 1.6 mm²footprint, replacing bulkier conventional industrial packaged protection devices.

As robotic systems shrink and move closer to humans on the factory floor, safety-critical I/O modules face a harsher Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and surge environment. Inductive loads such as servo motors, electromagnetic brakes and pneumatic solenoids switching on and off thousands of times per shift generate high-energy transients directly on the 24 V DC bus feeding sensitive control circuitry. Conventional Transient Voltage Suppression (TVS) diodes see clamping voltage rise with peak pulse current and shift across the industrial temperature range, leaving protection margins unpredictable and requiring designers to over-specify downstream components.

“As robots and cobots pack more electronics into smaller spaces, critical margin for protection error shrinks while transient energy on the 24 V bus grows,” said Tamir Reshef, vice president of marketing and applications, analog and mixed signal products group at Semtech. “TDS2621LP solves density and footprint issues with near-constant clamping voltage at full pulse current, offering robotics system designers predictable headroom.”

TDS2621LP, built on Semtech’s proven SurgeSwitch architecture, advances the conventional PN-junction approach with a surge-rated FET operating as a precision voltage-controlled switch. Unlike conventional TVS diodes, SurgeSwitch offers uniform clamping voltage of 35 V at 24 A (8/20 μs) with a dynamic resistance of just 32 mΩ across the full pulse current range.

Target Applications

•       Cobot joint electronics and controller boards

•       Industrial robot input line protection

•       Autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and automated guided vehicle (AGV) power buses

•       PLC I/O modules, fieldbus interfaces (PROFIBUS, EtherCAT, IO-Link) and distributed control cabinets

•       24 V actuator and solenoid valve driver boards in factory automation

•       Industrial sensor power lines and smart sensor nodes

•       VBUS power lines in USB Type-C industrial ports

•       IoT edge devices operating on 24 V DC infrastructure

Key Specifications

•       Maximum working voltage: 26.4 V (matched to the IEC upper tolerance band for 24 V DC systems)

•       Peak pulse current: 24 A (tp = 8/20 μs) per IEC 61000-4-5

•       Maximum clamping voltage: 35 V at 24 A

•       Dynamic resistance: 32 mΩ

•       Package: DFN 1.6 mm²footprint, 2-Lead

Availability

TDS2621LP is available now in production quantities, supplied in 7-inch tape-and-reel, 3,000 units per reel. For more information, go here.