Door 10 – nPM2100 Power Management IC

nPM2100

Power Management IC with ultra-efficient boost regulator for primary-cell batteries

The nPM2100 is a dedicated Power Management IC (PMIC) from Nordic Semiconductor designed for products powered by primary (non‑rechargeable) batteries, with a strong focus on ultra‑low power and long battery life. It is optimized to provide highly efficient power regulation for low‑power MCUs and SoCs such as Nordic’s nRF52, nRF53, and nRF54 Series, but can also be used with non‑Nordic hosts.

At its core, nPM2100 integrates

Ultra‑efficient boost regulator delivering up to 150 mA, with 1.8–3.3 V output from 0.7–3.4 V input.[Key features DS] It supports automatic pass‑through when the battery voltage exceeds the set output voltage, improving efficiency at higher input voltages.
LDO / load‑switch rail supplied from the boost output, providing 0.8–3.0 V up to 50 mA for an additional regulated supply.

The device supports battery voltages up to 3.4 V and can run from sources like one or two AA/AAA cells in series, a single 3 V LiMnO₂ (e.g., CR2032), and other primary chemistries within its input range. It can start from about 0.8 V and operate down to 0.7 V, enabling deep utilization of battery capacity.

For lifetime extension, nPM2100 offers multiple ultra‑low‑power modes

Ship mode with down to 35 nA current, allowing products to be shipped with batteries installed without significant drain; wakeup can be triggered in several ways, including a “break‑to‑wake” event when an electrical connection is broken.
Hibernate mode with a wakeup timer and typical current around 175 nA, for designs that spend most of their time in deep sleep; this can extend sleep‑dominated product lifetimes by up to about three times compared to keeping the MCU in its own deep‑sleep state.

A key differentiator is fuel gauging for primary cells. nPM2100 measures temperature and battery voltage and, combined with a fuel‑gauge algorithm running on the host using nRF Connect SDK, it provides more accurate state‑of‑charge estimates than simple voltage‑based methods. This helps avoid premature battery replacement and unexpected shutdowns by using more of the actual cell capacity.

The PMIC includes system‑oriented features such as

Two GPIO pins that can control time‑critical functions (for example power rails) without needing serial transactions.
System monitor functions like watchdog timer, boot monitor, power‑good signaling, and a multifunction single‑button interface for power on/off, hard reset, and ship‑mode control, all accessible via an I²C‑compatible two‑wire interface (TWI).

nPM2100 comes in very compact packages - a 1.9 × 1.9 mm WLCSP and a 4 × 4 mm QFN16 -requiring only a small inductor and a few capacitors, enabling PCB solutions from about 4 × 4 mm.

Typical applications include computer peripherals and HID devices, remote controls, smart‑home sensors, Bluetooth LE asset trackers, fitness accessories, and personal medical devices where long lifetime on primary cells and accurate fuel gauging are critical.