Norwood, Mass.—Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) introduced what it claims is the industry's smallest and lowest power instrumentation amplifier (in-amp).

Smaller than the tip of a pencil, the tiny size of the AD8235 in-amp, combined with its low power consumption, is effective for power-efficient and portable, lightweight medical devices and consumer-health products, including home-use ECG (electrocardiogram) monitors, infusion pumps and activity-monitoring medical devices.

With 50% less power consumption than competitive offerings, the in-amp can enable designs to provide longer battery life, according to ADI.

The AD8235 measures 1.6 mm x 2.0 mm—one-third the size of competing instrumentation amplifiers. Operating on 1.8-V (min) and 5.5-V (max) power supplies and drawing only 40 microamps (max), the AD8235 is suitable for other low-power applications, including consumer-fitness products and industrial pressure and low-side current-sensing measurement equipment. These applications also benefit from the in-amp's 6 nanoamp shutdown current and 40 picoamp bias current.

The AD8235's wide power-supply range eliminates the need for extra supplies. The in-amp's wide common-mode input-voltage range (4V and 1.4V on 5V and 1.8V supplies respectively) is important for the low-voltage operation required by many battery-powered portable applications. A high common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of 86 dB (gain=5) effectively eliminates common-mode interference.

Pricing: In 1,000-unit quantities, the AD8235 in a 9-lead WLCSP costs $1.59 each and the AD8236 in an 8-lead MSOP is 99 cents each.
Availability: Sampling now.
Datasheet: click here.

Analog Devices, www.analog.com