Diode Corporation has released a new transistor array. This product can be used in washing machines, dryers, microwave ovens and air conditioning units. The ULN62003A diode consists of seven 500ma rated open drain transistors with all sources connected to a common ground pin. Designed for climate control and home appliances, this high-current transistor array is capable of driving a variety of loads such as solenoids, relays, DC motors and LED displays.
The device is made of DMOSFET output transistors, and the output voltage drop is only 0.2V. This is far less than a bipolar device that is pin-compatible with it. The resulting reduction in power consumption not only minimizes overall power consumption, it also alleviates thermal issues and improves reliability. It also enables more equipment to be controlled while maintaining the desired mold temperature.
Additionally, the device supports input voltages as low as -1V for greater flexibility, allowing the GND pin to be used to detect overcurrent conditions. This capability further increases the robustness of the system and expands the applications that the device can handle. Clamping diodes are integrated on each output of this transistor array for protection and reliability when driving inductive loads.
