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Thermobility™ is a new power generation technology that uses heat as a source of electricity for low-power wireless applications. Thermobility uses innovative solid-state thin-film thermoelectric technology to convert heat into electricity for a variety of self-contained, autonomous systems.

As the first in a series of wireless power generators, the Thermobility WPG-1 provides a constant voltage output of 3.3, 4.1 or 5.0 Vdc to electrical loads of 15kΩ or higher. The WPG-1 is about the size of a golf ball and consists of a pin-fin heat sink, a custom circuit board, Nextreme's eTEG™ HV56 thermoelectric power generator module and a metal attachment plate that is applied to the desired heat source. The device incorporates a Linear Technologies LTC®3108 Ultralow Voltage Step-Up Converter and Power Manager chip to provide up to 1 milliwatt of electrical power, and operates at temperature differentials as low as 15-20K relative to ambient. Larger temperature differences can generate significantly more power.

The WPG-1 is designed for ease of use with any flat surface heat source. For simple bench-top testing, the WPG-1 can be placed directly on a laboratory grade hotplate with temperature control. For evaluation with other surfaces, the attachment plate can be mated with either thermal grease for normal horizontal application or double-stick thermal pad for vertical mounting.

The integrated circuit board includes DIP switches for setting the output voltage. Electrical connections can be made using the on-board 2-pin or 6-pin connectors. The 6-pin connector is a Texas Instruments connector that mates to the eZ430 wireless target board, making the WPG-1 an ideal wireless power source for the eZ430 development platform.

The Thermobility WPG-1 generator is available for evaluation with an 8 to 10 week delivery lead time for $495.

Contact us for evaluation, analysis, prototype, test, verification or production assistance, or call us at 919-597-7300.