Micro Analog Systems Oy announced the MAS6011 Solar Cell Energy Harvesting System Manager. The MAS6011 monitors the supply voltage and charging of a battery-powered system containing a small solar cell. The current consumption of this IC is extremely low, 110nA, which means the system can charge from very low light conditions and also stay in power down mode for years and still operate directly from the battery before recharging.
To be able to charge a battery also in conditions with very limited light, a large solar cell is usually used. This can on the other hand easily destroy the battery due to over voltage during strong sun light. The MAS6011 solves this dilemma and will give secure protection of a secondary 3V battery over a big range of light strengths (lx).