Energy Harvester - LTC3588 Breakout

This breakout board is built around the LTC3588 Piezoelectric Energy Harvester from Linear Technology. It can harvest energy from piezoelectric elements or solar cells, converting it into a regulated DC output. A bridge-rectified input (PZ1/PZ2) accepts piezo sources, while a direct DC input (VIN) works with solar panels and other DC supplies — both clamped to 20 V.

The ultralow quiescent current design allows charge to accumulate on an input capacitor until the integrated hysteretic buck converter can efficiently transfer power to the output. In regulation, the LTC3588 enters a sleep state with minimal quiescent current, waking only as needed to maintain output voltage.

Key Features

• Dual Input – Bridge-rectified input for piezo elements and direct DC input for solar/other sources
• Selectable Output Voltage – Pin-selectable: 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V, or 3.6 V
• Up to 100 mA Output – Continuous output current; higher burst current with larger output capacitor
• Nanopower Operation – 950 nA quiescent current in regulation (no load), 450 nA in UVLO
• Integrated Bridge Rectifier – Full-wave rectifier for piezoelectric sources
• Input Protective Shunt – Up to 25 mA pull-down at VIN = 20 V
• Wide UVLO Hysteresis – Allows efficient charge accumulation before conversion

Specifications

• Input Voltage Range – 2.7–20 V
• Output Voltages – 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V, 3.6 V (pin selectable)
• Max Continuous Output Current – 100 mA
• Quiescent Current (Regulation) – 950 nA
• Quiescent Current (UVLO) – 450 nA
• Input Shunt Voltage – 20 V

Ideal For

• Piezoelectric energy harvesting
• Small-scale solar energy systems
• Ultra-low-power sensor nodes
• Nanopower buck regulator applications

Package Contents

• 1× LTC3588 Energy Harvester Breakout Board

Resources

• Schematic (PDF)