Hi Mel,
nevertheless this discussion is nearly a year old I would like to add some comments. As an application engineer for digital power supplies I see a big growth in the digital smps market. The basic problems of any processor based power supply caused by quantization distortion, high cost compared to analog ICs and low PWM resolution has more or less vanished. Today you can get a 16-Bit DSC with PWM resolutions of approx. 1ns offering a huge number of useful gimmicks like fast comparators with free programmable reference voltages and leading edge blanking, a multi-level interrupt system and a powerful trigger engine for fast ADCs and other stuff at a cost of $1.50 in volumes.
These are the controllers for next generation power supplies. Future technologies and processes are making them smaller and cheaper. So they will definitely find their way into higher volume markets within 2-3 years.
If you take a look at the development of power supplies over the coming years, one of the main topics will be to bring up efficiency a low load conditions. A good example for this target is the new Energy Star Platinum spec. To meet this specification, intelligent controlled interleaved topologies are required. Especially in the AC/DC market digital controllers can offer great advantages by synchronizing multiple stages, balancing bridge converters, analyzing AC input voltages and offering connectivity for more complex communication protocols. If you try to cover all these aspects with a conventional analog design, you will end up with higher cost and lower reliability with longer time-to-market periods.
But one thing is for sure: You will not find a DSP in common wall warts for a loooong time... ;-)
Kind regards,
Andy
