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Nordic’s nPM power-management ICs combine different mixes of battery charging, voltage regulation, fuel gauging, and system supervision. The right choice depends first on whether your product uses a rechargeable or primary battery, then on its required power rails and management features. In the portfolio comparison, nPM1100 is a compact charger-and-buck option, nPM1300 and nPM1304 add two bucks and other outputs for rechargeable designs, nPM2100 targets primary cells, and nPM6001 is listed with four bucks. Confirm the current part-specific specification before committing a design.
How the Nordic PMIC models differ
Nordic’s portfolio comparison includes five parts with materially different roles. A PMIC’s listed rail count is only a starting point: check the current electrical specifications, package options, external-component requirements, and battery limits before selecting a device. Nordic’s power-management IC product page is the portfolio reference.
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NPM-FG Nordic Semiconductor - nPM1300 Battery Charger Power Management Evaluation Board | $119.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Model | Battery and charging | Regulation and other listed functions | Control or evaluation note |
|---|---|---|---|
| nPM1100 | Rechargeable Li-ion/LiPo; charging up to 400 mA in Nordic’s portfolio comparison. | One dual-mode configurable buck regulator and a linear charger. | Pin-configurable; Nordic says no software is required for configuration or control. Product page. |
| nPM1300 | Rechargeable Li-ion, LiPo, and LiFePO4; current specification lists configurable charging from 32 to 800 mA and termination voltage from 3.5 to 4.45 V. | Two 200 mA buck regulators, two LDO/load-switch outputs, fuel-gauge reporting, and system-management features. | TWI-compatible with I²C; Nordic’s nPM1300 EK supports evaluation. Documentation. |
| nPM1304 | Rechargeable-battery charger; the portfolio comparison lists a charging range different from nPM1300, but does not provide its exact values. | Two bucks, two LDOs, two load switches, and battery health/fuel-gauge features in the portfolio comparison. | Use the current part-specific specification to compare charging requirements and compatibility; do not assume it is a drop-in nPM1300 substitute. |
| nPM2100 | Primary-cell applications; Nordic describes a 0.7–3.4 V input range and support for alkaline, coin, silver-oxide, and zinc-air cells. | Boost regulator, LDO/load switch, fuel gauging, and system-management features. | Nordic’s SDK guide identifies the nPM2100 EK as development hardware. Documentation. |
| nPM6001 | Not stated in the portfolio comparison. | Four buck regulators are listed. | The comparison names an nPM61001 evaluation kit; verify the current part and kit documentation before relying on further details. |
These entries describe a portfolio snapshot, not a guarantee of availability or an exhaustive specification. For nPM1300, Nordic’s Product Specification gives the charge and regulator values above.
Choosing by battery and charging needs
For a rechargeable battery
Start by matching battery chemistry and charging requirements. The nPM1100 combines a linear charger with one buck and uses pin configuration, making it a candidate when its feature set and published limits fit the design. The nPM1300 provides two bucks, additional LDO/load-switch outputs, and more extensive monitoring and supervisory functions. The nPM1304 is another charger-plus-two-buck option, but its listed charging range differs from nPM1300, so compare its own current specification rather than inferring equivalence.
#1 Best Overall
- EVALUATION BOARD: nPM1300 battery charger and power management evaluation board designed for testing and development purposes
- FUNCTIONALITY: Integrated power management system featuring battery charging capabilities and comprehensive power control features
- DEVELOPMENT TOOL: Professional evaluation platform enabling engineers to test and validate power management solutions
- COMPATIBILITY: Designed to work with various battery types and power management configurations for versatile testing scenarios
- APPLICATION: Ideal for prototyping and testing battery charging circuits and power management systems in electronic devices
For nPM1300 specifically, Nordic documents a configurable 32–800 mA charging-current range and 3.5–4.45 V configurable charging-termination voltage. These are device specifications, not a measurement of charging time or battery-life improvement. Verify the battery manufacturer’s charging limits and the PMIC’s complete operating conditions before setting a design.
For a primary cell
Consider the nPM2100 when the product is powered by replaceable primary cells rather than charging a rechargeable battery. Nordic describes its input range as 0.7–3.4 V and lists alkaline, coin, silver-oxide, and zinc-air chemistries. Its boost regulator and LDO/load switch serve a different power-conversion role from the charger-centered rechargeable parts. Check the selected cell’s voltage behavior and the PMIC’s current limits against the actual load profile.
What the nPM1300 integrates
The nPM1300 combines a linear battery charger with two buck regulators, two dual-purpose LDO/load-switch outputs, fuel gauging, and system supervision. Nordic describes it as design-compatible with nRF52, nRF53, and nRF54 SoCs for low-power wireless products. Its control interface is TWI-compatible with I²C. See Nordic’s nPM1300 documentation for the device-specific details.
Battery and system visibility
Nordic documents state-of-charge and state-of-health reporting. That can provide the host with battery-related information, but the quality and usefulness of any estimate depend on the implementation and operating conditions; it should not be treated as a substitute for validating behavior in the finished product.
Supervision and low-power handling
The nPM1300 documentation lists a watchdog, power-loss warning, hard reset, failed-boot recovery, and ship and hibernate modes. These functions can reduce the amount of discrete supervision circuitry or firmware work a design needs, depending on its requirements. Nordic also presents reduced board area and BOM as design benefits, but the cited material does not establish a quantified independent comparison.
Wireless SoC compatibility is not a complete design check
Compatibility with Nordic SoC families does not by itself verify a complete power design. Check rail voltages, peak and average loads, startup behavior, charging conditions, layout, thermal limits, and required external parts against the current device documentation and the SoC’s needs.
How nPM1100 and nPM1300 differ
The main distinction is not simply “older versus newer” or a general performance ranking. It is the combination of configuration approach and integrated functions. Nordic describes the nPM1100 as pin-configurable and not requiring software for configuration or control; the nPM1300 uses a TWI-compatible host interface and adds a second buck, dual-purpose LDO/load-switch outputs, fuel-gauge reporting, and a broader set of supervision features. Choose based on the system’s required functions and firmware architecture, not on a presumed drop-in relationship.
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Selecting a PMIC for a product
- Identify the battery. Decide whether it is rechargeable or primary, and confirm the supported chemistry. The nPM1300 portfolio entry lists Li-ion, LiPo, and LiFePO4; Nordic positions nPM2100 for primary cells.
- Translate the battery needs into charging limits. Check required charge current and termination voltage against the exact model’s current specification and the cell maker’s requirements. For nPM1300, the documented configurable values are 32–800 mA and 3.5–4.45 V.
- Count and characterize every rail. List buck, boost, LDO, and switched outputs, then compare their voltage ranges and current limits to both steady-state and transient loads. The portfolio’s model summaries are not enough to validate a rail.
- Decide which supervisory functions are essential. Determine whether fuel gauging, battery-health reporting, watchdog behavior, reset supervision, failed-boot recovery, wake-up, or ship/hibernate handling is required. Confirm each function exists on the selected part and behaves as the product needs.
- Choose the configuration model. A pin-configurable approach such as nPM1100 may suit a design that does not need host control. For a host-managed design, assess the nPM1300 TWI/I²C interface and the firmware implications.
- Check physical and electrical fit. Compare package options, external components, board area, thermal behavior during charging, and all electrical limits in the current specification. Nordic’s nPM1300 documentation describes compact QFN and WLCSP package options.
Evaluating the nPM1300 with Nordic’s kit
The nPM1300 Evaluation Kit is Nordic’s documented hardware for trying the PMIC. Its product page describes code-free configuration with the nPM PowerUP desktop application and exporting configurations as code for host-MCU integration. The kit provides connections for Nordic development boards and test equipment, LEDs and buttons for evaluating functions, and battery connectors for batteries with or without an internal NTC.
The nPM1300 EK hardware guide documents USB-C power input, battery connectors, accessible voltage outputs, scope-probe loops, configuration jumpers, an onboard controller, and the PowerUP evaluation workflow. Nordic’s nRF Connect SDK guide identifies the nPM1300 EK as the supported development hardware and describes the PMIC’s charger, two dual-mode bucks, two dual-purpose LDO/load switches, three LED drivers, and five GPIOs.
Development hardware for nPM2100
For primary-cell designs, Nordic’s SDK guide identifies the nPM2100 EK as development hardware. It describes the PMIC as combining a boost regulator, a dual-purpose LDO/load switch, GPIOs, and an ADC. Consult the nPM2100 SDK guide alongside the device documentation when evaluating the implementation.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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