Plastic quad-packaged switched-mode integrated circuit with integrated transformer windings and mouldings for transformer core pieces

A switching power supply assembly, comprising:

• a four-sided flat package of insulating material having a first hole and a second hole from a top surface to a bottom surface and separated from one another that provide for a magnetic core disposed within said first and second holes;
• a channel in said bottom surface of the four-sided flat package that connects said first hole to said second hole;
• a ferrite U-core having first and second legs that pass through said first hole and said second hole of the four-sided flat package from said bottom surface and nests in the channel;
• a ferrite I-core having first and second ends that meet said first and second legs on said ferrite U-core and that completes a magnetic path;
• a first through third row of connection pins mounted along a first through a third edge of the four-sided flat package;
• a fourth row of connection pins mounted along a fourth edge of the four-sided flat package;
• a first plurality of individual parallel conductors enclosed within the four-sided flat package and each having an electrically-isolated segment that passes through an area between said first and second holes in the four-sided flat package and that electrically connect to respective pins of the first through third row of connection pins providing for the external connection of said segments with the first through third row of connection pins in a first single continuous spiral coil axial to said first and second holes;
• a second plurality of conductors enclosed within the four-sided flat package and having at least one electrically-isolated segment that passes through said area between said first and second holes in the four-sided flat package and that electrically connect to respective pins of the fourth row of connection pins providing for the external connection of said segments with the fourth row of connection pins in a second single continuous spiral coil axial to said first and second holes;
• and
• a switching power supply integrated circuit (IC) chip for controlling a first current flow in said first plurality of conductors based on a voltage derived from a second current flow in said second plurality of conductors.

A transformer, comprising:

• a four-sided flat plastic package with a plurality of connector pins arranged in four rows in first and second sets in respective separate halves of the plastic package for connection to a printed circuit board;
• a plurality of individual conductor segments each connected at opposite ends to respective ones of said first and second sets of said plurality of connector pins;
• and
• a ferrite magnetic core forming a loop that orthogonally encircles said plurality of individual conductor segments;
• wherein a first portion of the plurality of individual conductor segments provides for the completion of a primary transformer winding that electrically spirals around the ferrite magnetic core when said connector pins are respectively interconnected by wires on said printed circuit board, and a second portion of the plurality of individual conductor segments provides for the completion of a secondary transformer winding that electrically spirals around the ferrite magnetic core when said connector pins are respectively interconnected by wires on said printed circuit board and said primary transformer winding is magnetically coupled to said secondary transformer winding by the ferrite magnetic core.