The purpose of this application note is to show an example of how a digital potentiometer can be used in thefeedback loop of a step-up DC-DC converter to provide calibration and/or adjustment of the output voltage.The example circuit uses a MAX5025 step-up DC-DC converter (capable of generating up to 36V,120mWmax) in conjunction with a DS1845, 256 position, NV digital potentiometer. For this example, the desiredoutput voltage is 32V, which is generated from an input supply of 5V. The output voltage can be adjusted in35mV increments (near 32V) and span a range wide enough to account for resistance, potentiometer and DCDCconverter tolerances (27.6V to 36.7V).
Abstract: The DS1875 features a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller that can be used to control aDC-DC converter. The DC-DC converter can then be used to generate the high bias voltages necessaryfor avalanche photodiodes (APDs). This application note describes the operation of a boost converterthat uses the DS1875. Discussion covers the selection of the inductor and switching frequency, and theselection of components that improve the efficiency of the converter. Test data are presented.
A number of conventional solutions have been available forthe design of a DC/DC converter where the output voltageis within the input voltage range—a common scenarioin Li-Ion battery-powered applications—but none werevery attractive until now. Conventional topologies, suchas SEPIC or boost followed by buck, have numerousdisadvantages, including low effi ciency, complex magnetics,polarity inversion and/or circuit complexity/cost. TheLTC®3785 buck-boost controller yields a simple, effi cient,low parts-count, single-converter solution that is easyto implement, thus avoiding the drawbacks associatedwith traditional solutions.
