Typical industrial and automotive applications requiremultiple high current, low voltage power supply solutionsto drive everything from disc drives to microprocessors.For many of these applications, particularly thosethat have size constraints, the LT3501® dual step-downconverter is an attractive solution because it’s compactand inexpensive compared to a 2-chip solution. The dualconverter accommodates a 3V to 25V input voltage rangeand is capable of supplying up to 3A per channel. Thecircuit in Figure 1 produces 3.3V and 1.8V.
Many telecommunications and computing applicationsneed high effi ciency step-down DC/DC converters thatcan operate from a very low input voltage. The highoutput power synchronous controller LT3740 is idealfor these applications, converting input supplies rangingfrom 2.2V to 22V to outputs as low as 0.8V with loadcurrents from 2A to 20A. Applications include distributedpower systems, point-of-load regulation and conversionof logic supplies.
The LTC®3562 quad output step-down regulator is designedfor multicore handheld microprocessor applications thatoperate from a single Li-Ion battery. Its four monolithic, higheffi ciency buck regulators support Intel’s mobile CPU P-Stateand C-State energy saving operating modes. The outputvoltages are independently controllable via I2C, and eachoutput can be independently started and shut down. Designerscan choose from power saving pulse-skipping mode orBurst Mode® operation, or select low noise LDO mode. Thespace-saving LTC3562 is available in a 3mm × 3mm QFNpackage and requires few external components.
Piezoelectric motors are used in digital cameras for autofocus,zooming and optical image stabilization. Theyare relatively small, lightweight and effi cient, but theyalso require a complicated driving scheme. Traditionally,this challenge has been met with the use ofseparatecircuits, including a step-up converter and an oversizedgeneric full-bridge drive IC. The resulting high componentcount and large board space are especially problematicin the design of cameras for ever shrinking cell phones.The LT®3572 solves these problems by combining astep-up regulator and a dual full-bridge driver in a 4mm× 4mm QFN package. Figure 1 shows a typical LT3572Piezo motor drive circuit. A step-up converter is usedto generate 30V from a low voltage power source suchas a Li-Ion battery or any input power source within thepart’s wide input voltage range of 2.7V to 10V. The highoutput voltage of the step-up converter, adjustable upto 40V, is available for the drivers at the VOUT pin. Thedrivers operate in a full-bridge fashion, where the OUTAand OUTB pins are the same polarity as the PWMA andPWMB pins, respectively, and the OUTA and OUTB pinsare inverted from PWMA and PWMB, respectively. Thestep-up converter and both Piezo drivers have their ownshutdown control. Figure 2 shows a typical layout
The LTC®3569 is a compact power solution for handhelddevices. Its tiny 3mm × 3mm QFN package includesthree buck regulators with individually programmableoutput voltages. One regulator supports load currentsup to 1200mA, while the other two support currents to600mA. Two regulators can be paralleled for increasedload capability. Each current-mode regulator is internallycompensated with excellent load and line regulation. Acomplete 2- or 3-output solution requires a minimumof external passive components.
Many system designers need an easy way to producea negative 3.3V power supply. In systems that alreadyhave a transformer, one option is to swap out the existingtransformer with one that has an additional secondarywinding. The problem with this solution is that manysystems now use transformers that are standard, offthe-shelf components, and most designers want toavoid replacing a standard, qualifi ed transformer with acustom version. An easier alternative is to produce thelow negative voltage rail by stepping down an existingnegative rail. For example, if the system already employsan off-the-shelf transformer with two secondary windingsto produce ±12V, and a –3.3V rail is needed, a negativebuck converter can produce the –3.3V output from the–12V rail.
The LTC3546 is a dual output current mode buck regulatorwith fl exible output current partitioning. Beyondthe advantages normally associated with dual outputregulators (reduced size, cost, EMI and part count, withimproved effi ciency), the LTC3546’s outputs can bepartitioned for either 3A and 1A outputs, or two 2A outputs.This increases its application range and simplifi esmultiple supply rail designs. A confi gurable Burst Mode®clamp for each output sets the current transition levelbetween Burst Mode operation and forced continuousconduction mode to optimize effi ciency over the entireoutput range. An adjustable switching frequency up to4MHz and internal power MOSFET switches allow forsmall and compact footprints.
Today’s computer, datacom, and telecom systems demandpower supplies that are effi cient, respond quicklyto load transients and accurately regulate the voltageat the load. For example, load current can be measuredby using the inductor DCR, thus eliminating the needfor a dedicated sense resistor. Inductor DCR sensingincreases effi ciency—especially at heavy load—whilereducing component cost and required board space.The LTC®3856 single-output 2-phase synchronous buckcontroller improves the accuracy of inductor DCR sensingby compensating for changes in DCR due to temperature.
The LTC®4151 is a high side power monitor that includesa 12-bit ADC for measuring current and voltage, as wellas the voltage on an auxiliary input. Data is read throughthe widely used I2C interface. An unusual feature in thisdevice is its 7V to 80V operating range, allowing it to coverapplications from 12V automotive to 48V telecom.
Once relegated to the hinterlands of low cost indicatorlights, the LED is again in the spotlight of the lightingworld. LED lighting is now ubiquitous, from car headlightsto USB-powered lava lamps. Car headlights exemplifyapplications that capitalize on the LED’s clear advantages—unwavering high quality light output, tough-assteelrobustness, inherent high effi ciency—while a USBlava lamp exemplifi es applications where only LEDs work.Despite these clear advantages, their requirement forregulated voltage and current make LED driver circuitsmore complex than the venerable light bulb, but some newdevices are closing the gap. For instance, the LTM®8040μModule™ LED driver integrates all the driver circuitryinto a single package, allowing designers to refocus theirtime and effort on the details of lighting design criticalto a product’s success.
