Advancements in board assembly, PCB layout anddigital IC integration have produced a new generationof densely populated, high performance systems. Theboard-mounted point-of-load (POL) DC/DC power suppliesin these systems are subject to the same demandingsize, high power and performance requirements asother subsystems. The rigorous new POL demands aredifficult to meet with traditional controller or regulatorICs, or power modules.
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.
Speed and accuracy don’t always go hand-in-handin DC/DC converter systems—that is, until now. TheLTC3811 is a dual output, fi xed frequency current modeDC/DC switching regulator controller designed for one oftoday’s most demanding power supply applications: highcurrent, low voltage processor core supplies.
The LTM4601 DC/DC μModule regulator is a completehigh power density stepdown regulator for up to 12Acontinuous (14A peak) loads. The device is housed ina small 15mm ¥ 15mm ¥ 2.8mm LGA surface mountpackage, thus the large power dissipation is a challengein some applications. This thermal application note willprovide guidelines for using the μModule regulator inambient environments with or without air fl ow. Loadcurrent derating curves are provided for several inputvoltages and output voltages versus ambient temperatureand air fl ow.
When a system designer specifies a nonisolated dc/dc powermodule, considering the needed input voltage range isequally as important as considering the required performanceattributes and features. Generally, nonisolated moduleshave either a narrow or a wide input voltage range. Narrowinputmodules typically have a nominal input voltage of3.3, 5, or 12 V. For systems that operate from a tightlyregulated input bus—such as those that do not use batterybackup—a narrow-input module is often adequate sincethe input remains fairly stable.Offering greater flexibility, wide-input modules operatewithin a range of 7 to 36 V, which includes the popular12- or 24-V industrial bus. This enables a single module tobe used for generating multiple voltages. These modulesare ideal for industrial controls, HVAC systems, vehicles,medical instrumentation, and other applications that usea loosely regulated distribution bus. In addition, systemspowered by a rectifier/battery charger with lead-acidbattery backup almost always require wide-input modules.System designers who choose power supplies may wantto take a close look at the latest generation of wide-inputdc/dc modules.
