Abstract: We don't expect manufacturers to produce clothes that in one size that fits everyone. In thesame way, one ESD component can't solve all issues—each application has different ESD requirements.Knowing that "one size fits all" cannot apply to power design, the power designer, or the engineering"super hero," must consider all the potential disruptions to a steady flow of power and thenvarious waysto mitigate them. This tutorial describes voltage- and current-limiting devices and risetime reducers tomanage the power. It also points to free and low-cost software tools to help design lowpass filters, checkcapacitor self-resonance, and simulate circuits.
Abstract: There are many things to consider when designing a power supply for a field-programmablegate array (FPGA). These include (but are not limited to) the high number of voltage rails, and thediffering requirements for both sequencing/tracking and the voltage ripple limits. This application noteexplains these and other power-supply considerations that an engineer must think through whendesigning a power supply for an FPGA.
Abstract: This article discusses the requirements and design considerations for automotive applications, including those for enginecontrol, infotainment, and body electronics. It also discusses several Maxim devices that are ideal for automotive applications.
Multiple-voltage electronics systems often requirecomplex supply voltage tracking or sequencing, whichif not met, can result in system faults or even permanentfailures in the fi eld. The design diffi culties in meetingthese requirements are often compounded in distributedpowerarchitectures where point-of-load (POL) DC/DCconverters or linear regulators are scattered across PCboard space, sometimes on different board planes. Theproblem is that power supply circuitry is often the lastcircuitry to be designed into the board, and it must beshoehorned into whatever little board real estate is left.Often, a simple, drop-in, fl exible solution is needed tomeet these requirements.
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.
Low power standby requirements are typically associatedwith battery-powered systems. Automotive systems,for example, commonly require power supplies tomaintain output voltage regulation even under no-loadconditions—while drawing minimal quiescent current topreserve battery life. Rising energy costs, however, haveextended the need for low current standby operation toline-powered systems, such as small plugged-in appliancesfor home and business.
Automobile electronic systems place high demands ontoday’s DC/DC converters. They must be able to preciselyregulate an output voltage in the face of wide temperatureand input voltage ranges—including load dump transientsin excess of 60V and cold crank voltage drops to 4V. Theconverter must also be able to minimize battery drain inalways-on systems by maintaining high effi ciency over abroad load current range. Similar demands are made bymany 48V nonisolated telecom applications, 40V FireWireperipherals and battery-powered applications with autoplug adaptors. The LT3437’s best in classperformancemeets all of these requirements in a small thermallyenhanced 3mm × 3mm DFN package.
The LTC®4223 is a dual Hot Swap™ controller that meetsthe power requirements of the Micro TelecommunicationComputing Architecture (MicroTCA) specifi cation recentlyratifi ed by the PCI Industrial Computer ManufacturersGroup (PICMG).
The makers of handheld medical, industrial and consumerdevices use a wide variety of high resolution, small tomedium sized color TFT LCD displays. The power supplydesigners for these displays must contend with shrinkingboard area, tight schedules, and variations in displaytypes and feature requirements. The LTC®3524 simplifi esthe designer’s job by combining a versatile, easily programmed,TFT LCD bias supply and white LED backlightdriver in a low profi le 4mm × 4mm QFN package.
As environmental concerns over traditional lighting increaseand the price of LEDs decreases, high power LEDsare fast becoming a popular lighting solution for offl ineapplications. In order to meet the requirements of offl inelighting—such as high power factor, high effi ciency, isolationand TRIAC dimmer compatibility—prior LED driversused many external discrete components, resulting incumbersome solutions. The LT®3799 solves complexity,space and performance problems by integrating all therequired functions for offl ine LED lighting.
