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
Alkaline batteries are convenient because they’re easy tofi nd and relatively inexpensive, making them the powersource of choice for portable instruments and devicesused for outdoor recreation. Their long shelf life alsomakes them an excellent choice for emergency equipmentthat may see infrequent use but must be ready to go on amoment’s notice. It is important that the DC/DC convertersin portable devices operate over the widest possiblebattery voltage range to extend battery run time, and thussave the user from frequent battery replacement.
Industrial remote monitoring systems and keep-alivecircuits spend most of their time in standby mode. Manyof these systems also depend on battery power, so powersupply effi ciency in standby state is very important tomaximize battery life. The LT®8410/-1 high effi ciencyboost converter is ideal for these systems, requiringonly 8.5μA of quiescent current in standby mode. Thedevice integrates high value (12.4M/0.4M) output feedbackresistors, signifi cantly reducing input current whenthe output is in regulation with no load. Other featuresinclude an integrated 40V switch and Schottky diode,output disconnect with current limit, built in soft-start,overvoltage protection and a wide input range, all in atiny 8-pin 2mm × 2mm DFN package.
Avalanche photo diode (APD) receiver modules arewidely used in fi ber optic communication systems. AnAPD module contains the APD and a signal conditioningamplifi er, but is not completely self contained. It stillrequires signifi cant support circuitry including a highvoltage, low noise power supply and a precision currentmonitor to indicate the signal strength. The challenge issqueezing this support circuitry into applications withlimited board space. The LT®3482 addresses this challengeby integrating a monolithic DC/DC step-up converter andan accurate current monitor. The LT3482 can supportup to a 90V APD bias voltage, and the current monitorprovides better than 10% accuracy over four decades ofdynamic range (250nA to 2.5mA).
Automotive power systems are unforgiving electronicenvironments. Transients to 90V can occur when thenominal voltage range is 10V to 15V (ISO7637), along withbattery reversal in some cases. It’s fairly straightforwardto build automotive electronics around this system, butincreasingly end users want to operate portable electronics,such as GPS systems or music/video players,and to charge their Li-Ion batteries from the automotivebattery. To do so requires a compact, robust, effi cientand easy-to-design charging system
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.
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.
The LTC®4155 and LTC4156 are dual multiplexed-inputbattery chargers with PowerPath™ control, featuring I2Cprogrammability and USB On-The-Go for systems suchas tablet PCs and other high power density applications.The LTC4155’s float voltage (VFLOAT) range is optimizedfor Li-Ion batteries, while the LTC4156 is optimized forlithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4)batteries, supportingsystem loads to 4A with up to 3.5A of battery chargecurrent. I2C controls a broad range of functions and USBOn-The-Go functionality is controlled directly from theUSB connector ID pin.
High voltage buck DC/DC controllers such as the LTC3890(dual output) and LTC3891 (single output) are popular inautomotive applications due to their extremely wide 4V to60V input voltage range, eliminating the need for a snubberand voltage suppression circuitry. These controllersare also well suited for 48V telecom applications whereno galvanic isolation is required.
The voltage range of Linear Technology’s PowerPath® circuitscan be easily extended with just a few components, thusallowing them to meet the needs of virtually all applications.This application note presents solutions for circuits thatmust withstand large negative voltages, a reverse adapterinput for example, and circuits that must withstand largepositive inputs, such as automotive load-dump.
