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Электронный компонент: L4992

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L4992
TRIPLE OUTPUT POWER SUPPLY CONTROLLER
DUAL PWM BUCK CONTROLLERS (3.3V
and 5.1V)
12V/120mA LINEAR REGULATOR
DUAL SYNCH RECTIFIERS DRIVERS
96% EFFICIENCY ACHIEVABLE
50
A (@ 12V) STAND BY CONSUMPTION
5.5V TO 25V SUPPLY VOLTAGE
EXCELLENT LOAD TRANSIENT RESPONSE
DISABLE PULSE SKIPPING FUNCTION
POWER MANAGEMENT:
- UNDER AND OVERVOLTAGE OUTPUT
DETECTION
- POWER GOOD SIGNAL
- SEPARATED DISABLE
THERMAL SHUTDOWN
PACKAGE: TQFP32
APPLICATION
NOTEBOOK AND SUBNOTEBOOK COM-
PUTERS
PEN TOP AND PORTABLE EQUIPMENT
COMMUNICATING COMPUTERS
DESCRIPTION
The L4992 is a sophisticated dual PWM step-
down controller and power monitor intended for
Notebook computer and/or battery powered
equipment. The device produces regulated
+3.3V, +5.1V and 12V supplies for use in portable
and PCMCIA applications.
The internal architecture allows to operate with
minimum external components count. A very high
switching frequency (200/300 KHz or externally
synchronizable) optimizes their physical dimen-
sions.
Synchronous rectification and pulse skipping
mode for the buck sections optimise the overall
efficiency over a wide load current range (96% ef-
ficiency @1A/5.1V and 93% efficiency @
0.05A/5.1V.
The two high performance PWM controllers for
+3.3V and +5.1V lines are monitored for overvol-
tage, undervoltage and overcurrent conditions.
On detection of a fault, a POWER GOOD signal
is generated and a specific shutdown procedure
takes place to prevent physical damage and data
corruption.
A disable function allows to manage the output
power sections separately, optimising the quies-
cent consumption of the IC in stand-by conditions.
June 2000
SYNC
POWER
MANAGEMENT
& SYSTEM
SUPERVISOR
5.5V
to
25V
3.3V
5.1V
POWER
SECTION
L4992
P
MEMORY
PERIPHERALS
12V LDO
5.1V LDO
3.39V REF
D96IN429A
POWER GOOD
SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM
TQFP32
ORDERING NUMBER: L4992
1/26
ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS
Symbol
Parameter
Value
Unit
V
IN
Power Supply Voltage on V
IN
0 to 25
V
V
I
Maximum Pin Voltage to Pins 1, 24, 25, 32
-0.5 to (V
IN
+5)
V
I
IN
Input Current Except V13IN and V
IN
-1 to +1
mA
I
OUT
Output Current Digital Output
-15 to +15
mA
T
J
Junction Temperature
-55 to 150
C
THERMAL DATA
Symbol
Parameter
Value
Unit
R
TH J-amb
Thermal Resistance Junction -Ambient
60
C/W
SLOPE
+
-
+
-
+
-
ERROR SUMMING
I5SNS
V5SNS
6
5
VREF
7
COMP5
1
32
31
H5STRAP
H5GATE
H5SRC
30
29
R5GATE
PGND5
Hside
Lside
CONTROL
LOGIC
OVER CURRENT
COMPARATOR
ZERO CROSSING
COMPARATOR
PULSE SKIPPING
COMPARATOR
+
-
+
-
+
-
SOFT
I5SNS
V5SNS
8
SOFT5
SLOPE
+
-
+
-
+
-
ERROR SUMMING
I3SNS
V3SNS
19
20
VREF
18
COMP3
24
25
26
H3STRAP
H3GATE
H3SRC
27
28
R3GATE
PGND3
Hside
Lside
CONTROL
LOGIC
OVER CURRENT
COMPARATOR
ZERO CROSSING
COMPARATOR
PULSE SKIPPING
COMPARATOR
+
-
+
-
+
-
SOFT
I3SNS
V3SNS
17
SOFT3
LINEAR
REGULATOR
SWITCH
COMPARATOR
V5SNS
4.7V
W5SW
REG5
3
4
2
VIN
VREF
VREF BUFFER
OVERVOLT
COMPARATOR
UNDERVOLT
COMPARATOR
POWER MANAGEMENT
&
SYSTEM SUPERVISOR
12
VREF
13
SGND
13V
+
-
+
-
13V UV Comp
16
11
10
14
9
RUN3
RUN5
PWROK
NOSKIP
CRST
V13IN
21
+
-
REG12
22
VREF
OSCILLATOR &
SYNCHRONIZATION
OSC
15
REG12
LDO
D96IN375
+
-
REG5
REG5
BLOCK DIAGRAM
1
2
3
5
6
4
7
8
11 12 13 14 15 16
32
30
31
29 28 27 26 25
19
18
17
24
23
22
20
21
I5SNS
V5SNS
V5SW
VIN
H5STRAP
REG5
COMP5
SOFT5
CRST
RUN5
PWROK
VREF
SGND
NOSKIP
OSC
RUN3
H5GATE
R5GATE
H5SRC
PGND5
PGND3
R3GATE
H3SRC
H3GATE
I3SNS
COMP3
SOFT3
H3STRAP
(*)
REG12
V3SNS
V13IN
D96IN377
9
10
(*)TO BE CONNECTED TO PIN13
PIN CONNECTION (Top view)
L4992
2/26
PIN FUNCTIONS
N.
Name
Description
1
H5STRAP
+5.1V section bootstrap capacitor connection
2
V
IN
Device supply voltage. From 5.5 to 25V
3
REG5
+5V regulator supply. Used mainly for bootstrap capacitors. It should be bypassed to ground.
4
V5SW
Alternative device supply voltage. When the +5.1V section is operating, the device is no
longer powered through V
IN
but through this pin.
5
V5SNS
This pin connects to the (-) input of the +5.1V internal current sense comparator
6
I5SNS
This pin connects to the (+) input of the +5.1V internal current sense comparator
7
COMP5
Feedback input for the +5.1V section.
8
SOFT5
Soft-start input of the +5.1V section. The soft-start time is programmed by an external
capacitor connected between this pin and SGND. Approximately, 1ms/nF @ full load.
9
CRST
Input used for start-up and shut-down timing. A capacitor defines a time of 2ms/nF.
10
PWROK
Power-good diagnostic signal. This output is driven high when both switching sections are
enabled and running properly, after a delay defined by the CRST capacitor.
11
RUN5
Control input to enable/disable the 5.1V section. A high level (>2.4V) enables this section, a
low level (<0.8V) shuts it down
12
VREF
Internal +3.39V high accuracy voltage generator. It can source 5mA to external load. Bypass
to ground with a 4.7
F capacitor to reduce noise.
13
SGND
Signal ground. Reference for internal logic circuitry. It must be routed separately from high
current returns.
14
NOSKIP
Pulse skipping mode control. A high level (>2.4V) disables pulse skipping at low load current,
a low level (<0.8V) enables it.
15
OSC
Oscillator frequency control: connect to 2.5V to select 300KHz operation, to ground or to 5V
for 200KHz operation. A proper external signal can synchronize the oscillator
16
RUN3
Control input to enable/disable the +3.3V section. A high level (>2.4V) enables this section, a
low level (>0.8V) shuts it down.
17
SOFT3
Soft-start input for the 3.3V section. The soft-start time is programmed by an external
capacitor connected between this pin and GND. Approximately, 1ms/nF @full load.
18
COMP3
Feedback input for the +3.3V section
19
I3SNS
This pin connects to the (+) input of the +3.3V internal current sense comparator
20
V3SNS
This pin connects to the (-) input of the +3.3V internal current sense comparator
21
V13IN
12V regulator input supply voltage, included between 13 and 20V. This voltage can be
supplied by a flyback winding on +3.3V inductor
22
REG12
12V regulator output voltage. It can source up to 150mA to an external load
23
SGND
To be connected to pin 13
24
H3STRAP
+3.3V section bootstrap capacitor connection
25
H3GATE
Gate- driver output for the +3.3V high-side N-MOS
26
H3SRC
+3.3V high-side N-MOS source connection
27
R3GATE
Gate- driver output for the +3.3V low- side N-MOS (synchronous rectifier).
28
PGND3
Current return for +3.3V section drivers
29
PGND5
Current return for +5.1V section drivers
30
R5GATE
Gate-driver output for the +5.1V low-side N-MOS (synchronous rectifier).
31
H5SRC
+5.1V high-side N-MOS source connection
32
H5GATE
Gate-driver output for the +5.1V high-side N-MOS
L4992
3/26
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (V
IN
= 12V; T
J
= 25C; V
OSC
= GND; unless otherwise specified.)
Symbol
Parameter
Test Condition
Min.
Typ.
Max.
Unit
DC CHARACTERISTICS
V
IN
Input Supply Voltage
5.5
25
V
I
2
Operating Quiescent Current
R5GATE = R3GATE = OPEN
H5GATE = H3GATE = OPEN
RUN3 = RUN5 = REG5
(DRIVERS OFF)
1.35
mA
I
2
Stand-By Current
RUN3 = RUN5 = GND
V
IN
= 12V
V
IN
= 20V
50
60
100
120
A
+5.1V PWM CONTROLLER SECTION
V
5OUT
(*)
V5SNS Feedback Voltage
V
IN
= 5.5 to 20V;
V
I5SNS
- V
V5SNS
= 0 to 70mV
4.85
5.13
5.25
V
V
6
- V
5
Over-Current Threshold Voltage
VSOFT5 = 4V
80
100
120
mV
V
6
- V
5
Pulse Skipping Mode
Thereshold Voltage
V
IN
> 6.8V
14
26
38
mV
V
IN
< 5.8V
7
13
19
mV
V
5
Over Voltage Threshold ON
V5SNS
5.35
5.55
5.77
V
Under Voltage Threshold ON
V5SNS
4.54
4.69
4.87
V
+3.3V PWM CONTROLLER SECTION
V
3OUT
(*)
V3SNS Feedback Voltage
V
IN
= 5.5 to 20V;
V
I3SNS
- V
V3SNS
= 0 to 70mV
3.285
3.39
3.495
V
V
19
- V
20
Over Current Threshold Voltage
VSOFT3 = 4V
80
100
120
mV
V
19
- V
20
Pulse Skipping Mode Threshold
Voltage
V
IN
= 5.5 to 20V;
14
26
38
mV
V
20
Over Voltage Threshold ON
V3SNS
3.55
3.7
3.85
V
Under Voltage Threshold ON
V3SNS
3.02
3.14
3.27
V
PWM CONTROLLERS CHARACTERISTICS (BOTH SECTIONS)
F
OSC
Switching Frequency Accuracy
OSC = REG5/2
255
300
345
kHz
OSC = 0 or REG5
170
200
230
kHz
V
15
Voltage Range for 300kHz
Operation
2.4
2.6
V
T
OFF
Dead Time
300
375
450
ns
T
OV
Overvoltage Propagation Time
V5SNS to PWROK or
V3SNS to PWROK
1.25
s
T
UV
Undervoltage Propagation Time
V5SNS to PWROK or
V3SNS to PWROK
1.5
s
I
8
, I
17
Soft Start Charge Current
3.2
4
4.8
A
V
8
, V
17
Soft Start Clamp Voltage
4
V
(*) Guaranteed by design, not tested in production
L4992
4/26
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (Continued)
Symbol
Parameter
Test Condition
Min.
Typ.
Max.
Unit
HIGH AND LOW SIDE GATE DRIVER (BOTH SECTIONS)
I
25
, I
27,
I
32
, I
30
Source Output Peak Current
C
LOAD
= 1nF
0.2
0.5
A
Sink Output Peak Current
C
LOAD
= 1nF
0.2
0.5
A
R
H
R
DSON
Resistance (or Impedance)
Driver OUT HIGH
7
R
L
R
DSON
resistance (or Impedance)
Driver OUT LOW
5
V
OH
Output High Voltage
HSTRAP = REG5
I
SOURCE
= 10mA; HSRC = GND
4.40
5.3
5.61
V
V
OL
Output Low Voltage
HSTRAP = REG5
I
SINK
= 10mA HSRC = GND
0.5
V
T
CC
Cross-Conduction Delay
30
75
130
ns
12V LINEAR REGULATOR SECTION
V
21
Input Voltage Range
13
20
V
V
22
Output Voltage
I
22
= 0 to 120mA
11.54
12.0
12.48
V
I
22
Current Limiting
V
REG12
= 12V
120
mA
Short Circuit Current
V
REG12
= 0V
150
mA
V
CP
Input Voltage Clamp
I
CLAMP
= 100
A
16
V
"One Shot" Activation Threshold
V
13IN
Falling
12.88
13.7
14.52
V
"One Shot" Pulse
1.5
s
INTERNAL REGULATOR (VREG5) AND REFERENCE VOLTAGE
V
3
VREG5 Output Voltage
V
IN
= 5.5 to 20V
I
LOAD
= 0 to 5mA
4.5
5.3
5.61
V
I
3
Total Current Capability
VREG5 = 5.3V
V
REG5
= 6V
25
70
mA
Switch-Over Threshold Voltage
4.3
4.53
4.7
V
V
12
Reference Voltage
3.35
3.39
3.43
V
V
IN
= 5.5 to 20V
I
LOAD
= 1 to 5mA
3.32
3.39
3.46
V
I
12
Source Current at Reference
Voltage
5
mA
POWER GOOD AND ENABLE FUNCTION
V
16
, V
11
RUN3, RUN5, Enable Voltage
HIGH LEVEL
2.4
V
V
16
, V
11
RUN3, RUN5, Disable Voltage
LOW LEVEL
0.8
V
T
10
Power Good Delay
C
CRST
= 100nF
160
200
240
ms
T
27
, T
30
Shutdown Delay Time before
Low Side Activation
(Except Over-Voltage Fault)
C
CRST
= 100nF,
160
200
240
ms
CRST Timing Rate
2
ms/nF
Power Good High Level
I
PWROK
= 40
A
4.1
V
Power Good LowLevel
I
PWROK
= 320
A
0.4
V
SYNCHRONIZATION
Synchronisation Pulse Width
400
ns
Synchronisation Input Voltage
(Falling Edge Transition)
5
V
L4992
5/26
DETAILED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION
In the L4992 block diagram six fundamental functional blocks can be identified:
3.3V step-down PWM switching regulator (pins 17 to 20, 24 to 27).
5.1V step-down PWM switching regulator (pins 1, 4 to 8, 30 to 32).
12V low drop-out linear regulator (pins 21,22).
5V low drop-out linear regulator (pin 3).
3.3V reference voltage generator (pin 12).
Power Management section (pins 9 to 11, 14,16).
The chip is supplied through pin VIN (2), typically by a battery pack or the output of an AC-DC adapter,
with a voltage that can range from 5.5 to 25V. The return of the bias current of the device is the signal
ground pin SGND (13), which references the internal logic circuitry.
The drivers of the external MOSFET's have their separate current return for each section, namely the
power ground pins PGND3 (28) and PGND5 (29). Take care of keeping separate the routes of signal
ground and the two power ground pins when laying out the PCB (see "Layout and grounding" section).
The two PWM regulators share the internal oscillator, programmable or synchronizable through pin OSC
(15).
+3.3V AND +5.1V PWM REGULATORS
Each PWM regulator includes control circuitry as well as gate-drive circuits for a step-down DC-DC con-
verter in buck topology using synchronous rectification and current mode control.
The two regulators are independent and almost identical. As one can see in the Block Diagram, they
share only the oscillator and the internal supply and differ for the pre-set output voltages and for the con-
trol circuit that links the +3.3V section to the operation of the 12V linear regulator (see the relevant sec-
tion).
Each converter can be turned on and off independently: RUN3 and RUN5 are control inputs which dis-
able the relevant section when a low logic level (below 0.8 V) is applied and enable its operation with a
high logic level (above 2.4 V). When both inputs are low the device is in stand-by condition and its cur-
rent consumption is extremely reduced (less than 120
A over the entire input voltage range).
Oscillator
The oscillator, which does not require any external timing component, controls the PWM switching fre-
quency. This can be either 200 or 300 kHz, depending on the logic state of the control pin OSC, or else
can be synchronized by an external oscillator.
If OSC is grounded or connected to pin REG5 (5V) the oscillator works at 200kHz. By connecting OSC to
a 2.5 V voltage, 300 kHz operation will be selected. Instead, if pin OSC is fed with an external signal like
the one shown in fig. 1, the oscillator will be synchronized by its falling edges.
Considering the spread of the oscillator, synchronization can be guaranteed for frequencies above
230kHz. Even though a maximum frequency value is in practice imposed by efficiency considerations it
should be noticed that increasing frequency too much arises problems (noise, subharmonic oscillation,
etc.) without significant benefits in terms of external component size reduction and better dynamic per-
formance.
The oscillator imposes a time interval (300 ns min.), during which the high-side MOSFET is definitely
OFF, to recharge the bootstrap capacitor (see "MOSFET's Drivers" section). This, implies a limit on the
maximum duty cycle (88.5% @ fsw = 300kHz, 92.6% @ fsw = 200kHz, worst case) which, in turn, im-
poses a limit on the minimum operating input voltage.
PWM regulation
The control loop does not employ a traditional error amplifier in favour of an error summing comparator
which sums the reference voltage, the feedback signal, the voltage drop across an external sense resis-
tor and a slope compensation ramp (to avoid subharmonic oscillation with duty cycles greater then 50%)
with the appropriate signs.
The output latch of both controllers is set by every pulse coming from the oscillator. That turns off the
low-side MOSFET (synchronous rectifier) and, after a short delay (typ. 75 ns) to prevent cross-conduc-
tion, turns on the high-side one, thus allowing energy to be drawn from the input source and stored in the
inductor.
L4992
6/26
t
t
t
5V
OSC
0V
H5GATE
H3GATE
D97IN574
400ns min.
Figure 1: Synchronization signal and operation.
DETAILED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION (continued)
CLOCK
S
R
Q
Q
_
REG5
HSTRAP
L
Rsense
E.S.
+
-
+
-
-
+
VREF
SLOPE
COMP.
VIN
Rf
Cf
Co
ESR
Ro
Figure 2: L4992 Control Loop.
The error summing, by comparing the above mentioned signals, determines the moment in which the
output latch is to be reset. The high-side MOSFET is then turned off and the synchronous rectifier is
turned on after the appropriate delay (typ. 75 ns), thus making the inductor current recirculate. This state
is maintained until the next oscillator pulse.
With reference to the schematic of fig. 2, the open-loop transfer function of such a kind of control system,
under the assumption of an ideal slope compensation, is:
F
(
s
)
=
A
R
O
R
sense
1
+
s
ESR
C
O
(
1
+
s
R
O
C
O
)
(
1
+
s
R
F
C
F
)
where A is the gain of the error summing comparator, which is 2 by design.
The system is inherently very fast since it tends to correct output voltage deviations nearly on a cycle-by-
cycle basis. Actually, in case of line or load changes, few switching cycles can be sufficient for the tran-
sient to expire.
The operation above illustrated is modified during particular or anomalous conditions. Leaving out other
circumstances (described in "Protections" section) for the moment, consider when the load current is low
enough or during the first switching cycles at start-up: the inductor current may become discontinuous,
that is it is zero during the last part of each cycle. In such a case, a "zero current comparator" detects the
event and turns off the synchronous rectifier, avoiding inductor current reversal and reproducing the
natural turn-off of a diode when reverse biased. Both MOSFET's stay in off state until the next oscillator
pulse.
L4992
7/26
Synchronous rectification.
Very high efficiency is achieved at high load current with the synchronous rectification technique, which
is particularly advantageous because of the low output voltage. The low-side MOSFET, that is the syn-
chronous rectifier, is selected with a very low on-resistance, so that the paralleled Schottky diode is not
turned on, except for the small time in which neither MOSFET is conducting. The effect is a considerable
reduction of power loss during the recirculation period.
Although the Schottky might appear to be redundant, it is not in a system where a very high efficiency is
required. In fact, its lower threshold prevents the lossy body-diode of the synchronous rectifier MOSFET
from turning on during the above mentioned dead-time. Both conduction and reverse recovery losses are
cut down and efficiency can improve of 1-2% in some cases. Besides a small diode is sufficient since it
conducts for a very short time.
As for the 3.3V section only, the synchronous rectifier is also involved in the 12 V linear regulator opera-
tion (see the relevant section). See also the "Power Management" to see how both synchronous rectifi-
ers are used to ensure zero voltage output in stand-by conditions or in case of overvoltage.
Pulse-skipping operation.
To achieve high efficiency at light load current as well, under this condition the regulators change their
operation (unless this feature is disabled): they abandon PWM and enter the so-called pulse-skipping
mode, in which a single switching cycle takes place every many oscillator periods.
The "light load condition" is detected when the voltage across the external sense resistor (V
Rsense
) does
not exceed 26mV while the high-side MOSFET is conducting. When the reset signal of the output latch
comes from the error summing comparator while V
Rsense
is below this value, it is ignored and the actual
reset is driven as soon as V
Rsense
reaches 26mV. This gives some extra energy that maintains the output
voltage above its nominal value for a while. The oscillator pulses now set the output latch only when the
feedback signal indicates that the output voltage has fallen below its nominal value. In this way, most of
oscillator pulses is skipped and the resulting switching frequency is much lower, as expressed by the fol-
lowing relationship:
f
ps
=
K
R
sense
2
L
I
out
V
out
1
-
V
out
V
in
where K = 3.2
10
3
and f
ps
is in Hz. As a result,
the losses due to switching and to gate-drive,
which mostly account for power dissipation at low
output power, are considerably reduced.
The +5.1V section can work with the input voltage
very close to the output one, where the current
waveform may be so flat to prevent pulse-skipping
from being activated. To avoid this, the pulse-skip-
ping threshold (of the +5.1V section only) is
roughly halved at low input voltages, as shown in
fig. 3. Under this condition, in the above formula
the constant K becomes 12.8
10
3
.
When in pulse-skipping, the output voltage is
some ten mV higher than in PWM mode, just be-
cause of its mode of operation. If this "load regula-
tion" effect is undesirable for any reason, the pulse
skipping feature can be disabled (see "Power
Management" section) to the detriment of effi-
ciency at light load.
MOSFET's drivers
To get the gate-drive voltage for the high-side N-channel MOSFET a bootstrap technique is employed. A
capacitor is alternately charged through a diode from the 5V REG5 line when the high-side MOSFET is
OFF and then connected to its gate-source leads by the internal floating driver to turn the MOSFET on.
The REG5 line is used to drive the synchronous rectifier as well, and therefore the use of low-threshold
Vth
Vin
26 mV
13 mV
5.5V 5.8V 6.3V 20V
Figure 3: Pulse-skipping threshold vs. input
voltage (+5.1V section only).
DETAILED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION (continued)
L4992
8/26
MOSFET's (the so-called "logic-level" devices) is highly recommended.
The drivers are of "dynamic" type, which means they do not give origin to current consumption when
they are in static conditions (ON or OFF), but only during transitions. This feature is aimed at minimizing
the power consumption of the device even during stand-by when both low-side MOSFET's are ON.
Protections
Each converter is fully protected against fault conditions. A monitoring system checks for overvoltages of
the output, quickly disabling both converters in case such an event occurs. This condition is latched and
to allow the device to start again either the supply voltage has to be removed or both RUN3 and RUN5
pins have to be driven low.
Undervoltage conditions are detected as well but do not cause interruption of the operation of the convert-
ers. Only PWROK signal (at pin 10) reveals the anomaly with a low output level.
If the chip overheats (above 135 C typ.) the device stops operating as long as the temperature falls below a
safe value (105 C typ.). The overtemperature condition is signalled by a low level on PWROK as well.
A current limitation comparator prevents from excessive current in case of overload or short-circuit. It in-
tervenes as the voltage VRsense exceeds 100 mV, turning off the high-side switch before the error sum-
ming does. By the way, this also gives the designer the ability to program the maximum operating current
by selecting an appropriate sense resistor.
This pulse-by-pulse limitation gives a quasi-constant current characteristic. If a "folded back" charac-
teristic, like the one shown in Fig. 4a, is desired the external circuit of Fig. 4b can be used. The circuits
acts on the current limitation and is extremely simple and cheap. The advantage of such a technique i
that a short circuit will cause a current much lower than the maximum to flow. Th e stress of the power
components will be very little and no overheating will occur. The part values shown in Fig. 4b produce
IFOLD = 1A in the Demo Board (see the relevant section).
Inrush current at start-up is reduced with soft-start. An external capacitor (one for each converter) is
charged by an internal 4
A current generator and its linearly ramping voltage increases the setpoint of
the current limit comparator, starting from zero up to the final value of 100 mV. Thus duty cycle reaches
gradually its steady-state value and dangerous current peaks as well as overshoots of the output voltage
are avoided.
+12 V LINEAR REGULATOR
The +12V Linear regulator is capable of delivering up to 120 mA to an external load through pin REG12.
It is supplied from pin V13IN which accepts voltages included in the range of 13 to 20V.
If the application works with input voltages included between 14 and 20V, the supply for the regulator
can be obtained directly from the input source. If such is not the case, the most convenient way to get
the supply is to use an auxiliary winding on the 3.3 V section inductor with a catch diode, Ds, and a filter
capacitor, Cs, as shown in fig. 5. This winding delivers energy to pin V13IN during the recirculation pe-
riod of each switching cycle with a voltage determined by the turns ratio n and little dependent on the in-
put voltage.
DETAILED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION (continued)
L4992
31(26)
32(25)
R
sense
100
6.8K
(3.9K
)
C
O
5V(3.3V)
D98IN815
L
30(27)
1N4148
12
6(19)
5(20)
V
IN
(b)
I
FOLD
I
max
V
REF
-V
F
-0.1
V
O
I
O
(a)
Figure 4.
L4992
9/26
An auxiliary winding could be used also on the choke of the +5.1V section, either to power the +12V lin-
ear regulator or to derive a further supplemental output, however the 3.3 V section has been provided
with some features aimed at ensuring a proper operation under all circumstances.
For a correct operation of the regulator, the voltage at pin V13IN must not be too low. The flyback con-
nection of the two windings ensures a well regulated voltage, provided there is good magnetic coupling.
The coupled inductors configuration, however, is not able to sustain the auxiliary voltage if the main out-
put is lightly loaded: the secondary voltage drops and the system goes out of regulation.
To overcome this problem, when the V13IN voltage falls below a certain threshold (13.7 V +/- 5%) be-
cause of too light a load on the 3.3V section, the relevant synchronous rectifier is turned on for 1.5
s
max. during the interval in which the inductor current is zero ("one-shot" feature, see fig. 6). In this way,
the inductor current reverses and draws from the output capacitor energy which is forward transferred to
the auxiliary output.
In case the 3.3V section is working at full load and the linear regulator is lightly loaded, the voltage at pin
V13IN can exceed the expected value. In fact, Ds and Cs act as a peak-holding circuit and V13IN is in-
fluenced by the voltage spikes at switching transients. An internal clamp limits the voltage but, in case of
intervention, the chip power dissipation will rise.
When the 3.3V regulator is disabled, the linear regulator is disabled as well and is placed in a low-power
mode to reduce device consumption.
DETAILED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION (continued)
1
n
D
S
C
S
to V13IN
3.3V
D97IN575
Figure 5: 12V regulator supply with auxiliary winding.
t
t
t
H3GATE
L3GATE
IL
D97IN576A
1.5
s
t
V13IN
13.7V
Figure 6: "One shot" feature to sustain V13IN voltage.
L4992
10/26
+5 V LINEAR REGULATOR & +3.3 V REFERENCE VOLTAGE GENERATOR
This low drop-out regulator powers almost all the internal circuitry, that is the +3.3V reference voltage
generator, amplifiers, comparators, digital logic, and MOSFET drivers. Its output is externally available
through pin REG5.
The typical external use of this generator is to charge the bootstrap capacitors used to produce the gate-
drive voltage for the high-side MOSFET's of both PWM converters.
At start-up and when the 5V section is not operating, this regulator is powered by the chip input voltage.
To reduce power consumption, the linear regulator is turned off and the REG5 pin is internally connected
to the 5V PWM regulator output via V5SW pin, when the 5V PWM regulator is active and its output volt-
age is above the switchover threshold, 4.5V.
The 5V regulator is always active, even if both PWM regulators are disabled, as long as power is applied
to the chip.
The 3.3V reference voltage generator, which is active only when either PWM converter is enabled, pro-
vides comparison levels for threshold detection and device operation. It is allowed to source up to 5mA
to an external load from its buffered output, externally available through pin VREF.
If either REG5 or VREF does not deliver the correct voltage, the device is shut down.
POWER MANAGEMENT
The L4992 is provided with some control pins suitable to perform some functions which are commonly
used or sometimes required in battery-operated equipment. Besides, it features controlled timing se-
quences in case of turn-on/off and device shutdown for a safe and reliable behaviour under all condi-
tions.
As above mentioned, RUN3 and RUN5 pins allow to disable separately both PWM converters by means
of logic signals (likely coming from a
P) as mentioned earlier.
NOSKIP can disable the pulse-skipping feature: when it is held high neither of the PWM regulators is al-
lowed to enter this kind of operation.
The PWROK output signal drives low immediately when either PWM regulator output falls below its own
undervoltage threshold or when either of them is disabled. It is high when both regulator run properly.
A capacitor connected between CRST and ground fixes a time, in the order of 2ms/nF, which delays the
transition low-high of PWROK. This happens at start-up or after recovering an undervoltage condition,
provided both RUN3 and RUN5 are high. The delay starts from the moment in which the output voltage
has reached its correct value for both sections.
The same delay intervenes also in another circumstance: when a section is disabled (because its RUN is
driven low or owing to a thermal shutdown), the relevant synchronous rectifier is turned on after the
above delay in order to make sure that the load is no longer supplied.
This delay, however, does not intervene in case of overvoltage: the synchronous rectifier is immediately
turned on after the shutdown, thus acting as a built-in "crowbar".
All these timing sequences are illustrated in Fig 7.
DETAILED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION (continued)
L4992
11/26
DETAILED FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION (continued)
t
t
t
RUN3
VOUT3
RUN5
D97IN577
t
VOUT5
t
CRST
PWROK
t
t
t
t
RUN3
VOUT3
H3GATE
t
R3GATE
t
CRST
t
PWROK
t
RUN5
t
VOUT5
t
H5GATE
t
R5GATE
a) TURN-ON TIMING SEQUENCE
b) SHUTDOWN TIMING SEQUENCE (1)
t
t
t
RUN3
VOUT3
H3GATE
t
R3GATE
t
CRST
t
PWROK
t
RUN5
t
VOUT5
t
H5GATE
t
R5GATE
c) SHUTDOWN TIMING SEQUENCE (2)
t
H3GATE
t
R3GATE
t
VOUT3
t
PWROK
t
VOUT5
CRST
t
H5GATE
t
R5GATE
d) OVP TIMING SEQUENCE
Figure 7: L4992 controlled timing sequences.
L4992
12/26
Basically, the application circuit topology is fixed, and the design procedure concerns only the selection
of the component values suitable for the voltage and current requirements of the specific application.
The design data one needs to know are therefore:
Input voltage range: the minimum (V
inmin
) and the maximum (V
inmax
) voltage under which the applica-
tion is expected to operate;
Maximum load current for each of the three sections:
- I
out3
for the +3.3V section;
- I
out5
for the +5.1V section:
- I
out12
for the +12V section;
Maximum peak-to-peak ripple amplitude of the output voltage for each switching section:
- V
rpp3
for the +3.3V section;
- V
rpp5
for the +5.1V section;
The operating frequency f
sw
(200/300 kHz or externally synchronized).
It is worth doing some preliminary considerations. The selection of the switching frequency depends on
the requirements of the application. If the aim is to minimize the size of the external components, 300
kHz will be chosen. For low input voltage applications 200 kHz is preferred, since it leads to a higher
maximum duty cycle.
As for the switching regulators, the inductance value of the output filter affects the inductor current ripple:
the higher the inductance the lower the ripple. This implies a lower current sense resistor value (for a
given I
out
), lower core losses and a lower output voltage ripple (for a given output capacitor) but, on the
other hand, more copper losses and a worse transient behaviour due to load changes. Usually the maxi-
mum ripple peak-to-peak amplitude (which occurs at V
inmax
) is chosen between 15% and 50% of the full
load current. It is convenient to introduce a ripple factor coefficient, RF, that is therefore a number be-
tween 0.15 and 0.5.
As for the linear regulator, its input voltage V
inlin
should not fall below 13V and therefore the auxiliary
winding should be dimensioned to get this voltage with a certain margin (say, 14V). Conversely, an
higher input voltage leads to higher losses inside the regulator, to the detriment of efficiency, and to
higher total current on the +3.3V inductor. Besides it implies a higher turns ratio and therefore a worse
magnetic coupling, which affect energy transfer during flyback.
SWITCHING REGULATORS
+5.1V Inductor
To define the inductor, it is necessary to determine firstly the inductance value. Its minimum value is
given by:
L
5min
=
5.1
(
V
in
max
-
5.1
)
V
in max
f
sw
I
out5
RF
and a value L5 > L5
min
should be selected.
Core geometry selection is connected to the requirements of the specific application in terms of space
utilization and other practical issues like ease of mounting, availability and so on. As to the material, the
choice should be directed towards ferrite, molypermalloy or Kool M
, to achieve high efficiency. These
materials provide low core losses (ferrite in particular), so that the design can be concentrated on pre-
venting saturation and limiting copper losses.
Saturation must be avoided even at maximum peak current:
I
L5pk
=
I
out5
+
5.1
(
V
in max
-
5.1
)
2
f
sw
L
5
V
in max
To limit copper losses, the winding DC resistance, R
L
, should be as low as possible (in the range of m
).
AC losses can usually be neglected. A practical criterion to minimize DC resistance could be to use the
largest wire that fits the selected core.
Anyway the best solution, whenever possible, is to use an off-the-shelf inductor which meets the require-
ments in terms of inductance and maximum DC current. Nowadays there is a broad range of products
DESIGN PROCEDURE
L4992
13/26
offered by manufacturer, also for surface mount assemblies.
+3.3 V Transformer
The primary winding carries the secondary power as well, thus the total primary average current is:
I
tot3
=
I
out3
+
V
inlin
I
out12
3.3
where V
inlin
is the voltage generated during the recirculation of the primary and fed into the input of the
+12V linear regulator. The turns ratio 1:n of the transformer is chosen so that V
inlin
is above 13V. To re-
duce the turns ratio in order to minimize stray parameters, the secondary is referred to the 3.3V output,
and therefore the minimum value is given by:
n
min
=
V
inlin
-
3.3
+
V
f
3.3
where V
f
is the forward drop across the rectifier (assume 1V to be conservative). Make sure the secon-
dary is connected with the proper polarity (see fig. 6).
The minimum primary inductance value can be expressed as:
L
3pmin
=
3
4
3.3
(
V
in
-
3.3
)
2
V
in
f
sw
[I
tot3
RF
(
V
in
-
3.3
)
-
n
V
in
I
out12
]
where RF, to get positive values for L
3pmin
, must satisfy the inequality:
RF
>
n
V
in
I
out12
I
tot3
(
V
in
-
3.3
)
and where V
in
can be either V
inmin
or V
inmax
, whichever gives the higher value for L
3pmin
.
With a primary inductance L
3p
> L
3pmin
the primary peak current, which must not saturate the magnetic
core, will be:
I
L3pk
=
I
tot3
+
3.3
(
V
in max
-
3.3
)
2
f
sw
L
3p
V
in max
+
n
I
out12
As to the transformer realization, the considerations regarding to the +5.1V inductor can be here repeated.
Power MOSFET's and Schottky diodes
Since the gate drivers of the L4992 are powered by a 5V bus , the use of logic-level MOSFET's is highly
recommended, especially for high current applications. Their breakdown voltage V
(BR)DSS
must be
greater than V
inmax
with a certain margin, so the selection will address 20V or 30V devices.
The R
DS(ON)
can be selected once the allowable power dissipation has been established. By selecting
identical power MOSFET's as the main switch and the synchronous rectifier, the total power they dissi-
pate does not depend on the duty cycle. Thus, if P
ON
is this power loss (few percent of the rated output
power), the required R
DS(ON)
(@ 25 C) can be derived from:
R
DS
(
ON
)
=
P
ON
I
out
2
(
1
+
T
)
where I
out
is either I
tot3
or I
out5
, according to the section under consideration,
is the temperature coeffi-
cient of R
DS(ON)
(typically,
= 5
10
-3
C
-1
for these low-voltage classes) and
T the admitted tempera-
ture rise.
It is worth noticing, however, that generally the lower R
DS(ON)
, the higher is the gate charge Q
g
, which
leads to a higher gate drive consumption. In fact, each switching cycle, a charge Q
g
moves from the in-
put source to ground, resulting in an equivalent drive current:
I
g
=
Q
g
f
sw
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
L4992
14/26
which affects efficiency at low load currents. Besides, this current is drawn from the REG5 line whose
source capability, I
SRC
(25mA min), must not be exceeded, thus a further constraint concernes the MOS-
FET total gate charge (@ V
gs
= 5V);
Q
g
I
SRC
4
f
SW
,
assuming four identical MOSFET's.
The Schottky diode to be placed in parallel to the synchronous rectifier must have a reverse voltage
VRRM greater than Vinmax. Since it conducts for less than 5% of the switching period, the current rating
can be much lower than Iout. The selection criterion should be:
V
f
(schottky) < V
f
(body-diode) @ I = I
Lpk
Sense Resistors
The sense resistor of each section is selected according to their respective maximum output current. The
current sense comparator limits the inductor peak current and therefore the maximum DC output current
is the peak value less half of the peak-to-peak ripple. The intervention threshold is set at 100 mV for both
sections, thus the resistor values should be:
R
sense5
=
100
I
L5pk
[m
]
R
sense3
=
100
I
L3pk
[m
]
Since the comparator threshold that triggers pulse-skipping mode is 26mV, the output current at which
the system enters this kind of operation is approximately one fourth of the maximum output current.
The sense resistors values are in the low milliohms thus it is important to take correctly the current sense
signals. Make sure that the Kelvin connections between the current sense pins of the IC and the sense
resistor do not carry the output current.
Input Capacitors
A pulsed current (with zero average value) flows through the input capacitor of a buck converter. The AC
component of this current is quite high and dissipates a considerable amount of power on the ESR of the
capacitor:
P
Cin
=
ESR
I
out
2
V
out
(
V
in
-
V
out
)
V
in
2
It is easy to find that PCin has a maximum equal to (1/2)
Iout (@ Vin=2
Vout, that is, 50% duty cycle).
The input capacitor of each section, therefore, should be selected for a RMS ripple current rating as high
as half the respective maximum output current.
The capacitance value is not very important but in reality a minimum value must be ensured for stability
reasons. In fact, switching regulators exhibit a negative input impedance that, at low frequencies, is:
Z
in
(
DC
)
=
-
V
in
2
V
out
I
out
thus, if the impedance of the power source is not well below the absolute value of Z
in(DC)
at frequencies
up to the bandwidth of the regulator control loop, there is the possibility for oscillations. To ensure stabil-
ity, the following condition must be satisfied:
C
in
>>
L
eq
ESR
in
| Z
in
(
DC
)
|
where L
eq
is the inductance of the circuit upstream the switching regulator input and ESR
in
is related to
the input capacitor itself.
The use of high performance electrolytic capacitors is recommended. If a higher cost is of no concern,
OS-CON capacitors are an excellent choice because they offer the smallest size for a given ESR or cur-
rent rating. Tantalum capacitors do not tolerate pulsed current, so their use is not advisable.
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
L4992
15/26
Output Capacitors
The output capacitor selection is based on the output voltage ripple requirements. This ripple is related to the
current ripple through the inductor and is almost entirely due to the ESR of the output capacitor. Therefore,
the goal is to achieve an ESR lower than a certain value, regardless of the actual capacitance value.
The maximum current ripple of the +5.1V section is:
I
L5
= 2
(I
L5pk
- I
out5
)
considering the values obtained in the paragraph "+5.1 V Inductor".
As for the +3.3V, the maximum ripple is given by:
I
L3
=
n
I
out12
V
in
V
in
-
3.3
+
3
4
3.3
(
V
in
-
3.3
)
f
sw
L
3p
V
in
where V
IN
is V
inmin
or V
inmax
, as selected in the "+3.3V transformer" section.
Anyhow, the maximum ESR will be:
ESR
x
V
rppx
I
Lx
where the subscript x refers to either section.
In pulse-skipping operation, the capacitive component of the output ripple is comparable to the resistive
one, thus both should be considered:
V
rppx
(
R
)
=
0.025
ESR
X
R
sense
x
V
rppx
(
C
)
=
3.1
10
-
6
L
x
C
outx
1
R
sensex
2
1
V
in min
-
V
out
-
1
V
out
If specification on the output ripple under pulse-skipping condition is also given, C
outx
and ESR
X
must
comply with it as well.
Further constraints on the minimum output capacitance can arise from specifications regarding the maxi-
mum undershoot,
V
-
out
, or overshoot,
V
+
out
, due to a step-load change
I
out
:
C
out
>
L
I
out
2
V
out
-
(
V
in min
D
max
-
V
out
)
;
C
out
>
L
I
out
2
V
out
+
V
out
whichever is greater, and where D
max
is the maximum duty cycle and the quantities are relevant either to
the +3.3V or +5.1V section.
High performance capacitors should be employed to reduce the capacitance needed for a given ESR, to
avoid paralleling several parts with a considerable waste of space. Although excellent electrolytic capaci-
tors are available, OS-CON or tantalums may be preferred especially if very compact design is required,
or in case of surface mount assemblies. Multilayer ceramic capacitors with extremely low ESR are now
available, but they have a large spread of the capacitance value, so they should be paralleled with an-
other more stable, high-ESR capacitor.
Miscellaneous components
The feedback loop has virtually unlimited bandwidth, thus a filter is necessary to make the system insen-
sitive to the switching frequency ripple and, in general, to prevent noise from disturbing the correct op-
eration of the error summing comparator. Anyway, the cut-off frequency of this filter can be very high, so
that line and load transient response is extremely fast. This filter is a simple R-C type where resistance
and capacitance can be chosen for a typical 3dB cut-off frequency of 60 kHz.
As to the bootstrap diodes, even though small signal p-n diodes might be effectively used, it is preferable
to employ low-power Schottky rectifiers, since that increase slightly the gate drive voltage, in favour of ef-
ficiency. The bootstrap capacitor can be a 100nF film capacitor.
The soft-start capacitors determine the time during which the current limitation circuit moves gradually the
setpoint from zero up to 100 mV in order to limit the current inflow at start-up. This ramp lasts approximately
1 ms per nF of soft-start capacitance (10 to 100 nF typical values), but the actual time necessary to the out-
put voltage to reach the steady-state value depends on the load current and the output filter capacitance.
There are some critical points of the IC that may require by-pass capacitors to prevent noise from dis-
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
L4992
16/26
turbing the circuit. These points are the reference voltage VREF, the IC supply pin VIN, the REG5 line
and the alternative supply pin V5SW. Use film capacitors suitable for AC decoupling.
+12 V LINEAR REGULATOR
Catch Diode
The diode which steers the current generated by the secondary winding of the +3.3V transformer should
be a p-n fast-recovery one, with a breakdown voltage greater than:
V
RR
= (V
inlin
- 3.3) + n
(V
in max
- 3.3)
with a certain safety margin. The diode has to withstand a pulsed current whose peak value is approxi-
mately:
I
13pk
I
out12
V
in min
V
in
min
-
3.3
,
while its RMS value is given by:
I
13RMS
=
I
out12

V
in min
V
in min
-
3.3
The DC value is obviously I
out12
.
Filter Capacitors
The most stringent requirement on the input filter capacitor (connected between V13IN and ground) is its
RMS ripple current rating, which should be at least:
I
13AC
=
I
out12

3.3
V
in
min
-
3.3
The working voltage should be higher than the voltage generated when the regulator is lightly loaded.
Also for this part the use of high quality electrolytic or OS-CON capacitors is advised.
LAYOUT AND GROUNDING
The electrical design is only the first step in the development of a switching converter. Since currents
ranging from
Amperes to some Amperes, both DC and switched, live together on the same circuit-
board, the PCB layout is vital for a correct operation of the circuit but is not an easy task.
A proper layout process generally includes careful component placing, proper grounding, correct traces
routing, and appropriate trace widths. Fortunately, since low voltages are involved in this kind of applica-
tions, isolation requirements are of no concern.
Referring to literature for a detailed analysis of this matter, only few important points will be here reminded.
1) All current returns (signal ground, power ground, etc.) should be mutually isolated and should be con-
nected only at a single ground point. Ground planes may be extremely useful both to arrange properly
current returns and to minimize radiation (see next 2 points), even though they cannot solve every
problem
2) Noise coupling between adjacent circuitry can be reduced minimizing the area of the loop where cur-
rent flows. This is particularly important where there are high pulsed currents, that is the circuit includ-
ing the input filter capacitor, the power switch, the synchronous rectifier and the output capacitor. The
next priority should be given to the gate drive circuits.
3) Magnetic field radiation (and stray inductance) can be reduced by keeping all traces which carry
switched currents as short as possible.
4) The Kelvin-connected traces of current sense should be kept short and close together.
5) For high current paths, the traces could be doubled on the other side of the PCB whenever possible:
this will reduce both the resistance and the inductance of the wiring.
6) In general, traces carrying signal currents should run far from traces carrying pulsed currents or with
quickly swinging voltages. From this viewpoint, particular care should be taken of the high impedance
paths (feedback input, current sense traces...). It could be a good idea to route signal traces on one
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
L4992
17/26
PCB side and power traces on the other side.
7) Use heavy copper traces: this will reduce their resistance, increasing overall efficiency and will im-
prove their heat-sinking ability.
L4992 EVAL-KIT
The L4992 EVAL KIT is a fully assembled and tested demonstration board that implements a standard
application circuit, configured according to the following specifications:
Input Voltage Range: 6 to 25 V
3.3V Output: I
out3
= 3 A, V
rpp3
30 mV
5.1V Output: I
out5
= 3 A, V
rpp5
50 mV
12 V Output: I
out12
= 120 mA
Switching frequency: f
sw
= 300 kHz
The electrical schematic, illustrated in fig. 9, shows that some pull-up/down resistor are added to the
components strictly needed in a real application. Along with a quad dip-switch, they allow to set manually
the logic signals that control the chip operation. These signals are in the present case:
- Switch 1: RUN5 (0= 5.1V OFF, 1= 5.1V ON)
- Switch 2: NOSKIP (0= pulse-skipping ON, 1= pulse-skipping OFF)
- Switch 3: OSC (0= 200 kHz, 1= 300 kHz)
- Switch 4: RUN3 (0= 3.3V OFF, 1= 3.3V ON)
The demonstration board is delivered with the switches configured as illustrated in fig. 8.
Switches 1 and 4 enable/disable the two PWM sections (switch 4 manages the +12V linear regulator as
well). They must be set on 1 to turn on the regulators.
Please note that as long as each regulator is disabled, the relevant low-side MOSFET is in ON state.
Hence, if the load is capable of sourcing current, it will be short-circuited to ground through the choke
and the low-side MOS.
Although the default switching frequency is 300 kHz (switch 3 set on 1) and the passive components
have been selected for this frequency, the demo board will work satisfactorily at 200 kHz as well. Actu-
ally, at 200 kHz the regulators exhibit the maximum efficiency and the maximum extension of the input
voltage range downwards. On the other hand, the output ripple is greater and the dynamic behaviour
slightly worse.
The demostration board, as it is, does not provide an interface for synchronization. Anyway, it is possible
to synchronize the oscillator (with an appropriate signal: 5V amplitude pulses, spaced out by 400 ns
min.), provided the switch is set on 1, simply by feeding the signal into the middle of the divider R8-R9. In
this way, synchronization can be achieved at a frequency higher than 300 kHz. To synchronize the oscil-
lator to a frequency between 200 and 300 kHz, heavier interventions on the board are needed.
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
1
2
3
4
0
1
Figure 8: Default switches configuration
L4992
18/26
L4992
29
30 31
32
1
2
3 24
25
26 27
28
19
20
18
16
15
22
10
13
12
9
17
8
6
5
4
7
11
14
L1
R1
V
OUT1
5.1V/3A
C3
R3
C16
C7
D1
Q1
Q3
C1
C5
D3
R5
R6
S3
S4
C9
C11
C12
C13
C14
C15
D4
C6
C2
Q2
Q4
C8
D2
T1
PWROK
C18
REG12
R2
R8
R7
S2
S1
R9
C17
D5
R4
C10
C4
V
IN
=6 to 25V
+
-
V
OUT2
3.3V/3A
V
OUT3
12V/0.12A
D96IN426A
21
Figure 9a: Evaluation Board Circuit.
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
Table 1: L4992 EVAL-KIT parts list
Component
Refer.
Value
Description
Resistors
R1
25m
1%, 0.5W. DALE. p.n. WSL-2512R0251
R2
20m
1%, 0.5W. DALE. p.n. WSL-2512R0201
R3, R4
270
1%,SMD
R5, R6, R7, R8, R9
1M
SMD
Capacitors
C1, C2
100
F
20V. SANYO OS-CON. p.n. 20SA100K
C3, C4
220
F
10V. SANYO OS-CON. p.n. 10SA220K
C5, C6, C12, C13
100
F
SMD
C7, C8, C15, C16
1
F
SMD
C9, C10, C11
10nF
SMD
C14, C18
4.7
F
16V. Tantalum. SMD
C17
15
F
25V. SANYO OS-CON. p.n. 25SC15M
Magnetics
L1
10
H
2.65A. SUMIDA. p.n. CDR125-100
T1
10
H
1:4 ratio. TRANSPOWER. p.n. TTI5902
MOSFET's
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4
Si9410DY
SILICONIX
Diodes
D1, D2
TMBYV10-40
ST. MELF package
D3, D4
TMMBAT46
ST. MINIMELF package
D5
SMBYW01-200
ST.SOD6 package
Switches
S1, S2, S3, S4
-
Quad dip-switch
L4992
19/26
Figure 9b: PCB and component Layout of the Evaluation Board of Figure 9a.
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
Signal Ground Plane
Top Layer + Silk (56 x 61mm)
Power Ground Plane
Bottom Layer
L4992
20/26
Pulse-skipping operation is enabled by default in order to maximize efficiency also in low load current
range. The transition between PWM and pulse-skipping occurs approximately below 1A, however there
is a region in which the two operation modes coexist rather than a definite boundary. That can be seen
on the scope as an irregularity of the waveforms but does not have much influence both on output ripple
and efficiency.
Those who do not appreciate asynchronous operation of the pulse-skipping mode can disable it for both
regulators, by setting switch 2 on 1. That maintains PWM operation up to very low output currents where,
however, the regulation becomes incompatible with the switching frequency. This means that the mini-
mum ON-time of the high-side MOSFET is too long for the thruput energy level at the operating fre-
quency. Thus the control system begins skipping conduction cycles to avoid the output voltage drifting
upwards.
Table 1 shows the complete L4992 EVAL KIT parts list. Critical components characteristics are given in
detail.
DEMO BOARD EVALUATION
The following diagrams and tables show the typical performance of the demonstration board in terms of
efficiency, line regulation and load regulation. The 12V linear regulator and REG5 are also characterized.
Table 2: PWM Regulators: Optimum Efficiency
Parameter
Test Condition
Value
Unit
+3.3V Maximum Efficiency
RUN3 = RUN5 = HIGH, NOSKIP = LOW
Vin = 6V, Iout = 0.5 A, f
SW
= 200 kHz
Vin = 6V, Iout = 1A, f
SW
= 300 kHz
95.2
94.6
%
+5.1V Maximum Efficiency
RUN3 = LOW, NOSKIP = LOW
Vin = 6V, Iout = 1A, f
SW
= 200 kHz
Vin = 6V, Iout = 1A, f
SW
= 300 kHz
96.4
95.8
%
DESIGN PROCEDURE (continued)
Table 3: PWM regulators: Line and Load Regulation.
Parameter
Test Condition
Value
Unit
+3.3V Line Regulation
RUN5 = LOW, NOSKIP = LOW, 6 < Vin < 20V
Iout = 0.1 A, f
SW
= 200 kHz
Iout =1A, f
SW
= 200 kHz
2
15
mV
+5.1V Line Regulation
RUN3 = LOW, NOSKIP = LOW, 6 < Vin < 20V
Iout = 0.1A, f
SW
= 200 kHz
Iout = 1A, f
SW
= 200 kHz
3
20
mV
+3.3V Load Regulation
RUN5 = LOW, NOSKIP = LOW, 5 mA < Iout < 3A
Vin = 6 V, f
SW
= 200 kHz
Vin = 15V, f
SW
= 200 kHz
85
70
mV
+5.1V Load Regulation
RUN3 = LOW, NOSKIP = LOW, 5 mA < Iout < 3A
Vin = 6 V, f
SW
= 200 kHz
Vin = 15V, f
SW
= 200 kHz
90
75
mV
L4992
21/26
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5 I
O
(A)
50
60
70
80
90
D96IN421
EFF.
(%)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
Vin=15V
V
O
=5.1V
f
SW
=300KHz
RUN3=GND
NOSKIP=GND
Figure 13: Demo Board Efficiency vs Output Cur-
rent
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5 I
O
(A)
50
60
70
80
90
D96IN420
EFF.
(%)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
Vin=15V
V
O
=5.1V
f
SW
=200KHz
RUN3=GND
NOSKIP=GND
Figure 12: Demo Board Efficiency vs Output Cur-
rent
DEMO BOARD-EVALUATION (continued)
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5 I
O
(A)
5.02
5.04
5.06
5.08
5.10
5.12
V
O
(V)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
Vin=15V
D97IN579
Figure 10: 5.1V Output (RUN3=LOW, RUN5 =
HIGH, OSC = GND, NOSKIP = LOW)
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5 I
O
(A)
3.30
3.32
V
O
(V)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
Vin=15V
D97IN580
3.34
3.36
3.38
Figure 11: 3.3V Output (RUN3=HIGH, RUN5 =
LOW, OSC = GND, NOSKIP = LOW)
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5 I
O
(A)
50
60
70
80
90
D96IN423A
EFF.
(%)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
Vin=15V
V
O
=3.3V
f
SW
=300KHz
RUN5=GND
NOSKIP=GND
Figure 15: Demo Board Efficiency vs Output Cur-
rent
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5 I
O
(A)
50
60
70
80
90
D96IN422A
EFF.
(%)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
Vin=15V
V
O
=3.3V
f
SW
=200KHz
RUN5=GND
NOSKIP=GND
Figure 14: Demo Board Efficiency vs Output Cur-
rent
L4992
22/26
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05
0.5
0.1
1
10
100
f
s
(KHz)
D96IN428A
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
V
O
=5.1V
OSC=2.5V
I
O
(A)
0.1
Figure 19: Switching Frequency vs Output Cur-
rent (pulse skipping)
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05
0.5
0.1
1
10
100
f
s
(KHz)
D96IN427A
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
V
O
=3.3V
REG12=OPEN
OSC=2.5V
I
O
(A)
0.1
Figure 18: Switching Frequency vs Output Cur-
rent (pulse skipping)
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5 I
OUT5
(A)
87
88
89
90
91
92
EFF.
(%)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
D97IN581
93
Figure 16: Demo Board Overall Efficiency (Iout3
= 3A, REG12 = OPEN, OSC = GND)
0.001
0.005 0.01
0.05 0.1
0.5 1
5I
OUT3
(A)
89
90
EFF.
(%)
Vin=6V
Vin=20V
D97IN582
91
92
93
Figure 17: Demo Board Overall Efficiency (Iout5
= 3A, REG12 = OPEN, OSC = GND)
DEMO BOARD-EVALUATION (continued)
0
20
40
60
80
100 I
OUT
(mA)
4.85
4.90
4.95
5.00
5.05
V
OUT
(V)
D97IN583
Figure 20: REG5 Regulator Characteristic (Vin =
6V, RUN3 = RUN5 = LOW, Tj = 25C)
0
50
100
150
200
I
OUT
(mA)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
V
OUT
(V)
D97IN584
Figure 21: 12V Linear Regulator Characteristic
(V13IN = 15V, RUN3 = HIGH, Tj = 25 C)
L4992
23/26
L4992
29
30 31
32
1
2
3 24
25
26 27
28
19
20
18
16
15
22
10
13
12
9
17
8
6
5
4
7
11
14
L1
R1
V
OUT1
5.1V/3A
C3
R3
C16
C7
D1
Q1
Q3
C1
C5
D3
R5
R6
S3
S4
C9
C11
C12
C13
C14
C15
D4
C6
C2
Q2
Q4
C8
D2
T1
PWROK
C18
REG12
R2
R8
R7
S2
S1
R9
C17
D5
R4
C10
C4
V
OUT2
3.3V/3A
V
OUT3
12V/0.12A
D98IN813
21
12V BUS
5V BUS
APPLICATION IDEAS
Figure 22: Application with Split Supply
L4992
22
7(18)
5(20)
6(19)
R
B
R
sense
R
A
R3(R4)
C9
(C10)
C18
12V
MIN.
LOAD
V
O
<5.1V
(V
O
<3.3V)
D98IN814
R
B
BALANCES ZCD COMPARATOR
Figure 23: Low output voltage.
L4992
24/26
TQFP32
DIM.
mm
inch
MIN.
TYP.
MAX.
MIN.
TYP.
MAX.
A
1.60
0.063
A1
0.05
0.15
0.002
0.006
A2
1.35
1.40
1.45
0.053
0.055
0.057
B
0.30
0.37
0.45
0.012
0.015
0.018
C
0.09
0.20
0.004
0.008
D
9.00
0.354
D1
7.00
0.276
D3
5.60
0.220
e
0.80
0.031
E
9.00
0.354
E1
7.00
0.276
E3
5.60
0.220
L
0.45
0.60
0.75
0.018
0.024
0.030
L1
1.00
0.039
K
0
(min.), 7
(max.)
A
A2
A1
B
Seating Plane
C
8
9
16
17
24
25
32
E3
D3
E1
E
D1
D
e
1
K
B
TQFP32
L
L1
0.10mm
.004
OUTLINE AND
MECHANICAL DATA
L4992
25/26
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L4992
26/26