Bridgeless PFC Boosts Low-Line Efficiency
Feb 1, 2008
Wide input-voltage range power factor correction (PFC) converters present some of the most difficult component challenges in ac-dc power electronics....
Generate Auxiliary Voltages at Low Cost
Jan 1, 2008
When a switching regulator generates the main output voltage, additional regulated outputs may be added using various configurations of
coupled inductor or charge-pump circuits....
Multiphase Boost Converter Powers Car Audio Amp
Jan 1, 2008
Automotive audio amplifiers often use a boost converter to generate output voltages of 18 V to 28 V (or higher) from the battery...
Generate an Output Below the Reference Voltage
Oct 1, 2007
Applications sometimes require the generation of a voltage that is below the reference rail. Many design engineers would just use a second regulator to generate this voltage. However, a simple change in the feedback path of a switching regulator allows a single regulator to perform this task....
Determine Buck Converter Efficiency in PFM Mode
Sep 1, 2007
By analyzing the light-load efficiency of a synchronous
buck operating under pulse frequency modulation control,
designers can predict efficiency over the converter’s full load
range and maximize battery life in portable applications....
Digital Control Squeezes 40 A from Buck Converter
Aug 1, 2007
Using digital-loop control, a PWM controller minimizes
duty cycle to optimize efficiency of a single-phase
synchronous buck converter and boost current delivery....
Dual-Edge PWM Improves Multiphase Regulators
Jul 1, 2007
Active pulse positioning leverages conventional PWM
techniques and independent phase-current control to
reduce the output capacitance required in multiphase
voltage regulators....
A New Way to Model Current-Mode Control
May 1, 2007
A breakdown of current-mode control into its component
parts provides designers with a greater intuitive understanding
of converter operation. This analysis also sets the
stage for the introduction of a unified model for fixed frequency
CCM current-mode control....
Digital Power Controllers Add Phases and Outputs
May 1, 2007
Digital power control has been touted as a means of making controllers more configurable and adaptable to diverse power system requirements. That idea...
Control Technique Cuts Flyback Input Capacitance
Apr 1, 2007
For flyback power supplies that need long holdup times, a
technique called on-time extension maintains regulation
with less bulk input capacitance than would be required with conventional, fixed-frequency control....
Chips Simplify Driving of High-Brightness LEDs
Nov 1, 2006
A pair of LED drivers from Maxim Integrated Products provides highly compact and simplified designs for driving the high-brightness (HB) LEDs that are...
SPICE3 Enables Accurate Modeling of Complex ICs
Nov 1, 2006
The capabilities of SPICE3 permit the simulation
of circuits incorporating the latest ICs by way of
special algorithms and modeling techniques....
Voltage Regulators Rev Up PWM-Based Fan Control
Nov 1, 2006
The simplest of fan-control schemes an on-off switch is simple but inefficient, because it provides more cooling than necessary most of the time. When...
DSCs Ease Migration to Digital Loop Control
Nov 1, 2006
Armed with high execution rates and power peripherals, digital signal controllers provide
the functionality needed in power-supply designs but don’t require DSP programming....
