ORing Controllers Protect Against Transient Events

Feb 28, 2007 11:42 AM

A family of ORing power controllers from Texas Instruments (TI) includes advanced features and high performance that improves power distribution in 12-V blade servers, N+1 telecom systems and redundant low-voltage processor power supplies. The ICs provide a high-efficiency replacement for ORing diodes, and offer intelligent monitoring and control of power supplies to prevent bus-transient events from causing board-damaging faults or voltage spikes during operation.

The controllers support input voltages of 3 V to 18 V, and can control power supply voltages from 0.8 V to 18 V. When used with a low-R_DS(ON) n-channel MOSFETs, the controllers significantly increase system efficiency and reduce power dissipation compared to standard ORing diode solutions. The devices seamlessly manage power distribution to multiple supplies, while protecting the system by providing a turn-off response of 130 ns.

In addition, the controllers feature a programmable turn-off threshold and an input filtering function to protect the power supply’s integrity, especially when the system must adjust to various bus characteristics caused by extreme and heavy-use operating conditions. The TPS2410 and TPS2412 controllers incorporate linear gate control, giving power system designers greater flexibility to implement ORing in high-power applications. The TPS2411 and TPS2413 controllers utilize on/off gate control to support low-power buses that may experience large transient steps.

Available now, the TPS241x family of power controllers come in a 14-pin, plastic, thin small-outline package. Pricing for the TPS2410 and TPS2411 is $1.70 each in quantities of 1000 units. The TPS2412 and TPS2413 versions, which come in an 8-pin, thin small-outline package, are $1.20 each in quantities of 1000. Evaluation modules for the TPS2410 and other TI hot swap controllers are also available.