A S P E C I A L S U P P L E M E N T T O E D N

NOVEMBER 2005
 A Digital Power Revolution

90% Reduction in Components, PCB Traces, and Development Time

Z-One™ Digital IBA Integrates Power Management and Conversion
■ System-level component count reduction improves cost, reliability, and power density.
■ GUI configuration and simulation dramatically simplifies power system development.
■ Industry-leading power conversion and management capabilities include programmable
output voltages, sequencing, tracking, and protection limits.

I2C Bus
Z-Series Digital Power Manager
■ Programs and manages Z-POL™ converters.
■ Monitors intermediate bus, accepts external
interrupts, and initiates crowbar protection.
Single-wire Z-One Digital Bus ■ Facilitates Z-POL performance telemetry for
48V remote monitoring and fault management.

Z-POL (Point-Of-Load) Converters

IBA ■ Programmable 0.5 to 5.5VDC outputs
Bus
using 3.0 to 13.2VDC inputs.
■ Current densities up to 39 amps/in2.
Vout 1 Vout 2 Vout 3 ■ Real-time reporting capabilities include
(Up to 32 Outputs) voltage, current, and temperature.

www.power-one.com • 800.678.9445 • 805.987.8741

Power-One and the Power-One logo, Z-One, ZIOS, Z-POL, and the Z Digital IBA logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Power-One, Inc.
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 A L L T H I N G S E L E C T R O N I C— S T A R T W I T H M I C R O C H I P

Getting started in embedded design

is easy with PIC® Microcontrollers

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Flash Capture/
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Architecture Series Word Count (Bytes) Oscillator ADC Comparators Modulation Technology† EE
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PIC12F 12-bit 8 768 to 1536 4 to 8 MHz 8-bit •
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*Easily migratable to Mid-Range PIC Microcontroller Architecture; † Microchip’s proprietary low power technology.

www.microchip.com/StartNow

Start Now with a career at Microchip! Visit www.microchip.com/careers for a current listing of open positions throughout the world.
The Microchip name and logo, the Microchip logo and PIC are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the USA and in other countries. PICkit is a trademark of Microchip Technology
Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. ©2005 Microchip Technology Incorporated.
Enter xx Allat
rights reserved.
www.edn.com/info
 PART FOUR: EMBEDDED POWER
6
Letter from the Editor
Reed Business Information
225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: (781) 734-8000
www.edn.com
9
Embedded Power
EDN Worldwide
Stephen Moylan, President, Supplies Reach New Heights
Boston Division/Publishing Director
Phone: (781) 734-8431
Fax: (781) 290-3431
smoylan@reedbusiness.com

Cindy Fitzpatrick, Director

13
CASE STUDY:
EDN Custom Publishing Services LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
Phone: (781) 734-8438
Fax: (781) 290-3438 How to Provide a Full-featured
cfitzpatrick@reedbusiness.com Embedded POL DC/DC Converter
Heather Wiggins

16
Web/CPS Production Coordinator
Phone: (781) 734-8448
Fax: (781) 290-3448
hwiggins@reedbusiness.com
AC Powering
Contributing Editors: Semiconductor Growth
Linnea C. Brush
Senior Research Analyst
linnea@darnell.com
Jeremiah Bryant
Research Analyst
18
CASE STUDY:
jbryant@darnell.com
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
Jeff Shepard
President Scalable Power Systems Meet the Needs
jshepard@darnell.com of Configurable Blade Servers

ADVERTISER INDEX

American Power Design . . . . . . . . . .P24

Bear Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P24
22
CASE STUDY:
FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR
Bel Fuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P19
Darnell Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P6 PFC/PWM Combo IC Enables Best Power and
Digi-Key Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P3 Board Space Efficiency in LCD TV’s
Fairchild Semiconductor . . . . . . .Cover 4
Gaia Converters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P30
International Rectifier . . . . . . . . . . . .P11
Intersil . . . . . . . . . . .P8, 21, 26, Cover 3
Kepco Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P29
27
CASE STUDY:
Linear Technology Corporation . . . . . .P25 POWER-ONE, INC.
Martek Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P15 Which Voltage Bus is Best?
Micrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P28
Microchip Technology Inc . . . . . . . . . .P4
National Semiconductor . . . . . . . . . . .P7
Norvell Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P23
Power Integrations Inc . . . . . . . . . . .P12 Review the EDN Embedded Power
Power-One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 2
Spellman High Voltage . . . . . . . . . . .P20
and Control Online Source List at
Vicor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P31 www.edn.com/supplements

NOVEMBER 2005 • EDN POWER TECHNOLOGY P5

 PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

LETTER from the EDITOR

he market for embedded ac-dc power supplies and dc-dc converters is currently being driven by a number of technologies,
including blade servers, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), and the intermediate bus architecture (IBA). Combined with digital power
management and control, opportunities are emerging for higher wattage converters.
Blade servers are seeing growth that is more than three times faster than the server market as a whole, and their growth is
one driver pushing the IBA. As a result, large original equipment manufacturers that were reluctant to move towards the IBA are
now employing it in their higher performance systems. In this issue, Texas Instruments discusses how they helped a customer design a
scalable power system to meet the needs of configurable blade servers.
Both space and cooling are at a premium in networking systems powered via a 48V backplane. Therefore, it is extremely important for
point-of-load converters to be both compact and efficient. Linear Technology provides a case study on supplying a POL dc-dc converter for
embedded systems that meets or exceeds the multiple constraints of limited space and cooling within a given enclosure.
Powering challenges on the ac input side are equally demanding, with power factor correction (PFC), hot swappability, and pulse width
modulation (PWM) posing special challenges. Semiconductor companies are providing products for this side of the house that range from
digital PWM to One Cycle Control for PFC.
PFC, in particular, is gaining attention as new harmonic standards become mandatory in Europe and Japan, and efficiency programs
(such as Energy Star) prescribe limits to power consumption. To address PFC regulations, Fairchild Semiconductor designed a PFC/PWM
combo integrated circuit to enable power and board space efficiency in LCD televisions.
As regulations change, and as digital power moves into the commercial mainstream, opportunities will emerge for power supply
manufacturers to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Power-One’s case study looks at how they helped a customer choose the right
intermediate bus voltage by using a digital power management system. The variety of solutions being offered, and the standards to support
them, ensure that embedded power supplies will remain one step ahead of system needs.

LINNEA C. BRUSH
Senior Research Analyst
Darnell Group

P6 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
New Alternatives for Next-Generation
DC-DC Conversion

Whatever Topology You Choose, National Has the Power Management Solution

Alternative 1: LM5041 Current-Fed Converter

LM5041 Current-Fed Converter
• Buck stage regulates input to push-pull or
full-bridge isolation stage
• Accommodates wide input voltage range
• No output filter inductors required
• Lower voltage stress and switching loss in
push-pull switches
• Ideal for multiple high-power outputs
• Optimized for synchronous rectification

Alternative 2: LM5033 IBC

LM5033 Intermediate Bus Converter (IBC)
• Isolated step-down converter stage feeds multiple
non-isolated point-of-load (POL) converters
• Each output is independently regulated
• No feedback opto-coupler required
• Integrated start-up regulator
• Low primary component count
• Tiny, thermally enhanced LLP® packaging

© National Semiconductor Corporation, 2005. National Semiconductor, , and LLP are registered trademarks of National Semiconductor Corporation.
All rights reserved.

For FREE samples, evaluation boards,

datasheets, and more, visit us today at:
power.national.com
Or call 1-800-272-9959

Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 Intersil Switching Regulators
Intersil High Performance Analog

What’s Black, White,

and Cool All Over?
Maintaining IC temperatures doesn’t have to
be a riddle. Intersil's new high current
Integrated FET Regulators have the industry's
only true Thermal Protection with auto shut
down at 135°C.
Intersil's EL7554 and EL7566 DC-DC buck regulators with internal
CMOS power FETs operate from 3V-to-6V input voltage and are
capable of up to 96% efficiency. But what's really cool about these
devices is ground breaking features like built-in Thermal Protection
and Voltage Margining for actual in-circuit performance validation.

Key Features:
The first line of defense
against heat is a 4A (EL7554) and 6A (EL7566)
thermally-efficient HTSOP-28 continuous output current
package, which utilizes an
exposed thermal pad Up to 96% efficiency
underneath the IC to spread
heat through the PCB. Built-in 5% voltage margining
3V-to-6V input voltage
The VTJ pin is a
0.58 in2 (EL7554) and 0.72 in2
formula-based, accurate (EL7566) footprint with
indicator of the internal components on one side
silicon junction temperature.
of PCB
Adjustable switching frequency
to 1MHz
If all else fails and the
temperature sensor indicates
a junction temperature above
135°C, the PWM Regulator
will shut down.
For more information and samples,
go to www.intersil.com/edn
Easy-to-use simulation tool also
available. Modify switching frequency,
voltage ripple, ambient temperature
and view schematics waveforms,
efficiency graphs and complete BOM
with Gerber layout.
www.intersil.com/iSim

Intersil – Switching Regulators for precise power delivery.

©2005 Intersil Americas Inc. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks or services marks owned by Intersil Corporation
or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the USA and/or other countries: Intersil (and design) and i (and design).
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

Embedded Power Supplies Reach New Heights

8 by JEREMIAH BRYANT

number of trends are converging that the IBA. Power-One added a 46A quarter-brick bus
are pushing embedded ac-dc power converter to its product line that delivers 441W. Tyco
supplies and dc-dc converter modules Electronics introduced the QBK033 bus converter,
towards higher wattages. Rapidly grow- which the company claims
ing blade servers, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) equip- was the first 400W quarter-
ment and several other devices are driving power brick power module. Artesyn
requirements higher. Shifting bus architectures have Technologies increased the
an even larger effect on the embedded power supply wattage of its highest power
market. These shifts range from the growing usage of quarter-brick bus converter to
the intermediate bus architecture (IBA), to alternative 450W, a 150W improvement
powering trends, to the biggest potential change— over its earlier generation
digital power control and management. Combined, quarter-brick bus converter.
these trends are driving opportunities for higher Similarly, the growing
wattage converters. usage of the IBA is driving
Gains made by the IBA and its hallmark bus sales of Point-of-Load (POL)
converters are a primary driver of this trend. While converters. The worldwide
the IBA is clearly not new, the market acceptance of non-isolated dc-dc converter
the IBA is continuing to grow. Large OEMs that were market, including POLs and
reluctant to move towards the IBA are now employing voltage regulator modules, is
it in their higher performance systems. Blade servers outpacing the dc-dc converter Figure 1: Artesyn increased the power of
its latest Typhoon quarter-brick bus
are seeing growth that is more than three times faster market as a whole. According converters to 450W
than the server market as a whole. Currently blades to the Darnell Group, rev-
account for a small portion of the server market, their enues in this market are projected to rise from $760
growth is one driver pushing the IBA. million in 2005 to $1.4 billion in 2010. A number of
Recently, a number of companies have released new product offerings from companies in the Point-of-
new bus converters that illustrate growing interest in Load Alliance (POLA™) illustrate this trend.
Ericsson Power Modules recently introduced 17
2000 POLA-interoperable POLs in three platforms with cur-
rent ratings from 6A to 60A. One of these POL fami-
1500
lies, the PMM series, is aimed at current-thirsty high-
end computer applications. It delivers 60A, while
1000
achieving a 96% peak efficiency. Artesyn has devel-
500
oped 50A and 60A POL converters for the telecom
and datacom markets including blade servers, data
0 storage switches and voice-processing systems.
<4W 4-12W 13-24W 25-49W 50-99W 100-249W 250-500W >500W
Texas Instruments has introduced the PTVxx010 8A
2005 2010 and PTVxx020 18A families of POLA compatible
Worldwide DC-DC converter module market by wattage plug-in power modules. While POLs are not specific
(millions of dollars) to the IBA, the growth of POLs coupled with the

NOVEMBER 2005 • EDN POWER TECHNOLOGY P9

 PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

expanding bus converter market illus- converters using the SMBus in

trates the growing usage of the IBA. order to configure, control and
While the IBA is creating architectur- monitor PMBus compatible
al power shifts within the system's box, devices, such as converters or
PoE is changing power requirements out- Figure 3: Power-One has expanded its power supplies. However, the
Z-1000 No-Bus family to include 7A,
side of the box. Like the IBA, PoE is PMBus is only a communica-
15A and 20A POLs
changing the power distribution mecha- tions standard and companies
nism from the wall plug to the load. In PoE, power sourc- are still developing complete digital power conversion
ing equipment (PSE), typically either a PoE endspan inte- product lines. While there are a number of differences
grated into an Ethernet switch or a PoE midspan, deliver between the two approaches, the primary difference
power to a powered devices (PD), such as a VoIP phone, stems from the communications protocols and the
Wi-Fi access point, flat panel PC and so on. manner in which the parameters are set.
The PoE strategy increases power requirements Power-One has two digital strategies. The first
for the centralized PSE, especially for ac-dc front strategy is the I2C pro-
ends, but typically replaces the power supplies for the grammable Z-7000 POLs
PDs with discrete components. Currently, PoE deliv- which are programmed
ers only a maximum of 15.4W per port, which limits using the company's pro-
the type of PDs that PoE can power and also limits prietary software and can
the power requirements of the PSE. However, the be reprogrammed at any
IEEE has formed a study group that is examining time. Power-One's addi- Figure 4: Astec Power’s first offering from its
PoE-Plus, with the goal of at least doubling the power tional strategy is the one Digital Power Initiative is the 50W DTX dc-dc
level to 30W per port and possibly as high as 100W. time programmability converter, which features integrated digital
control with bi-directional PMBus
If PoE-Plus gains steam, ac-dc front ends will see a found in the Z-1000 No- communication
greater opportunity, as will dc-dc converter modules. Bus™ POLs. These POLs
Trying to capitalize on the growing PoE market, provide power management capabilities without hav-
Astec Power has introduced the DS657, a 657W ing to implement external controllers and other asso-
power supply for PoE implementations. Phihong has ciated components.
introduced a 275W power supply with integrated 24- Another digital communications approach origi-
port PoE injection. Power Integrations has designed nated from a collaborative open standard—the PMBus.
new solutions for the PoE market, as they expanded So far, Texas Instruments, Zilker Labs and Silicon Labs
their DPA-Switch™ family have digital power controllers, but PMBus-complaint
of ICs to include an option digital dc-dc converters are just now hitting the market.
for PoE. Several new digital products were unveiled at the
The growing IBA mar- Digital Power Forum or shortly after. Artesyn Tech-
ket is also yielding opportu- nologies announced a PMBus-compliant digitally pro-
nities for digital power con- grammable dc-dc converter. The DPL20C is a non-iso-
trol and conversion lated POL that features digital configuration, monitor-
because systems that use ing and diagnostic facilities accessible via the PMBus
this architecture are going interface. The 20A POL provides a programmable out-
to be the early digital put voltage from 0.6V to 5.5V, programmable sequenc-
adopters. Thus far there ing, tracking and margining and real-time voltage, cur-
have been two primary dig- rent and temperature monitoring. Astec's first offering
ital implementation strate- from its Digital Power Initiative is the PMBus-complaint
Figure 2: Ericsson power modules
gies. The first strategy is DTX dc-dc converter. The DTX features integrated dig-
introduced 17 POLA-interoperable POLs
capable of delivering 6A to 60A Power-One's proprietary Z- ital control with bi-directional PMBus communications
One™ Digital IBA which is and includes self-diagnostics, efficiency optimization
a complete digital product line for the IBA. The sec- and output impedance control in addition to dynamic
ond approach stems from the PMBus™ which
defines a standard way to communicate with power (“Embedded Power” continued on P33)

P10 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
 CAN YOUR BRICK DO THIS?
IR’s DC Bus Chipset Enables Bricks With 48Vin, 9.6Vout, 330W at 97% Efficiency

Full-Bridge Bus Converter Chipset (IRF6646, IR2086S, IRF6635 )

48Vin / 9.6Vout / 175kHz
97%
98

96

94
Electrical Efficiency (%)

92

90
4 x (80V) IRF6646 Primary
88 2 x (30V) IRF6635 Secondary

86

84

82
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Load Current (A)

International Rectifier’s new power

Full Bridge DC Bus Converter
Reference
Designs management DC Bus converter chipset
Available delivers 48V in , 9.6V out , over 330W at
97% efficiency for networking and
telecommunications systems.

• Single DirectFET MOSFET can replace

New DC-DC Chipset Solution from International Rectifier two SO-8 devices
DirectFET™ MOSFETs • Reduces component count by > 45%
Part # Package VDSS RDS(on) max QG QGD • Achieves up to 1.5% better efficiency
@ VGS=10V Typical Typical compared to industry standard quarter
IRF6644 Medium can 100V 13mΩ 35nC 11.5nC brick form factors
IRF6655 Small can 100V 62mΩ 8.7nC 2.8nC
★ IRF6646 Medium can 80V 9.5mΩ 36nC 12nC
• Reduces temperatures up to 40˚C
IRF6613 Medium can 40V 3.4mΩ 42nC 12.6nC • Board space reduced by 29% vs. quarter
IRF6614 Small can 40V 8.3mΩ 19nC 6.0nC brick form factors
★ IRF6635 Medium can 30V 1.8mΩ 47nC 17nC • Industry Best RDS(on) for IRF6644 (13mΩ),
Control IC IRF6646 (9.5mΩ), IRF6635 (1.8mΩ)
Part # Package Voltage Rating Description
Design Services available at www.mypower.com
Primary-side half-bridge control IC,
IR2085S SO-8 100V
fixed 50% duty cycle, self-oscillating
Primary-side full-bridge control IC,
★ IR2086S SO-16 100V
fixed 50% duty cycle, self-oscillating
★ – IR product featured in Full-Bridge Bus Converter reference design above

IR's proprietary DirectFET technology is covered by US Patent 6,624,522 and other US and foreign pending patent applications.
DirectFET is a trademark of International Rectifier.

for more information call 1.800.981.8699 or visit us at

Enter xx www.irf.com/dcdc
at www.edn.com/info THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN
CASE Study
New ICs Simplify Embedded POL
DC/DC Converter Designs
8 by TONY ARMSTRONG, PRODUCT MARKETING MANAGER,
POWER PRODUCTS GROUP, LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
the challenge
Most embedded systems are powered via a 48V back-
plane. This voltage is normally stepped-down to a lower
intermediate voltage of either 12V or 5V to allow power
to the racks of boards within the system. However,
most of the sub-circuits or ICs on these boards are
required to be powered at voltages ranging from 0.8V
to 3.3V at currents ranging from tens of milliamps to
tens of amps. As a result, a point-of-load (POL) dc/dc
converter is needed to step down the 12V or 5V to the
desired voltage and current level required by the sub-
circuits or ICs.
Since space and cooling are at a premium in
these systems, it is extremely important for any POL
converters to be both compact and efficient.
Furthermore, many microprocessors and digital signal
processors (DSPs) need a core power supply and an
input/output (I/O) power supply which must be
sequenced during start-up. Designers have to consider
the relative voltage and timing of core and I/O voltage
supplies during power-up and –down operations to
comply with manufacturers specifications. Without
proper power supply sequencing, latch-up or excessive
current draw may occur that could lead to damage to
the microprocessor’s I/O ports or the I/O ports of a sup-
porting device, such as memory, programmable logic
devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs), or data converters. To ensure that the I/O
loads are not driven until the core voltage is properly
biased, tracking of the core supply voltage and the I/O
supply voltage is necessary.
Although start-up and shutdown tracking can be
implemented externally for any given DC/DC converter,
the power supply sequencing requirements will vary
from system-to-system. These solutions include appli-
cation specific standard products (ASSPs) that can be
configured via a programmable interface or by external
components; programmable microcontroller-based
solutions and FPGA solutions.
the solution
Feature Rich IC Allows Optimum Flexibility
The penalty for poor tracking or sequencing is often
irreparable damage to devices in an embedded
system. FPGAs, PLDs, ASICs, DSPs
and microprocessors typically have CUSTOMER
diodes placed between the core and PROFILE
I/O supplies as a component of ESD A WORLDWIDE
LEADER IN
protection. If supplies violate the track- NETWORKING
ing requirements and forward bias the SOLUTIONS FOR
protection diodes, the device may be THE INTERNET
damaged.
Voltage sequencing, tracking, and margining
have become popular features in dc-to-dc convert-
er modules; however, these functions are less com-
monly found in dc/dc controller ICs. Linear
Technology’s LTC3770 is an ideal solution for POL
dc/dc conversion needs and is also distinguished by
its fast transient response, a phase-locked loop
(PLL) that allows synchronization to a system clock,
and a highly accurate reference. Capable of operat-
ing from a 4V to 32V input, the current-mode con-
troller can produce a stepped down output at cur-
rents up to about 25A, see Figure 1.
The LTC3770’s constant on-time, valley cur-
rent-mode architecture, combined with a very low
minimum on-time (50ns typical), allows the control
loop to respond quickly to load steps. The LTC3770
can perform RDS(ON) current sensing by sensing the
voltage drop across the synchronous power MOS-
FET. Or for systems requiring more-precise control
of output current, a conventional sense resistor can
be used in the source of the lower MOSFET. In
either case, the current limit is user-programmable.
The controller can operate at very low duty
cycles. In the extreme case, an output as low as 0.6V
can be supplied from input voltages as high as 32V -
N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 • E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y P 13

Figure 1. The LTC3770 steps down a 12V input to a 2.5-V output at 10 A
even under no-load conditions. In the applications
where such low output voltages are required, the pre-
cision of the chip’s voltage reference becomes signifi-
cant. The LTC3770 specifies an output voltage accu-
racy of ±0.5% at room temperature and ±0.67% from
0ºC to 85ºC. Across the device’s full operating tem-
perature range (–40ºC to 85ºC), the total error on out-
put voltage is still only ±1%.
The controller’s operating frequency can be select-
ed by a single external resistor. For applications that
require stringent constant-frequency operation, a PLL
(phase lock loop) allows the LTC3770 to be synchro-
nized to an external clock, which helps reduce EMI.
In normal operation, the top MOSFET is turned
on for a fixed interval determined by a one-shot timer.
When the top MOSFET is turned off, the bottom
MOSFET is turned on until the current comparator
ICMP trips, restarting the one-shot timer and initiating
the next cycle, refer to Figure 2. Inductor current is
determined by sensing the voltage between the
SENSE+ (PGND on the SSOP package) and SENSE-
(SW on the SSOP) pins using a sense resistor or the
bottom MOSFET on-resistance. The voltage on the ITH
pin sets the comparator threshold corresponding to
inductor valley current. The error amplifier EA adjusts
this voltage by comparing the feedback signal VFB
from a reference voltage set by the VREFIN pin. If the
load current increases, it causes a drop in the feed-
back voltage relative to the reference. The ITH voltage
then rises until the average inductor current again
matches the load current.
P14 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN
At low load currents, the inductor current can
drop to zero and become negative. This is detected
by the current reversal comparator IREV which then
shuts off M2, resulting in discontinuous operation.
Both switches will remain off with the output capaci-
tor supplying the load until the ITH voltage rises above
the zero current level (0.75V) to initiate another cycle.
Discontinuous mode operation is disabled by com-
parator F when the PFB pin is brought below 0.6V,
forcing continuous synchronous operation.
The operating frequency is determined implicitly
by the top MOSFET on-time and the duty cycle
required to maintain regulation. The one-shot timer
generates an on-time that is proportional to the ideal
duty cycle, thus holding the frequency approximately
constant with changes in VIN. The nominal frequency
can be adjusted with an external resistor RON.
Over-voltage and under-voltage comparators OV
and UV pull the PGOOD output low if the output feed-
back voltage exits a ±10% window around the regu-
lation point after the internal 25µs power bad mask
timer expires. Furthermore, in an over-voltage condi-
tion, M1 is turned off and M2 is turned on immedi-
ately and held on until the over-voltage condition
clears.
Foldback current limiting is provided if the out-
put is shorted to ground. As VFB drops, the buffered
current threshold voltage ITHB is pulled down and
clamped to 0.9V. This reduces the inductor valley
(“New IC’s Simplify” continued on P32)
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 AC Powering Semiconductor Growth
8 by LINNEA BRUSH
mbedded power is used in a wide range
of distributed power architectures with
much of the design focus going to the
dc output side. Challenges on the ac
input side are equally demanding, however, including
power factor correction (PFC), hot swappability, and
pulse width modulation (PWM). Semiconductor com-
panies are providing products for this side of the
house that range from digital PWM (DPWM) to OCC
(one cycle control) for PFC.
PFC (power factor correction) is gaining attention
as new harmonic emission standards become manda-
tory in Europe and Japan. Other countries are at vari-
ous stages in accepting these standards which means
power supplies could be subject to more stringent
requirements. High minimum power factors are no
longer limited to high-power applications, for instance.
Newer norms and standards apply to products dissi-
pating as little as 75W or 26W for lighting devices.
Low PF results in poor electrical efficiency creat-
ing the need for larger generators, transformers and
other distribution devices that would otherwise not be
necessary. Other PF conditions include overloads,
voltage distortions, noise, parasitic harmonics in the
network, and
reciprocal inter-
ference in the
system.
Analog-based
PFC control
methods have
long been used
in power sup-
plies. One PFC
control method
Figure 1: International Rectifier’s IR1150 family of gaining in pop-
µPFC™ ICs for ac/dc power factor correction circuits
ularity is to use
an analog controller with a discontinuous conduction
mode, such as Fairchild Semiconductor’s FAN7527B
P16 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
and FAN4812. The company also introduced its new
FSAB20PH60 PFC smart power module which
implements the partial PFC switching converter cir-
cuit topology, switching at twice the line frequency of
the traditional PFC topology. The partial-switching
method is popular for 1kW to 3kW air conditioners.
International Rectifier introduced the IR1150
family of µPFC™ integrated circuits for ac-dc PFC
circuits. IR utilizes its licensed OCC approach in the
IR1150 to deliver the perform-
ance of continuous conduction
mode (CCM) PFC with the sim-
plicity, reliability, and low compo-
nent count of a discontinuous
current mode circuit for PFC
Figure 2: The applications. The company
GPTC110X series claims that the patented OCC
from Green Power technique “radically alters tradi-
Technologies controls
PFC stages operating tional thinking about PFC solu-
under continuous tions. It’s a form of CCM PFC
conduction mode using a new ‘integrator with reset’
conditions
control block.”
Companies are also looking at full digital power
factor correction, although these solutions can have
higher costs associated with them. Fairchild offers an
approach that features a control method based on a
modified sinusoidal pulse width modulation.
Fairchild’s proposed method does not need to sense
a line current or voltage, and can be implemented by
using one of their low-speed and low-priced conven-
tional microcontrollers.
Power Factor One Inc. uses its patented control
methods including constant pulse proportional cur-
rent, analog reset system, start enforcer and non-
linearity correction to significantly simplify the con-
verter’s circuit and improve the controller’s perform-
ance. The company states that their PF484x PWM
controller circuits include near-unity PFC circuits
that meet all international standards for electronic
 PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

ballast and off-line power conver- topology uses three FET PFC boost
sion applications. switches and tolerates a wide input
A modular approach for PFC is range. Fault detection and control is
provided by Green Power Tech- monitored by a microprocessor. The
nologies Ltd. The company claims generation of the control reference
that their plug-and-play products for PFC correction is handled both
enable quick and easy integration of on an analog level and a micro-
critical components into OEM prod- processor level.
ucts with a resulting minimal bill of Zilker Labs has introduced the
materials that reduces costs. The Figure 3: ON Semiconductor’s NCP1603 ZL2005, a mixed-signal, power man-
GPTC110X series is designed to con- combines a PFC controller chip and a agement and digital PWM IC that
trol the PFC stages operating under PWM control chip in a single, 16-pin integrates a compact, efficient buck
SOIC package
continuous conduction mode condi- controller, high-current adaptive
tions. It provides near-unity power factor for a univer- drivers and full power and thermal management
sal input line (85Vac-265Vac) with no need for sens- functions in a single package, eliminating the need
ing the input voltage. GPT is also finalizing develop- for complicated power supply manager chips and
ment of a digital power management module that numerous discrete components.
incorporates a PFC stage which is expected to be Digital PWM control is also being slowly intro-
commercially available within the next year. duced as a way of enabling high-frequency PWM
A new PFC/PWM controller from ON converter applications. Texas Instruments introduced
Semiconductor with integrated standby and high- the UCD9501 high resolution DPWM controller
voltage start-up capabilities. The NCP1603 combines which is part of its Fusion Digital Power™ family of
a PFC controller chip and a PWM control chip in a products and can achieve up to 150 picoseconds
single, 16-pin SOIC package. Under light load condi- DPWM resolution.
tions the NCP1603 PWM controller disables the PFC Silicon Labs debuted the Si8250 DK, a develop-
function saving in the range of 200mW of power. ment kit that includes tools for designing digital power
Another company looking at digital implementa- supply controllers. The kit includes a digital power
tion is C&D Technologies. They recently presented a supply and PMBus™ adapter along with software
paper at the Digital Power Forum that introduced a that the designer uses to describe the desired func-
digital/analog power-controlled 5500W rectifier with tions of the controller. The code is synthesized, com-
three-phase ac input and high power factor. The piled, then put into the chip.
Companies like Roal Electronics are looking at
front-end power supplies with combined digital and
analog control. The company has a single output dig-
ital power front end with a patent-pending multi-
phase digital PFC. A single 8-bit microcontroller is
used to manage the PFC, VBULK regulation, alarms
and signal monitoring. An interleaved two-transistor
forward converter PWM control is achieved by using
a standard, low-cost, 10-pin analog IC with direct dig-
ital integration for power management.
Ac powering may not be the primary focus of
many power supply design engineers, but the
demands of distributed power architectures will make
it a challenging area in the next few years. As regu-
lations change, and as digital power moves into the
commercial mainstream, opportunities will emerge
Figure 4: The Si8250DK is a development kit from Silicon Labs that for power supply manufacturers to increase efficien-
includes tools for designing digital power supply controllers cy and reduce costs. ■

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 • E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y P 17
 CASE Study

Scalable Power Systems Meet the Needs

of Configurable Blade Servers
8 by STEVE MAPPUS, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

dc power supply, or two if redundancy or

the challenge load sharing is required, and its own cooling

source. Consequently, a fully-configured 42,
Blade server computing systems must be highly configurable to 1U rackmount server can house as many as
meet a variety of application needs. As a result, blade servers 84 individual power supplies.
are bought and sold primarily based upon a desired amount of
Blade servers are mounted vertically
processing power required to meet the needs of a specific task.
into a 3U rack unit.
Each blade is really CUSTOMER
Ironically, one of the least considered, and yet most important,

nothing more than a sin- PROFILE

components of a blade server is the power supply. After all, it
can be easily argued that a system’s reliability is only as good
as the power supplied to it. gle board computer A LEADING
MANUFACTURER
Texas Instruments recently worked with a customer wanting complete with memory, OF CONFIGURABLE
to design a 1.5kW, highly-efficient, isolated power converter processor, and network BLADE SERVER
module for a blade server application. This customer relies heav- connections. By sliding COMPUTING
SYSTEMS
ily upon a well-known power module supplier for meeting his the blades into a com-
power needs. Power converter modules offer many advantages, mon vertical enclosure, a larger number of
but the foremost must be ease of implementation. However, servers can fit into a smaller allowable space
there are several disadvantages with this approach, particularly
resulting in higher computing power density
in blade server applications. Server systems are designed to be
compared to horizontal rackmount servers.
highly-configurable in terms of available processing power. To
As many as 250 blades can be installed into
handle a variety of scalable power requirements, a configurable
server needs to be optimally matched to a compatible power sys- a single PCI based industry standard rack.
tem. As a primary obligation, the customer desired more flexibil- Unlike the 1U horizontal rackmount
ity by closely matching their power needs and processor require- servers, dc power in a blade server is distrib-
ments. Secondly, because of specific supervisory and power uted from one or more power supply mod-
management requirements, the power modules themselves do ules through the PCI cabinet and to each of
not make up a complete “power system”. And finally, the cus- the individual blades. Distributing dc power
tomer emphasized the need to reduce overall power system means that the ac to dc isolation only has to
costs. Faced with a certain cost increase associated with out- occur once through an intermediate bus
sourcing a custom power converter design for their blade server
converter. Since the blades themselves do
applications, this customer boldly decided to do the unthink-
not have an on-board isolated power supply
able– design his own custom power supply.
or fan, bus power and cooling distribution
can be thought of as shared system resources. Blade
server power supply modules can now be paralleled
the solution and hot-swapped for greater system flexibility and scal-
ability. In their earliest development, blades contained
Traditionally, configurable servers have been built only a single processor so power dissipation was not a
based upon an industry standard rack capable of hold- serious issue. However, the current trend is to pack as
ing up to 42, 1U (1.75 inches) servers. Since ac power many as four power-hungry processors onto a single
is bused through the server rack, each horizontally- blade which greatly increases cooling demands. And,
mounted 1U server module requires one isolated ac to because the blades themselves are now dissipating so

P18 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
 PART F O U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

much additional power, there is an ever-increasing shift (or phase overlap) that is controlled. For a compa-
demand to push for higher power supply efficiency. rable component count, the PSFB offers ZVS, EMI and
Because the customer specializes in high-per- performance benefits unmatched against the tradition-
formance computing systems with little to no previous al hard-switched full bridge technique.
power supply design experi-
ence, designing an applica-
tion specific, custom power
supply was a significant chal-
lenge. TI worked closely with
the customer to first under-
stand their immediate power
requirements. The 1.5kW
converter needed to operate
from an off-line power factor
correction (PFC) regulated
boost converter. Initially, the
UCC38500 combination
PFC/pulse width modulation
(PWM) controller was con-
sidered, however this ap-
proach was eliminated
because it was limited to sev-
eral hundred watts of power.
A version of the full-bridge
power topology was really the
only practical choice and for
maintaining absolute highest
efficiency the UCC3895
DC/DC CONVERTERS
phase shifted full bridge Modules for 2.5V to 48V Applications
(PSFB) PWM controller was Speed Time-to-Market
chosen along with a
UCC3817 PFC boost pre- Don’t let multiple source voltage designs slow you down! From SMT
regulator. The PSFB control point-of-load converters, to multi-phase VRMs and bus converters
for intermediate bus architecture, Bel has your DC/DC converter
technique differs from the
modules in stock, and in volume! Our full lines are
traditional PWM full bridge in engineered to optimize PCB space (8A in
two ways. First, an intention- 0.2” x 0.2” footprint) and thermal perform-
al delay time is introduced ance (up to 94% efficiency) in 2.5V to
where, under the right oper- 48V, and 1A to 200A applications.
ating conditions, zero voltage Offered in low-profile and SIP packages,
switching (ZVS) occurs our POL, step down, non-isolated, and
which would be essential for boost converters provide the features 07CR Series of 1/8
Brick Bus Converters
meeting the customers need today’s networking, computing and
telecom designs demand. Regardless of
for high efficiency. Secondly,
your requirements, Bel gets competitively
the duty cycle of each pri- priced products to market faster.
mary bridge MOSFET is fixed
at 50 percent, so instead of
the pulse width being control Tel:800/235-3873 Selector
modulated it is the phase www.belpower.com Guide Available

E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y P 19 Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 PART F O U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

Optimizing the converter for high efficiency de- nonlinear elements are defined, the ZVS critical timing
pends upon a thorough understanding of parasitic cir- must be precisely adjusted to fully realize the convert-
cuit elements, such as MOSFET junction capacitance ers’ efficiency benefits. Leveraging TI’s expertise in ZVS
and transformer leakage inductance. Even once these power topologies, the burden of climbing an otherwise
steep learning curve was
avoided. Throughout the
entire development cycle, TI
provided extensive design
support with specification and
design reviews, component
recommendations and sup-
port of initial hardware
debugging. Within nine
months, the customer had its
first “in-house” custom
designed power system
ramping into production.
A short time later, this
customer again consulted TI
to discuss their specifications
for a 200W dc to dc convert-
er design. Since favorable
results with the 1.5kW PSFB
design had been achieved,
With Every Spellman
the customer naturally con-
Bertan brand High Voltage Supply sidered using a scaled-down
you get something extra inside: 200W version. The PSFB
The “Know How” of the High Voltage People. would undoubtedly meet their
For more than 50 years, Spellman is the innovator of the High Voltage industry. With our requirements of high efficien-
recent acquisition of the respected Bertan High Voltage brand, we offer the world’s most cy and reduced cost, but was
comprehensive line of generators, rack instruments, modules and Monoblock X-Ray Sources®. it the best choice? The single-
APPLICATION KNOW HOW: ended forward converter with
Whether your field is X-Ray Analysis, Semiconductor Processing, active clamp transformer
Security Detection, Medical Imaging, Electron Microscopy, or Mass reset offers many of the same
Spectrometry, we make a high voltage supply to meet your needs.
advantages found in the
ENGINEERING KNOW HOW:
PSFB topology, but at re-
We have the largest engineering team in the business and one of the
most innovative design libraries in our industry. duced power levels. Where
the PSFB can be designed to
MANUFACTURING KNOW HOW:
We maintain world-class ISO9001 production facilities in the US, operate at tens or even hun-
Europe and in Mexico. dreds of kilowatts, the active
clamp forward is limited, in a
The High Voltage People of Spellman: responsive, professional and situated globally to support
practical sense, to about
your high voltage needs. For more information, call us or visit our website www.spellmanhv.com
400W. Once the performance
475 Wireless Blvd. and cost trade-offs were pre-
Hauppauge, NY 11788 sented, the customer agreed
tel: +1-631-630-3000
fax: +1-631-435-1620 to proceed with an active
e-mail: sales@spellmanhv.com
www.spellmanhv.com
(“Scalable Power”
USA EUROPE JAPAN MEXICO CHINA continued on P33)
MONOBLOCK® is a registered trademark of Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corp.

Enter xx at www.edn.com/info P20 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y

 Intersil Switching Regulators
Intersil High Performance Analog

Running Out
Of Room?
We Suggest
Fewer Chips.
Reduce your board size and increase
efficiency with Intersil's multiple output
DC/DC Switching Regulators. Get up
to 20A of output current and four
regulated outputs from a single VIN Design has never been so easy, with a variety of
combinations of linears and PWMs, Most devices are
ranging from 3.3V to 24V. available in thin scale packages to maximize real estate.

Intersil's Family of Multiple Output DC-DC Solutions

Regulators Regulators Int. VIN IOUT

# of Outputs Device PWMs Linears FETs (V) (max) (A) Package
4 ISL6521 1 3 5 20 SOIC-16
ISL6455 1 2 3.3 0.6 QFN-24
ISL6455A 1 2 5 0.6 QFN-24
3 ISL6537 2 2 + Ref 2.5, 12 20 QFN-28
ISL6532A 1 2 5, 12 20 QFN-28
ISL6441 2 1 4.5 to 24 6 QFN-28
ISL6443 2 1 4.5 to 24 10 QFN-28
ISL6227 2 0 4.5 to 24 16 SSOP-28
ISL6440 2 0 4.5 to 24 10 QSOP-24
2 ISL6539 2 0 5 to 15 8 SSOP-28
ISL6530/1 2 Ref 5 1 SOIC-24, QFN-32
ISL6528 1 1 3.3, 5 15 SOIC-8
ISL6529 1 1 3.3 to 5, 12 15 SOIC-14, QFN-16

Datasheet, free samples, and more information available at www.intersil.com/edn

Intersil – Switching Regulators for precise power delivery.

©2005 Intersil Americas Inc. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks or services marks owned by Intersil Corporation
or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the USA and/or other countries: Intersil (and design) and i (and design).
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 CASE Study

PFC/PWM Combo IC Enables Best Power

and Board Space Efficiency in LCD TV’s
8 by RENO ROSSETTI, DIRECTOR OF THE ANALOG PRODUCT GROUP STRATEGY,
FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR
JUNG WON KIM, SENIOR SYSTEMS DESIGNER, PH.D.,
POWER SUPPLY GROUP, POWER CONVERSION TEAM, FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR

power consumption in
the challenge stand-by requiring less
than 1W since 7-1-
4

3.5
Harmonic current per Watt, mA/W
3

Power conservation inside the appliance
In the next few years, the worldwide number of
color TVs is expected to stay roughly flat while
the digital TV (DTV) sub-segment will grow at a
brisk 30% CAGR, reaching 94 MUs in 2009.
Flat panel TV technologies come in two flavors,
LCDs (58MU in 2009) and Plasma TVs
(12MUs in 2009). This article focuses on LCD
TVs, which comprise the largest portion of the
flat panel TV market.
Today, the size of DTVs is moving up
steadily, with 32” LCD TVs being produced in
the highest volumes, and with sizes as high
as 61” being announced. As bigger TV
screens consume more power and grow
faster, the end result is an exponential
increase in power consumption.
Energy Star is a program developed by the
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
require energy-savings in office equipment such
as computers and monitors. An Energy Star mon-
itor automatically goes to sleep or powers down
after a period of inactivity. This feature can save
60-80% of power during idle times––all you
have to do to wake up the monitor is touch the
keyboard or mouse.
Current regulations, such as the Energy
Star program requirements for TV’s, focus on
5
3
2005. In the future, 7
2.5
the focus should shift 9
2
to the bigger prize: sav- 11
1.5
ing power in normal 13
1
operation. Already av-
0.5
ailable is an E-Star final
0
document prescribing Harmonic order, n=3, 5, ... to 39; 3.85/n mA/W at n>13
limits to power con-
sumption in normal Fig.1. IEC 61000-3-2 Edition 2.2 Harmonic Current Limits
operation for External
Power Supplies, for
example, ac adapters, and preliminary draft monic limits of various equipment classes.
prescribing efficiency of computers are also Specifically, all personal computers, displays and
available. Furthermore, E-Star has just begun TV receivers (Class D equipment) drawing more
to tackle the issue of regulating power con- than 75W must have harmonics at or below the
sumption in DTVs during normal operation. profile demonstrated in Figure 1. With a modern
40” LCD TV easily drawing 250W. This means
Efficient power draw from the AC line that these TV sets shipped to Europe must com-
The other aspect of power conservation is power ply. When it comes to compliance, the rest of the
factor correction (PFC). PFC regulations are con- world is following Europe's lead at varying paces.
cerned with the quality of the power drawn from Figure 1 illustrates one aspect of the
the line. Optimum conditions for power delivery European specification. Notice that the allowance
from the ac line are achieved when the electric grows stricter for the higher harmonics; however,
load, a TV set for example, draws current which these harmonics also have less energy content
is in phase with the input voltage (ac line), and and are easier to filter. According to the specifi-
when such a current is undistorted (sinusoidal). cation, the allowed harmonic current maxes out
To this end, IEC 6100-3-2 Edition 2.2 is the above 600W, making it more challenging to
current European standard specifying the har- achieve compliance at higher power.

the solution
system had to have efficiency
above 85% in normal opera- CUSTOMER
A major TV manufacturer asked Fairchild tion and meet the Energy Star PROFILE
Semiconductor, to help them design the power supply requirement of <1W power A LARGE
MANUFACTURER
system for a 40” digital TV set. The challenge was to consumption in stand-by. OF LCD TV SETS
design a power supply system that was small and A typical 40” LCD TV set
highly efficient––both constraints being dictated by needs several AC-DC isolated outputs converting
the appliances thin form factor. The power supply power from the 90~254Vac line. Typically, Output 1

P22 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
 PART F O U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

(24V/8A, 192W) will power the LCD back light invert- current in the storage capacitor between the PFC and
er block, Output 2 (5V/0.5A) will power the logic PWM sections. This results in higher efficiency and
block, Output 3 (5V/2A) will power the tuner block smaller component size. Thanks to these features,
and Output 4 (12V/3A) will power the audio amplifier the measured total efficiency at 85Vac was over 85%,
block. This adds up to a
total power of 243W in nor-
mal operation with a stand-
by power of less than 1W.
The strategy we adopted
to meet both normal and
stand-by operation was to
divide the entire system into
two sub-systems, a main
power supply sub-system for
normal operation and an auxil-
iary one for stand-by (Figure 2).

Stand-by Operation
In stand-by mode, the main
power is disconnected from
the ac line. We used a relay
and only the stand-by power
supply built around
Fairchild’s FSDM311 SMPS
power switch to power the
logic block. The FSDM311
consumes very little power
thanks to its high-voltage
start-up switch and the
advanced burst mode opera-
tion to reduce switching loss.

Normal Operation
In normal operation, the
device’s main power supply
was built around Fairchild’s
FAN4800 PFC/PWM mono-
lithic combo controller IC, The quickest way to find the power you need.
which achieves high effi-
ciency using ZVS (zero volt- Sometimes looking for the right power supply can be a hassle.
age switch) ASHB (asym- That’s why Norvell has developed Power Supply Solutions. This unique
tool will respond to your specifications quickly by accessing several
metric half bridge) topology
manufactures and providing multiple power solutions. It’s just that
and utilizes the FAN7382
simple. Go to norvell.com/pss and experience Norvell’s newest
for high side MOSFET drive. www.norvell.com/pss way to service your needs. Just plug it in, order it and power up!
The patented Leading-Edge
Modulation (LEM) PFC/TEM
Trailing-Edge Modulation
(TEM) PWM synchroniza- power up
tion method reduces ripple

E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y P 23 Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 PART F O U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

FAN 4800:
LCD 24V/8A FSCQ0765: 12V/3A
D5SB60 Backlight Audio PS
PS
AC LINE

FSDM311: 5V/60mA FAN5234: 5V/2A Tuner

Stand-By PS DC-DC 5V/0.5A Logic

Fig. 2. 40” LCD TV Power Supply System

including the PFC section, and met the customer’s Conclusion

demand. The diffusion of large-sized flat panel television sets is
adding new dimensions to the challenge of power
PFC management and power conservation. Regulatory
The FAN4800 meets the PFC regulations thanks to its agencies have so far focused on power conservation in
high-performance average current mode PFC control stand-by and are just beginning to tackle regulation of
block. As an added bonus, the device’s current fed
gain modulator produced excellent noise immunity. (“PFC/PWM” continued on P34)

“S” Series High Voltage DC/DC Converters

* Output Power from 1 to 10 Watts

* Single Outputs to 1000Vdc
* Dual Outputs to +/- 500Vdc
* 1000Vdc Isolation
* Input Ranges (9-36Vdc, 20-60Vdc, 36-72Vdc)
* Low Profile Packages (0.8” x 1.25” x 0.52” & 1” x 2” x 0.4”)
* Typical Efficiency 82%
* Pricing starts at $25/1K

For more information, call American Power Design

Phone 888/894-4446 , Fax 603/894-4291
Email sales@apowerdesign.com
www.apowerdesign.com

P24 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R xx
Enter 2 0at0www.edn.com/info
5
High Power Buck-Boost

97% Efficient Single Inductor Buck-Boost Controller

The LTC®3780 is Linear’s latest addition to our growing family of true buck-boost regulators. This wide input voltage range,
high power controller is capable of delivering efficiencies of up to 97% for a 12V, 5A output from an input voltage range of
4V to 36V. Its current mode topology and single inductor architecture enable simpler solutions than traditional SEPIC or
transformer-based designs. With up to 400kHz operating frequency, compact, high power density designs are easily achieved.

▼ Features LTC3780 Efficiency vs SEPIC

(VOUT = 12V, ILOAD = 5A)
▼ Info & Online Store
• VIN Above, Below or Equal to VOUT www.linear.com
100%
• Single Inductor 4-Switch Literature: 1-800-4-LINEAR
Synchronous Operation 95% LTC3780
Support: 408-432-1900
• Selectable Low Current
Efficiency (%)

90%
Operating Modes
85% SEPIC Converter
• 200kHz to 400kHz Constant
Frequency Operation, 80%

Phase-Lockable 75%
• VOUT Disconnected from VIN
70%
During Shutdown 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

• 24-lead SSOP and VIN(V) , LTC and LT are registered trademarks and SwitcherCAD is a
trademark of Linear Technology Corporation. All other trade-
5mm x 5mm QFN-32 marks are the property of their respective owners.

Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 Intersil Battery Charger ICs
Intersil High Performance Analog

Unshackle Your
Handheld Device
From Its Cradle
Intersil’s ISL6299 is a fully integrated low-cost Li-ion
or Li-polymer battery charger that accepts both USB
port and desktop cradle charger.
The ISL6299 is a low component count solution that features
programmable cradle charge current, charge indication, adapter
present indication, and programmable end-of-charge (EOC) current
with latch. All these advanced features, along with Intersil’s Therma-
guard™ technology for an added measure of thermal protection, are
delivered in this single chip available in a tiny 3x3 mm DFN package.

ISL6299 System
ISL6299 Key Features:
Dual-Input charger for single-cell Li-ion/
Cradle input. The max input voltage tolerance is 28V. Programmable
charge current up to 1A and programmable end of charge current. The Polymer Batteries for Cradle and USB
included end of charge latch is the default input source.
Low Component Count
Integrated Pass Element
USB input. Takes input from USB port or other low voltage supply. Fixed
charge current at typically 380mA. Only charges when cradle source is Fixed 380mA USB Charge Current
not connected.
Programmable Cradle Charge Current
Charge Current Thermaguard™ for
Thermal Protection
Programmable end of charge optimizes Fast-charging rates of an AC
end-customer applications. High input adaptor for when you have 28V Maximum Voltage for the Cradle Input
voltage tolerance protects the device when access to cradle.
Charge and Adapter Presence Indicators
used with low cost unregulated supplies or
in under input transient conditions. Less than 0.5µA Leakage Current off the
Battery when No Input Power Attached
Programmable end-of-charge current with
latch for Cradle Input
No External Blocking Diode Required
Pb-Free Plus Anneal Available
(RoHS Compliant)

Datasheet, eval kit with USB

28V tolerant cradle with interface, free samples, and
overvoltage protection.
Sync-up and fuel-up directly from your
more information available at
laptop with convenient USB charger. www.intersil.com/edn

Intersil – Switching Regulators for precise power delivery.

©2005 Intersil Americas Inc. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks or services marks owned by Intersil Corporation
or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the USA and/or other countries: Intersil (and design) and i (and design).
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PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

CASE Study
Which Voltage Bus is Best?
8 by LOU PECHI, POWER-ONE, INC.

the challenge
The POLs are not isolated and do not employ a
transformer to convert the IBV to the output voltage,
To meet the design goals of the equipment, the cus- hence the efficiency of the device varies with the volt-
tomer needed not only to reduce the size of his new age differential between the input and the output.
design, but also reduce the material cost while at the This means that the POL operates more efficiently
same time increase the functionality of the power con-
with lower voltage differentials across the device.
version and management functions.
The customer required 8 distinct voltages ranging The printed circuit board (PCB) trace resistances
from 0.75 Volts and up to 3.3 Volts at currents rang- are constant and the power is a multiple of voltage and
ing from low 3.7 Amp and up to 10 Amp. Besides the square of the current (I2R). When delivering power
sequentially powering each output, in order to assure to a load, it is desirable to raise the distribution voltage
proper system operation, to the highest level feasible so as to lower the current
the rate of turn on and
and minimize the trace voltage drops.
turn off had to be differ-
ent for each output. As power requirements in a system CUSTOMER
To optimize the system vary, the load currents of each POL, and PROFILE
power dissipation the cus- thus the total IBV current varies, affect- A LEADING
tomer was faced with the ing the PCB trace voltage drops. DEVELOPER OF
NEXT-GENERATION
problem of choosing the At low power requirements the IBV OPTICAL ULTRA-
right bus voltage. At low HIGH-SPEED
can be lowered in order to reduce the
bus voltages at same over- TRANSMISSION
voltage drops and increase the efficien-
all power, the current and TRANSPORT
the associated I2R dissi- cy of the individual POL converters. PRODUCTS.
pation in the circuit board At higher system power require-
traces is higher, while at ments the IBV can be increased in order to reduce
higher voltages due to the the PCB current and reduce the trace (I2R) power
lower currents the dissipa-
losses.
Figure 1. System tion is lower. Additionally,
Block Diagram converting higher inputs
Within a range of varying system power require-
to the low outputs at the ments, there is an optimum IBV where the efficiency
point of loads (POLs), the dissipation in the POL itself is is maximized.
higher. The dissipation in the isolated dc/dc converter Analysis calculations, using actual copper cir-
that converts the 48 Volt input to the bus voltage does cuit board trace resistances, indicated that even
not change appreciably due to different isolation trans-
though the power dissipation in the POLs was higher,
former turn ratios, with the output voltage. Thus the
choice of the bus voltage needs to be made based on the
at the high required currents, the higher bus voltage
best balance between the circuit board trace and the resulted in a slightly better efficiency of 80% for the
POL losses. 12 Volt bus vs. 78% efficiency for the 5 Volt bus.

the solution
The concept is illustrated in Figure 2. The isolated
dc/dc Converter is an isolation transformer used to
convert the higher input voltages to a lower interme-
diate bus voltage (IBV), and the efficiency does not
appreciably change with the voltage differentials
across the device. Figure 2. Power Dissipation Block Diagram

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 • E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y P 27
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
PART F O U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

Solution Implementation the ZM7108 Digital Power Manager (DPM).

Simulation of the two intermediate bus voltages con- The eight Point of Load Converters (Z-POLs)
firmed the theoretical calculations. The customer were programmed and managed by the eight channel
chose the Power-One QBC11ZH-NT isolated con- ZM7108 as shown in Figure 3.
verter that met the require-
ments of converting the
wide input worldwide tele-
com bus voltages of 36 to
75Vdc to a 12V bus at 11A.

Figure 3. Chosen DPM
and Z-POLs
For the POLs the cus-
tomer had a choice to use
the ZY7007 (7 Amp) and
the ZY7010 (10 Amp) for
the lower currents, and the
ZY7115 (15 Amp) for the
higher output currents.
In order to minimize the
number of different compo-
nents, the customer chose
the ZY7115 intelligent, fully
programmable step-down
POL converters, even though
some of the output current
requirements were below the
capabilities of the device.
Besides reducing the num-
ber of different part numbers,
operating way below the
rated output current capabili-
POWER
SERIES BOP HIGH POWER
d-c bipolar power
1KW
• Source & sink, 4 quadrant operation.
• Fast analog programming.
• Precision stabilization:
0.001% source, 0.002% load.
• Digital programming.
• Built-in arbitrary waveform generator.
www.kepcopower.com/bophi.htm
SERIES KLP
voltage, current and power-limited
operating boundaries
1200 watts
• GPIB, RS 232 & isolated analog
control standard.
• True 1U height - full power operation
with no spacing between units.
• Wide range a-c input with active PFC.
www.kepcopower.com/klp.htm
SERIES RTW RoHS
d-c modular power Compliant
TOOLS
You need to use the right tools to get the job
done. Kepco provides you with these tools in
our broad line of instrumentation and modular
power supplies.
Kepco, Inc., an ISO 9001 company, has been
making precision-stabilized power supplies
since 1946. We specialize in analog-controlled
fast-programmable d-c products, capable of
producing 1, 2 or 4- quadrant (bipolar) outputs.
Digital control is supported under GPIB
(IEEE 488.2), RS232 and VXI, using SCPI
and CIIL. VXI plug&play capability is available
for more than 50 models ranging up to 1200
watts. Kepco also offers industrial and OEM
modular power supplies in single and multi-
output designs. Many designs current share
for hot-swap and N+1 redundancy applications.
We take pride in the new and innovative
power products that will further expand the
horizon of options for systems designers. For
the tools you can rely on, from a company
you can trust, call Kepco today or check out
our Web site.

ties of the POLs increased the
overall system reliability.
To manage and control
the 8 POLs his choice was
50-100 watts
• Wide range a-c input with active PFC.
• Low profile, optional cover
factory installed.
• FCC Class B conducted and
radiated emissions.
www.kepcopower.com/rtw.htm
131-38 Sanford Avenue, Flushing, NY 11352 USA
Tel: (718) 461-7000 • Fax: (718) 767-1102
Email: hq@kepcopower.com
VISIT OUR WEB SITE FOR MORE INFO
www.kepcopower.com

E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y P 29 Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 PART F O U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN
GAIA-CONVERTER
GAIA

Figure 5. Turn on Simulation

DC/DC CONVERTERS
for Aerospace defense,
Naval and
Industrial applications.

4 TO 150 WATTS
High Reliability
Wide input ranges 1:5
9-45V, 16-80V, Figure 6. 50% Load Transient Simulation
36-150V, 120-480V
The DPM bi-directionally communicates with the 8 Z-
A MODULAR POWER One POLs and with the main system through a standard two
ARCHITECTURE wire I2C Bus.
To design complex power The DPM, besides communicating with the main sys-
supplies using complete tem, can set through a graphical user interface (GUI) I2C
COTS solutions that integrate interface each Z-POL converter’s parameters such as,
output voltage, sequencing, tracking, protection type and
Front-end protections, EMI
thresholds, frequency, fault propagation, interleave and
filters, approved according to
feedback loop compensation. The DPM constantly moni-
Avionics and Military tors each Z-POL converter’s output voltage, current and
standards temperature, while the Z-POLs monitor and report their indi-
MIL-STD-704. 461, 1275 vidual status of, over and under voltage protection (OVP &
DO-160, ABD-100 UVP), and power good high and low (PGH & PGL). Data,
such as output voltage, output current, and temperature, are
Input Bus constantly updated and stored in the DPM’s shift register
and can be accessed in case of system failure. Such teleme-
try data can also be used to monitor the temperature at each
POL location.
Fault management between the Z-POL converters can
be programmed to act differently when faults occur. If no
fault propagation is required, the protection, depending on
fault severity, shuts down just the faulty Z-POL in a latching
or non-latching mode (hiccup with a 130ms period). Fault
propagation within a group of Z-POLs, besides shutting
Ouput Voltage
down the failed Z-POL, shuts down all the Z-POLs within the
U.S. & CANADA group and assures that the group is synchronously turned
1-888- 601-3169 (“Which Voltage Bus is Best?” continued on P34)
EUROPE
33.5.57.92.12.80

P30 xx
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POWER TECHNOLOGY • NOVEMBER 2005
One-Stop
Power Shop
Vicor offers power
architects a One-Stop
Power Shop, including:
• Component power converters
• Configurable power supplies
• Custom power supplies
• Accessories for all
Vicor offers families of high power density, component-level DC-DC
converters, families of configurable power supplies, and custom
solutions. Choices include input voltage, output voltage, power
ratings, performance characteristics, and package size.
This broad range of choices allows designers to select
products to fit their individual applications.
Configurable and custom products use standard
converters as core elements to offer higher
performance, higher power densities, lower
costs, greater flexibility, and faster delivery
than traditional competitive offerings.
Component-based, configurable, military
COTS, or custom power solutions? You’ll find
them all at Vicor, the One-Stop Power Shop. Factorized Power
Call 800-927-9474 to talk with a Vicor
Applications Engineer, or visit our website at:
vicorpower.com
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
 (“New ICs Simplify” continued from P14)
current level to one tenth of its maximum value as VFB
approaches 0V. Foldback current limiting is disabled
at start-up.
Margining is a resistor-programmable function
with the LTC3770. A resistor placed between the pro-
grammable margining input pin and ground sets the
margining current. This current multiplied by the
resistor between the VREFOUT and VREFIN pins sets,
determines the margining voltage offset. In addition,
the MSB and LSB logic inputs for the margining func-
tion together determine whether the IC is in margin
high, margin low, or no margin state. This functional
capability is particularly useful for designs who need
to stress their systems by varying supply voltage dur-
ing testing.
The LTC3770 has the ability to either soft start by
itself with a capacitor or track the output of another
supply. When the device is configured to soft start by
itself, a capacitor is connected to the TRACK/SS pin.
The LTC3770 is put in a low quiescent current shut-
down state if the RUN pin voltage is below 1.5V. The
TRACK/SS pin is actively pulled to ground in the
shutdown state. Once the RUN pin voltage is above
1.5V, the LTC3770 is powered up. A soft-start current
of 1.4µA then starts to charge the soft-start capacitor
CSS. Pin Z1 must be grounded for soft-start operation.
When the device is configured to track anoth-
er supply, the feedback voltage of the other supply
is duplicated by a resistor
divider and applied to the
TRACK/SS pin. In this case,
Pin Z1 should be tied to
INTVCC to turn off the soft-
start current in this mode.
Therefore, the voltage ramp
rate on this pin is determined
by the ramp rate of the other
supply output voltage.

Summary
Designers of POL dc/dc con-
verters for embedded systems
face many challenges due to
the multiple constraints of limit-
ed space and cooling within a
given enclosure, as well as the
need for the correct power sup-
ply tracking for improved sys-
tem reliability. Despite having to
navigate through this myriad of
constraints, the recently intro-
duced LTC3770, from Linear
Technology provides a simple,
compact, efficient and feature
rich solution.■

Figure 2. Functional block diagram of the LTC3770 (QFN package)

P32 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
 PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

(“Embedded Power” continued from P10)
feedback loop compensation and configuration.
Astec's DTX provides up to 50W of power from a 36V
to 75V input and offers outputs ranging from 0.96V to
1.44V. While each company uses the same PMBus
"language" to set parameters, the software used can
vary substantially.
Delta Electronics in conjunction with Primarion, a
PMBus adopter, announced Delta's Digital X-Power 30
(DXP30), which uses Primarion's digital multiphase
PWM controller. The DXP 30 delivers 30A, with an
input voltage range of 7V to 11V and provides
adjustable output voltage from 0.8V to 2.5V in digitally
defined steps of 1.62 mV. While more digital products
are coming to market, the market is still working out
which solutions, if any, are best.
Another perceived difference between PMBus
implementations and Power-One's approach is the
open-standard vs. proprietary design debate.
However, both sides fit on both sides of the debate.
Power-One formed the Z-Alliance with C&D
Technologies and Atmel in order to secure second
sourcing for the Z-One Digital IBA products so it is no
longer a single-source product. While the PMBus is
an open communications standard, the products that
use this standard are not necessarily going to be
compatible in terms of size or pin outs. So even
though PMBus products speak the same language,
they are not necessarily the same.
While the above discussion focuses on the sup-
ply side of digital power control and digital power
management, the demand side is beginning to
show signs of life, as well. Large OEMs including
IBM and EMC have expressed increasing interest
in using digital power technologies, with a few
caveats. The first caveat high on the list is price
parity. Several OEMs have indicated that once dig-
ital solutions reach price parity, more specifically,
acquisition cost price parity with analog solutions,
digital power solutions will be implemented.
Secondly, OEMs have indicated that they need to
be more involved in the design process of digital
power solutions rather than simply being left to
choose either a PMBus- or Z-Alliance-based solu-
tion. While digital power developments are domi-
nating the power news, the combination of grow-
ing markets for the IBA, PoE and digital power will
drive developments for embedded power market
for some time to come.■

(“Scalable Power”continued from P20) ciation for all that is involved in custom designing effi-
cient power conversion products for their blade server
clamp forward design based upon the UCC2894 active systems. The customer has even been discussing the
clamp current mode PWM controller. possibility of allocating in-house design resources
To help quickly bring the customer up to speed, uniquely dedicated to developing custom power sys-
TI provided a reference design and a working convert- tems for blade server applications.
er used as a learning aid for gaining a thorough under-
standing of active clamp forward converter principles. Summary
TI also delivered a custom-designed mathematical • A 1.5kW PSFB power supply with PFC was
model to predict the power converter module efficien- designed using the UCC3817 PFC boost pre-regu-
cy. Efficiency modeling is useful because it speeds up lator and UCC3895 Advanced Phase Shift PWM
the design verification process by allowing exploration controller.
of the effects on efficiency while varying design com- • Using the UCC2894 active clamp current mode
ponents or operating parameters. With TI’s design sup- PWM controller, a 200W dc to dc converter was
port, this customer was able to take their first active designed for reduced cost and high efficiency in a
clamp forward converter from concept to pre-produc- blade server application.
tion in less than six months. • Reference designs and efficiency modeling tools
The customer now has experience with two of the were provided to reduce design cycle time.
most efficient power topologies available and has scal- • Customer now has two scalable ZVS power designs
able power solutions from less than 100W to many to cover blade server applications from as low as
kilowatts. In addition, they have acquired a real appre- 100W to many kilowatts.■

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 • E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y P 33
 PART FO U R: EM BED D ED POWER
A SPECIAL S U P P L E M E N T TO EDN

(“PFC/PWM” continued from P24) and trailing-edge modulation in both normal opera-
tion and burst mode for stand-by, are essential ingre-
power consumption in normal operation. Fortunately dients for meeting the demand to operate modern
from the prospective of energy conservation, in the appliances with minimum power waste.
case of LCD and Plasma TVs, the size constraints com-
bined with the relatively high amount of heat produced Summary
are pushing the demand for efficient solutions inde- • Meet the Energy Star regulations in
pendently from the existence of any regulatory incen- stand by mode.
tives. The application of advanced architectures and • Consume a low amount of power during operation.
techniques, like ZVS and a combination of leading- • Meet the PFC specifications.■

(“Which Voltage Bus is Best?” continued from P30) than multiple calculations and massive component
changes which could have taken weeks to implement.
back on. The fault propagation to the system prop- Each parameter was individually adjusted with results of
agates the fault to all Z-POLs in the system. such adjustments instantly displayed (Figure 4).
The I2C connected to a PC based graphical user All performance parameters such as turn-on and
interface (GUI) was used to program and monitor the turn-off timing and rate (Figure 5) as well as output
output voltages and currents, as well as sequence transient response to load changes (Figure 6) were
and adjust the individual POL response parameters. simulated in real time and displayed on an oscillo-
The use of the GUI made the programming and sim- scope connected to the system.
ulation of the system very easy. Z-POL converter parame-
ters, such as loop gain, turn-on and turn-off time and rate, Summary
required only simple point-and-click adjustments rather • Having a variety of component choices from
a single vendor allowed this customer to select
the best solution for his system design.
• Selecting the right intermediate bus voltage,
the customer realized the highest overall system
efficiency.
• Usage of the ZY7115 vertically surface-mounted
Z-POLs significantly reduced the circuit board
space requirements.
• System design, development, and troubleshooting
were dramatically reduced.
• Using the same devices for all the output
voltage requirements minimized the inventory
of different components.
• Reduction in the number of discrete components
improved the overall system reliability.
• Customer met and exceeded all design and
budget goals, with timely market
Figure 4. GUI transfer function display introduction.■

P34 E D N P O W E R T E C H N O L O G Y • N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5
Enter xx at www.edn.com/info
PFC. Simplified.

Complete solutions. Optimized performance. One source.

Fairchild is intensely focused on power. Through our understanding
of system power issues, we are able to reduce component count
and overall EMI, simplifying power factor correction designs.
Stand-alone PFC controllers
• Broad portfolio of controllers for high, medium and low power
Stand-alone PFC controller and MOSFETs
applications, including discontinuous, continuous and ZVS modes
Combined PFC/PWM controllers
• Reduced part count increases system reliability
• Synchronized clocks lower ripple currents and EMI AC VIN Bridge
Rectifier
DC VOUT

SuperFET™ MOSFETs:
PFC/PWM
Combo
• Fairchild’s proprietary Super Junction FET technology offers Optically
state-of-the-art FOM, increasing system efficiency Isolated
Error Amplifier

Stealth® Diodes: Integrated PFC/PWM controllers and MOSFETs

• Hyperfast diode technology combined with “soft” recovery Note: Fairchild’s products are shown in red.
characteristics increases system reliability and reduces EMI

For more information on our PFC solutions, innovative www.fairchildsemi.com

packaging, tools, demo boards, and application notes,
visit www.fairchildsemi.com/acdc/pfc1.
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