Closed

Loop
Flyback
Converter
Group 16

Ahlmahz Negash
Kim Wharton
Kami Zhong

Abstract
The closed loop flyback converter is a type of transformer isolated converter typically utilized in low power
switching applications. Through PSpice simulation, converter performance specifications were explored, and
time of prototyping minimized. The final design components include a MUR420 PIN diode, MTP 3055
MOSFET, SG3524 pulse width modulator, and an LM317 voltage regulator. A type 2 K-factor control model
was used to realize constant output voltage. The final cost of this converter is $20.89.
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Contents

Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3

Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Topology ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Theory of Operation ............................................................................................................................ 4

Design Specifications ........................................................................................................................... 6

Hardware Implementation .................................................................................................................. 9

Analysis of Final Results..................................................................................................................... 10

Conclusion............................................................................................................................................. 12

Appendix I ............................................................................................................................................. 15

Appendix II ........................................................................................................................................ 16

Appendix III ....................................................................................................................................... 17

References ............................................................................................................................................ 18

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Introduction
This design is a closed loop flyback converter, which is a transformer isolated converter. It is derived
from the buck-boost converter in that the inductor is split to form the transformer. The Flyback
converter applications are usually used in switch mode power supplies for devices such as cell phone
chargers. The ratio of the transformer turns can be used to adjust the output voltage range, which
effectively bucks or boosts the input voltage, making it useful in various output load applications.
Additional windings on the transformer can be cheap way of producing several different output voltage
levels.

Discussion
The following subsections explain, briefly, the basics of general flyback converter topology and
operation as well as a detailed description and analysis of our specific converter, including its operation
specifications, and hardware implementations.

Topology
The flyback converter requires minimal components and is very similar to a buck-boost converter. The
figure below shows the basic topology of an open loop flyback converter.

Figure 1. Basic Flyback Topology. Courtesy of “Flyback Converters for Dummies” by Ronald Dekker

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It should be noted that while the above diagram shows the secondary of the transformer having a
greater number of turns, this is not necessary. Often, a one to one turns-ratio is used such that the
transformer is simply an isolation transformer.

The switch (MOSFET) is located on the low side of the primary to eliminate “high side switching
problems” while the diode is connected to the low side of the secondary.

Theory of Operation

A flyback converter is a buck-boost converter with its inductor split to form a transformer. They are
commonly used in low power level applications, below 50 watts. A basic schematic of the converter is in
figure 1. The transformer winding often consists of a 1:1 turn ratio, however, using different turns ratio
on the transformer brings in more flexibility to optimize the design for duty cycle, stress, and efficiency.

One of the basic elements (without the control circuit) consists of a switching MOSFET, which in Figure 1
is represented by an ideal switch. At the moment t=0, the buffer capacitor charges to the output
voltage (Vout) and the current through the primary windings is zero. The MOSFET closes at t = 0, and
current starts to flow through the primary winding of the transformer. This will induce a voltage in the
secondary winding with reverse polarity as indicated by the dots on the transformer. The diode will be
in reverse bias with no current flowing through the secondary winding. The primary side current will
increase linearly inducing a voltage over to the secondary winding, causing the diode to block the
reverse voltage of Vin*n + Vout.

At the moment that the switch opens (seeFigure 2) the energy that is stored on the primary side of the
transformer induces a voltage at the secondary side. This voltage is high enough to forward bias the
diode. The voltage in the secondary winding will equal Vout plus the voltage drop across the diode.
While the switch is in the open position it has to block Vin + Vout/ #turns, where #turns is the number of
turns on the secondary side.

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Figure 2. Phase two, dumping the energy from the transformer into the buffer capacitor

(Source http://www.dos4ever.com/flyback)

This continues until all the energy stored in the transformer is dumped through the buffer capacitor. At
this point, the induced emf at the primary side will vanish. The parasitic capacitance of the switch will
charge to Vout + Vin. The primary side has now formed a series resonant tank with a charged capacitor.
This will cause a dampened oscillation as shown in figure 3.

Figure 3. Voltage over the switch during all three phases

(Source http://www.dos4ever.com/flyback)

Figure 3 shows the drain-source voltage during on and off phase of the converter. The voltage during
the close phase drops over the switch caused by the non-zero on resistance. The current will increase
linearly. This causes the voltage to drop over Ron linearly (point a in Figure 2). The switch opens at point
b and the secondary current starts to flow. The output voltage will transform over the primary winding.
The MOSFET will block Vin and all the energy will dump in the capacitor and the secondary current goes
to zero causing the induced emf at the primary to vanish. The drain and source capacitor is charged,
now connected in series with the inductance of the primary winding resulting in a dampened oscillation.
The switch will close again and the remaining energy in the LC tank will dissipate in the transistor.

A disadvantage of the flyback converters is the need for snubber to prevent voltage spikes. No
transformer is perfectly ideal. There are always magnetic field lines generated by the primary windings
that are not enclosed by the secondary windings. This cause leakage inductance usually modeled as a
small inductor in series with the primary winding of the transformer. The energy that is stored in the
transformer is dumped in the buffer capacitor, but this does not include the small amount of energy
stored as stray inductance. The opening and closing of the switch causes sharp voltage peak just as any

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inductor that is disconnected from a DC current. The small stray inductor connected in series with the
source drain capacitance will cause a dampened high frequency oscillation. To prevent this from
occurring, the switching transistor can be protected by an RC snubber network or a zener diode which is
used to limit the maximum source-drain voltage.

Design Specifications

The specifications of our particular flyback converter are as follows:

Table 1. Design Specifications

Design Parameter Min Max Units

Input Voltage 4 8 V

Output Voltage 4.9 5.1 V

Output Ripple -10% 10% V

Efficiency* 45 55 %

Load Current 0.1 0.5 A

Switching Frequency 95 105 kHz

Overshoot 0 0.5 V

Start Time 0 100 ms

*See discussion on change in this specification on page 12

In order to implement the above specifications, we propose the design shown in the schematic below.

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Figure 4: Open Loop Flyback Converter Model for Frequency Response Analysis

From this open loop model, we first plot its transfer function (see body plot below) and then extract the
necessary information needed for closed loop control circuitry. These values have been included in the
appendix.
40

-0

-40

-80

-120

-160

-200
10Hz 30Hz 100Hz 300Hz 1.0KHz 3.0KHz 10KHz 30KHz 100KHz
VP(U1:1) VDB(U1:1)
Frequency

Figure 5: Open Loop Frequency Response

Based on the desired crossover frequency, gain and phase, it is evident that both type 3 and type 2
K-factor controllers are appropriate.

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The following schematic is a simulation model of the entire flyback converter including its feedback
control circuitry.

Figure 6: Closed loop schematic

5.20V

5.15V

5.10V

5.05V

5.00V

4.95V

4.90V
0s 5ms 10ms 15ms 20ms 25ms 30ms 35ms 40ms 45ms 50ms
V(U2:1)
Time

Figure 7: Output voltage at minimum and maximum load (switch at t=2ms from min to max load)

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The above graph demonstrates how our designed flyback responds to rapid load switch. Since the
transient peak is about 5.16V and the minimum about 4.91, this converter’s output stays within the
rated minimum and maximum output voltage as outlined in the design specifications.

Hardware Implementation

For flyback converters, the transformer is perhaps the most important component as it determines
many performance factors such as efficiency and output regulation. Unlike a normal transformer, the
flyback transformer is in essence, an inductor that provides energy, coupling and isolation. (Fairchild
Semiconductor, AN-4140). Additionally, the MOSFET and diode ratings must also be considered. For all
other components, we simply use the cheapest types available. The following is a list of the required
parts for our flyback converter.

Table 2. Bill of Materials

Part Model/Type Attribute Quantity Cost

Isolation Transformer HA3994-AL 1 : 0.5 1 $4.99

Capacitors (Ceramic) 0.001 1 $0.20
0.01uF 6 $1.2
0.1uF 5 $1.0
Capacitors (Electrolytic) 10uF 1 $0.40
330uF 1 $0.40
1000uF 2 $0.80
Resistors ±5% .25W 300 1 $0.10
500 1 $0.10
200 1 $0.10
2k 2 $0.20
33k 2 $0.20
100 1 $0.10
10k 1 $0.10
Potentiometer ¾ turn 10k 2 $2.00
100k 2 $2.00
PIN Diode MUR 420 1 $0.80
Diode IN34A Germanium 2 $1.00
MOSFET MTP 3055 3-Terminal 1 $1.00
MOSFET Driver MC 34151 8 DIP 1 $2.00
PWM Controller SG 3524 16 DIP 1 $1.60
Voltage Regulator LM317-T 3-Terminal 1 $0.60
Total Cost $20.89
*Note: The cost of a flyback transformer is in the range of $49 - $100 (Source: Linear Technology,
http://www.linear.com/pc/productDetail.jsp?navId=H0,C1,C1003,C1042,C1113,P868
61
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Analysis of Final Results

For any converter, one major design tradeoff is between efficiency and output voltage ripple. For the
purpose of this particular flyback converter, it was determined that minimizing output ripple should
supersede efficiency. A normal type 2 K-factor controlled converter without snubbers produces an
output with very high switching transients. Figure() shows that this transient ripple was over 70% of the
output voltage.

Figure 8a. Without the snubber Figure 8b. With snubber, large output capacitor

Since large output capacitors are generally excellent for controlling ripple, the output capacitor was
quadrupled and an RCD snubber was placed across both the switching power pole diode and MOSFET.
This improved the ripple tremendously, bringing it to within specifications. Figure () shows the output
voltage with the snubbers in place.

Overshoot specifications were also met once the ripple was brought under control. In the snapshot
shown in Figure 8c, the overshoot 0.460V - just under the required 0.5V.

Figure 8c. Overshoot measurement.

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The type2 K-factor controller was very effective in maintaining a constant output voltage within
relatively tight specifications. The closed loop response was able to control ouput voltage regardless of
variations in eiter load or input voltage. The following graphs show output voltage vs load and input
changes.

Figure 9. Output voltage vs. input voltage, and output voltage vs load

As mentioned before, output ripple took precedence over efficiency. The table below shows the
efficiency of the converter at various loads and input voltages. It is evident that efficiency decreased
with increasing load resistance.

Table 3. Converter efficiency at various loads/input Table 4. Input/Output Power

Vin Vout Rload Efficiency Power In Power Out

4 4.97 20 47.50 High Load 2.5W 1.2W
5 4.97 20 48.43 Low Load 1.2W 0.5W
6 4.96 20 50.00
7 4.97 20 53.47
8 4.97 20 51.46

4 5.13 33 43.34
5 5.14 33 50.04
6 5.14 33 49.42
7 5.13 33 43.82
8 5.12 33 39.72

4 4.95 50 39.52
5 4.95 50 42.61
6 4.95 50 42.99
7 4.95 50 38.89
8 4.95 50 38.29
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There are two major sources for this low efficiency. First, low input voltages always give poor efficiency.
This is due to the losses of the various converter components. However, as input voltages increase, the
power consumed by these devices becomes less dominant. Second, snubbers, which are good for
decreasing switching transients, can also decrease efficiency. Judging from the above table, this
converter is best suited for very low power electronics.

Justification of Design

The major components of the flyback converter are 1) the transformer, 2)the PWM controller, and 3)
the gate driver . Each of these components plays an important role in flyback functions.

Transformer: HA3994-AL

There are a host of available flyback transformers to choose from. When choosing a transformer, turns
ratio, leakage inductance, and operational ratings must be considered. Initially, our transformer was
built using a core designed for an inductor; this allowed for far too much leakage. As such, a purpose
built, flyback transformer with appropriate ratings was used, as it improved the performance of the
converter. The transformer used in this design is unique in that it has two parallel primary windings.
When connected in parallel, the input rating is between -5 and 24 V. However, in series, this value
doubles. While it ultimately proved unnecessary to connect the primary in series, it was chosen for use
as a backup solution.

PWM: SG3524

This particular pulse width modulator serves several purposes. As the block diagram below shows,
incorporated within the SG3524 is an oscillator. This oscillator serves as a square wave generator that
sets the switching frequency of the converter. Additionally, the internal comparator at pins 1, 2 and 9
are crucial to the control circuitry.

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Figure 11. SG3524 block diagram. Source: National Semiconductor

The voltage at pin 2 of the comparator varies depending on the selected duty cycle of the oscillator.
When the output voltage is connected to pin 1 (after first being divided down to the value measured at
pin 2, in our case: 2.3V) the control circuitry at pin 9 will adjust the pulse width of the oscillator so that
there is no deviation at pin 1 from 2.3V. Thus, the output remains constant regardless of changes in load
or input voltage.

Gate Driver: MC 34151

The MC34151 is a high speed driver with low current input. It is specifically designed for driving large
capacitive loads and is ideal for use in dc to dc converters. Its use is required since the SG3524 does not
produce a high enough current to drive the gate of the MOSFET. Although gate drivers can be
integrated within a controller IC, separating the gate-drive function from the PWM controller allows the
controller to run cooler by eliminating high peak currents needed to drive a power MOSFET.

Problems Encountered

The two main problems encountered during the implementation process were:

1) getting the type three feedback circuit to work, and

2) achieving 80 percent efficiency.

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The problem with the feedback circuit was that every time there was an increase or decrease in the
input voltage a change would occur in the output voltage. Multiple attempts to adjust the values of the
components proved to be unsuccessful. After consulting the original bode plot for the flyback
converter, we choose a crossover frequency closer to the resonant frequency; this resulted in a type 2 K-
factor controller. This adjustment caused the converter to operate sufficiently.

The next problem encountered was trying to get the efficiency to 80 percent. After installing two
snubbers to decrease switching transients, (one across the MOSFET, and another across diode), the
efficiency suddenly decreased. Increasing the resistance in the snubber improved output ripple but
caused the input current to rise, thus reducing overall efficiency. Decreasing the resistance improved the
efficiency, but was ineffective in reducing transient ripple. To fix this problem we increased the output
capacitance, which greatly improved the output ripple, allowing the use of the more efficient snubber.
This increased the overall efficiency from 19 percent to 50 percent.

Changes in Preliminary Design Specifications:

Due to the problems mention above, two changes were made to the initial design specifications:

1) Controller was changed from type 3 to type 2 feedback

2) Efficiency was reduced from 75-85 percent to 45-55 percent. (80 percent efficiency is not
possible since the input voltage is so small.)

Conclusion
The equation used to derive the output voltage of the boost converter is the same equation for the
flyback converter. The boost converter and the flyback converter are based on the dumping of energy
from the primary winding of a transformer to the load. The purpose of the transformer is to lower the
voltage over the switch.

The flyback converter has a big advantage over the boost converter, since the boost converter switching
MOSFET has to carry large current during the on phase and high voltage during the off phase. The
flyback converter during the off phase transforms the voltage down to a value determined by the turns
ratio. This means that a MOSFET with a much lower Ron can be used. The diode in the boost converter
has to carry both high current and high reverse voltage, while the diode in the flyback converter is on
the secondary side has to only block high voltage while the current is low. This makes it possible to
select a diode with smaller capacitances and higher switching speed. This results in reducing losses and
increasing efficiency.

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Appendix I

Table: Values (used to calculate control parameters of type 3 K-factor controller)

Parameter Value

Crossover Frequency 1608 Hz

dB Gain 28.5 dB

Phase -133 ˚

Transconductance gain 0.002 S

∆Vr 3.6 V

Kfb 0.3

Output Voltage 5.0V

Table: Control Realization Parameters

Parameter Value

Rb 10kΩ

R1 100kΩ

R2 986Ω

R3 3.5kΩ

C1 .28 µF

C2 39 nF

C3 2.7nF

Vref 0.4545V

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Appendix II

Table: Values (used to calculate control parameters of type 3 K-factor controller)

Parameter Value

Crossover Frequency 1215 Hz

dB Gain 33.6 dB

Phase -100 ˚

Transconductance gain 0.002 S

∆Vr 2.4 V

Kfb 0.3

Output Voltage 5.0V

Table: Control Realization Parameters

Parameter Value

R 85Ω

C1 .27 µF

C2 8.4 µF

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Appendix III

Complete Schematic

Figure 12. Complete Schematic.

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References:
1. N. Mohan, First Course on Power Electronics, 2009 Edition, MNPERE, Minneapolis, 2009.
2. R. Dekker, “Flyback Converters for Dummies”, (Source http://www.dos4ever.com/flyback)
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyback_converter
4. Davis, S., Design FAQ’s, Frequently Asked Questions, Power-MOSFET Gate Drivers,
http://electronicdesign.com/Files/29/8415/8415_01.pdf

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