
M
Dynamically-Adjustable, Synchronous Step-Down
Controller with Integrated Voltage Positioning
______________________________________________________________________________________
17
easy design methodology and predictable output volt-
age ripple.
where K is set by the TON pin-strap connection, and
75mV is an approximation to accommodate for the
expected drop across the low-side MOSFET switch and
current-sense resistor (Table 3).
The on-time one-shot has good accuracy at the operat-
ing points specified in the
Electrical Characteristics
table. On-times at operating points far removed from
the conditions specified can vary over a wide range.
For example, the 1000kHz setting will typically run
about 10% slower with inputs much greater than +5V,
due to the very short on-times required.
Although the on-time is set by TON, the input voltage,
and the output voltage, other factors also contribute to
the overall switching frequency. The on-time guaran-
teed in the
Electrical Characteristics
table is influenced
by switching delays in the external high-side MOSFET.
Resistive losses
—
including the inductor, both
MOSFETs, output capacitor ESR, and PC board copper
losses in the output and ground
—
tend to raise the
switching frequency at higher output currents. Switch
dead-time can increase the effective on-time, reducing
the switching frequency. This effect occurs only in
PWM mode (SKP/
SDN
= float) when the inductor cur-
rent reverses at light or negative load currents. With
reversed inductor current, the inductor
’
s EMF causes
LX to go high earlier than normal, extending the on-time
by a period equal to the DH-rising dead-time (26ns
typ).
When the controller operates in continuous
mode, the dead-time is no longer a factor, and the
actual switching frequency is:
where V
DROP1
is the sum of the parasitic voltage drops
in the inductor discharge path, including synchronous
rectifier, inductor, and PC board resistances; V
DROP2
is
the sum of the resistances in the charging path, includ-
ing high-side switch, inductor, and PC board resis-
tances; and t
ON
is the on-time calculated by the
MAX1813.
Automatic Pulse-Skipping Switchover
In skip mode (SKP/
SDN
= high, Table 4), an inherent
automatic switchover to PFM takes place at light
loads (Figure 3). This switchover is controlled by a
comparator that truncates the low-side switch on-time
at the inductor current
’
s zero crossing. This mechanism
causes the threshold between pulse-skipping PFM and
nonskipping PWM operation to coincide with the
boundary between continuous and discontinuous
inductor-current operation. For a 7V to 24V input volt-
age range, this threshold is relatively constant, with
=
+
+
SW
OUT
(V
(V
DROP1
V
ON
IN
DROP1
V
DROP2
V
)
t
)
t
K(V
75mV)
V
ON
OUT
IN
=
+
TON SETTING
(kHz)
K-FACTOR
(
μ
s)
APPROXIMATE
K-FACTOR ERROR
(%)
MINIMUM RECOMMENDED V
BATT
AT V
OUT
= 1.4V (V)
200
300
600
1000
4.9
3.3
1.8
1.05
±
9
±
10
±
13
±
13
1.8
2.0
2.9
3.5
Table 3. Approximate K-Factor Errors
I
I
LOAD
= I
PEAK
/2
ON-TIME
0
TIME
I
PEAK
L
V
BATT
- V
OUT
i
t
=
Figure 3. Pulse-Skipping/Discontinuous Crossover Point