
June 1996
TOPSwitch
Flyback
Design Methodology
Application Note AN-16
Designing an off-line switching power supply involves many
aspects of electrical engineering: analog and digital circuits,
bipolar and MOS power device characteristics, magnetics,
thermal considerations, safety requirements, control loop
stability, etc. This presents an enormous challenge involving
complex trade-offs with a large number of design variables.
However, with
TOPSwitch
’s high level of integration, this
design task has been greatly simplified. Because of the
significantly reduced number of design variables and built-in
loop stability, it is possible to develop a simple step-by-step
design method that is easy to follow and quickly leads to
satisfactory results.
Introduction
The design of a switching power supply, by nature, is an
iterative process with many variables that have to be adjusted to
optimize the design. The design method described below
consists of three parts: a complete design flow chart, a simplified
step-by-step design procedure and an in-depth information
section. The flow chart, at conceptual level, serves as a map
providing an overall picture and guideline for the complete
design methodology. The step-by-step design procedure is a
simplified version of the design method which, at implementation
level, guides the reader from a set of given system requirements/
specifications all the way to the completion of the desired
TOPSwitch
flyback power supply using rules of thumb, look up
tables and a simple spread sheet program. The information
section, at optimization level, makes available the key
background information for the design method, such as equations
and guidelines. Cross references are provided among the three
which allow the reader to switch among conceptual,
implementation and optimization levels at any given stage for
an in-depth understanding and/or further optimization.
Basic circuit configuration
Because of the high level integration of
TOPSwitch
, many
power supply design issues are resolved in the chip. Far fewer
issues are left to be addressed externally, resulting in one basic
circuit configuration remaining unchanged from application to
application. Different output power levels may require the use
of different values for some circuit components, but the circuit
configuration itself stays valid. Application specific issues
outside of the basic flyback converter requirements (such as
constant current, constant power outputs, etc.) are beyond the
Figure 1. Typical TOPSwitch Flyback Power Supply.
FUSE
CM
CHOKE
VAC
CX
V+
+VD-
+VDB-
Clamp Zener
Blocking Diode
V-
PI-1849-050696
VO
CIN
+
-
-
+
TOPSwitch
Output Capacitor
Output Post Filter L, C
Bias Capacitor
Control Pin Capacitor
and Series Resistor
Feedback Circuit
DRAIN
SOURCE
CONTROL