
AN-31
10
B
4/03
The best way to assess the reset characteristics is to observe the
drain-to-source voltage on the
DPA-Switch
. Figure 7 (a) shows
the voltage on the prototype example when it operates from an
input of 72 VDC. It is operating at full load with a reset capacitor
(C
) of 2.2 nF across the output rectifier. The clamp capacitor
on the primary is 47 pF. See Design Idea DI-24 (available on
www.powerint.com) for a circuit example.
The figure shows the important intervals of the waveform
within one switching period T
.
DPA-Switch
is conducting
during the time t
= D T
, where D is the duty ratio. Flux in the
transformer increases in the positive direction during t
, and
resets to zero during the interval t
. All the energy stored in the
magnetizing inductance is removed during t
to charge the
reset capacitor and the clamp capacitor to maximum voltage.
The flux increases in the negative direction during the interval
t
as the reset capacitor and the clamp capacitor discharge into
the magnetizing inductance. The flux remains a constant negative
value during the interval t
, where the voltage on the transformer
windings is zero. It is easy to see that the primary voltage is zero
during t
because the drain voltage is the same as the input of
72 V. The negative magnetizing current circulates in the
secondary winding during t
V0
.
Figure 7(b) shows the drain voltage on the same circuit when it
operates at the nominal input of 48 VDC. The larger duty ratio
is consistent with the lower input voltage. Note that the intervals
t
and tRN are the same as at 72 V input, but now t
V0
is nearly
zero.
Figure 7(c) shows the situation at input voltage of 36 VDC, with
a corresponding larger duty ratio. The transformer has reset to
zero flux because the drain voltage has reached its peak during
the interval t
RZ
. The drain voltage is in the region of negative
flux when the
DPA-Switch
turns on.
Peak drain voltage under normal operating conditions should
be less than 150 V. This includes peaks in the drain voltage from
the reset of both leakage inductance and magnetizing inductance.
Figure 8 shows three cases of improper transformer reset. The
prototype example has been modified to create these illustrations.
The RC network has been removed from the output rectifier to
obtain the waveform in Figure 8(a). The clamp capacitor C
on
the primary is 47 pF. The magnetizing energy resets into only
the clamp capacitor and other stray capacitance. Consequently,
at 72 V input the drain voltage goes higher than desired. The
figure shows the maximum drain voltage at 152 V, in contrast
to 140 V in Figure 7(a) with a proper reset network. The Zener
clamp voltage of 150 V is specified at a current of 1 mA.
Although the Zener clamp just barely conducts at 152 V, there
is not sufficient margin in this design to tolerate a transformer
with lower primary inductance.
Figure 8(b) illustrates the situation of too much capacitance.
The RC reset network has been restored with a proper capacitance
of 2.2 nF, but C
is increased to 470 pF, ten times the original
value. The waveform shows operation at 36 VDC input and full
load. The flux in the transformer has just barely reset to zero, as
the
DPA-Switch
turns on at the end of the t
interval. A larger
magnetizing inductance or a lower input voltage would not
allow the transformer to reset.
The final example of an improper transformer reset is Figure
8(c). Primary clamp capacitor CCP is restored to its original
value of 47 pF, but the reset capacitor is increased to 47 nF. The
converter is operating at 36 VDC. The drain voltage shows
clearly that the transformer is not resetting completely. The
DPA-Switch
turns on within the interval t
. The flux in the
transformer has not returned to zero. A small change in operating
conditions could cause the transformer to saturate on every
cycle or to run so close to saturation that it could not
accommodate change in duty ratio from a load step.
Output Capacitors
The ripple current in the output inductor generates a voltage
ripple on the output capacitors. Part of the ripple voltage comes
from the integration of the current by the capacitance, and part
comes from the voltage that appears across the capacitor’s
equivalent series resistance (ESR). The capacitor must be
selected such that the capacitance is high enough and the ESR
is low enough to give acceptable voltage ripple with the chosen
output inductor. Usually most of the ripple voltage comes from
the ESR. Ripple voltage that is dominated by ESR has a
triangular waveform like the ripple current in the inductor.
Ripple voltage that is dominated by the capacitance has a
waveform with segments that are parabolic instead of linear.
Output capacitors in DC-DC converters are typically solid
tantalum. They are a good choice because of their low ESR and
low impedance at the frequencies used in these converters. The
ESR is also an important element in the design of the feedback
loop. In this regard, a moderate amount of ESR is desirable. The
section on Feedback Design elaborates on the values of the
components in the feedback circuit.
It is important for designers to know that the value of ESR may
change significantly over the specified temperature range. The
output ripple and the stability of the control loop can be affected
by the change in ESR. It is necessary to evaluate prototype
hardware at the extremes of temperature to confirm satisfactory
performance.
The voltage rating for the capacitors is typically 25% higher
than the maximum operating voltage for reliability. The derating
factor is thus 80%. For example, a 5 V output would have a
capacitor that is rated for either 6.3 V or 10 V. The lower voltage
capacitor would be smaller, whereas the higher voltage capacitor
would have a lower failure rate in the application.