
LTC4267
19
4267f
APPLICATIOU
Signature Disable Interface
To disable the 25k
Ω
 signature resistor, connect SIGDISA pin 
to the V
PORTP
 pin. Alternately, SIGDISA pin can be driven 
high with respect to V
PORTN
. An example of a signature 
disable interface is shown in Figure 16, option 2. Note that 
the SIGDISA input resistance is relatively large and the 
threshold voltage is fairly low. Because of high voltages 
present on the printed circuit board, leakage currents from 
the V
PORTP
 pin could inadvertently pull SIGDISA high. To 
ensure trouble-free operation, use high voltage layout 
techniques in the vicinity of SIGDISA. If unused, connect 
SIGDISA to V
PORTN
.
W
U
U
Load Capacitor
The IEEE 802.3af specification requires that the PD maintain 
a minimum load capacitance of 5μF (provided by C1 in 
Figure 11). It is permissible to have a much larger load 
capacitor and the LTC4267 can charge very large load 
capacitors before thermal issues become a problem. The 
load capacitor must be large enough to provide sufficient 
energy for proper operation of the switching regulator. 
However, the capacitor must not be too large or the PD 
design may violate IEEE 802.3af requirements. 
If the load capacitor is too large, there can be a problem 
with inadvertent power shutdown by the PSE. Consider 
the following scenario. If the PSE is running at –57V 
(maximum allowed) and the PD has detected and powered 
up, the load capacitor will be charged to nearly –57V. If 
for some reason the PSE voltage is suddenly reduced to 
–44V (minimum allowed), the input bridge will reverse bias 
and the PD power will be supplied by the load capacitor. 
Depending on the size of the load capacitor and the DC load 
of the PD, the PD will not draw any power for a period of 
time. If this period of time exceeds the IEEE 802.3af 300ms 
disconnect delay, the PSE will remove power from the PD. 
For this reason, it is necessary to ensure that inadvertent 
shutdown cannot occur. 
Very small output capacitors (≤10μF) will charge very 
quickly in current limit. The rapidly changing voltage at 
the output may reduce the current limit temporarily, caus-
ing the capacitor to charge at a somewhat reduced rate. 
Conversely, charging a very large capacitor may cause the 
current limit to increase slightly. In either case, once the 
output voltage reaches its final value, the input current 
limit will be restored to its nominal value.
The load capacitor can store significant energy when fully 
charged. The design of a PD must ensure that this energy 
is not inadvertently dissipated in the LTC4267. The polar-
ity-protection diode(s) prevent an accidental short on the 
cable from causing damage. However, if the V
PORTN
 pin 
is shorted to V
PORTP
 inside the PD while the capacitor 
is charged, current will flow through the parasitic body 
diode of the internal MOSFET and may cause permanent 
damage to the LTC4267.
Maintain Power Signature
In an IEEE 802.3af system, the PSE uses the maintain 
power signature (MPS) to determine if a PD continues to 
require power. The MPS requires the PD to periodically 
draw at least 10mA and also have an AC impedance less 
than 26.25k
Ω
 in parallel with 0.05μF. If either the DC 
current is less than 10mA or the AC impedance is above 
26.25k
Ω
,
 the PSE may disconnect power. The DC current 
must be less than 5mA and the AC impedance must be 
above 2M
Ω
 to guarantee power will be removed.
Selecting Feedback Resistor Values
The regulated output voltage of the switching regulator is 
determined by the resistor divider across V
OUT
 (R1 and 
R2 in Figure 11) and the error amplifier reference voltage 
V
REF
. The ratio of R2 to R1 needed to produce the desired 
voltage can be calculated as:
 R2 = R1  (V
OUT
 – V
REF
)/V
REF
In an isolated power supply application, V
REF
 is determined 
by the designer’s choice of an external error amplifier. 
Commercially available error amplifiers or programmable 
shunt regulators may include an internal reference of 
1.25V or 2.5V. Since the LTC4267 internal reference and 
error amplifier are not used in an isolated design, tie the 
V
FB
 pin to PGND.
In a nonisolated power supply application, the LTC4267 
onboard internal reference and error amplifier can be 
used. The resistor divider output can be tied directly to 
the V
FB
 pin. The internal reference of the LTC4267 is 0.8V 
nominal.