
M
Detailed Description
The MAX8869 features Dual Mode operation, allowing a
fixed output of +5V, +3.3V, +2.5V, +1.8V, or +1.0V, or
adjustable output from +0.8V to +5.0V. The regulators
are guaranteed to supply 1A of continuous output cur-
rent with only 1μF of output capacitance.
As shown in the functional diagram (Figure 1), the
device has a 0.8V reference, error amplifier, MOSFET
driver, P-channel pass transistor, internal feedback
voltage-divider, soft-start function, reset timer, and Dual
Mode and low V
OUT
comparators.
The 0.8V reference is connected to the error amplifier
’
s
inverting input. The error amplifier compares this refer-
ence with the selected feedback voltage and amplifies
the difference. The MOSFET driver reads the error sig-
nal and applies the appropriate drive to the P-channel
transistor. If the feedback voltage is high, the pass tran-
sistor
’
s gate is pulled up, allowing less current to pass
to the output. The low V
OUT
comparator senses when
the feedback voltage has dropped 8% below its
expected level, causing
RST
to go low.
The output voltage is fed back through either an inter-
nal resistor-divider connected to OUT or an external
resistor network connected to SET. The Dual Mode
comparator examines V
SET
and selects the feedback
path. If V
SET
is below 80mV, the internal feedback path
is used and the output voltage is regulated to the facto-
ry-preset voltage. Otherwise, the output voltage is set
with the external resistor-divider.
Internal P-Channel Pass Transistor
The MAX8869 features a 1A P-channel MOSFET pass
transistor. Unlike similar designs using PNP pass tran-
sistors, P-channel MOSFETs require no base drive,
which reduces quiescent current. PNP-based regula-
tors also waste considerable current in dropout when
the pass transistor saturates and use high base-drive
currents under large loads. The MAX8869 does not suf-
fer from these problems and consumes only 500μA of
quiescent current even in dropout.
1A, MicroCap, Low-Dropout,
Linear Regulator
6
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Pin Description
PIN
NAME
FUNCTION
1, 9, 16
N.C.
No Connection. Not internally connected.
2, 3, 4, 5
IN
Regulator Input. Connect to power source (+2.7V to +5.5V). Bypass with 1
μ
F or greater
capacitor to GND (see
Capacitor Selection and Regulator Stability
). Connect all IN pins
together for proper operation.
6
RST
Reset O utp ut. O p en- d ai n outp ut i s l ow w hen V
OU T
i s 8% b el ow i s nom nal val ue.
RST
r em ai ns
l ow w hi e the outp ut vol ag e ( V
OUT
) i s b el ow the r eset thr eshol d and for at l east 3m s after V
OUT
r ses to w hi n r eg ul ati on. C onnect a 100k
p ul up r esi stor to O U T to ob ai n an outp ut vol ag e.
7
SHDN
Active-Low Shutdown Input. A logic low reduces the supply current to 0.1
μ
A. Connect
SHDN
to IN for normal operation. In shutdown,
RST
is low and the soft-start capacitor discharges.
8
SS
Soft-Start Control Pin. Connect a soft-start capacitor from SS to GND (see
Soft-Start Capacitor
Selection
). Leave SS open to disable soft-start.
10
GND
Ground. This pin and the exposed pad also function as a heatsink. Solder both to a large pad
or to the circuit-board ground plane to maximize power dissipation.
11
SET
Voltage-Setting Input. Connect SET to GND for factory-preset output voltage. Connect SET to
an external resistor-divider for adjustable output operation.
12, 13, 14, 15
OUT
Regulator Output. Bypass with a 1
μ
F or greater low-ESR capacitor to GND (see
Capacitor
Selection and Regulator Stability
). Connect all OUT pins together for proper operation.