MIC184
Micrel
MIC184
16
May 2006
from the device under test.
2. Write 0000 0010b (02h) to the CONFIG register.
3. Write 1100 1000 1000 0000b = C880h to T_SET
and T_HYST. This corresponds to -55.5癈.
4. Wait t
conv
(160ms max.) for the part to nish at
least one A/D conversion.
5. Read the contents of the CONFIG register:
  a)   If the part is an MIC184, the MSB will be set
    to one (CONFIG = 82h).
  b)   If the part is a conventional LM75-type part,
    the MSB will be zero (CONFIG = 02h).
6. Write 0111 1111 1000 0000b = 7F80h to T_SET
and T_HYST. This corresponds to +127.5癈.
7. Wait an additional t
conv
for the part to nish a
second conversion.
8. Read CONFIG again, to clear the interrupt
request from step (7). This will also clear STS, if
the part under test is an MIC184.
9. Based on the results of the test in step (4), do
the following four steps within 50ms total:
  a)   Set the CONFIG register as required.
  b)   Load T_HYST with its operational value.
  c)   Load T_SET with its operational value.
  d)   Re-enable the hosts interrupt handling input
    from the part under test.
{END}
These routines force the device under test to generate an
overtemperature fault (steps 3 and 4), followed by an under-
temperature fault (steps 6 through 8). This sequence causes
the device under test to exit the routine prepared to respond
to an overtemperature condition. If being immediately pre-
pared to detect an undertemperature condition upon exit is
desired, swap steps 3 and 6 in each routine.
Remote Diode Selection
Most small-signal PNP transistors with characteristics similar
to the JEDEC 2N3906 will perform well as remote tempera-
ture sensors. Table 3 lists several examples of such parts.
Micrel has tested those marked with a bullet for use with the
MIC184.
Minimizing Errors
Self-Heating
One concern when using a part with the temperature accuracy
and resolution of the MIC184 is to avoid errors induced by
self-heating (V
DD
?I
DD
). In order to understand what level of
error this might represent, and how to reduce that error, the
dissipation in the MIC184 must be calculated, and its effects
examined as a temperature error.
In most applications, the INT output will be low for at most a
few milliseconds before the host sets it back to the high state,
making its duty cycle low enough that its contribution to self-
heating of the MIC184 is negligible. Similarly, the DATA pin
will in all likelihood have a duty cycle of substantially below
25% in the low state. These considerations, combined with
more typical device and application parameters, allow the
following calculation of typical device self-heating in inter-
rupt-mode:
P
D
= (I
DD(typ.)
3.3V + 25% I
OL(data)
0.3V +
   1% I
OL(int)
0.3V)
P
D
= (0.3mA ?3.3V + 25% ?1.5mA ?0.3V +
   1% ?1.5mA ?0.3V)
擳
J
= 1.11mW ?206癈/W
擳
J
relative to T
A
is 0.23癈
If the part is to be used in comparator mode, calculations
similar to those shown above (accounting for the expected
value and duty cycle of I
OL(int)
) will give a good estimate of
the devices self-heating error.
In any application, the best test is to verify performance
against calculation in the nal application environment. This
is especially true when dealing with systems for which some
of the thermal data, (for example, PC board thermal conduc-
tivity and/or ambient temperature), may be poorly dened or
unavailable except by empirical means.
Series Resistance
The operation of the MIC184 depends upon sensing the
擵
CB-E
of a diode-connected PNP transistor ("diode") at
two different current levels. For remote temperature mea-
surements, this is done using an external diode connected
between A2/T1 and ground.
Since this technique relies upon measuring the relatively small
voltage difference resulting from two levels of current through
the external diode, any resistance in series with the external
diode will cause an error in the temperature reading from the
MIC184. A good rule of thumb is this: for each ohm in series
with the external transistor, there will be a 0.9癈 error in the
MIC184's temperature measurement. It is not difcult to keep
the series resistance well below an ohm (typically 0.1?, so
Vendor
Part Number
Package
Tested
Fairchild
MMBT3906
SOT-23
l
On Semiconductor
MMBT3906L
SOT-23
l
Phillips Semiconductor
PMBT3906
SOT-23
l
Rohm Semiconductor
SST3906
SOT-23
Samsung
KST3906-TF
SOT-23
Zetex
FMMT3906
SOT-23
Table 5. Transistors Suitable for Remote Temperature Sensing Use