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SLTS278G – NOVEMBER 2010 – REVISED MARCH 2009
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Output Capacitor (Required)
The PTH08T250W requires a minimum output capacitance of 660 mF of polymer-aluminum, tantalum, or
polymer-tantalum type. Ceramic capacitors may be used in addition to the required bulk capacitance.
The required capacitance above the minimum is determined by actual transient deviation requirements. See the
TurboTrans Technology application section within this document for specific capacitance selection.
Output Capacitor Information
When selecting output capacitors, the main considerations are capacitor type, temperature stability, and ESR.
When using the TurboTrans feature, the capacitance × ESR product should also be considered (see the
following section).
Ceramic output capacitors added for high-frequency bypassing should be located as close as possible to the
load to be effective. Ceramic capacitor values below 10 mF should not be included when calculating the total
output capacitance value.
When the operating temperature is below 0°C, the ESR of aluminum electrolytic capacitors increases. For these
applications, OS-CON, poly-aluminum, and polymer-tantalum types should be considered.
TurboTrans Output Capacitance
TurboTrans allows the designer to optimize the output capacitance according to the system transient design
requirement. High quality, ultra-low ESR capacitors are required to maximize TurboTrans effectiveness. When
using TurboTrans, the capacitor's capacitance (mF) × ESR (m) product determines its capacitor type; Type A,
B, or C. These three types are defined as follows:
Type A = (100
≤ capacitance × ESR ≤ 1000) (e.g. ceramic) (may be used in addition to Type B or Type C
capacitors)
Type B = (1000 < capacitance × ESR
≤ 5000) (e.g. polymer-tantalum)
Type C = (5000 < capacitance × ESR
≤ 10,000) (e.g. OS-CON)
When using more than one type of output capacitor, select the capacitor type that makes up the majority of your
total output capacitance. When calculating the C×ESR product, use the maximum ESR value from the capacitor
manufacturer's datasheet.
Working Examples:
A capacitor with a capacitance of 330 mF and an ESR of 5 m, has a C × ESR product of 1650 mF x m (330 mF
× 5 m
). This is a Type B capacitor. A capacitor with a capacitance of 1000 mF and an ESR of 8 m, has a
C × ESR product of 8000 mF x m (1000 mF × 8 m). This is a Type C capacitor.
See the TurboTrans Technology application section within this document for specific capacitance selection.
Table 3 includes a preferred list of capacitors by type and vendor. See the Output Bus / TurboTrans column.
Non-TurboTrans Output Capacitance
If the TurboTrans feature is not used, minimum ESR and maximum capacitor limits must be followed. System
stability may be effected and increased output capacitance may be required without TurboTrans.
When using the PTH08T250W, observe the minimum ESR of the entire output capacitor bank. The minimum
ESR limit of the output capacitor bank is 7 m
. A list of preferred low-ESR type capacitors, are identified in
When using the PTH08T250W without the TurboTrans feature, the maximum amount of capacitance is 1000 mF
of ceramic type. Large amounts of capacitance may reduce system stability.
Utilizing the TurboTrans feature improves system stability, improves transient response, and reduces the
amount of output capacitance required to meet system transient design requirements.
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