GE Data Sheet
50A Gi
aTL
nxTM: Non-Isolated DC-DC Power Modules
4.5Vdc –14Vdc input; 0.7Vdc to 2.0Vdc output; 50A Output Current
December 6, 2019 ©2012 General Electric Company. All rights reserved. Page 13
Active Load Sharing (-P Option)
For additional power requirements, the Giga TLynxTM power
module is also available with a parallel option. Up to five
modules can be configured, in parallel, with active load sharing.
Good layout techniques should be observed when using
multiple units in parallel. To implement forced load sharing, the
following connections should be made:
The share pins of all units in parallel must be connected
together. The path of these connections should be as
direct as possible.
All remote-sense pins should be connected to the power
bus at the same point, i.e., connect all the SENSE(+) pins to
the (+) side of the bus. Close proximity and directness are
necessary for good noise immunity
Some special considerations apply for design of converters in
parallel operation:
When sizing the number of modules required for parallel
operation, take note of the fact that current sharing has
some tolerance. In addition, under transient conditions
such as a dynamic load change and during startup, all
converter output currents will not be equal. To allow for
such variation and avoid the likelihood of a converter
shutting off due to a current overload, the total capacity of
the paralleled system should be no more than 90% of the
sum of the individual converters. As an example, for a
system of four Giga TLynxTM converters in parallel, the total
current drawn should be less that 90% of (4 x 50A) , i.e. less
than 180A.
All modules should be turned on and off together. This is
so that all modules come up at the same time avoiding the
problem of one converter sourcing current into the other
leading to an overcurrent trip condition. To ensure that all
modules come up simultaneously, the on/off pins of all
paralleled converters should be tied together and the
converters enabled and disabled using the on/off pin.
The share bus is not designed for redundant operation and
the system will be non-functional upon failure of one of
the unit when multiple units are in parallel. In particular, if
one of the converters shuts down during operation, the
other converters may also shut down due to their outputs
hitting current limit. In such a situation, unless a
coordinated restart is ensured, the system may never
properly restart since different converters will try to restart
at different times causing an overload condition and
subsequent shutdown. This situation can be avoided by
having an external output voltage monitor circuit that
detects a shutdown condition and forces all converters to
shut down and restart together.
When not using the active load share feature, share pins
should be left unconnected.
Power Good
The Giga TLynxTM modules provide a Power Good (PGOOD)
signal to indicate that the output voltage is within the
regulation limits of the power module. The PGOOD signal will be
de-asserted to a low state if any condition such as
overtemperature, overcurrent or loss of regulation occurs that
would result in the output voltage going ±12.5% outside the
setpoint value. The PGOOD terminal is internally pulled-up and
provides a voltage of ~5V, when asserted, thus eliminating the
need for an external source and pull-up resistor. Additional
external drive capability can be provided to the PGOOD
terminal by using a source less than 5V and a suitable pull-up
resistor to keep the overall external current below 4.5mA
Tunable Loop
The Giga TLynxTM modules have a new feature that optimizes
transient response of the module called Tunable LoopTM.
External capacitors are usually added to the output of the
module for two reasons: to reduce output ripple and noise (see
Fig. 23) and to reduce output voltage deviations from the
steady-state value in the presence of dynamic load current
changes. Adding external capacitance however affects the
voltage control loop of the module, typically causing the loop to
slow down with sluggish response. Larger values of external
capacitance could also cause the module to become unstable.
The Tunable LoopTM allows the user to externally adjust the
voltage control loop to match the filter network connected to
the output of the module. The Tunable LoopTM is implemented
by connecting a series R-C between the SENSE and TRIM+ pins
of the module, as shown in Fig. 28. This R-C allows the user to
externally adjust the voltage loop feedback compensation of
the module.
Figure. 28. Circuit diagram showing connection of RTUNE and
CTUNE to tune the control loop of the module.
Recommended values of RTUNE and CTUNE for different output
capacitor combinations are given in Tables 2 and 3. Table 2
shows the recommended values of RTUNE and CTUNE for different
values of ceramic output capacitors up to 2000uF that might
be needed for an application to meet output ripple and noise
requirements. Selecting RTUNE and CTUNE according to Table 2
will ensure stable operation of the module.
In applications with tight output voltage limits in the presence
of dynamic current loading, additional output capacitance will
be required. Table 3 lists recommended values of RTUNE and
RTUNE
GND
TRIM+
MODULE
TRIM-
RTrim
SENSE+
CO1
SENSE-
VOUT
CTUNE