MAX15004/MAX15005
4.5V to 40V Input Automotive
Flyback/Boost/SEPIC Power-Supply Controllers
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Detailed Description
The MAX15004A/B/MAX15005A/B are high-perfor-
mance, current-mode PWM controllers for wide input-
voltage range isolated/nonisolated power supplies.
These controllers are for use as general-purpose boost,
flyback, and SEPIC controllers. The input voltage range
of 4.5V to 40V makes it ideal in automotive applications
such as vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) power sup-
plies. The internal low-dropout regulator (VCC regula-
tor) enables the MAX15004A/B/MAX15005A/B to
operate directly from an automotive battery input. The
input operating range can be as low as 2.5V when an
external source (e.g. bootstrap winding output) is
applied at the VCC input. The 2.5V to 40V input voltage
range allows device operation from cold crank to auto-
motive load dump.
The undervoltage lockout (ON/OFF) allows the devices
to program the input-supply startup voltage and ensures
predictable operation during brownout conditions.
The devices contain two internal regulators, VCC and
REG5. The VCC regulator output voltage is set at 7.4V
and REG5 regulator output voltage at 5V ±2%. The
VCC output includes a 10.4V clamp that is capable of
sinking up to 30mA current. The input undervoltage
lockout (UVLO) circuit monitors the VCC voltage and
turns off the converter when the VCC voltage drops
below 3.5V (typ). See the
Internal Regulators V
CC
and
REG5
section for a method to obtain lower than 4.5V
input operation with the MAX15004/MAX15005.
An external resistor and capacitor network programs
the switching frequency from 15kHz to 500kHz. The
MAX15004A/B/MAX15005A/B provide a SYNC input for
synchronization to an external clock. The OUT (FET-dri-
ver output) duty cycle for the MAX15004A/B is 50%.
The maximum duty cycle can be set on MAX15005A/B
by selecting the right combination of RT and CT. The
RTCT discharge current is trimmed to 2%, allowing
accurate setting of the duty cycle for the MAX15005.
An internal slope-compensation circuit stabilizes the
current loop when operating at higher duty cycles and
can be programmed externally.
The MAX15004/MAX15005 include an internal error
amplifier with 1% accurate reference to regulate the
output in nonisolated topologies using a resistive
divider. The internal reference connected to the nonin-
verting input of the error amplifier can be increased in a
controlled manner to obtain soft-start. A capacitor con-
nected at SS to ground programs soft-start to reduce
inrush current and prevent output overshoot.
The MAX15004/MAX15005 include protection features
like hiccup current limit, output overvoltage, and thermal
shutdown. The hiccup current-limit circuit reduces the
power delivered to the electronics powered by the
MAX15004/MAX15005 converter during severe fault con-
ditions. The overvoltage circuit senses the output using
the path different from the feedback path to provide
meaningful overvoltage protection. During continuous
high input operation, the power dissipation into the
MAX15004/MAX15005 could exceed its limit. Internal
thermal shutdown protection safely turns off the converter
when the junction heats up to 160°C.
Current-Mode Control Loop
The advantages of current-mode control overvoltage-
mode control are twofold. First, there is the feed-for-
ward characteristic brought on by the controller’s ability
to adjust for variations in the input voltage on a cycle-
by-cycle basis. Secondly, the stability requirements of
the current-mode controller are reduced to that of a sin-
gle-pole system unlike the double pole in voltage-mode
control.
The MAX15004/MAX15005 offer peak current-mode
control operation to make the power supply easy to
design with. The inherent feed-forward characteristic is
useful especially in an automotive application where the
input voltage changes fast during cold-crank and load
dump conditions. While the current-mode architecture
offers many advantages, there are some shortcomings.
For higher duty-cycle and continuous conduction mode
operation where the transformer does not discharge
during the off duty cycle, subharmonic oscillations
appear. The MAX15004/MAX15005 offer programmable
slope compensation using a single capacitor. Another
issue is noise due to turn-on of the primary switch that
may cause the premature end of the on cycle. The cur-
rent-limit and PWM comparator inputs have leading-
edge blanking. All the shortcomings of the
current-mode control are addressed in the MAX15004/
MAX15005, making it ideal to design for automotive
power conversion applications.
Internal Regulators VCC and REG5
The internal LDO converts the automotive battery volt-
age input to a 7.4V output voltage (VCC). The VCC out-
put is set at 7.4V and operates in a dropout mode at
input voltages below 7.5V. The internal LDO is capable
of delivering 20mA current, enough to provide power to
internal control circuitry and the gate drive. The regulat-
ed VCC keeps the driver output voltage well below the
absolute maximum gate voltage rating of the MOSFET
especially during the double battery and load dump
conditions. An auxiliary winding output can be fed to
the VCC output once the power supply is turned on.
The bootstrap winding is not necessary for proper