an1716

Application Note 1716
Authors: Paul Traynham and Dan Swank
Using the Transient Load Generator on the ISL8200M
2-Phase Power Module Evaluation Board
(ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ)
The Need for Testing Transient
Load Response of POL (Point of
Load) Regulators
Today’s FPGAs, DSPs and other processors require higher load
currents than in the past. It is not uncommon to see load
currents in the 10A-20A range or higher. Manufacturers of
these devices specify tight regulation of the supply even during
load transients. In order to verify the POL regulators meet
these requirements, it is necessary to test them with a load
transient generator (also referred to as a load step generator).
Load transient testing also tells us a lot about the loop
response and stability of the POL. A POL regulator may have a
stable output under a steady state load, but then exhibit large
voltage excursions, ringing, or even oscillations during a load
transient due to an under damped or unstable control loop.
The output may also be slow to respond to a load step
indicating an over damped or low bandwidth loop response.
Checking the POL regulator for these issues is a very important
step in evaluating the overall regulator performance.
A similar transient load generator is also used on many Intersil
evaluation boards including but not limited to the following
part numbers: ISL6228, ISL62391, ISL62392, ISL62386,
ISL6244, ISL6263, ISL6264, ISL6266, ISL62881, ISL62882
ISL62883, ISL62884, ISL6308, ISL6553, ISL6558, ISL6560,
ISL6562, ISL6565, ISL8102, ISL8103, ISL95210, and
ISL95870.
Limitations of Commercially
Available Electronic Loads
Commercially available electronic loads can be used to
generate steady-state load current as well as load transients.
They are easy to use and highly programmable, but have
limitations. Maximum programmable slew rates are typically
in the 1A/µs to 2A/µs range, which may be acceptable for
some lower load current applications, but can be too slow to
adequately test higher current circuits. Additionally, the slew
rates that are programmed are not the actual slew rates that
are achieved directly at the load. This is due to the inductance
limiting the di/dt in the long cabling that is typically required to
connect the electronic load to the output of the regulator.
FIGURE 1. TYPICAL ELECTRONIC LOAD SETUP
Figure 2 is a scope shot of the waveform as it appears at the
output of the regulator. Actual slew rates are reduced to
approximately 0.27A/µs (73%) primarily due to the inductance of
the cable from the electronic load to the output of the regulator.
Figure 1 shows the typical setup of an electronic load applied
to the output of a POL regulator. The load is set up for a 0A-4A
step with a 4µs rise time or 1A/µs slew rate. Similarly, it is set
up for a 4A-0A step with a 4µs fall time, which also gives a
1A/µs slew rate.
FIGURE 2. ACTUAL LOAD STEP AT LOAD
January 26, 2012
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Application Note 1716
VOUT = 1V
LOAD UP TO 20A
PGOOD
VIN = UP TO 20V
VOUT SENSING POINT
MODULE GROUP 2
(U301)
IOUT STEP SENSING POINT
TRANSIENT LOAD CIRCUIT
MODULE GROUP 1
(U201)
12V SUPPLY
FOR TRANSIENT LOAD
FIGURE 3. ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ EVALUATION BOARD
The ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ
Evaluation Board
Due to the limitations of electronic loads, it is sometimes
necessary to create your own transient load generator to
generate the fast slew rates necessary to exercise high load
current regulators. In the case of the ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ
evaluation board, the load generator is provided directly on the
board (see Figure 3). This is not only convenient, but it places the
load directly on the output of the regulator, which minimizes the
impact seen in long cabling.
The ISL8200M power module is capable of load current sharing
up to six modules for 10A to 60A applications. The
ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ evaluation board is set up with two
ISL8200M Power Modules for up to 20A of load current. Please
refer to Application Note 1544 (AN1544), “ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ
Evaluation Board User’s Guide” for additional information about
the evaluation board.
2
Using the Onboard Transient
Load Generator of the
ISL8200EVAL2PHZ for the First
Time
Figure 4 shows the schematic for the load transient generator.
Switch SW1 activates the load generator circuit in the schematic
in the “on” position. Before powering up the ISL8200EVAL2PHZ
board for the first time, it is recommended you verify that SW1 is
in the “off” position. With the rest of the evaluation board
unpowered (no voltage applied to VIN), apply 12V across
TP32(V12) and TP31(GND). If SW1 is in the “off” position, the red
indicator LED in CR1 is forward biased and illuminates. If the
green LED is lit, this indicates that SW1 is in the “on” position. If
the green indicator is lit, flip SW1 to off and verify the red
indicator LED is now lit. Once you’ve verified the load generator is
off, you can power up the board by applying a voltage to VIN (5V
to 20V is recommended) and verify it is regulating. The board is
set up for 1V VOUT, so 1VDC should be seen on a multimeter or on
an oscilloscope. (Note: DNP or “Do Not Populate” are
components that are not populated during the board assembly
process and are place holders should the user want to populate
them at a later time).
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Application Note 1716
V12
TP32
VOUT
TP20
TP8
Vcore
V12
R56
806 1
U6
C94
1u
1µ
TP31
GND
CR1
Transient Load
1
R58
806
1
C38
1µF
SUD50N03-07
3
2
R61
402
V12
Q17
3
D2
Q19
SUD50N03-07
31
TP15
VOUT
TP16
Isen+
C49
DNP
RED
R62
100k
1
R63
5k
3
3
4
2
GREEN
HIP2100
D1
R57
402
2
1
3
R60
3.3k
8
7
6
5
2
R59
3.3k
VDD LO
HB VSS
LI
HO
HS
HI
3
1
2
3
4
2
VOUT
1
Q22
2N7002
C95
2.2µ
SW1
R67
0.1Ω
R65
DNP_0.1Ω
2
2
Q21
2N7002
TP50
GND
TP10
Vout Ground
FIGURE 4. TRANSIENT LOAD GENERATOR SCHEMATIC ON ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ
Once regulation has been verified, the load generator can be
used by switching SW1 to the “on” position. The output current
waveform can be seen by placing a scope probe (voltage probe)
on TP16. Figure 5 shows a scope shot of TP16 as well as VOUT
(TP20) at various input voltages.
VOUT 5VIN
VOUT 12VIN
VOUT 20VIN
IOUT STEP 10A/DIV
FIGURE 5. LOAD TRANSIENT (0A TO 10A STEP,
SLEW RATE = 10A/µs) FOR INPUT = 5, 12, 20V
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Application Note 1716
HB
VDD
UNDER
VOLTAGE
HO
LEVEL SHIFT
DRIVER
HS
HI
UNDER
VOLTAGE
LO
DRIVER
LI
VSS
EPAD (EPSOIC, QFN and DFN PACKAGES ONLY)
*EPAD = Exposed Pad. The EPAD is electrically isolated from all other pins. For best
thermal performance connect the EPAD to the PCB power ground plane.
FIGURE 6. HIP2100 FUNCTIONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM
Analyzing the Transient Load
Generator Circuit
The peak load current is then approximated as:
I load – pk = V OUT ⁄ R67 = 1V ⁄ 0.1Ω = 10A
The analysis of the circuit in Figure 4 will begin with a discussion
of the operation of the HIP2100. HIP2100, U6, is a non-inverting
half bridge MOSFET driver capable of driving up to 2A of gate
drive into MOSFETs Q17 and Q19. Figure 6 depicts the simplified
functional block diagram for the HIP2100. VDD and HB are tied
to TP32(V12) and supplies the bias for the HIP2100 MOSFET
driver. While the HIP2100 is generally used to drive two
n-channel MOSFETs in a half-bridge configuration, in this case it
is being used to simultaneously drive two parallel MOSFETs.
With SW1 is in the “off” position, HI of the HIP2100 is shorted to
ground. This sets its respective output, HO to 0V. HO is tied to LI,
so LI is also 0V and consequently LO is 0V. With both gate drives
at 0V, both n-ch MOSFETs, Q17 and Q19, are turned off and the
load is not applied.
When SW1 is switched to the “on” position, several things occur.
First, Capacitor C95 begins to charge through R62 and R63. As it
reaches the turn-on threshold of the HI input, HO will switch high
(12V). LI also goes high, which causes LO to go high. Since LO
and HO are both high, MOSFETS Q17 and Q19 are both on and
current flows through R67.
(EQ. 3)
Because VIsens+ =~ 1V when Iload-pk = 10A, the current can be
easily monitored with a voltage probe on TP16. The voltage will
change 100mV for every 1A of load current.
Q22 turns on because HO is high. C95 begins to discharge
through R63 and Q22 to ground and HI will drop in voltage till it
reaches the turn-off threshold of the HIP2100. Once HI reaches
this threshold, HO, LI and LO all go low and Q17, Q19, and Q22
turn off. Since Q22 is off, C95 starts charging again and the
process is repeated.
Figure 7 shows a scope shot of VIsens+ (TP16) with a time scale
that allows the repetitive process to be seen.
VOUT
Visen+
The voltage developed at TP16, VIsens+, can be described by a
simple voltage divider (Equation 1) where rDS(ON) is the
on-resistance of the MOSFETs and VOUT = 1V. The rDS(ON) is
divided by two since the MOSFETs are in parallel.
V Isens+ = ( V OUT × R67 ) ⁄ ( r DS ( ON ) ⁄ 2 + R67 ) = (1V × 0.1Ω ) ⁄ (0.007Ω/2
+ 0.1Ω )
(EQ. 1)
Since rDS(ON)/2 << R67, VIsens+ can be approximated as shown
in Equation 2.
FIGURE 7. TRANSIENT LOAD GENERATOR OUTPUT WAVEFORMS
(Visens+ AND VOUT)
(EQ. 2)
V Isens+ = V OUT = 1V
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Application Note 1716
Using an Electronic Load with the
Onboard Transient Load
Generator
It may be desirable to create a load step that does not go from no
load to full peak load. That is, the user may want to have a load
that steps from some nominal load current to the peak current
and then back to the nominal current again. The easiest way to
accomplish this is to set up an electronic load with a constant
load current. Attach the output of the electronic load to output
terminals J3 and J4 using the cables as shown back in Figure 1.
Set the load current to the desired constant current (e.g. 5A).
Next, turn on the onboard load generator on the
ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ.
Figure 8 shows a scope shot of the voltage at Vsen+ (TP16).
Since the voltage changes 100mV for every 1A in current, it can
be seen that the output load is stepping form 5A to 15A and then
back to 5A.
If the desired value of R67 is not a standard resistor value, the
user can also populate R65. R65 is in parallel with R67 and can
be used to create non-standard resistor values or to reduce power
dissipation. There will be more on power dissipation in R67 in
“Load Pulse On-Time/Duty Cycle” on page 5. R65 should equal
R67 so that they share current equally.
Rise/Fall Times (Slew Rates)
The rise time of the load step is determined by the turn on times
of MOSFETs Q17 and Q19. This is largely determined by the gate
resistors (R56 & R58) and equivalent FET gate capacitance. R56
should be equal to R58 so that both MOSFETs turn on at the
same time. Currently, R56 = R58 = 806Ω and this achieves a rise
time of about 2.37µs. Figure 9 shows an approximate
relationship between rising slew rate and R56 and R58.
Similarly, the fall times of the load step can be controlled with
R57 and R61. The evaluation board is populated with R57 = R61
= 402Ω. This gives a fall time of around 1.6µs. Figure 9 also
shows an approximate relationship between the falling slew rate
and R57 and R61.
100
SLEW RATE (A/µs)
VOUT
ELECTRONIC LOAD
Visen+
RISING EDGE
10
FALLING EDGE
1
FIGURE 8. TRANSIENT LOAD GENERATOR OUTPUT WAVEFORMS,
5A TO 15A LOAD STEP
Changing the Characteristics of
the Load Generator
There are several changes that can be made to the load
generator to alter the load transient characteristics depending on
the user requirements. These changes include the peak load
current, rise/fall times (slew rates), and pulse duration/duty
cycle.
Peak Load Current
0
1k
2k
3k
GATE RESISTANCE (Ω)
4k
5k
FIGURE 9. SLEW RATE vs. GATE RESISTANCE, R56 = R58,
R57 = R61
Load Pulse On-Time/Duty Cycle
Figure 10 and 11 show the timing sequences for generating the
load step pulse. When SW1 is initially switched to the “on”
position, HI = HO = LI = LO = OV, and Q22 is off. C95 begins to
charge through R62 and R63. Once the voltage across C95
reaches the turn-on threshold of the HIP2100, HI = HO = LI = LO
= 12V, and C95 begins to discharge through R63 and Q22. Once
the voltage across C95 reaches the turn-off threshold of the
HIP2100, HI = HO = LI = LO = OV once again and the cycle
repeats. See the HIP2100 datasheet for threshold information.
The peak current is determined by VOUT and R67. VOUT can be
changed by changing the voltage setting resistor as shown in
Application Note 1544 (AN1544), “ISL8200MEVAL2PHZ
Evaluation Board User’s Guide” and in the ISL8200M datasheet.
If VOUT is changed, care should be taken to ensure that the peak
currents of the load generator do not exceed the overcurrent
protection trip current of the ISL8200M. Equation 3 can be
rewritten as Equation 4 and the user can easily calculate a
suitable resistance to achieve the desired peak load current
based on the VOUT that has been selected.
(EQ. 4)
R67 = V OUT ⁄ I load – peak
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Application Note 1716
Figure 12 gives an approximate change in pulse on-time vs. R63
while Figure 13 shows the approximate time between pulses vs.
R62.
LOAD CURRENT ON TIME (ms)
C95 (HI)
HO (LI)
Visen+
8
7
6
R63
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
20
40
60
R63 (kΩ)
80
100
120
FIGURE 12. LOAD CURRENT ON-TIME vs. R63
FIGURE 10. START-UP TIMING DIAGRAM FOR LOAD CYCLE
C95 (HI)
LOAD CURRENT OFF TIME (ms)
70
HO (LI)
Visen+
60
50
40
30
R62
20
10
0
0
50
100
150
200
R62 (kΩ)
FIGURE 13. TIME BETWEEN CURRENT PULSES vs. R62. R63 = 5kΩ
FIGURE 11. STEADY STATE TIMING DIAGRAM FOR LOAD CYCLE
The pulse duration is largely determined by the discharge time of
the capacitor through R63, and the time between pulses is
largely determined by the charge time through R62 + R63. The
user can manipulate the resistance values to achieve the desired
pulse time and duty cycle, however, the average power
dissipation through R67 (and R65 if populated) needs to be
considered. The evaluation board is set up for a pulse on time of
around 0.528ms with time between pulses of 19.14ms for a
Duty cycle of around 2.68%. R63 affects both charge and
discharge time, while R62 only affects discharge time.
The average power dissipation in R67 is given by Equation 5.
2
2
P R67 = D × ( I load – pk ) × R67 = 0.0268 × ( 10 ) × 100mΩ = 268mW
(EQ. 5)
R67 is rated for 1W, so this is sufficient. If the duty cycle is
increased which subsequently increases the power dissipation in
R67, R65 can also be populated to reduce the power dissipation.
As stated before, R67 should be equal to R65 to equally share
the current.
Intersil Corporation reserves the right to make changes in circuit design, software and/or specifications at any time without notice. Accordingly, the reader is
cautioned to verify that the Application Note or Technical Brief is current before proceeding.
For information regarding Intersil Corporation and its products, see www.intersil.com
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