STMICROELECTRONICS KBP105G

AN1262
APPLICATION NOTE
OFFLINE FLYBACK CONVERTERS DESIGN
METHODOLOGY WITH THE L6590 FAMILY
by Claudio Adragna
The design of flyback converters is quite a demanding task that requires SMPS engineers to cope with several problem areas such as magnetics, control loop analysis, power devices, as well as regulations concerning safety, EMC and the emerging standby consumption requirements. Lots of variable are involved and
complex tradeoffs are necessary to meet the goal.
In this scenario, the high-voltage monolithic switchers of the L6590 family greatly simplify the task and, at
the same time, allow to build robust and cost-effective low-power systems.
In this application note, after a review of flyback topology, a step-by-step design procedure of an offline single-output flyback converter will be outlined. As an example, the design of the test board will be carried out
in details.
1
FLYBACK BASICS
Flyback operation will be illustrated with reference to the basic circuit and the waveforms of fig. 1. It is a twostep process. During the ON-time of the switch, energy is taken from the input and stored in the primary winding
of the flyback transformer (actually, two coupled inductors). At the secondary side, the catch diode is reversebiased, thus the load is being supplied by the energy stored in the output bulk capacitor.
Figure 1. Flyback Topology and associated waveforms.
Vin
Is
Lp
Vout
Ls
Vac
n:1
Vcc
DRAIN
Ip
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
Max. Duty cycle
S
OSCILLATOR
Driver
ISOLATED
FEEDBACK
Clock
R
Q
2.5 V
1
1/100
+
E/A
VFB
+
OCP
-
+
PWM
-
-
Clock
LEB
Rsense
0.5 V
GND
COMP
FREQUENCY
COMPENSATION
CLOCK
CLOCK
CLOCK
Q
Q
Q
Ip
Ip
Ip
Is
Is
Is
Vdrain
n•Vout
Vdrain
∆Ip
Vdrain
Vin
DCM operation
May 2001
TRANSITION
CCM operation
1/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
When the switch turns off, the primary circuit is open and the energy stored in the primary is transferred to the
secondary by magnetic coupling. The catch diode is forward-biased, and the stored energy is delivered to the
output capacitor and the load. The output voltage V out is reflected back to the primary through the turns ratio n
(VR, reflected voltage) and adds up to the input voltage Vin, giving origin to a much higher voltage on the drain
of the MOSFET.
Flyback is operated in DCM (Discontinuous Conduction Mode) when the input -or primary - current starts from
zero at the beginning of each switching cycle. This happens because the secondary of the transformer has discharged all the energy stored in the previous period. If this energy transfer is not complete, the primary current
will start from a value greater than zero at the beginning of each cycle. Then flyback is said to be operated in
CCM (Continuous Conduction Mode). DCM is characterized by currents shaped in a triangular fashion, whereas
CCM features trapezoidal currents.
The boundary between these two types of operation depends on several parameters. For a given converter,
that is, as the switching frequency, inductance of the primary winding, transformer turns ratio and regulated output voltage are defined, it depends on the input voltage and the output load.
At design time, whether the converter will be operated in CCM or in DCM and where the boundary will be located is
up to the designer. Usually CCM is selected with the objective of maximizing converter's power capability or minimizing primary RMS current. However, in CCM operation the system's dynamic behavior is considerably worse.
Usually, the converters based on the L6590 family devices are able to deliver the desired output power even
with DCM operation, thus CCM will not be considered.
Table 1. Converter specification data and pre-design choices
Converter Electrical Specification
VACmin
Minimum mains voltage
VACmax
Maximum mains voltage
fL
Mains frequency (@ min. mains)
NH
Number of holdup cycles
Vout
Regulated output voltage
∆Vout%
Vr%
Poutmax
η
Tamb
Percent output voltage tolerance (±)
Percent output voltage ripple
Maximum output power
Expected converter efficiency
Maximum ambient temperature
Pre-design Choices
VR
Reflected voltage
ηT
Transformer efficiency
Vspike
Vcc
IC supply voltage
VF
Secondary diode forward drop
VBF
2/42
Leakage inductance overvoltage
Bridge Rectifier + EMI filter voltage drop
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
2
CONVERTER ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATION
The starting point of the design procedure is the properties of the converter as a black-box, that is the set of data
listed in the electrical specification table (table 1). Additional requirements, such as efficiency at zero load or
line/load regulation or maximum junction temperature, etc., can be added to that list and their impact will be considered where appropriate.
■
Mains Voltage: Range and Frequency. There are basically the three possible options listed in table 2,
where a variation of ± 20% is assumed, according to common practice. There are exceptions like some
distribution lines rated at 277 VAC, where a ± 10% spread can be considered, or other special cases for
specific applications. Table 2 shows also the line frequency to be considered in the standard cases at
the minimum specified mains voltages. An additional specification may require the converter to be shut
down if the mains voltage falls below a "brownout level". This additional specification will be used for
setting up the brownout protection on the types where it is available.
Table 2. Mains voltage specifications
Input (VAC)
VACmin (VAC)
VACmax (VAC)
fL (Hz)
110
88
132
60
220
176
264
50
WRM (Wide Range Mains)
88
264
60
■
Number of holdup cycles. The holdup requirement is the ability of the converter to keep the output voltage in regulation even in case of mains interruption (missing cycles). This is usually specified in terms
of number of mains cycles N H. This feature is not always demanded (in which case, NH = 0), otherwise
the typical requirement is 1 mains cycle, that is N H = 1. It impacts on the input bulk capacitor selection.
■
Output voltage tolerance. It can be expressed either in absolute value or as a percentage of the nominal
voltage. This requirement, as well as the ones on line and load regulation, if specified, will affect the
choice of the feedback technique (primary or secondary).
■
Output voltage ripple. The ripple superimposed on top of the DC output voltage is specified as the peakto-peak amplitude and includes both low frequency (at 2·fL) and high frequency (fsw) component.
Switching noise due to parasitics of the printed circuit board and random noise are beyond the scope
of this procedure. This requirement, if tight, may require the use of an additional filtering cell at the output.
■
Converter Efficiency. The efficiency is, by definition, the ratio of the output power to the input power.
This figure is strongly dependent on the output voltage, because of the losses on the secondary diode.
It should be set based on experience, using numbers of similar converters as a reference. As a rule of
thumb, 75% (η = 0.75) can be used for a low voltage output (3.3 V or 5 V) and 80% (η = 0.8) for higher
output voltages (12 V and above).
3
PRE-DESIGN CHOICES
Before starting the design calculations of the various parts of the converter, some parameters not defined at the
"black-box level" need to be fixed. There is some degree of freedom in the selection of these parameters, provided some constraints are taken into account.
■
Reflected Voltage. In principle, the reflected voltage should be as high as possible. In fact this leads to
a greater duty cycle, which minimizes the RMS current through the IC's MOSFET for a given power
throughput. There are two possible limitations to the maximum reflected voltage. One is the maximum
duty cycle Dmax allowed by the devices (67% min.); some margin should be considered for load transients, thus the reflected voltage should be such that the maximum duty cycle (at minimum input voltage
3/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
and maximum output power) does not exceed 62-64%. The other limitation is that the sum of the maximum input voltage, reflected voltage and overvoltage spike - due to the leakage inductance - must be
below the breakdown of the internal MOSFET (700 V min.). Some margin needs also to be considered:
at least 50V is recommended to take the forward recovery of the diode of the clamp circuit and parameter spread into account. Figure 2 illustrates schematically how the drain voltage is apportioned. The
suggested value of VR is 130 V: it leads to a maximum drain voltage slightly exceeding 500 V in 220VAC
or WRM applications, and about 320 V in 110 VAC application, thus leaving enough room for an efficient
leakage inductance demagnetization (see below). The maximum duty cycle will be about 60% in
110VAC and WRM applications, and close to 36% in 220 VAC applications.
Figure 2. Drain voltage composition.
Clamp Diode
forward recovery
700 V
margin
≤ 650 V
Leak. Inductance
demagnetization
504 V
317 V
Leak. Inductance resonates
with drain capacitance
Current flows at the
secondary side
Vspike
Transformer
demagnetised
VR
374 V
187 V
Prim. Inductance resonates
with drain capacitance
ON
Vin
OFF
■
Leakage inductance overvoltage. The energy stored in the mutual inductance of the transformer at the
primary side is not completely transferred to the secondary, after MOSFET turn-off, until the leakage
inductance is demagnetized. This delays and makes inefficient the energy transfer from primary to secondary. To minimize this noxious effect the voltage across the leakage inductance (the leakage inductance spike) that resets the inductance itself should be as high as possible. Obviously, this is limited by
the maximum allowable drain voltage. With the reflected voltage selected as previously discussed, it is
possible to allow about 140 V extra voltage in 220 VAC or WRM applications and much more in 110 VAC
applications (see fig. 2). This will affect the design of the clamp circuit.
■
Transformer efficiency. By definition, it is the ratio of the power delivered by the secondary winding to
the power entering the primary. The secondary power includes the converter output power and the one
dissipated in the secondary rectifier. Besides the secondary one, the primary power includes the one
dissipated inside the transformer and that not transferred to the secondary side and dissipated on the
leakage inductance. For typical transformers used in converters based on the L6590 family IC's, typical
values of efficiency ranges between 88% and 95%, depending on the power level and on the construction technique. Efficiency increases with the power level and by using winding interleaving construction
technique. For consistency, check that the input power of the transformer be less than the converter
input power.
■
Device supply voltage. The supply voltage range of the IC spans from 7 to 16.5 V. Such a wide range
is envisaged to accommodate the variation that the voltage generated by the self-supply winding may
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AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
experience in converters with opto-isolated feedback. This variation is a result of the poor magnetic coupling with the secondary winding. It is then recommended to design the turns ratio of the self-supply
winding so as to get a voltage approximately in the middle of this range (e.g. 11-12 V). This will give
allowance for increasing at heavy load and dropping at zero load.
■
Secondary diode forward drop. The type of secondary diode will be selected basically depending on the
output voltage. In fact this determines the maximum reverse voltage applied to the diode while the MOSFET is switched on. For low output voltages ≤15 V) a Schottky diode can be used and a typical forward
drop of 0.5V can be considered; for higher output voltages an ultrafast PN diode will be used, with a
typical forward drop of 0.8 V.
■
Bridge Rectifier + EMI filter voltage drop. This drop is subtracted to the peak of the input AC voltage and
affects the peak voltage of the ripple superimposed on top of the DC voltage across the input bulk capacitor. A typical value can be 3 V.
4
PRELIMINARY CALCULATIONS (STEP 1)
There are a few quantities that need to be calculated before starting the individual design of each functional
block of the converter. They are summarized in table 3.
Table 3. Preliminary calculations (step 1).
Symbol
5
Parameter
Definition
Pin
Converter Input Power
P o utmax
P in = -------------------η
Iout
DC Output Current
Poutmax
Io ut = --------------------V ou t
VPKmin
Minimum Peak Input Voltage
VPKmax
Maximum Peak Input Voltage
VPKmin = VACmin ·
2 – VBF
V PKmax = V A Cma x ⋅ 2
BRIDGE RECTIFIER SELECTION
Due to the limited power range that the device is able to handle, no special considerations are needed to select the
diodes of the bridge rectifier. Any 1A rated standard diodes with 400/600 V reverse voltage are suitable. Some manufacturers make integrated bridge rectifiers housed in small packages. See table 4 for some suggested parts.
Table 4. 1A standard silicon rectifier and bridge selection
Type
Part Number
Rated Voltage
Package
Manufacturer(s)
Diode
1N4004
400
DO41
GI, GS, FAGOR, HTA, ON, TSC
Diode
1N4005
600
DO41
GI, GS, FAGOR, HTA, ON, TSC
Bridge
DF04M
400
DIL4
GI,TSC
Bridge
DF06M
600
DIL4
GI,TSC
Bridge
KBP104G
400
SIL4
TSC
Bridge
KBP105G
600
SIL4
TSC
Bridge
DFS04M
400
DIL4 (SMD)
HTA
Bridge
DFS06M
600
DIL4 (SMD)
HTA
5/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
6
INPUT BULK CAPACITOR SELECTION
The input bulk capacitor Cin, along with the bridge rectifier, converts the AC mains voltage to an unregulated
DC bus, Vin, which is the input voltage for the downstream flyback converter. Cin must be large enough to have
a relatively low ripple superimposed on top of the DC level, as shown in fig. 3. At minimum specified mains voltage, the value of Cin determines the absolute minimum, Vinmin, of the DC input voltage of the converter. The
maximum duty cycle and the maximum peak current allowed by the IC must not be exceeded at this voltage.
However, as to thermal consideration, the bus DC voltage (VDCmin @ VACmin) should be considered.
Figure 3. Input voltage waveforms:
a) without holdup capability;
b) with holdup capability.
Vin
VPKmin
Vinmin
VDCmin
TC
1
fL
a)
VPKmin
Vin
VDCmin
Vinmin
Vinmin
after fail
TC
TC
after fail
1 missing cycle
b)
Large values of Cin result in higher VDCmin and Vinmin, lower peak and RMS current through the power MOSFET
(i.e. less power dissipation in the device) and less duty cycle range to achieve regulation but, on the other hand,
also in bigger capacitor size, higher peak and RMS current drawn from the mains (i.e. more power dissipation
in the bridge rectifier). Small values of C in give origin to the opposite situation.
Experience shows that a good compromise between these contrasting requirements is a C in value that causes
the peak-to-peak ripple amplitude to be 25-30% of the peak mains voltage (@ V ACmin), which means that Vinmin
will be 70-75% of the peak value. Anyway, if holdup capability is required, a much larger capacitance values will
be needed: the voltage ripple across C in is expected to be 25-30% of the peak value, after 1 mains cycle missing, which means that in normal operation the ripple will be much less.
Table 5 summarizes the required capacitance per watt of input power for a given value of V inmin, with and without holdup requirement, and shows the resulting values of VDCmin. This allows to calculate the minimum capacitance needed, by multiplying the value taken from the table times Pin. Then a standard value will be selected,
taking also the tolerance into account.
6/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 5. Cin values for 1W input power
110 VAC or WRM
NH=0
NH=1
220 VAC
2.0 µF/W
3.0 µF/W
0.55 µF/W
0.8 µF/W
Vinmin = 90V
VDCmin = 105V
Vinmin = 100V
VDCmin = 110V
Vinmin = 180V
VDCmin = 210V
Vinmin = 200V
VDCmin =220V
7.2 µF/W
10.4 µF/W
1.8 µF/W
2.8 µF/W
Vinmin = 90V
VDCmin = 116V
Vinmin = 100V
VDCmin = 117V
Vinmin = 180V
VDCmin = 236V
Vinmin = 200V
VDCmin =239V
The actual values of Vinmin and VDCmin need to be recalculated with the actual capacitance value. Since the evaluation
of Vinmin involves an equation having no closed form solution, an iterative cycle needs to be established:
V inmin =
2
V PKmin
Vinmin
arccos  -------------------
 VPKmin
P in 1 + 2 ⋅ N H
– -------- ⋅  ------------------------- – 2 ⋅ Tc ; Tc = --------------------------------------------
fL
C in 
2 ⋅ π ⋅ fL
(1)
where TC is the recharging time of Cin, that is the time while the bridge diodes are conducting, which can be
initially assumed equal to zero. After few iterations both Vinmin and T C will converge to their respective values.
In case of holdup requirement the cycle should be executed twice. The first time with NH = 1 to find Vinmin after
one mains cycle missing (which will be used to check for maximum duty cycle and maximum peak current) the
second one with NH = 0 to find Vinmin in normal operation (to be used for steady state and thermal calculations).
VDCmin will be simply the average of Vinmin (calculated with NH = 0 anyway) and V PKmin:
1
V DCmin = --- ⋅ ( V PK min + V inmin )
2
(2)
The voltage rating of Cin is selected depending on V PKmax: it is usually 200 V for 110 VAC applications and 400V
for 220 VAC or WRM applications.
7
PRELIMINARY CALCULATIONS (STEP 2)
The next step is to check for not exceeding the limits imposed by the IC. Prior to this, the power processed by
the transformer (PinT) and the average voltage drop across the ON-resistance of the internal MOSFET
(VDS(on)x) will be evaluated. VDS(on)x is subtracted to Vinmin and the resulting value is the voltage actually applied
to the primary winding of the transformer. The R DS(on) used must take temperature into account. Use the maximum value defined at 125°C.
The first limit to be checked is the maximum duty cycle DX. If it exceeds 62-64%, either the reflected voltage VR
should be lowered or the minimum input DC voltage Vinmin should be increased by selecting a larger input capacitance.
The second limit to be checked is the maximum drain voltage during the OFF-state of the MOSFET. At least
50V margin should be ensured. The overvoltage spike can be reduced to allow more reflected voltage if necessary, keeping in mind that it cannot be much lower than VR not to hurt the primary-to-secondary energy transfer.
The last check concerns the peak primary current that must not exceed the minimum guaranteed OCP threshold
(0.55A). If this is exceeded, a higher maximum duty cycle DX should be used, if possible. Also a higher V inmin
is beneficial. Some iterations, involving a recheck of the first two points, may be necessary to find the optimum
compromise. If no solution can be found, either CCM operation should be considered or the power handled by
the converter should be derated.
7/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
All of the above mentioned calculation steps are summarized in table 6.
Table 6. Preliminary Calculations (step 2)
Symbol
PinT
VDS(on)x
Dx
VDSmax
Ippkx
8
Parameter
Definition
Transformer Input Power
( V out + V F ) ⋅ I ou t
P inT = ------------------------------------------ηT
Max. average drop on RDS(on) in ON-state
Vinmin + V R
V DS ( on ) ≈ -------------------------------------------Vinmin ⋅ V R
1 + --------------------------------Pin ⋅ R DS ( on )
Maximum Duty Cycle
VR
D X = ----------------------------------------------------------------( V inmin – VDS ( on )x ) + V R
Maximum drain Voltage in OFF-state
VDSmax = VPKmax + VR + Vspike
Max. Peak Primary Current
PinT
2
Ip pkx = ---------------------------------------------- ⋅ ------V inmin – VDS ( on )x DX
OPERATING CONDITIONS @ VIN = VDCMIN
From the thermal point of view the heaviest operating conditions for the IC, and for most of the other parts of
the converter as well, are usually encountered at minimum input voltage.
That is why the operating conditions @ Vin = VDCmin need being evaluated. This will be done with the aid of the
relationships in table 7.
Table 7. Relationship useful for calculating converter's operating conditions @ Vin = VDCmin
Symbol
D
Definition
Duty Cycle (switch ON-time to switching period ratio)
V inmin – VDS ( on )x
D = ------------------------------------------------- ⋅ DX
VDCmin – V DS ( on )x
Ippk
Peak Primary Current
Ippk = Ippkx
IpDC
DC Primary Current
D ⋅ Ip pk
Ip DC = ------------------2
Total RMS Primary Current
D
Ip RMS = Ippk ⋅ ---3
IpRMS
IpAC
D‘
8/42
Description
RMS Primary Current (AC component only)
Ip AC =
2
2
Ip RMS – Ip DC
Secondary diode conduction time to switching period ratio
VDCmin – V DS ( on )x
D' = ------------------------------------------------- ⋅ D
VR
Ispk
Peak Secondary Current
2 ⋅ I out
Is p k = ----------------D'
IsDC
DC Secondary Current
IsDC = Iout
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 7. (continued)
Symbol
IsRMS
IsAC
Description
Total RMS Secondary Current
Definition
D'
Is RMS = Ispk ⋅ ----3
RMS Secondary Current (AC component only)
IsAC =
2
2
IsRMS – Is DC
Once this information has been found, it is possible to evaluate the power dissipation of the IC and check for
thermal limitations. Table 8 summarizes the relationships that can be used for this evaluation. In those formulae:
- Tc is the crossover time of the voltage and current waveforms at MOSFET's turn off;
- Cdrain is the total capacitance of the drain, composed of the Coss of the MOSFET, the parasitic capacitance of
the primary winding and, in case, some external capacitance.
As previously said, the worst-case operating conditions for the IC usually occur at Vin = VDCmin, however it is
worthwhile checking the losses also at maximum input voltage, that is at V in = VPKmax, especially if an external
capacitor is added on the drain.
With the worst-case total losses in the IC it is possible to find the maximum junction-to-ambient thermal resistance allowed for safe operation at maximum ambient temperature.
The operating temperature range of the devices extends to 150 °C, however designing for such high temperature is not recommended. A reasonable target can be to design for 125 °C maximum die temperature:
125 – T amb
R thmax = ----------------------------------------------------------------P Q + Pc ond + P s w + P ca p
(3)
Table 8. IC's power losses estimate
Symbol
Description
Definition
Conduction losses
P cond = Ip RMS ⋅ R DS ( o n )max
Switching losses
1
P sw ≈ --- ⋅ ( Vin + V R ) ⋅ Ipp k ⋅ T c ⋅ f sw
3
PCAP
Capacitive losses
1
2
P CA P ≈ --- ⋅ C drain ⋅ ( V in + V R ) ⋅ fs w
2
PQ
Quiescent losses
PQ = VCC · Iop
Pcond
Psw
Assume:
2
RDS(on) max = 28 Ω (@ Tj = 125 °C)
Tc = 50ns
fsw = 65kHz
Cdrain = 100pF
Iop = 7mA
With the aid of the diagrams shown in fig. 20 it is possible to estimate whether the required thermal resistance
is feasible or not and, in the positive case, how large the on-board copper area is supposed to be. Consider that
copper areas larger than 4 cm2 do not give significant reduction of thermal resistance and may cause PCB layouting to become a serious issue.
If the thermal check does not give positive results, a different heatsinking strategy may be considered, otherwise
a higher maximum duty cycle DX should be used, if possible, to reduce the RMS current. Also a higher Vinmin
9/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
(that is a larger input capacitor) is of help. Some iterations, involving a recheck of the points mentioned in "Preliminary Calculations - step 2", may be necessary.
If no solution can be found, either some specification should be relaxed or the power handled by the converter
should be derated.
9
FLYBACK TRANSFORMER DESIGN
To complete the set of data needed to design the flyback transformer, the primary inductance value (Lp) and the
primary-to-secondary turns ratio (n) are still to be defined.
The primary inductance will be chosen so that the converter is operated on the boundary between DCM and
CCM at Vin = Vinmin:
2
[ ( Vinmin – V DS ( on )x ) ) ⋅ D X ]
Lp = ------------------------------------------------------------------------2 ⋅ fs w ⋅ P inT
(4)
while the primary-to-secondary turns ratio is defined so as to get the desired reflected voltage VR:
VR
n = ------------------------V out + VF
(5)
With the complete set of specification, the transformer design can start with the selection of the magnetic core
material and geometry.
Table 9. Ferrite Materials selection
Grade
Saturation flux density
[T]
B2
0.36
PFe = 1.15 ⋅ 10
–5
⋅ ∆B
2.26
⋅ fs w
3C85
0.33
PFe = 1.54 ⋅ 10
–7
⋅ ∆B
2.62
⋅ fs w
N67
0.38
PFe = 8.53 ⋅ 10
–7
⋅ ∆B
2.54
⋅ fs w
PC30
0.39
PFe = 1.59 ⋅ 10
–6
⋅ ∆B
2.58
⋅ fs w
F44
0.4
PFe = 2.39 ⋅ 10
–6
⋅ ∆B
2.23
⋅ fs w
Specific Power Losses @100 °C [W/cm3]
Manufacturer
1.11
THOMSON
1.54
PHILIPS
1.36
EPCOS (ex S+M)
1.32
TDK
1.26
MMG
As to the magnetic material, a standard soft ferrite for power applications (gapped core-set with bobbin) is the
usual choice: the switching frequency is not so high thus special grades for high frequency operation are not
required. Table 9 shows some suitable materials.
The geometry will be usually a popular E or E-derived type. Other configurations, such as RM or PQ cores, are not
recommended because they are inherently high leakage geometries, since they result in narrower and thicker windings. Consider that minimizing leakage inductance is one of the major tasks in the design of a flyback transformer.
Among the various shapes and styles offered by manufacturers the most suitable one will be selected with technical
and economic considerations. Table 10 shows some possible choices with the relevant data useful for the design.
The next quantity to be defined is the peak flux density Bmax which the transformer will be operated at. Being
this a DCM design, Bmax will also equal the maximum flux density swing ∆Bmax.
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AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Due to the moderate switching frequency, Bmax will be limited by core saturation and not by core losses. This
means that transformer's power losses will be located mostly in the windings.
As shown in table 9, ferrites saturate above 0.3 T thus a value of Bmax equal to 0.28-0.30 T may be selected to
maximize core utilization, or B max = 0.25 T can be chosen for a more conservative design.
This maximum peak flux density will occur when the peak primary current is maximum. However, it is not sufficient to consider the peak current Ippkx resulting from table 6. To guarantee that the transformer does not saturate even under short circuit conditions, the maximum peak primary current to be considered is the maximum
value of the OCP threshold (Ilim = 0.7A, from the datasheet).
Now a step-by-step procedure for the design of the transformer will be given.
Table 10. Core list and significant design data
Core
Ve
[cm3]
Ae
[cm2]
Aw
[cm2]
AP
[cm4]
K1
K2
Lt
[cm]
WB
[cm]
Rth
[°C/W]
THOMSON (B2)
EF1505A
0.51
0.15
0.15
0.022
29.7
-0.68
2.63
0.92
75
EF2007A
1.46
0.31
0.26
0.081
61.1
-0.7
3.65
1.32
45
EF2509A
3.3
0.58
0.4
0.232
103
-0.73
4.64
1.64
30
E2006A
1.5
0.32
0.35
0.112
62.2
-0.7
3.9
1.18
46
E2507A
3.2
0.55
0.6
0.33
90
-0.73
5.2
1.54
40
-0.7
3.3
0.94
65
PHILIPS (3C85)
E16/8/5
0.75
0.201
0.216
0.043
42.2
E20/10/6
1.49
0.32
0.35
0.112
62.2
-0.69
3.9
1.18
46
E25/13/7
2.99
0.52
0.56
0.291
90
-0.73
4.9
1.56
40
-0.7
3.4
1
65
EPCOS (ex S+M) (N67)
E16/8/5
0.76
0.2
0.22
0.044
42.2
E20/10/6
1.49
0.32
0.34
0.109
62.2
-0.69
4.12
1.25
46
E25/13/7
3.02
0.52
0.61
0.317
90
-0.73
5
1.56
40
EI16-Z
0.67
0.198
0.267
0.053
66
-0.57
3.31
0.86
44
EI22-Z
1.63
0.42
0.2
0.084
85.4
-0.71
3.86
0.845
33
EI25-Z
1.93
0.41
0.425
0.174
119
-0.57
4.94
0.98
31
0.225
0.216
0.049
42.2
-0.7
3.3
1
65
TDK (PC30)
MMG - NEOSID (F44)
EF16
0.754
EF20
1.5
0.314
0.348
0.109
62.2
-0.69
3.9
1.2
46
EF25
3.02
0.515
0.564
0.29
90
-0.73
4.8
1.6
40
1) Choose core size. Transformer's core must be able to handle the power throughput PinT without saturating
and with acceptable power losses, with the minimum size. Determining its optimum size is a trial-and-error
process and a proper starting point may reduce considerably the number of iterations needed.
A most common way of describing core size is the so-called Area Product (AP), which is the product of the
effective cross-sectional area of the core times the window area available to accommodate the windings. It
is possible to define the minimum AP required by a specific application.
The following equation can be useful to estimate the minimum AP (in cm4) required:
11/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Ap min

 1.316
 L p ⋅ Ip RMS 
4
-
[ cm ]
= 10 ⋅  --------------------------------------1
 --
 ∆T 2 ⋅ K ⋅ B

3
u
(6)
max
In this equation ∆T is the hot-spot temperature rise (located in the core center leg, where heat can be removed more difficultly), defined as ∆T = Tmax - Tamb. For reliability reasons Tmax is usually limited at 100°C
where, by the way, ferrites usually feature minimum losses. K u is the window utilization factor, that is the portion of the total core window area occupied by the windings, which can be estimated equal to 0.4 for margin
wound construction and to 0.7 for triple insulated wire construction.
The smallest core with an AP greater then APmin will be chosen from the catalog data (the core list of table
10 can be used as a reference). If there is a core with an AP < APmin but very close to, it might be worthwhile
trying to design with this smaller core before trying the larger one.
2) Calculate the required minimum number of primary turns of the primary winding. It will be given by:
Lp ⋅ 0.7
4
Np min = ------------------------- ⋅ 10
B m ax ⋅ A e
3) Define primary and secondary windings' turns number. In the case of single-output under consideration, the
secondary winding turns number Ns will be simply:
Np
Ns = -------- + 1 ,
n
that is, the result of the division will be rounded up to the next larger integer. The actual primary turns will then
be calculated, rounding the result to the closest integer.
Np = [Ns · n + 0.5].
It can be convenient to round to the next even number when interleaved winding technique is to be used for
transformer construction, so as to split the primary in two equal halves.
4) Calculate the air gap length. The gap length (lg) needed to get the desired inductance Lp will be calculated
with the following empirical formula:
1
------
Ig
 Lp 10 9 k2
=  ----------2 ⋅ ---------
k1 
 Np
[m m]
(7)
If the calculated value is not available as a standard part, if possible, the primary turns number can be adjusted a little bit to get an off-the-shelf part.
The air gap should be located on the core center leg only, to minimize radiated fields. In prototyping, center
leg grinding to get nonstandard gap values can be avoided by keeping the two half-cores apart by about half
the calculated value with spacers.
5) Calculate transformer total losses. The allowed total transformer losses (Ptot) can be calculated by dividing
the hot-spot temperature rise ∆T by the thermal resistance of the wound core Rth(core):
∆T
P tot = ----------------------Rth ( c ore )
[W ]
If the manufacturer does not provide thermal data, Rth(core) can be estimated. It has been shown [1] that there
is a good correlation between core's area product and thermal resistance, regardless of its shape:
Rth(core) ≈ 23 · AP-0.37 [°C/W];
12/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
this best-fit equation refers to natural convection cooling.
6) Calculate the actual flux swing, the actual core losses and the allowed copper losses. The flux swing will be
given by:
Lp ⋅ lppk
4
∆B = ---------------------- ⋅ 10 [ T ]
Np ⋅ A e
(8)
and the corresponding core losses can be calculated with the formulae in table 9:
p
q
P Fe = V e ⋅ k ⋅ ∆B ⋅ fs w [W ]
(9)
The allowed copper losses will obviously be:
PCu = Ptot - PFe [W]
(10)
7) Design windings. The goal is to find the right wire size so that copper losses are within the limit stated by
(10). At this moment, losses due to skin and proximity effect will not be accounted for. The construction technique of the transformer will be such that these effects will be minimized.
Copper losses will be equally apportioned to the primary and the secondary winding (the power handled by
the auxiliary one is negligible). Therefore the maximum primary and secondary winding resistance will be respectively:
P Cu
Rp = -----------------------[Ω ] ;
2
2 ⋅ Ip RMS
PCu
- [Ω ]
Rs = ----------------------2
2 ⋅ Is RMS
(11)
The primary and secondary conductor copper cross-section area will be obtained considering the resistivity
of copper at 100°C (ρ100 = 2.303·10-6 Ω·cm) and the average length-per-turn (4) of the bobbin associated to
the selected core:
ρ 100 ⋅ Np ⋅ Lt
Ap Cumin = --------------------------------Rp
ρ 100 ⋅ Ns ⋅ L t
As Cu min = --------------------------------Rs
2
[cm ]
(12)
2
[ cm ]
(13)
A wire table (like the sample one shown in table 11) will be looked up and a wire with a copper area (ApCu,
AsCu) equal or greater than the minimum above calculated will be selected. Anyway, to minimize skin effect,
the selected wire diameter should not exceed 2·δ, where δ is the skin depth of copper (about 0.3 mm at 65
kHz and 100°C). In practice, the maximum wire size for minimum skin effect is AWG23 (∅ 0.57 mm, ACu =
0.2573 mm2). If ApCu is larger, a number (Nwp, Nws) of such (or smaller) wires will be paralleled so as to
achieve the desired total area:
Ap Cumin
Nwp = ---------------------Ap Cu
As Cumin
Nws = ---------------------AsCu
where the results will be rounded up to the next larger integer.
13/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 11. Wire Table (RS-214). Copper wire. Heavy insulation.
AWG
Diameter
Copper
[cm]
Diameter
Insulated
[cm]
Area
Copper
[cm 2]
Area
Insulated
[cm2]
22
0.064
0.071
0.003255
0.004013
23
0.057
0.064
0.002582
0.003221
24
0.051
0.057
0.002047
0.002586
25
0.045
0.051
0.001624
0.002078
26
0.040
0.046
0.001287
0.001671
27
0.036
0.041
0.001021
0.001344
28
0.032
0.037
0.000810
0.001083
29
0.029
0.033
0.000642
0.000872
30
0.025
0.030
0.000509
0.000704
31
0.023
0.027
0.000404
0.000568
32
0.020
0.024
0.000320
0.000459
33
0.018
0.022
0.000254
0.000371
Finally the total winding area must be checked to make sure they fit the bobbin window Aw:
Api · Nwp · Np + Asi · Nws · Ns ≤ Ku · Aw
(14)
where Api and Asi are the individual wire cross-section, primary and secondary respectively, including isolation. If the above inequality is not verified there are the following options:
a) if Np is quite larger than Npmin, try decreasing Np and go back to step 3;
b) choose a smaller wire, recalculate Nwp and Nws and recheck window fitting;
c) use fewer wires in a strand accepting a likely larger temperature rise;
d) use the next size core and restart from step 2.
Finally, the auxiliary winding will be defined. It has not been considered before because it handles a very low
power, thus it will be made with a single thin wire (e.g. AWG32 or AWG33) which gives a negligible contribution to winding build and losses. Just the turns number needs to be defined:
V CC + 0.7
N aux = Ns ⋅ -------------------------V o ut + VF
(15)
where 0.7 V is the typical forward drop on the auxiliary (small signal) diode.
8) Calculate actual power dissipation and hot-spot temperature rise. The actual resistance of the primary and
secondary windings has to be calculated first:
Np ⋅ L t
Rp = ρ 100 ⋅ ------------------------------- ;
Nw p ⋅ Ap Cu
14/42
Ns ⋅ L t
Rs = ρ 100 ⋅ ------------------------------- ,
Nws ⋅ AsCu
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
then the total power dissipation and the hot spot temperature rise will be respectively:
2
2
P tot = PF e + Rp ⋅ Ip RMS + Rs ⋅ Is RMS
∆T = P tot ⋅ R th
Finally, some suggestions on the transformer construction techniques. When building a transformer, the general
rule is to minimize parasitics, basically leakage inductance and winding capacitance.
In order for a transformer to meet isolation and safety norms, primary and secondary windings must be separated by isolation layers, thus their coupling cannot be intimate. Moreover, in a margin wound construction the
entire window breadth cannot be used (2.5 to 3 mm margin on each side must be considered to achieve sufficient creepage distance) thus the winding becomes shorter and thicker, which hurts coupling. This is why triple
insulation construction is recommended.
Figure 4. Interleaved winding technique
1/2 primary turns
secondary turns
1/2 primary turns
air gap on
centre leg
As a result, it is not possible to reduce leakage inductance below a certain extent. Practically, for a well assembled transformer, leakage inductance will be about 1 to 3% of the primary inductance.
Interleaved windings technique (putting on half the primary turns first, then the secondary and finally the other
half of the primary, see fig. 4) may considerably reduce leakage inductance (theoretically almost four times).
The two primary halves must be series connected, never paralleled. Other tricks, such as spacing windings
evenly across a layer (when they do not completely fill it), or using multiple strands of wire, or keeping isolation
between windings to a minimum are also effective. Besides, the use of split bobbins is not recommended.
Primary winding capacitance is the major component of the Cdrain capacitance earlier mentioned. Besides contributing to internal MOSFET power losses, it causes ringing and noise problems that may force the use of additional damping networks to comply with EMC requirements.
To achieve a low capacitance, always wind first the primary winding and, in particular, the half whose end is to
be connected to the drain of the MOSFET. In this way the second half primary has a shielding effect that reduces
the capacitive coupling. In case of multiple layer windings, which exhibit higher capacitance, it is useful to embed
one layer of isolation between two adjacent winding layers. This, however, tends to increase leakage inductance
and therefore should be done with care.
15/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
10
CLAMP CIRCUIT DESIGN
The drain pin of the IC needs to be properly clamped to prevent the spike due to the transformer leakage inductance from exceeding the breakdown voltage (700V minimum). An RCD clamp (see fig. 5a) is a popular cheap
solution, however it dissipates power even under no-load conditions: there is at least the reflected voltage VR
across the clamp resistor at all times. If minimizing the light load losses is a must, the use of a zener or transil
clamp (see fig. 5b) is recommended whenever possible. Such circuit gives also a better defined clamping level
but dissipates more power at full load.
Figure 5. Suggested clamp circuit topologies
RCD CLAMP
C
ZENER
CLAMP
R
DZ
D
D
Drain
Drain
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
GND
GND
a)
b)
The clamp may not be necessary in a 110VAC operated converter but, before giving up this circuit, it is important
to check carefully the spike under overload and start-up conditions to make sure that the voltage rating of the
MOSFET is never exceeded.
RCD clamp. The clamp capacitor is charged by the energy stored in the leakage inductance and must ensure
that the maximum allowed overvoltage Vspike is never exceeded, even under short circuit conditions (when the
peak primary current is Ilim = 0.7 A). Its minimum value will be then:
2
L LK ⋅ I lim
Cmin = ---------------------------------------------------2
2
( V R + V s pik e ) – V R
The capacitor must be low-loss type (with polypropylene or polystyrene film dielectric) to reduce power dissipation and prevent overheating due to the high peak currents it experiences.
The minimum value of the clamp resistance is:
1
Rmin = ------------------------------------------------------------------- ,
V sp ik e
f s w ⋅ C min ⋅ ln  1 + ----------------

V 
R
16/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
and its power rating has to be:
2
VR
1
2
P R = ------------ + --- ⋅ L LK ⋅ I lim ⋅ fsw
R min 2
Usually the resistor value will be selected much higher than the minimum to reduce losses. The clamp capacitor
will then be quite larger than the minimum as well.
The blocking diode must be not only very fast-recovery but also very fast-turn-on type to avoid additional drain
overvoltage. A 1A rated diode with a breakdown voltage at least VPKmax + VR is needed. Table 12 shows the
suggested ST parts.
Table 12. Recommended ST parts for blocking diode.
110 VAC
220 VAC or WRM
Diode
VRRM
Package
Diode
VRRM
Package
BYT01-400
400
F126
STTA106
600
F126
SMBYT01-400
400
SMB
STTA106U
600
SMB
Zener clamp. The Transil (or zener) clamp voltage should be equal to:
VCL = VR + Vspike
(16)
Usually Transils are rated by their stand-off Voltage V RM at 25°C temperature, which is defined at low current,
whereas the desired clamp voltage is to be considered at operating junction temperature and Ilim current.
To take this into consideration, as a rule of thumb the stand-off voltage can be selected as high as 70% of the
desired clamp level. Please refer to [2] and [3] to see how these problems are handled.
The Transil or zener must have an adequate power handling capability in steady state operation:
VCL
1
2
PZ = --- ⋅ ------------------------ ⋅ LLK ⋅ Ilim ⋅ f s w .
2 V CL – V R
Table 13 lists some recommended devices available from ST.
The same recommendations as in the RCD clamp case apply to the blocking diode in series to the Transil. Only
the breakdown voltage could be derated to VPKmax.
Table 13. Recommended ST parts for clamping.
VR
Pz ≤ 0.75 W
Pz = 1W
Pz = 1.5W
≤100 V
BZW04-154
BZW06-154
SMAJ154A-TR
BZW04-154
BZW06-154
SMBJ154A-TR
P6KE180A
1.5KE180A
SMCJ154A-TR
130 V
BZW04-188
BZW06-188
SMAJ188A-TR
BZW04-188
BZW06-188
SMBJ188A-TR
P6KE200A
1.5KE200A
SMCJ188A-TR
17/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
11
SECONDARY RECTIFIER SELECTION
Although the converter is operated in DCM, it is recommended to use an ultrafast p-n diode or, whenever allowed by the reverse voltage, a Schottky type. The latter, besides optimizing the reverse recovery, minimizes
conduction losses as well.
The voltage rating will be higher than the maximum reverse voltage it experiences:
V PKma x
V RE V = V o ut ⋅  1 + -------------------- ,

VR 
(17)
with a suitable safety margin (usually 20-25%). As to its current rating, it is a common design practice to choose
a diode rated for 2-3 times the DC output current Iout. Table 14 lists some recommended devices available from
ST assuming VR = 130 V. In each cell of the table there are two recommended devices, the first one is an axial
or through-hole diode and the second one is in SMD package. The sale types in italic are p-n diodes, the others
are Schottky type.
Table 14. Recommended ST parts for secondary rectification.
110 VAC
220 VAC or WRM
Vout
(V)
Pout≤5W
Pout=7.5W
Pout=10W
Pout≤5W
Pout=7.5W
Pout=10W
3.3
1N5820
STPS5L25B
STPS5L25B-1
STPS5L25B
STPS10L25D
STPS10L25G
1N58210
STPS3L25S
STPS5L25B-1
STPS5L25B
STPS10L25D
STPS10L25G
5
1N5820
STPS5L25B
1N5820
STPS5L25B
STPS10L25D
STPS10L25G
1N5821
STPS340C
1N5822
STPS340B
STPS640CT
STPS640CB
9
1N5821
STPS2L30A
1N5821
STPS340B
1N5822
STPS340B
–
STPS160U
–
STPS3L60S
STPS5H100-1
STPS3L60S
12
1N5819
STPS1L40A
1N5822
STPS3L60S
–
STPS3L60S
–
STPS1H100U
–
STPS2H100U
STPS5H100B-1
STPS2H100U
15
BYV10-60
STPS160A
BYV10-60
STPS160A
–
STPS3L60S
–
STPS1H100U
–
STPS2H100U
STPS5H100B-1
STPS2H100U
18
BYV10-60
STPS160A
BYV10-60
STPS1H100U
BYW98-100
STPS2H100U
–
STPS1H100U
–
STPS2H100U
STPS5H100B-1
STPS2H100U
24
BAT49
STPS1H100A
–
STPS1H100U
–
STPS1H100U
BYW100-200
STPR120A
BYW100-200
STPR120A
BYW100-200
SMBYW02-200
12
OUTPUT CAPACITOR SELECTION AND POST FILTER
Large, low-ESR electrolytic capacitors usually do the filtering work. The parameters to be considered for their
selection are the working voltage, RMS ripple rating and ESR, the actual capacitance value is of secondary importance.
Obviously, the DC working voltage must be greater than Vout. A margin of 25% is recommended for the sake of
reliability.
The AC current the output capacitor undergoes causes power dissipation on its ESR and a resulting temperature rise. This is the major responsible for capacitor degrading. Thus it is important not to operate the capacitor
beyond its AC current ripple rating, otherwise its lifetime will be considerably shortened. This parameter is usually specified at 85°C or 105°C ambient temperature, depending on capacitor's quality. The value could be derated considering the actual maximum ambient temperature (Tamb) and the capacitor's target lifetime. For a
conservative design no derating will be applied. The AC current capability must then be larger than Is AC and
18/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
may be achieved by using paralleled capacitors.
ESR, besides being responsible for capacitor heating, is what basically determines the switching frequency voltage ripple superimposed on top of the DC value. This is true as long as the capacitive contribution to the ripple
is negligible, that is if:
Iout ⋅ Dx
Cout > > 100 ⋅ -------------------------------------V r% ⋅ V out ⋅ fsw
(18)
The specification on the maximum allowed output ripple is then translated into a requirement on the maximum
ESR of the capacitor:
Vr% V ou t
ESRx = ---------- ⋅ ----------100 Ispk
(19)
Anyway, once the specification on either the AC ripple current or the ESR is fulfilled, the resulting capacitance
value definitely meets condition (18).
If the requirement on ESR is very tight, there is an alternative to using a large number of output capacitors: it is
possible to tolerate a higher ripple on Cout (provided the AC ripple requirement is met) and add an LC post filter,
like the one shown in fig. 6, that attenuates the ripple to the desired level.
Figure 6. Output post filter for ripple reduction
Post filter
L
C'
Cout
ESR
∆Vo
ESR'
∆Vout
The attenuation factor of such filter is approximately given by:
∆V out
ESR'
p–p
Ka = ---------------------- ≈ D ⋅ ( 1 – D ) ⋅ --------------fsw ⋅ L
∆VO p – p
which is the same for complementary duty cycles and minimum for D=0.5. Thus, to get the desired attenuation
factor the following design equations can be applied:
ESR'
Ka = ----------------------4 ⋅ f sw ⋅ L
for Dx > 0.5
ESR'
Ka = Dx ⋅ ( 1 – Dx ) ⋅ --------------f sw ⋅ L
for Dx < 0.5
It is convenient to choose an off-the-shelf choke and then select a capacitor with an ESR low enough to get the
desired attenuation level. For low output current (less than 1 A) ferrite beads may be used. At any rate, the DC
current rating of the choke should be oversized to minimize DC voltage drop. In fact, the feedback should be
connected upstream the post filter to avoid stability problems (see "Control loop compensation" section).
19/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
13
SELF-SUPPLY CIRCUIT DESIGN
To define the self-supply circuit it is necessary to select the bias rectifier and the supply capacitor (see fig. 7)
since the turns number of the auxiliary winding has been defined already.
The bias rectifier has to withstand a reverse voltage equal to:
V PK max
VRE V = V CC ⋅  1 + --------------------

VR 
with an appropriate safety margin of 20-25%. The current rating is of little concern since the diode has to carry
few mA. A popular 1N4148 (75V rating) or an UF4003 (200V rating) may be suitable choices.
The supply capacitor has to be large enough to keep the device running during the time needed for the auxiliary
winding to develop its correct voltage at start-up. A minimum value of 10 µF is recommended and any low cost
electrolytic capacitor will do the job. The resistor Rs in series to D filters the voltage spike appearing on the positive-going edge of the voltage generated by the self-supply winding that causes the voltage Vcc to increase with
the converter's output load. The optimum value depends on the transformer's stray parameters (mainly the coupling between the auxiliary and the secondary winding) and can be found empirically once the transformer spec
and construction have been frozen. A small and inexpensive axial inductor in the range of 1 to 10µH may be
used instead of RS, with even better results.
Figure 7. Self-supply circuit
Vcc
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
14
Rs
C
D
Naux
BROWNOUT PROTECTION DESIGN (L6590A AND L6590D ONLY)
With reference to the schematic of fig. 8, the following relationships can be established for the ON (V inON) and
OFF (VinOFF) thresholds of the input voltage:
R2
V inO N ⋅ ---------------------- = 2.5,
R1 + R2
VinOF F – 2.5
–6
2.5
--------------------------------- + 50 ⋅ 10 = -------- .
R1
R2
Solving for R1 and R2:
V inO N – V inO FF
R1 = ---------------------------------------–6
50 ⋅ 10
2.5
R2 = R1 ⋅ -----------------------------V inON – 2.5
For a proper operation of this function, VinON must be less than VPKmin and VinOFF less than Vinmin (see the
timing diagram of figure 8).
20/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 8. Brownout protection circuit and timing diagram
Vin
VPKmin
VinON
Vinmin
VinOFF
Vin
Vcc
VinOK
R1
50 µA
Vcc
+
6.4 V
VinOK
-
R2
L6590A
L6590D
2.5 V
PWM
Vout
15
CONTROL LOOP DESIGN
The control loop can be summarized as shown in figure 9, where each block is described by its transfer function
in the complex frequency domain represented by means of a Bode plot.
Figure 9. Control loop Block Diagram
Vin
G1(jω)
Vref
+
-
COMPENSATED
ERROR AMPLIFIER
G2(jω)
VCOMP
Vo
D
PWM MODULATOR
POWER STAGE
OUTPUT
DIVIDER
The set PWM modulator + Power stage is what, in control theory terminology, is called the "plant", while the
compensated error amplifier is the "controller".
21/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
The transfer function G2(jω) of the plant is defined by the control method (voltage mode), the topology of the
converter (flyback) and its operating mode (DCM in the specific case). The task of the control loop design is then
to determine the transfer function G1(jω) of the error amplifier and define the relevant frequency compensation
network. The objective of the design is to ensure that the resulting closed-loop system will be stable and well
performing in terms of dynamic response, line and load regulation.
The characteristics of the closed-loop system can be inferred from its open-loop properties. Provided the openloop gain crosses the 0 dB axis only once at f= f c (crossover frequency), stability will be ensured if the gain phase
shift (besides the 180° due to negative feedback) is less than 180° at f = fc. This is the well-known Nyquist's
stability criterion.
Anyway, adequate margin to this boundary condition must be provided to prevent instability due to parameter
variations and to optimize the dynamic response that would be severely underdamped otherwise. Under worst
case condition this "phase margin" Φm should never go below 20 or 30°. Typically, Φm = 45° in nominal conditions is used as a design guideline: this ensures fast transient response with very little ringing. Sometimes a
higher margin (up to 60° or 75°) is required to account for very large spreads in line, load and temperature
changes as well as manufacturing tolerances.
Although Nyquist's criterion allows the phase shift to be over 180° at a frequency below fc, this is not recommended because it would result in a conditionally stable system. A reduction of the gain (which may temporarily
happen during large load transients) would cause the system to oscillate, therefore the phase shift should not
get close to 180° at any frequency below f c.
Optimum dynamic performance requires a large gain bandwidth, that is the crossover frequency fc to be pushed
as high as possible (≤ fsw/4). When optimum dynamic performance is not a concern, fc will be typically chosen
equal to fsw/10.
Good load and line regulation implies a high DC gain, thus the open loop gain should have a pole at the origin.
In this way the theoretical DC gain would tend to infinity, whereas the real-world one will be limited by the lowfrequency gain of the Error Amplifier. Since voltage mode control has poor open-loop line regulation, the overall
gain should be still high also at frequencies around 100-120 Hz to maximize rejection of the input voltage ripple.
This is related to phase margin: a higher phase margin leads to a lower low-frequency gain.
Once the goal of the design has been established in terms of crossover frequency and phase margin, the next
step is to determine the transfer function of the plant G2(jω) in order to select an appropriate structure for G1(jω).
The transfer function G2(jω) of the plant is described in Tab. 15, while its asymptotic Bode plot is illustrated in
Fig.10.
In G20 definition the ratio Dmax/Vs is the PWM modulator gain, while Dmax = 0.7 is the maximum duty cycle and
Vs = (3.5-1.5) = 2 V is the oscillator peak-to-valley swing (see the relevant section). R out = Vout/Iout is the equivalent load resistor.
This kind of plant will be stabilized in closed-loop operation by what is commonly known as a Type 2 amplifier.
Its transfer function G1(jω), which comprises a pole at the origin and a zero-pole pair, is defined as:
jω
1 + ------ωZ
G1 0
G1 ( jω ) = ----------- ⋅ ----------------jω
jω
1 + ------ωP
Its asymptotic Bode plot is illustrated in Fig. 11.
The main task of this correction is to boost the phase of the overall loop (actually, to reduce the phase lag of
G2(jω)) in the neighborhood of the crossover frequency.
22/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 10. Plant transfer function G2(jω) of DCM Flyback (Bode Plots)
Gain
[dB]
Phase
[°]
Gain
G20
0
fout
fESR
0
Phase
-90
Table 15. Plant Transfer Function and its Main Quantities
Symbol
G2(jω)
G20
Definition
jω
1 + -------------ω ES R
G2 ( jω ) = G2 0 ⋅ -----------------------jω
1 + ----------ω out
Dmax
Ro ut
G2 0 = -------------- ⋅ Vin ⋅ -------------------------Vs
2 ⋅ Lp ⋅ f sw
fESR
ω E SR
1
fE SR = -------------- = --------------------------------------------2 ⋅ π ⋅ ESR ⋅ Cout
2⋅π
fout
ω out
1
fout = ----------- = -----------------------------------π ⋅ R out ⋅ C out
2⋅π
Figure 11. Controller Transfer Function G1(jω) (Bode Plots)
Gain
[dB]
Phase
[°]
Gain
0
fZ
f
fP
0
Phase
-90
23/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
The synthesis of G1(jω) can be done by following the following step-by-step procedure:
a) Calculate gain and phase of G2(jω) at the desired crossover frequency (f c). That is:
G2 c = G2 ( 2 ⋅ π ⋅ f c )
180
Φ2 c = ---------- ⋅ arg [ G2 ( 2 ⋅ π ⋅ fc ) ] ;
π
G2(jω) will be calculated at maximum input voltage and maximum load, where the gain-bandwidth product is
maximum.
b) Calculate gain and phase of G1(jω) at f = fc in order for the overall open-loop gain to cross the 0 dB axis at
f = fc with the phase margin Φm:
1
G1c = G1 ( 2 ⋅ π ⋅ f c ) = ----------- ;
G2 c
180
Φ1 c = ---------- ⋅ arg [ G1 (2 ⋅ π ⋅ f c ) ] = – 180 + Φ m – Φ2 c ,
π
c) Cancel the pole of G2(jω) by placing the zero of G1(jω) in the neighborhood:
ω out
ωZ
fZ = ----------- = α ⋅ ----------2⋅π
2⋅π
(α = 1 to 5)
d) Place the pole of G1(jω) so as to get the desired phase margin:
fC
ωP
f P = ----------- ≈ ------------------------------------------- ,
2⋅π
π
tan  ---------- ⋅ Φ1 c
180
e) Calculate the unity gain frequency G1 0:
fc ⋅ fZ
G1 0 ≈ 2 ⋅ π ⋅ G1 c ⋅ ------------fP
The synthesis of G1(jω) is completed. The following step will concern the practical implementation of such function, that is the realization of a Type 2 amplifier. This will be done considering two cases, the secondary and the
primary sensing feedback.
16
SECONDARY FEEDBACK IMPLEMENTATION
This kind of feedback, shown in fig. 12, uses a popular arrangement with a TL431 as secondary reference/error
amplifier and an optocoupler to transfer the control signal to the primary side. The error amplifier of the IC is
then used as a current source whose characteristic is shown in fig. 12 as well: the voltage V COMP is changed
(and the duty cycle is controlled) by modulating the current Ic sunk from the pin. A change of Ic causes a change
of VCOMP corresponding to a resistance RCOMP = 9 kΩ. The resulting transfer function is:
1 + jω ⋅ ( RH + RF ) ⋅ CF
C TRmax ⋅ R COMP 1
∆VCOMP
∆VCOMP ∆IC ∆IF ∆V K
G1 ( jω ) = ----------------------- = ----------------------- ⋅ -------- ⋅ ----------- ⋅ --------------- = ----------------------------------------------- ⋅ ----- ⋅ ---------------------------------------------------------------jω 1 + jω ⋅ R CO MP ⋅ C COMP
RB ⋅ RH ⋅ CF
∆V out
∆IC
∆I F ∆V K ∆Vout
and table 16 shows how its quantities are defined
24/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 12. Secondary feedback: TL431 + optocoupler circuit (I)
Not needed
in the L6590A
Vout
VFB
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
IF
RB
RH
COMP
CCOMP
VCOMP
RCOMP =
∆VCOMP
∆IC
VK
CF
IC
3.5
RF
TL431
RL
1.5
1 mA
IC
Table 16. G1(jω) Implementation: secondary feedback (I)
Symbol
Definition
RL
RL ≈ 0.27 to 2.7 [kΩ]
RH
Vout – 2.5
R H = ------------------------- ⋅ RL
2.5
RB
V out – 3.5
R B < CTR min ⋅ ------------------------I Cmax
CF
CTRmax ⋅ R COMP
C F = ----------------------------------------------R B ⋅ R H ⋅ G1 0
RF
1
R F = -------------------------------- – R H
2 ⋅ π ⋅ f Z ⋅ CF
CCOMP
1
C CO MP = --------------------------------------------2 ⋅ π ⋅ f P ⋅ R COMP
This technique provides very good regulation of the output voltage and galvanic isolation from the primary side
at the same time.
In Table 16 it is possible to find the design relationships useful to derive the part values. Icmax is specified in
the Datasheet (2.5mA).
The following condition should be met:
π
tan  ---------- ⋅ Φ1c
 180
 Vout – 3.5
CTR m ax
----------------------- ≤ G1c ⋅ ------------------------------------------- ⋅ ------------------------- ,
ICmax
CTR min
R CO MP
(20)
otherwise t will not be possible to find a positive value for R F. If the condition (20) is not met, an optocoupler with
a narrower CTRmin - CTRmax spread should be selected. If that is not possible, either a higher fc or a lower Φm
should be selected and the calculations from step a) to step e) redone.
25/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 13. PWM gain reduction by RC (secondary feedback II).
Not needed
in the L6590A
Vout
VFB
IF
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
RB
RH
COMP
RB1
CCOMP
RC
VK
IC
CF
RF
TL431
RL
A resistor RC in parallel to CCOMP, as shown in fig. 13, is useful to reduce the PWM gain ∆VCOMP/∆IC. In fact,
the resistor comes dynamically in parallel to RCOMP, thus reducing the equivalent value appearing at the numerator of the gain. Moreover, since it diverts part of the current sourced by the pin COMP, the opto's transistor
carries less current and a slightly higher bias resistor R B can be used, thus giving some extra gain reduction.
An additional resistor, R B1, of some kΩ could be needed to guarantee sufficient bias to the TL431.
To be able to exploit the full dynamics of the error amplifier under worst case conditions, R C must not be lower
than 7 kΩ, which reduces the gain by a 1/0.35 ≅ 2.86 factor. RC values lower than 7 kΩ will reduce the gain
further on but will reduce also the maximum duty cycle allowed (worst case). Depending on the maximum duty
cycle specified for a given application, this can be acceptable.
Table 17 summarizes the situation for different values of RC.
Table 17. PWM gain reduction for different RC values
RC (kΩ)
RC // RCOMP (kΩ)
Dmax
PWM Gain
Reduction
KB
(RB multiplier)
Total Gain
Reduction
7.5
4.09
0.7
2.2
1.24
2.73
7
3.94
0.7
2.29
1.25
2.86
6.8
3.87
0.68
2.32
1.25
2.91
6.2
3.67
0.62
2.45
1.27
3.11
5.6
3.45
0.55
2.61
1.28
3.34
5.1
3.26
0.49
2.76
1.29
3.58
4.7
3.09
0.44
2.91
1.31
3.8
4.3
2.91
0.38
3.09
1.32
4.07
3.9
2.72
0.32
3.31
1.33
4.4
3.6
2.57
0.28
3.5
1.34
4.69
In this case the design procedure outlined in table 16 should be slightly modified as shown in table 18.
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AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 18. G1(jω) Implementation: secondary feedback (II)
Symbol
Definition
RL
RL ≈ 0.27 to 2.7 [kΩ]
RH
Vout – 2.5
R H = ------------------------- ⋅ RL
2.5
RC, KB
Select from table 17
RB
V out – 3.5
R B < CTR min ⋅ ------------------------- ⋅ K B
I Cmax
CF
CTRmax ⋅ ( R COMP // R C )
C F = ----------------------------------------------------------------RB ⋅ RH ⋅ G1 0
RF
1
R F = -------------------------------- – R H
2 ⋅ π ⋅ f Z ⋅ CF
CCOMP
1
C CO MP = --------------------------------------------------------------2 ⋅ π ⋅ f P ⋅ ( R COMP // R C )
More flexibility is given by the network illustrated in figure 14, applicable with the L6590 and L6590D which have
the error amplifier on board.
For this circuit, to be able to find a positive value for RF, the condition is:
π
tan  ---------- ⋅ Φ1c
 180

CTR m ax
R C V ou t – 3.5
----------------------- ≤ G1c ⋅ ------------------------------------------- ⋅  1 + ------⋅ ------------------------- ,

ICmax
CTR min
R E
R F2
which is less stringent than (20). The resulting function is:
CTR max ⋅ RE ⋅ RF 2
∆V COMP
∆VCO MP ∆VE ∆IC ∆IF ∆V K
1 1 + jω ⋅ ( RH + RF 1 ) ⋅ C F1
G1 ( jω ) = ----------------------- = ----------------------- ⋅ ----------- ⋅ -------- ⋅ ----------- ⋅ --------------- = -------------------------------------------------------------------- ⋅ ----- ⋅ ---------------------------------------------------------------- ,
1 + jω ⋅ R F 2 ⋅ CF 2
∆Vout
∆V E
∆I C ∆I F ∆VK ∆Vout
( R E + R C ) · RB ⋅ RH ⋅ C F 1 jω
and Table 19 shows how its quantities are defined.
Figure 14. Secondary feedback: TL431 + optocoupler circuit (III)
Vout
IF
RB
RH
Vcc
L6590
L6590D
COMP
VFB
RC
VE
IC
RF2
VK
RE
CF1
RF1
TL431
RL
CF2
27/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 19. G1(jω) Implementation: secondary feedback (III)
Symbol
RF2; RC
Definition
RF2 > 2kΩ
; RC < 2.5 ⋅ R F 2
RE
RE > 1kΩ
RL
RL ≈ 0.27 to 2.7 [kΩ]
RH
Vout – 2.5
RH = ------------------------- ⋅ RL
2.5
RB
V out – 3.5
RB < CTRmin ⋅ ------------------------- ⋅ R E
2.5
CF1
CTR max ⋅ RE ⋅ RF 2
CF1 = -------------------------------------------------------------------( R E + RC ) · RB ⋅ R H ⋅ G1 0
RF1
1
RF1 = ----------------------------------- – R H
2 ⋅ π ⋅ f Z ⋅ CF1
CF2
1
C F2 = ----------------------------------2 ⋅ π ⋅ fP ⋅ RF 2
Figure 15 shows a special configuration, with the optocoupler connected in series to the supply pin of the IC that
provides the following benefits:
a) a large range of the voltage generated by the auxiliary winding can be allowed since the changes are
"damped" by the phototransistor and Vcc is stabilized by the error amplifier; this is useful with a poor quality
transformer or when the output voltage (tracked by the auxiliary voltage) may decrease because of constant
current regulation (e.g. battery chargers, see fig.40 on L6590’s datasheet).
b) during overload and short circuit the power throughput is automatically reduced because the operation of the
device becomes intermittent. In fact, the phototransistor carries the quiescent current IQ of the IC and, if the
output voltage is too low, there will not be enough current through the photodiode at the secondary side to
maintain IQ. The device will be switched off as it goes into UVLO.
c) despite the IC's OVP protection is bypassed by such configuration, the system is still protected against optocoupler's failures: if that happens, the phototransistor will no longer be able to supply the IC, which will go
into UVLO just like in case of overload or short circuit.
The transfer function of the schematic of Fig. 15 is:
∆V COMP
∆VCO MP ∆V CC ∆I C ∆I F ∆VK
G1 ( jω ) = ----------------------- = ----------------------- ⋅ --------------- ⋅ -------- ⋅ ----------- ⋅ --------------- =
∆Vout
∆V CC
∆I C ∆IF ∆V K ∆V out
R F2
( 1 + jω ⋅ Rc ⋅ C s ) ⋅ [ 1 + j ω ⋅ ( R H1 + RF 1 ) ⋅ C F 1 ]
1
= CTRma x ⋅ ---------- ⋅ ------------------------------------ ⋅ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ .
R B jω ⋅ R H1 ⋅ CF 1 [ 1 + j ω ⋅ ( R H2 + Rc ) ⋅ C s ] ⋅ ( 1 + j ω ⋅ R F 2 ⋅ C F 2 )
The VCC capacitor has a significant effect on the frequency characteristic of this circuit: in particular, it introduces
a low-frequency pole that causes a phase lag noxious for the phase margin. This pole needs to be compensated
by a zero, which requires an additional resistor (R C) in series to the capacitor.
The zero (RH1+ RF1) · CF1 will be placed close to the pole due to the VCC capacitor, (RH2+RC)·CS so as to compensate it. The pole at the origin and the other zero-pole pair realize a type 2 amplifier (see Table 20 to see how
28/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 15. Secondary feedback: TL431 + optocoupler circuit (IV)
Vcc
IC
Vout
IF
RH2
L6590
L6590D
Rc
VFB
Cs
470 nF
RL2
RB
RH1
Naux
CF1
COMP
RF1
VK
RF2
TL431
RL1
CF2
Table 20. G1(jω) Implementation: secondary feedback (IV)
Symbol
RL2; RH2
Definition
15V
RL2 > ----------V CC
V CC – 2.5
[ kΩ ] ; RH2 = ------------------------- ⋅ R L2
2.5
RF2
RF2 > 0.4 · RH2
RL1
Vout – 2.5
RL1 ≈ 0.27 to 2.7 [kΩ]; R H1 = ------------------------- ⋅ RL1
2.5
RB
V out – 3.5
RB < CTRmin ⋅ ------------------------2.5
IQ + ---------RL2
RC
1
RC = -------------------------------2 ⋅ π ⋅ fZ ⋅ CS
CF1
CTRmax ⋅ R F 2
CF1 = -------------------------------------R B ⋅ R H1 ⋅ G 10
RF1
( R H2 + RC ) ⋅ C S
RF1 = ------------------------------------------ – RH1
CF 1
CF2
1
CF2 = ----------------------------------2 ⋅ π ⋅ RF 2 ⋅ fP
this network can be designed). The bias resistor of the photodiode will be selected so as to sustain the quiescent
current of the L6590 and the current through the divider RH2+RL2. Please note that the steady state supply voltage Vcc (used in table 20 to choose RL2 and RH2) has to be sufficiently higher than the UVLO threshold (say 34 V, depending on CS). In fact, the PWM starts only when the Vcc voltage has decayed from the start-up threshold to the neighborhood of the steady state value. During this time the PWM is inhibited by the error amplifier,
saturated low because the voltage at the pin VFB is higher than 2.5V.
The turn number of the auxiliary winding will be such that the VCE across the phototransistor never falls below
1-2 V, to let it work in its active region. In case of constant current regulation, the variation of the output voltage
29/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
must be accounted for as well (the minimum specified value will be considered) and the turn number may result
quite high.
17 PRIMARY FEEDBACK IMPLEMENTATION
In this approach, which will be considered with regards to the L6590 and the L6590D only, the voltage generated
by the self-supply winding is sensed and regulated. This solution, shown in fig. 16, is cheap because no optocoupler is needed, but provides poor regulation, especially as a result of load changes.
Ideally, the voltage generated by the self supply winding and the output voltage should be related by the Naux/
Ns turn ratio only. Actually, numerous non-idealities, mainly transformer's parasitics, cause the actual ratio to
deviate from the ideal one. Line regulation is quite good, in the range of ± 2%, whereas load regulation is about
±5%. Output voltage tolerance is instead in the range of ±10%. The resulting transfer function is:
1 + j ω ⋅ R F ⋅ CF s
N aux
Naux ∆VCO MP
∆VCOMP
1
1
G1 ( jω ) = ----------------------- = ------------ ⋅ ----------------------- = ------------ ⋅ -------------------------------------------- ⋅ ----- ⋅ ----------------------------------------------------------- .
NS
N S R H ⋅ ( CF s + C F p ) jω
C Fs ⋅ C Fp
∆Vout
∆V CC
1 + j ω ⋅ R F ⋅ --------------------------CF s + C F p
Table 21 shows how its quantities are defined. As to the selection of Vcc, the same considerations concerning
the circuit of fig. 15 apply to the circuit in fig. 16a. Such limitation is not in the circuit of fig. 16b.
Figure 16. Primary feedback: circuits
Rs
Vcc
L6590
L6590D
Rs
RH
VFB
RL
Vcc
L6590
L6590D
22 µF
Naux
VFB
RH
220 nF
RL
COMP
R's
22 µF
Naux
COMP
CFs
RF
CFs
CFp
RF
CFp
a)
b)
Table 21. G1(jω) Implementation: Primary Feedback
Symbol
Definition
RL
15 V
RL > ----------V CC
RH
VCC – 2.5
RH = ------------------------- ⋅ R L
2.5
CFp
Naux f Z
1
CFp = ------------ ⋅ ----- ⋅ ----------------------N S fP G1 0 ⋅ R H
CFs
fP
CFs = C F p ⋅  ----- – 1
f

Z
RF
1
RF = ----------------------------------2 ⋅ π ⋅ f Z ⋅ CFs
[ kΩ ]
The value of the resistor Rs (R’s for the circuit of fig. 16b) in series to the bias diode will be selected to achieve
minimum load regulation and its value may range from few units to some hundred ohm.
30/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
The optimum value will be found empirically once the transformer construction has been frozen. Also the divider
RH, RL that sets the VCC voltage (and as a consequence, the output voltage) is likely to need adjustment after
bench verification. Some improvement in terms of load regulation can be achieved by using an inductor (typically, between 1 and 10µH) instead of a resistor. Any inexpensive axial inductor able to carry few mA will serve
the purpose.
Figure 17. Leading Edge Blanking (LEB) circuit for leakage inductance spikes filtering
Vout [V]
BC327
1N4148
18
17
Vcc
Rs
16
22 µF
15
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
100 pF
10 kΩ
14
13
LEB
12
11
0.01
GND
0.1
1
Iout [A]
However, the most effective way to improve regulation is to use the circuit shown in figure 17, which blanks the
spike appearing at the leading edges of the voltage generated by the self-supply winding. This spike, due to the
transformer's leakage inductance, is the major responsible for the poor load regulation.
18
LAYOUT RECOMMENDATIONS
A proper printed circuit board (PCB) layout is essential for correct operation of any switch-mode converter and
this is true for the devices of the L6590 family as well. Careful component placing, correct traces routing, appropriate traces widths and compliance with isolation distances are the major issues.
Figure 18. Suggested ground routing for converters with secondary feedback.
Vin
Vout
L6590A and
L6590D only
Vac
Secondary Power GND
DRAIN
Secondary Signal GND
L6590
L6590D
L6590A
BOK
VFB
COMP
Primary Signal GND
L6590 and
L6590D only
Vcc
C
Y1
GND
One-point GND
Primary Power GND
31/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Some fundamental rules will be given to enable the designer to successfully produce a good layout.
All of traces carrying high currents, especially if pulsed (the bold ones in figures 18 and 19), should be as short
and fat as possible. This will keep both resistive and inductive effects to a minimum, in favor of efficiency as well
as radiated RFI. If a two layer PCB is used, some of these traces could be routed parallel on both sides.
Noise coupling and radiation will also be reduced by minimizing the area circumscribed by current loops where
high pulsed currents flow, that is the bolded ones in figures 18 and 19. The most critical loop is that including
the input bulk capacitor, the transformer and the L6590, thus these components should be next to one other. In
figure 20 an example of possible component placement is given.
Figure 19. Suggested ground routing for converters with primary feedback
Vin
Vout
L6590D only
Vac
Secondary GND
DRAIN
BOK
L6590
L6590D
Vcc
C
Y1
VFB
GND
Primary Signal GND
One-point GND
Primary Power GND
Current returns (or ground) routing is also very important. All of them (signal ground, power ground, shielding,
etc.) should be routed separately and should be connected only at a single ground point, as suggested in figures
18 and 19.
Generally, traces carrying signal currents should run far from others carrying pulsed currents or with quickly
swinging voltages like the bolded ones of figures 18 and 19. From this viewpoint, particular care should be taken
of the feedback path. In case of two layer PCB, it is a good practice to route signal traces on one PCB side and
power traces on the other side.
Some crucial points of the circuit need or may need filtering, such as the V CC pin or the BOK pin. In case, highfrequency filter capacitors (with plastic film or ceramic dielectric) should be placed between these pins and the
"signal ground" route, as close to the IC as possible.
Reduction of common mode emissions requires a Y1 class capacitor (or two series connected Y2 class ones)
connected between the primary and secondary ground. This decoupling capacitor should be connected as close
to the transformer as possible.
Another important point is related to creepage distance: this must be observed between primary and secondary
ground (8mm), between the phases of the input voltage (4 mm) and the opposite ends of the primary winding
of the transformer (4mm). Concerning the primary-to-secondary ground separation, no component or traces
32/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
must be placed in this region, except the above mentioned common mode suppression capacitor and any optocoupler for secondary feedback.
Filling any unused space in the PCB with a ground plane helps reduce noise emission, but does not exempt
from using the above mentioned care in component placing and traces routing. For instance, if a signal ground
is connected to a ground plane along a pulsed current path between two components, (it is usually the most
direct one) noise will be injected into the signal circuitry.
Figure 20. Possible component placement.
Csupply
+
jumper
Transformer
signal
ground
to input
bridge
L6590
L6590D
Cin
+
C
Y
Zener
clamp
19
TEST BOARD: DESIGN AND EVALUATION
In order to show how to proceed with the design of an application based on the L6590 family, the design of the
test board, used to evaluate the device's performance, will be illustrated in details. Finally, the resulting electrical
schematic and a bench evaluation of the test board will be presented. The electrical specifications of the test
board and some preliminary choices are listed in table 22. Table 23a) shows the results of some preliminary
calculations needed to go further with the design steps.
Table 22. Test board's electrical specification and pre-design choices
Electrical Specification
VACmin
88 V
Minimum mains voltage
VACmax
264 V
Maximum mains voltage
fL
60 Hz
Mains frequency (@ min. mains)
NH
0
Number of holdup cycles
Vout
5V
Regulated output voltage
∆Vout%
2%
Percent output voltage tolerance (±)
Vr%
1%
Percent output voltage ripple
Poutmax
10 W
Maximum output power
η
0,75
Expected converter efficiency
Tamb
40 °
Maximum ambient temperature
33/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 22. (continued)
Pre-design Choices
VR
120 V
Reflected voltage
ηT
0,9
Vspike
80 V
Leakage inductance overvoltage
VCC
12 V
L6590 supply voltage
VF
0.6 V
Secondary diode forward drop
VBF
3V
Transformer efficiency
Bridge Rectifier + EMI filter voltage drop
Bridge rectifier selection.
An integrated bridge (DF06M, 4x1A/600V, GI) has been selected.
Input Bulk Capacitor.
From table 5, in order for the valley voltage on the input cap to be around 90 V, a minimum capacitance of about
27 µF should be used. A standard 22 µF/400V electrolytic capacitor will be chosen. After few iterations, the (1)
cycle converges at Vinmin = 84.9V, Tc = 2.11 ms. From eqn. 2, V DCmin = 103.2 V.
Table 23b) shows the results of a second step of calculations, aimed at checking that no limit of the device is
violated. The result is OK.
Operating conditions @ Vin = VDCmin and thermal check.
The results are listed in table 23c). With these data the power dissipated by the L6590 is calculated and the
result is shown in table 23d).
From eqn. 3, the maximum junction-to-ambient thermal resistance needed for reaching thermal balance at Tj =
125 °C is 51.2 °C/W. From the diagrams of fig. 21 it is possible to see that this can be obtained with about 1 cm2
copper area on the PCB.
Figure 21. L6590 Family Packages Junction-to-Ambient Thermal Resistance
SO16W
Rthja vs. PCB copper area
MINIDIP
Rthja vs. PCB copper area
[°C/W]
[°C/W]
52
56
1 Oz 2 Oz
1 Oz 2 Oz
51
54
50
52
49
50
48
48
47
46
0.5
1
Pdiss = 1.4 W
34/42
1.5
2
2.5
[cm^2]
3
3.5
4
4.5
46
0.5
Pdiss = 1.4 W
1
1.5
2
2.5
[cm^2]
3
3.5
4
4.5
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 23. Test Board design calculations results.
a) Preliminary Calculations results (step 1)
Symbol
Parameter
Pin
Converter Input Power
Iout
DC Output Current
Value
13.33 W
2A
VPKmin
Minimum Peak Input Voltage
121.5 V
VPKmax
Maximum Peak Input Voltage
373.4 V
b) Preliminary Calculations results (step 2)
Vinmin
Absolute minimum Input DC Voltage
84.9 V
VDCmin
Minimum Input DC bus Voltage
103.2 V
Transformer Input Power
12.44 W
PinT
VDS(on)x
Dx
VDSmax
Ippkx
Max. average drop on RDS(on) in ONstate
7.24 V
Maximum Duty Cycle
0.607
Maximum drain Voltage in OFF-state
573.4 V
Max. Peak Primary Current
0.528 A
c) Operating Conditions @ Vin = VDCmin
VDS(on)
Average drop on R DS(on) in ON-state
7.24 V
D
Duty Cycle (switch ON-time to switching period ratio)
0.496
Ippk
Peak Primary Current
0.528 A
IpDC
DC Primary Current
0.131 A
Total RMS Primary Current
0.215 A
IpAC
RMS Primary Current (AC component
only)
0.170 A
D’
Secondary diode conduction time to
switching period ratio
0.397
IpRMS
Ispk
Peak Secondary Current
IsDC
DC Secondary Current
IsRMS
IsAC
10.08 A
2A
Total RMS Secondary Current
3.67 A
RMS Secondary Current (AC component only)
3.08 A
d) Device power dissipation @ Vin = VDCmin
Pcond
Conduction losses
1.29 W
Psw
Switching losses
0.13 W
Pcap
Capacitive losses
0.16 W
Pq
Quiescent losses
0.08 W
Ptot
Total losses
1.66 W
Rthj-amb
Maximum junction-ambient thermal
resistance
51.2 °C/W
35/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Flyback transformer design
Eqn. 4 gives the primary inductance (Lp = 1.37 mH, rounded up to 1.4 mH), while eqn. (5) gives the primary-tosecondary turns ratio (n = 21.4). The design will be done considering Philip's E-cores in 3C85 ferrite and assuming a maximum peak flux of 0.25T, a temperature rise of 40 °C and 40% window utilization factor. Going
step-by-step:
1) Eqn. 6 provides a minimum AP of 0.042 cm4. Table 10 shows that an E20/10/6 core could fit the design.
2) The primary turns number will be Npmin = 122.5.
3) The resulting secondary turn number will be 122.5/21.4=5.7 which will rounded up to 6. The primary turns
number will then become 6·21.4=128.4. Finally, the choice will be Np=128 turns and Ns=6 turns, which
yields an actual turns ratio of 128/6 = 21.33, very close to the target.
4) From eqn. 7, the air gap needed to get the desired value of Lp will be 0.63 mm.
5) Table 10 shows that the thermal resistance of the finished core is 46 °C/W, thus the maximum power dissipation inside the transformer shall not exceed 40/46 = 0.87 W.
6) Equations 8, 9 and 10 will provide the actual flux swing (which will be lower than 0.25 T because Np>Npmin),
the actual core losses and the allowed copper losses respectively. The resulting flux swing is ∆B=180 mT:
the relevant core losses amount at 66 mW, thus it is possible to dissipate up to 0.8 W in the windings.
7) The required primary and secondary winding resistance will be 8.65 Ω and 30 mΩ respectively (resulting
from eqns. 11). The resulting primary resistance is quite high and the drop across it reduces significantly the
actual voltage applied at the primary inductance. The target primary resistance is then reduced at 4Ω and
the secondary will be increased at 46mΩ to maintain the same total copper losses.
The required primary and secondary copper area will be 2.87·10 -4 cm2 and 1.2·10-3 cm2 respectively (eqns.
12, 13). Table 11 shows that this can be done with one AWG32 wire at the primary and four paralleled (twisted) AWG32 wires at the secondary. This will both minimize high frequency effects and simplify the BOM. The
total occupied area will be 7 mm2 (eqn. 14), 20% of the total available area, thus the windings will fit.
On top of the primary and secondary winding, 14 turns of AWG32 wire will be wound to make the auxiliary
winding (eqn. 15).
8) The actual resistance of the primary and secondary windings will be 3.6 Ω and 42 mΩ respectively, for total
copper losses of 0.73 W. The total losses will be about 0.8 W and the resulting temperature rise 36.8 °C.
Zener clamp
To optimize losses at light load a zener clamp will be used. The clamp voltage should be around 200 V (eqn.
16), thus a BZW06-154 is first selected.
Assuming a leakage inductance of 30 µH (about 2% of the primary inductance), power dissipation will be about
0.6 W in normal operation and about 1.1 W in overcurrent limitation. The relevant clamping voltages would be
196 V and 209 V respectively. The initial choice will then be confirmed.
An STTA106 (1A / 600V turboswitch diode) will be used as the blocking diode.
Secondary rectifier
According to eqn. 17, and considering 25% margin, the blocking voltage of the diode should exceed 28 V, while
its current rating should be in excess of 4 A. Although table 14 suggests a bigger device, an 1N5822 (3A/40V)
Schottky diode is selected for this test board.
36/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Output Capacitor
Capacitor's ripple current rating should exceed 3 A. The minimum capacitance value should be 373 µF (eqn.
18) and the maximum ESR should be less than 5 mΩ. For long-time reliability the capacitor(s) should also be
able to withstand at least 3.08 A current ripple. Three Rubycon's ZL series 470 µF/16V paralleled capacitors
were selected, for a total ripple capability of nearly 3 A and a total ESR of about 20 mΩ. To meet the requirement
on the output voltage ripple an LC post filter is needed that attenuates ripple at least four times. Choosing a
standard value of L = 4.7 µH, the maximum ESR of the additional capacitor should not exceed 300mΩ.
An additional 220 µF/10V ZL capacitor has been added.
Self-supply circuit
The self supply circuit will include an 1N4148 diode and a 22 µF supply capacitor. A 10 Ω resistor will be added
in series to the diode to reduce Vcc voltage variations with the load current. This value is likely to be adjusted
after bench verification.
Control loop design
The crossover frequency will be selected as high as 10 kHz, worst case. The objective will be to get 70° phase
margin.
The plant transfer function is:
jω
1 + -------------ω ES R
G2 ( jω ) = G2 0 ⋅ -----------------------jω
1 + ----------ω out
with G2o = 11.5, fESR = 5464 Hz, fout = 90.3 Hz (@ max. load and max. Vin). A type 2 amplifier will be used for
G1(jω).
Going step-by-step:
a) The gain and phase of G2 at f=10 kHz are 0.281 and -29° respectively;
b) In order for the overall open-loop gain to cross the 0 dB axis at f=10 kHz with 70° phase margin, the gain and
phase of G1(jω) will be 3.56 and -81° respectively;
c) the compensating zero will be placed at 360 Hz (α = 4, to maximize 100Hz gain);
d) the compensating pole will be placed at 2270 Hz;
e) the unity gain factor is 35.4·104 s/rad.
Since a tight tolerance on the output voltage is required, an optoisolated feedback will be used and G1(jω) will
be realized with the schematic of figure 13. The TL431 and an optocoupler PC817A from Sharp will be used.
The CTR is specified between 0.8 and 1.6.
Using a 6.8kΩ resistor as RC, the resulting part values are:
RL = RH = 2.43 kΩ; RB = 560 Ω; RF = 2kΩ; CF = 100 nF; CCOMP = 22 nF.
Electrical Schematic, BOM and evaluation results
In fig. 22 the electrical schematic of the test board is illustrated and table 24 lists the relevant BOM. The diagrams of figure 23 show the evaluation results of the board, figure 24 shows some typical waveforms and figure
25 the effect of the frequency change on the output voltage transient.
37/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 22. Test board electrical schematic
F1
T1
BDG
D4
L1
Vinac
88 to 264 V
C1
5 Vdc / 2 A
D1
C5
C6
C7
C8
D2
R1
IC1
1
3
L6590
6, 7, 8
D3
C2
R3
4
R4
1
3
2
OP1
C3
5
4
R2
1
C4
2
C9
R5
3
IC2
R6
Table 24. Test board Bill Of Material
38/42
Symbol
Value
Notes
R1
10 Ω
¼ W, 5%
R2
6.8kΩ
¼ W, 1%
R3
560Ω
¼ W, 1%
R4, R6
2.43kΩ
¼ W, 1%
R5
2kΩ
¼ W, 1%
C1
22 µF
400 V, electrolytic, ELNA RE3 or equivalent
C2
22 µF
25 V, electrolytic
C3
22 nF
plastic film
C4
2.2 nF
250V Y class
C5, C6, C7
470 µF
16 V, electrolytic, RUBYCON ZL or equivalent
C8
220 µF
10 V, electrolytic, RUBYCON ZL or equivalent
C9
100 nF
10V electrolytic
L1
4.7 µH
UK ltd., ELC8D4R7E
D1
BZW06-154
154V / 600W peak Transil, ST
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Table 24. (continued)
Symbol
Value
Notes
D2
STTA106
D3
1N4148
D4
1N5822
IC1
L6590
OP1
PC817A
Optocoupler, Sharp
BD1
DF06M
GI, or equivalent 1A, 600 V
1A / 600V Turboswitch, ST
3A / 40V Schottky, ST
Monolithic HV Switcher, ST
Core E20/10/6, 3C85 ferrite, Philips or equivalent
≈ 0.6 mm air gap for a primary inductance of 1.4 mH (LLK <30 µH)
Pri: 64T+64T, series conneceted, AWG32 (∅ 0.22 mm)
Sec: 6T, 4xAWG32 (∅ 0.22 mm)
Aux: 14T, AWG32 (∅ 0.22 mm)
T1
---
F1
T2A250V
2A, 250V ELU
Figure 23. Test board evaluation results
Test board Load & Line regulation
Test Board Efficiency
Output Voltage [V]
Efficiency [%]
5
80
264 VAC
4.98
70
88 V AC
264 VAC
60
4.96
110 VAC
50
220 VAC
4.94
220 VAC
40
110 VAC
4.92
88 VAC
4.9
0.003
0.01
0.03
0.1
0.3
1
3
30
20
0.003
0.01
0.03
0.3
1
3
Test Board Light-load Consumption
Device Power Dissipation
Device Dissipation [W]
Input Power [mW]
5
88 V AC
2
220 V AC
0.5
1,000
Pout
0.5 W
800
264 V AC
1
600
0.25 W
110 VAC
0.2
0.1
0.05
0.003
0.1
Load Current [A]
Load Current [A]
400
0.1 W
0.05 W
0W
200
0.01
0.03
0.1
0.3
Load Current [A]
Rthj-amb= 58 °C/W @ 1.5W
1
3
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
DC Input Voltage [V]
39/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 24. Test board main waveforms under different operating conditions
Ch1: Vdrain
A1: Idrain
Vin = 400 V
Iout = 2 A
Vin = 100 V
Iout = 2 A
A1: Idrain
Ch1: Vdrain
A1: Idrain
A1: Idrain
Vin = 100 V
Iout = 50 mA
Vin = 400 V
Iout = 50 mA
Ch1: Vdrain
Ch1: Vdrain
Figure 25. Test board load transient response; effect of frequency change (left).
Vout
transition
22 ⇒ 65 kHz
transition
65 ⇒ 22 kHz
Vout
Vin = 200 V
Iout = 0.1 ↔ 0.3 A
Iout
20
Vin = 200 V
Iout = 0.2 ↔ 0.4 A
Iout
REFERENCES
[1] Lloyd H. Dixon, Jr. "Filter Inductor and Flyback Transformer Design for Switching Power Supplies", UNITRODE Power Supply Design Seminar Manual, 1994 (SEM-1000)
[2]"Calculation of Transil Apparent Dynamic Resistence" (AN575)
[3]"Transistor Protection by Transil" (AN587)
[4]"Getting Familiar with the L6590 Family High-voltage Fully Integrated Power Supply" (AN1261)
40/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
SUMMARY
1
Flyback Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2
Converter Electrical Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3
Pre-design Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4
Preliminary Calculations (step 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5
Bridge rectifier selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6
Input Bulk Capacitor selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
7
Preliminary Calculations (step 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
8
Operating Conditions @ Vin = VDCmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
9
Flyback Transformer design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10 Clamp Circuit design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
11 Secondary rectifier selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
12 Output Capacitor selection and post filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
13 Self-supply Circuit design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
14 Brownout Protection design (L6590A and L6590D only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
15 Control loop design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
16 Secondary feedback implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
17 Primary feedback implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
18 Layout Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
19 Test Board: Design and Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
20 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
41/42
AN1262 APPLICATION NOTE
Information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, STMicroelectronics assumes no responsibility for the consequences
of use of such information nor for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted
by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of STMicroelectronics. Specifications mentioned in this publication are subject
to change without notice. This publication supersedes and replaces all information previously supplied. STMicroelectronics products are not
authorized for use as critical components in life support devices or systems without express written approval of STMicroelectronics.
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