MC34063 with small inductors

Hello Folks,

Have to correct a design with a 34063 in there. Buck, VIN 16-30V, VOUT slightly under 12V, 400mA max output. And no, I don't like it much :-)

One of the issues is a saturating inductor. Can't change the layout and to be able to cram one in there I probably have to drop down to 47uH, maybe 68uH if lucky.

SPICE says it's ok but none of the datasheets or app notes recommends going that low. Any reason why not?

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Joerg
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Just stick a CD4060 in there. That oughta fix it ;-) ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

=A0 =A0 ...Jim Thompson

=A0 =A0| =A0 =A0mens =A0 =A0 |

=A0 | =A0 =A0 et =A0 =A0 =A0|

=A0|

=A0 =A0 =A0 |

Won't a 555 do the trick?

Reply to
brent

[snip]

Even better !-) ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
      The only thing bipartisan in this country is hypocrisy
Reply to
Jim Thompson

Won't a 555 do the trick?

I think it needs an ideal diode. :)

Reply to
tm

Hell no. You need a PIC!

Reply to
krw

Jan can do it! He's the PIC master! 8-p

Tim

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Reply to
Tim Williams

d

and a few 1K pots

Reply to
brent

What's the frequency? It's spec'd for 100K max.

Those old things are slow. With 24 in, 12 out, on time is ~5 usec at

100 KHz. Ripple current into 47 uH is 1.25 A p-p. Not good. It will go seriously discontinuous. Does Spice really approve?

If you can't change the layout, push the frequency above spec and go with 68 uH maybe. Best of luck.

Or kluge in one of the new National packaged switchers, the dpak ones with inductors and all.

John

Reply to
John Larkin

Too slow. IIRC there's somewhat faster (and more expensive) parts that might be pin-compatible at OnSemi.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

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Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

Try the NCP3063 from On Semi, it's a faster pin compatible for 34063

Grant.

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Reply to
Grant

Need a 556 to get 400mA :)

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Reply to
Kevin McMurtrie

With 30v in, 12v out, that's 18v across 47uH, producing 380mA/uS thru the inductor.

So, for a 400mA load, you'll need a 1uS on-time, multiplied by 1/(duty factor) to yield 400mA average.

At 100KHz you could charge the inductor 0-to-1.2A in roughly 3uS, let it discharge 1.2A-to-zero in 4.5uS, stand 2.5uS at zero current, and get an average of 400mA. The lighter the load, the shorter the on- time needed, and the faster the switcher will have to be.

That might barely work. Sure is ugly.

Inductance goes with turns^2 while saturation goes with ampere-turns, so higher inductance works much to your favor. If you can keep the thing continuous, that lowers peak currents in the inductor, and saturation concerns with it.

Or just get a faster part.

Because it's marginal timing-wise, places high stress on the inductor and switch, and is likely inefficient.

-- Cheers, James Arthur

Reply to
dagmargoodboat

During ramp-up it runs around 130kHz, then drops to around 30kHz depending on load. There ain't much flexibility because of the way the

34063 comparator works. It can issue a cycle but it can never stop one. That's why it behaves like one of those old aircraft rotary engines during landing, rat-tat-tattatta-tat ... poof ... rat-tat-tat ...

It's a pretty crude PWM chip but what can ya do?

These things run discontinuous nearly all the time. That would be ok.

Can't do a relayout on this one, else I'd already be home :-(

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Regards, Joerg

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Joerg

Although it does run in SPICE.

Thanks, got to take a look.

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Joerg

Thanks! Technically I can't change it but if needed it's needed. It's only 50% faster but maybe that helps here.

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Reply to
Joerg

The 34063 doesn't quite work that way, it is not a fixed frequency device. When the output is above threshold it just stops for a while. When it falls the comparator issue another cycle. Since the oscillor itself does run at fixed frequency (unless the current limit comes on) it starts the conduction somewhere, sometimes in the middle of a cycle. That results in rather ugly looking ripple.

If I could just find one that fits into the cramped space :-(

The NCP3063 that others have suggested might work but it's not breathtakingly faster, just by 50%.

Inductor stress would be ok, just has to stomach the current. I do get

1.5A peaks which pushes the 34063 a bit but dissipation is "only" around 500mW.
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Joerg

Hold your coffee, but I did one with a CD40106. Still in mass production, 15 years and counting. That was probably the lowest cost switcher I ever did. Pretty darn efficient as well, nothing gets hot.

Oh, and this was one of the many cases where the client already had a design but had a Maxim chip in there. Which, predictably, turned into unobtanium. That called for the big knife.

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Joerg

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They are still quite cheap, not as cheap as 34063 of course.

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John Devereux
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John Devereux

I did off-line switchers for GenRad using only LM339's and TL431's for the control system... plus Opto Couplers for loop isolation. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
      The only thing bipartisan in this country is hypocrisy
Reply to
Jim Thompson

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