Many appliances today use nonisolated power supply to furnish low output power required
to run a micro, LED display, and a few relays or AC switches. This type of power supply has
a single rectifier so as to reference the neutral to output ground in order to fire TRIACs or AC
switches. This article describes the use of the VIPer12A-E and the VIPer22A-E which are
pin-for-pin compatible and can supply power for many applications. This paper provides an
off-line, nonisolated power supply evaluation board based on the VIPer12/22A-E. Four
different examples are covered. The VIPer12A-E is used for 12 V at 200 mA and 16 V at 200
mA. The VIPer22A-E is used for 12 V at 350 mA and 16 V at 350 mA. The same board can
be used for any output voltage from 10 V to 35 V. For outputs less than 16 V, D6 and C4 are
populated and W1 is omitted. For outputs greater than 16 V, D6 and C4 are omitted and W1
is populated. For more design detail, see AN1357 "VIPower: low cost power sullies using
the VIPer12A-E in nonisolated application." The objective of this application note is to
familiarize the end user with this reference design and to quickly modify it for different
voltage output. This design gives:
■ Lowest possible component count
■ Integrated thermal overload protection
■ About 200 mW at no-load consumption
■ Efficiency measured between 70% to 80% at full load
■ Integrated Short circuit protection
Figure 1.Evaluation board (STEVAL-ISA035V1)
Table 1.Operating conditions for the four samples
Board version (with changes)Output voltage and current
Input voltage range85 V
Input voltage frequency range50/60 Hz
Output version 1 VIPer22ADIP-E12 V at 350 mA 4.2 W
Output version 2 VIPer12ADIP-E12 V at 200 mA 2.4 W
Output version 3 VIPer22ADIP-E16 V at 350 mA 5.6 W
Output version 4 VIPer12ADIP-E16 V at 200 mA 3.2 W
1.1 Input line rectification and line conducted filter
The circuit operations for all four versions are basically the same. The difference is in the
circuit for startup. Version 1 will be described here with reference toFigure 3. The output of
the converter is not isolated from the input. This makes neutral common to output ground
thus giving a reference back to neutral. The buck is less expensive due to the fact that it
does not use a transformer and an opto coupler. The AC line is applied through D1 which
rectifies the line input every other half cycle.
C1, L0, C2 form a pie filter to reduce EMI noise. The value of the capacitor is chosen to
maintain a reasonable valley, because the caps are charged every other half cycle. Two
diodes can be used in place of D1 to sustain burst pulses of 2 kV. R10 serves two purposes,
one is for inrush limiting and the other is to act as a fuse in case of a catastrophic failure. A
wire wound resistor handles the energy of the inrush. Flame proof resistor and a fuse can be
used depending on system and safety requirements. C7 helps the EMI by balancing line and
neutral noise without using an Xcap. This will pass EN55022 level "B". If the requirement is
less, then this cap can be left out of the circuit.
1.2 Start circuit
The voltage across C2 is fed to the drain, pin 5 through 8. Inside the VIPer, the constant
current source delivers 1mA to the V
the V
pulsing. During this time, the energy is being supplied from the V
must be greater than the energy needed to supply the output current plus the energy to
charge of the output capacitor, before the V
Figure 8 and Figure 9. The value of the capacitor is therefore chosen to accommodate the
startup time. During a short circuit, the V
the internal high voltage current generator to initiate a new startup sequence. The charging
and discharging of the capacitor determine the time period that the power supply is to be on
and off. This reduces the RMS heating effect on all components. The regulation circuit
consists of Dz, C4 and D8. D8 peak charges C4 during the freewheeling time when D5 is
conducting. During this time, the source or reference to the VIPer is one diode drop below
ground, which compensates for the D8 drop. So basically the Zener voltage is the same as
the output voltage. C4 is connected across V
is a BZT52C12, ½ W Zener with a specified test current of 5 mA. These Zeners that are
specified at a lower current give better accuracy of the output voltage. If the output voltage is
lower than 16 V, the circuit can be configured as in Figure 3 where V
V
case condition. A 16 V Zener with a 5% low tolerance can be 15.2 V plus the internal
resistance to ground is 1230 Ω which is an additional 1.23 V for a total of 16.4 V. For 16 V
output and higher, the V
similar toFigure 4.
pin reaches 14.5 V nominal, the current source turns off and the VIPer starts
dd
pin. When the internal current source charges the Vdd cap, Vdd can reach 16V at worse
fb
pin 4. This current charges C3. When the voltage on
dd
cap. The energy stored
dd
cap falls below 9 V. This can be seen in
dd
cap discharges below the minim value enabling
dd
and source to filter the regulation voltage. Dz
fb
is separated from the
dd
pin and the Vfb pin can share a common diode and capacitor filter
dd
4/17
AN2544Circuit operation
1.3 Inductor selection
A starting point for the inductor operating in discontinuous mode can be derived from the
following formula which gives a good approximation of the inductor.
Equation 1
Pout
------------------------------- -
•=
L2
()2f•
Id
peak
Where Id
is the minimum peak drain current, 320 mA for the VIPer12A-E and 560 mA for
peak
the VIPer22A-E, f is the switching frequency at 60 kHz. The maximum peak current limits
the power delivered in the buck topology. Therefore, the calculation above is for an inductor
that operates in discontinuous mode. If the current swings down to zero, than the peak
current is twice the output. This limits the output current to 280 mA for a VIPer22A-E. If the
inductor is a larger value, operating between continuous and discontinuous mode, we can
reach 200 mA comfortably away from the current limit point. C6 has to be a low ESR
capacitor to give the low ripple voltage
Equation 2
D5 needs to be a fast recovery diode but D6 and D8 can be standard diodes. DZ1 is used to
clamp the voltage to 16 V. The nature of the buck topology is to peak charge at no-load. A
Zener 3 to 4 V higher than the output voltage is recommended.
1.4 Design example
Figure 3 is the schematic for the evaluation board. It is set up for 12 V with a maximum
current of 350 mA. If less current is required, then the VIPer22A-E can be changed to a
VIPer12A-E and C2 can be decreased from 10 µf to 4.7 µF. This delivers up to 200 mA.
Figure 4 shows the same board but for 16 V output or higher, D6 and C4 can be left out. The
jumper bridges the output voltage to the V
V
rippleIripple
pin.
dd
Cesr•=
1.5 Design hints and trade-off
The value of L determines the boundary condition between continuous and discontinuous
mode for a given output current. In order to operate in discontinuous mode, the inductor
value has to be lower than
Equation 3
L
Where R is the load resistance, T is the switching period, and D is the duty cycle.
There are two points to consider. One is, the more discontinuous the higher the peak
current. This point should be kept lower than the minimum pulse by pulse current limit of the
VIPer22A-E which is 0.56 A. The other is if we use a larger value inductor to run continuous
all of the time, we run into excess heat from switching losses of the MOSFET inside the
VIPer. Of course, the inductor current rating must be higher than the output current to
prevent the risk of saturating the core.
1
-- -
RT 1D–()•••=
2
5/17
Circuit operationAN2544
Figure 2.Inductor current: 470 µH VS 1000 µH
The blue trace is the current with 470 µH inductor and the purple trace is the current with a
1000 µH inductor.
On the above scope plot in Figure 2, the trace represents the current going through the
inductor. Current charges up the inductor during the time the MOSFET is on. At this time,
the source pin is the same as the rectified line input and the current is ramping up. At 350
mA output current, the peak of the current is 550 mA for a 470 µH inductor, the blue trace.
The worse case condition for the VIPer Idlim is 560 mA. So therefore we are close to the
pulse by pulse current limit trip point. This is manifested by the output voltage dropping as
the output current is being raised past the limit. 470 µH inductor is the minimum value that
can be used from the calculations for a 350 mA output. A good compromise is a 1000 µH
making the swing less, keeping the peak at 443 mA, away from the 560 mA current limit.
Looking at the purple trace the turn-on losses are increased and the turn-off losses are
decreased in the MOSFET inside the VIPer.
It is best to choose the inductor to give ½ the ripple current between discontinuous to
continuous. This is the best compromise when working close to the maximum current. The
trade-off is a little more heat for the safety margin away from the current trip point.
VIPer temperature rise with two different inductors at 350 mA is:
Table 2.VIPer temperature rise with different inductors
InductorMaximum peak currentVIPer22ADIP-E temperature rise
470 µH550 mA34 °C
1000 µH443 mA40.5 °C
6/17
AN2544Circuit operation
Figure 3.Schematic for 12 V at 350 mA
1
2
D6
J2
S1MDICT
DZ
D8
12 V
S1MDICT
C4
C3
4.7uF
25 V
Fb
3
0.47 uF
25 V
Cx
.022
50 V
Source
Source
L1
1 mH
2
1
DZ1
16 V
C6
47 uF
D5
2 pin
50 V
STTH1R06A
0
Drain
5
Drain
6
Drain
Vdd
4
U1
VIPer22ADIP-E
C7
0.1 u
1 KV
7
Drain
8
D1
S1MDICT
R0101 W
L0
90 TO 264 VAC12 V @ 350 mA
470 uH
C2
10 uF
400 V
R1 1K
C1
10 uF
400 V
For 12 V @ 200 ma change:
C2 4.7 uF 400 V
U1 VIPer12ADIP-E
Jumper = open
1
2
J1
2 pin
Line
Neutral
Jumper open
7/17
Circuit operationAN2544
i
Figure 4.Schematic for 16 V at 350 mA
1
2
J2
16 V @ 350 mA
DZ1
20 V
C6
47 uF
2 p
50 V
Cx
.022
Source2Fb
Source
Drain
Drain
Drain
Drain
L1
1
5
6
7
8
L0
D1
S1MDICT
R0101 W
1 mH
D5
STTH1R06A
ST
C2
10 uF
400 V
470 uH
R1 1K
C1
10 uF
400 V
Line
Neutral
1
2
0
Jumper = Short circuit
For 16 V @ 200 ma change:
C2 4.7 uF 400 V
U1 VIPer12ADIP-E
D8
S1MDICT
C3
4.7 uF
25 V
DZ
16V
1N5246
3
Vdd
4
U1
VIPer 22ADIP-E
C7
0.1 u
1 KV
90 TO 264 VAC
8/17
J1
2 pin
AN2544Circuit operation
1.6 Board layout
A composite view of the board shows a double-sided board with surface mount components
on the bottom. The top is a ground plane which helps with EMI. The actual measurements of
the PC board are 55 mm by 23 mm.
Figure 5.Composite
Figure 6.Top side
Figure 7.Bottom side and surface mount components (viewed from top)
9/17
Circuit operationAN2544
Table 3.Bill of material for VIPer22A-E Buck 12 V at 350 mA
ItemQtyRef.PartV/WDescriptionCAT#
11Cx0.02250 VX7R +/-10%GP SM Ceramic
22C1,C210 µF400 V105 C
31C34.7 µF25 VX7R +/-10%TDK C3216X7R1E475K
41C40.47 µF25 VX7R +/-10%TDK C2012X7R1E474K
51C647 µF50 V105 C Low ESRLow ESR
61C70.1 µ1 kVX7R +/-15%
71DZ12 VzenerBZT5212FDICT
81DZ116 VzenerBZT5216FDICT
93D1,D6,D8S1MDICTSM GP Diode 1 kV 1 AS1MD
101D5STTH1R06A600 V 1 A UltrafastSTMicroelectronics
112J1, J22 pinMouser 651-1751099
121L0470 µH140 mAJW Miller 5300-33
131L11 mH400 mA
141R010 Ω1 Wwire woundALSR1J-10
151R11 kΩ5%SM 1206 CERAMIC
161U1VIPer22ADIP-ESTMicroelectronics
EKMG401ELL100MJ20S
GRM55DR73A104KW011
C o m p o s t a r Q 3 2 7 7 o r
JW Miller RL895-102K
UCC
Murata
Table 4.Bill of material for VIPer22A-E Buck 16 V at 350 mA
For 16 V or higher operation.
Omit1D8S1MDICT
Omit1C40.47 µF25 VX7R +/-10%TDK C2012X7R1E474K
Add1JumperWire jumper24 AWG
SM GP Diode
1 kV 1A
S1MD
The above board can be modified to any voltage output from 10 V to 15 V by changing DZ.
To modify the board to 16 or higher, D6 and C4 can be omitted and the jumper wire can be
installed. For 16 V operation or higher, V
and Vf can share the same source without
dd
having the current leak through the Zener and Vf pin path. The output voltage can be
changed by changing DZ from 16 V Zener to a higher value matching the output voltage. If
less current is required, the board can be changed with a VIPer12A-E dip which is pin-for-
pin compatible with the VIPer22ADIP-E.
Also one of the input capacitors, C2, can be reduced to 4.7 µF. Various data and waveforms
from evaluation boards can be seen in the following pages.
The V
cap has to be sized according to the output load and the size of the output
dd
capacitor.
10/17
AN2544Circuit operation
The VIPer internal 1 mA current source charges up the Vdd capacitor. When the voltage on
the V
raising the output voltage to the point of bootstrapping. The V
pin reaches the Vdd startup threshold (Worse case is 13 V) the VIPer starts pulsing,
dd
capacitor needs to supply
dd
the energy to supply the necessary output current and to charge up the output capacitor,
before the V
9 V). Figure 8 and 9 show a V
voltage falls below the Vdd under voltage shutdown threshold (worse case is
dd
cap that is not large enough to start up the evaluation board
dd
under a resistive load of 350 mA.
Figure 8.Bad startFigure 9.Good start
InFigure 8 the purple trace is the V
voltage rising to ~14 V. The energy with the 2.2 µF
dd
capacitor does not store enough energy. As seen the output voltage (green trace) does not
reach high enough to bootstrap, It succeeds the second time after there is a partial charge
on the output cap. Figure 9 is using a 4.7 µF V
cap. With adequate energy the power
dd
supply starts the first time.
1.7 Burst mode in no-load or very light load
At very light load, the on-time becomes so small that some pulses are skipped in order to
stay in regulation and meet energy requirements such as Blue Angel or Energy Star. This
mode is called burst mode. It skips as many cycles as needed to maintain regulation. In the
case below at no-load about 9 cycles are skipped to maintain an output.
11/17
Circuit operationAN2544
Figure 10. Burst mode
1.8 Short circuit
The VIPer has pulse-by-pulse current limit. When the current ramps up to the current limit,
the pulse is terminated. This is manifested by reducing the output voltage as the current is
increased. The voltage decreases until it falls below the undervoltage shutdown threshold of
9 V, (pin4). During a short circuit the VIPer turns on and off. When the V
starting voltage, the current is limited by the pulse-by-pulse current limit. The voltage falls to
the undervoltage shutdown point and the cycle repeats itself at a 16% duty cycle. This
reduces the RMS current going through the circuit as seen inFigure 11.
Figure 11. Operation during a short
reaches the
dd
12/17
AN2544Circuit operation
1.9 Performance
Regulation for the VIPer22A-E and VIPer12A-E can be seen below. Keep in mind that the
buck topology will peak charge at zero load. DZ1 will clamp the voltage to 3 - 4 V above the
output. Load regulation is taken from 0.03 A to 0.35 A.
Note:The following measurements were taken on the appropriate version of the boards.
Discrepancy of measurements can be present, which is to be expected due to the 5%
tolerance of the Zener and equipment used for the measurements. The measurements
shown are at room temperature. If higher operating temperatures are used, current loads
must be adjusted accordingly.
Table 5.VIPer22ADIP-E, 12 V at 350 mA
VIPer22 buck 12 V / 350 mA
Vin12 V load12 VW inEfficiency
90 V
90 V
90 V
264 V
ac
ac
ac
ac
015.810.12
0.0312.580.45
0.3511.75.6472.6%
0.3512.216.1269.8%
MIN11.7
MAX12.58
DELTA0.88
Line reg.6.0%
+/- % load reg (.03 to max)3.8%
Ripplemv pp at 120 V
Blue Angel at no-load at 115 V
ac
in W0.12
ac
Short circuitok
Table 6.VIPer12ADIP-E, 12 V at 200 mA
VIPer12 buck 12 V / 200 mA #1
Vin12 V load12 VW inEfficiency
90 V
ac
90 V
ac
90 V
ac
264 V
ac
MIN11.85
MAX12.7
015.60.15
0.0312.70.495
0.211.853.0677.5%
0.212.13.2574.5%
52
DELTA0.85
Line Reg.2.9%
+/- % load reg (.03 to max)3.6%
13/17
Circuit operationAN2544
Table 6.VIPer12ADIP-E, 12 V at 200 mA (continued)
VIPer12 buck 12 V / 200 mA #1
Vin12 V load12 VW inEfficiency
Ripplemv pp at 120 V
Blue Angel at no-load at 115 V
ac
in W0.15
ac
50
Short circuitok
12 V output load regulation for VIPer12-E and VIPer22A-E is shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12. Load regulations for 12 V output
Load regulat i on f or 12 V output
17
16
15
14
13
Voltage
12
11
10
00.050.10.150.20.250.30.35
V12 @12VV22 @ 12V
Load
Line regulation shown at three different current levels: 100 mA, 200 mA, and 350 mA.
Figure 13. Line regulation
13
12.8
12.6
12.4
12.2
12
11.8
Outp u t V olta g e
11.6
11.4
11.2
11
80130180230
Line regulation
Vout @ 100maVout @ 200maVout @ 350ma
Line V oltage
14/17
AN2544Circuit operation
Figure 14. Efficiency
Effi ciency VS Input Line f or 12V output
effic. @ 100maeffic. @ 200maeffic. @ 350ma
85%
80%
75%
70%
Efficiency
65%
60%
80100120140160180200220240260
Input Line
Efficiency is about 75% at 120 V
. Efficiency is better at higher output voltages.
ac
1.10 EMI conducted
EMI was checked for all four versions for maximum peak reading.
Figure 15. VIPer22-E, 12 V at 350 mA outputFigure 16. VIPer12-E, 12 V at 200 mA output
15/17
ConclusionAN2544
Figure 17. VIPer22-E, 16 V at 350 mA outputFigure 18. VIPer12-E, 16 V at 200 mA output
2 Conclusion
Using the VIPer in the buck mode has its benefits for appliances and other industrial
equipment which require a reference to neutral. For currents up to 350 mA and voltages
greater than 10 V, it is beneficial to use this inexpensive power supply. The cost savings
compared to a transformer, opto-coupler, and low parts count, makes this solution very
attractive.
3 Revision history
Table 7.Document revision history
DateRevisionChanges
06-Jul-20071First issue
13-Sep-20072
21-Sep-20073Modified: Figure 1
22-Nov-20074Modified: the titles of Ta bl e 5 -6 and the titles of Figure 15-17
– Note added in Section 1.9: Performance
– Minor text changes
16/17
AN2544
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