The LX8584/84A/84B series ICs are low dropout three-terminal positive regulators with a
nominal 7A output current. This product
family is ideally suited for Pentium
sor and Power PC
TM
applications requiring
®
Proces-
fast transient response. The LX8584A is guar-anteed to have < 1.2V at 7A and the
LX8584/84B < 1.4V at 7A dropout voltage,
making them ideal to provide well regulated
outputs of 2.5V to 3.6V using a 5V input
supply. In addition, the LX8584B also of-
fers ±1% maximum voltage reference accuracy over temperature. Fixed versions
are also available and are specified in the
Available Options table below.
Current limit is trimmed above 7.1A to
ensure adequate output current and controlled short-circuit current. On-chip thermal limiting provides protection against any
combination of overload that would create
excessive junction temperatures.
The LX8584/84A series products are available in both the through-hole versions of
the industry standard 3-pin TO-220 and
TO-247 power packages.
The LX1431 Programmable Reference in
conjunction with the LX8584 7A LDO products offer precision output voltage (see application below) and are ideal for use in VRE
applications.
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT
THE APPLICATIONOFTHE LX8584A & LX1431 INA
75 & 166MHZ P54C PROCESSORS USING 3.3V CACHE
V
1
3
23
OUT
250pF
2
+V+V+
V
LX1431
SGND FGND
1kW
COL
330µF, 6.3V
0.01µF
1kW
1
8
REF
65
2.84kW
0.1%
1k
0.1%
220µF
10V
Low ESR
from
Sanyo
V
IN
LX8584A
ADJ
0.1µF
50V
5V
(See Table Below)
Low ESR
Oscon Type
from Sanyo
21k
1%
JP1
VO 7A
3x
7A LOW D
P RODUCTION DATA SHEET
PLACE IN µP SOCKET CAVITY
100µF x 6
10V
AVX TYPE
TPS
1µF x 10
SMD
ROPOUT POSITIVE REGULATORS
■■
■ THREE-TERMINAL ADJUSTABLE OR FIXED
■■
OUTPUT
■■
■ GUARANTEED 1% VOLTAGE ACCURACY
■■
OVER TEMPERATURE (LX8584B)
■■
■ GUARANTEED
■■
≤≤
≤ 1.2V HEADROOM AT 7A
≤≤
(LX8584A)
■■
■ GUARANTEED
■■
≤≤
≤ 1.4V HEADROOM AT 7A
≤≤
(LX8584/84B)
■■
■ OUTPUT CURRENT OF 7A
■■
p FAST TRANSIENT RESPONSE
p 1% VOLTAGE REFERENCE INITIAL
ACCURACY
p OUTPUT SHORT CIRCUIT PROTECTION
p BUILT-IN THERMAL SHUTDOWN
(Unless otherwise specified, these specifications apply over the operating ambient temperatures for the LX8584-xxC/84A-xxC/84B-xxC with 0°C ≤ TA ≤ 125°C;
The LX8584/84A/84B series ICs are easy to use Low-Dropout (LDO)
voltage regulators. They have all of the standard self-protection
features expected of a voltage regulator: short circuit protection,
safe operating area protection and automatic thermal shutdown if
the device temperature rises above approximately 165°C.
Use of an output capacitor is REQUIRED with the LX8584/84A/
84B series. Please see the table below for recommended minimum
capacitor values.
These regulators offer a more tightly controlled reference voltage
tolerance and superior reference stability when measured against
the older pin-compatible regulator types that they replace.
STABILITY
The output capacitor is part of the regulator’s frequency compensation system. Many types of capacitors are available, with different
capacitance value tolerances, capacitance temperature coefficients,
and equivalent series impedances. For all operating conditions,
connection of a 220µF aluminum electrolytic capacitor or a 47µF
solid tantalum capacitor between the output terminal and ground
will guarantee stable operation.
If a bypass capacitor is connected between the output voltage
adjust (ADJ) pin and ground, ripple rejection will be improved
(please see the section entitled “RIPPLE REJECTION”). When ADJ
pin bypassing is used, the required output capacitor value increases.
Output capacitor values of 220µF (aluminum) or 47µF (tantalum)
provide for all cases of bypassing the ADJ pin. If an ADJ pin bypass
capacitor is not used, smaller output capacitor values are adequate.
The table below shows recommended minimum capacitance values
for stable operation.
In order to ensure good transient response from the power supply
system under rapidly changing current load conditions, designers
generally use several output capacitors connected in parallel. Such
an arrangement serves to minimize the effects of the parasitic
resistance (ESR) and inductance (ESL) that are present in all
capacitors. Cost-effective solutions that sufficiently limit ESR and
ESL effects generally result in total capacitance values in the range
of hundreds to thousands of microfarads, which is more than
adequate to meet regulator output capacitor specifications. Output
capacitance values may be increased without limit.
The circuit shown in Figure 1 can be used to observe the transient
response characteristics of the regulator in a power system under
changing loads. The effects of different capacitor types and values
on transient response parameters, such as overshoot and undershoot, can be quickly compared in order to develop an optimum
solution.
Minumum Load
Power Supply
LX8584/84A
IN
/84B
ADJ
FIGURE 1 — DYNAMIC INPUT and OUTPUT TEST
OUT
Star Ground
(Larger resistor)
Full Load
(Smaller resistor)
R
<< R
DSON
1 sec
10ms
OVERLOAD RECOVERY
Like almost all IC power regulators, the LX8584/84A/84B regulators
are equipped with Safe Operating Area (SOA) protection. The SOA
circuit limits the regulator's maximum output current to progressively lower values as the input-to-output voltage difference
increases. By limiting the maximum output current, the SOA circuit
keeps the amount of power that is dissipated in the regulator itself
within safe limits for all values of input-to-output voltage within the
operating range of the regulator. The LX8584/84A/84B SOA
protection system is designed to be able to supply some output
current for all values of input-to-output voltage, up to the device
breakdown voltage.
Under some conditions, a correctly operating SOA circuit may
prevent a power supply system from returning to regulated
operation after removal of an intermittent short circuit at the output
of the regulator. This is a normal mode of operation which can be
seen in most similar products, including older devices such as 7800
series regulators. It is most likely to occur when the power system
input voltage is relatively high and the load impedance is relatively
low.
When the power system is started “cold”, both the input and
output voltages are very close to zero. The output voltage closely
follows the rising input voltage, and the input-to-output voltage
difference is small. The SOA circuit therefore permits the regulator
to supply large amounts of current as needed to develop the
designed voltage level at the regulator output. Now consider the
case where the regulator is supplying regulated voltage to a resistive
load under steady state conditions. A moderate input-to-output
voltage appears across the regulator but the voltage difference is
small enough that the SOA circuitry allows sufficient current to flow
through the regulator to develop the designed output voltage across
the load resistance. If the output resistor is short-circuited to ground,
the input-to-output voltage difference across the regulator suddenly
becomes larger by the amount of voltage that had appeared across
the load resistor. The SOA circuit reads the increased input-tooutput voltage, and cuts back the amount of current that it will
permit the regulator to supply to its output terminal. When the short
circuit across the output resistor is removed, all the regulator output
current will again flow through the output resistor. The maximum
current that the regulator can supply to the resistor will be limited
by the SOA circuit, based on the large input-to-output voltage across
the regulator at the time the short circuit is removed from the output.
If this limited current is not sufficient to develop the designed
voltage across the output resistor, the voltage will stabilize at some
lower value, and will never reach the designed value. Under these
circumstances, it may be necessary to cycle the input voltage down
to zero in order to make the regulator output voltage return to
regulation.
RIPPLE REJECTION
Ripple rejection can be improved by connecting a capacitor
between the ADJ pin and ground. The value of the capacitor should
be chosen so that the impedance of the capacitor is equal in
magnitude to the resistance of R1 at the ripple frequency. The
capacitor value can be determined by using this equation:
C = 1 / (6.28 * F
where: C≡ the value of the capacitor in Farads;
F
R1 ≡ the value of resistor R1 in ohms
At a ripple frequency of 120Hz, with R1 = 100Ω:
C = 1 / (6.28 * 120Hz
The closest equal or larger standard value should be used, in this
case, 15µF.
When an ADJ pin bypass capacitor is used, output ripple
amplitude will be essentially independent of the output voltage. If
an ADJ pin bypass capacitor is not used, output ripple will be
proportional to the ratio of the output voltage to the reference
voltage:
M = V
OUT/VREF
where: M≡ a multiplier for the ripple seen when the
V
For example, if V
M = 2.5V/1.25V= 2
* R1)
R
select an equal or larger standard value.
≡ the ripple frequency in Hz
R
100Ω) = 13.3µF
*
ADJ pin is optimally bypassed.
= 1.25V.
REF
= 2.5V the output ripple will be:
OUT
LX8584/84A/84B
ADJ
OUT
V
OUT
V
R1
REF
V
IN
IN
I
ADJ
50µA
V
= V
OUT
REF
FIGURE 2 — BASIC ADJUSTABLE REGULATOR
R2
1 + + I
R1
ADJ
R2
R2
LOAD REGULATION
Because the LX8584/84A/84B regulators are three-terminal devices,
it is not possible to provide true remote load sensing. Load
regulation will be limited by the resistance of the wire connecting
the regulator to the load. The data sheet specification for load
regulation is measured at the bottom of the package. Negative side
sensing is a true Kelvin connection, with the bottom of the output
divider returned to the negative side of the load. Although it may
not be immediately obvious, best load regulation is obtained when
the top of the resistor divider, (R1), is connected directly to the case
of the regulator, not to the load. This is illustrated in Figure 3. If R1
were connected to the load, the effective resistance between the
regulator and the load would be:
R2+R1
R
= RP
Peff
where: R
*
R1
≡ Actual parasitic line resistance.
P
When the circuit is connected as shown in Figure 3, the parasitic
resistance appears as its actual value, rather than the higher R
Peff
.
Output ripple will be twice as bad as it would be if the ADJ pin
were to be bypassed to ground with a properly selected capacitor.
OUTPUT VOLTAGE
The LX
8584/84A/84B
the output and the adjust terminal (See Figure 2). By placing a resistor,
R1, between these two terminals, a constant current is caused to flow
through R1 and down through R2 to set the overall output voltage.
Normally this current is the specified minimum load current of 10mA.
Because I
through R1, it represents a small error and can usually be ignored.
is very small and constant when compared with the current
ADJ
ICs develop a 1.25V reference voltage between
FIGURE 3 — CONNECTIONS FOR BEST LOAD REGULATION
5
Page 6
PRODUCT DATABOOK 1996/1997
T
J
T
C
T
S
T
A
R
q
JT
R
q
CS
R
q
SA
LX8584-xx/8584A-xx/8584B-xx
7A LOW D
P
ROPOUT POSITIVE REGULATORS
RODUCTION DATA SHEET
APPLICATION NOTES
LOAD REGULATION (continued)
Even when the circuit is optimally configured, parasitic resistance
can be a significant source of error. A 100 mil (2.54 mm) wide PC
trace built from 1 oz. copper-clad circuit board material has a
parasitic resistance of about 5 milliohms per inch of its length at
room temperature. If a 3-terminal regulator used to supply 2.50 volts
is connected by 2 inches of this trace to a load which draws 5 amps
of current, a 50 millivolt drop will appear between the regulator and
the load. Even when the regulator output voltage is precisely
2.50 volts, the load will only see 2.45 volts, which is a 2% error. It
is important to keep the connection between the regulator output
pin and the load as short as possible, and to use wide traces or
heavy-gauge wire.
The minimum specified output capacitance for the regulator
should be located near the reglator package. If several capacitors
are used in parallel to construct the power system output capacitance, any capacitors beyond the minimum needed to meet the
specified requirements of the regulator should be located near the
sections of the load that require rapidly-changing amounts of
current. Placing capacitors near the sources of load transients will
help ensure that power system transient response is not impaired
by the effects of trace impedance.
To maintain good load regulation, wide traces should be used on
the input side of the regulator, especially between the input
capacitors and the regulator. Input capacitor ESR must be small
enough that the voltage at the input pin does not drop below V
during transients.
IN (MIN)
can be used, as long as its added contribution to thermal resistance
is considered. Note that the case of all devices in this series is
electrically connected to the output.
Example
Given: V
= 5V
IN
V
= 2.8V, I
OUT
Ambient Temp., T
R
= 2.7°C/W for TO-220
θJT
300 ft/min airflow available
OUT
= 5.0A
= 50°C
A
Find: Proper Heat Sink to keep IC's junction
temperature below 125°C.**
Solution: The junction temperature is:
where: P
= PD (R
T
J
D
R
θJT
R
θCS
+ R
+ R
θJT
θCS
θSA
) + T
A
≡ Dissipated power.
≡ Thermal resistance from the junction to the
mounting tab of the package.
≡ Thermal resistance through the interface
between the IC and the surface on which
it is mounted. (1.0°C/W at 6 in-lbs
mounting screw torque.)
R
≡
Thermal resistance from the mounting surface
θSA
to ambient (thermal resistance of the heat sink).
T
≡ Heat sink temperature.
S
V
= V
IN (MIN)
where: V
+ V
OUT
IN (MIN)
V
OUT
V
DROPOUT (MAX)
DROPOUT (MAX)
≡ the lowest allowable instantaneous
voltage at the input pin.
≡ the designed output voltage for the
power supply system.
≡ the specified dropout voltage
for the installed regulator.
THERMAL CONSIDERATIONS
The LX8584/84A/84B regulators have internal power and thermal
limiting circuitry designed to protect each device under overload
conditions. For continuous normal load conditions, however,
maximum junction temperature ratings must not be exceeded. It is
important to give careful consideration to all sources of thermal
resistance from junction to ambient. This includes junction to case,
case to heat sink interface, and heat sink thermal resistance itself.
Junction-to-case thermal resistance is specified from the IC
junction to the back surface of the case directly opposite the die.
This is the lowest resistance path for heat flow. Proper mounting
is required to ensure the best possible thermal flow from this area
of the package to the heat sink. Thermal compound at the case-toheat-sink interface is strongly recommended. If the case of the
device must be electrically isolated, a thermally conductive spacer
First, find the maximum allowable thermal resistance of the
heat sink:
TJ - T
P
D
IN(MAX)
A
- V
θJT
OUT
+ R
) I
125°C - 50°C
(5.0V-2.8V) * 5.0A
)
θCS
= (5.0V-2.8V) * 5.0A
OUT
= 11.0W
=- (R
R
θSA
=(V
P
D
=- (2.7°C/W + 1.0°C/W)
R
θSA
= 3.1°C/W
Next, select a suitable heat sink. The selected heat sink must have
R
≤ 3.1°C/W. Thermalloy heatsink 6296B has R
θSA
300ft/min air flow.
= 3.0°C/W with
θSA
Finally, verify that junction temperature remains within speci-
Although the device can operate up to 150°C junction, it is recommended for long term reliability to keep the junction temperature
below 125°C whenever possible.