Demonstration circuit 2052A is a 3-phase single output
synchronous buck converter featuring the LTC3880EUJ, a
dual-phase current mode controller, and the LTC3883EUH,
a single-phase current mode controller with input current
sensing capability. Both the
LT C®3880 and LTC3883 have
a PMBus interface and the power system management
functions.
The layout of DC2052A is very compact with the total
solution within a 1.1 inch by 1.2 inch area for LTC3880,
and 1.1 inch by 0.35inch for LTC3883. The input voltage range of this board is from 6.5V to 14V. The output
voltage can be programmed from 0.5V to 1.8V, with an
output current of up to 60A total. The factory default setting for the output voltage is 1.0V. The DC2052A also has
an onboard pulse generator circuit and the dynamic load
circuit which make it easy for the customer to evaluate
the transient performances.
The DC2052A powers up to default settings and produces
power based on configuration resistors or the non-volatile
memory settings (NVM) without the need for any serial
bus communication. This allows easy evaluation of the
DC/DC converter. To fully explore the extensive digital
power management features of these parts, download the
GUI software LTpowerPlay™ onto your PC and use LTC’s
2
C/SMBus/PMBus Dongle DC1613A to connect to the
I
board. LTpowerPlay allows the user to reconfigure the part
on the fly and store the configuration in EEPROM, view
telemetry of voltage, current, temperature and fault status.
GUI Download
The software can be downloaded from:
http://www.linear.com/ltpowerplay
For more details and instructions of LTpowerPlay, please
refer to “LTpowerPlay for LTC3880 Quick Start Guide.”
Design files for this circuit board are available at
http://www.linear.com/demo
L, LT, LTC, LTM, Linear Technology and the Linear logo are registered trademarks and
LTpowerPlay is a trademark of Linear Technology Corporation. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
SYMBOLPARAMETERCONDITIONSMINTYPMAXUNITS
V
IN
V
OUT
I
OUT
F
SW
EFFPeak EfficiencyV
Input Supply Range6.51214V
Output Voltage Range I
Output Current Range060A
Factory Default Switching 350kHz
Specifications are at TA = 25°C
= 0A to 60A, VIN = 6.5V to 14V0.51.01.8V
OUT
= 1.0V, See Figure 487.5%
OUT
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DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
QUICK START PROCEDURE
Demonstration circuit 2052A makes it easy to set up and
evaluate the performance of the LTC3880 and the LTC3883.
Refer to Figure 2 for proper measurement equipment setup
and follow the procedure below:
Note: When measuring the input or output voltage ripple,
care must be taken to avoid a long ground lead on the
oscilloscope probe. Measure the output voltage ripple by
touching the probe tip directly across the C16. See Figure3
for proper scope probe technique.
1. Make sure jumpers are in the following positions:
JUMPERPOSITIONFUNCTION
JP1OFFEXTVCC_DRV – External V
LTC3880/LTC3883-1
JP2OFFLED Indicator
JP3OFFPulse Generator
CC
for
2. With power off, connect the input power supply to VIN
and GND. Connect active load to the output.
3. Make sure the RUN switch (SW) is OFF.
4. Turn on the power at the input.
Note: Make sure that the input voltage does not exceed 16V.
5. Turn on the RUN switch as desired.
6. Check for the correct output voltage from E3 to E4.
= 1.0V ±0.5% (1.005V ~ 0.995V)
V
OUT
Note: If there is no output, temporarily disconnect the load
to make sure that the load is not set too high.
7. Once the proper output voltage is established, adjust
the loads within the operating range and observe the
output voltage regulation, ripple voltage, efficiency and
other parameters.
8. Connect the dongle and control the output voltages from
the GUI. See “LTpowerPlay QUICK START” session for
details.
2
Figure 1. Demo Setup with PC
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QUICK START PROCEDURE
DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
Figure 2. Power Test Setup
+–
Figure 3. Measuring Output Voltage Ripple
C
OUT
V
OUT
GND
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DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
QUICK START PROCEDURE
Connecting a PC to DC2052A
You can use a PC to reconfigure the power management
features of the LTC3880 and the LTC3883 such as: nominal V
, margin set points, OV/UV limits, temperature
OUT
fault limits, sequencing parameters, the fault log, fault
responses, GPIO and other functionality. The DC1613A
dongle may be plugged in regardless of whether or not
VIN is present. Dongle can be hot plugged.
Combining DC2052A with Other Digital Power Demo
Boards
The DC2052A may be plugged together in a multiboard
array with other LTC power system management boards
using J6 and J8.
Measuring Efficiency (See Figure 4)
To accurately measure efficiency of any configuration, do
the following:
• Set JP1, JP2, JP3 to OFF position to disable all the
auxiliary circuits.
Evaluating the DC2052A When V
is Below 6.0V
IN
For applications that the input voltage is within 4.5V to
6.0V, please install R5 to connect VIN directly to INTVCC.
Please be aware that in this case VIN cannot exceed 6.0V
otherwise the chip will be damaged.
Evaluating the LTC3880-1 and LTC3883-1
For applications that require the highest possible efficiency,
the LTC3880-1 and LTC3883-1 allow the user to supply
the bias voltage and gate driver current from an external
power supply. Connect the external power supply, 4.8V
to 5.2V, to the EXTVCC pin.
To use the onboard LDO to drive INTVCC, make the following modifications to the demo board:
• Set JP1 to ON so that U4 provides the 5V drive to
INTVCC. U4 takes the place of the external power supply.
• Install R53, R54.
To accurately measure efficiency of a demo board containing the LTC3880-1 and the LTC3883-1,
• Make sure R53, R54 are not stuffed.
• Measure V
Measure V
across the input ceramic capacitor (C28).
IN
across the output ceramic capacitor
OUT
(C32).
Figure 4. Typical Efficiency Curves DC2052A, 12VIN,
F
= 350kHz, V
SW
= 1.0V,1.2V,1.5V
OUT
• Drive INTVCC from an external source through the pin
named: EXTVCC.
• Set JP1 to OFF to disable the LDO.
• Measure V
Measure V
across the input ceramic capacitor (C28).
IN
across the output ceramic capacitor
OUT
(C32).
Measuring Output Ripple Voltage
An accurate ripple measurement may be performed by
using the below configuration across C16.
4
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LTpowerPlay SOFTWARE GUI
DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
LTpowerPlay is a powerful Windows-based development
environment that supports Linear Technology power system management ICs, including the LTC3880, LTC3883,
LTC2974 and LTC2978. The software supports a variety
of different tasks. You can use LTpowerPlay to evaluate
Linear Technology ICs by connecting to a demo board
system. LTpowerPlay can also be used in an offline mode
(with no hardware present) in order to build a multichip
configuration file that can be saved and reloaded at a later
time. LTpowerPlay provides unprecedented diagnostic
and debug features. It becomes a valuable diagnostic tool
during board bring-up to program or tweak the power
management scheme in a system, or to diagnose power
issues when bringing up rails. LTpowerPlay utilizes the
DC1613A USB-to-SMBus controller to communicate with
one of many potential targets, including the LTC3880 and
the LTC3883’s DC2052A demo system, or a customer
board. The software also provides an automatic update
feature to keep the software current with the latest set
of device drivers and documentation. The LTpowerPlay
software can be downloaded from:
http://linear.com/ltpowerplay
To access technical support documents for LTC Digital
Power Products visit Help. View online help on the
LTpowerPlay menu.
Figure 5. LTpowerPlay Main Interface
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DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
LTpowerPlay QUICK START PROCEDURE
The following procedure describes how to use LTpowerPlay
to monitor and change the settings of LTC3880 and
LTC3883.
1. Download and install the LTPowerPlay GUI:
http://linear.com/ltpowerplay
2. Launch the LTpowerPlay GUI.
a. The GUI should automatically identify the DC2052A.
The system tree on the left hand side should look
like this:
c. In the Toolbar, click the “R” (RAM to PC) icon to read
the RAM from the LTC3880 and the LTC3883. This
reads the configuration from the RAM of LTC3883
and loads it into the GUI.
d. If you want to change the output voltage to a differ-
ent value, like 1.5V. In the Config tab, type in 1.5 in
the VOUT_COMMAND box, like this:
b. A green message box shows for a few seconds in the
lower left hand corner, confirming that the LTC3880
and the LTC3883 are communicating:
6
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DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
LTpowerPlay QUICK START PROCEDURE
Then, click the “W” (PC to RAM) icon to write these
register values to the LTC3880 and the LTC3883. After
finishing this step, you will see the output voltage
will change to 1.5V.
If the write is successful, you will see the following
message:
e. You can save the changes into the NVM. In the tool
bar, click “RAM to NVM” button, as following
f. Save the demo board configuration to a (*.proj)
file. Click the Save icon and save the file. Name it
whatever you want.
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DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
PARTS LIST
ITEMQTYREFERENCEPART DESCRIPTIONMANUFACTURE/PART NUMBER
Information furnished by Linear Technology Corporation is believed to be accurate and reliable.
However, no responsibility is assumed for its use. Linear Technology Corporation makes no representation that the interconnection of its circuits as described herein will not infringe on existing patent rights.
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DEMO MANUAL DC2052A
DEMONSTRATION BOARD IMPORTANT NOTICE
Linear Technology Corporation (LTC) provides the enclosed product(s) under the following AS IS conditions:
This demonstration board (DEMO BOARD) kit being sold or provided by Linear Technology is intended for use for ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY and is not provided by LTC for commercial use. As such, the DEMO BOARD herein may not be complete
in terms of required design-, marketing-, and/or manufacturing-related protective considerations, including but not limited to product safety
measures typically found in finished commercial goods. As a prototype, this product does not fall within the scope of the European Union
directive on electromagnetic compatibility and therefore may or may not meet the technical requirements of the directive, or other regulations.
If this evaluation kit does not meet the specifications recited in the DEMO BOARD manual the kit may be returned within 30 days from the date
of delivery for a full refund. THE FOREGOING WARRANTY IS THE EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY MADE BY THE SELLER TO BUYER AND IS IN LIEU
OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT OF THIS INDEMNITY, NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER FOR
ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
The user assumes all responsibility and liability for proper and safe handling of the goods. Further, the user releases LTC from all claims
arising from the handling or use of the goods. Due to the open construction of the product, it is the user’s responsibility to take any and all
appropriate precautions with regard to electrostatic discharge. Also be aware that the products herein may not be regulatory compliant or
agency certified (FCC, UL, CE, etc.).
No License is granted under any patent right or other intellectual property whatsoever. LTC assumes no liability for applications assistance,
customer product design, software performance, or infringement of patents or any other intellectual property rights of any kind.
LTC currently services a variety of customers for products around the world, and therefore this transaction is not exclusive.
Please read the DEMO BOARD manual prior to handling the product. Persons handling this product must have electronics training and
observe good laboratory practice standards. Common sense is encouraged.
This notice contains important safety information about temperatures and voltages. For further safety concerns, please contact a LTC application engineer.