This user’s guide describes the design, operation, and use cases of the OPA564 evaluation module
(EVM) for the DWP package only; this EVM cannot be used with the OPA564 DWD package. This guide
discusses how to set up and configure the board hardware, and describes five different applications this
evaluation module can be used for. Throughout this document, the terms evaluation module, EVM, or
simply board are synonymous with the OPA564DWP-EVM. This document also includes an electrical
schematic, a printed circuit board (PCB) layout drawing, and a parts list for this EVM.
The OPA564 is a low-cost, high-current, operational amplifier (op amp) capable of providing up to 1.5 A of
current to an output load. The high slew rate of this op amp provides 1.3-MHz, full-power bandwidth and
excellent linearity. This monolithic integrated circuit provides high reliability in demanding powerline
communications and motor-control applications.
1.1.1OPA564 Safety Considerations
The OPA564 op amps can use a power-supply voltage as great as 24 V in single-supply connection, or
±12 V in dual-supply connection, both of which represent a potential difference of 24 V. The possibility for
accidental electrical shock increases with the increased potential difference and the user must take
precautions to avoid contact with the PCB when live voltage is present. If circuit probing is required and
voltages are present, best practice is to apply the one hand rule. Use an insulated probe and only one
hand when probing the live circuit. Keep the other hand away from the circuit and any metal contacts in
the immediate area through that current can flow.
Power op amps can generate a lot of heat under certain operating conditions. This excess heat must be
conducted away from the amplifier in order to maintain correct operation and long life. The DWP package
contains the PowerPAD™ heat sink located on the bottom for this purpose. Still, the device under test
(DUT) might grow hot during the test; therefore, avoid contact with the DUT when the circuit is in use, or
during cool down after use.
Overview
1.2General Overview of the OPA564DWP-EVM
This DWP package-specific OPA564 evaluation module (EVM), allows users to easily evaluate design
concepts. This EVM is easily configured as a noninverting, inverting, or difference amplifier, as an
improved Howland current pump, or as a BTL (bridge tied load) circuit. BTL requires two EVMs used
concurrently to create this circuit configuration, however. This guide discusses all individual circuit
configurations and hardware setup associated.
This EVM is based on a 5.0-inch × 3.5-inch (12.7-cm × 8.9-cm) PCB that accommodates the 20-lead,
DWP powerPAD package. This EVM cannot be used with the OPA564 DWD package.
The OPA564 can be operated with either a single supply (V+ and ground), or dual supplies (V+ and V–);
therefore, the EVM is designed to be used in either mode. A jumper (J13) sets the supply condition. The
enable-shutdown function and thermal shutdown indicator are functional with either supply arrangement;
shutdown mode is a low current, output disabled mode.
Three LEDs (green, orange, and red) indicate EVM functionality. A green LED (D1) illuminates when V+ is
applied. A red LED (D9) illuminates when the amplifier is in thermal shutdown mode (for approximately 10
µs or longer), and both the red and orange LED (D4) illuminate when the amplifier is set to shutdown
mode (through jumper J11). During normal operation, the yellow and red LEDs are off.
1.2.1Supply Voltage Considerations for the OPA564DWP-EVM
The OPA564DWP-EVM is designed to be powered by the user’s single or dual, high-current, high-voltage
power supply. In dual-supply configuration, set the minimum V+ and V– levels at ±3.5 V. In single powersupply mode, use a minimum of V+ = 7 V for correct functionality. Do not exceed the maximum supply
voltage of 24 V in single-supply mode (V+), or ±12 V in dual-supply mode.
If required, disable the OPA564 by placing a shunt on jumper J11.
This user's guide is available from the TI web site under literature number SBOU219. Any letter appended
to the literature number corresponds to the document revision that is current at the time of the writing of
this document. Newer revisions may be available from the TI web site, or call the Texas Instruments'
Literature Response Center at (800) 477-8924 or the Product Information Center at (972) 644-5580. When
ordering, please identify the document by both title and literature number.
Table 1 gives links to the OPA564 data sheet, and an in-depth Howland current pump application note.
Table 1. Related Documentation
DocumentLiterature Number
OPA564 product data sheetSBOS372
AN-1515 A Comprehensive Study of the Howland Current Pump application noteSNOA474
This section details the purpose of the EVM connectors and jumpers, and methods of configuring the EVM
for taking measurements.
See Section 4 for the OPA564DWP-EVM schematic.
2.1Power Supply
Power is provided to the OPA564DWP-EVM through three banana jacks: AVDD (V+), GND, and AVSS
(V–). The EVM can be configured to use a single 7-V to 24-V supply (by placing a shunt on the right-hand
side of J13, thus connecting V– to GND), or a dual ±3.5-V to ±12-V supply (by placing a shunt on the lefthand side of J13, thus connecting V– to AVSS). Use a power supply that is capable of providing at least
2× the anticipated continuous current to account for peak current conditions. Furthermore, make certain
that any cables used to carry high current are rated for such use.
2.2Inputs
The input to the EVM may be a dc signal, an ac signal (such as that from a signal generator), or any other
signal within the common-mode voltage range. Be aware that 50-Ω termination resistors are not installed
at the EVM inputs. If necessary, external, higher-wattage BNC terminators can be added at the EVM input
connectors. Excessive power dissipation, under high input voltage conditions, can result in potential failure
of the device.
The signal presented to the inverting OPA564 input pin (Vin–) is selected through jumper J3. Vin– can be
set to GND by placing a shunt on the upper portion of J3, or a signal applied at the BNC input connector
J2 by placing a shunt on the lower portion of J3.
The signal presented to the noninverting input (Vin+) can be adjusted as follows:
•Place a shunt on J4 to connect Vin+ to a signal applied at the BNC input connector J1.
•Place a shunt on J5 to set Vin+ to GND.
•Place a shunt on J6 to set Vin+ to a voltage value midway between the two supplies.
•Place a shunt on J7 to set Vin+ to an externally set voltage (through TP5), or to offset the input voltage
by the externally set reference voltage value.
•Place a shunt on J9 to reference Vin+ to ground through a 10-kΩ resistor. This setting is necessary for
correct difference amplifier operation.
Hardware
2.3Outputs
Output signals derived from the EVM can be monitored in a number of ways. The OPA564DWP-EVM can
be accessed through a BNC connector (J17), intended for an instrument connection (an oscilloscope, for
example) , or a pair of female banana jacks (J15, J16), intended for carrying high output current.
The OPA564 can drive a variety of loads, some of which may be large or have to dissipate a significant
amount of power. Therefore, an external load can be applied to the OPA564DWP-EVM for high-power
applications. Alternatively, for low-power applications, a load resistor can be added through the R26
footprint.
A description of basic jumper functions is shown in Table 2. More information can be found in Section 2.
JumperDescription
J3Selects the signal presented to the amplifier Vin– pin
J4, J5, J6Selects the signal presented to the amplifier Vin+ pin
J7Selects the reference voltage to the amplifier positive input (external Vref)
J8Selects the current limit for OPA564
J9Allows the user to reference the noninverting input to ground via a 10-kΩ resistor. Used in difference
J11Disables or enables the OPA564 output
J13Allows the user to select single or dual power-supply mode
2.5LEDs
Table 3 describes the status of the LEDs during illumination. More details can be found in Section 2.
LEDDescription
GreenBoard is power on
RedThe device is in thermal shutdown mode
Red + OrangeThe device is in shutdown mode
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Table 2. Basic Jumper Functions
amplifier circuit setup.
Table 3. Status of the LEDs
2.6Enable-Disable Feature
The EVM provides a means to test the enable-disable functionality of the OPA564. Place a shunt across
J11 to disable the amplifier output stage. Remove the shunt to enable the amplifier, except when the
amplifier is in thermal shutdown mode. LEDs indicate the current EVM status (see Table 3).
2.7Current Limitation Capability
The OPA564 maximum current output is 1.5 A, and is set by a resistor connected between the negative
supply (V–) and the amplifier Iset pin. The OPA564DWP-EVM provides the means to limit the maximum
output current through jumper J8. There are four current limit settings available:
•The top row of J8 limits the output current to 0.45 A
•The second row from the top of J8 limits the current to 0.65 A
•The third row from the top of J8 limits the current to 1.41 A
•The bottom row of J8 is used for setting the current limit using a custom resistor, R5. The equation
governing current limit is as follows:
For detailed information on limiting OPA564 output current, see the OPA564 data sheet.
The EVM can be set to a noninverting amplifier configuration, as shown in Figure 1. This configuration can
be operated in dual-supply or single-supply mode.
Configuration Examples
Table 4 gives the noninverting amplifier configuration details.
Figure 2 shows the expected results for the noninverting operation of the OPA564 with a gain of 11. A
dual supply is used, and the positive input signal is a sine wave with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 500 mV
and a frequency of 1 kHz. As expected, the output is a sine wave with 5.5-V peak-to-peak amplitude, in
phase with the input signal.
Figure 4 shows the expected results for the inverting operation of the OPA564 with a gain of –10. A dual
supply is used, and the negative input signal is a sine wave with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 500 mV and
a frequency of 1 kHz. As expected, the output is a sine wave with 5-V peak-to-peak amplitude, 180° out of
phase with the input signal.
The EVM can also be set to a difference amplifier configuration, as shown in Figure 5. Both inputs are
driven in this mode, and the output is the difference between these inputs gained up by a factor of 10.
This configuration can be operated in dual-supply or single-supply mode.
Configuration Examples
Table 6 describes the differential amplifier PCB configuration.
Figure 6 shows the expected results for the differential operation of the OPA564 with a gain of 10. Dual
supply is used. The input signals are sinusoids with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 200 mV and a frequency
of 1 kHz. The negative input signal has a phase shift of 180° relative to the positive input signal. As
expected, the difference of the input signals is amplified by a factor of 10, resulting in a sinusoid of 4-V
peak-to-peak amplitude in phase with Vin+, on the output.
3.4Improved Howland Current Pump Configuration Setup
The OPA564DWP-EVM can also be configured as an improved Howland current pump, delivering precise
current to a load. The output current can be adjusted from very low (in microamp range) to the maximum
output current of the device (1.5 A), as long as the amplifier does not exceed the absolute maximum
ratings (such as output voltage swing, slew rate, and so on.). Detailed information on the basic and
improved Howland current pump can be found in the AN1515 A Comprehensive Study of the Howland
Current Pump application note.
The improved Howland current pump is applied by configuring the EVM according to the schematic shown
in Figure 7. This default configuration delivers approximately 100 mA of current for every 1 V of input.
Configuration Examples
Table 7 shows the improved Howland current pump PCB configuration.
ReferenceSettingFunction
SBOU219–February 2020
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Figure 7. Improved Howland Current Pump Schematic
Table 7. Improved Howland Current Pump Configuration
J13AVSSSelects AVSS (dual supply)
J3GNDRoutes Vin– across R9 to ground
J4Vin+Routes Vin+ across R10 to the input signal (J1)
Some of the OPA564DWP-EVM resistors are different than in the three previous amplifier configurations
to accommodate the improved Howland current pump circuit. The mathematical relationship between the
resistors outlined in the AN-1515 application report must be observed to maintain correct output current
from the pump.
The output current is established by Equation 2:
The mathematical relationship to be observed is shown in Equation 3:
According to Equation 3, if R9 = R10, then R16 = R17 + R21.
For a default setup:
•R21, a 0-Ω resistor, is replaced and populated with the 1.000-Ω resistor.
•Apply Equation 2 to solve for I
The improved Howland current pump configured with these resistor values sources an output current of
0.1 A when 1.000 V is applied to the OPA564 Vin+ input. If Vin+ is increased to 2.000 V, the output
current doubles to 0.2 A. If dual polarity supplies, such as ±12 V, are being used with the OPA564DWPEVM, and the polarity of Vin+ is reversed or the positive voltage is applied to Vin–, the output current
reverses direction. In this case, the OPA564 sinks 0.1 A. Keep in mind that with any current source that
includes the improved Howland current source, an output load must be provided for the load current to
flow through. A specific range of load resistances from a minimum of 0 Ω to a maximum value set by
Ohm's law. The maximum is limited by the OPA564 maximum output voltage swing (V
output current (I
Another configuration that can be used with the OPA564DWP-EVM is the bridge-tied load (BTL).
However, this configuration requires two EVMs. The first EVM must be set up in a noninverting amplifier
configuration, and the second in an inverting amplifier configuration, Figure 8. This configuration can be
operated in dual-supply or single-supply mode.
Configuration Examples
Table 8 and Table 9 describe the bridge-tied load configuration for the first and second PCB, respectively.
As mentioned earlier, the BTL circuit consists of one noninverting and one inverting amplifier stage. By
default, the noninverting stage is set up with a gain of 11; whereas, the inverting stage is set with a gain of
–1.Given that the inverting input comes from the output of the noninverting stage, the total gain of the
inverting stage is therefore –11. Combining the outputs of the two stages gives double the amplification, a
total gain of 22.
Figure 9 shows the expected results for the bridge-tied load operation of the OPA564, used in dual-supply
mode. Input signal Vin+ of the first board is a sinusoid with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 100 mV and a
frequency of 1 kHz. The final output signal is taken across an external 35-Ω connecting output of the first
board with the output of the second board. As expected, a difference of one sinusoid with a gain of 11 and
another with the gain of –11, gives an input signal amplification factor of 22. A 100-mV peak-to-peak
amplitude input signal is amplified to a sinusoid of 2.2-V peak-to-peak amplitude, 180° out of phase with
the input signal.
The EVM top and bottom layers are illustrated in Figure 11 and Figure 12, respectively.
Three banana jacks supply power to the EVM (see Section 2.2) . J13 is used to set operation to single
supply or dual supply.
Voltage inputs, Vin+ and Vin–, are on the left-hand side of the board. Jumpers J3 to J6 are used for
setting the input voltage value. Test point TP5 is used to supply reference voltage to the board. Jumper J7
can then be used to offset Vin+ by reference voltage value. Jumper J9 is used for referencing the
noninverting input to ground using a 10-kΩ resistor. This setup is used for difference amplifier operation.
R16, R17, C15, C16 are user-selectable op amp feedback components. R20 and R21 are the output
current-limiting resistors. R20 and R21 are set to 0 Ω by default, but can be adjusted to act as isolation
resistors for improved stability or to set the output current when the device is configured as an improved
Howland current pump (see Section 3.4). However, setting R20 or R21 to value greater than 0 Ω creates a
low-pass filter with the output compensation consisting of R24 and C21.
Vout (pins 15 and 16 of OPA564) can be accessed through connector J17, as well as through banana
jack J15 (see Section 2.3). Jack J16 is set to GND; thus, reading the output signal from J15 and J16 with
an oscilloscope is very convenient. Two super fast diodes (D6 and D8) are used for output protection.
Additionally, the board contains two empty footprints (D5 and D6) that can be used to add power-supply
protection diodes or transient voltage suppressor (TVS) diodes.
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