DSPs Simplify Digital Control Implementation of SMPS

Focus:

Fixed-point digital signal processors (DSPs) can perform the control and communications functions in a power supply, making single-chip solutions possible while also enabling a high level of functionality and design flexibility. This article discusses the power supply features and performance made possible by the DSPs available at the time of publication (2003). (Although DSP specs will be behind the times, most of this discussion should still be relevant.) The article compares power supply designs based on analog controllers and microcontrollers to designs based on DSP controllers, and describes the challenges in migrating from the former approach to the latter. A PFC converter based on the TMS320C2000 DSP controller is presented as a high-level design example with discussion of how gain parameters and voltage and current compensators are derived, topology options, and changing of operating points in real time.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the benefits of using DSP controllers to implement digitally controlled power supply designs
• How to migrate power supply designs using analog controllers and microcontrollers to all-digital designs using DSPs.

Notes:

At the time this summary is being written, the online version of this PET magazine article does not include the figures. However, a PDF version of the article complete with text and figures is available on the "30 Years of Power Electronics Technology" DVD. See the DVD or contact PET's editor to request a copy of the article PDF.

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Author & Publication:

Shamim Choudhury and Matt Harrison, Texas Instruments, Dallas , Power Electronics Technology, Jul 01 2003

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