Internal LDO Circuit Offers External Control Of Current Limiting

Focus:

With low drop-out voltage regulators (LDOs), it is particularly useful to have externally controllable current limiting. This feature enables designers to limit power dissipation without resorting to overly complex methods. This article describes ON Semi’s implementation of externally controllable current limiting in two CMOS LDOs, the CAT6201, a 300-mA LDO and the CAT6202, a 500-mA LDO. This internal LDO circuit allows designers to program the current limit using an external resistor. Theoretical considerations, simulations and experimental results indicate the validity of the proposed technique, that it is fully functional, and that the LDO has a fast load-transient response at a full 1-mA to 300-mA load current step.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand operation of internal LDO circuit that permits permits current limits to be programmed using an external resistor

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Author & Publication:

Cornel Stanescu, Cristian Dinca, Radu Iacob and Ovidiu Profirescu, ON Semiconductor, Bucharest, Romania and Santa Clara, Calif., U.S.A., How2Power Today, May 24 2012

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