Optimizing Regulator Output Capacitance (Part 1): Selecting Load Slammers

Focus:

A common practice among engineers has been to lean on capacitors to ensure adequate power supply bulk decoupling. But with the recent supply chain constraints and significant increases in capacitor pricing, the reliance on large amounts of capacitance becomes less feasible. This article series examines the use of transient load slammers in testing voltage regulator designs to determine the optimum capacitance. (The article is written by a startup that supplies load slammers.) Here in part 1, the author discusses the nature of the loads, how that nature affects the voltage regulators, and what load unit features are relevant to adequately stimulate the required loads. The key parameters that should be considered when choosing a load slammer are explained. A chart offers comparisons of some existing options for transient load testing.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand what load options are available for testing transient response of voltage regulators and determining output capacitance requirements
• How to understand what criteria influence selection of load slammers (test loads for voltage regulators)

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Author & Publication:

David Baretich, ProGrAnalog, Portland, Oreg., How2Power Today, Aug 16 2018

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