lm2595sx-adj National Semiconductor Corporation, lm2595sx-adj Datasheet - Page 19

• Manufacturer Part Number: lm2595sx-adj
• Description: Simple Switcher Power Converter 150 Khz 1a Step-down Voltage Regulator
• Manufacturer: National Semiconductor Corporation

Application Information
INDUCTOR SELECTION
All switching regulators have two basic modes of operation;
continuous and discontinuous. The difference between the
two types relates to the inductor current, whether it is flowing
continuously, or if it drops to zero for a period of time in the
normal switching cycle. Each mode has distinctively different
operating characteristics, which can affect the regulators
performance and requirements. Most switcher designs will
operate in the discontinuous mode when the load current is
low.
The LM2595 (or any of the Simple Switcher family) can be
used for both continuous or discontinuous modes of opera-
tion.
In many cases the preferred mode of operation is the con-
tinuous mode. It offers greater output power, lower peak
switch, inductor and diode currents, and can have lower out-
put ripple voltage. But it does require larger inductor values
to keep the inductor current flowing continuously, especially
at low output load currents and/or high input voltages.
To simplify the inductor selection process, an inductor selec-
tion guide (nomograph) was designed (see Figure 4 through
Figure 7 ). This guide assumes that the regulator is operating
in the continuous mode, and selects an inductor that will al-
low a peak-to-peak inductor ripple current to be a certain
percentage of the maximum design load current. This
peak-to-peak inductor ripple current percentage is not fixed,
but is allowed to change as different design load currents are
selected. (See Figure 16 .)
FIGURE 15. Capacitor ESR Change vs Temperature
(Continued)
DS012565-30
19
By allowing the percentage of inductor ripple current to in-
crease for low load currents, the inductor value and size can
be kept relatively low.
When operating in the continuous mode, the inductor current
waveform ranges from a triangular to a sawtooth type of
waveform (depending on the input voltage), with the average
value of this current waveform equal to the DC output load
current.
Inductors are available in different styles such as pot core,
toroid, E-core, bobbin core, etc., as well as different core ma-
terials, such as ferrites and powdered iron. The least expen-
sive, the bobbin, rod or stick core, consists of wire wound on
a ferrite bobbin. This type of construction makes for an inex-
pensive inductor, but since the magnetic flux is not com-
pletely contained within the core, it generates more
Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMl). This magnetic flux can
induce voltages into nearby printed circuit traces, thus caus-
ing problems with both the switching regulator operation and
nearby sensitive circuitry, and can give incorrect scope read-
ings because of induced voltages in the scope probe. Also
see section on Open Core Inductors.
When multiple switching regulators are located on the same
PC board, open core magnetics can cause interference be-
tween two or more of the regulator circuits, especially at high
currents. A toroid or E-core inductor (closed magnetic struc-
ture) should be used in these situations.
The inductors listed in the selection chart include ferrite
E-core construction for Schott, ferrite bobbin core for Renco
and Coilcraft, and powdered iron toroid for Pulse Engineer-
ing.
Exceeding an inductor’s maximum current rating may cause
the inductor to overheat because of the copper wire losses,
or the core may saturate. If the inductor begins to saturate,
the inductance decreases rapidly and the inductor begins to
look mainly resistive (the DC resistance of the winding). This
can cause the switch current to rise very rapidly and force
the switch into a cycle-by-cycle current limit, thus reducing
the DC output load current. This can also result in overheat-
ing of the inductor and/or the LM2595. Different inductor
types have different saturation characteristics, and this
should be kept in mind when selecting an inductor.
The inductor manufacturer’s data sheets include current and
energy limits to avoid inductor saturation.
Inductor Ripple Current (as a Percentage
of the Load Current) vs Load Current
FIGURE 16. ( I
IND
) Peak-to-Peak
DS012565-31
www.national.com