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What is switching regulator? How does a switching regulator work?


switching regulator 

A voltage controller that uses a changing component to change the supply into a rotating current, which is then changed over to an alternate voltage utilizing capacitors, inductors, and different components, at that point changed over back to DC. The circuit incorporates guideline and separating parts to safeguard an unfaltering yield.

Switching regulators or DC-DC converters are used universally in almost all electronic devices. They are popular as they have high efficiency during both step up (boost converter) and step down (buck converter) of DC voltage. Below may be a simplified diagram of a buck convertor that is used to step down DC voltage. A controller IC is needed to sense the feedback voltage and alter the switching PWM consequently. Some DC-DC converters today replace the diode with a transistor for synchronous rectification for higher efficiency. This efficiency comes at a higher cost as a more complex driver is needed.

How does a switching regulator work?

A switching regulator works by taking very little chunks of energy, bit by bit, from the input voltage source, and moving them to the output. ... The energy losses involved in moving chunks of energy around during this approach ar comparatively little, and the result is that a switching regulator can typically have 85% efficiency.

When to use switching voltage regulators?

High efficiency applications: Switching regulators turn on and off, so they are able to be more efficient. They can achieve even 90% efficiency which is hard to reach for linear regulators unless they are configured as LDOs.

When DC output voltage should be over input voltage: With boost or buck-boost configurations, switching regulators enable DC output voltage to be over the input voltage. This is particularly useful in cases when sudden large voltages are needed such as flash lights in a camera.

When good thermal performance is needed: Linear regulators waste a lot of power which is dissipated as heat and usually need heat sinks. Switching voltage regulators don't need heat sinks. Also, as they're used with a control IC, you can get 'over temperature protection' which is usually missing in the linear regulator ICs.


Switching Controller vs Switching Regulator

You might see these two terms used in the context of switching regulators. Switching regulator ICs handle switching operations among the IC. As a result, they can’t handle a lot of current. With switching controllers, on the other hand, the switching function is done external to the IC which allows for much higher currents. Switching controllers have a lot more options for configuration, and are much more complex than switching regulators. In summary, if you need very high currents, use switching controllers as they use external switching FETs.

Part Selection:

Buck Converter: Texas Instruments’ LMR12010 series [CPL]

Boost Converter: Texas Instruments’ TLV6122 series

This guide covers some of the most popular types of voltage regulators including selecting them for different applications and the important parameters.


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