9Maxim Integrated
1V to 16V, Single-Channel, Hot-Swap Controllers
with Precision Current-Sensing Output
MAX5977A/MAX5977B
Detailed Description
The hot-swap controllers provide electronic circuit-
breaker protection and precision current sensing for a
single-supply voltage from 1V to 16V. Programmable
undervoltage and overvoltage protection qualifies the
supply voltage prior to enhancing the external n-channel
MOSFET with the internal gate driver.
The VariableSpeed/BiLevel fault levels are program-
mable with external resistors providing both slow and
fast circuit-breaker protection. The transconductance
current-sense amplifier provides continuous current
monitoring with high accuracy and features a calibration
mode for production testing.
Programmable Undervoltage
and Overvoltage Protection
The programmable undervoltage and overvoltage pro-
tection enables the hot-swap channel when the voltage
at UV is above 590mV, and the voltage at OV is below
590mV. After the hot-swap channel is enabled, the hot-
swap channel is disabled if the voltage at OV exceeds
the 590mV threshold.
Gate Driver
An integrated 5V charge pump supplies the gate-driver
output of the devices, allowing it to fully enhance the
external n-channel MOSFET during normal operation.
The 5FA (typ) current source at GATE slowly charges the
gate-to-source capacitance of the external n-channel
MOSFET to 5V (typ) relative to the SOURCE input.
Programmable Fast-Trip and Slow-Trip
Overcurrent Circuit Breaker
During normal operation with the channel turned on, two
analog comparators are used to detect an overcurrent
condition by comparing the voltage across the external
sense resistor (RSENSE) connected between IN and
SENSE to the voltages across the respective external
overcurrent circuit-breaker threshold set resistors con-
nected from IN to FCOMP and SCOMP. Precision cur-
rent sources at the FCOMP and SCOMP inputs establish
these thresholds.
If the voltage across the sense resistor is less than
the fast-trip and slow-trip overcurrent circuit-breaker
thresholds, the GATE output remains high. If either of
the thresholds is exceeded due to an overcurrent condi-
tion, the GATE output is pulled down to SOURCE by a
500mA current sink, and the FAULT and PG outputs are
asserted low.
If the sense voltage rises above the fast circuit-breaker
threshold, the devices turn off the external MOSFET in
200ns (typ).
If the sense voltage rises above the slow circuit-breaker
threshold, the internal timer begins counting. If the sense
voltage remains above the slow circuit-breaker threshold
until the timer expires, the devices turn off the external
MOSFET. The slow circuit-breaker timer occurs in 1ms
(typ) when the slow-current comparator threshold is over-
driven by 1mV and 130Fs (typ) when overdriven by 50mV.
Current-Sense Amplifier
The integrated transconductance current-sense ampli-
fier features high accuracy with less than 1% error over
its 10mV to 50mV input range, and provides continu-
ous current monitoring into the load. The sense voltage
of the external sense resistor connected between IN
and SENSE is multiplied by the transconductance gain
(2500FS typ) of the amplifier with the resulting current
output at CSOUT.
Calibration Mode
The devices' calibration mode bypasses the trans-
conductance amplifier inputs to measure the voltage
between IN and CALSENSE when the calibration mode
select input CAL is high.
This enables the user to apply a known calibration
voltage across the current-sense amplifier input. This
voltage corresponds to a full scale for the actual sense
voltage. During the calibration mode, the current-sense
amplifier only measures the calibration voltage between
IN and CALSENSE.
The calibration mode is completely asynchronous and
does not disrupt the circuit-breaker threshold compari-
son. Once in calibration mode there is no expiration until
the CAL input is brought low. This allows the calibration
to occur at multiple voltages by applying various calibra-
tion voltages during the calibration mode.
Fault Output
The FAULT output goes low when a slow or fast com-
parator current-limit fault has occurred.
On the MAX5977A, the device is latched in fault mode
until it is reset either by initiating a full power-on reset or
pulling UV below 590mV.
On the MAX5977B, the device reenables the hot-swap
output after the autoretry timer has expired in 175ms
and FAULT is pulled high if the fault condition has been
removed and startup conditions are met.