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FN8232.8
August 12, 2010
supercapacitor used, backup time can last from a few days
to two weeks (with >1F). A simple silicon or Schottky barrier
diode can be used in series with VDD to charge the
supercapacitor, which is connected to the VBAT pin. Try to
use Schottky diodes with very low leakages, <1A desirable.
Do not use the diode to charge a battery (especially lithium
batteries!).
Note that whether a battery or supercap is used, if the VBAT
voltage drops below the data sheet minimum of 1.8V and the
VDD power cycles to 0V then back to VDD voltage, then the
RESET output may stay low and the I2C communications will
not operate. The VBAT and VDD power will need to be cycled
to 0V together to allow normal operation again.
There are two possible modes for battery backup operation,
Standard and Legacy mode. In Standard mode, there are no
operational concerns when switching over to battery backup
since all other devices functions are disabled. Battery drain
is minimal in Standard mode, and return to Normal VDD
powered operations predictable. In Legacy modes the VBAT
pin can power the chip if the voltage is above VDD and
VTRIP. This makes it possible to generate alarms and
communicate with the device under battery backup, but the
supply current drain is much higher than the Standard mode
and backup time is reduced. During initial power-up, the
default mode is the Legacy mode.
I2C Communications During Battery Backup and
LVR Operation
Operation in Battery Backup mode and LVR is affected by
the BSW and SBIB bits as described earlier. These bits allow
flexible operation of the serial bus and EEPROM in battery
backup mode, but certain operational details need to be
clear before utilizing the different modes. The most
significant detail is that once VDD goes below VRESET, then
I2C communications cease regardless of whether the device
is programmed for I2C operation in battery backup mode.
Table 10 describes 4 different modes possible with using the
BSW and SBIB bits, and how they are affect LVR and battery
backup operation.
Mode A - In this mode, selection bits indicate a low VDD
switchover combined with I2C operation in battery backup
mode. In actuality the VDD will go below VRESET before
switching to battery backup, which will disable I2C
ANYTIME the device goes into battery backup mode.
Regardless of the battery voltage, the I2C will work down
to the VRESET voltage (see Figure 29).
Mode B - In this mode, the selection bits indicate
switchover to battery backup at VDD<VBAT, and I2C
communications in battery backup. In order to
communicate in battery backup mode, the VRESET voltage
must be less than the VBAT voltage AND VDD must be
greater than VRESET. Also, pull-ups on the I2C bus pins
must go to VBAT to communicate. This mode is the same
as the normal operating mode of the X1228 device.
Mode C - In this mode, the selection bits indicate a low
VDD switchover combined with no communications in
battery backup. Operation is actually identical to Mode A
with I2C communications down to VDD = VRESET, then no
communications (see Figure 28).
Mode D - In this mode, the selection bits indicate
switchover to battery backup at VDD < VBAT, and no I2C
communications in battery backup. This mode is unique in
that there is I2C communication as long as VDD is higher
than VRESET or VBAT, whichever is greater. This mode is
the safest for guaranteeing I2C communications only when
there is a Valid VDD (see Figure 29).
FIGURE 28. SUPERCAPACITOR CHARGING CIRCUIT
VDD
VBAT
VSS
SUPERCAPACITOR
2.7V TO 5.5V
ISL12027, ISL12027A