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t-Time=400 s/div
V
(1V/div)
(TRK)
V 1(1V/div)
O
V 2(1V/div)
O
t-Time=10ms/div
V
(1V/div)
(TRK)
V 1(1V/div)
O
V 2(1V/div)
O
Typical Application
PTH04000W
SLTS247A–JUNE 2005–REVISED JULY 2005
Figure 16. Simultaneous Power-Down With
Auto-Track Control
Figure 15. Simultaneous Power-Up With
Auto-Track Control
The basic implementation of Auto-Track allows for simultaneous voltage sequencing of a number of Auto-Track
compliant modules. Connecting the
Track
inputs of two or more modules forces their track input to follow the
same collective RC-ramp waveform, and allows their power-up sequence to be coordinated from a common track
control signal. This can be an open-collector (or open drain) device, such as a power-up reset voltage supervisor
IC. See U3 in
Figure 14
.
To coordinate a power-up sequence, the Track control must first be pulled to ground potential. This should be
done at or before input power is applied to the modules. The ground signal should be maintained for at least
20 ms after input power has been applied. This brief period gives the modules time to complete their internal
soft-start initialization
(4)
, enabling them to produce an output voltage. A low-cost supply voltage supervisor IC,
that includes a built-in time delay, is an ideal component for automatically controlling the track inputs at power
up.
Figure 14
shows how the TPS3808G50 supply voltage supervisor IC (U3) can be used to coordinate the
sequenced power-up of two 5-V input Auto-Track modules. The output of the TPS3808G50 supervisor becomes
active above an input voltage of 0.8 V, enabling it to assert a ground signal to the common track control well
before the input voltage has reached the module's undervoltage lockout threshold. The ground signal is
maintained until approximately 27 ms after the input voltage has risen above U3's voltage threshold, which is
4.65 V. The 27-ms time period is controlled by the capacitor C3. The value of 4700 pF provides sufficient time
delay for the modules to complete their internal soft-start initialization. The output voltage of each module
remains at zero until the track control voltage is allowed to rise. When U3 removes the ground signal, the track
control voltage automatically rises. This causes the output voltage of each module to rise simultaneously with the
other modules, until each reaches its respective set-point voltage.
Figure 15
shows the output voltage waveforms from the circuit of
Figure 14
after input voltage is applied to the
circuit. The waveforms, V
O
1 and V
O
2 represent the output voltages from the two power modules, U1 (3.3 V) and
U2 (1.8 V), respectively. V
O
1 and V
O
2 are shown rising together to produce the desired simultaneous power-up
characteristic.
The same circuit also provides a power-down sequence. When the input voltage falls below U3's voltage
threshold, the ground signal is reapplied to the common track control. This pulls the track inputs to zero volts,
forcing the output of each module to follow. See
Figure 16
. Power-down is normally complete before the input
voltage has fallen below the modules' undervoltage lockout. This is an important constraint. Once the modules
recognize that an input voltage is no longer present, their outputs can no longer follow the voltage applied at their
track input. During a power-down sequence, the fall in the output voltage from the modules is limited by the
Auto-Track slew rate capability.
15