Evolution in Analog Design
The evolution of analog power conversion designs toward digital designs can be described by the following four major milestones. Microchip's 16-bit dsPIC® DSCs enable all four solution levels:
- Level 1 integration (Intelligent ON/OFF control and monitoring)
- Level 2 integration (Digital control of reference signals to the PWM chip)
- Level 3 integration (Digital control of the feedback and PWM topology)
- Level 4 integration (Complete digital DSP-based control algorithm)
Feedback from the power supply is obtained using high-speed Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs). The power supply is controlled using specialized high-speed Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) peripherals. The PWM module can directly drive all popular power supply topologies and the CPU core allows digital compensation algorithms to be executed quickly. Microchip's dsPIC DSCs can be used for various power conversion and power control applications. They offer higher power density, lower system cost, improved reliability, and lower manufacturing and maintenance costs.
