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ONLINE POWER SUPPLY DESIGN
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| Fairchild Semiconductor FETBench WebSIM http://rbi.ims.ca/3853-557 |
National Semiconductor Webench WebSIM http://rbi.ims.ca/3853-558 |
Intersil iSIM http://rbi.ims.ca/3853-559 |
International Rectifier myPOWER iP1201 and iP1202 Simulations http://rbi.ims.ca/3853-560 |
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FUNCTIONALITY
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| Analysis tool for dc-dc converters, rectified buck converter (including a version with a controller) and a boost converter. Also load switch and bidirectional load switch. |
A browser-based simulator that allows users to probe points in the supply circuit, examine the wave forms, change component values, and fine tune their designs. |
Design tool for power sources for microprocessors and low voltage peripherals in desktop computer applications. |
Design tool that offers the choice of six different synchronous buck converter simulations using one of their power blocks. |
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TYPE OF ANALYSIS
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| Device, application, and thermal analysis. Curve tracer analysis and dynamic characteristics for switching waveforms, including reverse recovery. |
Electrical Bode Plots and WebTHERM for virtual thermal simulation. |
Bode plot analysis based on a schematic that the user can edit. |
Simulations consist of AC analysis (Bode plot), transient steady state, transient step input, and transient step loading. |
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TARGET AUDIENCE
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| Novices through experienced designers for FETBench and PFC design toolkit. |
Initially, Webench was a basic tool for the novice engineer or student, but over time the capability of the tool has advanced beyond what some skilled engineers might do. |
Experienced power supply designers. |
Any electrical engineer with power requirements. |
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KIT/PARTS
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| A kit or parts to make the design is not available. |
Users can order the exact kit that they simulated, and get it delivered the next day. |
Once the design is finalized, a bill of materials can be printed. Kit or layout cannot be ordered. |
Users can buy a prototype of their designs. |
| POWER SUPPLY GURU MARTY BROWN'S QUICK EVALUATION (more comments at http://rbi.ims.ca/3853-556) |
| + Best feature: One can place "dummy loads" onto the PCB to simulate the other major heat-producing components within the system (ICs and other "non-MOSFETs"), and simulate a more complete PCB Thermal system. |
+ Includes information on typical trouble spots, such as feedback loop compensation within the ICs, which makes the user's task much simpler. |
+ The component values presented in the feedback loop compensation were within 10 percent of the values derived from the Power Supply Cookbook and from Ridley Engineering's POWER456, a power supply design tool. |
+ The ability to get a standard, fully assembled and tested evaluation board with selected custom components.* |
| - When selecting "View Schematic" in the Applications area, you cannot print out the entire schematic. The window is in landscape mode, but the print button only produces portrait-style prints for the first page only. |
- The Bode phase plots do not include the 180° error amplifier contribution to the phase, requiring the user to go through extra steps to compensate. |
- The designs offered by the simulation program are for a single output voltage, output current, and input power system (not directly changeable). It is good for verifying stability, but not as a design tool. |
- The inability to do thermal analysis is a disappointment.* |
| ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Although they do not offer online analysis tools, some other manufacturers offer power supply and power management design support online. Texas Instrumants offers power management engineering design utilities and design-in calculators at http://rbi.ims.ca/3853-561. Analog Devices offers power management design tools, including evaluation boards at http://rbi.ims.ca/3853-562. |
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