[Design Application]
Shed Some Pounds With This AC/DC Transformerless Power Supply
At The Heart Of This Programmable, High-Efficiency Design Is A High-Voltage, High-Current PWM Amplifier.
Later, we'll use Spice to see the reduction in output ripple with increased C1. R2 is a bleeder resistor whose value determines how fast C1 will discharge after power is turned off. Its power rating must be equal or greater than the result of the square of 163 V divided by R2. For R2 = 10k, the rating must be 2.66 W or higher.
Block SA14 refers to the Apex SA14, a PWM amplifier with a 200-V, 20-A rating. The 115 V ac will provide a peak voltage of 163 V (115 * 1.4142), so the PWM amplifier must have a voltage rating of at least 163 V. In countries where the ac power source is 230 V rms, you might choose the Apex SA16, SA18, or other PWM amplifier boasting a voltage rating of 500 V.
L1, L2, and C4 form a 3-pole lowpass filter with Butterworth (maximum flatness) frequency response for the 8-Ω load. The corner frequency is set at 2.25 kHz, one decade below the SA14's 22.5-kHz PWM frequency. As the load changes, the filter's corner frequency will not budge. But its peaking, or Q factor, will. To achieve even lower ripple and noise, use higher pole filters. Information on the design of LC filters can be found in References 1 and 2.
The 2.25-kHz active low-pass filter block and the integrator block form a voltage feedback control for the ac-ac power supply. An active filter is used because this is the small-signal processing path, not the power-transmission path. It's also smaller and cheaper. Look for the design of active filters in Reference 3.
The SA14 is an inverted PWM amplifier. As the SA14's input increases, the duty cycle of its output decreases. We chose the multiple feedback active-filter configuration because of its ability to reverse the SA14's polarity. You can verify if your feedback loop has the correct polarity by using a method such as the one outlined below.
Start out with the SA14's +PWM input and arbitrarily assume that it's increasing. Because it's an inverted PWM amplifier, the SA14's output will decrease. Op amp X3's output will then rise, since the SA14's output drives the negative input of X3. Op amp X2's output will drop again, because X3's output drives its negative input. Since X2's output drives SA14's +PWM input, the former decreases while the latter was arbitrarily assumed increasing. Both go in opposite directions, which is negative feedback. If they were to go in the same direction, that would be positive feedback and the circuit wouldn't work.
The integrator block completes the voltage feedback loop when the filtered output of the SA14 is compared with an external voltage, EIN. In this example, the transfer function is given by:
Eload/EIN = 20 V/V where EIN ranges from 0 to 8 V.
Each and every functional block described above is necessary for the functionality of the ac-ac power supply. The following protection components are highly recommended to guard the SA14 from accidental blowout. It's cheap insurance.
Diodes D6 and D9 are fast-recovery diodes used to keep the SA14 from inductive kickbacks. A UF1003 diode from Vishay Lite-On, Westlake Village, Calif., was chosen because of its 50-ns reverse recovery time and 200-V reverse-diode breakdown voltage. The circuit calls for diodes with at least 163-V breakdown voltage and speeds of 200 ns or faster.
Diodes D3 and D7 are Zener diodes, which prevent overvoltage at various inputs. D3 stops the +PWM input from going above 8.7 V and below −0.65 V. Diode D7 keeps the VCC input from rising above 16 V and dropping below 0.65 V.
Component D8 is a transzorb (transient absorber), which prevents over-voltage at the +VS terminal. It also absorbs energy from high-voltage spikes. The 1.5KE180AMSCT transzorb from Microsemi, Santa Ana, Calif., was chosen because of its 180 V rating. It had to be above the 163 V needed to operate the SA14, and equal to or below the SA14's rated voltage of 200 V.
As power-supply bypass capacitors, C7 and C8 must be located as close to the VCC and +VS pins as possible. In no case should these capacitors be more than 2 in. away from their respective pins. Use low ESR capacitors, such as ceramic.
Components D2, R4, R5, and R6 prevent the SA14 from entering a tri-state condition when powering on. R4 and R5 set the SA14's +PWM input at the midrange of 5 V, which puts the SA14's output at a 50% duty cycle immediately upon powering on. D2 keeps op amp X2 from sinking current, which should never happen under normal operation. R6 protects D3 and the +PWM input from overcurrent.
Finally, a 20-A slow-blow fuse should be placed in series with V1, the 115-V ac input power source.
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