_________________________Quick Start
The MAX668 EV kit is fully assembled and tested. Follow
these steps to verify board operation. Do not turn on
the power supply until all connections are completed.
1) Place the shunt on JU1 across pins 1 and 2. Verify
that the shunt is across JU2 pins 2 and 3 (VCC is
tied to VIN) and JU3 is open (LDO is open).
2) Connect a +5V supply to the VIN pad. Connect
ground to the GND pad.
3) Connect a voltmeter to the VOUT pad.
4) Turn on the power supply and verify that the output
voltage is 12V.
_______________Detailed Description
The MAX668 EV kit provides a regulated +12V output
voltage from an input source as low as +3V. It drives
loads up to 1A with greater than 90% conversion effi-
ciency. This EV kit is shipped configured in the non-
bootstrapped mode (VCC is tied to VIN). However, there
are several methods of connecting VCC and LDO
depending on the specific design including input and
output voltage range, quiescent power dissipation,
MOSFET selection, and load.
If the minimum input voltage is below +3.0V, use the
MAX669 with VCC bootstrapped from VOUT (Table 1). In
bootstrapped mode, if VOUT is always less than +5.5V,
then LDO may be shorted to VCC to eliminate the
dropout voltage of the LDO regulator. This increases the
gate drive to the MOSFET, which lowers the MOSFET
on-resistance but increases the MAX668 supply current
due to gate-charge loss.
If VIN is greater than +3.0V, the MAX668’s VCC can be
powered from VIN. This will decrease quiescent power
dissipation, especially when VOUT is large. If VIN is
always less than +5.5V, LDO may be shorted to VCC to
eliminate the dropout voltage of the LDO regulator. If
VIN is in the range of +3V to +4.5V, then the user may
still want to bootstrap from VOUT to increase gate drive
to the MOSFET at the expense of power dissipation. If
VIN is always greater than +4.5V, the VCC input should
always be tied to VIN, since bootstrapping from VOUT
will not increase the gate drive from LDO, but quiescent
power dissipation will rise. Jumpers JU2 and JU3 con-
trol the VCC and LDO inputs (see
MAX668/MAX669
data sheet).
Jumper Selection
The 3-pin header JU1 selects shutdown mode. Table 1
lists the selectable jumper options. The 3-pin header
JU2 selects bootstrapped mode. Table 2 lists the
selectable jumper options. For VCC less than 5.5V, use
the 2-pin header JU3 to short LDO to VCC. This elimi-
nates the internal linear regulator (LDO) dropout volt-
age. For the MAX668, this allows operation with input
voltages down to 2.7V. Table 3 lists the selectable
jumper options.
Other Output Voltages
The MAX668 EV kit can also be used to evaluate other
output voltages. Refer to the
Output Voltage Selection
section in the MAX668 data sheet for instructions on
selecting the feedback resistors R2 and R3. For output
voltages greater than 15V, replace C5 (20V) with a
capacitor that has a higher voltage rating.
In addition to the standard EV kit configuration of 3VIN
to 12VOUT at 1A, the
EV Kit Application Circuit
Capabilities
table listed several common Input/Output
combinations. Table 4 lists the components recom-
mended for these alternative circuits.
Evaluates: MAX668/MAX669
MAX668 Evaluation Kit
2 _______________________________________________________________________________________
Component Suppliers
Note: Please indicate that you are using the MAX668 when con-
tacting these component suppliers.
CoilCraft 708-639-6400 708-639-1469
SUPPLIER PHONE FAX
Dale-Vishay 402-564-3131 402-563-6418
Coiltronics 561-241-7876 561-241-9339
AVX 803-946-0690 803-626-3123
Hitachi 888-777-0384 650-244-7947
International
Rectifier 310-322-3331 310-322-3332
Fairchild 408-721-2181 408-721-1635
IRC 512-992-7900 512-992-3377
Motorola 602-303-5454 602-994-6430
Siliconix 408-988-8000 408-970-3950
Sprague 603-224-1961 603-224-1430
Sumida 708-956-0666 708-956-0702
Vishay/Vitramon 203-268-6261 203-452-5670