Monolithic Power Systems’ (MPS’) 3 kW totem-pole reference design is an evaluation board based on MPS’ MPF32010 totem-pole controller and MP18831 half-bridge driver. It also includes MPS’ MCS1802 DC current sensor, and each of these components are individually described later as part of this board page. Please use the form below to apply to evaluate this 3 kW reference design for the MPF32010, or the individual evaluation boards for the MP18831 or MCS1802, specifying your preference.
The main 3 kW reference design is an AC/DC Power Factor Corrector (PFC) suitable for applications such as uninterruptible power supplies, energy storage, and datacentre server SMPS. It produces a 400 VDC output from an input voltage of 80-250 VAC at 45-66 Hz. with a maximum input current of 19.6 A. Under normal conditions, the power factor is greater than 99%, and the efficiency is greater than 98.5% for 1 kW output and above (using a 230 VAC input). Thanks to an integrated GUI for parameter configuration using the MPF32010 controller, time to market can be significantly reduced for similar power supply designs.
The simplicity and efficiency of the totem-pole topology is significantly improved by using silicon carbide (SiC) devices in the controlled full bridge. These devices switch at 65 kHz though standard silicon devices are used in the low frequency branch of the configuration. Compared to an interleaved booth PFC, this totem-pole PFC has 4 semiconductor devices instead of 8. Since the SiC devices do not require a negative voltage to switch off, only a 12 V voltage is required to drive all transistors, improving system robustness and reducing the board space required to implement a PFC. More information can be supplied after entering consultation with MPS.
Below is a summary of the key MPS components used in their 3 kW AC/DC PFC totem-pole reference design:
MPF32010 Totem-Pole Controller
MPS’ MPF32010 is a PFC totem-pole digital controller for AC/DC power conversion, with up to 100 kHz operating frequency. This component uses active switches to replace the diode rectifiers that are present in dual boost topologies, leading to an overall increase in efficiency. A user-friendly GUI enables designers to configure parameters such as AC input brown in/out, overload, overcurrent, overvoltage, overtemperature, and any warning associated with these safety features, as well as configuring soft start-up. This can be done through an RS-485 bus, and a UART port enables communication with companion DC-DC controllers.
MP18831-4CGY Half-Bridge Driver
MPS’ MP18831 is a high-efficiency, robust dual-channel half-bridge gate driver solution with up to 30 V output drive supply, 4 A of source and sink peak current capability, overlap protection, and configurable dead time control. The propagation delay is typically 50 ns, and the device features common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) >100kV/μs and up to 1500 VDC functional Isolation between the two drivers, depending on the package option selected.
MCS1802GS-10 DC Current Sensor
MPS’ MCS1802 is a linear Hall-effect current sensor for AC or DC current sensing from 5-50 A, with an adjustable bandwidth up to 100 kHz. This device features zero magnetic hysteresis and immunity to external magnetic fields thanks to the differential sensing method. The MCS1802 can be used to replace opto-isolators or other isolation devices and requires a minimal number of external components to operate, saving board space. A 3.3 V single supply and an operating temperature from -40°C to +125°C make this device suitable for many applications.
If you’ve got a commercial project where you would like to use any of the technologies featured as part of this reference design, fill in the form below, and ipXchange will put you in touch with MPS to discuss your project requirements and facilitate evaluation.