For most applications, the peak inductor current equals
the current limit. However, for applications using large
inductor values or low input voltages, the maximum on-
time limits the peak inductor current (see Inductor
Selection section).
Capacitor Selection
Choose input and output capacitors to supply the input
and output peak currents with acceptable voltage rip-
ple. The input filter capacitor (C
IN
) reduces peak cur-
rents drawn from the battery and improves efficiency.
Low equivalent series resistance (ESR) capacitors are
recommended. Ceramic capacitors have the lowest
ESR, but low ESR tantalum or polymer capacitors offer
a good balance between cost and performance.
Output voltage ripple has two components: variations
in the charge stored in the output capacitor with each
LX pulse, and the voltage drop across the capacitor’s
ESR caused by the current into and out of the capaci-
tor:
where I
PEAK
is the peak inductor current (see Inductor
Selection section). For ceramic capacitors, the output
voltage ripple is typically dominated by V
RIPPLE(C)
. For
example, a 10µF ceramic capacitor and a 10µH induc-
tor typically provide 75mV of output ripple when step-
ping up from 3.3V to 5V at 50mA. Low input-to-output
voltage differences (i.e. two cells to 3.3V) require high-
er output capacitor values.
Capacitance and ESR variation of temperature should
be considered for best performance in applications
with wide operating temperature ranges. Table 2 lists
suggested capacitors and suppliers.
PC Board Layout Considerations
Careful PC board layout is important for minimizing
ground bounce and noise. Keep the IC’s GND pin and
the ground leads of the input and output capacitors
less than 0.2in (5mm) apart using a ground plane. In
addition, keep all connections to FB
(MAX1722/MAX1723 only) and LX as short as possible.
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