SC414/SC424
16
is recommended to force 33% of the V5V voltage on the
EN/PSV pin to operate in forced continuous mode.
When EN/PSV is high (above 45% of the voltage at V5V)
for SC414, the switching regulator turns on with ultrasonic
power-save enabled. The SC414 ultrasonic power-save
operation maintains a minimum switching frequency of
25kHz, for applications with stringent audio
requirements.
When EN/PSV is high (above 45% of the voltage at V5V)
for SC424, the switching regulator turns on with power-
save enabled. The SC424 power-save operation is designed
to maximize effi ciency at light loads with no minimum
frequency limits. This makes the SC424 an excellent choice
for portable and battery-operated systems.
The ENL input is used to control the internal LDO. This
input provides a second function by acting as a V
IN
ULVO
sensor for the switching regulator. When ENL is low
(grounded), the LDO is off . When ENL is a logic high but
below the V
IN
UVLO threshold (2.6V typical), then the LDO
is on and the switcher is off . When ENL is above the V
IN
UVLO threshold, the LDO is enabled and the switcher is
also enabled if the EN/PSV pin is not grounded.
Forced Continuous Mode Operation
The SC414/SC424 operates the switcher in Forced
Continuous Mode (FCM) by fl oating the EN/PSV pin (see
Figure 4). In this mode of operation, the MOSFETs are
turned on alternately to each other with a short dead time
between them to avoid cross conduction. This feature
results in uniform frequency across the full load range
with the trade-off being poor effi ciency at light loads due
to the high-frequency switching of the MOSFETs.
For V5V < 4.5V, it is recommended to force 33% of the V5V
voltage on the EN/PSV pin to operate in forced continuous
mode.
FB Ripple
Voltage (V
FB
)
FB threshold
DL
DH
Inductor
Current
DC Load Current
DH on-time is triggered when
V
FB
reaches the FB Threshold.
(750mV)
On-time
(T
ON
)
DL drives high when on-time is completed.
DL remains high until V
FB
falls to the FB threshold.
Figure 4 Forced Continuous Mode Operation
Ultrasonic Power-save Operation (SC414)
The SC414 provides ultrasonic power-save operation at
light loads, with the minimum operating frequency fi xed
at slightly under 25kHz. This is accomplished by using an
internal timer that monitors the time between consecu-
tive high-side gate pulses. If the time exceeds 40約, DL
drives high to turn the low-side MOSFET on. This draws
current from V
OUT
through the inductor, forcing both V
OUT
and V
FB
to fall. When V
FB
drops to the 750mV threshold, the
next DH (the drive signal for the high side FET) on-time is
triggered. After the on-time is completed the high-side
MOSFET is turned off and the low-side MOSFET turns on.
The low-side MOSFET remains on until the inductor
current ramps down to zero, at which point the low-side
MOSFET is turned off .
Applications Information (continued)