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TPS536C7EVM-051: Configurability/Capabilities of evaluation board

Thijs van der Ven
Prodigy 20 points
Part Number: TPS536C7EVM-051
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: TPS536C7

Dear Team,

I'm looking to purchase the TPS536C7EVM-051 to power some demanding loads. Before doing so, I want to check a few of the board's capabilities with you:

  • Can the output be set to the full 0.25-5.5V capability of the TPS536C7? I checked in the fusion GUI, but the VOUT_COMMAND seems limited to 3.739V. Can this be modified once the board is connected?
  • Can the loop be made stable with the digital internal adjustments for the entire Vout span?
  • Are there known limits of the switching speed on this specific evaluation board? We want to try and optimize this setup for fastest output bandwidth. Efficiency is at this moment not a huge concern.
  • Is there more known about a cooling solution for this board? The manual mentions pointing a fan to keep below the advised 115C maximum. For our extended tests this does not seem like a comfortable operating temperature. Has TI experimented with other cooling solutions?
  • Is there a maximum input current for this particular board? At higher output voltages this might be a constraint?
  • Should I buy the usb to gpio V1 or V2 adapter? I read in other forum posts that the supported software for both usb adapters differs

Thanks for looking into this matter.

Kind regards,
Thijs

  • 0
    TI__Expert 6631 points

    Hi Thijs,

    1. Yes, the output can be set to the full capability of 0.25 - 5.5 V. You first have to set Vout scale loop to 0.5 and then write to hardware before changing Vout max to 5.5 V and then set Vout command to the desired voltage. However, the controller can only read up to 3.7 V. So if you want to use a voltage greater than 3.7 V, you need to change the feedback loop resistors to lower the voltage read to the controller. The recommended way is to change R17 to 500 ohm and to add a 500 ohm resistor between J1 and J2. 

    2. Yes. 

    3. Yes, the datasheet for the TPS536C7 states that the switching frequency range per phase is 300 kHz to 2000 kHz. 

    4. The user guide states that fans may be necessary when operating at high loads (>300 A). Having airflow aimed at the IC is a good way to keep the device cool and prevent overheating. 

    5. The maximum input current is 100 A. The OCP and OCF can be placed at 128 A. 

    6. The TPS536C7 can use the Usb to Gpio V1 and that uses Fusion Digital Designer version 7.7.1.

    Best,

    Ryan

  • 0 in reply to Ryan Chen
    Prodigy 20 points

    Dear Ryan,

    Thanks, this clarifies a lot. What I dont fully understand yet, is the components used to cover this output voltage range. The large array of 100uF/220uF ceramics at the output is listed in the BOM as 4V rated. The polymer caps directly at the output of the smart power stages are listed as 2.5V rated. So that seems like a hardware limit for this implementation of the TPS536C7. Do I need to further modify the board? Is there something I'm missing?

    As for the cooling, I'm guessing that I not only need to cool the TPS536C7, but also the halfbridges for each phase?

    I'll just use the gpio V1 adapter then.

    Thanks!

  • 0 in reply to Thijs van der Ven
    TI__Expert 6631 points

    Hi Thijs, 

    The EVM is meant to be able to test the components. Regarding the output capacitors, there is a range of acceptable capacitor values/ratings that will not affect the output by much. In this case, there is no need to further modify the board besides the addition of resistor divider to read voltages greater than 3.7 V. Yes, that would also not be a bad idea. 

    Best, 
    Ryan