LP38798: reverse current level

Tsuyoshi Maita

Part Number: LP38798

Tool/software:

An SBD is placed at the input to protect the LP38798 from reverse current.

When the input power is OFF, a reverse current of about 1 μA flows, but is there a risk of damage? Also, up to how many A of reverse current is allowed?

5 months ago

0 Daniel Esparza 4 months ago

TI__Expert 4465 points

Hello Tsuyoshi,

We only specify the maximum voltage tolerance from Vout to Vin, which is 300 mV. Unfortunately, the reverse current is not characterized but I found a post where some investigation was conducted on the subject: https://e2e.ti.com/support/power-management-group/power-management/f/power-management-forum/411581/lp38798-reverse-current-protection

The 1 μA should not cause any permanent damage. It is recommended to not exceed the absolute maximum ratings as specified in section 6.1 of the datasheet:

Best regards,

Daniel Esparza

0 Tsuyoshi Maita 4 months ago in reply to Daniel Esparza

Prodigy 20 points

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for your description.

The device is powered by an AC adapter.
Unplug while it is supplying power, VOUT will be 0.28V higher than VIN. since the power supply is cut off, I don't think there will be any damage, but is this the right way to think about it?

B.R.