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TPS7A7100 Input Capacitor Recommendation

Other Parts Discussed in Thread: TPS7A7100

From the TPS7A7100 datasheet (page 17 - Input Capacitor Requirements)

The best guideline is to use a capacitor of up to 1 μF with well-designed wire connections (PCB layout) to the
upstream supply. In case it is difficult to optimize the input line, use a large tantalum capacitor in combination
with a good-quality, low-ESR, 1-μF ceramic capacitor.

From what it sounds like, the datasheet is suggesting to use a 1 μF ceramic capacitor when the PCB layout can be optimized, otherwise add a large tantalum capacitor (10 μF?). However, I'm confused because searching through these forums, I'm finding some semi-conflicting information.


This post TPS7A7100 Input capacitor says that 1 μF is "fine" whereas this post TPS7A7100 Input Capacitor Concern suggests a 10 μF capacitor instead.


I know it will vary based on application, but is there a general suggested configuration for the input capacitors? Just 1 μF? 1 μF and 10 μF? Something else??

Thanks!

Anne

  • Hi Anne,

    As you mentioned, the capacitance required will vary by application. We recommend a 1uF capacitor at a minimum; however, if you are expecting to have long traces in order to counter inductance we recommend increasing to a 10uF capacitor. For the EVM we used a 10uF capacitor because EVMs are often used for quick bench evaluations with long wires.

    In general, the best thing to do is build a prototype board for your specific application that you can test several capacitors to find what works best for your specific application.

    Very Respectfully,
    Ryan
  • I see, thanks for clearing that up, Ryan!