Overview of Characteristics and Evaluation Method of Switching Regulators

In this section, entitled “Characteristics and Evaluation Method of Switching Regulators,” we explain the ways in which the readers can deepen their understanding of the characteristics necessary to optimize the switching DC-DC converter design, and evaluation methods that can be employed.

The on-board implementation, which is a technique of incorporating switching regulators onto a circuit board through the use of a switching regulator IC, is no longer a curiosity. However, because the switching regulator is an analog feedback circuit that performs high-speed switching operations, there are key points that must be understood in order to optimize the operation or characteristics of the switching regulator. Understanding these points allows you to perform the design of a switching regulator almost on an intuitive basis.

In this section, we review the basics of the switching regulator, and deepen our understanding of it by perusing switching regulator IC datasheets to the point where we can evaluate the switching regulator that we have designed.

In what follows, our discussion may continue from one section to the next. The overall organization of the presentation is provided below for your reference. We suggest that you read any interrelated sections one after another.

• ・Types of Switching Regulators
• ・Switching Regulator Basics
• ・Step-Down Operation Principles
• ・Bootstrap
• ・Output Feedback Control Method
• ・PWM & PFM
• ・Important Characteristics ? IC Specifications
• ・Important Characteristics ? Power Supply Characteristics