8.2.2.1 Design Requirements

To properly size the components for the application, the designer needs the following parameters: input voltage range, output voltage, output current range, and required switching frequency. These four main parameters affect the choices of component available to achieve a proper system behavior.

For the power supply, the input impedance of the supply rail should be low enough that the input current transient does not drop below the UVLO value. The factors determining the choice of inductor used should be the average inductor current, and the inductor current ripple. If the switching frequency is set high, the converter can be operated with very small inductor values. The maximum current that can be delivered to the load is set by the sense resistor, RSEN. Current limit occurs when the voltage generated across the sense resistor equals the current sense threshold voltage, VSENSE. Also, a resistor RSL adds additional slope compensation, if required.

The following sections describe the design requirements for a typical LM3478 boost application.