Switching Regulator Allows Alkalines to Replace NiCads

Design Note 41
Brian Huffman

In many applications it is desirable to substitute non- This circuit is a step-up boost type switching regulator.
rechargeable batteries for chargeable types. This capa- It maintains a constant 6V output as battery voltage
bility is necessary when the NiCads can’t be recharged fails. The inductor accumulates energy from the bat-
or long charge times are unacceptable. Alkaline batter- tery when the LT®1270 switch pin (VSW ) switches to
ies are an excellent choice in this situation. They are ground and dumps its stored energy to the output
readily available and have reasonable energy density. when the switch pin (VSW ) goes off. The feedback pin
Compared to Alkalines, NiCads provide a more stable (VFB) samples the output from the 6.19k-1.62k divider.
terminal voltage as they discharge. NiCads decay from The LT1270’s error amplifier compares the feedback
1.3V to 1.0V, while Alkalines drop from 1.5V to 0.8V. pin voltage to its internal 1.24V reference and controls
Replacing NiCads with Alkalines can cause unaccept- the VSW pin switching current, completing a control
able low supply voltage, although available energy is loop. The output voltage can be varied by changing
adequate. A boost type switching regulator obviates this the resistor divider ratio. The RC damper on the VC pin
problem, allowing Alkaline cells to replace NiCads. The provides loop frequency compensation. The minimum
circuit shown in Figure 1 accommodates the Alkaline start up voltage for this circuit is 3V. If a 3.3V start up
cells widely varying terminal voltage while providing a voltage is permissible R1 and Q1 can be removed with
constant output voltage. D2 replaced by a short.
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D1
L1 L2
MBR330
15μH 5μH VOUT
6V
Q1
+ C2 1A
D2 1000μF
2N3906** 1N4148**
R1 10V
2.3k R1
6.19k*
VIN
BATTERY + + C1
VIN VSW + C3
3 CELLS 3V-6V 100μF
MINIMUM LT1270 220μF
10V
VFB 10V
GND VC
R2
1k 1.62k*
0.47μF
DN041 F01

* = 1% FILM RESISTORS C2 = NICHICON – UPL1A102MRH6

** = OPTIONAL – FOR 0.3V LOWER START UP VOLTAGE
D1 = MOTOROLA – MBR330
C1 = NICHICON – UPL1A101MRH
C3 = NICHICON – UPL1A221MRH
L1 = COILTRONICS – CTX15-8-52
L2 = COILTRONICS – CTX5-1-FR
VOUT = 1.24V 1 + R1
R2 
Figure 1. Low Voltage Circuit Provides Constant Output Voltage as Battery Discharges

11/90/41_conv
 100 7
MANUFACTURER 1 4 CELLS
90
MANUFACTURER 2 6
80

BATTERY VOLTAGE (V)

BATTERY LIFE (MIN)

70
5
60
50 4
4 3 4D
40 CELLS CELLS CELLS
3
30
20
4 3 2
10 4 CELLS CELLS
CELLS
0 1
AA AA C C D D 0 30 60 90 120
CELL TYPE TIME (MIN)
DN041 F02 DN041 F03

Figure 2. Battery Life Characteristics for Different Figure 3. Alkaline Battery Discharge Characteristic with
Batteries for a 6W Load 6W Load
Bootstrapping the VIN pin off the output voltage al- Figure 3 shows Alkaline battery discharge character-
lows the battery voltage to drop below the minimum istics for four D cells. A fresh cell measures 1.5V and
start up voltage, while maintaining circuit operation. operates down to 0.8V before the cell dies. The battery
For example, with three C cells the battery voltage is stack voltage drops quickly and then stabilizes until it
initially 4.5V and operates down to 2.4V. With this reaches 3.2V; 0.8V per cell. There is no usable battery
bootstrapped technique the circuit provides a constant life beyond this point.
output voltage over the battery’s complete operating
Figure 4 shows efficiency exceeding 85%. The diode
range, maximizing battery life.
and LT1270 switch are the two main loss elements. The
Battery life characteristics are different for various cell Schottky diode introduces a relatively constant 7% loss,
types. Figure 2 compares battery life between AA, C, while the LT1270 switch loss varies with battery voltage.
and D cells with a 6W load. In this application the power As battery voltage decreases, switch current and duty
drain from the battery remains relatively constant. cycle increase. This has a dramatic effect on switch
As the battery voltage decreases the battery current loss, because switch loss is proportional to the square
increases. The AA types discharge quicker than the C of switch current multiplied by duty cycle. Therefore, at
or D cells. They are physically smaller than the other low input voltages efficiency is degraded because this
cells, and therefore store less energy. The AA cells are loss is a higher percentage of the battery power drain.
3 times smaller than the C cells and 6 times smaller
If lower output current is desired, an LT1170, LT1171,
than the D cells.
or LT1172 can be used.
Current drain also influences cell life. Battery life sig- 100
nificantly decreases at high current discharge. Slightly
higher battery stack voltages permit surprising battery 90
life increases. The higher voltage means lower current
EFFICIENCY (%)

drain for a constant power load. Operating at just 33% 80

less current the four C cells last 5 times longer than
three C cells. 70

Battery life characteristics vary widely between manu-

60
facturers. Some manufacturers’ cells are optimized to
operate more efficiently at lower current levels, making
50
it wise to consult the battery manufacturer’s discharge 2 3 4 5 6 7
characteristics. BATTERY VOLTAGE (V)
DN041 F04

Figure 4. Efficiency for Various Battery Voltages

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