LTC1258 Series
6
1258sfb
BLOCK DIAGRAM
–
+
IN
1
1258 BD
2
4
OUT
3 (LTC1258)FB
2.385V
GND
R1
R2
NOTE: R1 AND R2 ARE NOT CONNECTED FOR LTC1258
APPLICATIONS INFORMATION
Longer Battery Life
Series references have an advantage over shunt style
references. To operate, shunt references require a resistor
between the power supply and the output. This resistor
must be chosen to supply the maximum current that is
demanded by the circuit being regulated. When the circuit
being controlled is not operating at this maximum current,
the shunt reference must always sink this current, resulting
in high power dissipation and short battery life.
The LTC1258 series low dropout references do not require
a current setting resistor and can operate with any supply
voltage from (V
OUT(NOMINAL)
+ 0.2V) to 12.6V. When the
circuitry being regulated does not demand current, the
LTC1258 series reduces its dissipation and battery life is
extended. If the reference is not delivering load current it
dissipates only 10.8μW when operating on a 2.7V supply
for LTC1258-2.5, yet the same connection can deliver
10mA of load current when demanded.
Output Bypass Capacitor
The LTC1258 series is designed to be stable with or without
capacitive loads. With no capacitive load, the reference
is ideal for fast settling applications, or where PC board
space is at a premium.
In applications with signifi cant output loading changes,
an output bypass capacitor of up to 1μF can be used to
improve the output transient response. Figure 1 shows
the response of the reference to a 1mA to 0μA load step
with a 1μF output capacitor. If more than 1μF of output
capacitance is required, a resistor in series with the capaci-
tor is recommended to reduce the output ringing. Figure 2
illustrates the use of a damping resistor for capacitive loads
greater than 1μF. Figure 3 shows the resistor and capacitor
values required to achieve critical damping.
1mA
0mA
10ms/DIV
1258 F01a
I
OUT
V
OUT
100mV/DIV
1mA
0mA
0.5ms/DIV
1258 F01b
I
OUT
V
OUT
100mV/DIV
Figure 1. Reference Output Load Transient Response, 1μF Output Capacitor