MP20048 – CAPACITOR-FREE, 250mA, LOW DROPOUT VOLTAGE REGULATOR
MP20048 Rev. 0.91 www.MonolithicPower.com 9
4/6/2010 MPS Proprietary Information. Unauthorized Photocopy and Duplication Prohibited.
© 2010 MPS. All Rights Reserved.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Setting the Output Voltage
The output voltage of MP20048 can get any
value of output between 1.234V to 5V. The
voltage divider divides the output voltage down
to the feedback voltage by the ratio:
2R1R
2R
VV
OUTFB
+
=
Where V
FB
is the feedback threshold voltage
(V
FB
= 1.234V), and V
OUT
is the output voltage.
Thus the output voltage is:
R2
R2R1
1.234V
OUT
+
×=
R2 can be as high as 100kΩ, but a typical value
is 10kΩ. Using that value, R1 is determined by:
⎟
⎟
⎠
⎞
⎜
⎜
⎝
⎛
−
×=
FB
FBOUT
V
VV
2R1R
For example, for a 2.5V output voltage, R2 is
10kΩ, and R1 is 10.2kΩ. You can select a
standard 10.2kΩ (±1%) resistor for R1.
Power Dissipation
The power dissipation for any package depends
on the thermal resistance of the case and circuit
board, the temperature difference between the
junction and ambient air, and the rate of air flow.
The power dissipation across the device can be
represented by the equation:
()
OUTOUTIN
IVVP ×−=
The allowable power dissipation can be
calculated using the following equation:
()
JAAmbientJunction(MAX)
TTP θ−= /
Where (T
Junction
− T
Ambient
) is the temperature
difference between the junction and the
surrounding environment, θ
JA
is the thermal
resistance from the junction to the ambient
environment.
Output Capacitor Selection
The MP20048 does not require the output
capacitor for stable operation. It is specifically
designed to be stable with any type and value
capacitor including ceramic and electrolytic.
Although an output capacitor is not required for
stability, the output capacitor, C2, is optional to
be connected at the output side. (Figure 2)
Output capacitor of larger values will help to
improve load transient response and reduce
output noise with the drawback of increasing
size.
Output Noise
A precision bandgap reference is used to
generate the internal reference voltage, VREF,
which is the dominant noise source within the
MP20048. It is optional to connect a feed
forward capacitor, C3, from the output to
feedback to improve load transient performance.
This capacitor, C3, should be limited to be less
than 0.1uF. (Figure 2)
IN
EN
(optional)
(optional)
OUT
FB
GND
VIN
C1
R1
R2
C3
C2
VOUT
MP20048
Figure2. Typical Application Circuit with
optional output cap and feedforward cap