Copyright ANPEC Electronics Corp.
Rev. B.4 - Jan., 2009
APL5501/2/3
www.anpec.com.tw11
The APL5501/2/3 load-transient response graphs in typi-
cal characteristics show the transient response. A step
change in the load current from 0mA to 500mA at 1µs will
cause a 100mV transient spike. Larger output capacitor
and lower ESR can reduce transient spike.
Application Information
Load-Transient Consideration
Reverse Current Protection
Current Limit
The APL5501/2/3 have current-limit protection. The ouptut
voltage will drop close to zero volt when load current
reaches the limit, and then the load current will be limited
at 150mA after output voltage is below 0.7V. When the
load current back to the value where limiting started, the
output voltage and current will return to normal value.
When output is shortened to the ground, the APL5501/2/
3 will keep short circuit current at 150mA.
Input-Output (Dropout) Voltage
The minimum input-output voltage difference (dropout)
determines the lowest usable supply voltage. In battery-
powered systems, this will determine the useful end-of-
life battery voltage. Because the APL5501/2/3 uses a p-
channel MOSFET pass transistor, the dropout voltage is
the function of drain-to-source on-resistance (RDS(ON)) mul-
tiplied by the load current.
Shutdown/Enable
The APL5501/2/3 has an active high enable function.
Force EN high (>1.6V) enables the regulator, EN low (<0.
4V) disables the regulator and enter the shutdown mode.
In shutdown mode, the quiescent current can reduce
below 1µA. The EN pin cannot be floating, a floating EN
pin may cause an indeterminate state on the output. If it
is no use, connect to VIN for normal operation.
Capacitor Selection and Regulator Stability
The APL5501/2/3 use at least a 1µF capacitor on the input,
and this capacitor can be Aluminum, Tantalum, or Ce-
ramic capacitor. The input capacitor with larger value and
lower ESR provides better PSRR and line-transient
response. The output capacitor also can use Aluminum,
Tantalum, or Ceramic capacitor, and a minimum value of
1µF and ESR above 0.06Ω is recommended. The curve
of the stable region in typical characteristics shows the
appropriate output capacitor ESR for different load cur-
rent stable operation. A larger output capacitor can reduce
noise and improve load-transient response, stability, and
PSRR. Note that some ceramic dielectrics exhibit large
capacitance and ESR variation with temperature. When
using this capacitor, a minimum 10µF or more may be
required to ensure the stability at low temperature
operation. Use a bypass capacitor at BP pin for low output
nvise. Increasing the capacitance will slightly decrease
the output noise but increase the start-up time.
The APL5501/2/3 have an internal reverse protection, they
do not need an external Schottky diode to connect the
regulator input and output. If the output voltage is forced
above the input voltage by more than 11mV, the IC will be
shutdown and the ground pin current is below 0.1µA.
Thermal protection limits total power dissipation in the
device. When the junction temperature exceeds
TJ=+150oC, the thermal sensor generates a logic signal
to turn off the pass transistor and allows IC to cool. When
the IC’s junction temperature is down by 10oC, the ther-
mal sensor will turn the pass transistor on again, result-
ing in a pulsed output during continuous thermal
protection. Thermal protection is designed to protect the
APL5501/2/3 in the event of fault conditions. For continu-
ous operation, do not exceed the absolute maximum junc-
tion temperature of TJ=+150oC.
Thermal Protection
Operating Region and Power Dissipation
The thermal resistance of the case to circuit board, and
the rate of air flow all control the APL5501/2/3’s maxi-
mum power dissipation. The power dissipation across
the device is PD = IOUT (VIN-VOUT) and the maximum power
dissipation is:
PDMAX = (TJ-TA) / (θJC +θCA)
where TJ-TA is the temperature difference between the
junction and ambient air, θJC is the thermal resistance of
the package, and θCA is the thermal resistance through