TPS65981EVM

Evaluation and Demonstration Boards and Kits refer to off-the-shelf solutions which assist engineers in system evaluation and of proof-of-concepts. These boards are designed to support engineers and provide a platform to quickly evaluate and demonstrate components and devices. In this article, the TPS65981EVM application field and working principle of the evaluation and demonstration board will be discussed.

The TPS65981EVM, developed by Texas Instruments, is a single-channel, two-phase DC/DC converter evaluation module (EVM). It is an evaluation and demonstration board that helps in designing and development of very efficient and small power systems. The board is designed to enable engineers to quickly evaluate and demonstrate the features and performance of the TPS65981 built-in integrated circuits (ICs). It is used for evaluating different components and integrating them with other components in the system. It makes it easier to evaluate various components and can be used to prototype and develop a powerful system.

The application field of the TPS65981EVM includes powering mini-ITX and embedded systems, always-on devices, cellular base stations, medical devices, and avionics. It is also used in powering general purpose devices, industrial electronics systems, and portable devices. The TPS65981EVM board has a wide voltage input range from 6V to 36V and can supply 1.8V to 3.3V with a maximum load of 6A. It provides a precise output voltage control, active peak current limit, full protection, and fast transient response. The board can also be used in applications such as energy harvesting and battery-powered designs.

The working principle of the TPS65981EVM is simple and straightforward. It is a four-level, single-channel, two-phase DC/DC converter with an integrated MCU. The block diagram of the TPS65981EVM is illustrated below:

The recommended topology of the TPS65981EVM is shown here:

The TPS65981EVM board has two integrated controllers – the Programable Interrupt Controller (PIC) and the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) controller. The MCU interfaces to the PIC and PWM controller via SPI in order to control the power stages. The PIC connects to two DC-DC Converters (DDCs) , one VDD output node, and the other VSS output node. The PWM controller is connected to the VDD and VSS output nodes and is used to modulate the output voltage. In addition, the TPS65981EVM has a connector for external propagation delay, a fan control signal, a capacitor voltage feedback sense signal, and a shutdown signal. The TPS65981EVM also contains power stages for the two output rails, two external reverse-diode-based catch diodes, a soft-start pins, and a light-load efficiency pins.

To summarize, the TPS65981EVM is an Evaluation and Demonstration Board developed by Texas Instruments. It is a single-channel, two-phase DC/DC converter evaluation module that makes it easier to evaluate various components and can be used to prototype and develop a powerful system. The board has a wide voltage input range from 6V to 36V and can supply 1.8V to 3.3V with a maximum load of 6A. The application field of the TPS65981EVM includes powering mini-ITX and embedded systems, always-on devices, cellular base stations, medical devices, and avionics. It can also be used in applications such as energy harvesting and battery-powered designs. The block diagram of the TPS65981EVM and the recommended topology are also discussed.