PWM-OCXiv2.PDF PWM HV Module
PWM-OCXiv2.PDF PWM HV Module
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Model: PWM-OCXi v2
Type: High Voltage, 9A, 500V, 1.5MHz, Active Protection
Features and Specifications
* Max current varies with frequency due to switching losses. (See figure 0)
** Full frequency range requires fitting capacitors (not included) to onboard socket. No soldering required (See Table 2)
*** Duty not adjustable to 100% at the top frequency ranges unless using monostable mode.
The PWM-OCXi v2 is an advanced adjustable DC pulse generator designed for providing an easy way to adjust
power to devices or to pulse them at a wide range of frequencies and pulse times. The frequency is independently
adjustable to the pulse width which can be varied smoothly from 0% to 100% or set to be a specific pulse time. It is
designed to fit a wide range of applications and be fully adjustable so that it can be used for many different tasks. The
OCXi v2 is designed primarily for use in high voltage circuits such as for driving high voltage coils or any circuit
where a significant amount of back EMF or transient voltage must be tolerated. The new built in current limit
adjustment is ideal for automatically limiting motor stall current, or transformer input current when loading is variable.
Many devices such as coils will have dynamic impedance and transient feedback levels when being pulsed from an
adjustable frequency circuit. The OCX v2 and OCXi v2 have advanced protection circuits that continuously monitor
the output current and voltage. If any conditions are detected that might exceed the ratings of the unit, the output will
momentarily be disabled or chopped so that the transient voltages or currents are reduced. During any of these fault
conditions an LED will illuminate to indicate that the protection circuit is active and affecting the output. There are
also I/O ports for monitoring or manually triggering the protective circuits.
The PWM-OC range of PWM circuits are highly compact and have been built so that they can easily be incorporated
into projects requiring some pulsed power control. The circuit is made in England on a high quality PCB with double
layer design, plated thru holes (PTH), and 2oz copper (twice as much as standard circuits) for durability and
performance.
Example Applications
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Symbol
Parameter
Vin
Vout
Output Voltage
Vsoff
Min
Max
30 V 2
12V
-
Vin - Vdrop
0V
340V
Vsec
0V
500 V
Isup
20 mA
250 mA
Iout
0A
Ipulse
120 A
Iadj
500 mA
67 A
Frequency
DC (0 Hz)
1.5 MHz 3
ton / toff
16 ns / 20 ns
32 ns / 52 ns
ton / toff
16ns / 20 ns
128 ns / 100 ns
Vdrop
1.9 V
2.4 V
SIGout
4.8 V
5V
SIGin
Signal Input
0V
5.5 V
PWMout
1.2 V
3.2 V
PWMin
0V
5V
FMin
0V
5V
OSCout
4.8 V
5V
Units will still oscillate when powered by a supply voltage as low as 5V but the heating in the transistor will increase
significantly (and therefore reduce current capacity)
2
If operating at higher than 20V and at maximum frequency (or drawing>200mA unloaded), additional heatsinking
will be required for 12V regulator U1.
3
The oscillator can be made to run at up to approximately 2 MHz, but doing so will risk overheating the control circuit
components.
Power Ratings
Test conditions (See Fig 0b):
13.8V input, 0.5 ohm load (wire wound resistor) (R1), 1000uF power capacitor (Cp).
The PWM-OCXI (v2) continuous current rating is based on the temperature increase of the components. The ratings
given are for the maximum average current possible before any component (typically the switching transistor T1)
reaches 100C (+/- 5C) and is nolonger increasing in temperature.
To use the circuit at full power, you need to check against this graph the maximum current you can set for your
working frequency. You will also need to fit a large capacitor at the input terminals.
This graph is valid for the test conditions described. In your application, the performance may vary above or below
what is shown here. The graph also shows power ratings when the unit is cooled with an external fan. The fan used
was a 40mm, 5.7CFM DC fan connected to the onboard 12V fan connection point.
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Connections
The main connections to the circuit are made using the 4-way terminal block at the end of the
board. The input power (Vin) is connected to GND and V+, while the load is connected
between L+ and L-. See the diagrams below for how to connect a secondary supply.
Some other connections such as OSC and FM can be made using the solder pads provided
on the PCB. See the specs above and below for further details.
If you intend to pass large currents, ensure that the wire used is thick enough and that a
sufficient capacitor is placed at the power input (see Fig0b). Always use a fuse to protect the
circuit from accidental overloads or short circuits.
GND
V+
L+
L-
Load negative
Power Connections
Below you can see typical connections for the power supply and load. Make sure the cables
are thick enough to carry the current you want to pass, and keep them short if possible. It is
possible to use a single supply to power both the circuit and your load (see fig 2), or you can
use a separate secondary supply for the load. This allows you to supply a different voltage to
your load than what you are using to power the circuit. For the PWM-OCXi (v2), this
secondary voltage can be from 0V to 340V.
RLOAD = V / Ipulse
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For Example:
Using a 12V supply, RLOAD = 12 / 120 = 0.1 ohms
If you connect a load with a lower impedance than calculated like this, the active current limit
circuit may not be able to prevent the main transistor from being destroyed.
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CON/MON
Continuous or Monostable operation
The position of this jumper link will determine how the output duty is generated. In the default
position (CON), the output duty can be adjusted using the onboard duty potentiometer and
will be set as a percentage between 0 and 100% of an oscillator cycle. If the link is moved to
the MON position, the length (on time) of the output pulse will always be at the value you set
regardless of any frequency adjustment. To do this you must connect an external resistor or
potentiometer between 5V and R so that adjusting this resistor will adjust the length of the
output pulse. When using monostable mode, the onboard duty control should be set
somewhere above 0% as setting this to 0% will also disable the monostable pulse. See table
3 for capacitor and resistor combinations and corresponding pulse lengths.
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OSC
Oscillator output
This is the square wave output from the oscillator. It can be used as a reference signal for
monitoring frequency as the output is not affected by the duty setting.
HV
High Voltage Protect
This connection will output a voltage pulse which is proportional to the level of excess
transient voltage at the power output. The voltage can vary between 0V to 4V. You can also
use this terminal to disable or adjust the level of transient protection. Connecting this to GND
will disable the active transient voltage protection. Pulling it high will force the protection
circuit to activate and disable the output power. You can also connect a capacitor between
this terminal and GND to increase the length of time over which the transient pulses are
averaged. This would mean that larger transients would be allowed to occur and that the
passive transient protection could increase in temperature beyond design limits.
HC
High Current Protect
This connection will output a voltage pulse which is proportional to the level of excess current
above the limit set by the current adjustment control. The voltage could be from around 0V to
3V. Connecting this to GND will disable the active current limiting. Pulling it high will force the
protection to activate and disable the output power. You can also connect a capacitor
between this terminal and GND to increase the length of time over which the current is
averaged.
C1
Oscillator Timing Capacitor
This socket allows you to fit the timing capacitor of your choice. See table 2.
C2
Monostable Pulse Width Timing Capacitor
This socket allows you to fit the timing capacitor of your choice. See table 3
FAN
Optional connection for 12V Fan
This is simply a connection to the onboard 12V regulator which can be used to supply power
to a fan. Note that using this may increase the temperature of the regulator if your input
voltage is over 20V. You should not draw more than 200mA from this connection.
Always make sure the pulse width is set to minimum (pot turned fully anti-clockwise)
before connecting the circuit to a load or power source.
Use a fused power supply to protect from accidental short circuit or overload. The
fuse should be rated to suit your application and up to a maximum of the units
specified pulse current. Use a quick blow type fuse.
The heat generated in the switching transistor will vary with your loading conditions
and the settings for frequency and pulse width. You should use the current limit
adjustment to set an acceptable limit for your application and to keep the device from
overheating.
Ensure an adequate power capacitor is fitted between V+ and GND if you are using a
single power supply. See Figure 0.
Do not remove the timing capacitor C1 or C2 when the unit is powered on.
When using voltages above 30V or when driving high voltage coils, you should make
sure the GND connector and the metal parts of the control pots are suitably earthed
for safety. Failure to do this risks damage to the circuit and and/or electric shock. You
should not touch the circuit when it attached to a high voltage source as many of the
component parts, including the heat sink will be live. You must also place plastic
knobs on the controls for added safety.
If you intend to make new connections to the I/O solder pads often, it is
recommended that you fit pin headers so that the pads will not become damaged
when desoldering wires.
The PWM-OCX* range of devices are designed to hard switch the output transistor to
give very fast rise and fall times. Under some conditions this may cause some
unwanted ringing at the edges of the pulses delivered to your load. If you need to
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reduce these, you can replace the gate drive resistor (R18) in the circuit with one of a
larger value. The fitted resistor is 10 ohms so replacing this with one of a higher value
will slow the switching time and could reduce ringing. This reduced switching time can
increase switching losses at high frequencies so the value chosen must reflect a
compromise between reduced ringing and increased switching loss.
At very high frequencies or with very low impedance loads, the green output LED
may not illuminate with a brightness proportional to the output duty. It may appear to
be either on or off, or might not illuminate at all. You can confirm the actual output
duty using an oscilloscope.
Controls
The frequency and duty cycle can be independently adjusted using the large potentiometers
labelled Freq and Duty. The frequency is adjusted with Freq while the pulse width can be
adjusted with Duty. Turning the control clockwise will increase the value corresponding
function. The frequency range of the device depends upon the capacitor value of C1. The prefitted capacitor is 10nF which gives a range of medium frequency pulses which are suitable
for most applications. Replacing C1 with a larger value capacitor will give a range of lower
frequencies. At very low frequencies the green output LED will flash for a time that is
proportional to the frequency and pulse width setting.
The small potentiometer marked 'Current' is used to set the output current limit. When fully
clockwise the limit is set to a maximum of around 67A. Turning the control anticlockwise will
reduce the threshold at which the output will be chopped in order to maintain the current limit.
When fully anticlockwise the minimum current limit setting is around 0.5A. When the current
flow is below the set threshold the duty control will operate normally. When the output current
exceeds this threshold, then further increasing the duty control will increase the amount of
time the chopping circuit is active but will not increase the average current.
Capacitor Values for C1 and Corresponding Frequency
By fitting different sized capacitors into the socket marked C1, a wide range of frequencies
can be achieved. The table below gives some example values and the frequency range
produced. You can use any other capacitance you desire to get other frequencies
Note that the values shown will allow the unit to oscillate above the specified frequency range,
but these are for reference only. As the frequency increases, the output will become more
rounded and the transistor may not switch fully on during each pulse. This can lead to
excessive heating which could potentially damage the unit. Using the device above its rated
top frequency is done at your own risk. See Fig0 for how frequency affects heating. If using a
polarized capacitor check the markings on the PCB for the correct orientation.
Capacitance
1uF
0.47uF
0.33uF
220nF
10nF
1nF
220pF
100pF
22pF
Min Frequency
1Hz
1.5Hz
2Hz
3Hz
219Hz
710Hz
3kHz
6kHz
19kHz
Max Frequency
200Hz
400Hz
600Hz
1kHz
21kHz
175kHz
546kHz
925kHz
1.7MHz
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allow for more precision in a specific range, or a larger potentiometer will give a broader
range of adjustment. If using a polarized capacitor check the markings on the PCB for the
correct orientation.
Capacitance (code)
1uF (105)
220nF (224)
10nF (103)
1nF (102)
220pF (221)
100pF (101)
22pF (22J)
Table 3: Capacitor values for pulse widths in monostable mode (using a 10k potentiometer for R).
LED Indicators
The red power LED lights to indicate that power is present in the signal generation circuitry.
This can also be used to indicate the overall health of your input power supply. If the LED
dims when the PWM output is high, this indicates your power supply is struggling to provide
enough current. This could mean a low battery or overloaded PSU. Note that running the unit
in these conditions may cause it to overheat and will disrupt normal operation of the protective
circuits.
The green output LED lights when the switching transistor is on and power is being delivered
to the outputs. At low frequencies you will see it flashing, at higher frequencies it will appear
to be on with a brightness proportional to the duty setting.
The two surface mount LEDs marked HV and HC will illuminate red to indicate that the
protection circuits are actively limiting the output current or transient voltages.
Linking Modules
Multiple units can be linked in a number of different ways. A master/slave arrangement can be
used so that both units pulse together or at different times and rates. The diagrams below
show how to link modules together or to other devices. The connections for power and load
are not shown for simplicity. It is assumed each module is connected to one or more power
sources with a common GND. A load can be connected to an individual module, or all
modules can drive a separate load each. Any changes to the jumpers and links should be
done with all power switched off.
When linked in the ways shown below, it is possible to still use the monostable mode
described earlier. If you set up the slave as monostable mode, the master will determine the
frequency but the slave will always have the set pulse time determined by your monostable
configuration.
The protection circuits will continue to work independently in each module when linked.
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