DESIGN FEATURES Hot Swap Controller Enforces
Tracking in Split Supply Systems
by Ted Henderson Introduction Split power supplies are widely used in
audio, video and data communication
systems. These systems typically use
В±5V, В±12V or В±15V supply voltages
and require a wide range of operating currents. The LT4220 Hot Swap
controller—which operates over any
combination of split supplies ranging from ±2.7V to ±16.5V—allows
a circuit board to be safely inserted
or removed from a live backplane
without glitching the power supplies
while controlling load currents from
milliamps to amps.
Glitches can cause anything from
objectionable “pops” in audio systems,
data loss in digital systems or even
connector damage. Pops can also
originate from shifting bias points or
complementary stages wherein half of
the circuit is correctly powered and the
other half has not yet been powered.
The LT4220 offers the usual Hot …