Monolithic DC/DC converters

Hi everyone,

I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
problems.

Best regards

Benjamin

On Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:12:35 -0700, Benjamin Couillard wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do you
> think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
> efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate on
> a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
> monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
> problems.

I think the biggest plus with monolithic parts is that you save design
time and grief on the manufacturing floor. You slap them on the board,
and if something goes "pffft" you point at the manufacturer and say
"FIX!".

Then you pay for it, compared to the BOM cost of building one yourself.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

Benjamin Couillard <> wrote:

>Hi everyone,
>
>I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
>you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
>efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
>on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
>monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
>problems.

If it is a mass produced product you should stay discrete but find a
more compact solution.

I use monolithic converters if I need isolation or when production
batches are small.

--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
--------------------------------------------------------------

On Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:30:42 GMT, (Nico Coesel) wrote:

>Benjamin Couillard <> wrote:
>
>>Hi everyone,
>>
>>I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
>>you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
>>efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
>>on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
>>monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
>>problems.

EMI can be an issue. Anything that ventures outside the enclosure has to be
filtered pretty well.

>If it is a mass produced product you should stay discrete but find a
>more compact solution.
>
>I use monolithic converters if I need isolation or when production
>batches are small.

....or time short. These things tend to be rather noisy, too, so that can be a
consideration. The biggest problems I've had is radiation via cables. These
things (particularly the cheap ones) tend to make that problem worse.

On Oct 7, 9:12*am, Benjamin Couillard <benjamin.couill...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
> you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
> efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
> on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
> monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
> problems.
>
> Best regards
>
> Benjamin

It's always better (cheaper) to reuse existing designs, either in
house or out of house, assuming the existing design meets or slightly
exceeds requirements. Existing designs that are overkill need to be
evalated.

On Fri, 7 Oct 2011 06:12:35 -0700 (PDT), Benjamin Couillard
<> wrote:

>Hi everyone,
>
>I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
>you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
>efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
>on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
>monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
>problems.
>
>Best regards
>
>Benjamin

What do you mean by "monolithic DC/DC converter"? Got a link to one?

John

On Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:01:02 -0700, John Larkin wrote:

> On Fri, 7 Oct 2011 06:12:35 -0700 (PDT), Benjamin Couillard
> <> wrote:
>
>>Hi everyone,
>>
>>I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do you
>>think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
>>efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate on
>>a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
>>monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
>>problems.
>>
>>Best regards
>>
>>Benjamin
>
> What do you mean by "monolithic DC/DC converter"? Got a link to one?
>
> John

Good point. I was assuming he meant anything that comes manufactured as
a module, that you thump into a board as if it were an IC. I've used the
ones from TI with the 78xx-compatible pinout, although that was a project
that never got beyond the prototype stage.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

On Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:01:02 -0700, John Larkin
<> wrote:

>On Fri, 7 Oct 2011 06:12:35 -0700 (PDT), Benjamin Couillard
><> wrote:
>
>>Hi everyone,
>>
>>I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
>>you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
>>efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
>>on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
>>monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
>>problems.
>>
>>Best regards
>>
>>Benjamin
>
>What do you mean by "monolithic DC/DC converter"? Got a link to one?

Here's one (but I don't think it's what he was referring to ;-).
http://www.analog.com/en/interface/d...s/product.html

On 10/7/2011 10:30 AM, Nico Coesel wrote:
> Benjamin Couillard<> wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
>> you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
>> efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
>> on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
>> monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
>> problems.
>
> If it is a mass produced product you should stay discrete but find a
> more compact solution.
>
> I use monolithic converters if I need isolation or when production
> batches are small.
>
It also depends on if the converter is "standard".

We use an LCD Vee generator of -22V.

We can not build a converter cheaper then we can buy, there are just too
many out there. Size is not a problem ;-) .

As the OP did not state what his converter is use for, who is to say if
DIY is cheaper.

hamilton

On 10/7/2011 11:08 AM, zzzzzzzz wrote:
> On Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:01:02 -0700, John Larkin
> <> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 7 Oct 2011 06:12:35 -0700 (PDT), Benjamin Couillard
>> <> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>> I have a question for people who use Monolithic DC/DC converters. Do
>>> you think the advantages over discrete DC/DC converters are real? Is
>>> efficiency comparable? What about EMI? I'm trying to save real estate
>>> on a board and I'm considering changing the DC/DC converter to use
>>> monolithic but I don't want to sacrifice efficiency or create EMI
>>> problems.
>>>
>>> Best regards
>>>
>>> Benjamin
>>
>> What do you mean by "monolithic DC/DC converter"? Got a link to one?
>
> Here's one (but I don't think it's what he was referring to ;-).
> http://www.analog.com/en/interface/d...s/product.html
>

I think this is what the OP is talking about:
http://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20...A,BP5302XA.pdf