SLVS696D October 2008 – April 2020
PRODUCTION DATA.
The inductor selection is affected by several parameter like inductor ripple current, output voltage ripple, transition point into power-save mode, and efficiency. See Table 3 for typical inductors.
VENDOR | INDUCTOR SERIES |
---|---|
Coilcraft | LPS3015 |
EPL3010 | |
Murata | LQH3NP |
Tajo Yuden | NR3015 |
For high efficiencies, the inductor must have a low DC resistance to minimize conduction losses. Especially at high-switching frequencies, the core material has a high impact on efficiency. When using small chip inductors, the efficiency is reduced mainly due to higher inductor core losses. This needs to be considered when selecting the appropriate inductor. The inductor value determines the inductor ripple current. The larger the inductor value, the smaller the inductor ripple current and the lower the conduction losses of the converter. Conversely, larger inductor values cause a slower load transient response. To avoid saturation of the inductor, the peak current for the inductor in steady state operation is calculated using Equation 3. Only the equation which defines the switch current in boost mode is shown, because this provides the highest value of current and represents the critical current value for selecting the right inductor.
where
NOTE
The calculation must be done for the minimum input voltage which is possible to have in boost mode.
Calculating the maximum inductor current using the actual operating conditions gives the minimum saturation current of the inductor needed. TI recommends to choose an inductor with a saturation current 20% higher than the value calculated using Equation 3. Possible inductors are listed in Table 3.