The power-up and power-down order and timing is defined by user register settings. The default settings support the E Ink Vizplex panel and typically do not need to be changed.

In SLEEP mode the TPS65186 is completely turned off, the I²C registers are reset, and the device does not accept any I²C transaction. Pull the WAKEUP pin high with the PWRUP pin low and the device enters STANDBY mode that enables the I²C interface. Write to the UPSEQ0 register to define the order in which the output rails are enabled at power-up and to the UPSEQ1 registers to define the power-up delays between rails. Finally, set the ACTIVE bit in the ENABLE register to 1 to execute the power-up sequence and bring up all power rails. Alternatively, pull the PWRUP pin high (rising edge).

After the ACTIVE bit has been set, the negative boost converter (VN) is powered up first, followed by the positive boost (VB). The positive boost enable is gated by the internal power-good signal of the negative boost. Once VB is in regulation, it issues an internal power-good signal and after delay time UDLY1 has expired, STROBE1 is issued. The rail assigned to STROBE1 will power up next and after its power-good signal has been asserted and delay time UDLY2 has expired, STROBE2 is issued. The sequence continues until STROBE4 has occurred and the last rail has been enabled.

To power down the device, set the STANDBY bit of the ENABLE register to 1 or pull the PWRUP pin low (falling edge) and the TPS65186 will power down in the order defined by DWNSEQx registers. The delay times DDLY2, DDLY3, and DDLY4 are weighted by a factor of DFCTR which allows the user to space out the power down of the rails to avoid crossing during discharge. DFCTR is located in register DWNSEQ1. The positive boost (VB) is shut down together with the last rail at STROBE4. However, the negative boost (VN) remains up and running for another 50 ms. Then VN is powered down and the device enters STANDBY or SLEEP mode, depending on the WAKEUP pin.

If either the ACTIVE bit is set or the PWRUP pin is pulled high while the device is powering down, the power-down sequence (STROBE1-4) is completed first, followed by a power-up sequence. VB and VN may or may not be powered down and depending on the relative timing of STROBE4 to the new power-up event.

During power-up, if the STANDBY bit is set or the PWRUP pin is pulled low, the power-up sequence is aborted and the power-down sequence starts immediately.

Charge pumps, LDOs, and VCOM driver are dependent on the positive and inverting buck-boost converters and several dependencies exist that affect the power-up sequencing. These dependencies are the following:

• Inverting buck-boost (DCDC2) must be in regulation before positive boost (DCDC1) can be enabled. Internally, DCDC1 enable is gated by DCDC2 power good.
• Positive boost (DCDC1) must be in regulation before LDO2 (VNEG) can be enabled. Internally LDO2 enable is gated DCDC1 power good.
• Positive boost (DCDC1) must be in regulation before VCOM can be enabled. Internally VCOM enable is gated by DCDC1 power good.
• Positive boost (DCDC1) must be in regulation before negative charge pump (CP2) can be enabled. Internally CP2 enable is gated by DCDC1 power good.
• Positive boost (DCDC1) must be in regulation before positive charge pump (CP1) can be enabled. Internally CP1 enable is gated by DCDC1 power good.
• LDO2 must be in regulation before LDO1 can be enabled. Internally LDO1 enable is gated by LDO2 power good.

TOP: Power-up sequence is defined by assigning strobes to individual rails. STROBE1 is the first strobe to occur after ACTIVE bit is set and STROBE4 is the last event in the sequence. Strobes are assigned to rails in UPSEQ0 register and delays between STROBES are defined in UPSEQ1 register.

BOTTOM: Power-down sequence is independent of power-up sequence. Strobes and delay times for power down sequence are set in DWNSEQ0 and DWNSEQ1 register.

Figure 20. Power-Up and Power-Down Sequence

TPS65186 supports soft start for all rails, that is, inrush current is limited during startup of DCDC1, DCDC2, LDO1, LDO2, CP1, and CP2. If DCDC1 or DCDC2 are unable to reach power-good status within 50 ms, the corresponding UV flag is set in the interrupt registers, the interrupt pin is pulled low, and the device enters STANDBY mode. LDO1, LDO2, positive and negative charge pumps also have a 50-ms power-good time-out limit. If either rail is unable to power up within 50 ms after it has been enabled, the corresponding UV flag is set and the interrupt pin is pulled low. However, the device will remain in ACTIVE mode in this case.

LDO1 (VPOS) and LDO2 (VNEG) track each other in a way that they are of opposite sign but same magnitude. The sum of VLDO1 and VLOD2 is guaranteed to be less than 50 mV.

The integrated power switch is used to cut the 3.3-V supply to the EPD panel and is controlled through the V3P3_EN pin of the ENABLE register. In SLEEP mode the switch is automatically turned off and its output is discharged to ground. The default power-up state is OFF. To turn the switch ON, set the V3P3_ENbit to 1.

8.3.6.1 Kick-Back Voltage Measurement

TPS65186 can perform a voltage measurement on the VCOM pin to deter87/mine the kick-back voltage of the panel. This allows in-system calibration of VCOM. To perform a kick-back voltage measurement, follow these steps:

• Pull the WAKEUP pin and the PWRUP pin high to enable all output rails.
• Set the Hi-Z bit in the VCOM2 register. This puts the VCOM pin in a high-impedance state.
• Drive the panel with the Null waveform. Refer to E-Ink specification for detail.
• Set the ACQ bit in the VCOM2 register to 1. This starts the measurement routine.
• When the measurement is complete, the ACQC (Acquisition Complete) bit in the INT1 register is set and the nINT pin is pulled low.
• The measurement result is stored in the VCOM[8:0] bits of the VCOM1 and VCOM2 register.

The measurement result is not automatically programmed into nonvolatile memory. Changing the power-up default is described in Storing the VCOM Power-Up Default Value in Memory.

8.3.6.2 Storing the VCOM Power-Up Default Value in Memory

The power-up default value of VCOM can be user-set and programmed into nonvolatile memory. To do so, write the default value to the VCOM[8:0] bits of the VCOM1 and VCOM2 register, then set the PROG bit in VCOM2 register to 1. First, all power rails are shut down, then the VCOM[8:0] value is committed to nonvolatile memory such that it becomes the new power-up default. Once programming is complete, the PRGC bit in the INT1 register is set and the nINT pin is pulled low. To verify that the new value has been saved properly, first write the VCOM[8:0] bits to 0x000h, then pull the WAKEUP pin low. After the WAKEUP pin is pulled back high, read the VCOM[8:0] bits to verify that the new default value is correct.

Figure 21. Block Diagram of VCOM Circuit

Figure 22. VCOM Calibration Flow

The TPS65186 monitors input/output voltages and die temperature; the device will take action if operating conditions are outside normal limits when the following are encountered:

• Thermal Shutdown (TSD)
• Positive Boost Undervoltage (VB_UV)
• Inverting Buck-Boost Undervoltage (VN_UV)
• Input Undervoltage Lockout (UVLO)

The TPS65186 shuts down all power rails and enters STANDBY mode. Shutdown follows the order defined by DWNSEQx registers. The exception is VCOM fault witch leads to immediate shutdown of all rails. Once a fault is detected, the PWR_GOOD and nINT pins are pulled low and the corresponding interrupt bit is set in the interrupt register. Power rails cannot be re-enabled unless the interrupt bits have been cleared by reading the INT1 and INT2 register. Alternatively, toggling the WAKEUP pin also resets the interrupt bits. As the PWRUP input is edge sensitive, the host must toggle the PWRUP pin to re-enable the rails through GPIO control, that is, it must bring the PWRUP pin low before asserting it again. Alternatively rails can be re-enbled through the I²C interface.

Whenever the TPS65186 encounters undervoltage on VNEG (VNEG_UV), VPOS (VPOS_UV), VEE (VEE_UV), or VDDH (VDDH_UV), rails are not shut down but the PWR_GOOD and nINT is pulled low with the corresponding interrupt bit set. The device remains in ACTIVE mode and recovers automatically once the fault has been removed.

The power good pin (PWR_GOOD) is an open-drain output that is pulled high (by an external pullup resistor) when all four power rails (CP1, CP2, LDO1, LDO2) are in regulation and is pulled low if any of the rails encounters a fault or is disabled. PWR_GOOD remains low if one of the rails is not enabled by the host and only after all rails are in regulation PWR_GOOD is released to Hi-Z state (pulled up by external resistor).

The interrupt pin (nINT) is an open-drain output that is pulled low whenever one or more of the INT1 or INT2 bits are set. The nINT pin is released (returns to Hi-Z state) and fault bits are cleared once the register with the set bit has been read by the host. If the fault persists, the nINT pin will be pulled low again after a maximum of 32 µs.

Interrupt events can be masked by re-setting the corresponding enable bit in the INT_EN1 and INT_EN2 register, that is, the user can determine which events cause the nINT pin to be pulled low. The status of the enable bits affects the nINT pin only and has no effect on any of the protection and monitoring circuits or the INT1/INT2 bits themselves.

Persisting faults such as thermal shutdown can cause the nINT pin to be pulled low for an extended period of time which can keep the host in a loop trying to resolve the interrupt. If this behavior is not desired, set the corresponding mask bit after receiving the interrupt and keep polling the INT1/INT2 register to see when the fault condition has disappeared. After the fault is resolved, unmask the interrupt bit again.

8.3.10.1 NTC Bias Circuit

Figure 23 shows the block diagram of the NTC bias and measurement circuit. The NTC is biased from an internally generated 2.25-V reference voltage through an integrated 7.307-kΩ bias resistor. A 43-kΩ resistor is connected parallel to the NTC to linearize the temperature response curve. The circuit is designed to work with a nominal 10-kΩ NTC and achieves accuracy of ±1°C from 0°C to 50°C. The voltage drop across the NTC is digitized by a 10-bit SAR ADC and translated into an 8-bit two’s complement by digital per Table 1.

Figure 23. NTC Bias and Measurement Circuit

A temperature measurement is triggered by setting the READ_THERM bit of the TMST1 register to 1.During the A/D conversion the CONV_END bit of the TMST1 register reads 0, otherwise it reads 1. At the end of the A/D conversion the EOC bit in the INT2 register is set and the temperature value is available in the TMST_VALUE register.

8.3.10.2 Hot, Cold, and Temperature-Change Interrupts

Each temperature acquisition is compared against the programmable TMST_HOT and TMST_COLD thresholds and to the baseline temperature, to determine if the display is within allowed operating temperature range and if the temperature has changed by more than a user-defined threshold since the last update. The first temperature reading after the WAKEUP pin has been pulled high automatically becomes the baseline temperature. Any subsequent reading is compared against the baseline temperature. If the difference is equal or greater than the threshold value, an interrupt is issued (DTX bit in register INT1 is set to 1) and the latest value becomes the new baseline. If the difference is less than the threshold value, no action is taken. The threshold value is defined by DT[1:0] bits in the TMST1 register and has a default value of ±2°C. In summary:

• When the temperature is equal or less than the TMST_COLD[3:0] threshold, the TMST_COLD interrupt bit of the INT1 register is set, and the nINT pin is pulled low.
• When the temperature is greater than TMST_COLD but lower then TMST_HOT, no action is taken.
• When the temperature is equal or greater than the TMST_HOT[3:0] threshold, the TMST_HOT interrupt bit of the INT1 register is set, and the nINT pin is pulled low.
• If the last temperature is different from the baseline temperature by ±2°C (default) or more, the DTX interrupt bit of the INT1 register is set. The latest temperature becomes the new baseline temperature. By default the DTX interrupt is disabled, that is, the nINT pin is not pulled low unless the DTX_EN bit was previously set high.
• If the last temperature change is less than ±2°C (default), no action is taken.

8.3.10.3 Typical Application of the Temperature Monitor

In a typical application the temperature monitor and interrupts are used in the following manner:

• After the WAKEUP pin has been pulled high, the Application Processor (AP) writes 0x80h to the TMST1 register (address 0x0Dh). This starts the temperature measurement.
• The AP waits for the EOC interrupt. Alternatively the AP can poll the CONV_END bit in register TMST1. This will notify the AP that the A/D conversion is complete and the new temperature reading is available in the TMST_VALUE register (address (0x00h).
• The AP reads the temperature value from the TMST_VALUE register (address (0x00h).
• If the temperature changes by ±2°C (default) or more from the first reading, the processor is notified by the DTX interrupt. The A/P may or may not decide to select a different set of waveforms to drive the panel.
• If the temperature is outside the allowed operating range of the panel, the processor is notified by the THOT and TCOLD interrupts, respectively. The processor may or may not decide to continue with the page update.
• When an overtemperature or undertemperature has been detected, the AP must reset the TMST_HOT_EN or TMST_COLD_EN bits, respectively, to avoid the nINT pin to be continuously pulled low. The TMST_HOT and TMST_COLD interrupt bits then must be polled continuously, to determine when the panel temperature recovers to the normal operating range. Once the temperature has recovered, the TMST_HOT_EN or TMST_COLD_EN bits must be set to 1 again and normal operation can resume.

8.4.4.1 SLEEP → ACTIVE

WAKEUP pin is pulled high with PWRUP pin high. Rails come up in the order defined by the UPSEQx registers (OK to tie WAKEUP and PWRUP pin together).

8.4.4.2 SLEEP → STANDBY

WAKEUP pin is pulled high with PWRUP pin low. Rails will remain powered down.

8.4.4.3 STANDBY → ACTIVE

WAKEUP pin is high and PWRRUP pin is pulled high (rising edge) or the ACTIVE bit is set. Output rails will power up in the order defined by the UPSEQx registers.

8.4.4.4 ACTIVE → STANDBY

WAKEUP pin is high and STANDBY bit is set or PWRUP pin is pulled low (falling edge). Rails are shut down in the order defined by DWNSEQx registers. Device also enters STANDBY in the event of thermal shutdown (TSD), undervoltage lockout (UVLO), positive boost or inverting buck-boost undervoltage (UV), VCOM fault (VCOMF), or when the PROG bit is set (see Figure 22).

8.4.4.5 STANDBY → SLEEP

WAKEUP pin is pulled low while none of the output rails are enabled.

8.4.4.6 ACTIVE → SLEEP

WAKEUP pin is pulled low while at least one output rail is enabled. Rails are shut down in the order defined by DWNSEQx registers.

The TPS65186 hosts a slave I²C interface that supports data rates up to 400 kbit/s and auto-increment addressing and is compliant to I²C standard 3.0.

Figure 25. Subaddress in I²C Transmission

The I²C Bus is a communications link between a controller and a series of slave terminals. The link is established using a two-wire bus consisting of a serial clock signal (SCL) and a serial data signal (SDA). The serial clock is sourced from the controller in all cases where the serial data line is bidirectional for data communication between the controller and the slave terminals. Each device has an open drain output to transmit data on the serial data line. An external pullup resistor must be placed on the serial data line to pull the drain output high during data transmission.

Data transmission is initiated with a start bit from the controller as shown in Figure 27. The start condition is recognized when the SDA line transitions from high to low during the high portion of the SCL signal. Upon reception of a start bit, the device will receive serial data on the SDA input and check for valid address and control information. If the appropriate slave address bits are set for the device, then the device will issue an acknowledge pulse and prepare to receive the register address. Depending on the R/nW bit, the next byte received from the master is written to the addressed register (R/nW = 0) or the device responds with 8-bit data from the register (R/nW = 1). Data transmission is completed by either the reception of a stop condition or the reception of the data word sent to the device. A stop condition is recognized as a low to high transition of the SDA input during the high portion of the SCL signal. All other transitions of the SDA line must occur during the low portion of the SCL signal. An acknowledge is issued after the reception of valid address, sub-address and data words. The I²C interfaces will auto-sequence through register addresses, so that multiple data words can be sent for a given I²C transmission. See Figure 26 and Figure 27 for details.

TOP: Master writes data to slave.

BOTTOM: Master reads data from slave.

Figure 26. I²C Data Protocol

Figure 27. I²C Start/Stop/Acknowledge Protocol