SNOAAA8 April   2025 LM74610-Q1

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
    1. 1.1 What is MLPE
    2. 1.2 Why, When, Where Needs MLPE
    3. 1.3 What is Solar Power Optimizer
    4. 1.4 Solar Power Optimizer Working Principle
    5. 1.5 Output Bypass Function of Solar Power Optimizer
  5. 2Traditional Designs of the Bypass Circuit
    1. 2.1 Design 1 - Using P-N Junction Diode or Schottky Diode
    2. 2.2 Design 2 - Using MOSFET
  6. 3New Design of the Bypass Circuit
    1. 3.1 Requirements on Bypass Circuit
    2. 3.2 Using Ideal Diode Controller LM746x0-Q1
    3. 3.3 Challenges of Using Ideal Diode Controller
    4. 3.4 Working Principle of LM746x0-Q1 Reverse Voltage Range Extension
  7. 4Bench Test and Result
  8. 5Summary
  9. 6References

5 Summary

If PV panels or solar equipment connected in a series are broken or faulty, having a design in place to avoid hot spotting and or voltage supply interruption is important. This responsibility commonly lies with the solar power optimizer or rapid shutdown. While standard rectifier diodes or Schottky diodes are the simplest design to bypass the broken panel, the diodes are not preferred given thermal inefficiency. This application note discusses a floating-gate ideal diode controller along with an N-channel MOSFET that can offer less stand-alone loss than a bypass switch design, and an additional system workaround with a depletion MOSFET that can offer a completely scalable design to address the wide input voltage range of PV panels (ranging from few volts to 150V) making this plug and play design for bypass switch application.