Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#21
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
Assuming that so far you have only considered bi-polar transistors perhaps
it would be beneficial to look into the application of Power MOSFETs. In the 'on' state they have a very low resistance ,hence at high currents they dissipate less heat . Consequently you would need smaller heat sinks. dont have any idea how to work with mosfet In this particular application - pass transistors in a linear regulator - I don't see that MOSFETs would have any particular advantage. It's true that modern power MOSFETs have a very low series resistance when switched "fully on". This allows for low losses, and relatively low heat dissipation, if they're used in an application where "fully on, or fully off" is suitable. "Hard" power switching, or pulse- width-modulated drive applications such as a switching regulator or a DC motor-speed controller are good places for MOSFETs (or IGBTs). However, a linear regulator isn't this sort of application. In these regulators, you aren't driving the pass transistor "hard on" - because, if you did, the regulator would simply pass the full input voltage to its output and wouldn't regulate at all! Instead, you're switching the transistor on only partway, so that it's passing only the amount of current needed to "pull up" the outputs to the regulation voltage. The rest of the voltage (input minus output) is going to appear across the pass transistor (and possibly one or two other components in series with it, such as ballast resistors) and will be dissipated as heat. This will be true regardless of whether the regulating element is a MOSFET, bipolar transistor, or whatever. If you're sucking 30 amperes, and dropping 10 volts between input and output, your pass elements will be dissipating 300 watts. The only ways I know of to reduce the heat dissipation are to either lower your input voltage (but not enough to cause the circuit to drop out of regulation), or move to a lower-loss architecture such as a buck-mode switching regulator. The latter can be quite efficient (often 90% or better), but you have to work REALLY HARD to build one which won't emit enough radiated and conducted RF switching noise to totally yngvi up your HF reception. I agree with the other posters, who suggest that it's probably preferable to use a sufficient number of simple, easy-to-buy pass transistors (2N3055 being the classic example). Use enough so that you can use 'em well within conservative ratings - don't go anywhere near the edge of the "safe operating area" - and ballast them so that they share current properly. -- Dave Platt AE6EO Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads! |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Wanted: Power Supply for TR-4C | Boatanchors | |||
Wanted: Power Supply for TR-4C | Equipment | |||
Wanted: Power Supply for TR-4C | Equipment | |||
Derivation of the Reflection Coefficient? | Antenna |