|
|
Article: Use a switching-regulator controller to generate fast pulses.(design ideas: READERS SOLVE DESIGN PROBLEMS)(LTC3803 constant-frequency flyback controller)
- Article from:
- EDN
- Article date:
- April 13, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
A source of pulses with fast-rising edges that approximate the step function can help you perform many useful laboratory measurements, including characterization of coaxial cables' rise times and location of cable faults using time-domain-reflectometry methods. For example, evaluating the rise time of a 10- to 20-ft-long RG-58/U cable requires edge-transition times of 1 to 2 nsec. Agilent's (www.agilent.com) HP8012B, a workhorse pulse generator that finds use in many electronics labs, can deliver pulses with rise times of 5 nsec that are adequate for many applications but not for cable characterization.
As an alternative, switching-regulator-controller ICs can ...