Post Go back to editing

LT8304-1 double soft start?

Category: Hardware
Product Number: LT8304

I've been trying the LT8304-1 for a high-voltage power supply for a prototype. I've laid out a test board based on the 1000V flyback application note at

www.analog.com/.../1000-v-output-no-opto-isolated-flyback-converter.html

I used the recommended transformer as well as the recommended snubber, and kept the critical loop nice and tight. (The pin-out of the IC is ideal for this.)

For the most part, it works really nicely, reaching full voltage quickly both when lightly loaded and with a heavier 5mA draw, and seems very stable as the load varies. Probing the switch node, the transients never exceed 90V, well below the 150V internal NMOS limit, so I guess the loop area can't be too bad and the snubber is doing its job well.

The only question I have is about the soft start, which often seems to re-trigger once or twice part way through start-up. I've attached some scope traces of output voltage (divided down) and switch node (pin 5) to show what I mean.

The yellow trace in each case is the pulse going into EN (pin 1). The behaviour is the same whether running off 8V or 18V, and whether running lightly or more heavily loaded. Once the voltage is over about half-way, the soft restarts don't seem to happen, and there are never drop outs or problems when running at full voltage, even when loaded up. I've zoomed right in at the time of the soft restart on the switch node to demonstrate there isn't anything obvious catastrophic going on around that time.


I checked both Vin and INTVcc are stable - I'd wondered if they might be dipping but they're fine - no evidence of any dip.

I also probed Rref (pin 7), which looks sensible, without lots of high-frequency noise. I tried increasing the 10p capacitor to 33p in case this was insufficiently damped, without any obvious effect, but it didn't look bad in any case, and the failure is happening when it's pretty low rather than when it's higher later on:

Assuming this double soft-start behaviour isn't normal, any suggestions of other things I should check? I'm wondering if these symptoms are an obvious smoking gun to someone who knows this IC better!



Correct typo
[edited by: Chris81 at 6:40 AM (GMT -4) on 12 May 2025]
  • Ah, I forget... For completeness, I should describe the secondary side although this isn't anything outlandish or giant capacitance: it's lifted unchanged from a design where I (successfully) used this same transformer with LT3750A.

    I'm using 3x ES1K diodes (very fast @ 50ns Trr - twice as fast as CMMR1U-08 with very similar junction capacitance) with 2x 600V "1uF" ceramic capacitors parallel across each of the three secondaries. I put 1uF in quotes because obviously their capacitance derates to < 300nF under the DC bias: the effective total output capacitance of the 2x3 grid of capacitors measures at 190nF.

    The exact parts used are

    https://pdf.datasheet.live/datasheets-1/lite-on_semiconductor/ES1K.pdf

    https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Multilayer-Ceramic-Capacitors-MLCC-SMD-SMT_PSA-Prosperity-Dielectrics-FS55X105K631EHG_C784102.html

  • At the risk of following up to myself again, one easy experiment was to double up the output capacitance to see if that makes things better or worse. With 4x3 "1uF", the behaviour looks like this:

    The charging is half the speed as expected - limited by the output power of the converter - but beyond that the soft restarts seem to happen roughly as frequently (around every 10ms) and never once the voltage is over halfway to the programmed value.

    I've charged and allowed to discharge a number of times to verify this is consistently the case, and I've never seen a restart 'later on' in the charge cycle, either with my original output capacitance, or with it doubled up. Really intriguing!

  • I think I may have understood why this is happening. However, I would be very grateful if someone more experienced with this IC could confirm that my diagnosis is correct.

    In the data sheet's brief description of the 'Output Short Protection' on page 16, reading slightly between the lines, it sounds like the soft start cycle unconditionally checks that the Rref voltage has exceeded 0.6V (corresponding to hitting 60% of the target output voltage) at the end of the 11ms start timer, and restarts the cycle if not.

    However, if the output capacitance is higher than a certain threshold, we can't possibly reach this voltage in time and will always make multiple soft starts until we are past that 60% critical charge.

    It might be possible to work around this by DC biasing the Vref pin (and adjusting Rfb to compensate) but this would also defeat the throttling of runaway conditions, so I'm guessing it's probably better just to accept the double soft start as a harmless artefact that slightly slows down startup - unless there's a safer workaround?

  • I submitted a support query to confirm, and had a very helpful response - thanks Hermo! I thought I would summarise the thread here in case someone else spots the same behaviour and searches this forum for answers.

    Yes, the restart every 11ms until the output voltage exceeds 60% of the target is expected behaviour and is the reason for the hiccups I saw.

    Reducing the output capacitance (so charging to 60% takes less than 11ms) would eliminate them, at the cost of a smaller charge reservoir/greater ripple. In my own application, I'll try using 470nF X7Ts instead of 1uF X7Rs, which should have the same capacitance at 300-400V DC bias, but lower capacitance earlier in the charge cycle. Unfortunately, 270nF C0Gs are probably too expensive and bulky at the required voltage, although they'd be ideal.

    The hiccups aren't really a problem in my application. Even with them, full voltage is reached more than quickly enough. However, for curiosity's sake, I tested biasing the bottom of Rref to 0.5V and reducing Rfb to set the same output voltage at the 1.0V comparator threshold.

    The converter does charge and stops at the correct voltage when you do this, but much slower than expected and there is an audible whine. I'm guessing the bias must interfere with the operation of the DCM comparator, causing the converter to drop right down to the 11kHz minimum switching frequency. In case anyone finding this thread is considering this workaround in their own application, it looks like it is a non-starter.