The TPS2320 and TPS2321 are dual-channel hot-swap controllers that use external N-channel MOSFETs as high-side switches in power applications. Features of these devices, such as overcurrent protection (OCP), inrush-current control, and the ability to discriminate between load transients and faults, are critical requirements for hot-swap applications.

The TPS2320/21 devices incorporate undervoltage lockout (UVLO) to ensure the device is off at startup. Each internal charge pump, capable of driving multiple MOSFETs, provides enough gate-drive voltage to fully enhance the N-channel MOSFETs. The charge pumps control both the rise times and fall times (dv/dt) of the MOSFETs, reducing power transients during power up/down. The circuit-breaker functionality combines the ability to sense overcurrent conditions with a timer function; this allows designs such as DSPs, that may have high peak currents during power-state transitions, to disregard transients for a programmable period.

DISCH1, DISCH2 –DISCH1 and DISCH2 should be connected to the sources of the external N-channel MOSFET transistors connected to GATE1 and GATE2, respectively. These pins discharge the loads when the MOSFET transistors are disabled. They also serve as reference-voltage connections for internal gate voltage-clamp circuitry.Read more