An105fa PDF

Application Note 105
December 2005
Current Sense Circuit Collection

Making Sense of Current
Tim Regan, Jon Munson

Greg Zimmer, Michael Stokowski
INTRODUCTION
Sensing and/or controlling current flow is a fundamen- sensing, or negative supply sensing. The chapters are titled
tal requirement in many electronics systems, and the accordingly. In this way, the reader has access to many
techniques to do so are as diverse as the applications possible solutions to a particular problem in one place.
themselves. This Application Note compiles solutions to
It is unlikely that any particular circuit shown will exactly
current sensing problems and organizes the solutions by
meet the requirements for a specific design, but the sug-
general application type. These circuits have been culled
gestion of many circuit techniques and devices should
from a variety of Linear Technology documents.
prove useful. To avoid duplication, circuits relevant to
Circuits Organized by General Application multiple chapters may appear in one location.
Each chapter collects together applications that tend to L, LT, LTC, LTM, Linear Technology, the Linear logo, Over-The-Top and TimerBlox are
registered trademarks and Hot Swap is a trademark of Linear Technology Corporation.
solve a similar general problem, such as high side current All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CIRCUIT COLLECTION INDEX
n Current Sense Basics n Level Shifting n High Speed

n High Side n High Voltage n Fault Sensing
n Low Side n Low Voltage n Digitizing
n Negative Voltage n High Current (100mA to Amps) n Current Control
n Unidirectional n Low Current (Picoamps to Milliamps) n Precision
n Bidirectional n Motors and Inductive Loads n Wide Range
n AC n Batteries
n DC
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CURRENT SENSE BASICS

This chapter introduces the basic techniques used for High Side Advantages
sensing current. It serves also as a definition of common n Load is grounded
terms. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages n Load not activated by accidental short at power con-
and these are described. The types of amplifiers used to nection
implement the circuits are provided. n High load current caused by short is detected
High Side Disadvantages

LOW SIDE CURRENT SENSING (Figure 1)
n High input common mode voltages (often very high)
Current sensed in the ground return path of the power n Output needs to be level shifted down to system
connection to the monitored load. Current generally flows
operating voltage levels
in just one direction (unidirectional). Any switching is
performed on the load-side of monitor. FULL-RANGE (HIGH AND LOW SIDE)
DC VSUPPLY
CURRENT SENSING (Figure 3)
ILOAD VCC
LOAD
Bidirectional current sensed in a bridge driven load, or uni-
+ directional high side connection with a supply side switch.
RSENSE ISENSE OUTPUT ILOAD
DC VSUPPLY
VCC
Figure 1. Low Side Current Sensing
+
Low Side Advantages LOAD
RSENSE
ISENSE OUTPUT ILOAD
n Low input common mode voltage ILOAD
n Ground referenced output voltage
n Easy single-supply design
Low Side Disadvantages

n Load lifted from direct ground connection Figure 3. Full-Range (High And Low Side) Current Sensing
n Load activated by accidental short at ground end load
switch Full-Range Advantages
n High load current caused by short is not detected
n Only one current sense resistor needed for bidirec-
HIGH SIDE CURRENT SENSING (Figure 2) tional sensing
Current sensed in the supply path of the power connection n Convenient sensing of load current on/off profiles for
to the monitored load. Current generally flows in just one inductive loads
direction (unidirectional). Any switching is performed on Full-Range Disadvantages
the load-side of monitor.
n Wide input common mode voltage swings
DC VSUPPLY n Common mode rejection may limit high frequency
+ accuracy in PWM applications
RSENSE ISENSE OUTPUT ILOAD

ILOAD LOAD
Figure 2. High Side Current Sensing

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HIGH SIDE
This chapter discusses solutions for high side current 5V
sensing. With these circuits the total current supplied

to a load is monitored in the positive power supply line. 200
LT6100 Load Current Monitor (Figure 4)

0.2 +
This is the basic LT6100 circuit configuration. The internal LT1637
Q1
200 2N3904
circuitry, including an output buffer, typically operates from 0V TO 4.3V
a low voltage supply, such as the 3V shown. The moni- LOAD ILOAD 2k
tored supply can range anywhere from VCC + 1.4V up to 1637 TA02
VOUT = (2)(ILOAD)
48V. The A2 and A4 pins can be strapped various ways to
provide a wide range of internally fixed gains. The input
Figure 5. Classic Positive Supply Rail Current Sense
leads become very Hi-Z when VCC is powered down, so
as not to drain batteries for example. Access to an internal Over-The-Top Current Sense (Figure 6)
signal node (Pin 3) provides an option to include a filtering
function with one added capacitor. Small-signal range is This circuit is a variation on the classic high side cir-
limited by VOL in single-supply operation. cuit, but takes advantage of Over-the-Top input capability
to separately supply the IC from a low voltage rail. This
TO LOAD RSENSE provides a measure of fault protection to downstream
+ circuitry by virtue of the limited output swing set by the low
C1
1 8 0.1F 5V voltage supply. The disadvantage is VOS in the Over-the-
VS VS+
Top mode is generally inferior to other modes, thus less
2 7
+ VCC A4 accurate. The finite current gain of the bipolar transistor
C2
3V
0.1F
+ is a source of small gain error.
3 6
FIL A2 3V TO 44V
R1
200
4 OUT 5
VEE OUTPUT 3V
LT6100 RS
6100 F04 0.2 +
Q1
LT1637
2N3904
Figure 4. LT6100 Load Current Monitor VOUT
ILOAD (0V TO 2.7V)
R2
VOUT 2k
Classic Positive Supply Rail Current Sense LOAD ILOAD =
(RS)(R2/R1) 1637 TA06
(Figure 5)
This circuit uses generic devices to assemble a function Figure 6. Over-The-Top Current Sense
similar to an LTC6101. A rail-to-rail input type op amp is
required since input voltages are right at the upper rail.
Self-Powered High Side Current Sense (Figure 7)
The circuit shown here is capable of monitoring up to 44V
applications. Besides the complication of extra parts, the This circuit takes advantage of the microampere supply
VOS performance of op amps at the supply is generally not current and rail-to-rail input of the LT1494. The circuit is
factory trimmed, thus less accurate than other solutions. simple because the supply draw is essentially equal to the
The finite current gain of the bipolar transistor is a small load current developed through RA. This supply current is
source of gain error. simply passed through RB to form an output voltage that
is appropriately amplified.
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HIGH SIDE
VS = 2.7V TO 36V Precision High Side Power Supply Current Sense
(Figure 9)
RA VO = IL ( RRBA )RS This is a low voltage, ultrahigh precision monitor featuring
1k
FOR RA = 1k, RB = 10k, RS = 1
a zero-drift instrumentation amplifier (IA) that provides
RSENSE
1 LT1494 VO rail-to-rail inputs and outputs. Voltage gain is set by the
= 10 V/A
+ IL feedback resistors. Accuracy of this circuit is set by the
+ OUTPUT OFFSET IS RB 10mV
OUTPUT CLIPS AT VS 2.4V quality of resistors selected by the user, small-signal range
RB
LOAD IL
10k
VO is limited by VOL in single-supply operation. The voltage
_ rating of this part restricts this solution to applications of
1495 TA09
<5.5V. This IA is sampled, so the output is discontinuous
with input changes, thus only suited to very low frequency
Figure 7. Self-Powered High Side Current Sense
measurements.
High Side Current Sense and Fuse Monitor (Figure 8) 1.5m
VREGULATOR
The LT6100 can be used as a combination current sen-
sor and fuse monitor. This part includes on-chip output 2 8
OUT
buffering and was designed to operate with the low supply LTC6800
7 100mV/A
voltage (2.7V), typical of vehicle data acquisition systems, 3 + 6 10k
OF LOAD
CURRENT
5
while the sense inputs monitor signals at the higher bat- 4
0.1F
tery bus potential. The LT6100 inputs are tolerant of large ILOAD LOAD
input differentials, thus allowing the blown-fuse operating 150

condition (this would be detected by an output full-scale
indication). The LT6100 can also be powered down while 6800 TA01
maintaining high impedance sense inputs, drawing less

Figure 9. Precision High Side Power Supply Current Sense
than 1A max from the battery bus.
RSENSE
TO LOAD 2m FUSE
BATTERY Positive Supply Rail Current Sense (Figure 10)
BUS
1 8 + This is a configuration similar to an LT6100 implemented
VS VS+
ADC 2 7
with generic components. A rail-to-rail or Over-the-Top
POWER
2.7V
VCC A4 input op amp type is required (for the first section). The
C2
0.1F
+ first section is a variation on the classic high side where
3
FIL A2
6 the P-MOSFET provides an accurate output current into
R2 (compared to a BJT). The second section is a buffer
OUT 5
to allow driving ADC ports, etc., and could be configured
4 OUTPUT
VEE 2.5V = 25A with gain if needed. As shown, this circuit can handle up
LT6100
DN374 F02
to 36V operation. Small-signal range is limited by VOL in
single-supply operation.
Figure 8. High Side Current Sense and Fuse Monitor
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HIGH SIDE
VCC
R1
Measuring Bias Current Into an Avalanche Photo
200 Diode (APD) Using an Instrumentation Amplifier
(Figures 12a and 12b)
Rs

0.2
1/2 LT1366 Q1 1/2 LT1366
The upper circuit (a) uses an instrumentation amplifier
+
TP0610L
+ (IA) powered by a separate rail (>1V above VIN) to mea-
ILOAD
R2
VO = ILOAD RS ( )
R2
R1
sure across the 1k current shunt. The lower figure (b)
is similar but derives its power supply from the APD bias
20k = ILOAD 20
LOAD
line. The limitation of these circuits is the 35V maximum
APD voltage, whereas some APDs may require 90V or
1366 TA01
more. In the single-supply configuration shown, there is

Figure 10. Positive Supply Rail Current Sense
also a dynamic range limitation due to VOL to consider.
The advantage of this approach is the high accuracy that
Precision Current Sensing in Supply Rails (Figure 11)
is available in an IA.
This is the same sampling architecture as used in the
front end of the LTC2053 and LTC6800, but sans op amp 1k
1%
gain stage. This particular switch can handle up to 18V, so VIN
10V TO 33V
BIAS OUTPUT
TO APD
35V
the ultrahigh precision concept can be utilized at higher
voltages than the fully integrated ICs mentioned. This CURRENT
MONITOR OUTPUT
circuit simply commutates charge from the flying sense LT1789
0mA TO 1mA = 0V TO 1V
+
capacitor to the ground-referenced output capacitor so A=1
that under DC input conditions the single-ended output AN92 F02a
voltage is exactly the same as the differential across the Figure 12a
sense resistor. A high precision buffer amplifier would
typically follow this circuit (such as an LTC2054). The 1N4684
1k
3.3V
commutation rate is user set by the capacitor connected VIN
1%
BIAS OUTPUT
10V TO 35V TO APD
to Pin 14. For negative supply monitoring, Pin 15 would 10M
be tied to the negative rail rather than ground. CURRENT
LT1789 MONITOR OUTPUT
I
E + A=1
POSITIVE OR
NEGATIVE RAIL RSHUNT AN92 F02b
1/2 LTC6943 Figure 12b

11 12
Figure 12. Measuring Bias Current Into an Avalanche Photo

10 Diode (APD) Using an Instrumentation Amplifier
1F 1F E I= E
RSHUNT
9
6 7
14 15
0.01F
6943 TA01b
Figure 11. Precision Current Sensing in Supply Rails

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HIGH SIDE
Simple 500V Current Monitor (Figure 13) Bidirectional Battery-Current Monitor (Figure 14)
Adding two external MOSFETs to hold off the voltage allows This circuit provides the capability of monitoring current
the LTC6101 to connect to very high potentials and monitor in either direction through the sense resistor. To allow
the current flow. The output current from the LTC6101, negative outputs to represent charging current, VEE is
which is proportional to the sensed input voltage, flows connected to a small negative supply. In single-supply
through M1 to create a ground referenced output voltage. operation (VEE at ground), the output range may be offset
upwards by applying a positive reference level to VBIAS
(1.25V for example). C3 may be used to form a filter in
conjunction with the output resistance (ROUT) of the part.
This solution offers excellent precision (very low VOS) and
a fixed nominal gain of 8.
DANGER! Lethal Potentials Present Use Caution
ISENSE VSENSE 500V

+
RSENSE RIN
4 3 100
L
2 + 5 DANGER!!
O
A
HIGH VOLTAGE!!
D
1 62V
LTC6101
CMZ5944B
M1
VOUT M2
M1 AND M2 ARE FQD3P50 TM ROUT

2M
4.99k
ROUT
VOUT = VSENSE = 49.9 VSENSE
RIN
6101 TA09
Figure 13. Simple 500V Current Monitor
TO RSENSE
CHARGER/
LOAD C1
15V
1 8 1F
FIL FIL+

LT1787
2 VS VS+ 7
3 VBIAS 6
DNC
ROUT
4 5
VEE OUTPUT
VOUT
C2 C3*
5V 1F 1000pF
1787 F02
*OPTIONAL
Figure 14. Bidirectional Battery-Current Monitor

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HIGH SIDE
LTC6101 Supply Current Included as Load in or an H-bridge. The circuit is programmable to produce up
Measurement (Figure 15) to 1mA of full-scale output current into ROUT, yet draws a
mere 250A supply current when the load is off.
This is the basic LTC6101 high side sensing supply-monitor
configuration, where the supply current drawn by the IC is BATTERY BUS
included in the readout signal. This configuration is use-
ful when the IC current may not be negligible in terms of RIN
overall current draw, such as in low power battery-powered RSENSE
0.01
100
4 3
applications. RSENSE should be selected to limit voltage
+
drop to <500mV for best linearity. If it is desirable not to LOAD
include the IC current in the readout, as in load monitor- 2 5
ing, Pin 5 may be connected directly to V+ instead of the

load. Gain accuracy of this circuit is limited only by the
precision of the resistors selected by the user. 1 VOUT
LT6101
4.99V = 10A
ROUT
4.99k
V+
VOUT = ILOAD(RSENSE ROUT/RIN) DN374 F01
RIN
RSENSE
4 3 Figure 16. Simple High Side Current Sense Using the LTC6101
+
High Side Transimpedance Amplifier (Figure 17)
LOAD 2 5
Current through a photodiode with a large reverse bias
potential is converted to a ground referenced output volt-
age directly through an LTC6101. The supply rail can be
1
LTC6101 VOUT as high as 70V. Gain of the I to V conversion, the trans-
ROUT impedance, is set by the selection of resistor RL.
6101 F06
VS
Figure 15. LTC6101 Supply Current Included as Load CMPZ4697* LASER MONITOR iPD
(10V) PHOTODIODE
in Measurement
4.75k 4.75k 10k
Simple High Side Current Sense Using the LTC6101
(Figure 16) 4 3
This is a basic high side current monitor using the LTC6101. 2 + 5

The selection of RIN and ROUT establishes the desired gain
of this circuit, powered directly from the battery bus. The
current output of the LTC6101 allows it to be located re-
motely to ROUT. Thus, the amplifier can be placed directly LTC6101
1
VO
at the shunt, while ROUT is placed near the monitoring RL
electronics without ground drop errors. This circuit has
VO = IPD RL
a fast 1s response time that makes it ideal for providing
6101 TA04
*VZ SETS PHOTODIODE BIAS
VZ + 4 VS VZ + 60
MOSFET load switch protection. The switch element may
be the high side type connected between the sense resistor Figure 17. High Side Transimpedance Amplifier
and the load, a low side type between the load and ground
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HIGH SIDE
Intelligent High Side Switch (Figure 18) VSENSE ISENSE
VS
+
LOAD
The LT1910 is a dedicated high side MOSFET driver with RIN
RSENSE
built in protection features. It provides the gate drive for a 3 4
power switch from standard logic voltage levels. It provides +

5 2
shorted load protection by monitoring the current flow V
to through the switch. Adding an LTC6101 to the same

circuit, sharing the same current sense resistor, provides
a linear voltage signal proportional to the load current for LTC6101HV
additional intelligent control. VLOGIC
48V Supply Current Monitor with Isolated Output and ROUT
105V Survivability (Figure 19) VOUT
The HV version of the LTC6101 can operate with a total ANY OPTO-ISOLATOR
supply voltage of 105V. Current flow in high supply voltage
rails can be monitored directly or in an isolated fashion V
as shown in this circuit. The gain of the circuit and the N = OPTO-ISOLATOR CURRENT GAIN
level of output current from the LTC6101 depends on the R
VOUT = VLOGIC ISENSE SENSE N ROUT
particular opto-isolator used. RIN 6101 TA08
Figure 19. 48V Supply Current Monitor with Isolated Output and
105V Survivability
10F
VLOGIC 63V 14V
47k
100 5
3 1%
FAULT 8 3
4 RS 1
OFF ON LT1910 LTC6101 VO
6 4
2
100 4.99k
1F 1 5 2
SUB85N06-5
L VO = 49.9 RS IL
O IL
A FOR RS = 5m,
D VO = 2.5V AT IL = 10A (FULL-SCALE)
6101 TA07
Figure 18. Intelligent High Side Switch
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HIGH SIDE
Precision, Wide Dynamic Range High Side Current Sensed Current Includes Monitor Circuit Supply
Sensing (Figure 20) Current (Figure 21)
The LTC6102 offers exceptionally high precision (VOS < To sense all current drawn from a battery power source
10V) so that a low value sense resistor may be used. which is also powering the sensing circuitry requires the
This reduces dissipation in the circuit and allows wider proper connection of the supply pin. Connecting the supply
variations in current to be accurately measured. In this pin to the load side of the sense resistor adds the supply
circuit, the components are scaled for a 10A measuring current to the load current. The sense amplifier operates
range, with the offset error corresponding to less than properly with the inputs equal to the device V+ supply.
10mA. This is effectively better than 10-bit dynamic range
with dissipation under 100mW.
+ RIN
VSENSE
1m 20
+IN INS
+ INF
L
5V TO
+ O V V+
105V A
D 0.1F 5V 1F
VREG
OUT VOUT
LTC6102
LTC2433-1 TO P
ROUT
4.99k
6102 TA01
ROUT
VOUT = VSENSE = 249.5VSENSE *PROPER SHUNT SELECTION COULD ALLOW
RIN MONITORING OF CURRENTS IN EXCESS OF 1000A
Figure 20. Precision, Wide Dynamic Range High Side Current Sensing
RSENSE R1 ISUPPLY
100
+IN INS
L
O INF
VBATT
A
ILOAD +
D V V+
0.1F
VREG
OUT
LTC6102
+
R2 VOUT
4.99k

VOUT = 49.9 RSENSE (ILOAD + ISUPPLY) 6102 TA03
Figure 21. Sensed Current Includes Monitor Circuit Supply Current

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HIGH SIDE
Wide Voltage Range Current Sensing (Figure 22) Smooth Current Monitor Output Signal by Simple
Filtering (Figure 23)
The LT6105 has a supply voltage that is independent from
the potential at the current sense inputs. The input voltage The output impedance of the LT6105 amplifier is defined
can extend below ground or exceed the sense amplifier by the value of the gain setting output resistor. Bypassing
supply voltage. While the sensed current must flow in just this resistor with a single capacitor provides first order
one direction, it can be sensed above the load, high side, filtering to smooth noisy current signals and spikes.
or below the load, low side. Gain is programmed through
resistor scaling and is set to 50 in the circuit shown.
SOURCE
0.3V TO 44V LT6105
RIN2
VS+ 100 +IN
+
VOUT
0.02 RIN1 VOUT = 1V/A
100 IN
ROUT
VS 4.99k
V+ V
TO LOAD 2.85V TO 36V 6105 TA01
R OUT R
VOUT = ( VS+ VS ) ; A V = OUT ; RIN1 = RIN2 = RIN
RIN RIN
Figure 22. Wide Voltage Range Current Sensing
2.85V TO 36V
SOURCE
0V TO 44V
LT6105 V+
249 +IN
VS+ +
VOUT
0.039 VOUT = 780mV/A
IN
VS
249 4.99k 0.22F
V
6105 TA02
TO LOAD
Figure 23. Smooth Current Monitor Output Signal by Simple Filtering
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HIGH SIDE
Power on Reset Pulse Using a TimerBlox Device up time delay interval, R7 and C1 create a falling edge to
(Figure 24) trigger an LTC6993-3 one-shot programmed for 10s.
This pulse unlatches the comparators. R8 and Q2 will
When power is first applied to a system the load current
discharge C1 on loss of the supply to ensure that a full
may require some time to rise to the normal operating
delay interval occurs when power returns.
level. This can trigger and latch the LT6109 comparator
monitoring undercurrent conditions. After a known start-
5V
9
LT6109-1 V+
RIN V+
100 10 SENSEHI
RSENSE
1 SENSELO + OUTA 8
ILOAD
V R1
V+ 8.06k
INC2 7
R5 +
10k 3 OUTC2

R4 V 400mV V+ R2
10k V+ REFERENCE V 1.5k
5V
+
4 OUTC1
R8 CREATES A DELAYED
30.1k Q1 C1 10s RESET PULSE INC1 6
2N2222 0.1F ON START-UP
2 EN/RST R3
TRIG OUT 499
OPTIONAL: R7 LTC6993-3
DISCHARGES C1 1M GND V+
WHEN SUPPLY V
IS DISCONNECTED
5 610912 TA06
SET DIV
R6
487k
Figure 24. Power on Reset Pulse Using a TimerBlox Device
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HIGH SIDE
Accurate Delayed Power on Reset Pulse Using LTC6994-1 delay timer is used to set an interval longer
TimerBlox Devices (Figure 25) than the known time for the load current to settle (1 sec-
ond in the example) then triggers an LTC6993-3 one-shot
When power is first applied to a system the load current
programmed for 10s. This pulse unlatches the compara-
may require some time to rise to the normal operating
tors. The power-on delay time is resistor programmable
level. This can trigger and latch the LT6109 comparator
over a wide range.
monitoring undercurrent conditions. In this circuit an
5V
9
LT6109-1 V+
RIN V+
100 10 SENSEHI
RSENSE
1 SENSELO + OUTA 8
ILOAD
V R1
V+ 8.06k
INC2 7
R5 +
10k 3 OUTC2

R4 V 400mV V+ R2
10k V+ REFERENCE V 1.5k
R8
100k +
4 OUTC1
1 SECOND DELAY 10s RESET PULSE INC1 6
ON START-UP GENERATOR
2 EN/RST R3
TRIG OUT TRIG OUT 499
C1 LTC6994-1 LTC6993-1
0.1F
GND V+ GND V+
C2 V
R6
1M 0.1F 5 610912 TA07
SET DIV SET DIV

R7 R5 R4
191k 681k 487k
Figure 25. Accurate Delayed Power on Reset Pulse Using TimerBlox Devices
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AN105-12
HIGH SIDE
More High Side Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
40 Monitor Current in Positive or Negative Supply Lines
58 Bidirectional Precision Current Sensing
59 Differential Output Bidirectional 10A Current Sense
60 Absolute Value Output Bidirectional Current Sensing
93 High Voltage Current and Temperature Monitoring
104 Using Printed Circuit Sense Resistance
105 High Voltage, 5A High Side Current Sensing in Small Package
120 Bidirectional Current Sensing in H-Bridge Drivers
121 Single Output Provides 10A H-Bridge Current and Direction
123 Monitor Solenoid Current on the High Side
125 Large Input Voltage Range for Fused Solenoid Current Monitoring
126 Monitor both the ON Current and the Freewheeling Current Through a High Side Driven Solenoid
129 Simple DC Motor Torque Control
130 Small Motor Protection and Control
131 Large Motor Protection and Control
136 Coulomb Counting Battery Gas Gauge
142 Monitor Charge and Discharge Currents at One Output
143 Battery Stack Monitoring
145 High Voltage Battery Coulomb Counting
146 Low Voltage Battery Coulomb Counting
147 Single Cell Lithium-Ion Battery Coulomb Counter
148 Complete Single Cell Battery Protection
167 Monitor Current in an Isolated Supply Line
168 Monitoring a Fuse Protected Circuit
169 Circuit Fault Protection with Early Warning and Latching Load Disconnect
170 Use Comparator Output to Initialize Interrupt Routines
171 Current Sense with Over-current Latch and Power-On Reset with Loss of Supply
176 Directly Digitize Current with 16-Bit Resolution
177 Directly Digitizing Two Independent Currents
178 Digitize a Bidirectional Current Using a Single Sense Amplifier and ADC
179 Digitizing Charging and Loading Current in a Battery Monitor
180 Complete Digital Current Monitoring
181 Ampere-Hour Gauge
182 Power Sensing with Built In A-to-D Converter
183 Isolated Power Measurement
184 Fast Data Rate Isolated Power Measurement
185 Adding Temperature Measurement to Supply Power Measurement
186 Current, Voltage and Fuse Monitoring
187 Automotive Socket Power Monitoring
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AN105-13
HIGH SIDE
More High Side Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
188 Power over Ethernet, PoE, Monitoring
189 Monitor Current, Voltage and Temperature
208 Remote Current Sensing with Minimal Wiring
209 Use Kelvin Connections to Maintain High Current Accuracy
210 Crystal/Reference Oven Controller
211 Power Intensive Circuit Board Monitoring
215 0 to 10A Sensing Over Two Ranges
216 Dual Sense Amplifier Can Have Different Sense Resistors and Gain
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AN105-14
LOW SIDE
This chapter discusses solutions for low side current Precision Current Sensing in Supply Rails (Figure 27)
sensing. With these circuits the current flowing in the
This is the same sampling architecture as used in the
ground return or negative power supply line is monitored.
front end of the LTC2053 and LTC6800, but sans op amp
Classic High Precision Low Side Current Sense gain stage. This particular switch can handle up to 18V, so
(Figure 26) the ultrahigh precision concept can be utilized at higher
voltages than the fully integrated ICs mentioned. This
This configuration is basically a standard noninverting circuit simply commutates charge from the flying sense
amplifier. The op amp used must support common mode capacitor to the ground-referenced output capacitor so
operation at the lower rail and the use of a zero-drift type that under DC input conditions the single-ended output
(as shown) provides excellent precision. The output of voltage is exactly the same as the differential across the
this circuit is referenced to the lower Kelvin contact, which sense resistor. A high precision buffer amplifier would
could be ground in a single-supply application. Small-signal typically follow this circuit (such as an LTC2054). The
range is limited by VOL for single-supply designs. Scaling commutation rate is user-set by the capacitor connected
accuracy is set by the quality of the user-selected resistors. to Pin 14. For negative supply monitoring, Pin 15 would
be tied to the negative rail rather than ground.
5V
E
3 5 OUT I
+ 3V/AMP POSITIVE OR
1 LOAD CURRENT NEGATIVE RAIL
LTC2050HV RSHUNT
4 IN MEASURED
2
CIRCUIT, REFERRED
1/2 LTC6943
TO 5V
10 10k 11 12
TO 3m
MEASURED
CIRCUIT 10
LOAD CURRENT 0.1F
5V 2050 TA08
1F 1F E I= E
RSHUNT
9
Figure 26. Classic High Precision Low Side Current Sense
6 7
14 15
0.01F
6943 TA01b
Figure 27. Precision Current Sensing in Supply Rails
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AN105-15
LOW SIDE
48V Hot Swap Controller (Figure 28) op amp. The N-MOSFET drain delivers a metered current
into the virtual ground of the second stage, configured as
This load protecting circuit employs low side current
a transimpedance amplifier (TIA). The second op amp is
sensing. The N-MOSFET is controlled to soft-start the
powered from a positive supply and furnishes a positive
load (current ramping) or to disconnect the load in the
output voltage for increasing load current. A dual op amp
event of supply or load faults. An internal shunt regulator
cannot be used for this implementation due to the different
establishes a local operating voltage.
supply voltages for each stage. This circuit is exceptionally
48V Low Side Precision Current Sense (Figure 29) precise due to the use of zero-drift op amps. The scaling
accuracy is established by the quality of the user-selected
The first stage amplifier is basically a complementary form resistors. Small-signal range is limited by VOL in single-
of the classic high side current sense, designed to operate supply operation of the second stage.
with telecom negative supply voltage. The Zener forms an
inexpensive floating shunt-regulated supply for the first
GND
RIN + CL
3 1.8k IN SERIES 100F
1/4W EACH
CIN R3 LOAD
GND 1 1F 5.1k
(SHORT PIN)
R1 VIN EN
402k LTC4252-1
1% *
8 2 VOUT
OV PWRGD
9 7 RD 1M
UV DRAIN
R2 10 6 Q1
32.4k TIMER GATE
3 IRF530S
1% CT 4
SS VEE SENSE
0.33F RC RS
C1 CSS 5 10 0.02
10nF 68nF CC
18nF
425212 TA01
48V
* M0C207
Figure 28.48V Hot Swap Controller
Q1 10k
0.1F 1%
ZETEX
ZVN3320F 5V
100
1%
39k 0.01F
LTC2054 VOUT = 100VSENSE
LTC2054
+
+ 0.1F
100
BZX84C5V1
VZ = 5.1
0.003
1% 3W
48V SUPPLY 48V LOAD
+ 20545 TA01
ISENSE, VSENSE
Figure 29.48V Low Side Precision Current Sense
an105fa
AN105-16
LOW SIDE
Fast Compact 48V Current Sense (Figure 30) 48V Current Monitor (Figures 31a and 31b)
This amplifier configuration is essentially the complemen- In this circuit an economical ADC is used to acquire the
tary implementation to the classic high side configuration. sense resistor voltage drop directly. The converter is
The op amp used must support common mode operation powered from a floating high accuracy shunt-regulated
at its lower rail. A floating shunt-regulated local supply supply and is configured to perform continuous conver-
is provided by the Zener diode, and the transistor provides sions. The ADC digital output drives an opto-isolator,
metered current to an output load resistance (1k in this level-shifting the serial data stream to ground. For wider
circuit). In this circuit, the output voltage is referenced to a supply voltage applications, the 13k biasing resistor may
positive potential and moves downward when represent- be replaced with an active 4mA current source such as
ing increasing 48V loading. Scaling accuracy is set by shown in Figure 31b. For complete dielectric isolation and/
the quality of resistors used and the performance of the or higher efficiency operation, the ADC may be powered
NPN transistor. from a small transformer circuit as shown in Figure 31b.
VOUT = 3V 0.1 ISENSE
ISENSE = 0A TO 30A
ACCURACY 3%
VOUT
Q1 R1 1k
FMMT493 4.7k 1%
VS = 3V
30.1
1%
3.3k R1 REDUCES Q1 DISSIPATION
0805
LT1797
3
+
0.1F
SETTLES TO 1% IN 2s,
BZX84C6V8 1V OUTPUT STEP
VZ = 6.8V 0.003
1% 3W
48V SUPPLY 48V LOAD
(42V TO 56V) + 1797 TA01
ISENSE
Figure 30. Fast Compact 48V Current Sense
BAT54S
1F 2
LT1790-5 a
5V 1F 4.7F
SELECT R FOR 3mA AT MINIMUM SUPPLY 100kHz
13k VOLTAGE, 10mA MAX CURRENT AT MAXIMUM DRIVE
SUPPLY VOLTAGE b
DN341 F01
a
0.1F LT1029 MIDCOM
LOAD 4.7F 50480
b Figure 31b
+ 48V 48V 5V
LTC2433 10k
1 10 VCC 1.05k
45.3k VCC FO VCC 6N139
VREF 2 9
REF+ SCK 1.54k 2 8 MPSA92
108mV
3 8 590
1k REF SDO 7 a
4 + 7 GND 6 DATA
0.010 IN CS 4.7F
5 6 (INVERTED)
b
IN GND 3
5 V
FULL-SCALE = 5.4A
48V 48V 7V TO 100V
Figure 31a
Figure 31. 48V Current Monitor an105fa
AN105-17
LOW SIDE
48V Hot Swap Controller (Figure 32) Simple Telecom Power Supply Fuse Monitor
(Figure 33)
sensing. The N-MOSFET is controlled to soft-start the The LTC1921 provides an all-in-one telecom fuse and
load (current ramping) or to disconnect the load in the supply voltage monitoring function. Three opto-isolated
event of supply or load faults. An internal shunt regulator status flags are generated that indicate the condition of
establishes a local operating voltage. the supplies and the fuses.
GND
RIN + CL
1/4W EACH
CIN R3 LOAD
GND 1 1F 5.1k
(SHORT PIN)
R1 VIN EN
402k LTC4252-1
1% *
8 2 VOUT
OV PWRGD
9 7 RD 1M
UV DRAIN
R2 10 6 Q1
32.4k TIMER GATE
3 IRF530S
1% CT 4
SS VEE SENSE
0.33F RC RS
C1 CSS 5 10 0.02
10nF 68nF CC
18nF
425212 TA01
48V
* M0C207
47k
48V 5V
RETURN FUSE
STATUS
R1 R2
100k 100k 3 MOC207
SUPPLY A SUPPLY B
RTN 47k VA VB STATUS STATUS
1 4 5V
VA OUT F OK OK 0 0
SUPPLY A OK UV OR OV 0 1
8 STATUS UV OR OV OK 1 0
VB UV OR OV UV OR OV 1 1
LTC1921 OK: WITHIN SPECIFICATION
2 MOC207
OV: OVERVOLTAGE
FUSE A
47k UV: UNDERVOLTAGE
5V
7 5 VFUSE A VFUSE B FUSE STATUS
FUSE B OUT A SUPPLY B
STATUS = VA = VB 0
= VA VB 1
VA = VB 1
MOC207 VA VB 1*
6
OUT B 0: LED/PHOTODIODE ON
R3
47k 1: LED/PHOTODIODE OFF
F1 D1 *IF BOTH FUSES (F1 AND F2) ARE OPEN,
SUPPLY A 1/4W
48V OUT ALL STATUS OUTPUTS WILL BE HIGH
48V SINCE R3 WILL NOT BE POWERED
F2 D2
SUPPLY B = LOGIC COMMON
48V
Figure 33. Simple Telecom Power Supply Fuse Monitor

an105fa
AN105-18
LOW SIDE
More Low Side Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
22 Wide Voltage Range Current Sensing
23 Smooth Current Monitor Output Signal by Simple Filtering
122 Monitor Solenoid Current on the Low Side
127 Monitor both the ON Current and the Freewheeling Current In a Low Side Driven Solenoid
an105fa
AN105-19
NEGATIVE VOLTAGE
This chapter discusses solutions for negative voltage 48V Hot Swap Controller (Figure 35)
current sensing.
Telecom Supply Current Monitor (Figure 34) sensing. The N-MOSFET is controlled to soft-start the
load (current ramping) or to disconnect the load in the
The LT1990 is a wide common mode range difference event of supply or load faults. An internal shunt regulator
amplifier used here to amplify the sense resistor drop by establishes a local operating voltage.
ten. To provide the desired input range when using a single
5V supply, the reference potential is set to approximately
4V by the LT6650. The output signal moves downward
from the reference potential in this connection so that a
large output swing can be accommodated.
+ 5V
LOAD IL 48V
3
+
7
G2
5 6
RS
LT1990 VOUT
2 8
4
G1
1
77V VCM 8V REF
VOUT = VREF (10 IL RS) VREF = 4V
4 5
IN OUT 174k 1nF
LT6650 1
GND FB
2
20k
1990 AI01
1F
Figure 34. Telecom Supply Current Monitor
GND
RIN + CL
1/4W EACH
CIN R3 LOAD
GND 1 1F 5.1k
(SHORT PIN)
R1 VIN EN
402k LTC4252-1
1% *
8 2 VOUT
OV PWRGD
9 7 RD 1M
UV DRAIN
R2 10 6 Q1
32.4k TIMER GATE
3 IRF530S
1% CT 4
SS VEE SENSE
0.33F RC RS
C1 CSS 5 10 0.02
10nF 68nF CC
18nF
425212 TA01
48V
* M0C207

an105fa
AN105-20
NEGATIVE VOLTAGE
48V Low Side Precision Current Sense (Figure 36) Fast Compact 48V Current Sense (Figure 37)
The first stage amplifier is basically a complementary form This amplifier configuration is essentially the complemen-
of the classic high side current sense, designed to operate tary implementation to the classic high side configuration.
with telecom negative supply voltage. The Zener forms an The op amp used must support common mode operation
inexpensive floating shunt-regulated supply for the first at its lower rail. A floating shunt-regulated local supply
op amp. The N-MOSFET drain delivers a metered current is provided by the Zener diode, and the transistor provides
into the virtual ground of the second stage, configured as metered current to an output load resistance (1k in this
a transimpedance amplifier (TIA). The second op amp is circuit). In this circuit, the output voltage is referenced to a
powered from a positive supply and furnishes a positive positive potential and moves downward when represent-
output voltage for increasing load current. A dual op amp ing increasing 48V loading. Scaling accuracy is set by
cannot be used for this implementation due to the different the quality of resistors used and the performance of the
supply voltages for each stage. This circuit is exceptionally NPN transistor.
precise due to the use of zero-drift op amps. The scaling
accuracy is established by the quality of the user-selected
resistors. Small-signal range is limited by VOL in single-
supply operation of the second stage.
Q1 10k
0.1F 1%
ZETEX
ZVN3320F 5V
100
1%
39k 0.01F
LTC2054 VOUT = 100VSENSE
LTC2054
+
+ 0.1F
100
BZX84C5V1
VZ = 5.1
0.003
1% 3W
48V SUPPLY 48V LOAD
+ 20545 TA01
ISENSE, VSENSE
Figure 36.48V Low Side Precision Current Sense

ISENSE = 0A TO 30A
ACCURACY 3%
VOUT
Q1 R1 1k
FMMT493 4.7k 1%
VS = 3V
30.1
1%
0805
LT1797
3
+
0.1F
VZ = 6.8V 0.003
1% 3W
48V SUPPLY 48V LOAD
(42V TO 56V) + 1797 TA01
ISENSE

an105fa
AN105-21
NEGATIVE VOLTAGE
48V Current Monitor (Figures 38a and 38b) Simple Telecom Power Supply Fuse Monitor
(Figure39)
In this circuit an economical ADC is used to acquire the
sense resistor voltage drop directly. The converter is The LTC1921 provides an all-in-one telecom fuse and
powered from a floating high accuracy shunt-regulated supply voltage monitoring function. Three opto-isolated
supply and is configured to perform continuous conver- status flags are generated that indicate the condition of
sions. The ADC digital output drives an opto-isolator, the supplies and the fuses.
level-shifting the serial data stream to ground. For wider
supply voltage applications, the 13k biasing resistor may
be replaced with an active 4mA current source such
as shown to the right. For complete dielectric isolation
and/or higher efficiency operation, the ADC may be powered 1F
BAT54S
2
a
LT1790-5
from a small transformer circuit as shown in Figure 38b.
5V 1F 4.7F
100kHz
DRIVE
SELECT R FOR 3mA AT MINIMUM SUPPLY b
13k VOLTAGE, 10mA MAX CURRENT AT MAXIMUM DN341 F01
SUPPLY VOLTAGE
a MIDCOM
0.1F LT1029 50480
LOAD 4.7F
b Figure 38b
+ 48V 48V 5V
LTC2433 10k
1 10 VCC 1.05k
45.3k VCC FO VCC 6N139
VREF 2 9
REF+ SCK 1.54k 2 8 MPSA92
108mV
3 8 590
1k REF SDO 7 a
4 7 GND 6 DATA
0.010 IN+ CS 4.7F
5 6 (INVERTED)
b
IN GND 3
5 V
FULL-SCALE = 5.4A
48V 48V 7V TO 100V
Figure 38a
Figure 38. 48V Current Monitor
47k
48V 5V
RETURN FUSE
STATUS
R1 R2
100k 100k 3 MOC207
SUPPLY A SUPPLY B
1 4 5V
VA OUT F OK OK 0 0
2 MOC207
OV: OVERVOLTAGE
FUSE A
5V
STATUS = VA = VB 0
= VA VB 1
VA = VB 1
MOC207 VA VB 1*
6
R3
SUPPLY A 1/4W
F2 D2
48V

an105fa
AN105-22
NEGATIVE VOLTAGE
Monitor Current in Positive or Negative Supply Lines input connections. In both configurations the output is a
(Figure 40) ground referred positive voltage. The negative supply to
the LT6105 must be at least as negative as the supply line
Using a negative supply voltage to power the LT6105 creates
it is monitoring.
a circuit that can be used to monitor the supply current
in a positive or negative supply line by only changing the
VOUT = 1V/A VOUT LT6105
4.99k
1% V 15V
V+ 5VDC
+IN IN
100 20m 100

1% 1% 1%
+15V + TO +15V
POSITIVE LOAD
SUPPLY
CURRENT FLOW
CURRENT FLOW
15V + TO 15V
NEGATIVE LOAD
100 20m 100
SUPPLY
1% 1% 1%
LT6105
IN +IN
5VDC V+
15V V
VOUT VOUT = 1V/A
6105 F07 4.99k

1%
Figure 40. Monitor Current in Positive or Negative Supply Lines
an105fa
AN105-23
UNIDIRECTIONAL
Unidirectional current sensing monitors the current flowing Unidirectional Current Sensing Mode
only in one direction through a sense resistor. (Figures 42a and 42b)
This is just about the simplest connection in which the
Unidirectional Output into A/D with
Fixed Supply at VS+ (Figure 41) LT1787 may be used. The VBIAS pin is connected to ground,
and the VOUT pin swings positive with increasing sense
Here the LT1787 is operating with the LTC1286 A/D con- current. The output can swing as low as 30mV. Accuracy is
verter. The IN pin of the A/D converter is biased at 1V by sacrificed at small output levels, but this is not a limitation
the resistor divider R1 and R2. This voltage increases as in protection circuit applications or where sensed currents
sense current increases, with the amplified sense voltage do not vary greatly. Increased low level accuracy can be
appearing between the A/D converters IN and +IN termi- obtained by level shifting VBIAS above ground. The level
nals. The LTC1286 converter uses sequential sampling of shifting may be done with resistor dividers, voltage refer-
its IN and +IN inputs. Accuracy is degraded if the inputs ences or a simple diode. Accuracy is ensured if the output
move between sampling intervals. A filter capacitor from signal is sensed differentially between VBIAS and VOUT.
FIL+ to FIL as well as a filter capacitor from VBIAS to VOUT
may be necessary if the sensed current changes more than RSENSE
TO
1LSB within a conversion cycle. LOAD
2.5V TO
C
0.1F 60V
RSENSE
5V C1 1 8
5V FIL FIL+
1 8 1F LT1787HV
FIL FIL+ VS+ 7
LT1787 2 VS

2 VS VS+ 7 R1
20k 3 VBIAS 6
DNC
3 VBIAS 6 IOUT 5%
DNC ROUT
4 5
ROUT VEE VOUT
4 5 VCC VOUT
VEE +IN CS
VOUT LTC1286 CLK TO P 1787 F08
IN D
R2 VREF GND OUT
5k
Figure 42a
1787 F06
5%
0.30
Figure 41. Unidirectional Output into A/D 0.25

with Fixed Supply at VS+
OUTPUT VOLTAGE (V)
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
IDEAL
0
0 0.005 0.010 0.015 0.020 0.025 0.030
VS+ VS (V)
1787 F09
Figure 42b
Figure 42. Unidirectional Current Sensing Mode
an105fa
AN105-24
UNIDIRECTIONAL
16-Bit Resolution Unidirectional Output Intelligent High Side Switch (Figure 44)
into LTC2433 ADC (Figure 43) The LT1910 is a dedicated high side MOSFET driver with
The LTC2433-1 can accurately digitize signal with source built in protection features. It provides the gate drive for a
impedances up to 5k. This LTC6101 current sense circuit power switch from standard logic voltage levels. It provides
uses a 4.99k output resistance to meet this requirement, shorted load protection by monitoring the current flow
thus no additional buffering is necessary. to through the switch. Adding an LTC6101 to the same
circuit, sharing the same current sense resistor, provides
a linear voltage signal proportional to the load current for
additional intelligent control.
ILOAD VSENSE
+
RIN 4V TO 60V
4 3 100
L
2 + 5
O
A 5V 1F
D
2 1
1 VOUT
4 REF+ VCC
LTC6101 IN+ 9
SCK
8
LTC2433-1 SDD TO P
ROUT 7
4.99k IN CC
5
REF GND FO
3 6 10
ROUT
VOUT = VSENSE = 49.9VSENSE ADC FULL-SCALE = 2.5V 6101 TA06
RIN
Figure 43. 16-Bit Resolution Unidirectional Output into LTC2433 ADC
10F
VLOGIC 63V 14V
47k 5
100
3 1%
FAULT 8 3
4 1
OFF ON LT1910 RS LTC6101 VO
6 4
2
100 4.99k
1F 1 5 2
SUB85N06-5
L VO = 49.9 RS IL
O IL
A FOR RS = 5m,
6101 TA07
an105fa
AN105-25
UNIDIRECTIONAL
48V Supply Current Monitor with Isolated Output 12-Bit Resolution Unidirectional Output
and 105V Survivability (Figure 45) into LTC1286 ADC (Figure 46)
The HV version of the LTC6101 can operate with a total While the LT1787 is able to provide a bidirectional output,
supply voltage of 105V. Current flow in high supply voltage in this application the economical LTC1286 is used to
rails can be monitored directly or in an isolated fashion digitize a unidirectional measurement. The LT1787 has a
as shown in this circuit. The gain of the circuit and the nominal gain of eight, providing a 1.25V full-scale output
level of output current from the LTC6101 depends on the at approximately 100A of load current.
particular opto-isolator used.
VSENSE ISENSE
VS
+
LOAD
RSENSE
RIN
3 4
5 + 2
V
LTC6101HV
VLOGIC
ROUT
VOUT
ANY OPTO-ISOLATOR
V
N = OPTO-ISOLATOR CURRENT GAIN
R
RIN 6101 TA08
Figure 45. 48V Supply Current Monitor with Isolated Output and 105V Survivability
RSENSE
TO I = 100A 0.0016
LOAD
1 8 2.5V TO 60V
FIL FIL+

LT1787HV
2 VS VS+ 7
R1 C1
5V
VBIAS 6 15k 1F
3
DNC
ROUT
20k VREF VCC
4 5 CS
VEE +IN
VOUT LTC1286 CLK TO P
IN D
GND OUT
C2 1787 TA01
0.1F LT1634-1.25
VOUT = VBIAS + (8 ILOAD RSENSE)
an105fa
AN105-26
UNIDIRECTIONAL
More Unidirectional Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
20 Precision, Wide Dynamic Range High-side Current Sensing
21 Sensed Current Includes Monitor Circuit Supply Current
24 Power on Reset Pulse Using a TimerBlox Device
25 Accurate Delayed Power on Reset Pulse Using TimerBlox Devices
122 Monitor Solenoid Current on the Low Side
123 Monitor Solenoid Current on the High Side
126 Monitor both the ON Current and the Freewheeling Current Through a High Side Driven Solenoid
127 Monitor both the ON Current and the Freewheeling Current In a Low Side Driven Solenoid
171 Current Sense with Over-current Latch and Power-On Reset with Loss of Supply
177 Directly Digitizing Two Independent Currents
180 Complete Digital Current Monitoring
182 Power Sensing with Built In A to D Converter
an105fa
AN105-27
UNIDIRECTIONAL
More Unidirectional Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
215 0A to 10A Sensing Over Two Ranges
an105fa
AN105-28
BIDIRECTIONAL
Bidirectional current sensing monitors current flow in both Practical H-Bridge Current Monitor Offers Fault
directions through a sense resistor. Detection and Bidirectional Load Information
(Figure 48)
Bidirectional Current Sensing with
Single-Ended Output (Figure 47) This circuit implements a differential load measurement
for an ADC using twin unidirectional sense measurements.
Two LTC6101s are used to monitor the current in a load Each LTC6101 performs high side sensing that rapidly
in either direction. Using a separate rail-to-rail op amp to responds to fault conditions, including load shorts and
combine the two outputs provides a single ended output. MOSFET failures. Hardware local to the switch module
With zero current flowing the output sits at the reference (not shown in the diagram) can provide the protection
potential, one-half the supply voltage for maximum out- logic and furnish a status flag to the control system.
put swing or 2.5V as shown. With power supplied to the The two LTC6101 outputs taken differentially produce
load through connection A the output will move positive a bidirectional load measurement for the control servo.
between 2.5V and VCC. With connection B the output The ground-referenced signals are compatible with most
moves down between 2.5V and 0V. ADCs. The ADC circuit also provides a free in-
tegration function that removes PWM content from the
VS
measurement. This scheme also eliminates the need for
analog-to-digital conversions at the rate needed to sup-
B A B A port switch protection, thus reducing cost and complexity.
LOAD

BATTERY BUS DIFF
RS OUTPUT
100 0.1 100 TO ADC
+
I 100 LTC6101 RIN RIN LTC6101
100 ROUT ROUT
RS RS
4 3 5 5 3 4
+
FOR IM RANGE = 100A,
DIFF OUT =2.5V

RS = 1m
LTC6101 LTC6101 RIN = 200
ROUT = 4.99k
+ +
2 1 1 2 IM
2.5V 5V
REF
2.5k
+ DN374 F04
LT1490 VOUT
2.5V TO 5V (CONNECTION A) Figure 48. Practical H-Bridge Current Monitor Offers Fault
2.5V TO 0V (CONNECTION B) Detection and Bidirectional Load Information
0A TO 1A IN EITHER DIRECTION
2.5k
Figure 47. Bidirectional Current Sensing with

Single-Ended Output
an105fa
AN105-29
BIDIRECTIONAL
Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor (Figure 49) Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with
Many of the newer electric drive functions, such as steer- External Voltage Reference and I/V Converter
(Figure 50)
ing assist, are bidirectional in nature. These functions are
generally driven by H-bridge MOSFET arrays using pulse- The LT1787s output is buffered by an LT1495 rail-to-rail
width modulation (PWM) methods to vary the commanded op amp configured as an I/V converter. This configuration
torque. In these systems, there are two main purposes for is ideal for monitoring very low voltage supplies. The
current monitoring. One is to monitor the current in the LT1787s VOUT pin is held equal to the reference voltage
load, to track its performance against the desired com- appearing at the op amps noninverting input. This al-
mand (i.e., closed-loop servo law), and another is for fault lows one to monitor supply voltages as low as 2.5V. The
detection and protection features. op amps output may swing from ground to its positive
supply voltage. The low impedance output of the op amp
A common monitoring approach in these systems is to
may drive following circuitry more effectively than the
amplify the voltage on a flying sense resistor, as shown.
Unfortunately, several potentially hazardous fault scenarios high output impedance of the LT1787. The I/V converter
configuration also works well with split supply voltages.
go undetected, such as a simple short to ground at a motor
terminal. Another complication is the noise introduced by
ISENSE
the PWM activity. While the PWM noise may be filtered for TO RSENSE
CHARGER/
purposes of the servo law, information useful for protection LOAD C1 2.5V + VSENSE(MAX)
becomes obscured. The best solution is to simply provide 1
FIL FIL+
8 1F
two circuits that individually protect each half-bridge and

LT1787
VS+ 7
2 VS
report the bidirectional load current. In some cases, a 2.5V
3 VBIAS 6
smart MOSFET bridge driver may already include sense DNC
C3
resistors and offer the protection features needed. In these 4
ROUT
5 1000pF
VEE
situations, the best solution is the one that derives the load VOUT

information with the least additional circuitry. A1 VOUT A
2.5V + LT1495
1M
BATTERY BUS 5% LT1389-1.25
+ 1787 F07
Figure 50. Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with

External Voltage Reference and I/V Converter
RS +
DIFF
AMP
IM
DN374 F03
Figure 49. Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor
an105fa
AN105-30
BIDIRECTIONAL
Battery Current Monitor (Figure 51) Fast Current Sense with Alarm (Figure 52)
One LT1495 dual op amp package can be used to establish The LT1995 is shown as a simple unity gain difference
separate charge and discharge current monitoring outputs. amplifier. When biased with split supplies the input current
The LT1495 features Over-the-Top operation allowing can flow in either direction providing an output voltage of
the battery potential to be as high as 36V with only a 5V 100mV per Amp from the voltage across the 100m sense
amplifier supply voltage. resistor. With 32MHz of bandwidth and 1000V/s slew
rate the response of this sense amplifier is fast. Adding a
IL
simple comparator with a built in reference voltage circuit
RSENSE
CHARGE
0.1
such as the LT6700-3 can be used to generate an overcur-
rent flag. With the 400mV reference the flag occurs at 4A.
DISCHARGE 5V 12V
RA RA 15V TO 15V 15V

A2 A1 I
1/2 LT1495 RA RA 1/2 LT1495 LT6700-3
P1 10k
+
+
10k +
0.1 LT1995
G=1 REF
M1
2N3904 2N3904 SENSE

()
FLAG
RB OUTPUT
DISCHARGE CHARGE VO = IL RSENSE OUTPUT
RA 100mV/A
OUT OUT 15V 4A LIMIT
RB RB FOR RA = 1k, RB = 10k
VO 400mV
= 1V/A
IL 1495 TA05
1995 TA05
Figure 51. Battery Current Monitor

Figure 52. Fast Current Sense with Alarm
an105fa
AN105-31
BIDIRECTIONAL
Bidirectional Current Sense with Separate Bidirectional Absolute Value Current Sense
Charge/Discharge Output (Figure 53) (Figure 54)
In this circuit the outputs are enabled by the direction of The high impedance current source outputs of two
current flow. The battery current when either charging LTC6101s can be directly tied together. In this circuit
or discharging enables only one of the outputs. For ex- the voltage at VOUT continuously represents the absolute
ample when charging, the VOUT D signal goes low since value of the magnitude of the current into or out of the
the output MOSFET of that LTC6101 turns completely off battery. The direction or polarity of the current flow is not
while the other LT6101, VOUT C, ramps from low to high discriminated.
in proportion to the charging current. The active output
reverses when the charger is removed and the battery
discharges into the load.
IDISCHARGE RSENSE ICHARGE
CHARGER
RIN D RIN C
100 100
RIN D RIN C
100 100
4 3 3 4
VBATT
L 2 + 5 5 + 2
O
A
D
1 1
LTC6101 LTC6101
+ +
ROUT D VOUT D VOUT C ROUT C
4.99k 4.99k

6101 TA02
DISCHARGING: VOUT D = IDISCHARGE RSENSE ( ROUT D

RIN D )
WHEN IDISCHARGE 0
CHARGING: VOUT C = ICHARGE RSENSE ( ROUT C

RIN C )
WHEN ICHARGE 0
Figure 53. Bidirectional Current Sense with Separate Charge/Discharge Output
IDISCHARGE RSENSE ICHARGE

CHARGER
RIN D RIN C
RIN D RIN C
4 3 3 4
VBATT
L 2 + 5 5 + 2
O
A
D
1 1
LTC6101 LTC6101
+
VOUT ROUT

6101 TA05
DISCHARGING: VOUT = IDISCHARGE RSENSE ( ROUT

RIN D )
WHEN IDISCHARGE 0
CHARGING: VOUT = ICHARGE RSENSE

ROUT
RIN C (
WHEN ICHARGE 0 )
Figure 54. Bidirectional Absolute Value Current Sense
an105fa
AN105-32
BIDIRECTIONAL
Full-Bridge Load Current Monitor (Figure 55) Low Power, Bidirectional 60V Precision High Side
The LT1990 is a difference amplifier that features a very Current Sense (Figure 56)
wide common mode input voltage range that can far Using a very precise zero-drift amplifier as a pre-amp
exceed its own supply voltage. This is an advantage to allows for the use of a very small sense resistor in a high
reject transient voltages when used to monitor the current voltage supply line. A floating power supply regulates the
in a full-bridge driven inductive load such as a motor. The voltage across the pre-amplifier on any voltage rail up to
LT6650 provides a voltage reference of 1.5V to bias up the the 60V limit of the LT1787HV circuit. Overall gain of this
output away from ground. The output will move above or circuit is 1000. A 1mA change in current in either direction
below 1.5V as a function of which direction the current through the 10m sense resistor will produce a 10mV
in the load is flowing. As shown, the amplifier provides change in the output voltage.
a gain of 10 to the voltage developed across resistor RS.
+VSOURCE 5V
LT1990
900k 10k 8
7
1M 100k
2

RS 6
VOUT
+ 3 1M
+
IL VREF = 1.5V
4
10k 5
IN OUT 54.9k 1nF
LT6650 40k 900k
GND FB 40k 100k
20k
12V VCM 73V
VOUT = VREF (10 IL RS) 1 1990 TA01
1F
Figure 55. Full-Bridge Load Current Monitor
POSITIVE SENSE
10m
5 3 +
BAT54 VSENSE
1
PRECISION
LTC1754-5 BIDIRECTIONAL
100
1N4686 3 5 GAIN OF 125
3.9VZ 0.1F +
2 4 6 1
10F 10F LTC2054
1F 100 4 0.1F
2
12.4k
33
2 7
2N5401 1 VS VS+ 8
ON 5V VOUT = 2.5V
MPSA42 POWER SUPPLY PRECISION +1000* VSENSE
OFF 0V 5
(NOTE: POSITIVE BIDIRECTIONAL LT1787HV
CURRENT SENSE HIGH VOLTAGE
35.7k INCLUDES CIRCUIT LEVEL SHIFT 4.7F
SUPPLY CURRENT) AND GAIN OF 8 6
2.5V REF
4
20545 TA06
Figure 56. Low Power, Bidirectional 60V Precision High Side Current Sense
an105fa
AN105-33
BIDIRECTIONAL
Split or Single Supply Operation, Bidirectional Output Bidirectional Precision Current Sensing (Figure 58)
into A/D (Figure 57) This circuit uses two LTC6102 devices, one for each di-
In this circuit, split supply operation is used on both the rection of current flow through a single sense resistance.
LT1787 and LT1404 to provide a symmetric bidirectional While each output only provides a result in one particular
measurement. In the single-supply case, where the LT1787 direction of current, taking the two output signals differ-
Pin 6 is driven by VREF, the bidirectional measurement entially provides a bipolar signal to other circuitry such
range is slightly asymmetric due to VREF being somewhat as an ADC. Since each circuit has its own gain resistors,
greater than midspan of the ADC input range. bilinear scaling is possible (different scaling depending
on direction).
1
1%
IS = 125mA VCC
5V
VSRCE 1 8
FIL FIL+
4.75V LT1787
VS+ 7 10F
2 VS
16V
3 VBIAS 6 1
DNC
7
20k CONV
VEE 4 5 VOUT (1V) 2 6 CLOCKING
VEE AIN LTC1404 CLK
5V VOUT 3 CIRCUITRY
OPTIONAL SINGLE VREF 5
DOUT
SUPPLY OPERATION: 10F GND
DISCONNECT VBIAS 16V 4 8
FROM GROUND
AND CONNECT IT TO VREF. 10F DOUT
REPLACE 5V SUPPLY 16V
WITH GROUND. VEE 1787 TA02
OUTPUT CODE FOR ZERO 5V
CURRENT WILL BE ~2430
Figure 57. Split or Single Supply Operation, Bidirectional Output into A/D
ICHARGE RSENSE IDISCHARGE

CHARGER
RIN C RIN D
100 100
RIN C RIN D
100 100
+IN INS INS +IN
VBATT INF INF

+ + L
V V+ V+ V
O
0.1F 0.1F A
VREG VREG D
OUT OUT
LTC6102 LTC6102
+ +
ROUT C VOUT C VOUT D ROUT D
4.99k 4.99k

6102 TA02
DISCHARGING: VOUT D = IDISCHARGE RSENSE ( ROUT D

RIN D )
WHEN IDISCHARGE 0
CHARGING: VOUT C = ICHARGE RSENSE ( ROUT C

RIN C )
WHEN ICHARGE 0
Figure 58. Bidirectional Precision Current Sensing

an105fa
AN105-34
BIDIRECTIONAL
Differential Output Bidirectional 10A Current Sense Absolute Value Output Bidirectional Current Sensing
(Figure 59) (Figure 60)
The LTC6103 has dual sense amplifiers and each measures Connecting an LTC6103 so that the outputs each represent
current in one direction through a single sense resistance. opposite current flow through a shared sense resistance,
The outputs can be taken together as a differential output but with the outputs driving a common load, results in a
to subsequent circuitry such as an ADC. Values shown positive only output function while sensing bidirectionally.
are for 10A maximum measurement.
10m
+
VBATT 200 200 LOAD CHARGER
4V < VBATT < 60V
8 7 6 5
+INA INA INB +INB
+ +
VSA VSB
OUTA V OUTB
LTC6103
1 4 2
+ DIFFERENTIAL OUTPUT*
2.5V FS (+ IS CHARGE CURRENT)
4.99k 4.99k +OUTPUT MAY BE TAKEN SINGLE ENDED
AS CHARGE CURRENT MONITOR
6103 TA02 * OUTPUT MAY BE TAKEN SINGLE ENDED
AS DISCHARGE CURRENT MONITOR
OUTPUT SWING MAY BE LIMITED FOR
VBATT BELOW 6V
Figure 59. Differential Output Bidirectional 10A Current Sense
20m
+
VBATT 200 200 LOAD CHARGER
8 7 6 5
+INA INA INB +INB
+ +
VSA VSB
OUTA V OUTB
LTC6103
1 4 2
VOUT
2.5V FS
4.99k
6103 TA03
Figure 60. Absolute Value Output Bidirectional Current Sensing
an105fa
AN105-35
BIDIRECTIONAL
More Bidirectional Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
124 Monitor H-Bridge Motor Current Directly
128 Fixed Gain DC Motor Current Monitor
178 Digitize a Bidirectional Current Using a Single Sense Amplifier and ADC
an105fa
AN105-36
AC
Sensing current in AC power lines is quite tricky in the former can be connected directly to the converter. Up to
sense that both the current and voltage are continuously 75A of AC current is measurable without breaking the signal
changing polarity. Transformer coupling of signals to drive path from a power source to a load. The accurate operating
ground referenced circuitry is often a good approach. range of the circuit is determined by the selection of the
transformer termination resistor. All of the math is built
Single-Supply RMS Current Measurement (Figure 61) in to the LTC1966 to provide a DC output voltage that is
The LT1966 is a true RMS-to-DC converter that takes a proportional to the true RMS value of the current. This is
single-ended or differential input signal with rail-to-rail valuable in determining the power/energy consumption
range. The output of a PCB mounted current sense trans- of AC-powered appliances.
V+
LTC1966
IN1
AC CURRENT
75A MAX T1 10 VOUT VOUT = 4mVDC/ARMS
50Hz TO 400Hz CAVE
IN2 OUT RTN 1F
100k VSS GND EN
1966 TA08
0.1F 100k
T1: CR MAGNETICS CR8348-2500-N
www.crmagnetics.com
Figure 61. Single-Supply RMS Current Measurement
More AC Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:

FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-37
DC
DC current sensing is for measuring current flow that is LT1991 measuring the voltage. The LT6100 senses the
changing at a very slow rate. current by measuring the voltage across the 10 resistor,
applies a gain of 50, and provides a ground referenced
Micro-Hotplate Voltage and Current Monitor output. The I to V gain is therefore 500mV/mA, which
(Figure 62) makes sense given the 10mA full-scale heater current and
Materials science research examines the properties and the 5V output swing of the LT6100. The LT1991s task is
interactions of materials at various temperatures. Some the opposite, applying precision attenuation instead of
of the more interesting properties can be excited with gain. The full-scale voltage of the heater is a total of 40V
localized nano-technology heaters and detected using the (20), beyond which the life of the heater may be reduced
presence of interactive thin films. in some atmospheres. The LT1991 is set up for an attenua-
tion factor of 10, so that the 40V full-scale differential drive
While the exact methods of detection are highly complex becomes 4V ground referenced at the LT1991 output. In
and relatively proprietary, the method of creating localized both cases, the voltages are easily read by 0V5V PC I/O
heat is as old as the light bulb. Shown is the schematic cards and the system readily software controlled.
of the heater elements of a Micro-hotplate from Boston
Microsystems (www.bostonmicrosystems.com). The Battery Current Monitor (Figure 63)
physical dimensions of the elements are tens of microns.
One LT1495 dual op amp package can be used to estab-
They are micromachined out of SiC and heated with simple
lish separate charge and discharge current monitoring
DC electrical power, being able to reach 1000C without
outputs. The LT1495 features Over-the-Top operation
damage.
allowing the battery potential to be as high as 36V with
The power introduced to the elements, and thereby their only a 5V amplifier supply voltage.
temperature, is ascertained from the voltage-current
product with the LT6100 measuring the current and the
IL
RSENSE
CHARGE
0.1
+
VDR
DISCHARGE 5V 12V
10 RA RA

1%

VS VS+ A2 A1
IHOTPLATE 1/2 LT1495 RA RA 1/2 LT1495
+
+ +
5V VCC CURRENT
MONITOR 2N3904 2N3904
()
LT6100 VOUT = 500mV/mA
DISCHARGE CHARGE RB
VEE A2 A4 V O = IL RSENSE
OUT OUT RA
MICRO-HOTPLATE
BOSTON RB RB FOR RA = 1k, RB = 10k
MICROSYSTEMS VO
= 1V/A
MHP100S-005 IL
5V 1495 TA05
5V
M9
M3
VOLTAGE
M1
LT1991 MONITOR
P1 V + VDR
P3 VOUT = DR
10
P9
VDR 6100 TA06
www.bostonmicrosystems.com
Figure 62. Micro-Hotplate Voltage and Current Monitor
an105fa
AN105-38
DC
Bidirectional Battery-Current Monitor (Figure 64) VOS performance of op amps at the supply is generally not
factory trimmed, thus less accurate than other solutions.
This circuit provides the capability of monitoring current
The finite current gain of the bipolar transistor is a small
in either direction through the sense resistor. To allow
source of gain error.
negative outputs to represent charging current, VEE is
connected to a small negative supply. In single-supply
High Side Current Sense and Fuse Monitor (Figure 66)
operation (VEE at ground), the output range may be offset
upwards by applying a positive reference level to VBIAS The LT6100 can be used as a combination current sen-
(1.25V for example). C3 may be used to form a filter in sor and fuse monitor. This part includes on-chip output
conjunction with the output resistance (ROUT) of the part. buffering and was designed to operate with the low supply
This solution offers excellent precision (very low VOS) and voltage (2.7V), typical of vehicle data acquisition systems,
a fixed nominal gain of 8. while the sense inputs monitor signals at the higher bat-
TO RSENSE
tery bus potential. The LT6100 inputs are tolerant of large
CHARGER/ input differentials, thus allowing the blown-fuse operating
LOAD C1
1F
15V condition (this would be detected by an output full-scale
1 8
FIL
LT1787
FIL+ indication). The LT6100 can also be powered down while

2 VS VS+ 7 maintaining high impedance sense inputs, drawing less
3
DNC
VBIAS 6 than 1A max from the battery bus.
ROUT
4 5
VEE OUTPUT RSENSE
VOUT TO LOAD
C2 C3* 2m FUSE
5V BATTERY
1F 1000pF BUS
1787 F02 1 8 +

VS VS+
*OPTIONAL ADC 2 7
POWER VCC A4
Figure 64. Bidirectional Battery-Current Monitor 2.7V C2 +
0.1F
Classic Positive Supply Rail Current Sense 3
FIL A2
6
(Figure 65)
This circuit uses generic devices to assemble a function 4
VEE
OUT 5 OUTPUT
similar to an LTC6101. A rail-to-rail input type op amp is LT6100
2.5V = 25A
required since input voltages are right at the upper rail. DN374 F02
The circuit shown here is capable of monitoring up to 44V Figure 66. High Side Current Sense and Fuse Monitor
applications. Besides the complication of extra parts, the
5V
200
0.2 +
Q1
LT1637
200 2N3904
0V TO 4.3V
LOAD ILOAD 2k
1637 TA02
VOUT = (2)(ILOAD)
Figure 65. Classic Positive Supply Rail Current Sense

an105fa
AN105-39
DC
Gain of 50 Current Sense (Figure 67) Dual LTC6101s Allow High-Low Current Ranging
The LT6100 is configured for a gain of 50 by grounding (Figure 68)
both A2 and A4. This is one of the simplest current sensing Using two current sense amplifiers with two values of
amplifier circuits where only a sense resistor is required. sense resistors is an easy method of sensing current over
a wide range. In this circuit the sensitivity and resolution of
ISENSE RSENSE
measurement is 10 times greater with low currents, less
VSUPPLY
6.4V TO 48V
than 1.2A, than with higher currents. A comparator detects
LT6100 VS
+
VS LOAD higher current flow, up to 10A, and switches sensing over
to the high current circuitry.
+
5V VCC
FIL
VOUT
50 RSENSE ISENSE
VEE A2 A4
6100 TA04
Figure 67. Gain of 50 Current Sense
CMPZ4697 VLOGIC
(3.3V TO 5V)
10k 7
M1 3
Si4465 +
VIN
4
ILOAD
RSENSE HI
10m 8 Q1
5 CMPT5551
VOUT
RSENSE LO 40.2k 6
301 100m 301 301 301
4.7k
1.74M
LTC1540
4 3 4 3
2 1 HIGH
2 + 5 2 + 5 RANGE
VIN
619k INDICATOR
(ILOAD > 1.2A)
1 1 HIGH CURRENT RANGE OUT

LTC6101 LTC6101
250mV/A
7.5k
VLOGIC
BAT54C
LOW CURRENT RANGE OUT
2.5V/A
R5
7.5k
(VLOGIC +5V) VIN 60V
0 ILOAD 10A 6101 F03b
Figure 68. Dual LTC6101s Allow High-Low Current Ranging
an105fa
AN105-40
DC
Two Terminal Current Regulator (Figure 69) power to the circuit with batteries, any voltage potential
at the inputs are handled. The LT1495 is a micropower op
The LT1635 combines an op amp with a 200mV reference.
amp so the quiescent current drain from the batteries is
Scaling this reference voltage to a potential across resistor
very low and thus no on/off switch is required.
R3 forces a controlled amount of current to flow from the
+terminal to the terminal. Power is taken from the loop. 100pF
+ (R2 + R3)VREF
IOUT = R1
(R1)(R3)
10M
2 7 R4
10k

6 1/2
LT1635 1.5V
LT1495
3 + 4 INPUT 1/2
+
1 CURRENT LT1495
R2
R1 8 + 9k 1.5V
R3
IS = 3A WHEN IIN = 0
2k
R2 R3 FULL-SCALE NO ON/OFF SWITCH
1635 TA05 ADJUST REQUIRED
0A TO
A
200A
Figure 69. Two Terminal Current Regulator 1495 TA06
Figure 71. 0nA to 200nA Current Meter

High Side Power Supply Current Sense (Figure 70)
The low offset error of the LTC6800 allows for unusually Over-The-Top Current Sense (Figure 72)
low sense resistance while retaining accuracy. This circuit is a variation on the classic high side cir-
cuit, but takes advantage of Over-the-Top input capability
VREGULATOR
1.5m to separately supply the IC from a low voltage rail. This
provides a measure of fault protection to downstream
2 8 circuitry by virtue of the limited output swing set by the low
7
OUT
100mV/A voltage supply. The disadvantage is VOS in the Over-the-
LTC6800
3 + 6
OF LOAD
CURRENT
10k
4
5 accurate. The finite current gain of the bipolar transistor
0.1F
ILOAD LOAD is a source of small gain error.
150
3V TO 44V
R1
6800 TA01 200
3V
Figure 70. High Side Power Supply Current Sense RS
0.2 +
Q1
LT1637
2N3904
0nA to 200nA Current Meter (Figure 71) VOUT
ILOAD (0V TO 2.7V)
A floating amplifier circuit converts a full-scale 200nA R2
2k
flowing in the direction indicated at the inputs to 2V at LOAD ILOAD =
VOUT
(RS)(R2/R1)
the output of the LT1495. This voltage is converted to a
1637 TA06
current to drive a 200A meter movement. By floating the

Figure 72. Over-The-Top Current Sense
an105fa
AN105-41
DC
Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor (Figure 73) Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with
Many of the newer electric drive functions, such as steer- External Voltage Reference and I/V Converter
ing assist, are bidirectional in nature. These functions are (Figure 74)
generally driven by H-bridge MOSFET arrays using pulse- The LT1787s output is buffered by an LT1495 rail-to-rail
width modulation (PWM) methods to vary the commanded op amp configured as an I/V converter. This configuration
torque. In these systems, there are two main purposes for is ideal for monitoring very low voltage supplies. The
current monitoring. One is to monitor the current in the LT1787s VOUT pin is held equal to the reference voltage
load, to track its performance against the desired com- appearing at the op amps non-inverting input. This al-
mand (i.e., closed-loop servo law), and another is for fault lows one to monitor supply voltages as low as 2.5V. The
detection and protection features. op amps output may swing from ground to its positive
A common monitoring approach in these systems is to supply voltage. The low impedance output of the op amp
amplify the voltage on a flying sense resistor, as shown. may drive following circuitry more effectively than the
Unfortunately, several potentially hazardous fault scenarios high output impedance of the LT1787. The I/V converter
go undetected, such as a simple short to ground at a motor configuration also works well with split supply voltages.
terminal. Another complication is the noise introduced by ISENSE
RSENSE
the PWM activity. While the PWM noise may be filtered for TO
CHARGER/
purposes of the servo law, information useful for protection LOAD C1 2.5V + VSENSE(MAX)
1F
FIL FIL+
8
LT1787
two circuits that individually protect each half-bridge and 2 VS
VS+ 7
report the bidirectional load current. In some cases, a 3 VBIAS 6
2.5V
smart MOSFET bridge driver may already include sense DNC

C3
ROUT
resistors and offer the protection features needed. In these 4
VEE
5 1000pF
situations, the best solution is the one that derives the load VOUT

information with the least additional circuitry. A1 VOUT A
2.5V + LT1495
1M
5% LT1389-1.25
BATTERY BUS
1787 F07
+

RS +
DIFF
AMP
IM
DN374 F03
an105fa
AN105-42
DC
Battery Current Monitor (Figure 75) IL
RSENSE
CHARGE
0.1
One LT1495 dual op amp package can be used to establish
separate charge and discharge current monitoring outputs. DISCHARGE 12V
5V
The LT1495 features Over-the-Top operation allowing RA RA
the battery potential to be as high as 36V with only a 5V

A2 A1
amplifier supply voltage. 1/2 LT1495 RA RA 1/2 LT1495
+
+
Fast Current Sense with Alarm (Figure 76)

2N3904 2N3904
The LT1995 is shown as a simple unity-gain difference
amplifier. When biased with split supplies the input
DISCHARGE
OUT
CHARGE
OUT
V O = IL ()
RB
RA
RSENSE
FOR RA = 1k, RB = 10k

current can flow in either direction providing an output RB RB
VO
= 1V/A
voltage of 100mV per Amp from the voltage across the IL 1495 TA05
100m sense resistor. With 32MHz of bandwidth and Figure 75. Battery Current Monitor
1000V/s slew rate the response of this sense amplifier
is fast. Adding a simple comparator with a built in refer- 15V TO 15V 15V
ence voltage circuit such as the LT6700-3 can be used to
I
generate an over current flag. With the 400mV reference LT6700-3
P1 10k
the flag occurs at 4A. 10k +
0.1 LT1995
G=1 REF
M1
Positive Supply Rail Current Sense (Figure 77) SENSE
FLAG
OUTPUT
OUTPUT
100mV/A
This is a configuration similar to an LT6100 implemented 15V 4A LIMIT
with generic components. A rail-to-rail or Over-the-Top

400mV
input op amp type is required (for the first section). The
first section is a variation on the classic high side where
1995 TA05
the P-MOSFET provides an accurate output current into Figure 76. Fast Current Sense with Alarm
R2 (compared to a BJT). The second section is a buffer
to allow driving ADC ports, etc., and could be configured
with gain if needed. As shown, this circuit can handle up VCC
R1
to 36V operation. Small-signal range is limited by VOL in 200
single-supply operation.
Rs
0.2
1/2 LT1366 Q1 1/2 LT1366
TP0610L
+ +
ILOAD
R2
VO = ILOAD RS
R2
R1 ( )
20k = ILOAD 20
LOAD
1366 TA01
Figure 77. Positive Supply Rail Current Sense
an105fa
AN105-43
DC
LT6100 Load Current Monitor (Figure 78) TO LOAD RSENSE
This is the basic LT6100 circuit configuration. The internal C1

+
1 8 0.1F 5V
circuitry, including an output buffer, typically operates from VS VS+
a low voltage supply, such as the 3V shown. The moni- 2
VCC A4
7
tored supply can range anywhere from VCC + 1.4V up to + C2
3V +
0.1F
48V. The A2 and A4 pins can be strapped various ways to
3 6
provide a wide range of internally fixed gains. The input FIL A2
leads become very Hi-Z when VCC is powered down, so

as not to drain batteries for example. Access to an internal 4
VEE
OUT 5
OUTPUT
signal node (Pin 3) provides an option to include a filtering LT6100
function with one added capacitor. Small-signal range is 6100 F04
limited by VOL in single-supply operation. Figure 78. LT6100 Load Current Monitor
1A Voltage-Controlled Current Sink (Figure 79)

V+
This is a simple controlled current sink, where the op amp
drives the N-MOSFET gate to develop a match between V+ RL
the 1 sense resistor drop and the VIN current command. IOUT
VIN +
Since the common mode voltage seen by the op amp is 1/2 100 Si9410DY
near ground potential, a single-supply or rail-to-rail type LT1492 N-CHANNEL

is required in this application. 100pF
1k
LTC6101 Supply Current Included as Load in V

IOUT = IN
1
Measurement (Figure 80) tr < 1s
1
1492/93 TA06
This is the basic LTC6101 high side sensing supply-monitor Figure 79. 1A Voltage-Controlled Current Sink
configuration, where the supply current drawn by the IC is
included in the readout signal. This configuration is use-
V+
ful when the IC current may not be negligible in terms of
overall current draw, such as in low power battery-powered RIN
applications. RSENSE should be selected to limit voltage RSENSE
4 3
drop to <500mV for best linearity. If it is desirable not to
+
include the IC current in the readout, as in load monitor-
ing, Pin 5 may be connected directly to V+ instead of the LOAD 2 5
load. Gain accuracy of this circuit is limited only by the
precision of the resistors selected by the user.
1
LTC6101 VOUT
ROUT
6101 F06
Figure 80. LTC6101 Supply Current Included as Load

in Measurement
an105fa
AN105-44
DC
V+ Powered Separately from Load Supply (Figure 81) 4.4V TO 48V 3V
SUPPLY
2 7 6
The inputs of the LTC6101 can function from 1.4V above LT6100 VCC A4 A2
the device positive supply to 48V DC. In this circuit the
current flow in the high voltage rail is directly translated 8 VS
+
to a 0V to 3V range. RSENSE VOUT 5 VOUT = 2.5V

3m ISENSE = 33A

1 VS
Simple High Side Current Sense Using the LTC6101
(Figure 82) VEE FIL
LOAD 6100 TA01a
This is a basic high side current monitor using the LTC6101. 4 3

220pF
CONFIGURED FOR GAIN = 25V/V
The selection of RIN and ROUT establishes the desired gain
of this circuit, powered directly from the battery bus. The
current output of the LTC6101 allows it to be located re- Figure 81. V+ Powered Separately from Load Supply
motely to ROUT. Thus, the amplifier can be placed directly
BATTERY BUS
at the shunt, while ROUT is placed near the monitoring
electronics without ground drop errors. This circuit has
a fast 1s response time that makes it ideal for providing RSENSE
RIN
100
MOSFET load switch protection. The switch element may 0.01
4 3
be the high side type connected between the sense resistor LOAD +
and the load, a low side type between the load and ground 2 5
or an H-bridge. The circuit is programmable to produce up
to 1mA of full-scale output current into ROUT, yet draws a
mere 250A supply current when the load is off.
1 VOUT
LT6101
4.99V = 10A
ROUT
Classic High Precision Low Side Current Sense 4.99k
(Figure 83) VOUT = ILOAD(RSENSE ROUT/RIN) DN374 F01
This configuration is basically a standard noninverting

amplifier. The op amp used must support common mode Figure 82. Simple High Side Current Sense Using the LTC6101
operation at the lower rail and the use of a zero-drift type
(as shown) provides excellent precision. The output of 5V
this circuit is referenced to the lower Kelvin contact, which 3 5 OUT

could be ground in a single-supply application. Small-signal + 3V/AMP
1 LOAD CURRENT
range is limited by VOL for single-supply designs. Scaling 4
LTC2050HV
IN MEASURED
accuracy is set by the quality of the user-selected resistors. 2
CIRCUIT, REFERRED
TO 5V
10 10k
TO 3m
MEASURED
CIRCUIT
LOAD CURRENT 0.1F
5V 2050 TA08
Figure 83. Classic High Precision Low Side Current Sense
an105fa
AN105-45
DC
More DC Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
60 Absolute Value Output Bidirectional Current Sensing
178 Digitize a Bi-Directional Current Using a Single Sense Amplifier and ADC
an105fa
AN105-46
LEVEL SHIFTING
Quite often it is required to sense current flow in a sup- V+ Powered Separately from Load Supply (Figure 85)
ply rail that is a much higher voltage potential than the The inputs of the LTC6101 can function from 1.4V above
supply voltage for the system electronics. Current sense the device positive supply to 48V DC. In this circuit the
circuits with high voltage capability are useful to translate
current flow in the high voltage rail is directly translated
information to lower voltage signals for processing.
to a 0V to 3V range.
Over-The-Top Current Sense (Figure 84)
Voltage Translator (Figure 86)
This circuit is a variation on the classic high side cir-
This is a convenient usage of the LTC6101 current sense
cuit, but takes advantage of Over-the-Top input capability
amplifier as a high voltage level translator. Differential
to separately supply the IC from a low voltage rail. This
voltage signals riding on top of a high common mode
provides a measure of fault protection to downstream
voltage (up to 105V with the LTC6101HV) get converted to
circuitry by virtue of the limited output swing set by the low
a current, through RIN, and then scaled down to a ground
voltage supply. The disadvantage is VOS in the Over-the- referenced voltage across ROUT.
accurate. The finite current gain of the bipolar transistor
is a source of small gain error. +
RIN
VIN
3V TO 44V 4 3
R1
200 +
3V 2 5
RS
0.2 + +
LT1637
Q1 VTRANSLATE
2N3904
VOUT
1
ILOAD (0V TO 2.7V) VOUT
R2 LTC6101
VOUT 2k ROUT
LOAD ILOAD =
(RS)(R2/R1) 1637 TA06
Figure 84. Over-The-Top Current Sense Figure 86. Voltage Translator
4.4V TO 48V 3V
SUPPLY
2 7 6
LT6100 VCC A4 A2
+
8 VS
RSENSE VOUT 5 VOUT = 2.5V

3m ISENSE = 33A

1 VS
VEE FIL
LOAD 6100 TA01a
4 3
CONFIGURED FOR GAIN = 25V/V 220pF
Figure 85. V+ Powered Separately from Load Supply

an105fa
AN105-47
LEVEL SHIFTING
Low Power, Bidirectional 60V Precision High Side voltage across the pre-amplifier on any voltage rail up to
Current Sense (Figure 87) the 60V limit of the LT1787HV circuit. Overall gain of this
Using a very precise zero-drift amplifier as a pre-amp circuit is 1000. A 1mA change in current in either direction
allows for the use of a very small sense resistor in a high through the 10m sense resistor will produce a 10mV
voltage supply line. A floating power supply regulates the change in the output voltage.
POSITIVE SENSE
10m
5 3 +
BAT54 VSENSE
1
PRECISION
100
1N4686 3 5 GAIN OF 125
3.9VZ 0.1F +
2 4 6 1
10F 10F LTC2054
1F 100 4 0.1F
2
12.4k
33
2 7
2N5401 1 VS VS+ 8
ON 5V VOUT = 2.5V
OFF 0V 5
2.5V REF
4
20545 TA06
More Level Shifting Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:

FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-48
HIGH VOLTAGE
Monitoring current flow in a high voltage line often re- Measuring Bias Current Into an Avalanche Photo
quires floating the supply of the measuring circuits up Diode (APD) Using an Instrumentation Amplifier
near the high voltage potentials. Level shifting and isola- (Figures 89a and 89b)
tion components are then often used to develop a lower
The upper circuit (a) uses an instrumentation amplifier
output voltage indication.
(IA) powered by a separate rail (>1V above VIN) to mea-
sure across the 1k current shunt. The lower figure (b)
Over-The-Top Current Sense (Figure 88)
is similar but derives its power supply from the APD bias
This circuit is a variation on the classic high side cir- line. The limitation of these circuits is the 35V maximum
cuit, but takes advantage of Over-the-Top input capability APD voltage, whereas some APDs may require 90V or
to separately supply the IC from a low voltage rail. This more. In the single-supply configuration shown, there is
provides a measure of fault protection to downstream also a dynamic range limitation due to VOL to consider.
circuitry by virtue of the limited output swing set by the low The advantage of this approach is the high accuracy that
voltage supply. The disadvantage is VOS in the Over-the- is available in an IA.
accurate. The finite current gain of the bipolar transistor
1k
is a source of small gain error. VIN
1%
BIAS OUTPUT
10V TO 33V TO APD
35V
3V TO 44V
R1 CURRENT
200 MONITOR OUTPUT
LT1789
3V +
RS
0.2 + AN92 F02b
Q1
LT1637
2N3904
VOUT Figure 89a
ILOAD (0V TO 2.7V)
R2
VOUT 2k 1N4684
LOAD ILOAD = 1k
(RS)(R2/R1) 3.3V
1%
1637 TA06
VIN BIAS OUTPUT
10V TO 35V TO APD
10M
Figure 88. Over-The-Top Current Sense CURRENT
LT1789 MONITOR OUTPUT
+ A=1
AN92 F02b
Figure 89b
Figure 89. Measuring Bias Current Into an Avalanche Photo

Diode (APD) Using an Instrumentation Amplifier
an105fa
AN105-49
HIGH VOLTAGE
Simple 500V Current Monitor (Figure 90) 48V Supply Current Monitor with Isolated Output and
Adding two external MOSFETs to hold off the voltage allows 105V Survivability (Figure 91)
the LTC6101 to connect to very high potentials and monitor The HV version of the LTC6101 can operate with a total
the current flow. The output current from the LTC6101, supply voltage of 105V. Current flow in high supply voltage
which is proportional to the sensed input voltage, flows rails can be monitored directly or in an isolated fashion
through M1 to create a ground referenced output voltage. as shown in this circuit. The gain of the circuit and the
level of output current from the LTC6101 depends on the
particular opto-isolator used.
DANGER! Lethal Potentials Present Use Caution VSENSE ISENSE

VS
+
ISENSE VSENSE 500V LOAD
+ RIN
RSENSE
RSENSE 3 4
RIN
4 3 100
5 + 2
V
L
2 + 5 DANGER!!
O
A
HIGH VOLTAGE!!
D
LTC6101HV
1 62V
LTC6101 VLOGIC
CMZ59448
M1 ROUT
VOUT
VOUT M2
ANY OPTO-ISOLATOR
M1 AND M2 ARE FQD3P50 TM ROUT
2M
4.99k
ROUT V
VOUT = VSENSE = 49.9 VSENSE
RIN
6101 TA09 N = OPTO-ISOLATOR CURRENT GAIN
R
Figure 90. Simple 500V Current Monitor RIN 6101 TA08
Figure 91. 48V Supply Current Monitor with

Isolated Output and 105V Survivability
an105fa
AN105-50
HIGH VOLTAGE
Low Power, Bidirectional 60V Precision High Side voltage across the pre-amplifier on any voltage rail up to
Current Sense (Figure 92) the 60V limit of the LT1787HV circuit. Overall gain of this
circuit is 1000. A 1mA change in current in either direction
Using a very precise zero-drift amplifier as a pre-amp al-
lows for the use of a very small sense resistor in a high through the 10m sense resistor will produce a 10mV
voltage supply line. A floating power supply regulates the change in the output voltage.
POSITIVE SENSE
10m
5 3 +
BAT54 VSENSE
1
PRECISION
100
1N4686 3 5 GAIN OF 125
3.9VZ 0.1F +
2 4 6 1
10F 10F LTC2054
1F 100 4 0.1F
2
12.4k
33
2 7
2N5401 1 VS VS+ 8
ON 5V VOUT = 2.5V
OFF 0V 5
2.5V REF
4
20545 TA06
an105fa
AN105-51
HIGH VOLTAGE
High Voltage Current and Temperature Monitoring referenced voltage proportional to the load current and is
(Figure 93) measured as a single ended input by the ADC. A divided
down representation of the supply voltage is a second
Combining an LTC2990 ADC converter with a high voltage
input. An external NPN transistor serves as a remote
LTC6102HV current sense amplifier allows the measure-
ment of very high voltage rails, up to 104V, and very high temperature sensor.
current loads. The current sense amplifier outputs a ground
RSENSE
1m
1%
VIN
5V TO 105V
ILOAD RIN
0A TO 10A 20
1%
+IN INS 0.1F

+ INF
V V+
VREG
OUT
LTC6102HV ROUT
200k 4.99k 0.1F
1% 1%
4.75k 0.1F
1%
5V
0.1F
VCC V1 MMBT3904
V2
2-WIRE
SDA V3
I2C
SCL LTC2990
INTERFACE 470pF
ADR0
ADR1 V4
GND
2990 TA02
ALL CAPACITORS 20%

VOLTAGE, CURRENT AND TEMPERATURE CONFIGURATION:
CONTROL REGISTER: 0x58
TAMB REG 4, 5 0.0625C/LSB
VLOAD REG 6, 7 13.2mVLSB
V2(ILOAD) REG 8, 9 1.223mA/LSB
TREMOTE REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB
VCC REG E, F 2.5V + 305.18V/LSB
Figure 93. High Voltage Current and Temperature Monitoring
an105fa
AN105-52
HIGH VOLTAGE
More High Voltage Circuits Are Shown In Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-53
LOW VOLTAGE
Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with 1.25V Electronic Circuit Breaker (Figure 95)
External Voltage Reference and I/V Converter The LTC4213 provides protection and automatic circuit
(Figure 94) breaker action by sensing drain-to-source voltage drop
The LT1787s output is buffered by an LT1495 rail-to-rail across the N-MOSFET. The sense inputs have a rail-to-rail
op amp configured as an I/V converter. This configuration common mode range, so the circuit breaker can protect
is ideal for monitoring very low voltage supplies. The bus voltages from 0V up to 6V. Logic signals flag a trip
LT1787s VOUT pin is held equal to the reference voltage condition (with the READY output signal) and reinitialize
appearing at the op amps noninverting input. This al- the breaker (using the ON input). The ON input may also
lows one to monitor supply voltages as low as 2.5V. The be used as a command in a smart switch application.
op amps output may swing from ground to its positive
supply voltage. The low impedance output of the op amp VIN
SI4864DY
VOUT
may drive following circuitry more effectively than the 1.25V 1.25V
3.5A
high output impedance of the LT1787. The I/V converter
configuration also works well with split supply voltages. VBIAS
VCC
SENSEP GATE SENSEN
VBIAS
2.3V TO 6V
LTC4213
10k
ISENSE
TO RSENSE
OFF ON ON GND ISEL READY
CHARGER/
LOAD C1 2.5V + VSENSE(MAX)
1 8 1F
FIL FIL+ 4213 TA01
LT1787
2 VS VS+ 7
2.5V Figure 95. 1.25V Electronic Circuit Breaker
3 VBIAS 6
DNC
C3
ROUT
4 5 1000pF
VEE
VOUT

A1 VOUT A
2.5V + LT1495
1M
5% LT1389-1.25
1787 F07

an105fa
AN105-54
HIGH CURRENT (100mA to Amps)

Sensing high currents accurately requires excellent control than the max current spec allowed unless the max current
of the sensing resistance, which is typically a very small is limited in another way, such as with a Schottky diode
value to minimize losses, and the dynamic range of the across RSENSE. This will reduce the high current measure-
measurement circuitry ment accuracy by limiting the result, while increasing the
low current measurement resolution. This approach can
Kelvin Input Connection Preserves Accuracy Despite be helpful in cases where an occasional large burst of
Large Load Currents (Figure 96) current may be ignored.
Kelvin connection of the IN and +IN inputs to the sense
resistor should be used in all but the lowest power ap- V+
plications. Solder connections and PC board interconnec-
tions that carry high current can cause significant error
RSENSE DSENSE
in measurement due to their relatively large resistances.
By isolating the sense traces from the high current paths, 6101 F03a
this error can be reduced by orders of magnitude. A sense LOAD
resistor with integrated Kelvin sense terminals will give Figure 97. Shunt Diode Limits Maximum Input Voltage to Allow
the best results. Better Low Input Resolution Without Over-Ranging
the LTC6101
V+
Kelvin Sensing (Figure 98)

RSENSE
RIN
In any high current, >1A, application, Kelvin contacts to
4 3 the sense resistor are important to maintain accuracy.
+ This simple illustration from a battery charger application
LOAD
2 5
shows two voltage-sensing traces added to the pads of the
current sense resistor. If the voltage is sensed with high
impedance amplifier inputs, no IxR voltage drop errors
are developed.
1
LTC6101 VOUT
ROUT
DIRECTION OF CHARGING CURRENT
6101 F02
Figure 96. Kelvin Input Connection Preserves Accuracy Despite RSENSE

Large Load Currents
4008 F12
Shunt Diode Limits Maximum Input Voltage to Allow

Better Low Input Resolution Without Over-Ranging
CSP BAT
the LTC6101 (Figure 97)
Figure 98. Kelvin Sensing
If low sense currents must be resolved accurately in a
system that has very wide dynamic range, more gain can
be taken in the sense amplifier by using a smaller value for
resistor RIN. This can result in an operating current greater
an105fa
AN105-55

0A to 33A High Side Current Monitor with Filtering Single Supply RMS Current Measurement
High current sensing on a high voltage supply rail is eas- The LT1966 is a true RMS-to-DC converter that takes a
ily accomplished with the LT6100. The sense amplifier is single-ended or differential input signal with rail-to-rail
biased from a low 3V supply and pin strapped to a gain range. The output of a PCB mounted current sense trans-
of 25V/V to output a 2.5V full-scale reading of the current former can be connected directly to the converter. Up to
flow. A capacitor at the FIL pin to ground will filter out 75A of AC current is measurable without breaking the signal
noise of the system (220pF produces a 12kHz lowpass path from a power source to a load. The accurate operating
corner frequency). range of the circuit is determined by the selection of the
transformer termination resistor. All of the math is built
in to the LTC1966 to provide a DC output voltage that is
proportional to the true RMS value of the current. This is
valuable in determining the power/energy consumption
of AC-powered appliances.
4.4V TO 48V 3V
SUPPLY
2 7 6
LT6100 VCC A4 A2
+
8 VS
RSENSE VOUT 5 VOUT = 2.5V

3m ISENSE = 33A

1 VS
VEE FIL
LOAD 6100 TA01a
4 3
CONFIGURED FOR GAIN = 25V/V 220pF
Figure 99. 0A to 33A High Side Current Monitor with Filtering
V+
LTC1966
IN1
AC CURRENT
75A MAX T1 10 VOUT VOUT = 4mVDC/ARMS
50Hz TO 400Hz CAVE
IN2 OUT RTN 1F
100k VSS GND EN
1966 TA08
0.1F 100k
T1: CR MAGNETICS CR8348-2500-N
www.crmagnetics.com
Figure 100. Single Supply RMS Current Measurement
an105fa
AN105-56

Dual LTC6101s Allow High-Low Current Ranging measurement is 10 times greater with low currents, less
(Figure 101) than 1.2A, than with higher currents. A comparator detects
Using two current sense amplifiers with two values of higher current flow, up to 10A, and switches sensing over
sense resistors is an easy method of sensing current over to the high current circuitry.
a wide range. In this circuit the sensitivity and resolution of
CMPZ4697 VLOGIC
(3.3V TO 5V)
10k 7
M1 3
Si4465 +
VIN
4
ILOAD
RSENSE HI
10m 8 Q1
5 CMPT5551
VOUT
RSENSE LO 40.2k 6
301 100m 301 301 301
4.7k
1.74M
LTC1540
4 3 4 3
2 1 HIGH
2 + 5 2 + 5 RANGE
VIN
619k INDICATOR
(ILOAD > 1.2A)

LTC6101 LTC6101
250mV/A
7.5k
VLOGIC
BAT54C
2.5V/A
R5
7.5k
0 ILOAD 10A 6101 F03b
an105fa
AN105-57

LDO Load Balancing (Figure 102) and servoed to match the master regulator output volt-
age. The precise low offset voltage of the LTC6078 dual op
As system design enhancements are made there is often
amp (10V) balances the load current provided by each
the need to supply more current to a load than originally
regulator to within 1mA. This is achieved using a very
expected. A simple way to modify power amplifiers or
small 10m current sense resistor in series with each
voltage regulators, as shown here, is to parallel devices.
output. This sense resistor can be implemented with PCB
When paralleling devices it is desired that each device
copper traces or thin gauge wire.
shares the total load current equally. In this circuit two
adjustable slave regulator output voltages are sensed
VIN BALLAST RESISTANCE:

IN OUT
1.8V TO 20V + IDENTICAL LENGTH
10F LT1763 0.01F 10F THERMALLY MATED
SHDN BYP WIRE OR PCB TRACE
FB
R2 R1
2k 2k
IN OUT
LT1763 0.01F 10F
( )
VOUT = 1.22V 1 +
R1
R2
SHDN BYP 100

FB ILOAD LOAD
2k
2k
1k
0.1F

A
10k
+
IN OUT
LT1763 0.01F 10F
SHDN BYP 100
FB
2k
2k
0 ILOAD 1.5A 1k
1.22V VOUT VDD 0.1F
LDO LOADS MATCH TO WITHIN VDD
1mA WITH 10m OF BALLAST
RESISTANCE (2 INCHES OF AWG
28 GAUGE STRANDED WIRE) B
A, B: LTC6078 10k
+ 60789 TA09
Figure 102. LDO Load Balancing
an105fa
AN105-58

Sensing Output Current (Figure 103) in a microprocessor controlled system. For closed loop
The LT1970 is a 500mA power amplifier with voltage control of the current to a load an LT1787 can monitor the
programmable output current limit. Separate DC voltage output current. The LT1880 op amp provides scaling and
inputs and an output current sensing resistor control the level shifting of the voltage applied to an A-to-D converter
maximum sourcing and sinking current values. These for a 5mV/mA feedback signal.
control voltages could be provided by a D-to-A converter
VCC
0V TO 1V
12V
VCSRC
VCSNK
EN
+IN VCC
V+
ISRC
ISNK RS
TSD 0.2
LT1970 OUT
SENSE+
SENSE
RLOAD
FILTER

IN V
VEE
COMMON
LT1787 R4
255k
12V VS VS+
RG RF BIAS
12V 12V
R1
20k
60.4k
VEE VOUT
R2 LT1880 2.5V
10k + 5mV/mA
R3 1kHz FULL CURRENT

12V 20k 12V BANDWIDTH
0V TO 5V A/D
1970 F10
OPTIONAL DIGITAL FEEDBACK
Figure 103. Sensing Output Current
an105fa
AN105-59

Using Printed Circuit Sense Resistance (Figure 104) High Voltage, 5A High Side Current Sensing in Small
The outstanding LTC6102 precision allows the use of Package (Figure 105)
sense resistances fabricated with conventional printed The LT6106 is packaged in a small SOT-23 package but
circuit techniques. For one ounce copperclad, the trace still operates over a wide supply range of 3V to 44V. Just
resistance is approximately (L/W)0.0005 and can carry two resistors set the gain (10 in circuit shown) and the
about 4A per mm of trace width. The example below shows output is a voltage referred to ground.
a practical 5A monitoring solution with both L and W set
to 2.5mm. The resistance is subject to about +0.4%/C 3V TO 36V
temperature change and the geometric tolerances of the

fabrication process, so this will not generally be for high
100
accuracy work, but can be useful in various low cost 0.02
protection and status monitoring functions. +IN IN
+
LOAD
CURRENT CARRYING TRACE V V+
L
FROM RSENSE* TO LOAD

W
SUPPLY 10A MAX
RIN RIN+ OUT VOUT

LT6106 200mV/A
1k
6106 TA01a
CREG
OUTPUT V
Figure 105. High Voltage, 5A High Side Current Sensing
LTC6102
ROUT in Small Package
* 2.5mm 2.5mm
V 1oz COPPER
500 DN423 F02
Figure 104. Using Printed Circuit Sense Resistance
More High Current Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:

FIGURE TITLE
215 0 to 10A Sensing Over Two Ranges
an105fa
AN105-60
LOW CURRENT
(Picoamps to Milliamps)
For low current applications the easiest way to sense cur- ISENSE RSENSE
VSUPPLY
rent is to use a large sense resistor. This however causes 6.4V TO 48V
larger voltage drops in the line being sensed which may LT6100 VS
+
VS LOAD
not be acceptable. Using a smaller sense resistor and
taking gain in the sense amplifier stage is often a better +
approach. Low current implies high source impedance
VCC
measurements which are subject approach. Low current 5V
implies high source impedance measurements which FIL

are subject to noise pickup and often require filtering of VOUT
50 RSENSE ISENSE
some sort. VEE A2 A4
6100 TA04
Filtered Gain of 20 Current Sense (Figure 106)

The LT6100 has pin strap connections to establish a variety Figure 107. Gain of 50 Current Sense
of accurate gain settings without using external compo-
nents. For this circuit grounding A2 and leaving A4 open 0nA to 200nA Current Meter (Figure 108)
set a gain of 20. Adding one external capacitor to the FIL
A floating amplifier circuit converts a full-scale 200nA
pin creates a lowpass filter in the signal path. A capacitor of
flowing in the direction indicated at the inputs to 2V at
1000pF as shown sets a filter corner frequency of 2.6KHz.
the output of the LT1495. This voltage is converted to a
ISENSE RSENSE current to drive a 200A meter movement. By floating the
VSUPPLY
4.4V TO 48V power to the circuit with batteries, any voltage potential
LT6100 VS
+
VS LOAD at the inputs are handled. The LT1495 is a micropower op
amp so the quiescent current drain from the batteries is
+ very low and thus no on/off switch is required.
3V VCC
100pF
FIL
1000pF VOUT
20 RSENSE ISENSE R1
VEE A2 A4 10M
6100 TA03
R4
3dB AT 2.6kHz 10k
1/2
1.5V
LT1495
INPUT 1/2
Figure 106. Filtered Gain of 20 Current Sense CURRENT LT1495 +
R2
+ 9k 1.5V
Gain of 50 Current Sense (Figure 107) R3

2k
IS = 3A WHEN IIN = 0
FULL-SCALE NO ON/OFF SWITCH
The LT6100 is configured for a gain of 50 by grounding ADJUST REQUIRED
both A2 and A4. This is one of the simplest current sensing A

0A TO
200A
amplifier circuits where only a sense resistor is required. 1495 TA06
Figure 108. 0nA to 200nA Current Meter
an105fa
AN105-61
LOW CURRENT
Lock-In Amplifier Technique Permits 1% Accurate shunt, modulating it into a differential square wave signal
APD Current Measurement Over 100nA to 1mA Range which feeds A1 through 0.2F AC coupling capacitors.
(Figure 109) A1s single-ended output biases demodulator S2, which
presents a DC output to buffer amplifier A2. A2s output
Avalanche Photodiodes, APDs, require a small amount of
is the circuit output.
current from a high voltage supply. The current into the
diode is an indication of optical signal strength and must Switch S3 clocks a negative output charge pump which
be monitored very accurately. It is desirable to power all supplies the amplifiers V pins, permitting output swing to
of the support circuitry from a single 5V supply. (and below) zero volts. The 100k resistors at Q1 minimize
its on-resistance error contribution and prevent destruc-
This circuit utilizes AC carrier modulation techniques to
tive potentials from reaching A1 (and the 5V rail) if either
meet APD current monitor requirements. It features 0.4%
0.2F capacitor fails. A2s gain of 1.1 corrects for the slight
accuracy over the sensed current range, runs from a 5V
attenuation introduced by A1s input resistors. In practice,
supply and has the high noise rejection characteristics of
it may be desirable to derive the APD bias voltage regula-
carrier based lock in measurements.
tors feedback signal from the indicated point, eliminating
The LTC1043 switch array is clocked by its internal the 1k shunt resistors voltage drop. Verifying accuracy
oscillator. Oscillator frequency, set by the capacitor at involves loading the APD bias line with 100nA to 1mA and
Pin 16, is about 150Hz. S1 clocking biases Q1 via level noting output agreement.
shifter Q2. Q1 chops the DC voltage across the 1k current
FOR OPTIONAL ZERO CURRENT FEEDBACK TO
1k* APD BIAS REGULATOR, SEE APPENDIX A
APD 1%
VOUT = 20V TO 90V
HIGH VOLTAGE
1F 1F TO APD
BIAS INPUT
100V 100k* 100k* 100V
Q1
1N4690 1M*
5.6V 5V
0.2F 5V
1F 6
A1
20k 2 +
S2 OUTPUT
10k LT1789 A2
0V TO 1V =
30k 1F LT1006
+ 5 0mA TO 1mA

Q2 0.2F 20k*
MPSA42 1M* 3.5V 3.5V
20k
12 200k*
13 14
S1 3.5V TO
5V 18 AMPLIFIERS
22F
5V 3
S3
+
* = 0.1% METAL FILM RESISTOR

15 22F
1F 100V = TECATE CMC100105MX1825 +
# CIRCLED NUMBERS = LTC1043 PIN NUMBER
= 1N4148
= TP0610L 16 17 4
0.056F
5V
AN92 F04
Figure 109. Lock-In Amplifier Technique Permits 1% Accurate APD Current Measurement Over 100nA to 1mA Range
an105fa
AN105-62
LOW CURRENT
DC-Coupled APD Current Monitor (Figure 110) drop across the ground referred 1k resistor identical to
the drop across the 1k current shunt and, hence, APD
Avalanche Photodiodes, APDs, require a small amount of
current. This relationship holds across the 20V to 90V APD
current from a high voltage supply. The current into the
bias voltage range. The 5.6V zener assures A1s inputs
diode is an indication of optical signal strength and must
are always within their common mode operating range
be monitored very accurately. It is desirable to power all
and the 10M resistor maintains adequate Zener current
of the support circuitry from a single 5V supply.
when APD current is at very low levels.
This circuits DC-coupled current monitor eliminates the
Two output options are shown. A2, a chopper stabilized
previous circuits trim but pulls more current from the
amplifier, provides an analog output. Its output is able to
APD bias supply. A1 floats, powered by the APD bias rail.
swing to (and below) zero because its V pin is supplied
The 15V Zener diode and current source Q2 ensure A1
with a negative voltage. This potential is generated by us-
never is exposed to destructive voltages. The 1k current
ing A2s internal clock to activate a charge pump which,
shunts voltage drop sets A1s positive input potential. A1
in turn, biases A2s V Pin 3. A second output option
balances its inputs by feedback controlling its negative input
substitutes an A-to-D converter, providing a serial format
via Q1. As such, Q1s source voltage equals A1s positive
digital output. No V supply is required, as the LTC2400
input voltage and its drain current sets the voltage across
A-to-D will convert inputs to (and slightly below) zero volts.
its source resistor. Q1s drain current produces a voltage
FOR OPTIONAL ZERO CURRENT FEEDBACK TO

1N4690 1k* APD BIAS REGULATOR, SEE APPENDIX A
APD 5.6V CURRENT SHUNT
VOUT = 20V TO 90V
HIGH VOLTAGE TO APD
BIAS INPUT
10M 1k* 51K
+ + 1N4702
A1 1F 15V
51k LT1077

Q1 100k
ZVP0545A Q2
5V
MPSA42
10k LT1460
1k* 5V
Hi-Z OUTPUT 2.5V
0V TO 1V = 0mA TO 1mA
1k*
VIN VREF FO
BUFFERED OUTPUT LTC2400 SCK

5V 0mA TO 1mA = 0V TO 1V 5V A-TO-D DIGITAL
SDO
* = 0.1% METAL FILM RESISTOR + CS
INTERFACE
1k 10F
= BAT85 A2
LTC1150 OPTIONAL
39k DIGITAL OUTPUT
+
CLK OUT Q2 10F

V 2N3904 +
100k
3.5V HERE
OPTIONAL BUFFERED OUTPUT
AN92 F05
Figure 110. DC-Coupled APD Current Monitor
an105fa
AN105-63
LOW CURRENT
Six Decade (10nA to 10mA) Current Log Amplifier current sensing. In this circuit a six decade range of current
(Figure 111) pulled from the circuit input terminal is converted to an
output voltage in logarithmic fashion increasing 150mV
Using precision quad amplifiers like the LTC6079, (10V
for every decade of current change.
offset and <1pA bias current) allow for very wide range
100
+

B
100
+
33F
Q1 Q2
100k
133k
VDD
1000pF
A
1.58k
+ D
PRECISION
IIN + VOUT RESISTOR PT146
1k
VCC LT6650
+3500ppm/C
IN OUT 60789 TA07

GND 10nA IIN 10mA
1F 1F
Q1, Q2: DIODES INC. DMMT3906W
A TO D: LTC6079
VOUT 150mV log (IIN) + 1.23V, IIN IN AMPS
Figure 111. Six Decade (10nA to 10mA) Current Log Amplifier
an105fa
AN105-64
MOTORS AND INDUCTIVE LOADS

The largest challenge in measuring current through induc- A common monitoring approach in these systems is to
tive circuits is the transients of voltage that often occur. amplify the voltage on a flying sense resistor, as shown.
Current flow can remain continuous in one direction while Unfortunately, several potentially hazardous fault scenarios
the voltage across the sense terminals reverses in polarity. go undetected, such as a simple short to ground at a motor
terminal. Another complication is the noise introduced by
Electronic Circuit Breaker (Figure 112) the PWM activity. While the PWM noise may be filtered for
The LTC1153 is an electronic circuit breaker. Sensed cur- purposes of the servo law, information useful for protection
rent to a load opens the breaker when 100mV is developed becomes obscured. The best solution is to simply provide
between the supply input, VS, and the drain sense pin, DS. two circuits that individually protect each half-bridge and
To avoid transient, or nuisance trips of the break compo- report the bidirectional load current. In some cases, a
nents RD and CD delay the action for 1ms. A thermistor smart MOSFET bridge driver may already include sense
can also be used to bias the shutdown input to monitor resistors and offer the protection features needed. In these
heat generated in the load and remove power should the situations, the best solution is the one that derives the load
temperature exceed 70C in this example. A feature of information with the least additional circuitry.
the LTC1153 is timed automatic reset which will try to
reconnect the load after 200ms using the 0.22F timer BATTERY BUS
capacitor shown. +
ON/OFF IN VS
CT CD RD *RSEN
0.22F 0.01F 100k 0.1
CT DS
Z5U RS +
LTC1153 DIFF
TO P STATUS G IRLR024 AMP
IM
51k 51k
GND SHUTDOWN
5V
**70C SENSITIVE
PTC 5V LOAD
DN374 F03
ALL COMPONENTS SHOWN ARE SURFACE MOUNT.
* IMS026 INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING SERVICE, INC. (401) 683-9700
** RL2006-100-70-30-PT1 KEYSTONE CARBON COMPANY (814) 781-1591 Figure 113. Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor
LTC1153 TA01
Motor Speed Control (Figure 114)

Figure 112. Electronic Circuit Breaker
This uses an LT1970 power amplifier as a linear driver
of a DC motor with speed control. The ability to source
Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor (Figure 113) and sink the same amount of output current provides
Many of the newer electric drive functions, such as steer- for bidirectional rotation of the motor. Speed control is
ing assist, are bidirectional in nature. These functions are managed by sensing the output of a tachometer built on
generally driven by H-bridge MOSFET arrays using pulse- to the motor. A typical feedback signal of 3V/1000rpm is
width modulation (PWM) methods to vary the commanded compared with the desired speed-set input voltage. Be-
torque. In these systems, there are two main purposes for cause the LT1970 is unity-gain stable, it can be configured
current monitoring. One is to monitor the current in the as an integrator to force whatever voltage across the mo-
load, to track its performance against the desired com- tor as necessary to match the feedback speed signal with
mand (i.e., closed-loop servo law), and another is for fault the set input signal. Additionally, the current limit of the
detection and protection features. amplifier can be adjusted to control the torque and stall
current of the motor.
an105fa
AN105-65

OV TO 5V
TORQUE/STALL
CURRENT CONTROL
15V
VCSRC
VCSNK
EN
+IN VCC
V+
ISRC
ISNK RS
TSD 1
LT1970 OUT
SENSE+
SENSE
12V DC
FILTER MOTOR
IN V
VEE
COMMON GND
15V
C1
R1 15V 1F TACH
1.2k
FEEDBACK
REVERSE
3V/1000rpm
R4 R5
49.9k 49.9k
R2 1970 F13
10k
FORWARD
R3
1.2k
15V
Figure 114. Motor Speed Control
Practical H-Bridge Current Monitor Offers Fault

Detection and Bidirectional Load Information BATTERY BUS DIFF
OUTPUT
(Figure 115) TO ADC
+
RIN RIN
This circuit implements a differential load measurement ROUT
LTC6101 LTC6101
ROUT
RS RS
for an ADC using twin unidirectional sense measurements.
+
Each LTC6101 performs high side sensing that rapidly
responds to fault conditions, including load shorts and FOR IM RANGE = 100A,
DIFF OUT = 2.5V
MOSFET failures. Hardware local to the switch module RS = 1m
RIN = 200
(not shown in the diagram) can provide the protection ROUT = 4.99k
logic and furnish a status flag to the control system. IM
The two LTC6101 outputs taken differentially produce
a bidirectional load measurement for the control servo.
The ground-referenced signals are compatible with most
ADCs. The ADC circuit also provides a free in-
DN374 F04
tegration function that removes PWM content from the Figure 115. Practical H-Bridge Current Monitor Offers Fault
measurement. This scheme also eliminates the need for Detection and Bidirectional Load Information
analog-to-digital conversions at the rate needed to sup-
port switch protection, thus reducing cost and complexity.
an105fa
AN105-66

Lamp Driver (Figure 116) Intelligent High Side Switch (Figure 117)
The inrush current created by a lamp during turn-on can The LT1910 is a dedicated high side MOSFET driver with
be 10 to 20 times greater than the rated operating cur- built in protection features. It provides the gate drive for a
rent. This circuit shifts the trip threshold of an LTC1153 power switch from standard logic voltage levels. It provides
electronic circuit breaker up by a factor of 11:1 (to 30A) for shorted load protection by monitoring the current flow
100ms while the bulb is turned on. The trip threshold then to through the switch. Adding an LTC6101 to the same
drops down to 2.7A after the inrush current has subsided. circuit, sharing the same current sense resistor, provides
a linear voltage signal proportional to the load current for
additional intelligent control.
12V
+
470F
IN VS 10k 0.02
100k
5V
CT DS
0.33F LTC1153 VN2222LL
STATUS G 0.1F
1M
GND SD IRFZ34
12V
12V/2A
BULB
LTC1153 TA07
Figure 116. Lamp Driver
10F
VLOGIC 63V 14V
47k 5
100
3 1%
FAULT 8 3
4 1
OFF ON LT1910 RS LTC6101 VO
6 4
2
100 4.99k
1F 1 5 2
SUB85N06-5
L VO = 49.9 RS IL
O IL
A FOR RS = 5m,
6101 TA07
an105fa
AN105-67

Relay Driver (Figure 118) Full-Bridge Load Current Monitor (Figure 119)
This circuit provides reliable control of a relay by using an The LT1990 is a difference amplifier that features a very
electronic circuit breaker circuit with two-level over-current wide common mode input voltage range that can far
protection. Current flow is sensed through two separate exceed its own supply voltage. This is an advantage to
resistors, one for the current into the relay coil and the reject transient voltages when used to monitor the current
other for the current through the relay contacts. When in a full-bridge driven inductive load such as a motor. The
100mV is developed between the VS supply pin and the LT6650 provides a voltage reference of 1.5V to bias up the
drain sense pin, DS, the N-channel MOSFET is turned off output away from ground. The output will move above or
opening the contacts. As shown, the relay coil current is below 1.5V as a function of which direction the current
limited to 350mA and the contact current to 5A. in the load is flowing. As shown, the amplifier provides
a gain of 10 to the voltage developed across resistor RS.
12V +
100F
2 0.02
IN VS 10k
0.01F
5V 1N4148
CT DS
1F LTC1153 MTD3055E
STATUS G TO 12V
LOAD
15V
GND SD
1N4001
COIL CURRENT LIMITED TO 350mA
CONTACT CURRENT LIMITED TO 5A
LTC1153 TA08
Figure 118. Relay Driver
+VSOURCE 5V
LT1990
900k 10k 8
7
1M 100k
2

RS 6
VOUT
+ 3 1M
+
IL VREF = 1.5V
4
10k 5
IN OUT 54.9k 1nF
LT6650 40k 900k
GND FB 40k 100k
20k
12V VCM 73V
VOUT = VREF (10 IL RS) 1 1990 TA01
1F
Figure 119. Full-Bridge Load Current Monitor
an105fa
AN105-68

Bidirectional Current Sensing in H-Bridge Drivers two outputs form a bidirectional measurement for subse-
(Figure 120) quent circuitry, such as an ADC. In this configuration, any
load fault to ground will also be detected so that bridge
Each channel of an LTC6103 provides measurement of the
protection can be implemented. This arrangement avoids
supply current into a half-bridge driver section. Since only
the high frequency common mode rejection problem that
one of the half-bridge sections will be conducting current
can cause problems in flying sense resistor circuits.
in the measurable direction at any given time, only one
output at a time will have a signal. Taken differentially, the
V+
4V TO 60V
10m 10m
200 200
8 7 6 5
+INA INA INB +INB
+ +
VSA VSB
OUTA V OUTB
LTC6103
1 4 2
+
DIFFERENTIAL
4.99k OUTPUT
2.5V FS (MAY BE LIMITED IF V+ < 6V)
10A FS

4.99k
+
PWM* PWM*
6103 TA04
*USE SIGN-MAGNITUDE PWM FOR ACCURATE

LOAD CURRENT CONTROL AND MEASUREMENT
Figure 120. Bidirectional Current Sensing in H-Bridge Drivers
an105fa
AN105-69

Single Output Provides 10A H-Bridge Current and 24VDC
Direction (Figure 121)

24V, 3W
The output voltage of the LTC6104 will be above or below 1N5818
1 SOLENOID
the external 2.5V reference potential depending on which
1%
side of the H-bridge is conducting current. Monitoring the

+
200 200
current in the bridge supply lines eliminates fast voltage 1% 1%
changes at the inputs to the sense amplifiers. IN

LT6105
+IN
5V/ON 2N7000
0V/OFF
3V TO 18V 0.1F
5VDC V+
VBATTERY 4
(8V TO 60V) 1F
6
LT1790-2.5 V
VOUT VOUT = 25mV/mA
249 249 1 2 4.99k
10m 7 6 10m 6105 F04 4.99k
8 5 1%
LTC6104
VO
2
4 VO = 2.5V 2V (10A FS)
Figure 122. Monitor Solenoid Current on the Low Side
PWM* PWM* 24VDC
IM 24V/OFF
1 19V/ON TP0610L
1%
6104 TA02 +
200 200
*USE SIGN-MAGNITUDE PWM FOR ACCURATE 1% 1%
LOAD CURRENT CONTROL AND MEASUREMENT 1N914
24V, 3W
2k 2k
SOLENOID 1N5818
1% 1%
Figure 121. Single Output Provides 10A H-Bridge Current
and Direction
LT6105
IN +IN
Monitor Solenoid Current on the Low Side
(Figure 122)
5VDC V+
Driving an inductive load such as a solenoid creates large
transients of common mode voltage at the inputs to a
current sense amplifier. When de-energized the voltage V
VOUT = 25mV/mA
across the solenoid reverses (also called the freewheel VOUT
state) and tries to go above its power supply voltage but 6105 F06 4.99k
1%
is clamped by the freewheel diode. The LT6105 senses the
solenoid current continuously over an input voltage range
of 0V to one diode drop above the 24V supply. Figure 123. Monitor Solenoid Current on the High Side
Monitor Solenoid Current on the High Side across the solenoid reverses (also called the freewheel
(Figure 123) state) and tries to go below ground but is clamped by the
Driving an inductive load such as a solenoid creates large freewheel diode. The LT6105 senses the solenoid current
transients of common mode voltage at the inputs to a continuously with pull-up resistors keeping the inputs
current sense amplifier. When de-energized the voltage within the most accurate input voltage range.
an105fa
AN105-70

Monitor H-Bridge Motor Current Directly Large Input Voltage Range for Fused Solenoid Current
(Figures 124a and 124b) Monitoring (Figure 125)
The LT1999 is a differential input amplifier with a very wide, The LT1999 has series resistors at each input. This allows
5V to 80V, input common mode voltage range. With an the input to be overdriven in voltage without damaging the
AC CMRR greater than 80dB at 100kHz allows the direct amplifier. The amplifier will monitor the current through the
measurement of the bidirectional current in an H-bridge positive and negative voltage swings of a solenoid driver.
driven load. The large and fast common mode input volt- The large differential input with a blown protective fuse
age swings are rejected at the output. The amplifier gain is will force the output high and not damage the LT1999.
fixed at 10, 20 or 50 requiring only a current sense resistor
and supply bypass capacitors external to the amplifier.
VS LT1999 V+
5V
V+ 2A
1 SHDN 8
VSHDN
+ RG
V+IN 2 4k VOUT
RS 7 2.5V
V+ 0.8k + VOUT
VIN
V+
V+IN (20V/DIV)
VOUT (2V/DIV)
0.8k 160k
3 4k
6 VREF
V+IN
5V V+ 160k
0.1F
4
5
0.1F
1999 TA01a 1999 TA01b

TIME (10s/DIV)
Figure 124a Figure 124b

Figure 124. Monitor H-Bridge Motor Current Directly
VS LT1999 V+
5V V+
2A
1 8
ON OFF VSHDN SHDN VSHDN
ILOAD + RG
V+IN 2 4k
VOUT 7
V+ + VOUT
FUSE 0.8k
V+
RSENSE
VREF 0.8k 160k
VIN 3 4k
6 VREF
5V V+ 160k 0.1F
STEERING
LOAD DIODE 4 5
0.1F
1999 F05
Figure 125. Large Input Voltage Range for Fused Solenoid Current Monitoring
an105fa
AN105-71

Monitor Both the ON Current and the Freewheeling Monitor Both the ON Current and the Freewheeling
Current Through a High Side Driven Solenoid Current In a Low Side Driven Solenoid (Figure 127)
(Figure 126) Placing the current sense resistor inside the loop created
Placing the current sense resistor inside the loop created by a grounded solenoid and the freewheeling clamp diode
by a grounded solenoid and the freewheeling clamp diode allows for continuous monitoring of the solenoid current
allows for continuous monitoring of the solenoid current while being energized or switched OFF. The LT1999 oper-
while being energized or switched OFF. The LT1999 operates accurately with an input common mode voltage up
ates accurately with an input common mode voltage down to 80V. In this circuit the input is clamped at one diode
to 5V below ground. above the solenoid supply voltage.
VS LT1999 V+
OFF 5V V+
2A
ON 1 8
SHDN VSHDN
+ RG
V+IN 2 4k
7
V +
0.8k + VOUT
RSENSE V+
0.8k 160k
VIN 4k
3 6 VREF
5V
V+ 160k 0.1F
SOLENOID 4
5
0.1F
1999 F07a
Figure 126. Monitor Both the ON Current and the Freewheeling Current Through a High Side Driven Solenoid
VS LT1999 V+
5V 2A
V+
1 SHDN 8
VSHDN
SOLENOID + RG
V+IN 2 4k
7
V +
0.8k + VOUT
RSENSE V+
0.8k 160k
VIN 4k
3 6 VREF
ON 5V 160k
V+ 0.1F
OFF 4
5
0.1F
1999 F08a
Figure 127. Monitor Both the ON Current and the Freewheeling Current In a Low Side Driven Solenoid
an105fa
AN105-72

Fixed Gain DC Motor Current Monitor (Figure 128) referenced to one-half supply so the direction of motor
rotation is indicated by the output being above or below
With no critical external components the LT1999 can be
the DC output voltage when stopped.
connected directly across a sense resistor in series with
an H-bridge driven motor. The amplifier output voltage is
5V
V+ LT1999-20 V+
10F
1
2A
SHDN 8
VSHDN
+ 80k 0.1F
24V
2 4k
V+IN 7
V+ + VOUT
C4 0.8k
1000F VIN V+
0.8k 160k
3 4k
H-BRIDGE VBRIDGE 6
VREF
160k
5V 0.1F
5V V+
5
4
PWM INPUT
RSENSE 1999 F09
0.025
OUTA
PWM IN DIRECTION
24V MOTOR
OUTB
BRAKE INPUT
GND
Figure 128. Fixed Gain DC Motor Current Monitor
an105fa
AN105-73

Simple DC Motor Torque Control (Figure 129) match the set point current value through an amplifier
The torque of a spinning motor is directly proportional to and a PWM motor drive circuit. The LTC6992-1 produces
the current through it. In this circuit the motor current is a PWM signal from 0% to 100% duty cycle for a 0V to 1V
monitored and compared to a DC set point voltage. The change at the MOD input pin.
motor current is sensed by an LT6108-1 and forced to
VMOTOR
100F
1k
0.1
8 1
SENSEHI SENSELO
7 6 CURRENT SET POINT (0V TO 5V) BRUSHED
V+ OUTA VOUT
1F DC MOTOR
0.47F
LT6108-1 100k (0A TO 5A) 1N5818
9k 5V MABUCHI
2 5 RS-540SH
RESET EN/RST INC
5
1k 2 4 V+
3 6 1 6
OUTC 3 + MOD OUT IRF640
V 7
LTC6246
LTC6992-1
4 100k
78.7k 3 4
SET DIV 5V
GND 280k
1M
2
610812 TA04
Figure 129. Simple DC Motor Torque Control
an105fa
AN105-74

Small Motor Protection and Control (Figure 130) Large Motor Protection and Control (Figure 131)
DC motor operating current and temperature can be digi- For high voltage/current motors, simple resistor divid-
tized and sent to a controller which can then adjust the ers can scale the signals applied to an LTC2990 14-bit
applied control voltage. Stalled rotor or excessive loading converter. Proportional DC motor operating current and
on the motor can be sensed. temperature can be digitized and sent to a controller which
can then adjust the applied control voltage. Stalled rotor
or excessive loading on the motor can be sensed.
LOADPWR = I V
0.1
MOTOR CONTROL VOLTAGE 1%
0VDC TO 5VDC
0A TO 2.2A
5V
0.1F
VCC V1 V2
2-WIRE MMBT3904
SDA V3
I2C
SCL LTC2990
INTERFACE 470pF
ADR0
ADR1 V4 MOTOR
GND TMOTOR
2990 TA04
TINTERNAL
CURRENT AND TEMPERATURE CONFIGURATION: VOLTAGE AND TEMPERATURE CONFIGURATION:

CONTROL REGISTER: 0x59 CONTROL REGISTER: 0x58
TAMB REG 4, 5 0.0625C/LSB TAMB REG 4, 5 0.0625C/LSB
IMOTOR REG 6, 7 194A/LSB VMOTOR REG 8, 9 305.18VLSB
TMOTOR REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB TMOTOR REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB
VCC REG E, F 2.5V + 305.18V/LSB VCC REG E, F 2.5V + 305.18V/LSB
Figure 130. Small Motor Protection and Control
LOADPWR = I V
0.01
MOTOR CONTROL VOLTAGE 1W, 1%
0V TO 40V
0A TO 10A
71.5k 71.5k
1% 1%
10.2k 10.2k
1% 1%
5V
0.1F
VCC V1 V2
2-WIRE MMBT3904
SDA V3
I2C
SCL LTC2990
INTERFACE 470pF
ADR0
ADR1 V4 MOTOR
GND TMOTOR
2990 TA05
TINTERNAL
VOLTAGE AND TEMPERATURE CONFIGURATION: CURRENT AND TEMPERATURE CONFIGURATION:

VMOTOR REG 8, 9 2.44mVLSB IMOTOR REG 6, 7 15.54mA/LSB
TMOTOR REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB TMOTOR REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB
Figure 131. Large Motor Protection and Control

an105fa
AN105-75
BATTERIES
The science of battery chemistries and the charging and TO RSENSE
CHARGER/
discharging characteristics is a book of its own. This chap- LOAD C1
3.3V
TO
ter is intended to provide a few examples of monitoring 1 8
1F 60V
FIL FIL+ 3.3V
current flow into and out of batteries of any chemistry. LT1787HV
2 VS VS+ 7 20k
5%
Input Remains Hi-Z when LT6100 is Powered Down 3
DNC
VBIAS 6
(Figure 132) ROUT C2

LT1634-1.25
4 5 1F
VEE
This is the typical configuration for an LT6100, monitoring VOUT
C3*
the load current of a battery. The circuit is powered from 1000pF
a low voltage supply rail rather than the battery being *OPTIONAL OUTPUT 1787 F04
monitored. A unique benefit of this configuration is that

Figure 133. Charge/Discharge Current Monitor on Single Supply
when the LT6100 is powered down, its battery sense inputs with Shifted VBIAS
remain high impedance, drawing less than 1A of current.
This is due to an implementation of Linear Technologys
Battery Current Monitor (Figure 134)
Over-The-Top input technique at its front end.
RSENSE ISENSE separate charge and discharge current monitoring outputs.
TO LOAD
+ The LT1495 features Over-the-Top operation allowing
LT6100 VS
VS+
BATTERY
4.1V TO 48V the battery potential to be as high as 36V with only a 5V
POWER
amplifier supply voltage.
DOWN OK +
VCC
3V IL
VCC RSENSE
0V CHARGE
0.1
INPUTS
REMAIN FIL
Hi-Z DISCHARGE 12V
VOUT 5V
VEE A2 A4 RA RA

6100 F08

A2 A1
1/2 LT1495 RA RA 1/2 LT1495
+
+
Figure 132. Input Remains Hi-Z when LT6100 is Powered Down
2N3904 2N3904
Charge/Discharge Current Monitor on Single Supply
with Shifted VBIAS (Figure 133)
DISCHARGE
OUT
CHARGE
OUT
VO = IL ()
RB
RA
RSENSE

Here the LT1787 is used in a single-supply mode with the VO
= 1V/A
VBIAS pin shifted positive using an external LT1634 voltage IL 1495 TA05
reference. The VOUT output signal can swing above and

below VBIAS to allow monitoring of positive or negative
currents through the sense resistor. The choice of refer-
ence voltage is not critical except for the precaution that
adequate headroom must be provided for VOUT to swing
without saturating the internal circuitry. The component
values shown allow operation with VS supplies as low
as 3.1V.
an105fa
AN105-76
BATTERIES
Input Current Sensing Application (Figure 135) Coulomb Counter (Figure 136)
The LT1620 is coupled with an LT1513 SEPIC battery char- The LTC4150 is a micropower high side sense circuit that
ger IC to create an input over current protected charger includes a V/F function. Voltage across the sense resistor
circuit. The programming voltage (VCC VPROG) is set to is cyclically integrated and reset to provide digital transi-
1.0V through a resistor divider (RP1 and RP2) from the tions that represent charge flow to or from the battery. A
5V input supply to ground. In this configuration, if the polarity bit indicates the direction of the current. Supply
input current drawn by the battery charger combined potential for the LTC4150 is 2.7V to 8.5V. In the free-running
with the system load requirements exceeds a current mode (as shown, with CLR and INT connected together)
limit threshold of 3A, the battery charger current will be the pulses are approximately 1s wide and around 1Hz
reduced by the LT1620 such that the total input supply full-scale.
current is limited to 3A.
RSENSE CHARGER
5V
+ C1 + LOAD
22F 1F RP1
C2 4.7F
1 8 3k
SENSE AVG 1F
1% RL RL
2 7
IOUT PROG SENSE SENSE + VDD
RP2
3 LT1620MS8 6 CF+ INT
GND VCC 12k
1% 4.7F CLR
LTC4150 CHG P
4 5 CF DISCHG
IN IN+ POL
R1 GND SHDN
0.033
TO
+ SYSTEM LOAD
4150 TA01a
22F
L1B
10H
Figure 136. Coulomb Counter
MBRS340
7 5 VBATT = 12.3V
VIN VSW
4.7F
Li-Ion Gas Gauge (Figure 137)
L1A 57k
LT1513 10H + 22F This is the same as the Coulomb Counter circuit, except that
6 2 2 Li-ION
RUN
4
S/S VFB
3 24 the microprocessor clears the integration cycle complete
GND IFB 6.4k
GND condition with software, so that a relatively slow polling
TAB VC 0.22F
1620/21 F04
routine may be used.
8 1 RSENSE
0.1F 0.1
X7R NiMH Charger (Figure 138)
The LTC4008 is a complete NiMH battery pack controller.
Figure 135. Input Current Sensing Application It provides automatic switchover to battery power when
the external DC power source is removed. When power
is connected the battery pack is always kept charged and
ready for duty.
an105fa
AN105-77
BATTERIES
POWER-DOWN
SWITCH
LOAD
2.5V CL
47F
RL RL
3k 3k
1 10
SENSE + INT
RSENSE 9
LTC4150 CLR
0.1 8
2 VDD
SENSE C2
2-CELL 3
Li-Ion
+ CF+ 7 4.7F
GND
6V ~ 8.4V CF P
4.7F
4
CF
5 6
SHDN POL
SHUTDOWN
Figure 137. Li-Ion Gas Gauge
Q3
INPUT SWITCH
DCIN
0V TO 20V
R8 C1
147k 0.1F
0.25%
VLOGIC BATMON DCIN
RCL
R11 R12 C4
VFB INFET 0.02
100k 100k 0.1F
1% SYSTEM
ICL ICL LTC4008 CLP R1 5.1k 1%
LOAD
C2
ACP ACP/SHDN CLN RSENSE
20F
L1 0.025
FAULT FAULT TGATE Q1 10H 1%
FLAG FLAG BGATE NiMH
R10 32.4k 1% BATTERY
NTC PGND Q2 D1 C3 PACK
20F
RT CSP
ITH BAT R4 3.01k 1%
R9 R7 GND PROG R5 3.01k 1%
C7 13.3k 6.04k CHARGING
0.47F 0.25% 1% CURRENT
C5 MONITOR
THERMISTOR RT 0.0047F D1: MBRS130T3
C6
10k 150k R6 Q1: Si4431ADY
0.12F
NTC 26.7k Q2: FDC645N
1%
4008 TA02
Figure 138. NiMH Charger
an105fa
AN105-78
BATTERIES
Single Cell Li-Ion Charger (Figure 139) VIN
5V TO 22V
Controlling the current flow in lithium-ion battery chargers
is essential for safety and extending useful battery life.
Intelligent battery charger ICs can be used in fairly simple 0.1F VCC 10F
circuits to monitor and control current, voltage and even BAT
GATE
battery pack temperature for fast and safe charging. 2k
LTC4002ES8-4.2
CHARGE 6.8H
Li-Ion Charger (Figure 140) STATUS
CHRG SENSE
Just a few external components are required for this single 68m
Li-Ion cell charger. Power for the charger can come from COMP BAT
a wall adapter or a computers USB port. 0.47F
NTC GND + Li-Ion
22F
BATTERY
2.2k
Battery Monitor (Figure 141) T
10k
NTC
4002 TA01
NTC: DALE NTHS-1206N02

Op amp sections A and B form classical high side sense
circuits in conjunction with Q1 and Q2 respectively. Each Figure 139. Single Cell Li-Ion Charger
section handles a different polarity of battery current flow
and delivers metered current to load resistor RG. Sec- 800mA (WALL)
tionC operates as a comparator to provide a logic signal WALL LTC4076 500mA (USB)
ADAPTER DCIN BAT
indicating whether the current is a charge or discharge
USB USBIN HPWR +
flow. S1 sets the section D buffer op-amp gain to +1 or PORT 1F
4.2V
SINGLE CELL
IUSB
+10. Rail-to-rail op amps are required in this circuit, such 2k IDC ITERM
Li-Ion BATTERY
1F
as the LT1491 quad in the example. 1% 1.24k GND 1k
1% 1%
4076 TA01
Figure 140. Li-Ion Charger
RS RA
0.2 2k Q1
CHARGER
VOLTAGE
+ 2N3904
A
IBATT RA' 1/4 LT1491
2k C
1/4 LT1491 LOGIC
+
RB
2k Q2
+ 2N3904 LOGIC HIGH (5V) = CHARGING
B LOGIC LOW (0V) = DISCHARGING
RB' 1/4 LT1491
2k
LOAD +
+ D
RG VOUT
1/4 LT1491
10k
VBATT = 12V

S1 10k 90.9k
VOUT V S1 = OPEN, GAIN = 1 RA = RB

IBATT = = OUT AMPS
(RS)(RG /RA)(GAIN) GAIN S1 = CLOSED, GAIN = 10 VS = 5V, 0V 1490/91 TA01
Figure 141. Battery Monitor
an105fa
AN105-79
BATTERIES
Monitor Charge and Discharge Currents at One Output Battery Stack Monitoring (Figure 143)
(Figure 142) The comparators used in the LT6109 can be used sepa-
Current from a battery to a load or from a charger to the rately. In this battery stack monitoring circuit a low on
battery can be monitored using a single sense resistor either comparator output will disconnect the load from
and the LTC6104. Discharging load current will source the battery. One comparator watches for an overcurrent
a current at the output pin in proportion to the voltage condition (800mA) and the other for a low voltage condi-
across the sense resistor. Charging current into the battery tion (30V). These threshold values are fully programmable
will sink a current at the output pin. The output voltage using resistor divider networks.
above or below the voltage VREF will indicate charging or
discharging of the battery.
ICHARGE VSENSE
+
CHARGER
RSENSE
IDISCHARGE
RIN RIN
8 7 6 5
+INA INA INB +INB
ILOAD
+ +
A B
VS VS +
LOAD
CURRENT
OUT MIRROR V
LTC6104
1 4
+
ROUT
VOUT
+ VREF

6104 TA03
Figure 142. Monitor Charge and Discharge Currents at One Output
12 LITHIUM
40V CELL STACK SENSE IRF9640
0.1 LOW TO
LOAD
+ 10F 1M R10 100k 6.2V
+ INC2 100
10 1
+ 0.1F 13.3k SENSEHI SENSELO
9 8
V+ OUTA VOUT
0.8A
5V
+ LT6109-1 OVERCURRENT 9.53k
2 6 DETECTION
10k RESET EN/RST INC1
4 100k
OUTC1 475
3 7
OUTC2 INC2 30V 2N7000
V UNDERVOLTAGE
5 DETECTION
6109 TA02
Figure 143. Battery Stack Monitoring

an105fa
AN105-80
BATTERIES
Coulomb Counting Battery Gas Gauge (Figure 144) High Voltage Battery Coulomb Counting (Figure 145)
The LTC4150 converts the voltage across a sense resis- When coulomb counting, after each interrupt interval
tor to a microprocessor interrupt pulse train. The time the internal counter needs to be cleared for the next
between each interrupt pulse is directly proportional to the time interval. This can be accomplished by the P or the
current flowing through the sense resistor and therefore LTC4150 can clear itself. In this circuit the IC is powered
the number of coulombs travelling to or from the battery from a battery supply which is at a higher voltage than
power source. A polarity output indicates the direction of the interrupt counting P supply.
current flow. By counting interrupt pulses with the polarity
adding or subtracting from the running total, an indication
of the total change in charge on a battery is determined.
This acts as a battery gas gauge to indicate where the
battery charge is between full or empty.
RSENSE CHARGER
+ LOAD
4.7F
RL RL
SENSE SENSE+ VDD
CF+ INT
4.7F CLR
LTC4150 CHG P
CF DISCHG
POL
GND SHDN
4150 TA01a
Figure 144. Coulomb Counting Battery Gas Gauge
POWER-DOWN
SWITCH
LOAD
PROCESSOR CL
VCC 47F
RL RL
1 10
SENSE+ INT
9
RSENSE LTC4150 CLR
2 8
SENSE VDD
C2
2.7V TO 8.5V + 3 7 4.7F
CF+ GND
BATTERY P
CF
4.7F
4
CF
5 6
SHDN POL
4150 F05
Figure 145. High Voltage Battery Coulomb Counting
an105fa
AN105-81
BATTERIES
Low Voltage Battery Coulomb Counting (Figure 146) Single Cell Lithium-Ion Battery Coulomb Counter
(Figure 147)
When coulomb counting, after each interrupt interval the
internal counter needs to be cleared for the next time in- This is a circuit which will keep track of the total change
terval. This can be accomplished by the P or the LTC4150 in charge of a single cell Li-Ion battery power source. The
can clear itself. In this circuit the IC is powered from a maximum battery current is assumed to be 500mA due
battery supply which is at a lower voltage than the interrupt to the 50mV full-scale sense voltage requirement of the
counting P supply. The CLR signal must be attenuated LTC4150. The P supply is greater than the battery supply.
because the INT pin is pulled to a higher voltage.
POWER-DOWN
SWITCH
LOAD
PROCESSOR CL
VCC 47F
RL RL
1 10
SENSE+ INT
9
RSENSE LTC4150 CLR R2
2 8
SENSE VDD
C2
+ 3 7 4.7F
BATTERY CF+ GND R1
VBATTERY < VCC CF P
4.7F
4
CF
5 6
SHDN POL
SHUTDOWN
R4 4150 F06
R3
Figure 146. Low Voltage Battery Coulomb Counting

POWER-DOWN
SWITCH
LOAD
5.0V CL
47F
RL RL
3k 3k
1 10
SENSE+ INT
RSENSE 9 R2
LTC4150 CLR
0.1 8 76.8k
2 VDD
SENSE C2
SINGLE-CELL 3
Li-Ion
+ CF+ 7 4.7F R1
GND
3.0V ~ 4.2V CF 75k P
4.7F
4
CF
5 6
SHDN POL
SHUTDOWN
R4
76.8k
R3
75k
4150 F08
Figure 147. Single Cell Lithium-Ion Battery Coulomb Counter

an105fa
AN105-82
BATTERIES
Complete Single Cell Battery Protection (Figure 148) and signal the termination or initiation of cell charging.
Voltage, current and battery temperature can all be moni- The ADC can be continually reconfigured for single-ended
tored by a single LTC2990 ADC to 14-bit resolution. Each or differential measurements to produce the required
of these parameters can detect an excessive condition information.
BATTERY I AND V MONITOR

15m*
CHARGING
CURRENT
5V
0.1F
VCC V1 V2
2-WIRE MMBT3904
I2C
SDA V3 + V(t) T(t) I(t)
SCL LTC2990 NiMH
INTERFACE
ADR0
470pF BATTERY
ADR1 V4 100% 100% 100%
GND TBATT 2990 TA07
TINTERNAL *IRC LRF3W01R015F

VBAT REG 8, 9 305.18VLSB IBAT REG 6, 7 1.295mA/LSB
TBAT REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB TBAT REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB
Figure 148. Complete Single Cell Battery Protection
More Battery Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:

FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-83
HIGH SPEED
Current monitoring is not normally a particularly high speed A common monitoring approach in these systems is to
requirement unless excessive current flow is caused by a amplify the voltage on a flying sense resistor, as shown.
fault of some sort. The use of fast amplifiers in conventional Unfortunately, several potentially hazardous fault scenarios
current sense circuits is usually sufficient to obtain the go undetected, such as a simple short to ground at a motor
response time desired. terminal. Another complication is the noise introduced by
the PWM activity. While the PWM noise may be filtered for
Fast Compact 48V Current Sense (Figure 149) purposes of the servo law, information useful for protection
This amplifier configuration is essentially the complemen- becomes obscured. The best solution is to simply provide
tary implementation to the classic high side configuration. two circuits that individually protect each half-bridge and
The op amp used must support common mode operation report the bidirectional load current. In some cases, a
at its lower rail. A floating shunt-regulated local supply smart MOSFET bridge driver may already include sense
is provided by the Zener diode, and the transistor provides resistors and offer the protection features needed. In these
metered current to an output load resistance (1k in this situations, the best solution is the one that derives the load
circuit). In this circuit, the output voltage is referenced to a information with the least additional circuitry.
positive potential and moves downward when represent- BATTERY BUS
ing increasing 48V loading. Scaling accuracy is set by +
the quality of resistors used and the performance of the
NPN transistor.
Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor (Figure 150)

RS +
Many of the newer electric drive functions, such as steer- DIFF
AMP
ing assist, are bidirectional in nature. These functions are IM
generally driven by H-bridge MOSFET arrays using pulse-
width modulation (PWM) methods to vary the commanded
torque. In these systems, there are two main purposes for
current monitoring. One is to monitor the current in the
load, to track its performance against the desired com- DN374 F03
mand (i.e., closed-loop servo law), and another is for fault

detection and protection features. Figure 150. Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor

ISENSE = 0A TO 30A
ACCURACY 3%
VOUT
Q1 R1 1k
FMMT493 4.7k 1%
VS = 3V
30.1
1%
0805
LT1797
3
+
0.1F
VZ = 6.8V 0.003
1% 3W
48V SUPPLY 48V LOAD
(42V TO 56V) + 1797 TA01
ISENSE

an105fa
AN105-84
HIGH SPEED
Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with may drive following circuitry more effectively than the
External Voltage Reference and I/V Converter high output impedance of the LT1787. The I/V converter
(Figure 151) configuration also works well with split supply voltages.
The LT1787s output is buffered by an LT1495 rail-to-rail Battery Current Monitor (Figure 152)
op amp configured as an I/V converter. This configuration
is ideal for monitoring very low voltage supplies. The One LT1495 dual op amp package can be used to establish
LT1787s VOUT pin is held equal to the reference voltage separate charge and discharge current monitoring outputs.
appearing at the op amps non-inverting input. This al- The LT1495 features Over-the-Top operation allowing
lows one to monitor supply voltages as low as 2.5V. The the battery potential to be as high as 36V with only a 5V
op amps output may swing from ground to its positive amplifier supply voltage.
ISENSE
TO RSENSE
CHARGER/
LOAD C1 2.5V + VSENSE(MAX)
1 8 1F
FIL FIL+

LT1787
2 VS VS+ 7
2.5V
3 VBIAS 6
DNC
C3
ROUT
4 5 1000pF
VEE
VOUT

A1 VOUT A
2.5V + LT1495
1M
5% LT1389-1.25
1787 F07
Figure 151. Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with External Voltage Reference and I/V Converter
IL
RSENSE
CHARGE
0.1
DISCHARGE 5V 12V
RA RA

A2 A1
1/2 LT1495 RA RA 1/2 LT1495
+
+
2N3904 2N3904
DISCHARGE
OUT
CHARGE
OUT
VO = IL ()RB
RA
RSENSE

VO
= 1V/A
IL 1495 TA05
an105fa
AN105-85
HIGH SPEED
Fast Current Sense with Alarm (Figure 153) Fast Differential Current Source (Figure 154)
The LT1995 is shown as a simple unity gain difference This is a variation on the Howland configuration, where
amplifier. When biased with split supplies the input current load current actually passes through a feedback resistor
can flow in either direction providing an output voltage of as an implicit sense resistance. Since the effective sense
100mV/A from the voltage across the 100m sense resis- resistance is relatively large, this topology is appropriate
tor. With 32MHz of bandwidth and 1000V/s slew rate the for producing small controlled currents.
response of this sense amplifier is fast. Adding a simple
comparator with a built in reference voltage circuit such
as the LT6700-3 can be used to generate an overcurrent
flag. With the 400mV reference the flag occurs at 4A.
15V
R* 2 10pF R* VIN2 VIN1
15V 7
15V TO 15V VIN1 IOUT =
R
6
I LT1022
LT6700-3 R* 3
P1 10k
VIN2 + 4
10k R*
0.1 LT1995
+
15V IOUT RL
G=1 REF
M1
SENSE
OUTPUT
FLAG
OUTPUT *MATCH TO 0.01%
100mV/A
15V 4A LIMIT FULL-SCALE POWER BANDWIDTH
= 1MHz FOR IOUTR = 8VP-P
400mV = 400kHz FOR IOUTR = 20VP-P
MAXIMUM IOUT = 10mAP-P IOUTP-P RL
1995 TA05 COMMON MODE VOLTAGE AT LT1022 INPUT =
2
LT1022 TA07
Figure 153. Fast Current Sense with Alarm Figure 154. Fast Differential Current Source
More High Speed Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:

FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-86
FAULT SENSING
The lack of current flow or the dramatic increase of current RSENSE
flow very often indicates a system fault. In these circuits R1

it is important to not only detect the condition, but also 100
ensure the safe operation of the detection circuitry itself. 4 3

L 2 + 5
System faults can be destructive in many unpredictable O
ways. A
D VBATT
1
High Side Current Sense and Fuse Monitor LTC6101
(Figure 155) D1 R2
4.99k
The LT6100 can be used as a combination current sen- 6101 F07
sor and fuse monitor. This part includes on-chip output

buffering and was designed to operate with the low supply
Figure 156. Schottky Prevents Damage During Supply Reversal
voltage (2.7V), typical of vehicle data acquisition systems,
while the sense inputs monitor signals at the higher bat-
tery bus potential. The LT6100 inputs are tolerant of large Additional Resistor R3 Protects Output During Supply
input differentials, thus allowing the blown-fuse operating Reversal (Figure 157)
condition (this would be detected by an output full-scale If the output of the LTC6101 is wired to an independently
indication). The LT6100 can also be powered down while powered device that will effectively short the output to
maintaining high impedance sense inputs, drawing less another rail or ground (such as through an ESD protection
than 1A max from the battery bus. clamp) during a reverse supply condition, the LTC6101s
RSENSE
output should be connected through a resistor or Schottky
TO LOAD 2m FUSE
BATTERY
diode to prevent excessive fault current.
BUS
1 8 +
RSENSE
VS VS+
ADC 2 7
POWER VCC A4 R1
100 VBATT
2.7V C2 +
0.1F 4 3
3
FIL A2
6 L 2 + 5
O
A
D R3
4 OUT 5 OUTPUT 1 1k
VEE 2.5V = 25A LTC6101 ADC
LT6100
DN374 F02 D1 R2
4.99k
6101 F08
Figure 155. High Side Current Sense and Fuse Monitor
Schottky Prevents Damage During Supply Reversal Figure 157. Additional Resistor R3 Protects Output During
(Figure 156) Supply Reversal
The LTC6101 is not protected internally from external
reversal of supply polarity. To prevent damage that may Electronic Circuit Breaker (Figure 158)
occur during this condition, a Schottky diode should be
The LT1620l current sense amplifier is used to detect an
added in series with V. This will limit the reverse current
overcurrent condition and shut off a P-MOSFET load switch.
through the LTC6101. Note that this diode will limit the
A fault flag is produced in the overcurrent condition and
low voltage performance of the LTC6101 by effectively
a self-reset sequence is initiated.
reducing the supply voltage to the part by VD.
an105fa
AN105-87
FAULT SENSING
0.033 Si9434DY 5V AT 1A
5V PROTECTED
0.1F 1k
FAULT
CDELAY
100
33k 1 8 1N4148
SENSE AVG
2 7
2N3904 IOUT PROG 100k
3 LT1620MS8 6 4.7k 33k
GND VCC
4 5
IN +IN
TYPICAL DC TRIP AT 1.6A 2N3904

LT1620/21 TA03
3A FAULT TRIPS
IN 2ms WITH CDELAY = 1.0F
Figure 158. Electronic Circuit Breaker
Electronic Circuit Breaker (Figure 159)

ON/OFF IN VS
CD
The LTC1153 is an electronic circuit breaker. Sensed cur- CT RD
0.01F 100k
*RSEN
0.1
0.22F
rent to a load opens the breaker when 100mV is developed Z5U
CT DS
between the supply input, VS, and the drain sense pin, DS. LTC1153
TO P STATUS G IRLR024
To avoid transient, or nuisance trips of the break compo-
nents RD and CD delay the action for 1ms. A thermistor 51k
GND SHUTDOWN
51k
can also be used to bias the shutdown input to monitor 5V

SENSITIVE
**70C
heat generated in the load and remove power should the PTC 5V LOAD
temperature exceed 70C in this example. A feature of

the LTC1153 is timed automatic reset which will try to ALL COMPONENTS SHOWN ARE SURFACE MOUNT.
reconnect the load after 200ms using the 0.22F timer * IMS026 INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURING SERVICE, INC. (401) 683-9700
** RL2006-100-70-30-PT1 KEYSTONE CARBON COMPANY (814) 781-1591
capacitor shown. LTC1153 TA01
1.25V Electronic Circuit Breaker (Figure 160) Figure 159. Electronic Circuit Breaker
The LTC4213 provides protection and automatic circuit SI4864DY

VIN VOUT
breaker action by sensing drain-to-source voltage drop 1.25V 1.25V
across the N-MOSFET. The sense inputs have a rail-to-rail 3.5A
common mode range, so the circuit breaker can protect VBIAS SENSEP GATE SENSEN
VCC
bus voltages from 0V up to 6V. Logic signals flag a trip 2.3V TO 6V VBIAS
condition (with the READY output signal) and reinitialize LTC4213

10k
the breaker (using the ON input). The ON input may also OFF ON ON GND ISEL READY
be used as a command in a smart switch application.
4213 TA01
Figure 160. 1.25V Electronic Circuit Breaker
an105fa
AN105-88
FAULT SENSING
Lamp Outage Detector (Figure 161) the op amp, so part substitutions are discouraged (how-
ever, this same circuit also works properly with an LT1716
In this circuit, the lamp is monitored in both the on and off
comparator, also an Over-the-Top part).
condition for continuity. In the off condition, the filament
pull-down action creates a small test current in the 5k that Simple Telecom Power Supply Fuse Monitor
is detected to indicate a good lamp. If the lamp is open, the (Figure 162)
100k pull-up, or the relay contact, provides the op amp
bias current through the 5k, that is opposite in polarity. The LTC1921 provides an all-in-one telecom fuse and
When the lamp is powered and filament current is flowing, supply-voltage monitoring function. Three opto-isolated
the drop in the 0.05 sense resistor will exceed that of the status flags are generated that indicate the condition of
5k and a lamp-good detection will still occur. This circuit the supplies and the fuses.
requires particular Over-the-Top input characteristics for
Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor (Figure 163)
5V TO 44V 3V
1M Many of the newer electric drive functions, such as steer-
LAMP
100k
ing assist, are bidirectional in nature. These functions are
ON/OFF
5k generally driven by H-bridge MOSFET arrays using pulse-
width modulation (PWM) methods to vary the commanded
0.5 LT1637 OUT
torque. In these systems, there are two main purposes for
+
current monitoring. One is to monitor the current in the
load, to track its performance against the desired com-
OUT = 0V FOR GOOD BULB mand (i.e., closed-loop servo law), and another is for fault
3V FOR OPEN BULB
1637 TA05
detection and protection features.
Figure 161. Lamp Outage Detector
47k
48V 5V
RETURN FUSE
STATUS
R1 R2
100k 100k 3 MOC207
SUPPLY A SUPPLY B
1 4 5V
VA OUT F OK OK 0 0
2 MOC207
OV: OVERVOLTAGE
FUSE A
5V
STATUS = VA = VB 0
= VA VB 1
VA = VB 1
MOC207 VA VB 1*
6
R3
SUPPLY A 1/4W
F2 D2
48V
an105fa
AN105-89
FAULT SENSING
A common monitoring approach in these systems is to ISENSE
TO RSENSE
amplify the voltage on a flying sense resistor, as shown. CHARGER/
LOAD
Unfortunately, several potentially hazardous fault scenarios C1
1F
2.5V + VSENSE(MAX)
1 8
go undetected, such as a simple short to ground at a motor FIL FIL+
LT1787
terminal. Another complication is the noise introduced by 2 VS
VS+ 7
the PWM activity. While the PWM noise may be filtered for 3 VBIAS 6
2.5V
DNC
purposes of the servo law, information useful for protection ROUT
C3
VEE
5 1000pF
two circuits that individually protect each half-bridge and VOUT

report the bidirectional load current. In some cases, a 2.5V +
A1 VOUT A
LT1495
smart MOSFET bridge driver may already include sense 1M
5% LT1389-1.25
resistors and offer the protection features needed. In these 1787 F07
situations, the best solution is the one that derives the load
information with the least additional circuitry.
BATTERY BUS External Voltage Reference and I/V Converter
+
Battery Current Monitor (Figure 165)
separate charge and discharge current monitoring outputs.
RS +
DIFF
The LT1495 features Over-the-Top operation allowing
AMP the battery potential to be as high as 36V with only a 5V
IM
amplifier supply voltage.
IL
RSENSE
CHARGE
0.1
DN374 F03
DISCHARGE 5V 12V
RA RA

A2 A1
1/2 LT1495 RA RA 1/2 LT1495
Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with +
+
(Figure 164) 2N3904 2N3904
The LT1787s output is buffered by an LT1495 rail-to-rail

DISCHARGE
OUT
CHARGE
OUT
V O = IL ()
RB
RA
RSENSE
op amp configured as an I/V converter. This configuration RB RB FOR RA = 1k, RB = 10k

VO
is ideal for monitoring very low voltage supplies. The IL
= 1V/A
1495 TA05
LT1787s VOUT pin is held equal to the reference voltage

appearing at the op amps non-inverting input. This al- Figure 165. Battery Current Monitor
lows one to monitor supply voltages as low as 2.5V. The
op amps output may swing from ground to its positive
may drive following circuitry more effectively than the
high output impedance of the LT1787. The I/V converter
configuration also works well with split supply voltages.
an105fa
AN105-90
FAULT SENSING
Fast Current Sense with Alarm (Figure 166) ISENSE
+ VSENSE
VS LOAD
The LT1995 is shown as a simple unity gain difference RSENSE
RIN
amplifier. When biased with split supplies the input current IN +IN
can flow in either direction providing an output voltage of
100mV/A from the voltage across the 100m sense resis- V +
V+
tor. With 32MHz of bandwidth and 1000V/s slew rate the
response of this sense amplifier is fast. Adding a simple
comparator with a built in reference voltage circuit such 1/2
OUT LTC6103
as the LT6700-3 can be used to generate an overcurrent
VLOGIC
flag. With the 400mV reference the flag occurs at 4A.
ROUT
15V TO 15V 15V
VOUT
I
LT6700-3
P1 10k
10k ANY OPTO-ISOLATOR
0.1 LT1995
+
G=1 REF
M1 V 6103 TA07
SENSE
OUTPUT
FLAG N = OPTO-ISOLATOR CURRENT GAIN
OUTPUT R
100mV/A
15V 4A LIMIT VOUT = VLOGIC ISENSE SENSE N ROUT
RIN
400mV
Figure 167. Monitor Current in an Isolated Supply Line
1995 TA05
Figure 166. Fast Current Sense with Alarm TO LOAD RSENSE FUSE VS+
VS DC SOURCE
RIN1 RIN2 ( 44V)
C1
Monitor Current in an Isolated Supply Line 0.1F
(Figure 167) IN +IN
V+
Using the current sense amplifier output current to directly + C2
5V
modulate the current in a photo diode is a simple method
+
0.1F
to monitor an isolated 48V industrial/telecom power supply.

Current faults can be signaled to nonisolated monitoring
circuitry.
V
OUT
Monitoring a Fuse Protected Circuit (Figure 168) LT6105
OUTPUT
ROUT
Current sensing a supply line that has a fuse for overcurrent 6105 F03
protection requires a current sense amplifier with a wide

differential input voltage rating. Should the fuse blow open Figure 168. Monitoring a Fuse Protected Circuit
the full load supply voltage appears across the inputs to the
sense amplifier. The LT6105 can work with input voltage
differentials up to 44V. The LT6105 output slews at 2V/s
so can respond quickly to fast current changes. When the
fuse opens the LT6105 output goes high and stays there.
an105fa
AN105-91
FAULT SENSING
Circuit Fault Protection with Early Warning and Use Comparator Output to Initialize Interrupt Routines
Latching Load Disconnect (Figure 169) (Figure 170)
With a precision current sense amplifier driving two built The comparator outputs can connect directly to I/O or
in comparators, LT6109-2 can provide current overload interrupt inputs to any microcontroller. A low level at
protection to a load circuit. The internal comparators have OUTC2 can indicate an undercurrent condition while a low
a fixed 400mV reference. The current sense output is level at OUTC1 indicates an overcurrent condition. These
resistor divided down so that one comparator will trip at interrupts force service routines in the microcontroller.
an early warning level and the second at a danger level of
current to the load (100mA and 250mA in this example).
The comparator outputs latch when tripped so they can
be used as a circuit breaker to disconnect and protect the
load until a reset pulse is provided.
0.1 IRF9640
12V TO LOAD
6.2V 1k 100 10F
3.3V
SENSEHI SENSELO
V+ OUTA VOUT
10k 1.62k 100k
LT6109-2 6.04k
RESET EN/RST INC2
1k 100mA WARNING
OUTC2 2.37k
250mA DISCONNECT
2N2700 OUTC1 INC1
V 1.6k
610912 TA01a
Figure 169. Circuit Fault Protection with Early Warning and Latching Load Disconnect
0.1 EXAMPLE
V+ TO LOAD
5V
OUTC2 GOES LOW
100
10 1
SENSEHI SENSELO
9 8 VOUT
V+ OUTA MCU INTERUPT
ADC IN
AtMega1280 5V
5 LT6109-1
PB0 2k
6 RESET 2 7
PB1 10k EN/RST INC2
7 3 UNDERCURRENT ROUTINE
PCINT2 OUTC2 6.65k
2 4 6
PCINT3 5V OUTC1 INC1
3 V
ADC2 VOUT/ADC IN 1.33k
1 10k RESET COMPARATORS
PB5 5
6109 TA03
Figure 170. Use Comparator Output to Initialize Interrupt Routines
an105fa
AN105-92
FAULT SENSING
Current Sense with Overcurrent Latch and Power-On arrangement can create a latching output when an over-
Reset with Loss of Supply (Figure 171) current condition is sensed. The same logic gate can also
generate an active low power-on reset signal.
The LT6801-2 has a normal nonlatching comparator built
in. An external logic gate configured in a positive feedback
5V
7
LT6108-2 V+
RIN V+
100 8 SENSEHI
R3 RSENSE
10k
1 SENSELO + OUTA 6
ILOAD
V
V+ R1 R7
24.9k VTH 9.53k
INC 5

3 OUTC R8
499
400mV
+ REFERENCE
V
4
R9* VDD R5*
30k 100k
Q1* C1
R4* R2
2N2222 0.1F
3.4k 200k
610812 TA06
*OPTIONAL COMPONENT
R6
1M
Figure 171. Current Sense with Overcurrent Latch and Power-On Reset with Loss of Supply
an105fa
AN105-93
FAULT SENSING
More Fault Sensing Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-94
DIGITIZING
In many systems the analog voltage quantity indicating inputs and an output current sensing resistor control the
current flow must be input to a system controller. In this maximum sourcing and sinking current values. These
chapter several examples of the direct interface of a cur- control voltages could be provided by a D-to-A converter
rent sense amplifier to an A to D converter are shown. in a microprocessor controlled system. For closed loop
control of the current to a load an LT1787 can monitor the
Sensing Output Current (Figure 172) output current. The LT1880 op amp provides scaling and
The LT1970 is a 500mA power amplifier with voltage level shifting of the voltage applied to an A-to-D converter
programmable output current limit. Separate DC voltage for a 5mV/mA feedback signal.
VCC
0V TO 1V
12V
VCSRC
VCSNK
EN
+IN VCC
V+
ISRC
ISNK RS
TSD 0.2
LT1970 OUT
SENSE+
SENSE
RLOAD
FILTER

IN V
VEE
COMMON
LT1787 R4
255k
12V VS VS+
RG RF BIAS
12V 12V
R1
20k
60.4k
VEE VOUT
R2 LT1880 2.5V
10k + 5mV/mA
R3 1kHz FULL CURRENT

12V 20k 12V BANDWIDTH
0V TO 5V A/D
1970 F10
OPTIONAL DIGITAL FEEDBACK
Figure 172. Sensing Output Current
an105fa
AN105-95
DIGITIZING
Split or Single-Supply Operation, Bidirectional Output 16-Bit Resolution Unidirectional Output into LTC2433
into A/D (Figure 173) ADC (Figure 174)
In this circuit, split supply operation is used on both the The LTC2433-1 can accurately digitize signal with source
LT1787 and LT1404 to provide a symmetric bidirectional impedances up to 5k. This LTC6101 current sense circuit
measurement. In the single-supply case, where the LT1787 uses a 4.99k output resistance to meet this requirement,
Pin 6 is driven by VREF, the bidirectional measurement thus no additional buffering is necessary.
range is slightly asymmetric due to VREF being somewhat
greater than midspan of the ADC input range.
1
1%
IS = 125mA VCC
5V
VSRCE 1 8
FIL FIL+
4.75V LT1787
VS+ 7 10F
2 VS
16V
3 VBIAS 6 1
DNC
7
20k CONV
VEE 4 5 VOUT (1V) 2 6 CLOCKING
VEE AIN LTC1404 CLK
5V VOUT 3 CIRCUITRY
OPTIONAL SINGLE VREF 5
DOUT
SUPPLY OPERATION: 10F GND
DISCONNECT VBIAS 16V 4 8
FROM GROUND
AND CONNECT IT TO VREF. 10F DOUT
REPLACE 5V SUPPLY 16V
WITH GROUND. VEE 1787 TA02
OUTPUT CODE FOR ZERO 5V
CURRENT WILL BE ~2430
Figure 173. Split or Single-Supply Operation, Bidirectional Output into A/D
ILOAD VSENSE
+
RIN 4V TO 60V
4 3 100
L
2 + 5
O
A 5V 1F
D
2 1
1 VOUT
4 REF+ VCC
LTC6101 IN+ 9
SCK
8
LTC2433-1 SDD TO P
ROUT 7
4.99k IN CC
5
REF GND FO
3 6 10
ROUT
RIN
an105fa
AN105-96
DIGITIZING
12-Bit Resolution Unidirectional Output Directly Digitize Current with 16-Bit Resolution
into LTC1286 ADC (Figure 175) (Figure 176)
While the LT1787 is able to provide a bidirectional output, The low offset precision of the LTC6102 permits direct
in this application the economical LTC1286 is used to digitization of a high side sensed current. The LTC2433
digitize a unidirectional measurement. The LT1787 has a is a 16-bit delta sigma converter with a 2.5V full-scale
nominal gain of eight, providing a 1.25V full-scale output range. A resolution of 16 bits has an LSB value of only
at approximately 100A of load current. 40V. In this circuit the sense voltage is amplified by a
factor of 50. This translates to a sensed voltage resolution
of only 0.8V per count. The LTC6102 DC offset typically
contributes only four LSBs of uncertainty.
RSENSE
TO I = 100A 0.0016
LOAD
1 8 2.5V TO 60V
FIL FIL+

LT1787HV
2 VS VS+ 7
R1 C1
15k 5V
VBIAS 6 1F
3
DNC
ROUT
20k VREF VCC
4 5 CS
VEE +IN
VOUT LTC1286 CLK TO P
IN D
GND OUT
C2 1787 TA01
0.1F LT1634-1.25
VOUT = VBIAS + (8 ILOAD RSENSE)
+ RIN
4V TO 60V VSENSE
100
+IN INS
INF
L +
ILOAD O
V V+
A
D 0.1F 5V 1F
VREG
2 1
EN
POWER ENABLE
OUT VOUT 4 REF+ VCC
LTC6102-1 IN+ 9
SCK
8
LTC2433-1 SDD TO P
ROUT 7
4.99k IN CC
5
REF GND FO
3 6 10
ROUT
RIN
Figure 176. Directly Digitize Current with 16-Bit Resolution
an105fa
AN105-97
DIGITIZING
Directly Digitizing Two Independent Currents Digitize a Bidirectional Current Using a Single-Sense
(Figure 177) Amplifier and ADC (Figure 178)
With two independent current sense amplifiers in the The dual LTC6104 can be connected in a fashion to source
LTC6103, two currents from different sources can be or sink current at its output depending on the direction
simultaneously digitized by a 2-channel 16-bit ADC such of current flow through the sense resistor. Biasing the
as the LTC2436-1. While shown to have the same gain on amplifier output resistor and the VREF input of the ADC to
each channel, it is not necessary to do so. Two different an external 2.5V LT1004 voltage reference allows a 2.5V
current ranges can be gain scaled to match the same full- full-scale input voltage to the ADC for current flowing in
scale range for each ADC channel. either direction.
VA+ VB+
ILOAD VSENSE VSENSE ILOAD
+ +
LOAD RIN RIN LOAD
100 100
8 7 6 5
+INA INA INB +INB 5V 1F
+ +
VSA VSB 2 1
6
CH1 13
7
OUTA V OUTB 12
LTC6103 4 LTC2436-1 TO P
1 4 2 11
5
CH0
ROUT ROUT 3,8,9,10,14,15,16

4.99k 4.99k 6103 TA01a
Figure 177. Directly Digitizing Two Independent Currents
ILOAD VSENSE
TO +
CHARGER/LOAD RSENSE +
RIN RIN 12V
100 100
8 7 6 5
+INA INA INB +INB
+ +
A B
VS VS R1 C1 +
2.3k 1F 5V
VREF
VREF VCC
CURRENT CS
OUT MIRROR V +IN
LTC6104 LTC1286 CLK
1 4 TO P
IN DOUT
ROUT C2
0.1F LT1004-2.5 GND
2.5k
6104 TA01a
Figure 178. Digitize a Bidirectional Current Using a Single-Sense Amplifier and ADC
an105fa
AN105-98
DIGITIZING
Digitizing Charging and Loading Current in a Battery Complete Digital Current Monitoring (Figure 180)
Monitor (Figure 179) An LTC2470 16-bit delta sigma A-to-D converter can
A 16-bit digital output battery current monitor can be directly digitize the output of the LT6109 representing
implemented with just a single sense resistor, an LT1999 a circuit load current. At the same time the comparator
and an LTC2344 delta sigma ADC. With a fixed gain of outputs connect to MCU interrupt inputs to immediately
ten and DC biased output the digital code indicates the signal programmable threshold over and undercurrent
instantaneous loading or charging current (up to 10A) of conditions.
a system battery power source.
0.025
CHARGER
BAT
42V
5V
LOAD LT1999-10 V+
5V V+ 2A 0.1F
1 8 VSHDN
SHDN 0.1F 10F
+ 40k
V+IN 2 4k
7 VOUT
V +
0.8k + + +IN VCC VREF CS
V+
VOUT LTC2433-1 SCK
0.8k 160k
VIN 3 4k
6 VREF IN SDO
160k
5V V+ 0.1F
4 5
0.1F 1999 TA02
Figure 179. Digitizing Charging and Loading Current in a Battery Monitor
SENSE SENSE
HIGH 0.1 LOW 0.1F
IN OUT
VCC VREF
100
COMP
10 1
SENSEHI SENSELO
9 8
V+ OUTA IN+ LTC2470
TO
VCC LT6109-1 0.1F
2k MCU
VCC RESET 2 7
10k EN/RST INC2
3
10k OUTC2 6.65k
4 6
OUTC1 INC1
V
1.33k
5
OVERCURRENT
6109 TA05
UNDERCURRENT
Figure 180. Complete Digital Current Monitoring

an105fa
AN105-99
DIGITIZING
Ampere-Hour Gauge (Figure 181) Power Sensing with Built-In A-to-D Converter
(Figure 182)
With specific scaling of the current sense resistor, the
LTC4150 can be set to output exactly 10,000 interrupt The LTC4151 contains a dedicated current sense input
pulses for one Amp-hr of charge drawn from a battery channel to a 3-channel 12-bit delta-sigma ADC. The ADC
source. With such a base-10 round number of pulses a directly and sequentially measures the supply voltage
series of decade counters can be used to create a visual (102V full-scale), supply current (82mV full-scale) and a
5-digit display. This schematic is just the concept. The separate analog input channel (2V full-scale). The 12-bit
polarity output can be used to direct the interrupt pulses resolution data for each measurement is output through
to either the count-up or count-down clock input to display an I2C link.
total net charge.
CHARGER LOAD
SENSE+ INT CD40110B

1.2 1.1 100m LTC4150 CLR
SENSE CD40110B
+
CD40110B
SENSE RESISTANCE = 0.0852

IMAX = 588mA CD40110B
10,000 PULSES = 1Ah
CD40110B
4150 F09
Figure 181. Ampere-Hour Gauge
3.3V
0.02
VIN
VOUT
7V to 80V VDD
2k 2k
SENSE+ SENSE
CONTROLLER
VIN SHDN
LTC4151
SCL SCL
ADR1 SDA SDA
ADR0 MEASURED 4151 TA01

ADIN
VOLTAGE
GND
Figure 182. Power Sensing with Built-In A-to-D Converter
an105fa
AN105-100
DIGITIZING
Isolated Power Measurement (Figure 183) Fast Data Rate Isolated Power Measurement
(Figure 184)
With separate data input and output pins, it is a simple
matter to fully isolate the LTC4151-1/LTC4151-2 from a With separate data input and output pins, it is a simple
controller system. The supply voltage and operating current matter to fully isolate the LTC4151-1/LTC4151-2 from a
of the isolated system is digitized and conveyed through controller system. The supply voltage and operating current
three opto-isolators. of the isolated system is digitized and conveyed through
three high speed opto-isolators.
RS 3.3V
VIN 0.02
48V
R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7
20k 20k 5.1k MOCD207M 0.51k 0.51k 10k 10k
SENSE+ SENSE
8 1
SCL
VIN
7 2 VDD
SCL
LTC4151-1 6 3
SDAI
ADR1 SDA0 -CONTROLLER

5 4
ADR0 ADIN VADIN MOCD207M

1 8
GND SDA
4151 F09
2 7
3 6
4 5
Figure 183. Isolated Power Measurement
R1
0.02
VIN
VOUT
7V to 80V
VIN
8 1 ISO1
IN OUT PS9817-2
C6 5V
C7 LT3010-5 R8 8
1F
1F 5 SHDN SENSE 2 1k 1 VCC
100V C4
GND 7
R3 R4 0.1F R12 R14
SENSE+ SENSE 4 10k 10k 2 1k 10k
GND 5
R11 R13
VIN
1k 10k
LTC4151-2 1
8
ADIN ADIN SDAO VCC
7
ADR1 SDAI 2 ISO_SDA
3 ISO_SCL
6
ADR0 SCL
GND 5 GND 4 4151 F11
ISO2
PS9817-2
Figure 184. Fast Data Rate Isolated Power Measurement
an105fa
AN105-101
DIGITIZING
Adding Temperature Measurement to Supply Power Current, Voltage and Fuse Monitoring (Figure 186)
Measurement (Figure 185) Systems with redundant back-up power often have fuse
One use for the spare analog input of the LTC4151 could protection on the supply output. The LTC4151, with some
be to measure temperature. This can be done by using a diodes and resistors can measure the total load current,
thermistor to create a DC voltage proportional to tempera- supply voltage and detect the integrity of the supply fuses.
ture. The DC bias potential for the temperature network is The voltage on the spare analog input channel determines
the system power supply which is also measured, Tem- the state of the fuses.
perature is derived from both measurements. In addition
the system load current is also measured.
VIN 0.2
48V
VISHAY 100k AT 25C 250mA

2381 615 4.104 1% LOAD
SENSE+ SENSE VIN
SCL
40.2k I2C
1%
SDA
LTC4151
ADIN
ADR1
1.5k
1% GND ADR0
4151 TA02
T(C) = 58.82 (NADIN/NVIN 0.1066), 20C < T < 60C.

NADIN AND NVIN ARE DIGITAL CODES MEASURED BY THE
ADC AT THE ADIN AND VIN PINS, RESPECTIVELY
Figure 185. Adding Temperature Measurement to Supply Power Measurement

F1 D1
VIN1
48V RS
F2 D2 0.02
VIN2
48V
D3 D4 SENSE+ SENSE
VIN SCL
V+
R1 R2 I2C
150k 301k SDA
LTC4151 LOAD
ADIN ADR1
V
R3 ADR0
3.4k
GND
GND
4151 TA03
CONDITION RESULT
NADIN 1.375 NVIN Normal Operation
0.835 NVIN NADIN < 1.375 NVIN F2 is Open
0.285 NVIN NADIN < 0.835 NVIN F1 is Open
(Not Responding) Both F1 and F2 are Open
VIN1 AND VIN2 ARE WITHIN 20% APART. NADIN AND NVIN ARE DIGITAL
CODES MEASURED BY THE ADC AT THE ADIN AND VIN PINS,
RESPECTIVELY.
Figure 186. Current, Voltage and Fuse Monitoring
an105fa
AN105-102
DIGITIZING
Automotive Socket Power Monitoring (Figure 187) Power over Ethernet, PoE, Monitoring (Figure 188)
The wide operating voltage range is adequate to permit The power drawn by devices connected to an isolated tele-
the transients seen in automotive applications. The power com power supply can be continually monitored to ensure
consumption of anything plugged into an auto power that they comply with their power class rating. A voltage
socket can be directly digitized. proportional to the powered device rating is digitized by
the spare analog input of the LTC4151-1.
0.005
2W
12V AUTO SOCKET GPS
SENSE+ SENSE
3.3V
VIN ADIN
SHDN VDD
LTC4151 2k 2k
CONTROLLER
ADR1 SCL SCL
ADR0 SDA SDA
GND
DN452 F01
Figure 187. Automotive Socket Power Monitoring
RS
VIN 0.1
ISOLATED 48V
(44V TO 57V) R1 R2 R3*
1 10 0.1F
20k 20k 8.25k 0.1F LTC4263
SENSE+ SENSE 100V
TO PORT
2 5 VPWRMGT LED VDD5
VIN ADIN PWRMGT ENFCLS MAGNETS
SMAJ58A
6 0.1F MIDSPAN SD
SCL 1F RPM
LTC4151-1 100V LEGACY VDD48
3 7 12.7k
ADR1 SDAI VSS OUT
1%
4 8 VSS OUT
ADR0 SDAO OSC ACOUT
GND 3.3V
fSCL**
3.33kHz
MOCD207M R4 R5 R6 R7
8 1 510 510 20k 20k
PD CLASS VPWRMGT VDD

7 2
CLASS 1 0.237V SCL
CLASS 2 0.417V 6 3
CLASS 3 0.918V
5 4 CONTROLLER
*R3 = 4 33k, 1/8W IN PARALLEL
**FASTER OPTOCOUPLERS PERMIT
100kHz OR 400kHz BUS OPERATIONS 1/2 MOCD207M
1 8
SDA
2 7
DN452 F02
Figure 188. Power over Ethernet, PoE, Monitoring
an105fa
AN105-103
DIGITIZING
Monitor Current, Voltage and Temperature RSENSE
(Figure 189) 2.5V

5V ILOAD
The LTC2990 is a 4-channel, 14-bit ADC fully configurable VCC V1 V2
through an I2C interface to measure single-ended, differ-
SDA V3
ential voltages and determine temperature from internal SCL
LTC2990
or external diode sensors. For high side current measure- ADR0
TREMOTE
ments two of the inputs are configured for differential ADR1 V4
input to measure the voltage across a sense resistor. The

2990 TA01a
GND
maximum differential input voltage is limited to 300mV. TINTERNAL

Other channels can measure voltage and temperature for MEASURES: TWO SUPPLY VOLTAGES,
a complete system power monitor. SUPPLY CURRENT, INTERNAL AND
REMOTE TEMPERATURES
Figure 189. Monitor Current, Voltage and Temperature
More Digitizing Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:

FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-104
CURRENT CONTROL
This chapter collects a variety of techniques useful in Bidirectional Current Source (Figure 191)
generating controlled levels of current in circuits.
The LT1990 is a differential amplifier with integrated preci-
800mA/1A White LED Current Regulator (Figure 190) sion resistors. The circuit shown is the classic Howland
current source, implemented by simply adding a sense
The LT6100 is configured for a gain of either 40V/V or resistor.
50V/V depending on whether the switch between A2 and
VEE is closed or not. When the switch is open (LT6100 gain +V
7
of 40V/V), 1A is delivered to the LED. When the switch is VCTL
3
+
6
closed (LT6100 gain of 50V/V), 800mA is delivered. The LT1990
2
LT3436 is a boost switching regulator which governs the 4 RSENSE
voltage/current supplied to the LED. The switch LED ON REF
1
V
ILOAD
connected to the SHDN pin allows for external control of ILOAD = VCTL/RSENSE 5mA
the ON/OFF state of the LED. EXAMPLE: FOR RSENSE =100,
OUTPUT IS 1mA PER 100mV INPUT
1990 AI03
Figure 191. Bidirectional Current Source
D2
LED WARNING! VERY BRIGHT
DO NOT OBSERVE DIRECTLY
L1 LED
3H CURRENT
D1 0.030 LT6100
B130 VS+ VS
VIN
3.3V TO 4.2V VIN VSW VCC
SINGLE Li-Ion
LT3436
22F +
SHDN FB 16V
LED 124k CER
ON GND VC 1210 VOUT
VEE A4 A2
4.7F MMBT2222
6.3V 8.2k 0.1F OPEN: 1A
CER 4.99k CLOSED: 800mA
6100 TA02
D1: DIODES INC.
D2: LUMILEDS LXML-PW09 WHITE EMITTER
L1: SUMIDA CDRH6D28-3R0
Figure 190. 800mA/1A White LED Current Regulator
an105fa
AN105-105
CURRENT CONTROL
2-Terminal Current Regulator (Figure 192) Precision Voltage Controlled Current Source with
Ground Referred Input and Output (Figure 194)
The LT1635 combines an op amp with a 200mV reference.
Scaling this reference voltage to a potential across resistor The LTC6943 is used to accurately sample the voltage
R3 forces a controlled amount of current to flow from the across the 1k sense resistor and translate it to a ground
+terminal to the terminal. Power is taken from the loop. reference by charge balancing in the 1F capacitors. The
LTC2050 integrates the difference between the sense volt-
+ (R2 + R3)VREF age and the input command voltage to drive the proper
IOUT =
(R1)(R3)
current into load.
2 7
6 5V
LT1635
+ INPUT 3 5
3 4
0V TO 3.7V
+
1 1
LTC2050
R1 8
4
2
R2 R3
1635 TA05
0.68F
5V
Figure 192. 2-Terminal Current Regulator
1k
3
1/2 LTC6943
Variable Current Source (Figure 193) 7 6
A basic high side current source is implemented at the

output, while an input translation amplifier section provides 9
1F 1F 1k
for flexible input scaling. A rail-to-rail input capability is 10
required to have both amplifiers in one package, since
the input stage has common mode near ground and the 12 11 VIN
IOUT =
second section operates near VCC. 1000
15 14
0.001F
VCC
OPERATES FROM A
SINGLE 5V SUPPLY
6943 TA01a
R3
5.1
R2 Figure 194. Precision Voltage Controlled Current Source
10k
with Ground Referred Input and Output
VIN
0V TO 2.5V + +
1/2 LT1466L VN2222 10k 1/2 LT1466L TP0610

IO
R1 IO = VIN ( )( )
R2
R1
1
R3
( )
100k
VIN
=
51
1466L/67L TA01
Figure 193. Variable Current Source
an105fa
AN105-106
CURRENT CONTROL
Precision Voltage Controlled Current Source Boosted Bidirectional Controlled Current Source
The ultra-precise LTC2053 instrumentation amplifier is This is a classical Howland bidirectional current source
configured to servo the voltage drop on sense resistor R implemented with an LT1990 integrated difference amplifier.
to match the command VC. The LTC2053 output capability The op amp circuit servos to match the RSENSE voltage
limits this basic configuration to low current applications. drop to the input command VCTL. When the load current
exceeds about 0.7mA in either direction, one of the boost
5V
transistors will start conducting to provide the additional
commanded current.
2
8
+V
R LTC2053 RG 7
VOUT 3 + REF 6 0.1F

EN 5
i 4 1k
1
CZT751
2.7k
3 7
LOAD VC
i = , i 5mA
VCTL +
R 6
10k LT1990
VC 0 < VOUT < (5V VC) 2 +
4 10F
0.1F RSENSE
1
REF ILOAD
2053 TA02
1k
Figure 195. Precision Voltage Controlled Current Source CZT651
V
Switchable Precision Current Source (Figure 196) ILOAD = VCTL/RSENSE 100mA
EXAMPLE: FOR RSENSE =10,
This is a simple current-source configuration where the OUTPUT IS 1mA PER 10mV INPUT 1990 AI04
op amp servos to establish a match between the drop on

Figure 197. Boosted Bidirectional Controlled Current Source
the sense resistor and that of the 1.2V reference. This
particular op amp includes a shutdown feature so the 0A to 2A Current Source (Figure 198)
current source function can be switched off with a logic
command. The 2k pull-up resistor assures the output The LT1995 amplifies the sense resistor drop by 5V/V
MOSFET is off when the op amp is in shutdown mode. and subtracts that from VIN, providing an error signal
to an LT1880 integrator. The integrated error drives the
4V TO 44V PMOSFET as required to deliver the commanded current.
+
4.7F LT1004-1.2
15V
2k R
R*
+ M4 15V 10nF
M1
LT1637 TP0610 RS LT1995
1k
0.2
IOUT = 1.2 P1
G=5 REF
LT1880
R
IOUT e.g., 10mA = 120
P4 +
15V
SHDN *OPTIONAL FOR LOW OUTPUT CURRENTS, 1637 TA01
VIN 100
R* = R 15V
IRF9530
Figure 196. Switchable Precision Current Source 1995 TA04
10nF VIN
IOUT =
IOUT 5 RS
Figure 198. 0A to 2A Current Source

an105fa
AN105-107
CURRENT CONTROL
Fast Differential Current Source (Figure 199) Voltage Controlled Current Source (Figure 201)
This is a variation on the Howland configuration, where Adding a current sense amplifier in the feedback loop
load current actually passes through a feedback resistor of an adjustable low dropout voltage regulator creates
as an implicit sense resistance. Since the effective sense a simple voltage controlled current source. The range of
resistance is relatively large, this topology is appropriate output current sourced by the circuit is set only by the
for producing small controlled currents. current capability of the voltage regulator. The current
sense amplifier senses the output current and feeds back
15V a current to the summing junction of the regulators error
VIN1
R* 2
7 10pF R*
IOUT =
VIN2 VIN1 amplifier. The regulator will then source whatever current
LT1022
6
R
is necessary to maintain the internal reference voltage at
VIN2
R* 3
+ the summing junction. For the circuit shown a 0V to 5V
4
R* control input produces 500mA to 0mA of output current.
15V IOUT RL
V+
*MATCH TO 0.01% 5V
FULL-SCALE POWER BANDWIDTH
= 1MHz FOR IOUTR = 8VP-P
= 400kHz FOR IOUTR = 20VP-P 2.5k
MAXIMUM IOUT = 10mAP-P IOUTP-P RL
COMMON MODE VOLTAGE AT LT1022 INPUT =
2
LT1022 TA07

Figure 199. Fast Differential Current Source RS
1
+
1A Voltage-Controlled Current Sink (Figure 200) +IN
LTC6101
This is a simple controlled current sink, where the op amp FOR VIN = 0V TO 5V,
drives the N-MOSFET gate to develop a match between IOUT = 500mA TO 0mA
the 1 sense resistor drop and the VIN current command. IOUT = 100mA/V
Since the common mode voltage seen by the op amp is
near ground potential, a single supply or rail-to-rail type 10F
RLOAD
+
is required in this application.
0.2V 1k 24k
V+ REF
LT3021 VIN
V+ RL
IOUT
VIN +
1/2 100 Si9410DY Figure 201. Voltage Controlled Current Source
LT1492 N-CHANNEL
100pF
1k
V 1
IOUT = IN
1
tr < 1s 1492/93 TA06
Figure 200. 1A Voltage-Controlled Current Sink
an105fa
AN105-108
CURRENT CONTROL
Adjustable High Side Current Source (Figure 202) Programmable Constant Current Source (Figure 203)
The wide-compliance current source shown takes advan- The current output can be controlled by a variable resistor
tage of the LT1366s ability to measure small signals near (RPROG) connected from the PROG pin to ground on the
the positive supply rail. The LT1366 adjusts Q1s gate volt- LT1620. The LT1121 is a low dropout regulator that keeps
age to force the voltage across the sense resistor (RSENSE) the voltage constant for the LT1620. Applying a shutdown
to equal the voltage between VDC and the potentiometers command to the LT1121 powers down the LT1620 and
wiper. A rail-to-rail op amp is needed because the voltage eliminates the base drive to the current regulation pass
across the sense resistor is nearly the same as VDC. Q2 transistor, thereby turning off IOUT.
acts as a constant current sink to minimize error in the
reference voltage when the supply voltage varies. At low Snap Back Current Limiting (Figure 204)
input voltage, circuit operation is limited by the Q1 gate The LT1970 provides current detection and limiting features
drive requirement. At high input voltage, circuit operation built-in. In this circuit, the logic flags that are produced in
is limited by the LT1366s absolute maximum ratings. a current limiting event are connected in a feedback ar-
rangement that in turn reduces the current limit command
VCC RSENSE
0.2 to a lower level. When the load condition permits the cur-
1k rent to drop below the limiting level, then the flags clear
and full current drive capability is restored automatically.
0.0033F
LT1004-1.2
100 Q1
1/2 LT1366
MTP23P06
RP +
10k
ILOAD
40k
5V < VCC < 30V
0A < ILOAD < 1A AT VCC = 5V
0mA < ILOAD < 160mA AT VCC = 30V
Q2
2N4340
LT1366 F07
Figure 202. Adjustable High Side Current Source
an105fa
AN105-109
CURRENT CONTROL
6V D45VH10 0.1 IOUT
TO 28V 0A TO 1A
0.1F
470
LT1121CS8-5
8 1
IN OUT
+
SHDN GND 1F 0.1F
0.1F 10k
5 3 18k
0.1F 1 8 1%
SENSE AVG
SHUTDOWN 2 7
VN2222LM IOUT PROG
3 LT1620MS8 6
2N3904 GND VCC
IPROG
RPROG
22 4 5
IN +IN
IOUT = (IPROG)(10,000)
RPROG = 40k FOR 1A OUTPUT
LT1620/21 TA01
Figure 203. Programmable Constant Current Source
12V
R2 R1 R3
39.2k 54.9k 2.55k
VCSRC
VCSNK
EN 500mA IMAX
VIN +IN VCC
V+
ISRC 50mA ILOW
ISNK RS
1 IOUT 0
TSD
LT1970 OUT
SENSE+
500mA
SENSE RL
FILTER
IN V VCC R2
VEE IMAX
(R1 + R2) 10 RS
COMMON
VCC (R2||R3)
ILOW
[R1 + (R2||R3)] 10 RS
RG 12V RF
10k 10k
1970 F04
Figure 204. Snap Back Current Limiting
More Current Control Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:

FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-110
PRECISION
Offset voltage and bias current are the primary sources of 1.5m
VREGULATOR
error in current sensing applications. To maintain precision
operation the use of zero drift amplifier virtually eliminates 2 8
the offset error terms. 7
OUT
100mV/A
LTC6800
OF LOAD
3 + 6
Precision High Side Power Supply Current Sense 5
10k CURRENT
4
(Figure 205) 0.1F
ILOAD LOAD
This is a low voltage, ultra high precision monitor featuring 150
a zero drift instrumentation amplifier (IA) that provides
rail-to-rail inputs and outputs. Voltage gain is set by the 6800 TA01
feedback resistors. Accuracy of this circuit is set by the

Figure 206. High Side Power Supply Current Sense
quality of resistors selected by the user, small-signal range
is limited by VOL in single-supply operation. The voltage
V+
rating of this part restricts this solution to applications of
<5.5V. This IA is sampled, so the output is discontinuous RIN
with input changes, thus only suited to very low frequency
measurements. RSENSE
RIN+
+IN IN
1.5m +
VREGULATOR LOAD
V V+
2 8
OUT
7 100mV/A
LTC6800
OF LOAD
3 + 6 10k CURRENT
5 OUT
LTC6101 VOUT
4
0.1F ROUT
ILOAD LOAD
6101 F04
RIN+ = RIN RSENSE
150
6800 TA01 Figure 207. Second Input R Minimizes Error Due to

Input Bias Current
Figure 205. Precision High Side Power Supply Current Sense
High Side Power Supply Current Sense (Figure 206)

The low offset error of the LTC6800 allows for unusually
low sense resistance while retaining accuracy.
Second Input R Minimizes Error Due to Input Bias

Current (Figure 207)
The second input resistor decreases input error due caused
by the input bias current. For smaller values of RIN this
may not be a significant consideration.
an105fa
AN105-111
PRECISION
Remote Current Sensing with Minimal Wiring ILOAD VSENSE
+
(Figure 208) TO RSENSE +
CHARGER/LOAD
Since the LTC6102 (and others) has a current output that
RIN RIN
is ordinarily converted back to a voltage with a local load
resistance, additional wire resistance and ground offsets
dont directly affect the part behavior. Consequently, if 8 7 6 5
+INA INA INB +INB
the load resistance is placed at the far end of a wire, the
voltage developed at the destination will be correct with + +
A B
respect to the destination ground potential. VS VS
Use Kelvin Connections to Maintain High Current

CURRENT
Accuracy (Figure 209) OUT MIRROR V
LTC6104
1 4
Significant errors are caused by high currents flowing +
6104 F02
through PCB traces in series with the connections to the ROUT

sense amplifier. Using a sense resistor with integrated VIN VOUT
+ VREF
sense terminals provides the sense amplifier with only

the voltage across the sense resistor. Using the LTC6104
maintains precision for currents flowing in both directions, Figure 209. Use Kelvin Connections to Maintain
ideal for battery charging applications. High Current Accuracy
V+
TIE AS CLOSE TO RIN AS POSSIBLE
RIN
RSENSE
+IN INS 1
fC =
2 ROUT COUT
+ INF
LOAD
V V+
0.1F
VREG
LONG WIRE
OUT
LTC6102 ADC
6102 TA09 ROUT COUT
REMOTE ADC
Figure 208. Remote Current Sensing with Minimal Wiring
an105fa
AN105-112
PRECISION
Crystal/Reference Oven Controller (Figure 210) 5V
High precision instrumentation often use small ovens to 3.3V 3.3V I/O
establish constant operation temperature for critical oscilla- 2.5V 2.5V I/O
RSENSE
tors and reference voltages. Monitoring the power (current 1.2V 1.2V CORE
and voltage) to the heater as well as the temperature is
required in a closed-loop control system. VCC V1 V2 V3 V4
FPGA
Power Intensive Circuit Board Monitoring (Figure 211) SDA V5

SCL
Many systems contain densely populated circuit boards 2-WIRE
I2C INTERFACE ADR0
LTC2991
V6
FPGA
TEMPERATURE
using high power dissipation devices such as FPGAs. ADR1
8-channel, 14-bit ADC LTC2991 can be used to moni- ADR2
tor device power consumption with voltage and current V7 BOARD
TEMPERATURE
measurements as well as temperatures at several points TAMBIENT
on the board and even inside devices which provide die V8
temp monitoring. A PWM circuit is also built-in to provide PWM TO FAN
GND
closed-loop control of PCB operating temperature. 2991 TA01a
Figure 211. Power Intensive Circuit Board Monitoring
HEATERPWR = I V
0.1
HEATER
VOLTAGE
5V
0.1F STYROFOAM 20C
INSULATION AMBIENT
VCC V1 V2
2-WIRE MMBT3904 HEATER
SDA V3
I2C
SCL LTC2990
INTERFACE 470pF
ADR0
ADR1 V4
GND TOVEN
70C
OVEN
TINTERNAL 2990 TA10
HEATER CONSTRUCTION: HEATER POWER = (TSET TAMB) + (TOVEN TSET) dt

5FT COIL OF #34 ENAMEL WIRE
FEED FEED
~1.6 AT 70C
FORWARD BACK
PHEATER = ~0.4W WITH TA = 20C
= 0.004W, = 0.00005W/DEG-s

V1, V2 REG 8, 9 305.18VLSB IHEATER REG 6, 7 269VLSB
TOVEN REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB THEATER REG A, B 0.0625C/LSB
Figure 210. Crystal/Reference Oven Controller
an105fa
AN105-113
PRECISION
Crystal/Reference Oven Controller (Figure 212) and voltage) to the heater as well as the temperature is
required in a closed-loop control system. The LTC2991
High precision instrumentation often use small ovens to
includes a PWM output which can provide closed-loop
establish constant operation temperature for critical oscilla-
tors and reference voltages. Monitoring the power (current control of the heater.
VOLTAGE AND CURRENT (POWER) MONITOR
5V
VCC V1 V2
OTHER APPLICATIONS
SDA V3
SCL V4 VCC
2-WIRE LTC2991
I 2C INTERFACE ADR0 V5
ADR1 V6 OVEN
TSET 70C
ADR2
V7
TAMBIENT HEATER
V8
TEMPERATURE
SENSOR
PWM VCC
GND
5V
100k
+
VOLTAGE, CURRENT, TEMPERATURE AND PWM CONFIGURATION: 100k
CONTROL REGISTER 0x06: 0x01
0x07: 0xA0 LT6240
PWM, TINTERNAL, VCC REG: 0x08: 0x50
PWM REGISTER 0x09: 0x1B 1F
TAMBIENT REG 1A, 1B 0.0625C/LSB 1M
VHEATER REG 0A, 0B 305V/LSB 2991 TA11
IHEATER REG 0C, 0D 19.4V/RHEATERA/LSB
TOVEN REG 16, 17 0.0625C/LSB
VCC REG 1C, 1D 2.5V + 305.18V/LSB
Figure 212. Crystal/Reference Oven Controller
an105fa
AN105-114
PRECISION
More Precision Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
AN105-115
WIDE RANGE
To measure current over a wide range of values requires terminals (A2, A4) and ground to provide selection of
gain changing in the current sense amplifier. This allows gain = 10 or gain = 50, depending on the state of the gate
the use of a single value of sense resistor. The alternative drive. This provides a wider current measurement range
approach is to switch values of sense resistor. Both ap- than otherwise possible with just a single sense resistor.
proaches are viable for wide range current sensing.
RSENSE ISENSE
Dual LTC6101s Allow High-Low Current Ranging TO LOAD FROM SOURCE
(Figure 213) LT6100 VS
VS+
Using two current sense amplifiers with two values of

sense resistors is an easy method of sensing current over +
a wide range. In this circuit the sensitivity and resolution of 5V VCC
measurement is 10 times greater with low currents, less
than 1.2A, than with higher currents. A comparator detects FIL
higher current flow, up to 10A, and switches sensing over VOUT
to the high current circuitry. VEE A2 A4

6100 TA05
Adjust Gain Dynamically for Enhanced Range 2N7002 5V

(GAIN = 50)
0V
(Figure 214) (GAIN = 10)
Instead of having fixed gains of 10, 12.5, 20, 25, 40, and 50,
Figure 214. Adjust Gain Dynamically for Enhanced Range
this circuit allows selecting between two gain settings. An
N-MOSFET switch is placed between the two gain-setting
CMPZ4697 VLOGIC
(3.3V TO 5V)
10k 7
M1 3
Si4465 +
VIN
4
ILOAD
RSENSE HI
10m 8 Q1
5 CMPT5551
VOUT
RSENSE LO 40.2k 6
301 100m 301 301 301
4.7k
1.74M
LTC1540
4 3 4 3
2 1 HIGH
2 + 5 2 + 5 RANGE
VIN
619k INDICATOR
(ILOAD > 1.2A)

LTC6101 LTC6101
250mV/A
7.5k
VLOGIC
BAT54C
2.5V/A
R5
7.5k
0 ILOAD 10A 6101 F03b

an105fa
AN105-116
WIDE RANGE
0 to 10A Sensing Over Two Ranges (Figure 215) current ranges, yet be scaled through gain settings to
provide the same range of output current in each direc-
Using two sense amplifiers a wide current range can be
tion. This is ideal for battery charging application where
broken up into a high and low range for better accuracy
at lower currents. Two different value sense resistors can the charging current has a much smaller range than the
be used in series with each monitored by one side of the battery load current.
LTC6103. The low current range, less than 1.2A in this
CHARGER
example, uses a larger sense resistor value to develop RSHUNTB
RINB
a larger sense voltage. Current exceeding this range will LOAD
create a large sense voltage, which may exceed the input RSHUNTA
RINA
BATTERY
differential voltage rating of a single sense amplifier. A

comparator senses the high current range and shorts out
the larger sense resistor. Now only the high range sense A B
VS
amplifier outputs a voltage.
VOUT
Dual Sense Amplifier Can Have Different Sense ROUT CURRENT
Resistors and Gain (Figure 216) LTC6104
MIRROR
VREF
The LTC6104 has a single output which both sources and
6104 F08
sinks current from the two independent sense amplifiers. Figure 216. Dual Sense Amplifier Can Have Different Sense
Different shunt sense resistors can monitor different Resistors and Gain
CMPZ4697
10k
VLOGIC
(3.3V TO 5V)
M1
Si4465 7
3 LTC1540
ILOAD
RSENSE(LO) RSENSE(HI) +
100m 10m 4
8 Q1
VOUT VIN
5 CMPT5551
40.2k 6 4.7k
301 301
8 7 6 5 1.74M HIGH
2 1 RANGE
INDICATOR
LTC6103 619k (ILOAD > 1.2A)
HIGH CURRENT
1 2 4 RANGE OUT
BAT54C 250mV/A
7.5k
VLOGIC
LOW CURRENT
RANGE OUT
6103 F03b
R5 (VLOGIC + 5V) VIN 60V 250mV/A
7.5k
0A ILOAD 10A
Figure 215. 0 to 10A Sensing Over Two Ranges
an105f
AN105-117
WIDE RANGE
More Wide Range Circuits Are Shown in Other Chapters:
FIGURE TITLE
an105fa
Linear Technology Corporation LT 0614 REV A PRINTED IN USA
AN105-118 1630 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035-7417

(408) 432-1900 FAX: (408) 434-0507 www.linear.com LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION 2005

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Application Note 105

Current Sense Circuit Collection

Tim Regan, Jon Munson

CIRCUIT COLLECTION INDEX

n Current Sense Basics n Level Shifting n High Speed

CURRENT SENSE BASICS

High Side Disadvantages

Low Side Disadvantages

Figure 2. High Side Current Sensing

sensing. With these circuits the total current supplied

LT6100 Load Current Monitor (Figure 4)

input differentials, thus allowing the blown-fuse operating 150

maintaining high impedance sense inputs, drawing less

more. In the single-supply configuration shown, there is

that under DC input conditions the single-ended output AN92 F02a

1/2 LTC6943 Figure 12b

Figure 12. Measuring Bias Current Into an Avalanche Photo

Figure 11. Precision Current Sensing in Supply Rails

DANGER! Lethal Potentials Present Use Caution

ISENSE VSENSE 500V

M1 AND M2 ARE FQD3P50 TM ROUT

Figure 13. Simple 500V Current Monitor

Figure 14. Bidirectional Battery-Current Monitor

include the IC current in the readout, as in load monitor- 2 5

ing, Pin 5 may be connected directly to V+ instead of the

This is a basic high side current monitor using the LTC6101. 2 + 5

built in protection features. It provides the gate drive for a 3 4

power switch from standard logic voltage levels. It provides +

to through the switch. Adding an LTC6101 to the same

48V Supply Current Monitor with Isolated Output and ROUT

105V Survivability (Figure 19) VOUT

Figure 18. Intelligent High Side Switch

Figure 21. Sensed Current Includes Monitor Circuit Supply Current

TO LOAD 2.85V TO 36V 6105 TA01

Figure 22. Wide Voltage Range Current Sensing

Figure 23. Smooth Current Monitor Output Signal by Simple Filtering

Figure 24. Power on Reset Pulse Using a TimerBlox Device

SET DIV SET DIV

Figure 27. Precision Current Sensing in Supply Rails

Figure 28.48V Hot Swap Controller

Figure 29.48V Low Side Precision Current Sense

Figure 30. Fast Compact 48V Current Sense

Figure 32.48V Hot Swap Controller

Figure 33. Simple Telecom Power Supply Fuse Monitor

Figure 34. Telecom Supply Current Monitor

Figure 35.48V Hot Swap Controller

Figure 36.48V Low Side Precision Current Sense

VOUT = 3V 0.1 ISENSE

Figure 37. Fast Compact 48V Current Sense

Figure 39. Simple Telecom Power Supply Fuse Monitor

VOUT = 1V/A VOUT LT6105

100 20m 100

6105 F07 4.99k

Figure 40. Monitor Current in Positive or Negative Supply Lines

Figure 41. Unidirectional Output into A/D 0.25

Figure 42. Unidirectional Current Sensing Mode

Figure 43. 16-Bit Resolution Unidirectional Output into LTC2433 ADC

Figure 44. Intelligent High Side Switch

Figure 46. 12-Bit Resolution Unidirectional Output into LTC1286 ADC

Figure 47. Bidirectional Current Sensing with

two circuits that individually protect each half-bridge and

Figure 50. Single-Supply 2.5V Bidirectional Operation with

Figure 49. Conventional H-Bridge Current Monitor