Boost Controller Smoothes Battery Voltage During Vehicle Start-Stop

The NCV8876 non-synchronous boost controller from ON Semiconductor, integrating automatic wake up and shutdown functions, supplies a minimum output voltage during start-stop conditions to counteract any sag in the vehicle’s battery voltage. Running off a 2- to 44-V input voltage, the NCV8876 is enabled when the supply voltage drops below 7.2 V. Boost operation initiates once voltage goes under 6.8 V, with the IC driving an external N-channel MOSFET.
The device draws a mere 11 µA of quiescent current when in sleep mode to minimize power consumption. Protection features include cycle-by-cycle current limiting, thermal shutdown (with a 170°C threshold), and hiccup-mode overcurrent protection. Its peak current-mode control with internal slope compensation ensures device stability over the entire voltage range. This also ensures its protection during a current fault condition—the power switch turns off for the remainder of the cycle if the current limit is exceeded. The controller comes in a SOIC-8 package.

ON SEMICONDUCTOR