Ult ra Lo w -P o w e r, Lo w -Co s t
Co m p a ra t o rs w it h 2 % Re fe re n c e
1-MAX934
current falls. The reference will not function below
As the inp ut volta g e a p p roa c he s the c omp a ra tor's
offset, the output begins to bounce back and forth; this
about 2.2V, although the comparators will continue to
operate with a total supply voltage as low as 1V. While
the MAX934 has comparators that may be used at
supply voltages below 2V, the MAX931, MAX932, and
MAX933 ma y not b e us e d with s up p ly volta g e s
significantly below 2.5V.
peaks when
V
IN
= VOS. (The lowpass filter shown on
the g ra p h a ve ra g e s out the b ounc ing , ma king the
transfer function easy to observe.) Consequently, the
comparator has an effective wideband peak-to-peak
nois e of a round 0.3mV. The volta g e re fe re nc e ha s
peak-to peak noise approaching 1mV. Thus, when a
comparator is used with the reference, the combined
peak-to-peak noise is about 1mV. This, of course, is
muc h hig he r tha n the RMS nois e of the ind ivid ua l
components. Care should be taken in the layout to
a void c a p a c itive c oup ling from a ny outp ut to the
reference pin. Crosstalk can significantly increase the
actual noise of the reference.
At low supply voltages, the comparators’ output drive is
reduced and the propagation delay increases (see
Typical Operating Characteristics ). The useful input
voltage range extends from the negative supply to a
little und e r 1V b e low the p os itive s up p ly, whic h is
s lig htly c los e r to the p os itive ra il tha n the d e vic e
op e ra ting from hig he r s up p ly volta g e s . Te s t your
prototype over the full temperature and supply-voltage
range if operation below 2.5V is anticipated.
__________Ap p lic a t io n s In fo rm a t io n
Co m p a ra t o r Ou t p u t
With 100mV of overdrive, propagation delay is typically
3µs. The Typical Operating Characteristics show the
propagation delay for various overdrive levels.
Hys t e re s is
Hysteresis increases the comparators’ noise margin by
increasing the upper threshold and decreasing the
lower threshold (see Figure 2).
The MAX931 and MAX934 output swings from V+ to
GND, s o TTL c omp a tib ility is a s s ure d b y us ing a
+5V ±10% supply. The negative supply does not affect
the output swing, and can range from 0V to -5V ±10%.
Hysteresis (MAX931/MAX932/MAX933)
To add hysteresis to the MAX931/MAX932/MAX933,
c onne c t re s is tor R1 b e twe e n REF a nd HYST, a nd
connect resistor R2 between HYST and V- (Figure 3). If
no hysteresis is required, connect HYST to REF. When
hysteresis is added, the upper threshold increases by
the same amount that the lower threshold decreases.
The hysteresis band (the difference between the upper
and lower thresholds, VHB) is approximately equal to
twice the voltage between REF and HYST. The HYST
input can be adjusted to a maximum voltage of REF
a nd to a minimum volta g e of (REF - 50mV). The
The MAX932 and MAX933 do not have a GND pin, and
their outputs swing from V+ to V-. Connect V- to ground
and V+ to a +5V supply to achieve TTL compatibility.
The MAX931-MAX934’s unique design achieves an
outp ut s ourc e c urre nt of more tha n 40mA a nd a
s ink c urre nt of ove r 5mA, while ke e p ing q uie s c e nt
currents in the microampere range. The output can
source 100mA (at V+ = 5V) for short pulses, as long as
the p a c ka g e 's ma ximum p owe r d is s ip a tion is not
exceeded. The output stage does not generate crowbar
switching currents during transitions, which minimizes
feedback through the supplies and helps ensure stability
without bypassing.
THRESHOLDS
IN+
Vo lt a g e Re fe re n c e
The internal bandgap voltage reference has an output
of 1.182V a b ove V-. Note tha t the REF volta g e is
referenced to V-, not to GND. Its accuracy is ±2% in
the range 0°C to +70°C. The REF output is typically
capable of sourcing 15µA and sinking 8µA. Do not
bypass the REF output. For applications that require a
1% p re c is ion re fe re nc e , s e e the MAX921-MAX924
data sheet.
HYSTERESIS
IN-
BAND
VREF - VHYST
V
HB
OUT
No is e Co n s id e ra t io n s
Although the comparators have a very high gain, useful
gain is limited by noise. This is shown in the Transfer
Function graph (see Typical Operating Characteristics).
Figure 2. Threshold Hysteresis Band
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