AND9218/D

5 Key Steps to Designing

a Compact, HighEfficiency
PFC Stage Using
the NCP1602
Description

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This paper describes the key steps to rapidly design

a Discontinuous Conduction Mode PFC stage driven by the
NCP1602. The process is illustrated in a practical 160-W,
universal mains application:
Maximum Output Power: 160 W
Rms Line Voltage Range: from 86 V to 265 V
Regulation output voltage: 400 V
Frequency Fold-Back when the Line Current is Less
than 400 mA

APPLICATION NOTE

Introduction

Housed in a TSOP6 package, the NCP1602 is designed

to optimize the efficiency of your PFC stage throughout the
load range. Incorporating protection features for rugged
operation, it is ideal in systems where cost-effectiveness,
reliability, low stand-by power and high efficiency are key
requirements:
Valley Synchronized Frequency Fold-Back (VSFF):
The circuit operates in Critical conduction Mode (CrM)
when the VCTRL pin voltage is above a preset level.
When the VCTRL pin voltage goes lower than the
preset level, the controller enters a Discontinuous
conduction Mode and starts adding dead-time after the
inductor demagnetization phase. The lower the VCTRL
pin voltage, the higher the value of the dead time
added. As a result, switching frequency linearly decays
to about 33 kHz.
Skip Mode: SKIP Mode is optional, versions
NCP1602[B**] and NCP1602[D**] have the SKIP
mode feature, but versions NCP1602[A**] and
NCP1602[C**] have the SKIP mode feature disabled.
To optimize the Power Efficiency at low output power,
a controller version using a SKIP Mode is available.
When VCTRL pin voltage gets lower than the SKIP
Mode threshold voltage, the power MOSFET drive is
disabled. As a result the output voltage of the controller
goes down, making in turn the VCTRL voltage go up
and eventually above the SKIP mode threshold.
VCTRL pin voltage being now above the SKIP mode
threshold, the power MOSFET drive is enabled.
Low Start-Up Current and Large VCC Range:
The extra low start-up consumption of the
NCP1602[**A]&[**B] versions allows the use of
high-value resistors for charging the VCC capacitor.

Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, 2016

April, 2016 Rev. 2

The NCP1602[**C]&[**D] versions are targeted in

applications where the circuit is fed by an auxiliary
power source. Its start-up level is lower than 11.25 V,
allowing the circuit to be powering from a 12-V rail.
Both versions feature a large VCC operating range
(9.5 V to 30 V).
Fast Line/Load Transient Compensation (Dynamic
Response Enhancer and Soft OVP): Due to the slow
loop response of traditional PFC stages, abrupt changes
in the load or in the input voltage may cause significant
over or under-shoots. This proprietary circuit drastically
limits these possible deviations from the regulation
point.
Safety Protections: NCP1602 features make the PFC
stage extremely robust. Among them, we can mention
the Brown-Out Detection block1 that stops operation
when the ac line is too low and the 2-level Current
Sensing, that forces a low duty-ratio operation mode in
the event that the inductor current exceeds 150% of the
current limit. This situation can be caused by inductor
saturation or by the bypass or boost diode short circuit.
Eased Manufacturing and Safety Testing: Some
elements of the PFC stage can be accidently shorted,
badly soldered or damaged as a result of manufacturing
or handling incidents, excessive mechanical stress or
other troubles. In particular, some adjacent pins can be
shorted, a single pin can be grounded or badly
connected. It is often required that such open/short
situations do not cause fire, smoke nor loud noise.
The NCP1602 integrates enhanced functions that help
address these requirements, for instance, in case of an
improper pin connection (including GND) or of a short
of the boost or bypass diode. Application note
AND9079/D details the behavior of a NCP1612-driven
PFC stage under safety tests [1].
1The

voltage of the brown-out detection block input pin (CS/ZCD)

is also used to detect the line range and reduce the loop gain in
high-line conditions (2-step feed-forward).

Publication Order Number:

AND9218/D

AND9218/D

Rfb2

RSENSE

DRV
4

CS/ZCD

CZ

EMI
Filter

AC Line

VIN

CIN

RZ

CP

RCS2

RCS1

RCS0

IL

GND

VCTRL

L1

FB

VCC

D1

Rfb1

CBULK

VBULK

Load

PFC STAGE DIMENSIONING

Figure 1. Evaluation Board Schematic with Power and Control Circuitry

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AND9218/D
STEP 1: DEFINE THE KEY SPECIFICATIONS

fline : Line frequency. 50 Hz/60 Hz applications are

KCS = ((RCS1 + RCS2 ) / (KCS1 )) = 138. Internal

brown-out fixed value reference voltages
VboH = 819 mV and VboH = 737 mV are used for
calculating the line brown-out thresholds:

targeted. Practically, they are often specified in a range

of 4763 Hz and for calculations such as hold-up time,
one has to factor in the lowest specified value.
(Vline,rms )min : Lowest level of the line voltage. This is
the minimum rms input voltage for which the PFC
stage must operate. Such a level is usually 1012%
below the minimum typical voltage which could be
100 V in many countries.
We will take: (Vline,rms )min = 90 V
(Vline,rms )max : Highest level for the line voltage. This is
the maximum input rms voltage. It is usually 10%
above the maximum typical voltage (240 V in many
countries).
We select: (Vline,rms )max = 264 V.
High Line (Vline,rms )HL and Low Line (Vline,rms )LL
thresholds for internal line feedforward. Operating line
voltage must be well above (Vline,rms )HL or well below
(Vline,rms )LL . These thresholds values cannot be
changed because VHL et VLL internal reference voltage
are fixed, and they must not be changed by changing
KCS value KCS = ((RCS1 + RCS2 ) / (KCS1 )) because KCS
value also controls OVP2 level and line Brown-out
levels.
V line,rms
V line,rms

LL

HL

K CSV LL
2
K CSV HL
2

138 @ 1.392
+ 135.9 V rms (eq. 1)
2

138 @ 1.801
+ 175.8 V rms (eq. 2)
2

V line,rms

boH

V line,rms

boL

K CSV boH
2
K CSV boL
2

+ 80 V

(eq. 3)

+ 72 V

(eq. 4)

NOTE: Line brown-out thresholds cannot be modified using

KCS because KCS also controls OVP2 threshold and
internal line feedforward thresholds.

Vout,nom : Nominal output voltage. This is the regulation

(Vline,rms )boH : Brown-out line upper threshold (In case

the controller is using an option featuring the brown-out
protection. For controller option not featuring the
brown-out protection, the following lines dont apply).
The circuit prevents operation until the line rms voltage
exceeds(Vline,rms )boH . The NCP1602 offers a 10%
hysteresis. Hence, if no specific action is taken, it will
detect a brown-out situation and stop operation when
the rms line voltage goes below(Vline,rms )boL that
equates ((90% V Vline,rms )boH ). A brown-out event is
sensed through the CS/ZCD pin and the parameter KCS,

level for the PFC output voltage (also designated as the

bulk voltage). Vout,nom must be higher than
(/2 V (Vline,rms )HL ) = 373 V. 400 V is our target value
(tu utilises 399 V dans les calculs)
(dVout )pkpk ): Peak-to-peak output voltage ripple. This
parameter is often specified in percentage of output
voltage. It must be selected equal or lower than 8% to
avoid triggering the Dynamic Response Enhancer
(DRE) in normal operation.
Pout : Output power. This is the power consumed by the
PFC load.
Pout,max : Maximum output power. This is the maximum
output power level which is 160 W in our application.
(Pin,avg )max : Maximum input power. This is the
maximum power that can be absorbed from the mains
in normal operation. This level is obtained at full load,
low line. Assuming an efficiency of 95% in these
conditions, we will use:
(Pin,avg )max = 160/95% 9 170 W
Iline,max : Maximum line current obtained at full load,
low line.
Vctrl,th,* : CTRL pin voltage threshold below which the
circuit reduces the frequency (VSFF). If the CTRL pin
voltage Vctrl is lower than Vctrl,th,*, the PFC stage will
permanently operates with a reduced frequency.
Conversely if Vctrl is higher than Vctrl,th,*, then the PFC
stage will operate in CrM (no frequency fold-back).

STEP 2: POWER COMPONENTS SELECTION

will determine the current rise for a given on-time. More
specifically, the following equation gives the power
capability of the PFC stage:

In heavy load conditions, the NCP1602 operates in

Critical conduction Mode (CrM). Hence, the inductor,
the bulk capacitor and the power silicon devices are
dimensioned as usually done with any other CrM PFC. This
chapter does not detail this process, but simply highlights
key points.

Pin,avg

HL

V line,rms
2L

@ T on,max

(eq. 5)

The smaller the inductor, the higher the PFC stage power
capability. Hence, L must be low enough so that the full
power can be provided at the lowest line level:

Inductor Selection

The on-time of the circuit is internally limited. The power

the PFC stage can deliver depends on the inductor since L

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AND9218/D

Lv

Vline,rms

Power Silicon Devices

2
LL

2 @ P in,avg

@ T on,max

Generally, the diode bridge and the power MOSFET are

placed on the same heat-sink.
As a rule of the thumb, one can estimate that the heat-sink
will have to dissipate around:
4% of the output power in wide mains applications
(95% being generally the targeted minimum efficiency)
2% of the output power in single mains applications.

(eq. 6)

max

Like in traditional CrM applications, the following

equations give the other parameters of importance:
Maximum Peak Current:

IL,pk

max

+ 2 @ 2 @

Pin,avg

max

V line,rms

(eq. 7)

In our wide-mains application, about 6.4 W are then to be

dissipated. We selected a low-profile heat-sink from
COLUMBIA-STAVER (reference: TP207ST/120/12.5/
NA/SP/03) whose thermal resistance has been measured to
be in the range of 6C/W.
Among the sources of losses that contribute to this
heating, one can list:
The diodes bridge conduction losses that can be
estimated by the following equation:

LL

Maximum rms Current:

IL,rms

max

IL,pk

max

(eq. 8)

In our application, the inductor must then meet the

following requirements:
NOTE:

TON,max,LL = 12.5 ms corresponds to the version

NCP1602AEA (2nd digit E) which is used on the EVB.
90 2
@ 12.5 m + 295 mH
2 @ 170

Lv

IL,pk

max

+ 2 @ 2 @

IL,rms

max

170
^ 5.3 A
90

P bridge + 2 @ V f @

(eq. 9)

5.3
^ 2.2 A
6

(Ton,max = 12.5 ms) is the value for NCP1602AEA version

and it is used in Equation 9. However, the worst case for
Ton,max when used in Equation 9 is for product versions
NCP1602*G*,NCP1602*H* and NCP1602*I* for
which the Ton,max @ Low Line is equal to 8.33 ms. When
these low Ton,max versions are used, the inductor value must
satisfy the criteria:
Lv

90 2
@ 8.5 m + 202 mH
2 @ 170

V line(t) 2 @ V out * V line(t)

4 @ P in,avg @ V out @ L

@ 8.5 m + 202 mH

f SW +

@ 390 * 2 @ 90

4 @ 170 @ 390 @ 200 @ 10 *6

^ 80 kHz

4
+ @ R DS(on) @
3

1.8 @ V f
V line,rms

P out
@ h

(eq. 13)

1*

P out,max
h @ V line,rms

8 2 @ V line,rms
3p @ V out,nom

LL

LL

(eq. 14)

In our application, we have:

PBRIDGE = 3.4 W, assuming that Vf is 1 V.

(pon )max = 3.4 RDS(on) . In our application, a low

(eq. 10)

RDS(on) MOSFET (0.25 W @ 25C) is selected to avoid

excessive conduction losses. Assuming that RDS(on)
doubles at high temperature, the maximum conduction
losses peak to about 1.7 W.

The total conduction losses for the MOSFET and the

diode bridge can be as high as 5.1 W.
Switching losses cannot be easily computed. We will not
attempt to predict them. Instead, as a rule of the thumb, we
will assume a loss budget equal to that of the MOSFET
conduction ones. Experimental tests will check that they are
not under-estimated.
The boost diode is the source of the following conduction
losses:(IOUT V Vf ), where IOUT is the load current and Vf the
diode forward voltage. The maximum output current being

(eq. 11)

For instance, at low line, full load (top of the sinusoid),

the switching frequency is:

2 @ 90

V line,rms

where Vf is the forward voltage of the bridge diodes at the

rated current.
The MOSFET conduction losses are given by:
(P on) max

It is, in addition, recommended to select an inductor value

that is at least 25% less than that returned by Equation 9 for
a healthy margin.
A 200-mH/6-Apk inductor (ref: 750370081 from WRTH
ELEKTRONIK) is selected. It consists of a 10:1 auxiliary
winding for zero current detection.
One can note that the switching frequency in CrM
operation depends on the inductor value:
f SW +

2 P out
2 p @ h

(eq. 12)

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AND9218/D
nearly 0.4 A, the diode conduction losses are in the range of
0.4 W (assuming Vf = 1 V). PDIODE = 0.4 W

C bulk w

pk*pk

P out,max
C bulk @ w @ V out,nom

I c,rms

(eq. 15)

where (w = 2p V fline ) is the line angular frequency. This

ripple must keep lower than 4% of the output voltage
(8% peak-to-peak) in order to avoid triggering the
Dynamic Response Enhancer (DRE) system while in
steady state. Taking into account the line frequency
minimum value (47 Hz), this leads to:
160
8% @ 2p @ 47 @ 399 2

^ 42 mF

2 @ P out,max @ t HOLD*UP
2

V out,nom * V out,min

max

(eq. 18)

(eq. 19)

P
32 2
@
9p V

P
* V

in,avg max

@ V out,nom

line,rms LL

out,max

out,nom

In our application, we have:

I c,rms ^

(eq. 16)

Hold-Up Time Specification:

C bulk w

^ 87 mF

The rms current depends on the load characteristic.

Assuming a resistive load, we can derive the following
approximate expression of its magnitude2:

There generally are three main criteria / constraints when

defining the bulk capacitor:
Peak-to-Peak Low Frequency Ripple:

C bulk w

399 2 * 350 2

Rms Capacitor Current:

Output Bulk Capacitor

dV out

2 @ 160 @ 10 m

32 2
170
@
90 @ 399
9p

160

399

(eq. 20)

^ 1.06 A
(eq. 17)

2It

remains wise to verify the bulk capacitor heating on the bench!

Hence, a 10-ms hold-up time imposes:

STEP 3: BULK VOLTAGE MONITORING AND REGULATION LOOP
As shown by Figure 1, the feedback arrangement consists
of:
A resistor divider that scales down the bulk voltage to
provide pin FB with the feedback signal. The upper
resistor of the divider generally consists of three or four
series resistors for safety considerations (see R8, R9 and
R10 of Figure 7). If not, any accidental shortage of this
element would apply the high voltage output to the
controller low-voltage pin and destroy it.
A filtering capacitor that is often placed between pin
FB and ground to prevent switching noise from
distorting the feedback signal. A 1-nF capacitor is often
implemented. Generally speaking, the pole it forms
with the feedback resistors must remain at a very
high-frequency compared to the line one. Practically,
C fb v

I FB +

V REF
R fb2

2.5
R fb2

(eq. 21)

Trade-off between losses and noise immunity dictate the

choice of this resistor. Resistors up to 56 kW (IFB 50 mA)
generally give good results. Higher values can be considered
if allowed by the board PCB layout. Please note anyway that
a 250-nA sink current (500 nA max. on the 40 to 125C
temperature range) is built-in to pull the feedback pin down
and disable the driver if the pin is accidently open. If IFB is
set below 50 mA, the regulation level may be significantly
impacted by the 250-nA sink current.
When the bottom resistor is selected, select the upper
resistor as follows:
R fb1 + R fb2 @

1
150 @ R fb1 R fb2 @ f line

V out,nom
V REF

*1

(eq. 22)

In our application, we select a 27-kW value for Rfb2

(IFB 92 mA). As for Rfb1, two 1800-kW resistors are placed
in series with a 680-kW one. These normalized values
precisely give: (Rfb1 = 4.28 MW), leading to a nominal
399-V regulation level, which is acceptable.

generally give good results.

A type-2 compensation network. Consisting of two

capacitors and of one resistor, this circuitry sets the
crossover frequency and the loop characteristic.

Compensating the Loop

In steady-state the feedback being in the range of the

2.5-V regulation reference voltage, the feedback bottom
resistor (Rfb2 of Figure 1 or R11 of Figure 8) sets the bias
current in the feedback resistors as follows:

The loop gain of a PFC boost converter is proportional to

the square of the line magnitude if no feed-forward is
applied. Hence, this gain almost varies by an order of
magnitude in universal mains conditions. The CS/ZCD pin

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AND9218/D
voltage is processed by the NCP1602 in order to get an
internal voltage representative of the line voltage value.
The NCP1602 uses this information to perform a 2-level
feed-forward function: in high-line that is detected when
Vline,rms happens to exceed (Vin,rms )HL , the PWM gain is

divided by 3 (actually the tON,max value is divided by 3)

compared to a low-line state (which is set if Vline,rms is less
than (Vin,rms )HL for 25 ms see Figure 2 and Figure 4). Not
only the PWM gain is modified,

Loop
Gain
()

Vline,rms (V)
(Vin,rms)BOH
e.g.: 80 V

(Vin,rms)LL
e.g.: 136 V

(Vin,rms)HL
e.g.: 176 V

Figure 2. 2-Step Feed-Forward Limits the Loop Gain Variation with Respect to Line

Using small signal methods described in [1] and [2], we

can derive two small-signal transfer functions of our PFC
stage (one for High Line, one for Low Line):
Low-Line Small Signal Transfer Function:
V out(s)
V control(s)

640000 @ L @ V out,nom

The coefficient 640000 is for tON,max = 12.5 ms and

1920000 for tON,max = 12.5 ms/3 (product versions
[*D*],[*E*]&[*F*] (The EVB is provided with the [*F*]
version which is the default version), for other product
versions with different tON,max , just calculate the new
coefficient using the formula 8 V/tON,max e.g. 640000 =
8 V/12.5 ms).

(eq. 23)

V in,rms @ R load

Vout,nom is the nominal regulation level of the PFC output.

@
1)s@

1
R load@C bulk
2

High-Line Small Signal Transfer Function:

V out(s)
V control(s)

V in,rms @ R load
1920000 @ L @ V out,nom

PFC stages must be slow. More practically, high PF ratios

require the low regulation bandwidth to be in the range of
20 Hz or lower. Hence, sharp variations of the load result in
excessive over and under-shoots. These deviations are
effectively contained by the NCP1602 Dynamic Response
Enhancer together with its accurate over-voltage
protection.
Still however, a type-2 compensation (R1,C1,C2) is
recommended as shown in Figure 3.

(eq. 24)
@
1)s@

1
R load@C bulk
2

Where:
Cbulk is the bulk capacitor.
Rload is the load equivalent resistance.
L is the PFC coil inductance.

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AND9218/D
VCONTROL
VOUT

ICONTROL

R1
C2

C1
Rfb1

OTA

FB

To PWM
Comparator

Rfb2
+
VREF

Figure 3. Regulation Trans-Conductance Error Amplifier, Feed-Back and Compensation Network

The output to control transfer function brought by the

type-2 compensator is:
V control(s)
V out(s)

R1 C1
R 0 C 1 ) C 2

1)
@

1
sR 1C 1

1 ) sR 1 @

C 1C 2
C 1)C 2

The crossover frequency is selected as low as possible but

higher or equal to the PFC boost stage pole at full load:
fp +

(eq. 25)

The phase margin is generally set between 45 and

70 degrees.

Where (R0 = Vout,nom / (Vref V GEA )), GEA being the 200-mS
error amplifier transconductance gain, Vout,nom , the bulk
nominal voltage and VREF, the OTA 2.5-V voltage reference.

In our application, if we target a 15-Hz crossover

frequency and a 60-degree phase margin (p/3 in radians), we
have:

Applying the compensation method described in [2] and

[3] we obtain the following dimensioning equations:
G0 +

C2 +

C1 +

R1 +

V line,rms

2
LL

1
^ 2.4 Hz
p @ R load,min @ C bulk

G0 +

90 2 @ 950
640000 @ 200 @ 10 *6 @ 390

@ R load,min
(eq. 26)

640000 @ L @ V out,nom

C2 +

G 0 @ tan p * f m
2

^ 154

154 @ tan p * p
2 3

2 @ p 2 @ 14 2 @ 950 @ 136 @ 10 *6 @ 780 @ 10 3

(eq. 27)

^ 200 nF Lets Choose 220 nF.

2 @ p 2 @ f c @ R load,min @ C bulk @ R 0
G0
2 @ p @ fc @ R0

C1 +

* C2

* C2 ^

^ 1.9 mF Lets Choose 2.2 mF.

R load,min @ C bulk
2 @ C1

R1 +

Where:
(Vline,rms )LL is the rms voltage of the line when at its lowest
level (90 V in our case).
G0 is static gain at the lowest level of the line ((Vline,rms )LL ).

V out,nom

P out,max

950 @ 136 @ 10 *6
2 @ 2.2 @ 10 *6

^ 29 kW Lets Choose 22 kW.

Soft and Fast Overvoltage Protection (SOVP & FOVP):

These functions check that the output voltage is within the
proper regulation window by the monitoring of FB pin
voltage:
The Fast Over-Voltage Protection (FOVP) trips if the
bulk voltage reaches an abnormally high level
(Vout,fovp = 107% Vout,nom ) and disables de DRV pin
(tON = 0) hence the name Fast.

fm is phase margin (in radians).

fc is the targeted crossover frequency
Rload,min is the load equivalent resistor at full load:
R load,min +

154
2 @ p @ 15 @ 780 @ 10 3

399 2
^ 995
160

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AND9218/D
When the feedback network is properly designed and
correctly connected, the bulk voltage cannot exceed the
level set by the Soft OVP function (Vout,sovp = 105%
Vout,nom ). If soft OVP threshold is reached, for example
during no-load start-up, the on-time is gradually reduced
instead of disabling the drive pin (tON = 0) hence the name
soft. The FOVP threshold is set 2% higher than the soft OVP
comparator.

Taking KCS = 143.1 and the OVP2 internal threshold

levels VOVP2H = 3.175 V and VOVP2L = 3.093 V we can
calculate the two OVP2 thresholds for Vout (also named
Vbulk ):
V out,OVP2H + K CS @ V OVP2H + 143.1 @ 3.175 + 454.3 V (eq. 30)
V out,OVP2L + K CS @ V OVP2L + 143.1 @ 3.093 + 442.6 V

These threshold must be placed well above the Fast OVP

threshold in order to be operational in case of an OVP
failure, due for example to wrong FB resistor value or to FB
resistor failure. The higher Fast OVP threshold being equal
to 108% of Vout,nom and for Vout,nom = 400 V, this will give
1.08 400 = 432 V which is lower than the lower OVP2
threshold of 442.6 V.
The values of RCS1 and RCS2 must be chosen high for not
consuming too much power during standby.
During standby, there is no switching and the voltage seen
by RCS1 in series with RCS2 is a constant voltage equal to:

Undervoltage Protection (UVP):

At start-up, the DRV pin is enabled if VFB rises above an
internal threshold voltage named VUVPH (VUVPH =
625 mV).
After start-up, the DRV pin is disabled if VFB drops below
an internal threshold voltage named VUVPL (VUVPL =
300 mV).
Second Overvoltage Protection (OVP2):
A second overvoltage protection (OVP2) is added for
redundancy and safety reasons. The OVP2 is using the pin
CS/ZCD voltage. During demagnetization time, the
CS/ZCD voltage is roughly equal to KCS Vout if we neglect
the voltage drop across the boost diode. If the CS/ZCD
voltage rises above an internal OVP2 threshold named
VOVP2H the power MOSFET drive is disabled for 800 ms
and enabled after the 800-ms period if the CS/ZCD voltage
sensed during demagnetization time has fallen under
VOVP2H internal low voltage reference for OVP2
protection.
It is recommended that the parameter KCS be equal to the
value 138 for the circuitry processing the CS/ZCD voltage
to work well.
K CS +

R CS1 ) R CS2
R CS2

V mains,rms @ 2

The power consumed during standby PCS,STBY being

given by:
P CS,STBY +

Vmains,rms @ 2
R CS1 ) R CS2

(eq. 32)

With:
RCS1 = 5.1 MW + 240 kW + 240 kW
RCS2 = 39 kW
We get:
For Vmains,rms = 86 V this will give PCS,STDBY = 2.6 mW
For Vmains,rms = 110 V this will give PCS,STDBY = 4.3 mW
For Vmains,rms = 230 V this will give
PCS,STDBY = 18.8 mW
For Vmains,rms = 265 V this will give
PCS,STDBY = 25.0 mW

(eq. 28)

Targeting KCS = 138, the following values have been found:

RCS1 = 5.1 MW + 240 kW + 240 kW
RCS2 = 39 kW
We finally get:
KCS = 143.1

CSZCD Resistors Bridge Resistor value choice and PCB

layout guideline
When the RCS resistor bridge totals a resistance in the MW
range, it is very sensitive to parasitic capacitances as low as
few hundreds of fF. Parasitic capacitances can be found
between RCS resistors nodes and (GND or power MOSFET
drain). These parasitic capacitances effect can lead to
permanent false fault detection events: OCP, OVS or OVP2
triggering, making the controller unable to operate and
regulate Vout properly.
One easy way to avoid the effect of parasitic capacitors is
to reduce the value of the resistors, while keeping the
dividing ratio KCS around 138. Reducing the CS/ZCD
bridge resistors value (reducing RCS1 + RCS2 ) is at the
expense of standby power consumption which will increase.

It has to be mentioned that [(RCS2 RCS1 ) + RCS0 ]. CCS

must be kept close to a 500-ns time constant.
CCS being the total capacitance between pin CS/ZCD and
pin GND. The parasitic capacitance of this pin being
estimated to be 10 pF then, if no external capacitor is added:

RCS2 RCS1 ) RCS0 @ CCS + 487 ns

(eq. 31)

(eq. 29)

If an additional ceramic capacitor is added between pin

CS/ZCD and pin GND, its capacitance value must be added
to the 10-pF parasitic capacitance of the previous formulas.
The reason of meeting this time constant value is that there
is an internal circuitry connected to the pin CS/ZCD which
cancels the pole made by RCS2 + RCS0 and the CS/ZCD to
GND total capacitance (CCS ).

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AND9218/D
Bench experiments have proven SMD1206 & 0805
superiority, parasitic capacitance wise, over trough hole
resistors for RCS1 , RCS2 and RCS0 resistors.
RCS0 must be placed as close as possible to CS/ZCD pin
voltage and RCS1 and RCS2 as close as possible to RCS0 .
PCB traces connecting the RCSi resistors must be kept
as short as possible, the width of the trace being as small
as possible (minimum parasitic capacitance)
It is wise to keep a safety distance of 1 cm between the
high value resistors of the CSZCD brige and DRV, Vin ,
Vdrain copper traces to avoid coupling.
Note than while decreasing the value of RCS1 and RCS2 ,
RCS0 must be increased in order to meet the 500-ns time
constant made with RCS resistor and CCS total capacitance.

If RCS1 + RCS2 value is well under 1 MW, three 200-V

SMD1206 resistors can be placed in series but when the
RCS1 + RCS2 value is above 1 MW it has been found that the
three SMD 200-V resistors in series lead to false fault
tripping (e.g. OVP2 false triggering). In that case, it is
advised to have one 500-V SMD high-value resistor on the
drain side (e.g. 5.1 MW for The EVB) with two low value
(e.g. 240 kW) 200-V SMD resistors in series like the values
used in the previous calculations. This is to avoid
inter-resistor capacitance to GND to have difficulties to be
discharged before a tON cycle. Experience shows that it is not
recommended to follow the common sense reasoning of
using 3 equal value resistors to balance the drain voltage.

STEP 4: INPUT VOLTAGE SENSING BROWN-OUT

In a boost converter, considering a zero inductor average
voltage at steady state,averaged drain voltage is equal to the
Vin voltage (rectified Vline voltage) .
The VCSint voltage of Figure 4 is equal to Rsense V Iind
during the on-time and equal to Vdrain /KCS during off-time.

Thanks to the DRV driven switches, the input of the

Rsns /Csns low pass filter will be vdrain (t)/KCS and the output
of the same filter v(t) will be vin (t)/KCS or abs(vline (t)/KCS )
V SNS(t) + Abs

V line(t)
K CS

(eq. 33)

DRAIN

RSNS

RSNS

VSNS

RCS1
RCS0

DRVBAR

CS/ZCD Pin
Re-Shaping
Filter

CSNS

CSNS

VCSint

CCS

DRV
ZCD
RF

RCS2

CF

SOURCE

Figure 4. Brown-Out and Line Range Detection Block

brown-out internal reference voltage VBOL = 737 mV for

50 ms, then brown-out is enabled. After brown-out is
confimed, drive pulses are not immediately disabled,
instead, a 30-mA current source is applied to the VCTRL pin
to gradually reduce Vctrl . As a result, the circuit only stops
pulsing when the static OVP function is activated (that is
when Vctrl reaches the SKIP detection threshold). At that
moment, the circuit stops switching. This method limits any
risk of false tripping. The following formulas are showing

The product codes [C**] and [D**] have the Brown-out

feature enabled. There are two brown-out levels, high and
low.
By default and before start-up, the brown-out is enabled.
When VSNS (VSNS is a low-pass filtered scaled down Vline )
sensed thru CS/ZCD pin goes higher than the internal
reference voltage VBOH = 819 mV the brown-out is reset and
allows the controller to start switching. After brown-out is
reset, and switching activity starts, Vline continues to be
sensed thru CS/ZCD pin and when VSNS falls under the

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9

AND9218/D
how internal brown-out reference voltages translate to line
rms voltage thresholds.

V line,rms
V line,rms

BOH

BOL

K CS @ V BOH
2
K CS @ V BOL
2

143.1 @ 0.819
+ 83 V
2

(eq. 34)

143.1 @ 0.734
+ 74 V
2

(eq. 35)

VSNS goes above VHL = 1.801 V, the controller enters the

high line state and when VSNS goes under VLL = 1.392 V it
toggles into the the low line state. Translation of high line to
low line thresholds and vice versa into line rms voltage is
given by the following equations.
Low line to high line threshold is:

V line,rms

Where:
VBOH is the 819-mV upper brown-out internal threshold.
VBOL is the 734-mV lower brown-out internal threshold.

HL

K CS @ V HL
2

143.1 @ 1.801
+ 182 V
2

(eq. 36)

High line to low line threshold is:

V line,rms

LL

K CS @ V LL
2

143.1 @ 1.392
+ 141 V
2

(eq. 37)

High and Low Line Detection

An internal digital flag named LLINE is used to detect if

the line voltage is low (LLINE = 1) or high (LLINE = 0).
This flag is used to change the on-time in order to realize
a two-level line feed-forward and reduce the spread of the
small signal open-loop cut-off frequency. There is also an
abrupt change in VCTRL when transitioning from high line
to low line and vice versa. Like in the brown-out detection
circuit, the internal VSNS is compared to two levels defining
an hysteresis between high line and low line states. When

X2 Capacitors Discharge:
RX1 and RX2 are designed for safety considerations. In
general, they must be selected so that the series combination
of (RX1 + RX2 = 2RX ) form with the X2 EMI capacitors a time
constant less than 3 s (?? Habituellement, la norme impose
une constant de temps de 1 s). In our case, two 1-MW
resistors (RX1 = RX2 = RX = 1 MW) are implemented so that
with the selected X2 capacitors, it leads to a 1.8-s discharge
time constant, which offers a comfortable margin.

STEP 5: CURRENT SENSE NETWORK

The current sense circuitry consists of a current sensing
resistor Rsense .

Hence, our 80-mW current sense resistor will dissipate

about 278 mW at full load, low line.

=> Computing Rsense

=> Zero Current Circuitry

The circuit detects an over-current situation if the voltage

across the current sense resistor exceeds 0.5 V. Hence:

The ZCD circuitry is show in Figure 5. The basic idea is

to get the ZCD information from Vdrain voltage crossing the
Vin voltage. Vdrain and Vin voltages being external to the
controller, the schematic of Figure 5 will bring these
voltages internally but scaled-down by KCS .

0.5

R sense +

IL,pk

(eq. 38)

max

Combining this equation with Equation 8 leads to:

R sense +

V line,rms

LL

4 2 @ P in,avg

K CS +

(eq. 39)

90
^ 0.094 W

4 2 @ 170

(eq. 40)

In order to have a bit of margin, a 80-mW resistor is

selected.
Rsense losses can be computed using the equation giving
the MOSFET conduction losses where Rsense replace
RDS(on) :

PRcs

max

4
@ R sense @
3

1*

Pin,avg

max

V line,rms

8 2 @ V line,rms
3p @ V out,nom

LL

LL

R CS2

(eq. 42)

In a boost converter, the averaged drain voltage which is

one pin of the boost inductor is equal to the Vin voltage which
is on the other pin of the boost inductor and this is because
the average voltage drop across the inductor is zero volts if
we neglect the series resistance of the inductor.
Scaled-down drain voltage is brought inside the controller
by RCS1 , RCS2 bridge and the re-shaping filter so the internal
node voltage VCSint will be:

max

In our practical case,

R sense +

R CS1 ) R CS2

V CSint(t) +

1
@ V drain(t)
K CS

(eq. 43)

Thanks to a low pass filter the two inputs of the ZCD

comparator will be like comparing Vin (t) and Vdrain (t):

V *(t) +

(eq. 41)

1
@ V in(t)
K CS
(eq. 44)

1
@ V drain(t)
V )(t) +
K CS

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10

AND9218/D
The ZCD digital signal resulting from the comparison
Vin (t) and Vdrain (t) is used for synchronizing the power
MOSFET turn-on. The power MOSFET turn-on event is
synchronized with the falling edge of ZCD signal.

The only thing to care about is that KCS value is as close

as possible to 138, to ensure a correct operation of the ZCD
comparator.

Vdrain
5.1 MW/
500 V

RCS1a

240 kW

RCS1b

240 kW

RCS1c

ZCD
RCS0

DRV

CS/ZCD
Re-Shaping
Filter

10 kW
39 kW

CSint

Low Pass
Filter

CCS

RCS2

DRV

Vsource

80 mW

Rsense

Figure 5. NCP1602 Zero Crossing Detection with Typical Component Values

The NCP1602 integrates leading edge blanking on the

CS/ZCD pin that prevents the need for a filtering capacitor.
No any capacitor is allowed in the CS/ZCD circuitry as this
will result in distorting the CS/ZCD signal leading to wrong
or no ZCD detection. Care must be taken when probing the
CS/ZCD signal with a scope probe as the scope probe will
add typically a 10-pF capacitance in parallel with the
package parasitic capacitance CCS . This additional
capacitance will distort the CS/ZCD signal and result in
degraded ZCD detection performance (we may lose
demagnetization detection and start triggering a 200 ms
watchdog timer, and also loose valley turn-on).

K CS +

N prim
N aux

R CS1 ) R CS2
R CS2

(eq. 45)

KCS = 138 must always be the target value.

This new KCS formula allows to use ten times a lower RCS1
value, given the fact that Nprim /Naux = 10 for the transformer
used on our EVB. With this approach, a lower voltage is
carried and also low RCS1 values reduce the sensitivity to
parasitic capacitors.
One benefit of this circuitry is that there is no current
consumption during standby (No switching activity hence
no Vaux voltage).
It has to be mentioned that product version with
brown-out feature activated will not operate with this
circuitry so product versions [C**] and [D**] must not be
used with this Vaux circuitry.
Everything else will work exactly the same as already
described when the power MOSFET drain voltage is used
instead of auxiliary voltage Vaux . It is just that KCS formula
is slightly different.

Using the Auxiliary Winding Voltage Vaux for

the CSZCD Circuitry

It is possible to use the schematic shown in Figure 6 to

generate the signal of CS/ZCD pin.
Thanks to the auxiliary winding voltage capacitor Caux ,
resistor Raux and diode Daux1 , it is possible to generate at the
cathode of Daux1 diode a voltage equal to the power
MOSFET drain voltage multiplied by the auxiliary (Naux ) to
primary (Nprim ) transformer turns ratio. The parameter KCS
previously described is now defined by:

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AND9218/D
Naux / Nprim = 0.1

Caux
Vdrain

Raux

Vaux

100 W

47 nF

Daux1
1N4148

300 kW

RCS1
ZCD
RCS0

DRV

CS/ZCD
Re-Shaping
Filter

27 kW
22 kW

RCS2

Line Voltage
Extraction
for ZCD

CCS

Vsource
80 mW

Rsense

Figure 6. CS/ZCD Circuitry using Auxilliary Winding Voltage with Typical Components Values

Layout and Noise Immunity Considerations

The NCP1602 is not particularly sensitive to noise.
However, usual layout rules for power supply design apply.
Among them, let us remind the following ones:
The loop area of the power train must be minimized.
Star configuration for the power ground that provide
the current return path.
Star configuration for the circuit ground.
The circuit ground and the power ground should be
connected by one single path, no loop is allowed.
This path should preferably connect the circuit ground
to the power ground at a place that is very near the
grounded terminal of the current sense resistor (Rsense ).

A 100 or 220-nF capacitor should be placed between

the circuit VCC and GND pins, with minimized

connection length.
The RCSx resistors must be placed as close as possible
to the CS/ZCD pin, and capacitance coupling with
GND or any other signal must be avoided.
It is recommended to place a filtering capacitor on the
FB pin to protect the pin from possible surrounding
noise. It must be small however not to distort the
voltage sensed by the FB pin. See the corresponding
sections for more details.

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12

AND9218/D
SUMMARY OF THE MAIN EQUATIONS
Table 1. DESIGN STEPS TABLE
Step
Step 1:
Key
Specifications

Components

Formula

Comments

fline : Line frequency. It is often specified in a range of 4763 Hz for 50 Hz/60 Hz applications.
(Vline,rms )LL : Lowest Level of the line voltage, e.g., 90 V.
(Vline,rms )HL : Highest Level for the line voltage (e.g., 264 V in many countries).
(Vline,rms )BOH : Brown-Output Line Upper Threshold. The circuit prevents operation until the line rms voltage exceeds
this level.

Vout,nom : Nominal Output Voltage.

(dVout )pk-pk : Peak-to-Peak output voltage low-frequency ripple.
tHOLD-UP : Hold-up Time that is the amount of time the output will remain valid during line drop-out.
Vout,min : Minimum output voltage allowing for operation of the downstream converter.
Pout,max : Maximum output power consumed by the PFC load, that is, 160 W in our application.
(Pin,avg )max : Maximum power absorbed from the mains in normal operation. Generally obtained at full load, low line,
it depends on the efficiency that, as a rule of a thumb, can be set to 95%.

Step 2:
Power
Components

Input Diodes
Bridge Losses
P bridge + 2 @ V f @
Inductor

MOSFET
Conduction
Losses

(P on) max

Bulk Capacitor
Constraints

C bulk v

max

1*

V line,rms

P out
@ h

In our
application:
90 2
@ 12.5 m + 295 mH
Lv
2 @ 170

@ T on,max

max

Pin,avg

IL,pk

IL,pk

max

V line,rms

dV out

pk*pk

IL,rms
max

P out,max
h @ V line,rms

LL

3p @ V out,nom

LL

V out,nom * V out,min

in,avg max

P
* V

@ V out,nom

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13

5.3
^ 2.2 A
6

These 3 equations quantify the

constraints resulting from the
low-frequency ripple ((dVout )pk-pk
that must be kept below 8%), the
hold-up time requirement and the
rms current to be sustained.

2 @ P out,max @ t HOLD*UP

max

@ w @ V out,nom

line,rms LL

170
^ 5.3 A
90

RDS(on) is the drain-source

on-state resistance of the
MOSFET

+ 2 @ 2 @

8 2 @ V line,rms

P
32 2
@
9p V

max

LL

P out,max

C bulk w

I c,rms

max

4
+ @ R DS(on) @
3

LL

+ 2 @ 2 @

IL,rms

1.8 @ V f

Vf is the forward voltage of any

diode of the bridge. It is generally
in the range of 1 V or less.

2 @ P in,avg

max

V line,rms

Vline,rms

Lv

IL,pk

2 P out
2 p @ h

out,max

out,nom

AND9218/D
Table 1. DESIGN STEPS TABLE (continued)
Step

Components

Step 3:
Bulk Voltage
Monitoring
and
Regulation
Loop

Resistor
Divider

Formula
R fb2 +

Compensation
G0 +

C2 +

V REF

*1

IFB is the bias current that is

targeted within the resistor
divider. Values in the range of
50 mA to 100 mA generally give
a good trade-off between losses
and noise immunity.

1
150 @ R fb1 R fb2 @ f line

V line,rms

2
LL

@ R load,min

640000 @ L @ V out,nom

CFB is the filtering capacitor that

can be placed between the FB
pin and ground to increase the
noise immunity of this pin.
(see Figure 3)

G 0 @ tan p * f m
2
2

2 @ p 2 @ f c @ R load,min @ C bulk @ R 0
C1 +

G0
2 @ p @ fc @ R0

* C2

R load,min @ C bulk

R1 +
OVP and UV
OVP 2

2.5
I FB

V out,nom

R fb1 + R fb2 @

C fb v

Comments

2 @ C1

107% of Vout,nom for OVP

V out,UVPx + K FB @ V UVPx

OVP and UV are sensed by the

feedback network (KFB ) as
OVP2 is sensed by the CS/ZCD
resistor network (KCS ).

V out,OVP2x + K CS @ V OVP2x
Step 4:
Input Voltage
Sensing

Input Voltage
Sensing

K CS +

V line,rms

R CS1 ) R CS2
R CS2

BOH

V line,rms

BOL

V line,rms

HL

V line,rms

LL

K CS @ V BOH
2
K CS @ V BOL
2
K CS @ V HL
2
K CS @ V LL
2

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14

Input voltage is sensed through

the CS/ZCD pin (Vline,rms )BOH
line rms level above which the
circuit starts operating the circuit
stops switching when line rms
level falls under (Vline,rms )BOL .
When line rms voltage goes
above (Vline,rms )HL we enter High
Line state and when line rms
voltage below (Vline,rms )LL we
enter Low Line state

AND9218/D
Table 1. DESIGN STEPS TABLE (continued)
Step

Components

Step 5:
Current Sense
Network

Input Voltage
Sensing

Formula
R CS +

PRcs

max

V line,rms

1*

nn

Zero Current
Detection
R ZCS u

aux
p

Current
Controlled
Frequency
Fold-Back

R FF +

max

Pin,avg

V line,rms

3p @ V out,nom

LL

LL

V CL(pos)
R OCP

112 @ L @ I line

BOH
th

1
150 @ I line @ R FF

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15

@ V out,nom * V CL(pos)

25 2 @ V line,rms

C FF v

max

8 2 @ V line,rms

5 mA )

(Vline,rms )LL is the line rms

voltage lowest level in normal
condition (e.g., 90 V). Vout,nom is
the output nominal level
(e.g., 390 V).
(Pin,avg )max is the maximum
input power of your application.

LL

4 2 @ P in,avg

4
@ R CS @
3

Comments

Placed between RCS and the

CS/ZCD pin, resistor ROCP must
be greater than 3.9 kW but not
too high for noise immunity.
Generally, resistors in the range
of 5 kW gives good results.
(Iline )th is the line current level
below which the NCP1612 starts
reducing the frequency.

16

Figure 7. Application Schematic Power Section

www.onsemi.com

Earth

C3c

C3b

C3a

S2b

86265 V rms

F1

S2a

CM1

VLINE

C5a
220 nF
400 V

C1 1 nF Type = Y

C2
1 nF
Type = Y

R1 1 MW

R2 1 MW

IN
C2
22 nF
Type = X2

U1
GBU406

220 nF Type = X2

C5b
220 nF
400 V

VIN

S1b

D4
1N4148

Socket for
External VCC
Power Source

S1a

R6
22 W

D3
1N4148

L2
200 mH
(np/ns = 10)

C7
22 mF
50 V

R5
2.2 W

D2
1N5406

R10
10 kW

DZ2
33 V

R3
80 mW
3W

Q1
IPA50R250

D1
MUR550

C6a
68 mF
450 V

Rth1
B57153S150M

C6b
68 mF
450 V

BULK

Vcc

GND

Vsource

Vbulk

DRV

Vdrain

Vaux

AND9218/D

(Detailed Schematic for our 160-W Evaluation Board, Universal Mains Application)

SCHEMATICS

www.onsemi.com

17

C8
1 nF

R11
27 kW

C9
2.2 mF

R12
22 kW

C10
220 nF

R27
0R

C11
NC

C13
100 nF

DRV

CS/ZCD

Top View

VCC

GND

FB
1

R27 is used
as a strap

VCTRL

R10
1800 kW

R9
1800 kW

R8
680 kW

S3

R36
NC

R31
10 kW

R32
4.7 MW

R33
1 MW

R34
NC

R42
NC

R39
NC

R30
0W

C12
NC

Q2
BSS127

R37
NC

R38
NC

R7
0W

R24
240 kW

D5
NC

R41
NC

R22
5.1 MW/
500 V

L2
200 mH
(np/ns = 10)

R40
NC

R21
39 kW

R23
240 kW

D6
NC

C30
NC

GND

DRV

Vsource

Vdrain

Vcc

Vbulk

Vaux

AND9218/D

Figure 8. Application Schematic for ZCD Sensing using Power MOSFET Drain Voltage Control Section

AND9218/D

Figure 9. NCP1602 Low Profile Evaluation Board Top View Showing Power Circuitry

Figure 10. NCP1602 Low Profile Evaluation Board Bottom View Showing the Control Circuitry

CONCLUSIONS
This paper summarizes the key steps when dimensioning
a NCP1602driven PFC stage. The proposed approach

being systematic, it can be easily applied to other

applications.

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18

AND9218/D
REFERENCES
[3] Joel Turchi, Compensating a PFC stage, Tutorial
TND382/D available at:
http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/
TND382D.PDF.
[4] NCP1602/D Data Sheet,
http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/
NCP1602D.PDF.

More details on the circuit operation can be found in its

data sheet [4].
[1] Joel Turchi, Safety tests on a NCP1612-driven PFC
stage, Application note AND9064/D,
http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/
AND9064D.PDF.
[2] Joel Turchi, Compensation of a PFC stage driven by
the NCP1654, Application note AND8321/D,
http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/
AND8321D.PDF.

ON Semiconductor and the

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