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APPLICATION NOTE

ABSTRACT The Zener Sense Circuit

This paper addresses the requirements for the The simplest way to protect against overvoltage is to use
semiconductor sensing circuitry and SCR crowbar devices a Zener diode to sense the output voltage (Figure 1). When
used in DC power supply over/under voltage protection the Zener goes into avalanche, it triggers the SCR.
schemes. There are problems with this kind of protection:
1. No threshold adjustment, except by selecting
INTRODUCTION different Zener diodes.
It is uncommon now to find several hundred dollars 2. Inability to ignore momentary transients.
worth of microprocessors and memory chips powered from 3. Poor SCR reliability caused by inadequate
a single low DC supply. trigger–current rise time when slowly varying
If this supply on the board doesn’t have overvoltage or voltage is sensed.
undervoltage protection, potentially large sums of money
can literally go up in smoke due to component failure, or,
Power supply
for instance, a tool may be accidentally dropped across the Level sensing
output line
supply buses of different voltages during testing or repair Zener diode SCR
of the system. crowbar
Since a couple of years, computer and industrial
manufacturers agree to put additional small investment in RSC
Over Voltage Protection (OVP) and Over/Under Voltage
Protection (OUVP) circuitry to prevent disasters.
Littelfuse chose the “crowbar” sensing circuit Common
Figure 1.
technology. This system senses the overvoltage condition,
and quickly “crowbars” or short circuits the supply, forcing
the supply into current limiting or opening the fuse or The Discrete Sense Circuit
circuit breaker. Before detailing this technology, three A technique which can provide adequate gate drive and
questions should be considered: an adjustable, low temperature coefficient trip point is
1. Why OVP? To save money and increase the shown in Figure 2.
reliability of the system. This circuit includes the Zener reference voltage (Z1),
2. Where OVP? the comparator section (Q1, Q2), band gap circuit (Q3,
–Everywhere over/under voltage is a problem. Q4), potentiometer (R1), trip point, and output section (Q5,
–Everywhere a power supply system is used. R2, R3, D1).
–Everywhere a switchmode system is designed. While overcoming the problems of the Zener sense
3. How OVP? There are several types of sense circuit, this technique also brings many disadvantages:
circuits presently being used in OVP applications. 1. This technique requires many components (12
They can be classified into three types: here).
a) Zener 2. Cost is very high.
b) Discrete 3. This method is not particularly noise immune and
c) MC1723 (voltage regulator in OVP often suffers from nuisance tripping.
configuration)

This document may contain references to devices which are no

longer offered. Please contact your Littelfuse representative
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Specifications subject to change without notice. • • 2016 Littelfuse, Inc. 1 Publication Order Number:
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Referring to Figures 4 and 5, it can be seen that the

crowbar SCR, when activated, is subject to a large current
surge from the output capacitance, COUT. This surge
Q3 Q4 current is illustrated in Figure 6 and can cause SCR failure
or degradation by any one of three mechanisms: di/dt,
D1
Q5 R2 absolute peak surge, or I2t. The interrelationship of these
failure methods and the breadth of the application make
R3 specification of the SCR by the semiconductor
manufacturer difficult and expensive. Therefore, the
designer must empirically determine the SCR and circuit
Q1 Q2 R1 elements which result in reliable and effective OVP
Z1
operation. However, an understanding of the factors which
influence the SCR’s di/dt and surge capabilities simplifies
this task.

di/dt
As the gate region of the SCR is driven on, its area of
Figure 2.
conduction takes a finite amount of time to grow, starting
as a very small region and gradually spreading. Since the
anode current flows through this turned–on gate region,
very high current densities can occur in the gate region if
high anode currents appear quickly (di/dt). This can result
in immediate destruction of the SCR or gradual
degradation of its forward blocking voltage capabilities –
depending on the severity of the occasion.

–
VIN VOUT
+
DC
OV
Power COUT Sense
Supply

Figure 4.

Figure 3. VIN VOUT

DC
OV
The MC1723 Sense Circuit Power COUT Sense Reset
Supply
A simpler approach is to fire the SCR crowbar with an
MC1723 voltage regulator.
A considerable reduction in component count is done
Figure 5.
(see Figure 3). The main disadvantages are:
1. No noise immunity.
2. The minimum input voltage range is 9.5 V, so I
you are restricted to use it for higher voltages or 1 pk
to supplement it by feeding in an auxiliary supply
voltage.
dI Surge Due to
dt Output Capacitor
THE SCR CHOICE
The use of the SCR crowbar overvoltage protection
circuits in DC power supplies has been, for many years, a
popular method of providing protection to the load from Current Limited
accidental overvoltage stresses. This technique and its Supply Output
proper implementation have become increasingly
important in light of the recent advances in LSI made by the t
semiconductor industry.
Figure 6.

Specifications subject to change without notice. 2016 Littelfuse, Inc. Publication Order Number:
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reduced (by adding series resistance – see Figure 7) to a safe

RL LL
level which is consistent with the system’s requirements for
R
ESR speedy bus voltage reduction, the designer must use a
Output higher current SCR. This may result in the average current
L capability of the SCR exceeding the steady state current
ESL Cap
requirements imposed by the DC power supply.

OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTOR: THE MC3423

To fill the need for a low cost, low complexity method or
Figure 7. implementing crowbar overvoltage protection which does
not suffer the disadvantages of previous techniques,
COUT consists of the power supply output caps, the load’s Littelfuse has developed the MC3423 and its military
decoupling caps, and in the case of Figure 4, the supply’s range version, the MC3523.
input filter caps. This circuit was designed to provide output currents of
The value of di/dt that an SCR can safely handle is up to 300 mA with a 400 mA/μs rise time in order to
influenced by its construction and the characteristics of the maximize the di/dt capabilities of the crowbar SCR. In
gate drive signal. A center–gate–fire SCR has more di/dt addition, its main features include:
capability than a corner–gate–fire type and heavily • Operation off 4.5 V to 36 V supply voltages
overdriving (3 to 5 times IGT) the SCR gate with a fast • Adjustable, low temperature coefficient trip point
(< 1 μs) rise time signal will maximize its di/dt capability. • Adjustable minimum overvoltage duration before
A typical maximum number in phase control SCRs of less
actuation (0.5 μs to 1.0 ms) to reduce nuisance
than 50 Arms rating might be 200 A/μs, assuming a gate
tripping in noisy environments
current of five times IGT and < 1 μs rise time. If having done
this, a di/dt problem is seen to still exist, the designer can
• Remote activation input
also decrease the di/dt of the current waveform by adding • Activation indication output
inductance in series with the SCR, as shown in Figure 7. Of • Output short circuit protected for VCC ≤ 10 V
course, this reduces the circuit’s ability to rapidly reduce
The Block Diagram
the DC bus voltage and a tradeoff must be made between
The block diagram of the MC3423 is shown in Figure 8.
speedy voltage reduction and di/dt.
It consists of a stable 2.6 V reference, two comparators and
Surge Current a high current output.
If the peak current and/or the duration of the surge is This output, together with the indication output transistor,
excessive, immediate destruction due to device overheating is activated either by a voltage greater than 2.6 V on pin 3
will result. The surge capability of the SCR is directly or by a TTL/5 V CMOS high logic level on the remote
proportional to its die area. If the surge current cannot be activation input, pin 5.

VCC

Isource

4
Current Source
2
Vsense1 – +

+ –

VREF
2.6 V 8
+
Output
–

7 VEE 3 Vsense2 5 6 Indicator

Remote Output
Activation

Figure 8.

Specifications subject to change without notice. 2016 Littelfuse, Inc.

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The first comparator is designed to initiate a stable time The minimum value of the gate current limiting resistor,
delay and the second one activates both a crowbar firing RG, is given in Figure 11. Using this value of RG the SCR
current and a low level indication signal. Q1 will receive the greatest gate current possible without
damaging the MC3423. If lower output currents are
The Basic Circuit required, RG can be increased in value.
The basic circuit configuration of the OVP is shown in
Figure 9. In this circuit, the voltage sensing inputs of both THE PROGRAMMATION
the internal amplifiers are tied together for sensing the
overvoltage condition. The shortest possible propagation Low Voltage < 36 V
delay is thus obtained. In many instances, the MC3423 will be used in a noise
The threshold on trip voltage at which the MC3423 will environment. To prevent false tripping of the OVP circuit
trigger and supply gate drive to the crowbar SCR, Q1, is by noise which would not normally harm the load, the
determined by the selection of R1 and R2. Their values can MC3423 has a programmable delay feature. To implement
be determined by the equation (1): this feature, the circuit configuration of Figure 12 is used.
R1 R1 In this configuration, a capacitor is connected from pin 3 to
Vtrip VREF 1 2.6 V 1 (1)
R2 R2 VEE. The value of this capacitor determines the minimum
duration of the overvoltage condition which is necessary to
R2 ≤ kΩ for minimum drift.
trip the OVP. The value of C can be found from Figure 13.
Figure 10 shows (with R2 = 2.7 kΩ) the value (min, typ,
The circuit operates in the following manner: when VCC
max) of R1 versus trip voltage.
rises above the trip point set by R1 and R2, an internal
The switch S1, shown in Figure 9, may be used to reset
current source (pin 4) begins charging the capacitor, C,
the SCR crowbar. Otherwise, the power supply, across
connected to pin 3. If the overvoltage condition disappears
which the SCR is connected, must be shut down to reset the
before this occurs, the capacitor is discharged at a rate 10
crowbar. If a non–current–limited supply is used, a fuse or
times faster than the charging rate, resetting the timing
circuit breaker, F1, should be used to protect the SCR
feature until the next overvoltage condition occurs.
and/or the load.

+ 35
F1 (+ Sense
Lead) RG(min) = 0
30
VCC, Supply Voltage (V)

R1 1 Q1 if VCC < 11 V
Power 2 8
Supply 3 MC3423 To
25
RG
R2 Load
4 7 5
20

S1
(– Sense Lead) 15
–

10
Figure 9. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
RG, Gate Current Limiting Resistor (Ω)
30
Max
Figure 11.
R2 = 2.7 k Typ
+VCC
R1, Resistance (kΩ)

20
R3
Min R1 V10
1 6
Indication
2N6504 or
10
Power 2 MC3423 8 Out
Supply equivalent
RG
4 3 5 7
R2 VO
0 VC C Vtrip
0 5.0 10 15 20 25 30 R3 ≥
10 mA
VT, Trip Voltage (V)

Figure 10.
Figure 12.

Specifications subject to change without notice. © 2016 Littelfuse, Inc.

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1.0 +
(+ Sense
RS Lead)
0.1
R1
Capacitance (μF)

1 Q1
8
0.01 2 To
Power Load
MC3423 3
Supply
4 VS

0.001 7 5 R2
1N4740 (– Sense
+ 10 μF
10 V Lead)
15 V
0.0001 –
0.001 0.01 0.1 1.0 10
td, Delay Time (ms) Figure 14.
Figure 13.
VCC
Occasionally, it is desired that immediate crowbarring of Vtrip
the supply occurs when a high overvoltage condition
occurs, while retaining the false tripping immunity of 0
Figure 12.
VC
VREF
High Voltage 36 V < V < 800 V
Figure 14 is a typical application for voltage protection
0
over 36 V, using a Zener diode 1N4740 (10 V) and a 10 μF
(15 V) capacitor at the positive sense lead. VO
The value of RS can be calculated with the following
formula (2):
0
(VS 10) td
RS k (2)
25 VIO
The V trip is given by the formula (1).
Following the choice of the SCR (Q1), the protection can
be done up to 800 V: Figure 15.
VS ≤ 50 V: 2N6504 or equivalent
VS ≤ 100 V: 2N6505 or equivalent Using Figure 13 (C value) and Figure 15, td is equal to:
VS ≤ 200 V: 2N6506 or equivalent VREF
td C (12.103) C (3)
VS ≤ 400 V: 2N6507 or equivalent Isource
VS ≤ 600 V: 2N6508 or equivalent
VS ≤ 800 V: 2N6509 or equivalent Remote Activation Input
On this configuration (Figure 14) the typical propagation Another feature of the MC3423 is its remote activation
delay is 1.0 μs. If faster operation is desired, pin 3 may be input, pin 5. If the voltage on this CMOS/TTL compatible
connected to pin 2 with pin 4 left floating. This will result in input is held below 0.8 V, the MC3423 operates normally.
decreasing the propagation delay to approximately 0.5 μs at However, if it is raised to a voltage above 2.0 V, the OVP
the expense of a slightly increased TC for the trip voltage output is activated independent of whether or not an
value. overvoltage condition is present. It should be noted that pin
5 has an internal pull–up current source. This feature can
THE ADDITIONAL FEATURES be used to accomplish an orderly and sequenced shut–down
Activation Indication Output of system power supplies during a system fault condition.
An additional output for use as an indication of OVP In addition, the activation indication output of one
activation is provided by the MC3423. This output is an MC3423 can be used to activate another MC3423 if a single
open collector transistor which saturates when the OVP is transistor inverter is used to interface the former’s
activated. It will remain in a saturated state until the SCR indication output to the latter’s remote activation input, as
crowbar pulls the supply voltage, VCC, below 4.5 V as in shown in Figure 16. In this circuit, the indication output
Figures 12 and 15. This output can be used to clock an edge (pin 6) of the MC3423 on power supply 1 is used to activate
triggered flip–flop whose output inhibits or shuts down the the MC3423 associated with power supply 2. Q1 is any
power supply when the OVP trips. This reduces or eliminates small PNP with adequate voltage rating.
the heat–sinking requirements for the crowbar SCR.

Specifications subject to change without notice. © 2016 Littelfuse, Inc.

5 Publication Order Number:
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+ A Word About Fuse Protector

1
Referring back to Figures 4 and 5, it will be seen that a
Power fuse is necessary if the power supply to be protected is not
6
Supply output current limited. This fuse is not meant to prevent
#1 SCR failure but rather to prevent a fire!
7 In order to protect the SCR, the fuse would have to
– possess an I2t rating less than that of the SCR and yet have
a high enough continuous current rating to survive normal
R1
10 k
supply output currents.
In addition, it must be capable of successfully cleaning
+ the high short circuit currents from the supply. Such a fuse
1
Q1 as this is quite expensive, and may not even be available.
Power
5
Supply
#2 WHAT ABOUT OVER AND UNDERVOLTAGE
1k
7 PROTECTION
– Two types of circuits have been developed: MC3424 and
MC3425, and their military temperature range series
Figure 16.
MC3524 and MC3525. Like the MC3423, these circuits
were primarily intended for use as voltage protection
Note that both supplies have their negative output leads circuits. Basically the MC3424 and MC3425 also use the
tied together (i.e., both are positive supplies). If their “crowbar sensing circuit technology” and the block
positive leads are common (two negative supplies), the diagrams (Figures 17 and 18) seems to the MC3423.
emitter of Q1 would be moved to the positive lead of supply
1 and R1 would therefore have to be resized to deliver the
appropriate drive to Q1.

VEE

+
+ + +
CHANNEL
ONE – – –

+ –
– + DRIVE 1
0.9 VREF
INDICATION
OUT 1
1.4 V
ENABLE –
+
+
1.4 V + – +
VREF 2.5 V
–
+ +
CHANNEL
TWO +
– –

DRIVE 2

INDICATION
OUT 2

REMOTE REMOTE
DELAY 1 DELAY 2 VEE
ACTIVATION 1 ACTIVATION 2

Figure 17. MC3424/MC3524 Equivalent Circuit

Specifications subject to change without notice. © 2016 Littelfuse, Inc.

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VCC
+ +

OVER
VOLTAGE +
SENSE +
–

DRIVE
2.5 V +

+
UNDER
INDICATION
VOLTAGE –
OUT
SENSE

ENABLE VEE DELAY

Figure 18. MC3425/MC3525 Equivalent Circuit

A look at Figure 17 (MC3424) shows two channels of Figure 18 (MC3425) shows a low cost OUVP version: 8
uncommitted differential inputs with a common mode pins dual in line instead of 14 pins for the MC3424.
range from ground (VEE) to VCC+, for maximum A typical application is shown in Figure 19. Following
flexibility. This circuit has an externally programmable the trip voltage required, the value of resistors RS and RB
hysteresis. However, the output is very stable (TC < will be selected following the formula [see formula (1)]:
0.01%/°C), due mainly to its band gap reference voltage RS RS
circuit: 2.5 V at 10 mA. Vtrip VREF 1 2.6 V 1
RB RB
The two independent drive outputs are capable of
To prevent a minimum drift of the circuit, RB value
sourcing 300 mA at a slew rate of 200 to 400 mA/μs.
should be around 10 kα and
The two indicators are capable of sinking 300 mA.
The enable input (CMOS, TTL, DTL compatible) RE T
VS
control of either channel 2 or both channels depending on CELn VS VE
channel 1 input conditions. 200 A Td
Is Td
Each channel can be operated closed loop with gain or CD
VREF 2.5 V
unity gain, stabilized at the delay pin.

VS
+
F1
RS1 RS2 R
VCC
R1
Q1 Q2
Power OVER
Supply DRIVE To
Crowbar Indicate
UNDER RG Load
Over Under
RR1 RR2 ENABLE Voltage Voltage
IND.
C1 VEE DELAY
CD
–

Figure 19.

Specifications subject to change without notice. © 2016 Littelfuse, Inc.

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CONCLUSION • How much energy can the crowbar thyristor (SCR)

The use of a crowbar to protect sensitive loads from take and will it survive until the fuse opens the circuit
power supply overvoltage is quite common and, at the first breaker opens?
glance, the design of these crowbars seems like a straight • Can the fuse adequately differentiate between normal
forward relatively simple task: current levels, including surge currents, and crowbar
• How much overvoltage and for how long (energy) can short circuit conditions?
the load take this overvoltage? All the users are involved with these problems; it is the
• Will the crowbar respond too slowly and thus not attempt of this article to answer these questions.
protect the load, or too fast resulting in false, nuisance
triggering?

Littelfuse products are not designed for, and shall not be used for, any purpose (including, without limitation, automotive, military,
aerospace, medical, life-saving, life-sustaining, nuclear facility applications, devices intended for surgical implant into the body, or any
other application in which the failure or lack of desired operation of the product may result in personal injury, death, or property
damage) other than those expressly set forth in applicable Littelfuse product documentation. Warranties granted by Littelfuse shall be
deemed void for products used for any purpose not expressly set forth in applicable Littelfuse documentation. Littelfuse shall not be
liable for any claims or damages arising out of products used in applications not expressly intended by Littelfuse as set forth in
applicable Littelfuse documentation. The sale and use of Littelfuse products is subject to Littelfuse Terms and Conditions of Sale,
unless otherwise agreed by Littelfuse.

Specifications subject to change without notice. © 2016 Littelfuse, Inc.

8 Publication Order Number:
September 19, 2016 - Rev. 2 AN004E/D