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It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Can I add a FET in parallel to this boost circuit. Thread starter DarrenB Start date Jul 7, DarrenB New Member. I use these AliExpress boost converters to charge batteries but I would like to make it function closer to its rated specifications. I have tried replacing the fan with one that has a higher static pressure rating and it helped considerably but I was thinking I could take it further by adding a larger heatsink and another FET in parallel.
Is it possible to add an identical FET in parallel to this pre made boost converter? I know that the total heat will equal roughly the same but I am more concerned the thermal path being larger and the heat being shared across two packages. I am a complete beginner when it comes to electronics so please forgive me if this is a stupid question. Sort by date Sort by votes. Lightium Member. So yes, you will need low resistance resistors on each source pin.
Upvote 0 Downvote. It would probably make it even worse A common problem with cheap devices using large power FETS is the circuit not having enough gate drive current, so the power device does not switch as fast as it could - and it's when it is part on that the power dissipation is very high.
The existing device has a typical gate capacitance of 7. Click to expand Remember the output limit is 10A; you can only [theoretically] achieve W at over 80V output. What input and output voltages are you using? Also of concern is gate drive R typically used to suppress parasitic L transients, eg.
Make sure that R has sufficient power handling capability. The dissipation due to "on" resistance at 30A eg. All the heat is due to dissipation while it is changing between fully off and fully on. Lightium said:. Last edited: Jul 11, Bi-polar transistors do need resistors to balance their current, but MOSFETs have a positive temperature coefficient for their on-resistance so will inherently tend to share the load current when used as switches, no source resistor needed.
And typically since multiple MOSFETS typically in the same thermal environment they all experience similar heat rise, mitigating some of the beneficial effect of rising Rdson with T. Not to lose full insight this is all non linear and starting at different points on the Rdson vs T curve for each device I would still want to swamp out that variation with ballasting unless I match at device test.
Regards, Dana. Ballasting in this context is to insure MOSFETs that are paralleled, when on, one of them do not hog most of the current thereby overloading it. So one adds R in series to mitigate device to device Rdson variation and Vth varia- tion where one turns on before the others. But one has to do analysis to see if that effect insures no device is ever over its ratings due to all changes such as initial Rdson tolerance, board layout slight R changes in traces , etc..
Note also Rdson variation with T is non linear, complicating analysis even more. The sim I showed shows this problem, but not a complete analysis as the device specs only show a typical and max Rdson value, no minimum, so the worst case is not handled, eg.
Simply think of the problem as a simple voltage divider effect with load and the paralled R's, and accounting for all tolerances. Lastly note ballasting at high currents typically done with trace length versus discrete R's. Last edited: Jul 12, So it's best to over spec the mosfet and use resistors or design the trace to accompany the mosfets. How do you work out the value of R or is it just a generic value?
DarrenB said:. Nigel Goodwin said:. He's vastly overcomplicating things for you - just stick a pair of identical FET's in parallel, with heatsinks etc.
Bear in mind, you're still dissipating the same amount of heat, just spread across two FET's and heatsinks. To be honest I like to learn anyway. I think I will post the pn for the gate driver just to make sure as I don't want to buy another batch of mosfets as mousers shipping is ridiculous.
Rjenkinsgbs suggestion of the TK56A12N1 seems like a good idea to be honest. Is it possible to deliver more current into the gate to achieve the same effect, I know it would be easier to change the mosfet but I wondered if it is possible to do that with a different gate driver? Also would using 2x TK56A12N1 be silly or overkill? As I see it, spreading the load across two transistors and two heatsinks can only help.
Yes you can always throw parts into a design and burn them up, thats a positive learning experience. Or take reasonable well established principles and protect in advance as the posted ap notes show from the experts. Good engineering generally does the latter. Of course you can always check the "identical" box when you order parts. Equally important is board layout to minimize transients and timing alterations. There are ap notes on this, and books on SMPS that discuss this in detail.
I have tried reading through things like this before but each and every hurdle will spur another question. I think I need to understand the basics of electronics.
Electronics is a bit like a puzzle for me where the more you learn the easier it becomes. It can also be a bit like having a missing critical part to a math equation. Understanding what the values on data sheets are and how they interact with one another would probably also help. How did you learn electronic engineering?
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