Programming the Voltage Threshold
Referring to the “Typical Application Circuit”, the voltage
threshold on the IN pin is calculated as follows:
In order to provide the additional criteria needed to solve
for the resistor values, the resistors can be selected such
that the two resistors have a given total value, that is, R1
. Imposing this condition on the resistor val-
ues provides two equations that can be solved for the two
unknown resistor values. A value such as 1MΩ for R
is a reasonable choice since it keeps quiescent current to a
generally acceptable level while not causing any measurable
errors due to input bias currents. The larger the resistors, the
larger the potential errors due to input bias current (I
maximum recommended value of R
Applying this criteria and rearranging the V
solve for the resistor values gives:
R V
TOTAL
R V
( )
R V
TOTAL
R V
R R
TOTAL
R R= −R R
TOTAL
R R
Figure 1 below illustrates a hypothetical MIC2774L-23 ap-
plication in which the MIC2774L-23 is used to monitor the
core and I/O supplies of a high-performance CPU or DSP.
, in the example is 1.0V ±5%. The
main power rail and I/O voltage, V
in Figure 1, the MIC2774 is powered by V
is 2.5V –5% = 2.375V; the maximum is 2.5V
+5% = 2.625V. This is well within the device’s supply range
Resistors R1 and R2 must be selected to correspond to the
supply of 1.0V. The goal is to insure that the core
supply voltage is adequate to insure proper operation, i.e.,
≥ (1.0V –5%) = 0.950V. Because there is always
a small degree of uncertainty due to the accuracy of the
resistors, variations in the devices’ voltage reference, etc.,
the threshold will be set slightly below this value. The po-
tential variation in the MIC2774’s voltage reference (V
is specifi ed as ±1.5%. The resistors chosen will have their
own tolerance specifi cation. This example will assume the
use of 1% accurate resistors. The potential worst-case er-
ror contribution due to input bias current can be calculated
once the resistor values are chosen. If the guidelines above
regarding the maximum total value of R1+R2 are followed, this
error contribution will be very small thanks to the MIC2774’s
very low input bias current.
To summarize, the various potential error sources are:
chosen by designer (typically ≤ ±1%)
calculated once resistor values are known, typically
Taking the various potential error sources into account, the
threshold voltage will be set slightly below the minimum V
specifi cation of 0.950V so that when the actual threshold
voltage is at its maximum, it will not intrude into the normal
. The target threshold voltage will
Given that the total tolerance on V
tolerance] + [resistor tolerance]
Solving for R1 and R2 using this value for V
The resulting circuit is shown in Figure 1.
Input Bias Current Effects
Now that the resistor values are known, it is possible to cal-
culate the maximum potential error due to input bias current,
. As shown in the “Electrical Characteristics” table, the
is 10nA. (Note that the typical value
is a much smaller 5pA!) The magnitude of the offset caused
The typical error is about three orders of magnitude lower
due to input bias can be discounted. If it is to be taken
into account, simply adjust the target threshold voltage
downward by this amount and recalculate R1 and R2. The
resulting value will be very close to optimum. If accuracy
is more important than the quiescent current in the
resistors, simply reduce the value of R