Measuring Switching Regulator Noise
by Jim Williams, Staff Scientist, Linear Technology, YouTube, Jul 02 2009
Focus:
As switching regulators get designed into tightly packed systems, the noise they produce has the potential to disturb system operation. To ensure the proper operation of the system, designers need a reliable method for measuring switching regulator noise. In this short video, the characteristics of switching regulator noise are described (it's not noise in the true sense of randomly occurring events, but rather the residue of regulator switching). Then, a method is described for measuring this noise over a wide bandwidth (100 MHz). This measurement technique takes advantage of the small signal nature of the noise waveform by using a 50-ohm impedance for the entire measurement path. The presenter provides a schematic of the noise measurement test setup and describes its components; explains a technique for verifying the bandwidth and gain calibration of the test set up; shows an actual test setup; and then performs a noise measurement.
What you’ll learn:
- How to measure switching regulator noise reliably over a wide bandwidth
- How to construct and verify correct operation of a test setup for measuring switching regulator noise
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