Circuit Note
CN-0100
Devices Connected/Referenced
Circuit Designs Using Analog Devices Products
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AD629
High Common-Mode Voltage Difference
Amplifier
AD8603
Micropower, Low Noise, CMOS Operational
Amplifier
AD7453
Pseudo-Differential, 555 kSPS, 12-Bit ADC in
8-Lead SOT-23
AD780
2.5 V/3.0 V, Ultrahigh Precision, Bandgap
Voltage Reference
Measuring −48 V High-Side Current Using the AD629 Difference Amplifier, AD8603
Op Amp, AD780 Reference, and AD7453 12-Bit ADC Single-Supply Components
CIRCUIT FUNCTION AND BENEFITS
CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION
The −48 V power rail is widely used in wireless base stations
and telecommunication equipment. Used in network central
offices, it can vary between −48 V and −60 V. Measuring the
current at that voltage typically requires components that
operate on dual supplies, such as ±15 V. Typically, only the
front-end conditioning amplifiers that interface directly with
the −48 V rail use dual supplies. The remainder of the system
operates on single supplies. However, eliminating the negative
supply reduces complexity and cost. Using the AD629 and the
AD8603 in this circuit allows designers to measure current at
−48 V to −60 V while operating only on positive supplies.
This circuit uses the AD629 difference amplifier to condition
voltages beyond its supplies. The minimum and maximum
allowable input common-mode voltage is determined by the
following equations:
VCOM_MAX = 20 × (+VS – 1.2) – 19 × VREF
VCOM_MIN = 20 × (−VS + 1.2) – 19 × VREF
When VREF = +5 V, +VS = 12 V, and −VS = 0 V, the AD629
common-mode input range is −71 V to +121 V. This is high
enough to cover the entire expected range of the −48 V rail. The
AD629 difference amplifier senses the differential voltage,
IS × RS, which is generated by the current flowing through the
shunt resistor. Since the AD629 has a fixed gain of 1, its output
voltage is equal to IS × RS +VREF.
Compared with low-side current sensing, the high-side current
sensing rejects ground noise and can detect short circuits
during operation.
+12V
–VS
+VS
–IN
2
RS
100mΩ
4
6
5
3
10kΩ
10kΩ
IS
REF–
+IN
–IN
1
+5V
VDD
V+
OUTPUT
AD629
+IN
+5V
200kΩ
7
3
5
AD8603
4
1
OUT
1
1kΩ
VIN+
2
1μF
V–
2
7
AD7453
VIN–
6
REF+
3
VREF GND 4
8
SCLK
SDATA
CS
5
200kΩ
LOAD
+5V
+5V
2
10μF
16V
0.1μF
6
AD780
3
0.1μF
4
GND
VOUT
0.1μF
08364-001
–48V
Figure 1. Circuit Used to Measure −48 V Current (Simplified Schematic)
Rev. 0
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©2009 Analog Devices, Inc. All rights reserved.
CN-0100
Circuit Note
At the same time, if we use the typical specifications rather than
maximums, the offset voltage at the AD8603 output will be
approximately 45 mV.
The AD8603 is configured as a subtractor so that it can reject
the 5 V common-mode voltage and amplify the signal of
interest, IS × RS. The signal is amplified by a factor of 20 to span
the 2.5 V full-scale input range of the AD7453 ADC. A fullscale 2.5 V signal to the ADC corresponds to a current of 1.25 A
on the −48 V supply. The AD8603 was chosen because it has
low input bias current, low offset drift, and rail-to-rail input and
output features. The rail-to-rail output allows the AD8603 to
share the same supply as the ADC. It should be noted that the
output of the AD8603 can only decrease to approximately
50 mV above ground due to its output stage. This corresponds
to an input current IS of about 25 mA. Therefore, currents less
than about 25 mA cannot be measured. However, accuracy for
very low currents is not usually required.
The ratios of the four resistors that form the subtractor must be
matched to obtain maximum common-mode rejection (CMR).
In this stage, the subtractor will have to reject the 5 V commonmode signal from the AD629.
The AD7453 12-bit ADC is used because of its pseudodifferential input that can simplify the interface between the
AD8603 and the ADC. In addition, its small package and low
cost make it useful in cost sensitive or size limited cases.
3.0
2.5
2.0
−48V COMMON-MODE VOLTAGE
1.5
−60V COMMON-MODE VOLTAGE
1.0
0.5
08364-001
The shunt resistor is 100 mΩ with 0.1% tolerance and a
maximum power rating of 1 W. When selecting the shunt
resistor, both current measurement accuracy and self-heating
effects should be considered.
0
0.2
0
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
CURRENT (A)
Figure 2. Digitized Output Voltage vs. Current for
Common-Mode Voltages of −48 V and −60 V
The offset errors of the AD629 can be calculated as follows
using the maximum specifications:
Table 1. AD629A DC Errors
The AD780 was chosen as the voltage reference for the AD7453
12-bit ADC because of its accuracy and ease of use.
The circuit was tested by measuring the digitized output voltage
as a function of current for supply rails of −48 V and −60 V. The
results are shown in Figure 2. It shows close correlation to the
expected values and good linearity under different commonmode voltages.
The error due to the CMR of the AD629 is the largest error. The
total offset error is amplified by the signal gain of the AD8603
difference amplifier, 20, so it can be as high as 156 mV
referenced to the AD8603 output.
Also, from this calculation we see that the CMR of the input
difference amplifier is very important for low offset. If the
current sense circuit is used outdoors, the temperature
specifications (initial gain drift, offset voltage drift, and CMR
over the entire temperature range) will be important, and the
AD629 is ideal for such applications.
The AD8603 will contribute an error caused by its offset
voltage (0.3 mV maximum) and bias current (1 pA). This
produces a maximum output offset error of about 6.3 mV for
the noise gain of 21. The total maximum output offset error is
the sum of the error due to the AD629 (156 mV) and the
AD8603 (6.3 mV), or 162.3 mV referred to the AD8603 output.
Fortunately, this error can be removed with system calibration.
Initial Gain Error
0.05 mV
Offset Voltage
1 mV
DC CMR (77 dB)
6.768 mV
Total Offset
7.818 mV
The circuit must be constructed on a multilayer PC board with
a large area ground plane. Proper layout, grounding, and
decoupling techniques must be used to achieve optimum
performance (see MT-031 Tutorial, Grounding Data Converters
and Solving the Mystery of AGND and DGND and MT-101
Tutorial, Decoupling Techniques).
COMMON VARIATIONS
The ADR361 is another option for the voltage reference because
of its smaller size, low power, and high precision.
An integrated instrumentation amplifier, such as the AD8223 or
AD8226, can be used instead of the AD8603. This eliminates
the need for the external resistor matching required by the
AD8603 circuit. A difference amplifier, such as the AD8276
with integrated resistors, can also be used instead of the
AD8603 if a gain of one is acceptable.
The AD629B has 9 dB higher CMR than the AD629A. Its offset
voltage is one-half and its gain error is almost one-half that of
the AD629A. This is critical for cases where system calibration
is impossible.
Rev. 0 | Page 2 of 3
Circuit Note
CN-0100
Data Sheets
If a more integrated solution is needed for the converter, the
ADuC70xx series of ARM7TDMI® precision analog microcontrollers with the integrated 12-bit, 1 MSPS ADC is a good
choice.
AD629 Data Sheet.
LEARN MORE
AD8223 Data Sheet.
Kitchin, Charles and Lew Counts. 2006. A Designer's Guide to
Instrumentation Amplifiers (3rd Edition). Analog Devices.
AD8226 Data Sheet.
MT-031 Tutorial, Grounding Data Converters and Solving the
Mystery of AGND and DGND. Analog Devices.
AD8603 Data Sheet.
MT-035 Tutorial, Op Amp Inputs, Outputs, Single-Supply, and
Rail-to-Rail Issues. Analog Devices.
MT-061 Tutorial, Instrumentation Amplifier Basics. Analog
Devices.
MT-068 Tutorial, Difference and Current Sense Amplifiers.
Analog Devices.
AD780 Data Sheet.
AD7453 Data Sheet.
AD8276 Data Sheet.
ADR361 Data Sheet.
ADuC70xx Data Sheet.
REVISION HISTORY
7/09—Revision 0: Initial Version
MT-101 Tutorial, Decoupling Techniques. Analog Devices.
(Continued from first page) "Circuits from the Lab" are intended only for use with Analog Devices products and are the intellectual property of Analog Devices or its licensors. While you may
use the "Circuits from the Lab" in the design of your product, no other license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patents or other intellectual property by application or use of
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©2009 Analog Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks and
registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CN08364-0-7/09(0)
Rev. 0 | Page 3 of 3