Introduction
The TEA2376 is a digital configurable two-phase interleaved PFC controller intended for high-efficiency power supplies. It supports DCM / QR operation with valley switching, programmable protections, phase shedding, burst mode, and MTP-based parameter configuration. The TEA2376DT variant additionally supports dedicated I²C pins for live parameter access during operation, a POWERGOOD output, and a BURST input, making it especially suitable for development and system interaction.
1) What is the TEA2376?
The TEA2376 is a digital configurable interleaved PFC controller with two phases for high-efficiency power supplies. It is intended for applications such as TVs, servers, PCs, gaming consoles, high-power adapters, 5G supplies, home audio, and similar products that require high power factor, low THD, and good efficiency over a wide load range.
2) What is the difference between the TEA2376AT, TEA2376BT, and TEA2376DT?
The main differences are package and I²C / system-interface capabilities. TEA2376AT is offered in an SO10 package and uses the GATE1/GATE2 pins for I²C communication during programming. TEA2376BT is offered in an SO14 package but still uses combined GATE pins for I²C and does not add POWERGOOD or BURST system pins. TEA2376DT is also in an SO14 package, but it provides a POWERGOOD output, a BURST input, and dedicated SDA/SCL pins for live I²C communication during operation, which makes it the most convenient variant for development work.
3) What are the main benefits of an interleaved PFC compared to a single-phase PFC?
An interleaved PFC divides the power over two out-of-phase boost channels. This reduces stress per phase, distributes losses and heat, reduces RMS ripple current in the output capacitor, and improves EMI behavior because part of the ripple current cancels in the input path. It can also reduce cooling requirements and make high-power designs easier to realize.
4) What operating modes does the TEA2376 support?
The TEA2376 supports normal two-phase operation for medium and high load, phase shedding at light load, and burst mode at very low load. The controller mainly operates in discontinuous conduction mode or quasi-resonant mode with valley switching, while brief CCM operation may occur under special conditions such as start-up when the input voltage is close to the output voltage.
5) What power level is the TEA2376 intended for?
The TEA2376 family is intended for power levels up to typically 1000 W. The actual achievable power depends on the complete system design, including switching frequency, thermal performance, magnetics, MOSFETs, PCB layout, and cooling conditions.
6) What protections are included in the TEA2376?
The TEA2376 includes a broad set of protections, such as VCC undervoltage and overvoltage protection, internal and external overtemperature protection, inrush current protection, brownin / brownout, overcurrent protection on SNSCUR and SNSSRC, dual output overvoltage protection, coil short protection, output diode short protection, open / short pin protection, open-loop protection, and phase-fail protection. Many of these protections can be configured independently for latched behavior or safe restart.
7) How is the TEA2376 programmed?
The TEA2376 uses I²C programming for loading and modifying settings during development. For AT and BT versions, I²C communication shares the GATE1/GATE2 pins, so the IC must be placed into the correct start-up state to enable programming. For the DT version, I²C is available on dedicated SDA/SCL pins, which allows programming and monitoring while the application is operating.
😎 Can I modify parameters while the power supply is running?
Yes, but only with the TEA2376DT. Its dedicated SDA/SCL pins support live I²C communication during operation. AT and BT versions are less convenient for live tuning because I²C is multiplexed on the gate pins and the application must be placed into the appropriate programming state.
9) What is the TEA2376DK1011 kit?
The TEA2376DK1011 is a programming and development kit that includes TEA2376DT IC samples and a TEA2376DB1604v3 programming board. The board provides sockets for both SO10 and SO14 devices and routes the I²C connections correctly for supported TEA2376 variants. The kit is intended to help users get started quickly with evaluation, programming, and parameter tuning.
10) What additional hardware and software do I need to use the TEA2376DK1011?
The programming setup requires a Windows PC, the TEA2376 Ringo software, an I²C-USB interface with cables (RDK01DB1563), and the TEA2376DB1604 programming board. The Ringo software requires the appropriate USB-I²C interface driver to be installed.
11) What does the TEA2376DB1604 programming board actually do?
The TEA2376DB1604 is an IC connection and programming board. It routes the I²C signals to the correct pins, supplies VCC to the IC, provides sockets for both SO10 and SO14 packages, includes protection on the I²C connection, and offers test points for observing the communication signals. A switch allows VCC to be connected or disconnected during IC exchange.
12) What is the TEA2376DB1602v2 demo board and what does it demonstrate?
The TEA2376DB1602v2 is a 300 W interleaved PFC demo board that combines the TEA2376DT interleaved PFC controller with the TEA2209T active bridge rectifier controller. It operates from a universal AC mains input of 90 V(RMS) to 264 V(RMS) and is intended to demonstrate and evaluate a single-output PFC power stage with programmable settings, interleaving, phase shedding, burst mode, and active bridge rectification. It is also positioned as a starting point for developing power supplies based on the TEA2376 and TEA2209 controller ICs.
13) What key performance can users expect from the TEA2376DB1602v2 board?
In the documented reference configuration, the board regulates to a nominal output voltage of 395 V and is specified for up to 300 W continuous output power. The start-up time is about 100 ms at 115 V/60 Hz and full load. Efficiency is greater than 96% at 115 V/60 Hz and greater than 98% at 230 V/50 Hz, with measured averages of 97.2% and 98.2%, respectively. The no-load input power is 25 mW at 115 V/60 Hz and 30 mW at 230 V/50 Hz, while the power factor at full load is 0.99.
14) What are the typical operating-mode transitions and thermal limits of the TEA2376DB1602v2 board?
The demo board uses three operating modes: normal mode, phase shedding, and burst mode. At 230 V mains, the transition points are approximately 39 W from burst mode to phase shedding, 86 W from phase shedding to normal mode, 50 W from normal mode back to phase shedding, and 23 W from phase shedding back to burst mode. At 115 V mains, the corresponding transition points are approximately 39 W, 99 W, 59 W, and 29 W. Thermally, the board was designed without heat sinks and remains within acceptable component temperatures at 300 W in laboratory conditions, with a measured maximum temperature of 82 °C at 115 V mains and 300 W, and 100 °C at 100 V mains and 300 W. Higher power levels are possible, but fan cooling is required to avoid overheating.
15) What are phase shedding and burst mode, and why do they matter?
Phase shedding disables one PFC phase at light load so that the remaining phase can operate more efficiently. Burst mode periodically stops switching at very low load to reduce controller and conversion losses. Together, these mechanisms help improve light-load and standby efficiency and support compliance with modern efficiency requirements.
16) How can burst mode be controlled?
Burst mode can be configured in several ways depending on the device version and MTP settings. It can be controlled via the VCC pin, via the SNSBOOST pin, and on the TEA2376DT also via the dedicated BURST input pin. Supported burst operation styles include follow mode, ripple mode, and autonomous mode.
17) What are POWERGOOD and BURST pins used for on the TEA2376DT?
These are DT-only system-interface features. POWERGOOD is an open-drain output that indicates that the PFC output is above a programmable minimum level and that the controller is operating normally, depending on the selected settings. BURST is an input that allows an external system or downstream converter to command burst-mode behavior, with programmable polarity and thresholds.
18) Can the TEA2376 work together with TEA2209 and TEA19161?
Yes. The TEA2376 is often being used together with the TEA2209 active bridge rectifier controller and the TEA19161 LLC controller in high-efficiency AC/DC power systems. The TEA19161 can also interact with TEA2376 through SNSBOOST-based burst-mode coordination during low-load operation.
19) What performance does NXP demonstrate with TEA2376 in the 1 kW standalone design example?
In the TEA2376DB1623 1 kW standalone PFC design example, the performance measurements report a 385 V output, power factor greater than 0.99 over the tested mains range at full load, THD below 10 percent in the reported tests, and efficiency above 98 percent at 1 kW depending on mains condition. These values are for the specific demo-board implementation and test conditions.
20) What are typical mode-transition points in the 1 kW example?
For the TEA2376DB1623 1 kW design example, the reported transition levels are approximately 312 to 317 W for phase adding, 209 to 213 W for phase shedding, 115 to 117 W for entering burst mode, and 148 to 149 W for leaving burst mode. These are example settings from that design and can be changed through MTP configuration.
21) Is the TEA2376DK1011 or demo hardware intended for end-product use?
No. The kit and demo boards are intended for engineering development and evaluation purposes only. They are open-frame boards intended for laboratory use by qualified personnel and are not intended for production use.
22) Is there anything important to know about AT/BT programming through GATE pins?
Yes. For AT and BT versions, I²C communication shares the gate pins, so the IC must be placed into the correct programming state by appropriate handling during start-up. In practical terms, this makes AT and BT less convenient than DT for repeated live tuning during development.
23) Why is the TEA2376DT usually the preferred version for development?
TEA2376DT combines dedicated SDA/SCL pins, live I²C communication during operation, a POWERGOOD output, a BURST input, and GUI-based status monitoring. These features make it the most flexible variant for tuning, debugging, and system integration work.
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