Current-mode control of a DC-DC converter using a microcontroller: implementation issues

Traditionally, analog controllers have been utilized for current-mode control (CMC) of DC-DC converters. This paper discusses implementation issues for microcontroller-based digital controllers for CMC converters such as system modeling, required functionalities of a microcontroller, main design procedures, and AD conversion and time delay. A hybrid control concept is introduced such that a one-chip solution can be achieved to control a CMC power converter using a microcontroller. Experimental results are presented where hybrid controllers using the PIC16C782 are designed to control peak CMC and average CMC boost converters.