Reducing the Footprint Of FPGA Power Supply
The size of power supply is important for both non FPGA and FPGA designs. We are seeing a trend, where power footprint is rising across all devices. But there are a number of creative and innovative ways to bring down your embedded device’s power footprint. One way is to use a load switch.
Another technique to reduce power footprint is to use power management integrated circuits. Note that when you are powering an FPGA enabled device, you will need many voltage rails carrying different loads. Some of these power rails will have to power up/down sequentially as per FPGA needs and system requirements.
If you are constrained by space, go for a load switch to reduce power footprint. Load switches are cost effective, high performance devices. A load switch reduces the number of regulators required to one. You can use two or three load switches on board. It also reduces the manufacturing cost of the embedded device because of less bill of material count. Let’s not forget that a custom power supply can also help you reduce the size of your power footprint.
An added advantage of this design is the simplicity because now you are placing a lower number of inductors on the board. At the same time, you have to pick the right converter. This is, again, dependent on the size of the device.
