ATI TEC14MEV1.0+TEC14M5V3R5AS

The evaluation board TEC14MEV1.0 is designed for use exclusively with the miniature TEC controller TEC14M5V3R5AS, which must be purchased together. TEC14M5V3R5AS (without an internal compensation network) is an electronic module designed to drive TECs, featuring high stability and low noise. The evaluation board TEC14MEV1.0 provides a convenient means of evaluating the controller TEC14M5V3R5AS. The evaluation board dimensions are 140mm × 130mm. It is recommended to read this application note in conjunction with the controller's datasheet, which provides further details on controller specifications and application guidelines. The primary purpose of using the evaluation board is to tune the on-board compensation network to match the characteristics of the user's thermal load. The tuning objective is to minimize the response time and dynamic temperature tracking error of the thermal control loop while maintaining control loop stability. Users can set the maximum output voltage and setpoint temperature, monitor the output voltage and actual thermal load temperature, and adjust the compensation network to match the thermal load. The TEC controller evaluation board TEC14MEV1.0 consists of a complete tuning and application circuit for driving TECs. It supports output voltage limit setting, compensation network adjustment, internal operating temperature setpoint configuration, includes an LED indicating the controller's temperature status, and provides numerous connection pads for interfacing with external components and instruments. The TEC control module is located in the lower-right corner of the TEC14MEV1.0 evaluation board. The voltages on all its pins can be measured directly via the vias on either side of the module socket, which are directly connected to the pins of the electronic module. Some pins are also connected to pads at the board edge with two vias. All node labels are marked on the board. The silkscreen layer of the evaluation board along with the other top layers — including top silkscreen, top copper, top solder mask, and multilayer (vias) — are shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 shows the top silkscreen layer image only. There are no components on the bottom of the board, so no bottom silkscreen image is provided. Pads are located along the left and right edges of the board. These pads can be used to connect external instruments or components via soldered wires, alligator clips, or probe tips. Pads are also located at the top and bottom center of the board. These pads can be used to connect external instruments or components via probe tips or soldered wires. A switch bank is located at the top of the board. A potentiometer is positioned below the switch bank. Five switch banks are located at the bottom of the board. The LED positioned below the top area will illuminate when the setpoint temperature differs from the actual target temperature by less than 0.1°C. The compensation network on the board is initialized prior to shipment. The initial values of these parameters are shown in Table 1. Figure 4 shows the top layer without the silkscreen. Figure 5 shows the bottom layer, including the bottom copper, bottom solder mask, and multilayer (vias). Note that this is a "see-through" image viewed from the top. Figures 4 and 5 can serve as layout references for designing systems that incorporate the TEC controller. The key points are as follows: 1. Connect the power return node directly to the controller's PGND pin before connecting it to any other point. This was not done for the return node on the evaluation board due to thermal management considerations. 2. Use large copper areas for the PCB traces on pads of all pins wherever possible, so that these copper areas act as heat sinks to help dissipate the heat generated by the controller. Figure 6 shows the mirrored bottom layer, which is the image viewed directly from the bottom.