Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuit
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuit
com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
Another factor to consider is the extra power consumption for circuits with high
current loads. Simply multiply the diode’s forward voltage (Vf) by the current you
expect to draw, and you can see how much extra power this diode will use. For
currents greater than 500mA, you will even need to use a larger power diode.
1 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuits https://provideyourown.com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
You can improve this circuit somewhat by using a Schottky diode instead of a
rectifier diode. It has a lower voltage drop – usually about 0.6 volts, but you can
get some that are even lower than that. There is one potential problem with using
Schottky’s though. They have more reverse current leakage, so they may not offer
sufficient protection. If you want to try a Schottky diode, you will need to examine
its leakage current and your circuit to see if it can handle it without damage.
Making such a determination is not very easy, and as we’ll see, there are much
better approaches. Therefore, I would shy away from using Schottky diodes in
most cases.
PNP Transistor
A greatly improved protection circuit to
a blocking diode can be provided by
using a pnp transistor as a high-side
switch as shown. The saturated voltage
drop across the transistor is much
lower than it is with diodes and the
part cost is still very modest.
Also, like the diode circuit, there is still some voltage drop (maybe a couple of
tenths), and for higher power circuits the transistor will not be able to handle the
high current loads. For circuits which are usually active in their power usage and
that draw modest amounts of current, this simple type of protection is hard to
beat.
To choose the bias resistor, estimate your circuit’s maximum current and divide by
the transistor’s minimum gain. Provide a little margin, and calculate your resistor
accordingly. For example, if you expect a maximum current of 100mA for my
circuit, and the typical minimum hFE of your transistor is 50, then the base current
should be at least 2mA. Let’s use 4mA for the base current to provide some
margin. If the supply voltage is 5 volts, then the base bias resistor should be 5v /
4mA = 1.25k or something thereabouts.
P-Channel FET
For the ultimate in low voltage drop
and high current capability, replacing
the PNP transistor with a P-channel
MOSFET as shown in this circuit, can’t
be beat. Please note that the FET is
actually installed in the reverse
orientation as it would normally – the
drain and source are reversed. This
orientation is necessary so that the
slight leakage current through the
FET’s intrinsic body diode will bias the
FET on when the polarity is correct and
block current when reversed, thus
Reverse Polarity Protection Using a
2 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuits https://provideyourown.com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
If the supply voltage is less than the FETs maximum gate to source voltage (Vgs),
you only need the FET, without the diode or resistor. Just connect the gate directly
to ground. I have found that most smaller FETs maximum Vgs is 12 volts or less,
which can be a problem for 12 volt (or higher) supplies. If after checking your
FET’s spec sheet, you find that Vcc could exceed the maximum Vgs, then you must
drop the voltage between the gate and the source.
The circuit shown does exactly that by a very clever means. By inserting a zener
diode with a voltage less than the maximum Vgs, it limits the voltage to a safe
level between the gate and the source. You will need to calculate the resistor value
so that it will provide enough current to properly bias the zener diode chosen. The
zener diode’s spec sheet will provide the minimum current required to achieve the
zener breakdown voltage, and you can then calculate your resistor value from that.
For example, if your circuit can handle the voltage drop from a diode, and your
circuit is low current, just use a blocking diode. Don’t think that just because the
FET circuit is the best in terms of performance, it is the best choice. That
performance also comes at with a greatly increased cost and complexity.
Good engineering tries to minimize both of those factors. Choose the approach
that meets your design requirements the best.
Save
This entry was posted in Tech and tagged circuits. Section: Article. Bookmark the
permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
33 Comments
Xavi
Posted November 2, 2012 at 12:15 pm | Permalink
I wanted to avoid the losses in the diode and the circuit with MOSFET it’s
perfect for it. Many thanks.
It has just one drawback: If your circuit is intended for voltages, let’s say
above 50V, and you need low Rdson (around 10 mOhm or less) it is relatively
difficult to find suitable P-channel MOSFETs and they are quite expensive.
A solution (I will try it next week) could be using an N-channel MOSFET instead
connecting it between load (Source) and GND (Drain) and gate to the positive
battery terminal.
Scott Daniels
Posted November 8, 2012 at 12:01 am | Permalink
3 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuits https://provideyourown.com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
William Dalton
Posted March 18, 2013 at 5:35 pm | Permalink
Is there anyone who markets a kit or a printed circuit board in order to use the
P Channel MOSFET in reverse polarity protection? I would like to use one on
several of my 12 v. transceivers but my skill in producing printed circuits is non
existent. I would like to protect my HW9 Heathkit and HW8 from the reality of
being fried by a reverse connection disaster.
Scott Daniels
Posted April 24, 2013 at 12:41 pm | Permalink
I am planning to put such a circuit on my next PCB order. I’ll add it to the
store when it is available.
Bill D. K4MH
Posted March 24, 2014 at 8:40 pm | Permalink
Bill D. K4MH
Posted March 24, 2014 at 10:09 pm | Permalink
Owen Hann
Posted June 27, 2013 at 10:24 pm | Permalink
For low voltage circuits, such as gadgets operating from a single cell (1.5 or
even 1.2 volts), reverse polarity protection is a very tough nut to crack. You
need to suck every electron possible from the battery. A schottky wastes too
much power because of the voltage drop and the battery appears dead flat
long before it really is. Biasing a transistor wastes significant energy in the
4 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuits https://provideyourown.com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
base current – the resistor needs to be quite a low value to deal with a battery
going flat, hence it draws a lot more current than needed when the battery is
new. The FET idea is good, but I believe there is a problem with operating FETs
at very low voltages? Any insights?
John-Paul Gignac
Posted July 9, 2013 at 11:23 am | Permalink
smartmobi.info
Posted September 23, 2014 at 12:00 am | Permalink
Thanks for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your efforts and I am waiting
for your next write ups thanks
once again.
They also add sunscreen and other protective elements to try and
create what consumers will think is a more. In the sixties and seventies Albert
Bandura and Walter Mischel were
psychologists, studying personality development.
Article Source: Saunders and her team of award winning designers help
authors
and small business owners design their books, build
their brand, launch their website and market their business.
henkel-partner.net
Posted November 25, 2014 at 2:21 pm | Permalink
ifasjfiasjf asi
Posted December 5, 2014 at 11:17 am | Permalink
Cheers!
Some genuinely quality blog posts on this web site , saved to my bookmarks .
Binghamton iPhone 4s Cases Primary Mark http://www.westgatelabs.co.uk
/shop/cases/Binghamton-iPhone-4s-Cases-Primary-Mark.html
coupon share
Posted February 9, 2015 at 7:12 am | Permalink
5 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuits https://provideyourown.com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
Steve Roberts
Posted June 3, 2015 at 6:44 pm | Permalink
Thanks for this explanation and lesson. Now I can save my Arduino’s lives for a
little longer.
Jim Pack
Posted April 14, 2017 at 8:38 am | Permalink
What would be a good mosfet for protecting a tp4056 board from putting an
18650 battery in backwards? I’ve burned up half a dozen boards from doing
this, (and these are the new boards with the internal protection built in – I
guess not).
Thanks,
Jim
falexandru
Posted March 11, 2018 at 1:01 am | Permalink
Remarkable! Its truly amazing article, I have got much clear idea regarding
from this article.
Wohh precisely what I was looking for, regards for putting up.
Big Cornfields
Posted April 6, 2018 at 12:54 pm | Permalink
Woman Smiling
Posted April 8, 2018 at 10:23 am | Permalink
Old Technology
6 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuits https://provideyourown.com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
Grocery Delivery
Posted April 12, 2018 at 7:36 am | Permalink
These two better settle their score now before everything ends up burnt!
Marylyn
Posted April 18, 2018 at 10:22 pm | Permalink
Great site
3 Trackbacks
By How To Calculate Reverse Bias Current | New How Tips on July 8, 2016 at 8:09 am
By Best Battery Chargers For 2017 | Top 10 Battery Chargers Reviewed on July 18, 2017
at 10:05 am
By essayforme on April 11, 2018 at 6:02 pm
7 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM
Reverse Polarity Protection Circuits https://provideyourown.com/2012/reverse-polarity-protection-circuits/
The content of Provide Your Own is licensed under the . See Terms for more information. All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech.
ProvideYourOwn is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended
as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. ProvideYourOwn assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to
these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.
8 of 8 10/27/2018, 5:33 AM