What should the switch pin output of an SMPS look like on a scope

switch-mode-power-supply

I'm continuing to troubleshoot a broken SMPS.

At this point, I'm just trying to understand what components are broken, working under the assumption that it saw a voltage spike as a result of input ringing.

Here's what I'm seeing when I scope the switch pin (10uS/div, 1V/div):

enter image description here

The FB pin is sitting at 200mV, output is sitting at 800mV, input is steady at 11.8V.

Given this information, is it possible to guess what is broken? Is it the SMPS IC, the inductor, both?

Circuit for reference:
enter image description here

Switch for reference: http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tps62125.pdf

Best Answer

If you can reasonably guess that something is broken due to electrical overstress, the most likely candidate is the integrated circuit.

It is typically the power switches and control circuits that break. The most common mechanisms are over-heating and over-voltage breakdown. And especially considering your previous question, which suggests that you had \$V_{IN}\$ overshoot, over-voltage breakdown is quite likely. When semiconductors experience over-voltage breakdown, they suddenly absorb a lot of power (often in a snapping, positive-feedback fashion), which causes damage.

As for the inductor, essentially the only way you could electrically break it would be to over-heat it until it melts. The solder will melt long before that happens.

I suggest you swap out the IC and see if it works again.