BS2 output current value

0001T

I would like to find out the current value output from BS2, eg. P0, P1, etc.
I am using BS2 to trigger the gate of a power mosfet, can I connect directly to the gate of the mosfet?
Thanks

Mike Green

First of all, an MOSFET is a voltage triggered device. The output current depends on the voltage applied to the gate, not the current. The datasheet for your particular MOSFET will have a graph of the output current vs. gate voltage. Some MOSFETs are designed to work with lower gate voltages (logic level MOSFETs like the IRL510 vs. the IRF510 with a higher gate voltage). The BS2, like most CMOS logic, has a logic high output voltage of around 4.3V. Even logic level MOSFETs may not fully conduct at that voltage.

The BS2 uses a Microchip PIC microprocessor and you should download (from Microchip) and read the datasheet for the 16F57. You'll see the maximum output current for a single high I/O pin is 20mA. There are other limits for groups of 8 pins and for the entire device.

allanlane5

My understanding was that the gate of a power mosfet takes VERY little current. So you should be okay.

The BS2 can output up to 20 mA on a single I/O pin (any higher and the pin's I/O driver burns out), but 40 mA max for ALL I/O pins (any higher and the chip itself overheats).