Fairchild Semiconductor

To insure system functionality and reliability many board and system level designs must employ power budgets. The cumulative power dissipated by each device in the application contributes to the total power dissipated by the system. Calculated total device power dissipation can help determine a power source best suited for the specific application. It can also provide an understanding of the system's (or board's) operating conditions that might have an impact on system reliability or cause damage to on board ICs.

This application note outlines an example of a power dissipation calculation for typical LVDS differential line drivers. It provides designers a method for calculating power dissipation of individual LVDS components to assist in meeting system power budgets.