Jaguar Gate Driver Source

[daltore]

I'm looking for a pin-compatible gate driver for the Jaguar (components U6 and U7) in the foolishly vain hope that I can fix one that was plugged in backwards So far, I've managed to find out that the original chip was the FAN5109BMX by Fairchild Semiconductor, but that chip is discontinued, and the recommended replacement is the ON Semi ADP3110A/ADP3210A. However, the former can no longer be purchased at all, even through Digikey, and the latter can only be purchased in bulk (minimum quanitity I've found is 98). I only need 2, although I wouldn't be opposed to getting a few more (say, 10).

I know fixing a Jaguar probably wouldn't be technically legal in competition (or wise), but our team has plenty of other projects that can benefit from $.44 of integrated circuits and a few cents of solder over a $73 replacement Jaguar. Plus, it'll be a good experience, and more motivation for me to build the hot-air soldering iron I've been thinking about for a couple months.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Aaron,
If you connected the power supply to the Jaguar incorrectly, the gate drivers are not the only thing that is damaged. The five volt regulator is the first place I would look followed by just about everything else. I would also take a look under the large electrolytic cap in the center. Those guys hate reverse voltage. If there is any sign of a puddle, it is gone too.

[daltore]

You're right, i realize there is probably more damage, I just thought I'd try. It would not only make for a fun experiment, but also some practice with surface-mount. The gate drivers and the current-measuring resistor are the only things that show any damage. One of our mentors helped design the Jaguar, and he said the capacitors they used always bulged a little bit, so that combined with the lack of a puddle seem to show that the cap is fine. Probably the desoldering of the current measuring resistor cut the circuit fast enough that it didn't cause to much of a problem. I will check the regulator. Still, I think it would be fun to try to fix a Jaguar, and provide a valuable experience.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Aaron,
The desoldering of the resistor shows that there was a lot of current flowing through the Jaguar. It is a small value and so large currents would produce a lot of heat. I know that high current in normal operation is enough to desolder that resistor.