In-rush current is the initial current that flows to the converter’s input de-coupling capacitor(s) when the host board assembly is connected to an active input power source. The magnitude of the in-rush current is high and can induce arcing, transients, and erosion of the connector. Limiting the in-rush current allows the host board assembly to be safely plugged into a live system backplane connector, such as those powered from a -48V central office power supply.
This design was created to help those desiring to design-in a Stellaris® ARM® Cortex™-M3 MCU into a system using an input voltage in the range of 3.6V to 6.0V and is interested in using a high-efficiency DCDC Converter with integrated FETs for a small, simple design.