Power Electronics / Power Management


212 W AC/DC switcher said to be a first for small size

26 July 2006 Power Electronics / Power Management

XP Power has announced that it has brought together a series of proven power supply design techniques in a new and innovative way to create the world's smallest 212 W, single output AC/DC switcher dubbed the EMA212.

Designed for communications applications, this power supply has been developed to meet the needs of networking equipment, voice over IP systems, wireless LANs, servers, storage area networks and post-production broadcast equipment.

Designers of such systems demand higher power from AC/DC units in industry-standard 1U formats as processing power and functionality grows within tight space constraints. The EMA212 can deliver over 200 W across the full universal AC input range from an industry-standard 76,2 x 127 mm (3 x 5 inch) footprint (34,04 mm high).

According to the manufacturer, the PSU has an efficiency of over 90% at full load, and needs only 12 CFM air-flow for full power operation at up to 50°C ambient and will operate at up to 70°C ambient with de-rating. The main output is 12 or 48 V d.c. but each power supply also has a 5 V, 100 mA standby output and a 12 V, 1 A output for powering a fan. The unit incorporates a fully featured signal set including AC fail/DC OK, active PFC, remote on/off and active current sharing.

Complementary design techniques

To achieve the EMA212's high performance, XP Power used various innovative design techniques. The size of the input filter was reduced with a 2-stage design using miniature, high permeability cores. These were stack mounted to minimise the PCB area and maximise cooling. The PFC circuit uses a silicon carbide diode to gain a further 1% efficiency over a traditional diode and snubber circuit combination, while a stepped-gap inductor, operating in continuous mode, reduces peak switching current and minimises filter requirements. Switching losses are virtually eliminated by using VA resonant zero current switching (ZCS) topology for the main converter circuit - switching occurs at zero current from 0-100% load. Additionally, a 100 kHz switching frequency enables the use of small magnetic components without compromising efficiency. In the main converter, a ceramic substrate replaces the conventional heat sink, offering additional space savings. The same thermal management technique is used for the output rectifiers. Here, the adoption of synchronous rectification eliminates nearly all switching losses, keeps noise levels low, and minimises both costs and board area. Power factor correction (PFC) is achieved using a one cycle control (OCC) circuit, rather than an average current control mode operating over several cycles. This OCC technique eliminates six passive components, saves PCB space and reduces cost.

Overcurrent, overvoltage and short circuit protection are all built into the EMA212 and the power supply meets all major international specifications for safety and EMC performance.



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

hybridNETBOX instrumentation platform
Vepac Electronics Test & Measurement
The hybridNETBOX from Spectrum Instrumentation is an innovative instrumentation platform that combines a multi-channel arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) and a digitiser in a single portable unit.

Read more...
Power efficiency and robustness in electronics design
Power Electronics / Power Management
Mouser Electronics recently announced a new eBook in collaboration with Analog Devices highlighting essential strategies for optimising power systems.

Read more...
USB Type-C-powered controllers
Future Electronics Power Electronics / Power Management
Diodes Incorporated has released two USB Type-C PD 3.1 extended power range sink controllers that can be embedded into battery-powered devices.

Read more...
14-bit AWG at 20 GS/s
Vepac Electronics Test & Measurement
The Arb Rider AWG-7000 is the world’s fastest 14-bit Arbitrary Waveform Generator, featuring a 20 GS/s real time update rate and 14-bit vertical resolution.

Read more...
Multicell battery monitoring
Altron Arrow Power Electronics / Power Management
The LTC6811 from Analog Devices is a multicell battery stack monitor that measures up to 12 series connected battery cells with a total measurement error of less than 1,2 mV.

Read more...
Full telemetry in tiny DC-DC converters
RS South Africa Power Electronics / Power Management
The FS160* series of µPOL DC-DC converters from TDK all offer full telemetry, provide increased performance, and are remarkable for extraordinary power density in the smallest sizes.

Read more...
Power IC supplies 1650 W
EBV Electrolink Power Electronics / Power Management
Power Integrations has announced a two-fold increase in power output from the HiperLCS-2 chipset with the new device now being able to deliver up to 1650 W of continuous output power.

Read more...
High-voltage step-down DC-DC converter
Altron Arrow Power Electronics / Power Management
The MAX17793 is a high-efficiency, high-voltage, synchronous step-down DC-DC converter with integrated MOSFETs operating over an input voltage range of 3 to 80 V.

Read more...
Handheld RTSA up to 9,5 GHz
Vepac Electronics Test & Measurement
The PXE-90 implements an FFT engine on the built-in FPGA and support frame compression with trace detection while ensuring no missing samples between FFT frames.

Read more...
High-voltage contactors
RS South Africa Power Electronics / Power Management
TDK Corporation has announced two new additions to its high-voltage contactor portfolio for harsh environments: the HVC43MC with integrated mirror contact and the HVC45 with enhanced short-circuit current handling capability.

Read more...