GAÏA Converter was founded in the early ’90s and has since developed one of the most comprehensive ranges of modular power components in the marketplace. Its well-known concept of modular power architecture was also developed to allow very simple designs of complex power supplies.
With more than 3500 standard power component references serving the industrial, transportation, aerospace and military markets, GAÏA Converter is recognised as one of the world leaders for ‘power module’ solutions. Strongly focused on power modules, the company can concentrate all its efforts into proposing innovative solutions and a complete comprehensive suite of products.
GAÏA Converter dedicates significant R&D investment on a continuous basis in order to maintain a state-of-the-art product range. The GAÏA engineering team not only designs products with competitive advantages, but is also devoted to solving customers’ power problems. More than 300 new products are completed every year by the company’s engineering team to cope with new technologies and market trends.
The company’s advanced design and development capabilities include:
* Circuit behaviour simulation.
* Thermal management.
* Advanced packaging techniques.
* Proprietary magnetic and ASIC design.
* Environmental test.
* Reliability evaluation.
The skills and innovative spirit of GAÏA Converter’s design team is supported by computer aided engineering (CAE) for electrical simulation, mechanical design, thermal analysis and optimisation, reliability prediction and circuit board layout, to the point of manufacturing readiness. This CAE system is used extensively to ensure design performance and integrity from prototyping to mass production.
With all products built for applications where high reliability is required, the products are grouped according to specific environmental requirements into two groupings, namely Hi-Rel (high reliability for aerospace and defence applications) and industrial (for general purpose use). The purpose of this is to offer complete modular solutions that meet all electrical and environmental requirements of the unique applications.
Hi-Rel grade DC-DC converters are used in harsh environment conditions for aerospace, avionics, defence and naval applications. GAÏA Converter offers a complete range of low-profile modules specially designed to meet key avionics/defence performance specifications for bus input compatibility, EMI/RFI requirements, severe environment and component derating. The product range satisfies the Department of Defence for non development items (NDI) and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment.
Industrial grade DC-DC converters are used for various demanding applications ranging from transportation (railways, subways, signalling, electricity related applications) up to process control and instrumentation equipment. GAÏA Converter offers a complete line of low-profile power modules specially designed to meet key industrial standards for bus input compatibility, EMI/RFI requirements, environmental specifications and wide temperature ranges from -40°C up to 95°C (case).
The ranges are designed both for centralised and distributed power structure, and with power handling ranging from 4 W to 200 W per module and with a wide range of input/output options, all possible design solutions are catered for with complete design architectures available.
Aerospace and defence modular architecture
Aerospace and defence power supplies have always been subjected to stringent requirements including transients, spikes, EMI, hold-up and monitoring specifications. As a result, the majority of these power supplies have been designed specifically with discrete components. Since the beginning of the ’90s, with the introduction of the COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) philosophy in US and modular power architecture, the use of standard modules has become of more importance to design complex power supplies.
The most common standard input voltages in avionics and defence applications are 24, 28, 270 V d.c. or 115 V a.c. within a permanent variation of 16–40 V d.c. or 70–180 V a.c. to meet worldwide standards. Drop-out down to 0 V d.c. and transients also have to be covered. EMI compliance is of primary importance and is described in the widely used MIL-STD-461 or DO-160 standards.
GAÏA Converter offers standard COTS modules for simple yet fully compliant design solutions:
1. FGDS series: Qualified front-end filters to allow compliance with MIL-STD-461 or DO-160 EMI requirements.
2. PGDS & LGDS series: Essential functions such as drop-out voltage recovery, transient and spike protections as per MIL-STD-704, MIL-STD-1275 or DO-160.
3. HGMS series: Power factor corrected 115 V a.c. to 28 V d.c. converters for easy board intermediate bus configurations.
4. HUGD series: Monitoring and hold-up functions are provided to sustain bus losses, together with fault and advisory signals.
5. MGDM series: A complete series of low-profile, cost-effective and high-performance Hi-Rel DC/DC modules that come in multiple combinations of input voltages, output possibilities and power ratings.
Transportation modular architecture
Rail transportation power supplies have been subjected to stringent requirements including transient, energy spikes and hold-up specifications. The standard input voltages in rail applications are 72 V d.c. or 110 V d.c. while in signalling it is 24 V d.c. in a variation described in the widely used EN50155 standard. Fast and energetic spikes are of primary importance and need to be handled by efficient protection. The power requirements generally range from 4 W up to 200 W per board.
The complete solution offered by GAÏA Converter includes:
1. LGDS series: Essential functions such as energetic spike protections and EMI filters according to EN50155, RIA12 and IEC571 are provided by standard ‘limiter’ front-end products.
2. MGDI series: A complete series of low profile, cost-effective and high-performance industrial grade DC-DC modules that come in multiple combinations of input voltages, output possibilities and power ratings.
Industrial modular architecture
Industrial applications cover an extremely wide spectrum of applications from low requirements in automation robotics and test equipment, up to stringent constraints of transient and EMI in power plants and electricity distribution systems. DC-DC modules have been extensively used at the point of load ie, on the board at the point of use, leaving the transients and EMI constraints away from the modules. GAÏA Converter offers comprehensive modular solutions for those stringent requirements.
The traditional DC input voltages in industrial applications range from 12, 24, 48 and 125 V d.c. EMI requirements are described in the EN55022 standard with two levels – Class A for industrial environments and Class B for domestic environments. Susceptibility covering fast transients, repetitive surge and discharge is of primary importance and is described in the EN61000 standards.
The complete solution offered by GAÏA Converter includes:
1. LGDS series: Essential functions such as susceptibility, fast transient, according to EN61000-4-5, EMI class A according to EN55022 are provided by standard ‘protection filter’.
2. MGDI series: A complete series of low-profile, cost-effective and high-performance Industrial grade DC-DC modules that come in multiple combinations of input voltages, output possibilities and power ratings.
Hi-Rel grade DC-DC converter modules
The units are offered with power ranges from 4 W to 200 W, with common specifications:
* Operating temperature (case): -40°C to +105°C.
* Storage temperature: -55°C to +125°C.
* Encapsulation with Hi-Rel grade qualified potting.
* Burn-in of all devices during final qualification and testing.
* Control functions.
* Low output ripple voltage.
* Qualified up to military grade.
Input voltage ranges are offered as 2:1, 4:1 or 5:1. The 100 W modules are optimised for aviation applications and as a result offer an ultra-wide 10:1 input range of 10,7–100 V d.c. The 75 W and 150 W modules are also available with an input range up to 480 V d.c. to allow direct use in 375 V d.c. bus applications. The 200 W modules handle ultra-wide input ranges of 9–60 V d.c. or 14–100 V d.c.
Output voltages range from 3,3 V d.c. to 28 V d.c. in single-, dual- and triple-output configurations (model dependent), with output trim ranges as wide as 10–110%. The 30 W range (TETHYS series) is a fully configurable product with up to six outputs per module.
High-density case packages are class-leading and offer low-profiles and ultra-compact designs, while effectively managing heat dissipation. This includes the new 200 W modules that measure less than 7,6 x 5,1 x 1,27 mm and offer a unique 3D heat path to effectively limit the use of heatsinking, to optimise board usage.
Industrial grade DC-DC converter modules:
The units are offered with power ranges from 4 W to 100 W, with common specifications:
* Operating temperature (case): -40°C to +95°C.
* Storage temperature: -45°C to +105°C.
* Encapsulation with industrial grade potting.
* Low output ripple voltage.
* Qualified up to military grade.
Input voltage ranges are offered as 2:1, 4:1 or 5:1. The 100 W modules are optimised for aviation applications and as a result offer an ultra-wide 10:1 input range of 10,7–100 V d.c.
Output voltages range from 3,3 V d.c. to 26 V d.c. in single-, dual- and triple-output configurations (model dependent), with output trim ranges as wide as 10 – 110%. The 30 W range (TETHYS series) is a fully configurable product with up to six outputs per module.
Contact Accutronics for more information on any of the products offered by GAÏA Converter.
About Accutronics
Accutronics is based in Johannesburg. The company was founded in 1973 and has always followed the basic principles of offering the best quality and performance products available to the electronics industry of South Africa and Africa. To this end, partnerships have been built with like-minded international manufacturers based in the USA and Europe.
With customer care a priority within the company, Accutronics has developed a reputation for offering customers the best solution for their needs and then offering exceptional after-sales support for the lifetime of the products supplied.
Accutronics is passionate about its responsibility towards corporate and social initiatives, and to this end is involved with several social development initiatives that include support to charities and environmental initiatives and also the creation of Accutronics FC, a soccer team that participates in Johannesburg’s Company Football League. With these efforts Accutronics is proud to achieve a Level 5 BEE status.
Accutronics recently refreshed its corporate identity and launched a new website that provides better access to information on the various products and services offered by the company and its suppliers. For more information visit www.accutronics.co.za.
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