Tailored Solutions
In recent years, there’s been an increasing trend toward new AC-DC power supply products that have some sort of application or industry focus. The result has been supplies that include either certifications, special performance specs or tailored packaging intended for a specific application area such as medical, industrial, networking and more.
System designers can no longer afford to make their choice of AC-DC power supplies an afterthought. As embedded systems pack ever more processing into smaller spaces, power has direct implications on the size, cooling and mobility of a board- or box-level system. Mix in the challenges of multi-voltage electronics and the complexity of distributed system architectures, and it’s clear that embedded system designers need solutions that address those needs.
If you look at the power supply products released over the last 12 months, there’s been a definite uptick in new products that have some sort of application or industry focus. While this hasn’t diminished the role of general-purpose power supplies, the trend has been toward supplies that include either certifications, special performance specs or tailored packaging intended for a specific application—and medical is one such application area.
Medical applications face strict regulatory requirements. Power supplies used in these applications must provide the characteristics to meet the necessary standards for medical use in a hospital (Figure 1). The worldwide ES/IEC/EN 60601-1 3rd Edition standard provides guidelines. These are more stringent compared to guidelines for commercial or industrial appliances. To feed the needs of medical equipment developers, power supply vendors are building medical grade AC-DC power supplies that provide reinforced isolation with two means of patient protection (2xMoPP), low leakage (BF and CF ratings) and other medical specific features.
Shown in the product gallery on the following pages are representative examples of AC-DC power supplies. The gallery shows a mix of products spanning a wide range of sizes, formats and voltage configurations. Some AC-DC supplies offer certifications specifically tailored to specific markets like medical devices. Others feature special cooling schemes and wide temperature specs enabling, them to be used in harsh environment applications.
Power supplies used in medical applications must provide the characteristics to meet the necessary standards for medical use in a hospital or residential home. These are more stringent compared to guidelines for commercial or industrial appliances.
Open-Frame Power Supply Delivers 140W
The BEO-1412M from Bicker Elektronik is designed for industrial and medical applications. It is characterized by its high efficiency of up to 93% and a very low standby consumption of 0.21W. With a small 2″ × 4″ form factor, it delivers its full power of 140W up to an ambient temperature of +50°C without active cooling—200W is possible with fan cooling.
• Designed for medical and industrial use
• Efficiency up to 93%
• Ventilated 192W output power
• 2xMoPP
• Extended temperature range
-20°C to 70°C
• Standby consumption less than 0.21W
• IEC / EN / UL 60601-1 / 62368-1 certified
• EMC: IEC60601-1-2: 2014 (ED 4.0)
• Dimensions: 2″ × 4″ / 101.6mm × 50.8mm × 32mm
15W Single-Output
Chassis-Mount Supply
CUI’s VOF-15C series is a family of open-frame AC-DC power supplies housed in a compact 1.8″ × 2.5″ chassis-mount package. Designed to meet UL/EN/IEC 60335 and 62368 standards for ITE and AV equipment, these 15W open-frame modules further feature a universal input voltage range, up to 24VDC rated output voltage, and a 0.625A to 3A output current.
• Universal input voltage range
• Compact chassis mount package
• Over current, over voltage, and short circuit protections
• Meets EN 55032/CISPR32 Class B conducted/radiated emissions
• UL/EN/IEC 62368 certified
• Designed to meet UL/EN/IEC 60335 and 62368
• Input voltage: 85VAC to 264VAC
• Dimensions L×W×H: 63.5mm × 45.7mm × 19mm
VOF-15C Series datasheet
650W AC-DC Supplies Boast High Power Density
The PQU650 series from Murata Power Solutions are open-frame, 650W-rated AC-DC power supplies. They offer high power-density, with forced air- and convection-cooled ambient ratings. Features include wide output voltage adjustment range, auxiliary power rails and a high transient capability. Measuring just 6″ × 4″ by 1U high, the power supplies accept a universal AC input voltage range of 90VAC to 264VAC.
• AC input voltage range of 90VAC to 264VAC
• Meets 2xMoPP primary to secondary, and 1xMoPP primary to chassis
• Output ratings from 12V to 54V, and 12.1SA to 54.2A
• High 450W convection-cooled rating
• Efficiency levels of up to 95%
• Dimensions: 6″ × 4″ by 1U high
PQU650 datasheet
550W Power Supply with Baseplate Cooling
RECOM’s RACM550 Series is designed to support up to 300W continuous output power without fan cooling. The compact 3″ × 5″ baseplate design enables direct heat dissipation through metal housings in the application. Up to 550W is available to drive dynamic loads for several seconds of peak power or with forced air for even longer time frames.
• 300W baseplate-cooled, fan-less operation
• 550W peak power or forced air rating
• Universal AC input range (80VAC to 264VAC)
• Standby power consumption less than 0.5W
• Operating temperature
-40°C to +70°C
• Household, ITE and medically
2xMoPP certified
• Signals: remote sensing and ON/OFF control
RACM550 Series datasheet
AC-DC Supplies Deliver 600W for Medical Systems
The TDK-Lambda brand CUS600M AC-DC power supply series provide a 3″ × 5″ footprint. They are rated at 600W these compact products meet curve B conducted and radiated EMI in either a Class I or Class II (double insulated) construction, without the need for external filtering. The CUS600M series accepts an 85VAC to 264VAC input and has a no-load power consumption of less than 0.5W when the output is inhibited.
• Input voltage: 85VAC to 265VAC
• 400W (600W Peak) convection cooled, 600W with forced air
• Medical certifications (2xMoPP)
• Class B conducted and radiated EMI
• Suitable for Class I and Class II installations
• IEC/EN/ES 60601-1 and IEC/EN/UL 62368-1
• Compact 3″ × 5″ × 1.46″ size
CUS600M Series datasheet
600W Fanless AC-DC Supplies Target Medical and ITE
XP Power’s UCH600 is a series of convection cooled, 600W AC-DC power supplies. The ultra-compact power supplies deliver full load power under a wide range of conditions without additional cooling. The unit is well suited for use where no forced air is available, or fan noise or the ingress of dirt is undesirable. This includes medical devices and ITE systems.
• 600W convection cooled
• 8.0″ × 5.0″ × 1.57″ U channel
• ITE and Medical (BF) approvals
• Class B conducted and radiated emissions
• Power density 5.97W/in³
• High efficiency, up to 95%
• 5V 1.0A standby
• -20°C to +70°C operating temperature
UCH600 Series datasheet
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Jeff served as Editor-in-Chief for both LinuxGizmos.com and its sister publication, Circuit Cellar magazine 6/2017—3/2022. In nearly three decades of covering the embedded electronics and computing industry, Jeff has also held senior editorial positions at EE Times, Computer Design, Electronic Design, Embedded Systems Development, and COTS Journal. His knowledge spans a broad range of electronics and computing topics, including CPUs, MCUs, memory, storage, graphics, power supplies, software development, and real-time OSes.
