Application Emphasis
Selecting the right AC-DC power supply can have a major impact on your embedded system’s capabilities. Power supply innovators are smoothing the way with devices designed to match application needs like industrial control, medical and IoT
As embedded systems pack ever more intelligence into smaller spaces, power has direct implications on the size, cooling and mobility of any system. That makes AC-DC power supplies critical enablers for meeting today’s needs. To keep pace, AC-DC power supply vendors continue to roll out more efficient products, new partitioning strategies and more compact solutions. In tandem to those trends, there’s a growing demand to reduce size, weight and power of system electronics. Driving those demands is a desire to fit more functionality in the same space or into a smaller footprint.
Examining the new AC-DC power supply products released over the last 12 months, there’s been a clear trend toward supplies that have some sort of application or industry focus. Although 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 area such as medical, industrial, railway or the IoT.
Demanding applications like industrial control are an example of systems that call for special requirements (Figure 1). For example, XP Power’s HPT5K0 series of 3 phase input, 5 kW AC-DC power supplies feature “no-neutral” operation that simplifies installation in industrial applications. The device has both ITE/industrial and medical agency approvals that feature a three-phase, three-wire, 180 to 528 VAC input. This drastically simplifies installation because there’s no need for a neutral connection, which is often not available in industrial applications. The HPT5K0 series supports I²C, RS232 and RS485 serial buses with multiple digital protocols including PMBus, CANopen, MODBUS and SCPI.
Meanwhile, power supplies used in medical applications must provide the characteristics to meet the necessary standards for medical use in a hospital or residential home. The worldwide ES/IEC/EN 60601-1 3rd Ed. standard provides guidelines. These are more stringent compared to guidelines for commercial or industrial appliances. Higher safety standards and lower electromagnetic interference (EMI) are required.
Low-Cost AC-DC Converter Delivers 60 W
The new AME60-VZ from Aimtec is a 60 W AC-DC converter that offers much greater cost effectiveness due to material normalization and production automation also leading to improved reliability and performance. It provides a commercial input voltage range of 85-264 VAC and output voltages of 5-, 12-, 15-, 24- and 48-VDC. This series offers operating temperatures from -40°C to 70°C with full power up to 55°C depending on models. It also features a 4,000 VAC isolation for improved reliability and system safety.
• Universal Input: 85 – 264 VAC, 100 – 370 VDC
• Operating temperature range: -40°C to +70°C
• High isolation voltage: 4 kVAC
• Regulated output, Low ripple and noise
• Output short circuit, over-current, over-voltage protection
• EMI performance meets CISPR32/ EN55032 CLASS B
• Certified to IEC62368, UL62368, EN62368 standards (pending)
Encapsulated Supplies Offer Multiple Mounting Options
CUI’s PSK-S3 series is a family of encapsulated AC-DC power supplies available in board mount, chassis mount, wire lead and DIN rail configurations. Outputting 3 W of continuous power, these single output, encapsulated modules feature 4 kVAC isolation and a wide operating temperature range from -40°C, to 70°C, making them well suited for space constrained, low power ITE, industrial and consumer electronic applications.
• Up to 3 W continuous power
• Compact board mount design
• Over current, over voltage and short circuit protections
• 4 kVAC isolation voltage
• -40°C to +70°C temperature range
• Input voltage:
• 85 to 264 VAC
• Dimensions (LxWxH): 37 mm x 24.5 mm x 18mm
Fully Encapsulated 10 W AC-DC Power Supplies
The ACF-10 Series from MINMAX Technology is a range of compact, fully encapsulated 10 W AC-DC power supply modules. They are designed for easy PCB mounting featuring measuring only 1.5" x 1" x0.6". The ACF-10 series consists of 7 models featuring universal AC input (85 VAC to 264 VAC) and tight regulated single output voltage ranging from 3.3 VDC to 48 VDC. The ACF-10 power supplies provide a solution for space critical applications in consumer appliances, advanced household appliances, instrumentation and communication equipment.
• Protection Class II as per IEC/EN 60536
• I/O isolation 4 kVAC with reinforced insulation
• Operating ambient temp. range
-25°C to +70°C
• Overload/voltage and short circuit protection
• Safety approval to UL/cUL/IEC/ EN 62368-1 (60950-1), TUV IEC/EN 60335-1 & CE Marking
15 W AC-DC Converters Target Smart Home and IoT
The RAC15-K series from RECOM are highly efficient PCB-mount power conversion modules with ultra-low energy losses especially in light load conditions. This makes them well suited for always-on and standby mode operations, which are typical in IoT and smart applications. The power supply units cover worldwide mains input range of 85 VAC up to 264 VAC and come with international safety certifications for industrial, AV and ITE as well as household standards.
• Wide input range 85-264 VAC
• Standby mode optimized PSU (ENER Lot 6)
• Ultra-high efficiency over entire load range
• Operating temperature range: -40°C to +85°C
• Class II installations (without FG)
• EMC compliant without external components
• No load power consumption 40 mW typical
100 W Medical/ITE Certified Supplies Boast 2" x 4" Size
The TDK-Lambda brand CUS100ME series from TDK are AC-DC 100 W rated power supplies, with the capability of delivering 50 W in ambient temperatures of 80°C when conduction cooled without the need for forced air cooling. Certified to medical and ITE standards for Class I and II (no earth ground connection) operation, the series meets both class B radiated and conducted emissions. CUS100ME target applications include medical, home healthcare, dental, test and measurement, broadcast and industrial equipment.
• Convection, conduction or forced air cooling
• 100 W Rating at 50°C ambient
• 50 W conduction cooling rating at 80°C Ambient
• 75 W with 1 m/s airflow at 85°C ambient
• ITE and medical certifications (2 x MOPP)
• Suitable for Class I and Class II installations
• Class B Conducted and Radiated EMI
3 Phase 5 kW AC-DC Supply is Software Configurable
XP Power’s HPT5K0 series is a range of high power density, high efficiency, resonant zero voltage switching (ZVS) 5kW AC-DC power supplies with both ITE/industrial and medical agency approvals that feature a three-phase, three-wire, 180 to 528 VAC input. This drastically simplifies installation as there is no need for a neutral connection, which is often not available in industrial applications.
• 3 Phase 180 to 528 VAC input
- 3 wire and earth
• High efficiency - up to 94%
• Programmable output voltage (0-105%)
• Programmable output current (0-110%)
• Parallel operation
• Analog and digital interfaces
• Multiple digital protocols - PMBus, CANopen, MODBUS and SCPI
• Fully featured signals and controls
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Jeff served as Editor-in-Chief for both LinuxGizmos.com and its sister publication, Circuit Cellar magazine6/2017—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.
