Vicor Corp. recently developed three new products: the Picor Cool-Swap PI2211 hot swap controller and circuit breaker, Picor QuietPower QPI-21 high-density active EMI filter for dc-dc converters, and the Picor Cool-Power PI3106 isolated dc-dc converter.
The Picor Cool-Swap PI2211 hot swap controller and circuit breaker features advanced True-SOA and Glitch-Catcher technologies. The Picor Cool-Swap PI2211 also provides superior backplane and system protection while reducing board space and design complexity. The Cool-Swap PI2211’s programmable True-SOA feature ensures safe, reliable operation at both the system and MOSFET level during both circuit card insertion and steady state operation. The True-SOA feature provides MOSFET protection in the most ideal way possible by emulating the transient thermal performance of the specific MOSFET in use.
By emulating MOSFET thermal behavior and digitally calculating the MOSFET junction temperature rise using the MOSFET manufacturers’ transient thermal impedance data, the Cool-Swap PI2211 can adapt its control, start-up, and thermal cycling to the specific user-selected external N-channel MOSFET requirements, ensuring safe operating limits regardless of load and line conditions. Typical industry practice attempts this level of protection by simple timer-based constant power limiting which does not allow for MOSFET optimization and forces designers to oversize the MOSFET, increasing board area use and cost.
The Picor Cool-Swap PI2211, with its Glitch-Catcher voltage suppression technology, also mitigates the need for large external protection components by diminishing transient overshoot events and maintaining compliance with the specified voltage ratings. During a circuit breaker event, the PI2211’s internal Glitch-Catcher voltage suppression circuit controls the MOSFET to act as an active snubber, passing potentially high inductive bus energy through the MOSFET to limit overvoltage exposure. By shunting the energy through the MOSFET to the low impedance load, the PI2211 not only eliminates the need for external protection components but further reduces overall cost and total solution size.
The Picor QuietPower QPI-21 high-density active EMI filter for dc-dc converters supports 48-V dc-dc converter designs up to 14A for data communications and telecommunication applications. The QuietPower QPI-21 provides more than 99.5% efficiency while achieving an impressive level of filtering performance.
The QuietPower QPI-21 is packaged in a high density, one-square-inch Land Grid Array (LGA) surface mount package that reduces PCB board area consumed by EMI filtering, ensuring ultra efficient board utilization. The filter’s 0.2-in. height maximizes airflow for space constrained designs, making it a fit for advanced blade-architecture applications. These density advantages are complemented by new performance enhancements enabling higher frequency attenuation across various system configurations than earlier-generation QuietPower QPI-series filters.
The QuietPower QPI‐21 attenuates conducted common mode (CM) and differential mode (DM) noise over the CISPR22 frequency range of 150 kHz to 30 MHz (45dB for CM and 80dB for DM attenuation at 250 KHz). The filter is designed for use in 48 V bus (36 to 76 V) systems, with 100Vdc/100ms surge capability, and operates over a temperature range of –40° to 125° C and up to an ambient temperature of 65° C without derating. The QPI‐21 supports the PICMG 3.0 specification for filtering system boards to the EN55022 Class B limits and is also tolerant to all dc-dc converter grounding schemes.
The QuietPower QPI-21 is the newest addition to the Picor QuietPower portfolio of high density EMI input and output filters, addressing multiple voltage rail/bus needs for applications in aerospace and industrial, in addition to datacom and telecom. The QuietPower QPI-21, like all QuietPower filters, is a universal filter for use with dc-dc converters from any manufacturer.
The Picor Cool-Power PI3106 isolated dc-dc converter delivers 50 W of output power (12-V output at 4.2 Amps) in a tightly integrated 0.87 x 0.65 x 0.265 in. surface mount package offering power density of 334W/in3. Combining isolation, voltage transformation and output regulation in a form factor less than half the size of a conventional isolated 1/16th brick and available in a wide 28-V military input voltage range (16 to 50 V) or narrow range 24-V industrial input range (18 to 36 V), the Cool-Power PI3106 is suited for ultra-compact system designs where power conversion density is critical.
The Cool-Power PI3106 expands the existing Cool-Power portfolio from 48 V communication applications to 24 V industrial and 28 V military applications. The Cool-Power PI3106 utilizes advanced Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) architecture and control, planar magnetics, and ultra-high density Power System in Package (PSiP) packaging. The combination of these technologies enables a complete isolated dc-dc power solution within a high density encapsulated IC-like surface mount package. This high density packaging platform facilitates PCB layout optimization, offers the designer the opportunity to employ a variety of cooling techniques and protects the circuit components against mechanical and ambient factors, thus improving reliability.
The PI3106 reduces board area consumption by 50% compared to conventional designs, allowing for power conversion closer to the point-of-load, thereby enabling smaller form factors and higher efficiencies. The high switching frequency (900 kHz) of the PI3106 reduces input filter and output capacitance requirements, further minimizing space and cost constraints.
For more information, contact Vicor Corp., 25 Frontage Rd., Andover, MA 01810. Phone: (978) 470-2900.