Design Platform/ICs Untangle Board-Level Power Management

April 12, 2004
The PowerCenter Designer system from Potentia Semiconductor makes board-level design of power systems with its attendant IC power products easier and faster. With the design platform's "point-and-click" environment, users can easily...

The PowerCenter Designer system from Potentia Semiconductor makes board-level design of power systems with its attendant IC power products easier and faster.

With the design platform's "point-and-click" environment, users can easily design and implement power management for complex multirail power architectures using Potentia's programmable ICs, such as the PS-1648 isolated power subsystem controller and the PS-2610 non-isolated power subsystem controller.

"With PowerCenter Designer, sophisticated power management that once took months to design and implement can now literally be achieved in hours," claims Ian McGill, vice president of Potentia's business development and marketing.

Powered from a 48-V rail, the PS-1648 totally controls up to six isolated dc-dc converters or six non-isolated voltage-regulator modules. It also controls startup/shutdown sequencing, monitoring, trimming, and fault-handling functions. Sequencing thresholds, delay values, and overvoltage and undervoltage thresholds are stored in nonvolatile RAM. The self-powered 24-V PS-1624 is available for mobile infrastructure equipment and other 24-V systems.

The 3.3-V-powered PS-2610 is specifically designed to control and monitor low-voltage power-system components. It handles up to six non-isolated dc-dc converters. It controls startup/
shutdown sequencing, monitoring, trimming, and fault-handling functions. Like the 48-V PS-1648, it also stores thresholds and delay values in nonvolatile RAM. For systems with fewer rails, the PS-2405 is available.

In lots of 10,000, the PS-1648/1624 and PS-2610/2405 are available now at $35/$35 and $10/$6 each, respectively. An emulation platform costs $1250, including free software.

Potentia Semiconductor www.potentiasemi.com (613) 592-7270

See associated figure

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.

Sponsored Recommendations

Comments

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Electronic Design, create an account today!