The most obvious advantage of a modular configurable power supply is its extreme versatility. Some modular converters offer an additional level of versatility and convenience in being field-configurable, meaning that the OEM can populate and depopulate the modules themselves. There are many modular configurable solutions on the market that also present some degree of remote programmability of the I-V characteristic on each module, as well as remote sensing features and independent inhibit signals. Output voltage adjustability on each module is often quite wide for maximum versatility. Modular power supply manufacturers typically offer a handful of different modules that can be populated into the DC slots, each covering a different range of output voltages. Power is transferred from the front end to each of the DC modules which then process that power and provide a regulated DC output. The front end itself houses the EMC filtering, power factor correction and the isolation transformer. Generally, a modular power converter consists of a mains-connected front end and some number of independent DC modules. In many low volume applications, there could even be a strong cost advantage to using a modular configurable solution, particularly when development and agency submissions costs are considered. These conveniences likely do come at a higher unit cost, but the diverse advantages of modular configurable power are such that higher costs are often justifiable. In many cases, a configurable power supply can also provide a custom power conversion solution, agency approved and ready to use, overnight. Faster and more cost-effective than designing a custom solution from the ground up, these devices reduce the time and resources required for development, compliance, and achieving high power density performance.įigure 1: Modular configurable power is a viable optionĪ simple way to think of a modular configurable power supply is as a custom power supply without any of the common major disadvantages – no NRE costs and agency submission fees, no MOQs and long development cycles. In this landscape, modular configurable power is a viable option and often a factor in applications such as medical systems (i.e., surgical robotics, imaging devices, and laser apparatus) as well as industrial automation equipment. When no readily implementable arrangement of these options adequately meets the design requirements, the designer may seek out the design of a custom power supply.Īs a device’s power system becomes more complex, any of these approaches can be fraught with design and commercial challenges, particularly for OEMs without a dedicated power supply team. In rarer cases, a designer may elect to utilize multiple mains-connected converters to generate some or all the required system voltages. Designing in a single, off-the-shelf, mains-connected converter with multiple outputs is also an option. These DC/DC converters can either be designed and built with discrete components or purchased as pre-designed modules that mount directly onto the PCB or somewhere else within the chassis. Often a single, off-the-shelf, mains-connected converter provides the internal power system with a single DC voltage, isolated from the hazardous line from which additional rails can be generated with internal DC/DC converters. There are many ways to generate all of the DC supply rail voltages required for a given electronic design.
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