POWER SUPPLY SOLUTIONS

Selecting and Designing with DC/DC Converters

Astec Power’s wide range of isolated and non-isolated DC/DC converters – available ex-stock from Arrow – provides engineers with one of the industry’s widest choices of off-the-shelf products. Here we highlight how these products address some of the key DC/DC converter selection criteria.

Even as ‘off-the-shelf’ products, DC/DC converters demand careful consideration if the engineer is to combine optimised design and performance with other key benefits such as space saving, component count reduction and simplified conversion stage layout. Some of the key points for consideration are shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1: Product Selection Diagram

Input Considerations

In most applications input voltage plays a significant part in dictating DC/DC converter selection. Designers of battery-powered applications, for example, may look to the wide input capabilities of Astec’s industrial converters. These devices not only eliminate the need to control battery voltage, but also provide a route to deploying a single type of converter for dual battery designs (e.g. products with an input voltage range of 9V – 36V are suitable for both 12V and 24V battery applications).

Astec’s non-isolated Point of Load (PoL) devices also offer a wide range of input voltages, allowing them to take the output from unregulated Intermediate Bus Converters (IBCs) and deliver a tightly controlled voltage where it is needed, while single- and dual-output brick-style converters meet the needs of many applications based around 48V bus inputs.

Output voltage

Astec’s family of DC/DC converters provides an output voltage option for every requirement, whether it’s isolated converters for tightly regulated outputs between 1.2V and 48V in power ratings of between 6W and 700W, or the latest bus converters delivering the voltages required by modern Intermediate Bus Architectures (IBAs). In addition, Astec’s comprehensive range of PoLs now delivers output voltages as low as 0.75V.

Size

For applications where a standard format is important Arrow can supply Astec full brick, half brick, quarter brick, eighth brick and sixteenth brick parts, as well as the Industrial Series of components in industry-standard DIP packages. Many brick-style converters are available in open frame or baseplate versions, providing designers with flexibility in terms of cooling options.

For designs where space is particularly limited, Astec’s ultra-low-profile isolated and non-isolated converters have board mounting heights of just 4.3mm, while compact PoL devices – including POLA-compliant versions in SIP and SMT packages – address the space restrictions associated with PoL applications.

And reducing size does not mean compromising on functionality or reliability. Even the smallest Astec industrial devices can offer sophisticated on-board features such as overvoltage and overcurrent protection and remote sense functionality, while many PoL converters offer Auto-Track™ sequencing as standard. The calculated MTBF of all Astec converters is typically in excess of one million hours. Demonstrated MTBF figures are often much higher.

Astec DC/DC Converters

• DC/DC converters from 6W to 700W
• Isolated and non-isolated including POLA-compliant PoLs
• Input voltages from 1.8V
• Wide range 4:1 and 2:1 inputs
• Isolated converter output voltages from 1.2V to 48V
• PoL converter outputs down to 0.75V
• Bus converter voltage options
• Industry standard formats and pin outs:
  • Brick, 1/2 brick, 1/4 brick, 1/8 brick, 1/16 brick, 2” x 1” and DIP24
• Compact and ultra-low-profile options
• Wide range of on-board functionality
• High efficiency designs
• Calculated MTBF ratings > 1 million hours
• High quality and reliability
• All relevant safety approvals
• RoHS compliant

For further information, including Product Samples, Datasheets and the Astec Power Shortform catalogue, please click here