New Industry Products

Ericsson Power Block Provides Flexible, Efficient Power Solution

May 06, 2009 by Jeff Shepard

Addressing the emerging technology in power distribution and management called Centralized Control Architecture (CCA), Ericsson Power Modules has introduced a 30A Power Block. Specially designed to meet the demanding requirements of multiple power rails applications where cost, efficiency and flexibility are mandatory, the ROA1283003 is intended to power FPGA, and other processors.

CCA is based on a centralized power management controller driving single or multiple switching termination modules known as “power blocks.” Providing “design for versatility” in many applications, the ROA1283003 Power Block can easily be inserted as a power stage controlled by a single, or multiple-phase PWM.

The ROA1283003 is designed to simplify power management in modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications. Internet switching routers, computer servers, and telecommunications switches and equipment are the prime users of CCAs requiring power blocks.

It accepts input voltages of 7 to 13.2V, and provides an output of 0.8 to 3.3V. Typical efficiency is 94% at full load, 3.3Vout. The new Ericsson Power Block contributes to lower the heat generated by power terminations, and its 4.89 million hours MTBF will contribute to systems’ reliability. ROA128303 has a built in temperature sensor device and a DCR sense pin.

“Because ICT high board density applications are requiring flexibility, quick time to market, and high performance while reducing energy consumption and cost, systems architects are requiring suppliers to offers a wide range of power solutions that starts from traditional analogue point of load (POL) to very advanced products including a communications interface,” said Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communications Director at Ericsson Power Modules. “Centralized control architecture is a natural evolution of the intermediate bus architecture, and Ericsson’s 30A ROA1283003 power block offers additional flexibility to systems designers when selecting the most efficient on-board power solution.”

Utilizing a digital interface such as I2C or PMBus, CCA makes it possible for systems architects to optimize the active power delivered to a specific load, and to parallel multiple rails when higher power levels are needed, alternatively to order some of the rails to turn off when loads are in sleep-mode.

The ROA1283003 matches the first generation of power blocks’ footprint and lead-free surface mount assembling requirements, so it can easily upgrade existing boards in order to benefit from its high efficiency and low profile (11.4 mm/0.45 in. max). Delivered in an antistatic tape complying with the EIA 481 standard and dry-pack complying with the IPC/JEDEC standard J-STD-033, the ROA1283003 eases board assembly processes.