New Industry Products

Ericsson Power Modules Announces New Broad Spectrum DC-DC Converter

October 28, 2008 by Jeff Shepard

Ericsson Power Modules announced its PKU-E dc-dc converter, which delivers 35W output power and has a wide input range of 18 to72V. The device is said to provide flexibility where applications require more than the company’s 15W PKR, and less than the 50W delivered by the original PKU.

The industry standard sixteenth-brick, PKU-E is designed for distributed power architectures in telecom-systems requiring compatibility with both battery voltages used in mobile radio applications (24V) and fixed applications using 48V. It is also suitable for addressing industrial and transportation segments were voltages could vary by as much as 20 to 60V, and for other applications were a single product could accommodate a wide range of input voltages from 18 to 72V. Factors driving the demand for this type of product are smaller footprint size, high operating efficiency, price, and its versatile, wide input range 18-72Vin. With its low profile of just 7.5mm, the PKU-E is suitable for applications with tight board space and low profile requirements. An SMD option uses the Floating Inserted Pin (FIP) concept introduced last year by Ericsson.

This PKU-E surface mount version is said to be compatible with the most demanding assembly processes. The surface mount product is intended for forced convection or vapor phase reflow soldering in SnPb or Pb-free processes. The same board is used for PI (pins) and SI (surface mount) versions of PKU-E, which is said to increase the flexibility and speed of manufacturing and contributes to reduced lead-times. The PKU-E offers a wide range of features including pre-bias, monotonic rise, wide input range, and what is described as excellent load and line regulation. The PKU-E offers high efficiency, typically 89.5% at 3.3V 50% load, with 27Vin and 1500Vdc input to output isolation.

The PKU-E is DOSA (Distributed-power Open Standards Alliance) compatible, ensuring footprint compatibility across a wide range of manufacturers and compatibility with all aspects of DOSA, thus aiding sourcing and inventory. PKU-E’s electrical design is based on a fly-forward topology that enables a wide input voltage range while maintaining high efficiency. Both transformer and output inductor are integrated in the PCB, which combined with the selection of low thermal impedance MOSFETs is said to provide excellent thermal performance. The predicted MTBF for the PKU-E series is 1.71million hours according to Telcordia SR332, issue 1, Black box technique. Using products in high temperature Pb-free soldering processes requires dry pack storage and handling. Accordingly, intended for Pb-free reflow soldering processes, PKU-E is delivered in standard moisture barrier bags according to IPC/JEDEC standard J-STD-033 (Handling, packing, shipping and use of moisture/reflow sensitivity surface mount devices).

In OEM quantities, the PKU-E is priced at $15 USD per unit.