New Industry Products

DC-DC ATX Power for Embedded Industrial, Medical and In-Vehicle PCs

June 15, 2018 by Paul Shepard

Bicker Elektronik has added the DC161W, a compact dc-dc ATX converter with cable management for individual wiring harness configurations. The compact ATX power supply solution for fanless embedded box PCs also has an expanded set of operating modes for in-vehicle applications, so-called vehicle ignition functions for intelligent shutdown control with deep discharge protection for vehicle battery.

The power saving dc-dc converter with 93% efficiency is equipped with high-quality components and a robust circuit design, which is reflected in an MTBF of 990,000 hours. The DC161W is built for 24/7 continuous operation in the extended temperature range of -20 to +70°C. With a wide-range input of 6- to 36-Vdc, the DC161W ensures the reliable and stable power supply of the connected mainboard even with strong fluctuations in the supply voltage.

The new dc-dc ATX power supply convinces in a variety of application fields, such as Industry 4.0 / IIoT, gateways, medical technology, in-vehicle systems, digital signage, POS / POI and many more.

To ensure an optimal thermal connection of the power components on the underside of the board to the computer housing, the DC161W comes with a matching heat-conducting pad and an additional mounting hole in the middle of the board. Due to the very good thermal management, the heating of the DC161W is reduced to a minimum, making maintenance-free systems without rotating fans possible. A reverse polarity protection at the input, short-circuit and overvoltage protection at all outputs and an over-temperature protection provide additional operational safety.

The new DC161W can be operated both in standard power supply mode and in vehicle mode, for example for CarPCs. The ignition-dependent ATX power supply as well as start and shutdown of the supplied CarPC can be individually configured via extended timing modes and a mainboard on/off connection (Intel® ATX 12V compatible).

The selectable auto-latch feature ensures, for example, safe startup and shutdown of the CarPC, even with a very short ignition boost. The integrated deep discharge protection constantly monitors the voltage of the vehicle battery and switches off the DC161W automatically as soon as the battery voltage falls below a defined threshold for more than one minute.

In addition, the DC161W has a remote on/off connector for the car amplifier to turn it off in time to prevent audible feedback during CarPC system startup. At the outputs (+3.3V, +5V, +12V, -12V, +5V-Standby) no base load is required, so that latest mainboards with special energy-saving modes can be safely supplied.

Bicker DC161W summary of features:

  • ATX dc-dc converter
  • Ultra wide input range 6- to 36-Vdc
  • Extended temperature range -20 to +70°C
  • Efficiency up to 93%
  • With car ignition function
  • No base load required
  • Cable management system
  • POWER_ON and POWER_OK meet Intel® ATX 12V design guide requirements
  • Suitable for 24/7 continuous operation
  • Long-term availability at least 5 years
  • 3 years warranty

Available optional accessories for DC161W include the dc input cable PSZ-1030, the pluggable ATX/P4 harnesses CB-DC100W, CB-DC120W-P4 and PSZ-1041, and the compact EMC filter module PSZ-1040. For connection between DC161W and mainboard the two-pole connection cable PSZ-1020 is available.