Ericsson Evaluation Kit Unlocks The Power Of Its PMBus-enabled 3E Digital DC-DC Converters
Complementing Ericsson’s 3E family of digitally-controlled intermediate-bus and point-of-load regulators, the 3E GUI Silver Edition evaluation kit is said to make it easy for engineers to monitor, program, and test the full range of BMR45x-series parts within a representative hardware and software environment.
The kit’s software package features a graphical user interface that is said to be exceptionally easy to use, unlocking the power of these PMBus-programmable devices to make even complex applications easily approachable.
The kit includes one each of the 396 W BMR453 and 240 W BMR454 intermediate bus converters, together with one 20A-rated BMR450 and one 40A-rated BMR451 point-of-load regulator. A CD is provided that contains the 3E GUI Silver Edition software package together with an extensive library of technical papers and supporting information.
The kit’s evaluation board embeds a USB-to-PMBus interface and accommodates one intermediate bus converter and up to three point-of-load regulators. Designed to maximize ease-of-use, the board’s heavy-duty input and output sockets ease high-current connections to bench power supplies and test loads. Designers can power the point-of-load regulators either from the onboard intermediate bus converter or from an external dc supply.
The software automatically scans the PMBus for connected devices at power-on and continually updates and displays each converter’s key operating parameters – its input and output voltages, output current, and on-chip temperature – while the devices are running. A graphic user interface allows you to enter new values for each converter’s output voltage, and specify delay and ramp time values for sequencing power supplies in multi-rail applications. It is also possible to define voltage margins to test the susceptibility of load circuitry to voltage variations.
Other facilities include the ability to set independent warning and fault threshold levels for each converter’s input and output under-and over-voltages, output current, and device temperature. Designers can choose between latched and re-try responses for each set of fault conditions. A separate device monitor window graphs each converter’s key operating parameters against its fault and warning thresholds as it runs.
Save and Load buttons allow to save or load a converter’s configuration at any time to a disk file, making it possible to record and restore set-up information at the click of a button. This facility is invaluable for programming devices for use within the user’s target systems.
"Taking advantage of the PMBus read/write programmability that the BMR450 and BMR451 3E-POLs now offer to complement the BMR453 and BMR454 intermediate-bus converters, the 3E GUI Silver Edition software makes it very easy for users to configure each converter to deliver custom output voltages with variable margins, set sequencing delays, and define fault thresholds and responses – all the time monitoring and presenting key operating parameters on-screen." said Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing Director at Ericsson Power Modules.
