News

GaN-Based 48V to 12V Regulated Power Supply Dev Board Delivers >1250 W/in3

March 05, 2018 by Paul Shepard

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) has introduced the EPC9130 48 V − 12 V non-isolated, fully-regulated development board.  This five-phase board with 12A per phase has a maximum output current of 60A, making the board capable of over 700W. The EPC9130 provides extremely high-power density exceeding 1250W per cubic inch, and over 96% efficiency.

Each of the five phases in the EPC9130 development board uses two 100V EPC2045 eGaN FETs in a half-bridge configuration with a uPI Semiconductor, up1966A gate driver. The pwm signals to the gate drivers are fed by an onboard dsPIC33 microcontroller from Microchip. The board contains all critical components and layout for optimal switching performance - with a bill of materials of less than $0.06 per Watt in volume.

Emerging computing applications demand more power in much smaller form factors. In addition to the expanding needs of the server market, some of the most challenging applications are multi-user gaming systems, autonomous cars, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency mining. The EPC9130 significantly improves the power density while reducing the size and cost of the 48- to 12-Vdc converters needed for these demanding applications.

"This dc-dc system has a power density greater than 1250 W/in3, and an efficiency greater than 96%, both are records for this type of conversion.  What really makes this solution compelling is that the cost of the components is less than $0.06 per watt, significantly lower than systems in production today," noted Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of EPC.

A Quick Start Guide, containing set up procedures, circuit diagram, performance curve, and bill of material is provided on-line for the EPC9130

A video discussing the performance of the EPC9130 is available on our website.

EPC9130 development boards are priced at $468.00 each and are available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key.