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New Lambda 20 W Unpotted DC/DC Converter Provides Cost-Effective Solution for Low-Power Intermediate-Bus Applications

The manufacturer says...

Chipcenter's Nasser Kutkut, Ph.D., says...

Lambda has unveiled an unpotted version of its X Series of industry-standard 2 × 1 sized DC/DC converters. The new 20 W UX20 allows designers to take full advantage of forced-air cooling to achieve higher output powers over a wider temperature range. The UX20 is ideally suited to distributed power architectures, either on its own or as an extremely cost-efficient solution when coupled with a point-of-load DC/DC converter. It is the perfect choice for a wide range of telecom, IT, and industrial applications. The fact that the new UX20 is manufactured at Lambda's world-class production facility in Ilfracombe also brings significant benefits to European OEMs. Maximum production flexibility means that Lambda can offer low minimum-order quantities, ideal for prototyping and pre-production designs. Samples can be delivered within one week of order, and volume quantities can be supplied in under four weeks. The UX20 is offered with a choice of operating input voltages: 24 V or 48 V, with ranges of 18–36 V DC and 36–75 V DC respectively. The new converters can be supplied with either a single 3.3 V or 5 V output, with a maximum output current of 5.5 A and 4.0 A respectively. The switching frequency is 265 kHz. "Removing the lid" brings two benefits. First, reduced packaging means reduced material and assembly cost. Second, being able to use forced-air system cooling means the designer can get more power out of the unpotted device than he can out of a similarly rated potted version. For example, using standard convection cooling, a 5 V UX20 provides a maximum output current of 3 A up to 50°C. Thereafter it derates to 2.4 A at 70°C. Applying forced-air cooling at the rate of 1.5 m/s to the same device allows the designer to achieve a maximum output current of 4 A right up to 70°C. Standard features include output-current limiting, output overvoltage and undervoltage lockout, and overtemperature protection. Options include output voltage adjustment, which allows a user to increase or decrease the output-voltage set point via an external resistor. Two remote on/off options are available—positive logic remote on/off turns the module on during a logic high and off during a logic low, while negative logic remote on/off turns the module off during a logic high and on during a logic low. A choice of pin lengths is also available as standard. All unpotted and potted versions of Lambda's X series of DC/DC converters are CE marked, and are UL, CSA, and VDE compliant. The operating temperature range is from -40 to +70°C.

Many telecom and industrial power systems use distributed power architectures where the point-of-load power is derived off a 24 V or 48 V DC bus. DC/DC converters and point-of-load converters are used to step down the DC distribution bus to a level compatible with the requirements of the power circuitry at various distribution nodes. Many DC/DC converter suppliers offer a variety of solutions to fulfill such needs, an example of which is Lambda's new unpotted DC/DC converter series. The new X Series converters are ideal for forced-air cooling applications, and deliver up to 20 W of output power at 3.3 V or 5.0 V. Various safety features make the new series well-suited for distributed-bus applications.

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