Designing for reliability in high voltage applications

Source: Mike Doherty, Vice President,
High Voltage Products, XP Power

High voltage design and manufacturing comes with an additional set of disciplines that must be applied in order to produce products with excellent long term reliability, often in harsh environments. As high voltage power supplies become increasingly compact and miniaturized, mastering these disciplines is essential to ensure long term and trouble-free operation in the field. Failure to properly apply these design and manufacturing principles can result in real-world MTBF’s well below design expectations.

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Next-Generation, Miniature High Voltage Power Modules

Source: XP EMCO 

The first generation of high voltage power modules changed the way designers could use high voltage, and the next-generation is pushing the envelope further.

XP EMCO next-generation, miniature high voltage power modules provide designers and end-users ever-expanding choices for off-the-shelf, drop-in miniature solutions to meet their high voltage needs.

The next-generation of high voltage power modules features more watts per cubic inch, reduced power consumption with the addition of smart features for control and safety. As the number of applications requiring high voltage grows, reliable operation with size and weight limits present tough challenges. This white paper describes XP EMCO’s solution to these challenges.

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Understanding Efficiency: Looking for the worst-case scenario

Source: Peter Blyth, XP

Efficiency is one of the key parameters to consider when selecting the correct switch mode power supply. Pressure on equipment designer to deliver more functionality in a small size can result in more power being required which has a direct effect on the form factor of the power supply. The consequence of this is power supplies now have to deliver more output power in a smaller form factor. This coupled with the need to meet more demanding environmental legislation and to minimise or eliminate fan cooling, is forcing equipment designers to look for more efficient power supplies.

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Energy efficiency for external power supplies (EPS)

Source: Gary Bocock, Director of Engineering, XP Power

Controlling the power consumed by external power supplies, whether when they are supplying power or when disconnected from the load, is important for continuity of the energy supply and reduction of environmental impacts. Legislation and targets are set for external power supplies because of proliferation, lack of on/off control and because they are commonly left plugged in to the mains supply when not in use.

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Power supply de-rating in practice

Source: Stephen Dodson, Engineering Manager, XP Power

With mounting market pressure on power supply size, power density and cost there are an increasing number of AC-DC power supplies released which rely on de-rating specifications to improve their headline power ratings.

This de-rating information may not be immediately apparent and is typically located at the end of the product data sheet, well away from the headline data. In some cases the short form or catalogue version of the data does not include this level of detail, so care must be taken when selecting the product to ensure that it is truly suitable for a given application.

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Hints and tips on the use of cooling fans for power supplies

Source: By Andrew Bryars, Applications Engineering Manager, XP Power

Everyone knows that if you dissipate heat inside a confined space then the temperature in that space will increase i.e. the ambient temperature inside the enclosure will rise.

If you have an enclosure containing a power supply and its load i.e. the PCBs that its powering then as the ambient air temperature increases due to the heat dissipated by both, the power supply and the PCBs will further heat up, possibly beyond
their maximum operating temperatures.

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Encoders for Packaging Machines

Foodstuffs must be packaged securely in order to reach consumers in undamaged condition.

Source: Wachendorff Automation

Econo-Pak is a company with machines specialised in this task. Their solutions are used worldwide - supported by Wachendorff encoders. Operational safety plays the most important role in this industry as every standstill has a significant effect on quality and can even render the goods unusable: "Our customers need machines that are safe and reliable,” explains Markus Zerbe, National Distribution Manager of Econo-Pak.

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Power Supplies in Medical Electronics

One facet of the power supply business that has seen rapid growth over the last 10 years