News and New Products

DC/DC conversion goes digital

By Margery Conner, Technical Editor -- EDN, 10/11/2005

Emerson Network Power has unveiled the first offering from the Astec Power Digital Power Initiative, the DTX digital DC converter. The first member of the new family is the DTX42K48, which the company claims is the board-mounted power industry's first fully isolated, digital-mode dc/dc converter.

Bharat Shah, vice president of sales and marketing for Astec Power's dc/dc business, explained why "digital" is becoming such a hot topic in the power-systems world: "It enables communication to the digital world, and allows real-time process control as well as data recording, retention, and retrieval. Overall, it can result in a lower life-cycle cost."

The DTX42K48 takes the form of a low-profile, open-frame package with surface-mount termination. It accepts dc input from 36 to 75V and offers output from 0.96 to 1.44V dc with output power up to 50W. It can tolerate temperatures from –40 to +85°C and meets basic insulation requirements.

The device incorporates a rich PMBus command set and can connect to virtually any I²C-based power-control and -monitoring systems, according to the company. However, the converter can operate without the communication bus.

Engineers will be able to adapt the DTX products to their individual needs on their own, using either Astec's support tools or the assistance of the company's technical support department, the company said. In addition, designers will be able to choose from an array of preprogrammed modules that emulate existing industry-standard "bricks," with or without a menu of additional features.

Pricing for prototype quantities will start at $55. Production quantities will be available in 2006, according to the company.