New Industry Products

High-Density AC-DC Front-End Offers Fast Time to Market

May 18, 2015 by Jeff Shepard

Vicor Corporation has introduced its high density, low profile, integrated VIA PFM™ ac-dc front-end power modules. VIA PFM ac-dc front-end converter modules achieve a power density of 8 W/cm3 (127 W/in3) supplying an isolated, PFC regulated 24 V or 48 V SELV dc output at up to 400W from the universal ac input range of 85 to 264 V with 93% peak efficiency. The VIA PFM is 5X thinner than traditional 1U supplies, offering unique design advantages to power system architects challenged by size constraints. With its 9-mm thin profile and 36-mm width, the VIA PFM can be mounted on the sidewall of any typical 1U chassis, saving valuable real estate.

Thermally adept VIA PFMs may be chassis mounted and conduction cooled to eliminate fans, thereby improving overall system reliability and further minimizing the power system footprint. High density, high efficiency and low thermal resistance make VIA PFM front-end modules well-suited for a wide range of end-market applications, including small cell wireless base stations, size constrained LED lighting applications, industrial and automation systems.

VIA power modules enable power system designers to create highly dense, efficient, flexible and scalable power systems. Vicor's 9 mm thin VIA power modules integrate system functions including EMI filtering, transient protection and inrush current limiting to reduce design time and design risk. Available in chassis-mount and PCB-mount configurations, VIA power modules support a multiplicity of mechanical mounting and thermal management options.

Vicor's online PowerBenchâ„¢ design tool suite enables designers to model a complete AC to PoL power system with a modular power component design methodology. The PowerBench tool suite provides the ability to quickly configure and visualize end-to-end power systems and dynamically analyze system performance, accelerating design cycles and reducing development costs. Pricing starts at $107 for OEM quantities.