Ericsson Power Modules targets ATCA applications with new hybrid regulated ratio quarter-brick module

New Hybrid Regulated Ratio quarter-brick module delivers 580W across the full ATCA operating range
Tightly regulated output voltage guarantees stable intermediate bus voltage
Module designed to power today’s ATCA applications and ready for 580W power demands in the future
High efficiency and low-power stand-by mode saves energy

Ericsson has introduced the industry’s first 580W high-power DC/DC intermediate bus converter (IBC) module in a quarter-brick format to target Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) applications, which is now well established as a leading high-availability architecture for the telecommunications market.

Based on the company’s innovative high-power-density Hybrid Regulated Ratio (HRR) topology, the new PKM4613ANH delivers a tightly regulated output voltage that complies with ATCA input voltage requirements – including a stable voltage supply from 40.5V – and also standardized system voltages for telecom applications.

The new HRR module guarantees tightly regulated 11.6V output voltage at 50A (580W) from 38.5V, thereby offering additional voltage margin to ensure systems are ready to operate at minimum ATCA voltage requirements, even in low temperature environments or in case of power line disturbances. Importantly, Ericsson’s built-in HRR technology enables guaranteed operation up to 75V with no derating, which covers telecom applications and also complies with the ETSI EN 300 132-2 European Standard for both 48V and 60V systems.

“Although ATCA applications today require an average power of 300W per board, increasing demand for greater integration and higher levels of computing power means that ATCA and other telecommunications applications will require even more powerful converters in the near future,” said Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communication Director, Ericsson Power Modules. “This new application-specific power module has been specially designed to meet the demands of ATCA and fulfills high energy efficiency requirements while also being able to deliver stable voltage across its full operating range.”

The PKM4613ANH has an overall operating input voltage range from 36 to 75V and delivers an efficiency of 96.4% at 48V input, 50% load. In addition, the module’s built-in low-power controller enables power consumption as low as 0.3W when the device is in standby mode. In ATCA implementations, the PKM4613ANH can also be complemented by Ericsson’s PIM4328PD Power Interface Module with PMBus interface, which makes it possible to access system power information via the communication bus.

The PKM4613ANH comes in the industry standard quarter-brick format, and measures 57.9 x 36.8 x 11.4mm (2.28 x 1.45 x 0.448-inch) for the open frame version and 57.9 x 36.8 x 14.3mm (2.28 x 1.45 x 0.563-inch) for the baseplate version. The PKM4613ANH footprint also features the industry-standard double-power-pin option. However, a single-power-pin option (SP) is also available that enables compatibility with lower power quarter-brick modules and makes it possible to access more power in legacy boards when updating processors and memories. In addition, to further enhance pin quality, the PKM4613ANH is available with four gold-finished pin lengths: 5.33mm as standard, together with three additional options of 4.57mm (LB), 3.69mm (LA) and 2.79mm (LC). This means that assembly time and cost can be reduced for customers, as it removes an extra operation to cut the pins after final assembly.

In terms of protection features, the PKM4613ANH-PI provides 2250V input/output (I/O) isolation meeting functional isolation and 1500V basic isolation requirements. Other features include input overvoltage suppression, soft-start for handling of high capacitance loads, delayed hiccup over-current protection, over-temperature protection, over-voltage and under-voltage lockout, and pre-bias startup functionality.

The PKM4613ANH is available at a price of $52 in OEM quantities.