Puls Power Supply Has Three Micro Controllers

Puls has launched its latest Q-series unit, a 40A, three-phase power supply. The QT 40 measures 110 x 124 x 127mm and weighs 1.5kg Two versions of the QT 40 are available - 24V 40A and 48V 20A - both delivering 960W with efficiency of 95.3 per cent. The QT 40 uses three micro controllers to maintain optimum efficiency at all levels of load.

This also makes power sharing easy by allowing multiple units to be mounted side by side on the DIN rail without the need for fan cooling. Other features include near-zero inrush at switch-on, shut-down input with high Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) values and built-in mains fuses. Puls' Bonus Power overload design provides 150 per cent current reserves for up to 4sec to help start demanding loads.

The QT 40 is suitable for industrial bulk-power applications, such as control systems for large electric motors powering production equipment, conveyors and machine tools. It is also suitable for outdoor applications where the ability to operate at low temperatures is important. Ambient temperatures as low as - 25C can be tolerated without difficulty.

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Vehicle Power System Uses Mattei Vane Technology

Mattei is demonstrating the durability and energy efficiency of vane technology through a partnership with Winton Engineering. Winton's onboard-power system utilises the power of a vehicle's engine to drive auxiliary tools and equipment. These modular systems utilise the Mattei vane compressor and can be supplied with a 6kW 110/240V generator. The complete module is powered through the Winton Drive Line Power Take Off (DLPTO).

Winton systems are installed under the vehicle and deliver compressed air up to 160cfm. These systems are installed on a range of vehicles and are predominantly used by civil-engineering and utilities companies to power equipment such as road drills, breakers and site lighting. Andy Gear, Winton Engineering, said: 'We chose Mattei compressors as we believe vane-compressor technology is more efficient than traditional screw- or piston-driven compressors; it reduces the demand on the vehicle's engine and generates less noise and heat.

'The result is a powerful, energy- and fuel-efficient system that makes a significant contribution to whole-life operating costs. 'It's also virtually silent in operation, so is suitable for continuous running. The air end in Mattei's rotary-vane compressor comprises a rotor with longitudinal slots that house individual sliding vanes. The rotor is offset within a stator (a cylinder), in which it rotates.

While the rotor turns on its axis, the vanes are pushed against the stator wall by centrifugal force, and the air is compressed. Andy Jones from Mattei said: 'Our technology is the optimum solution for tough conditions. 'The vane compressor's rotor shaft is supported by simple white metal bearings, which ensure a long and inexpensive operating life. He added: 'An air end can easily run for 100,000 hours without wear - in fact, some Mattei machines have lasted over 230,000 hours in the most arduous operating conditions.

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Power-Management IC Suits Hand-Held Devices

Austriamicrosystems has introduced the AS3607, a highly integrated power-management IC. This PMIC is suitable for portable navigation devices, portable media players, e-dictionaries, GPS devices, PDAs and a range of battery-powered hand-held devices using ARM-based processors. The output voltage and the timing of all regulators of the AS3607 are programmed via software.

With the software and demo board, the OTP memory of the AS3607 can easily be programmed, enabling fast prototype runs. The slope of the ramp can be set for the step-down converters. The user can program the startup sequence with timing steps of 1 or 4ms, insuring that all ARM-based processors can easily be covered. In order to control other parts of the system, the general-purpose I/O pins can be programmed to a specific timing. The PMIC and application processor manage and optimise the power rails within the system to maximise battery charge.

The AS3607 PMIC integrates all the regulators, charger, backlight driver and monitoring functions in a 6 x 6mm QFN package. The AS3607 fully programmable power-management unit includes: three DC-DC step-down converters and five low-noise LDO regulators suitable for RF applications, an LED backlight driver, two programmable current sinks and a powerful Li-ion battery charger. The three step-down converters deliver 700mA each with an efficiency of up to 95 per cent. The fixed 2MHz switching frequency minimises PCB footprint by allowing the use of tiny, low-profile inductors.

The AS3607 contains a Li-ion battery charger with constant current and constant voltage with a maximum charging current of 1A, enabling fast charging of large batteries. An integrated battery switch separates the battery when charging or whenever an external power supply is present. This enables operation of mobile devices with deeply discharged batteries or even with no battery. In order to be compliant to the USB standard the maximum current can be programmed. The integrated DC-DC step-up converter is capable of generating voltages up to 30V to supply OLED displays or LEDs for backlighting LCD displays.

In the case of LEDs two strings of up to eight LEDs can be powered, whereas the current is programmable via registers in 150uA steps, enabling smooth dimming. In addition, an external PWM signal can be used to dynamically control the brightness of the two LED strings. The GPIO pins can be used to get information about charger status, low battery, power-good and power-up key. The AS3607 is available in a QFN36, 6 x 6mm, 0.5mm pitch package and has an operating temperature range of -40 to 85C.

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