Ericsson’s 1/16 brick module claims 1/8 brick performance

The line-regulated IBC PKU-B series is set to embrace two products. Released now is the PKU4101B PI 5V@ 20A. Later this year (Q2) there will also be a 12V version. For versatility, both will be available in through-hole and surface-mount versions.

The products are aimed at existing sixteenth-brick customers who are want to power higher-demand applications without redesigning boards for larger products (eighth-brick), thus saving time, costs and making the transition faster and easier (reduced time-to-market). The PKU-B will also benefit customers facing challenging board space optimization and migrating from eighth-brick to sixteenth-brick without compromising performance.

As the PKU-B is less than 8.3mm in height, the module is particularly suitable for applications aiming for low building height, guaranteeing enough isolation distance between the module and an adjacent board.

The converters meet the insulation requirements of EN60950 and come complete with vital industry-standard features, such as remote on/off, overtemperature protection, output over-current and overvoltage protection, and input undervoltage protection.
The most important application areas for the product are seen as datacom/networking, wireless networks, optical network equipment, server and data storage.

A major factor driving the demand for these types of products are end-customers who are continually adding functionalities to applications that require more power per board while expecting a reduction in the space allocated to the on-board power sources.
Offering high power in a small density package, the sixteenth brick PKU-B’s output power reaches 100W (312W/square inch). That is in line with some IBC eighth-brick products available on the market.

The PKU-B is designed to be highly efficient and cost effective. With its creative design technology and optimized component placement, the converter possesses outstanding electrical and thermal performance as well as high reliability under stressful operating conditions. The 5V product is up to 92 percent efficient across the entire input voltage range, and from 50 to 100 percent load.

Compared to traditional regulated intermediate bus converters and the previous generation of PKU DC/DC converters, the PKU-B delivers up to 100 percent higher power. In fact, the PKU4101B PI (5V output) delivers 100W, compared to the PKU 4511 PI, which delivers 50W.

To attain its high power density, the PKU-B series uses a very advanced 14-layer PCB with a copper thickness of 3oz to achieve high efficiency and good thermal performance. The PKU-B series has monotonic start up and can withstand 100 percent pre-bias on the output.

Utilizing creative design and careful optimization, the PKU-B series offers outstanding electrical and thermal performance. The electrical design is a line-regulated half-bridge configuration with the control circuit on the primary side. Both the transformer and the output inductor windings are integrated in the PCB. The primary side is fed internally with an isolated flyback converter with the switching frequency synchronized to the main control circuit.

With the already released quarter-brick intermediate bus converter PKM-B, and the eighth brick PKB-B in development, this latest sixteenth-brick completes the IBC product portfolio.