Molex has introduced the AirBorn 3U VPX Power Supply, providing clean power in a smaller form factor to unlock capacity in space-constrained aerospace, defence and commercial applications.
As the latest solution from AirBorn, a Molex company, this newest VPX model is built on the robust architecture of the AirBorn 6U VPX Power Supply. The new 3U version has been designed to offer unparalleled reliability and efficiency for the most challenging operational environments.
“AirBorn’s line of VPX power systems sets new standards for power density and efficiency, based on our decades of experience developing, testing and deploying highly reliable power solutions for the aerospace and defence industry,” said Mike Cole, SVP and President, Aerospace and Defense Solutions, Molex. “With the new 3U VPX Power Supply, we continue to overcome the most formidable physical and electrical challenges in power supply design.
AirBorn’s patent-pending VPX Power Supply family optimises size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) while meeting VPX and VITA 62 open architecture and performance requirements. Approximately one third of the size and weight of the 6U VPX Power Supply, the new SOSA-compliant 3U power system has been engineered to achieve a maximum output of 1,000 watts and offers out-of-the-box compliance with MIL-STD-1275 and MIL-STD-461 CE101/CE102 conducted emission test requirements. Adherence safeguards sensitive electronics from extreme voltage variations inherent in military ground vehicles, while saving time, effort and cost in product design, testing and qualification.
In addition, the 3U VPX Power Supply incorporates AirBorn’s advanced internal filtering to meet stringent EMI/RF requirements. Integrated EMI suppression capability is designed to meet MIL-STD-461-conducted EMI emission requirements without external filtering. A testament to AirBorn’s proven power engineering experience, this unique functionality mitigates interference at the source to reduce signal degradation, lower crosstalk and enhance data transmission rates.
“For customers building highly compact 3U VPX systems, the opportunity to leverage an ‘all-in-one’ power supply that handles power conversion and EMI filtering on a single printed circuit board is very compelling,” said Scott Poole, Director, Design and Development Engineering, AirBorn. “We apply extensive engineering expertise and special processes to develop highly efficient power engines capable of achieving low noise switching, clean conducted emissions, ultra-clean output voltages and versatility in parallel VPX cards.”
Meeting bigger power demands
The AirBorn 3U VPX Power Supply is well positioned to provide continuous operation in rigorous conditions common for military ground vehicles, which can create voltage spikes and surges. When space is at a premium, the new 3U VPX model can safeguard essential onboard systems and applications, such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), industrial automation, robotics and AI-driven distributed systems.
This transfer of military-grade ruggedisation and reliability to other applications and industries will be universally appealing to engineers and systems integrators committed to ensuring flawless power delivery and seamless systems integration of sensitive electronics.
In related news, BittWare, a Molex company with a 30-year heritage in the embedded computing market, announced an early access programme to jumpstart the development and integration of solutions leveraging a new 3U VPX card portfolio based on AMD’s next-generation embedded processor, RF and FPGA technologies.
Designed to complement the AirBorn VPX power systems, BittWare is choosing customers for this ruggedised, SOSA-aligned VPX family for mission-critical aerospace and defence applications, including radar, signal intelligence, electronic warfare, satellite communications and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
