'Off-the-peg' yet tailored power solutions

PowerCassette is a new configurable AC to DC power supply concept from Sussex and Florida-based manufacturer Unipower.

PowerCassette is a new configurable AC to DC power supply concept from Sussex and Florida-based manufacturer Unipower.

It uses a unique cellular (rather than modular) architecture so that a fully featured, 2, 3, 4, or 5 rail power system can be tailored from standard units to meet exact customer needs.

The concept can provide customers with prototype units, complete with approvals and manuals, within one working week without incurring special development effort and subsequent costs.

To make this possible, Unipower has carefully aggregated market needs in terms of voltage, current, power and desirable features and can configure a power solution for more than 80% of all likely present day requirements in the 400 to 600 watts converging computers and telecommunications market place.

"What is unique about PowerCassette", says Unipower Europe's Marketing Director, Nigel Frey, "is how it anticipates the likely hierarchy of voltages and currents and the 'bells and whistles' demanded by 80% of typical networking, storage and telecommunications firms.

A design-for-manufacturability approach offers the immediacy of the building block idea with the small size and reduced cost benefits associated with a full custom design." Unipower designers claim a unique thermal and mechanical design enables them to offer up to five outputs and 600 watts, with power factor correction, in a chassis only 1U (4.4cm) high and a footprint of about 28 x 12.7cm.

With the exception of power components, the units consist almost entirely of high-density surface-mount construction carried out in Unipower's automated Florida factory.

PowerCassette incorporates a high-reliability hot-plug connector compatible with CompactPCI requirements.

It can be used with a mating connector or can plug into a 1U power shelf.

Three small DC fans cool the unit.

Power density is up to 6.8 watts per cubic inch.

All outputs are programmable at the factory but are adjustable by plus or minus 5%.

PowerCassette features input power factor correction which meets EN61000-3-2, a universal mains input range of 85-264V AC, Class B input EMI filter, integral isolation diodes (optional) and single-wire current sharing between V1, 2 and 3 outputs.

The total output regulation is +2% maximum.

Control and supervisory functions include AC power fail and DC power good output signals and remote inhibit and enable inputs.

There is also provision for digital interface requirements via an internal EEPROM for identification and there is a serial interface to transmit internal operating point status to an external computer.

PowerCassette comes with a two year warranty.

UNIPOWER Telecom is dedicated to providing telecommunications power systems and service and offers a complete line of rectifiers and shelves, dc/dc converters, controllers, distribution panels, low voltage disconnects, and battery backed up power plants for copper-based and wireless applications.

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