Hold-up module for use during power dropouts

XP Power has introduced the MTH100 hold-up module, which is designed for maintaining short-term power to critical avionic and vetronic systems in the event of power dropouts.

According to the company, these encapsulated modules reduce the amount of bulk hold capacitance required, often by as much as 80 per cent.

The MTH100 is designed for use in systems with an input current of up to 10A.

The charger output voltage can be programmed to enable it to work with both military and industrial DC/DC converters.

Accommodating an input range of +10VDC to +40VDC, the MTH100 module automatically detects the input dropout and initiates extended hold-up utilising capacitors charged to a high voltage.

Charging the capacitors to a higher voltage than the nominal system voltage of +28VDC, typically +36VDC or +45VDC, significantly reduces the amount of capacitance required.

As an example, consider a power supply system that needs to operate through a power dropout of 200ms while supporting a 30W load without interruption using a DC/DC converter with a minimum input of 10V.

Without a hold-up module, if the power dropout occurs at 16Vin, the system would need more than 90,000uF of capacitance.

Using the MTH100 module, the system only needs 7,000uF of capacitance - or 92 per cent less.

This results in cost, weight and board space savings, making it useful for engineers faced with the challenge of squeezing large numbers of bulky components into every reducing system spaces while meeting dropout and hold-up criteria.

Measuring 40 x 26 x 12.7mm (1.57 x 1.02 x 0.5in), the base-plate-cooled MTH100 module is typically 98 per cent efficient, operates across the temperature range of -55C to +100C and comes with a full three-year warranty.

The MTH100 series is in stock and available from either Farnell or direct from XP Power.

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