Ericsson Upgrades PKD Series DC/DC Converters

Ericsson Power Modules (Stockholm, Sweden) announced that it is upgrading its PKD Series of lead-free dc/dc converters for lead-free assembly processes. The first of the new converters, the PKD 4510 ASI, is available now, and has an input-voltage range of 36V to 75V and delivers up to 15A at 3.3V. It offers a power increase of 88 percent over its predecessor in the same package and at a competitive price. The new family of on-board dc/dc converters will eventually include 1V/20A, 1.2V/20A, 1.5V/20A, 1.8V/20A, 2.5V/15A and 5V/10A versions, which will be introduced throughout 2003.

The PKD dc/dc converters are 7.5mm (0.3in) high, allowing close spacing, down to 15mm, of printed circuits boards to minimize system size. The devices have a footprint of 46mm x 50mm (1.81in x 1.97in) and weigh less than 22g. No heatsink is required and the lead-frame design ensures reliable connection to the printed circuit board and operation over a wide temperature range. Designed to meet current and future legislation with respect to lead-free manufacturing, the PKD dc/dc converters have 1,500Vdc input/output isolation and the typical mean time between failures is expected to reach high levels of 5,100,000h at +75°C. The converters are suitable for distributed power architectures in a wide range of telecom and datacom applications.

The PKD single-output, surface-mount, dc/dc converters were designed for lead-free manufacturing processes and can withstand re-flow soldering at temperatures up to 260°C. The performance increase in the new versions has been achieved through better utilization of the ceramic substrate and thermal design improvements, including better thermal and electrical conductivity in the lead-frame material. New MOSFET technology has decreased power losses and resulted in increased efficiency, now typically 90 to 91 percent at full load.