New Industry Products

Quarter Brick DC-DC Power Supplies Designed for Rugged Railway Apps

January 22, 2023 by Mike Falter

Artesyn 100 W and 150 W DC-DC converters from Advanced Energy meet rigorous reliability requirements for European railway applications.

Advanced Energy has introduced two new Artesyn quarter brick DC-DC converter modules for high reliability and mass transportation railway applications.  

 

ERM150 DC-DC quarter brick power module. Image used courtesy of Advanced Energy

 

The ERM100 and ERM150 can deliver up to 100 W and 150 W, respectively, in a fully encapsulated module that achieves over 91% efficiency. A metal base plate affixed to the module facilitates thermal management and supports the use of additional heat sinking. 

The parts come in the standard quarter brick form factor of 58.4 x 37.3 x 17 mm with the industry standard pin configuration. 

Both modules comply with the EN 50155 European Railway Standard and offer the reinforced insulation and EMC immunity demanded by railway and other transportation applications. The modules use only flame-retardant materials and meet EN61737 standards for vibration and thermal shock. 

Railway applications are particularly challenging for both rolling stock (railway cars) and fixed support infrastructure due to the difficult operating environment and continuous use over extended periods.   

To comply with EN 50155 standards the modules support a wide input range of 36 to 150 Vdc and have a well-regulated, single output voltage ranging from 5 to 54 Vdc across five standard models. 

The ERM150 can deliver 27 A of load current at 5 V with 90% efficiency.    

 

Load Regulation With Remote Sensing

The ERM series offer a remote sensing capability to help compensate for voltage drops between the output pins and load, ensuring accurate voltage levels are maintained at the load.

This function is implemented by connecting the load rails to the positive and negative Sense pins on the module. With the remote sense pins connected, the supply will regulate its output based on the load voltage, not the module output voltage. A clean, loss-less connection with the load is recommended to ensure the signals at the sense pins accurately reflect the load voltage.  

 

Isolated On/Off Control

The modules also come equipped with a remote on/off function. The module can be turned on or off with a logic level high or low signal applied to the on/off pin. By using an optocoupler, this signal can be passed to the module across an isolation boundary.  

 

Isolated on/off control. Image used courtesy of Advanced Energy

 

EN 50155 Standard for European Railway Applications

EN 50155:2017 is the European standard that covers electrical requirements for rolling stock in railway applications. Any electrical component or system used in a railway application governed by this standard will need to be compliant with its requirements.  

Compared with computer or telecommunications applications, power supplies, and other electronics, used in railway applications are subject to more challenging conditions and much heavier use. Accordingly, a higher level of reliability is required to ensure proper operation and the safety of the public. 

EN 50155 standards are based on the need for rolling stock systems to operate 24/7 for up to 30 years. To meet these operating goals, the standard provides requirements for operating temperature, shock and vibration, supply voltages and EMI/EMC, or electromagnetic interference.  

In railway applications, critical and emergency loads are typically supplied by batteries to ensure continuity of power under all conditions. Standard rail battery voltages are 24, 36, 48, 72 and 110 V, but can vary by as much as +/-40%, and can be subject to surge voltages as high as 1 KV with power interruptions up to 20 ms. EN 50155 compliance ensures that power supplies, like the EMR series, can meet the challenges of these demanding applications.    

 

EN 50155 governs electronics in European railway systems. Image used courtesy of Adobe Stock