Designing with modular, configurable power supplies
Summary
It’s obvious from Figure 1 that there is a degree of duplication in the output modules and the feature to make them pluggable adds to mechanical complexity, but what this also means is that ultimate flexibility is built in. The modular approach enables a very quick, flexible off-the-shelf solution with no minimum order quantity, so in typical tight product development schedules, power supply procurement can be off the ‘critical path’. As an additional benefit, system designers can take advantage of the modular approach which inherently gives comprehensive control and monitoring of each output, reducing need for external circuitry. This gives useful flexibility for power upgrades, within the total rating of the front end, or generation of higher voltages, settable over a wide range by the individual module controls. If the specification is non-standard and commissioned as a custom, there is substantial technical and time risk incurred and the costs of development, qualification and agency certification are uncertain and require typically tens of thousands of product sales to pay back.