These applications demand fast response times, tightly regulated intermediate bus voltages, and high efficiency at any operating point to reduce energy consumption.
Since the launch of the company's first surface-mount version of the FRIDA platform in 2010, the platform has achieved a remarkable level of adoption with the growing demand for high-power DC/DC modules to power high-integration surface-mount boards.
Surface Mounting to Increase Board Density:
As board density increases, power module suppliers need to offer surface-mount alternatives to conventional push-fit versions to simplify manufacturing processes. While this may not pose a problem for low and medium power levels, it can present a significant challenge for high-power modules, especially those requiring more I/O.
Ericsson's advanced surface-mount mechanical technology relies on precision-machined pins that are inserted and aligned during the original assembly process. The same hardware is used for both the push-in and surface-mount versions of the BMR456, increasing manufacturing flexibility and speed and contributing to shorter lead times. The surface-mount pins are manufactured to very tight tolerances, ensuring coplanarity and mechanical accuracy. This process guarantees high reliability and availability of the mainframe.
Along with the input and output power connections, additional I/O
(remote output sensing +/-, address pin, PMBus clock and data, power correct signal and user-configurable I/O, PMBus ground, PMBus alert signal, and remote PMBus control or power compartment) is available via a microinterface. The connector design conforms to Ericsson's advanced high-precision surface-mount technology to ensure perfect alignment and coplanarity during various soldering processes.
FRIDA II Platform
The FRIDA II generation of fully regulated digital DC/DC converters is based on a 32-bit ARM microcontroller with the most advanced embedded firmware to date, called the 'Ericsson DC/DC Power Optimizer'. This combines Ericsson's advanced intellectual property (IP) with a range of industry-first features to continuously optimize switching parameters and reduce power consumption to an absolute minimum. The firmware has been developed to ensure the highest possible performance at any operating point with both small and large loads, and to handle line transients such as those that occur in ATCA (Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture) applications, for example, when switching from Feed A to Feed B.
The BRM456-SI, designed for powering telecommunications and data communications applications, is available with two input voltage ranges: 36V to 75V (telecommunications) supplying 420W of output power; and 40V to 60V (data communications) supplying up to 468W of output power. The output voltage can be adjusted across the entire range of 4.0V to 13.2V using PMBus instructions, making the module suitable for Dynamic Bus Voltage operation, which results in reduced power consumption when data traffic is low.
Furthermore, thanks to its maximum utilization of a highly optimized layout and firmware-optimized parameter switching to reduce power losses, the BMR456-SI achieves a typical efficiency of 96.5% and exhibits flat performance from 14% to 100% load, making this product the most efficient advanced bus converter in its category.
The BMR456-SI meets the insulation requirements of EN60950, achieves an I/O isolation voltage of 2250 VDC, and offers a comprehensive set of functions and features such as: remote sensing; configurable PMBus protection (over-temperature, over-current, and over-voltage); configurable start-up/stop; precision delay ramp-up; voltage margins; configurable fault response; correct power supply signal; and extensive power management programmability.
* 3E refers to Enhanced Performance, Energy Management and End-user Value.
