Power for Mobile Internet Infrastructure

Thenew family of Stingray(TM) isolated dc-dc regulated converter board-mounted powermodules from Lineage Powerprovide energy efficiency with no thermal derating, at less than half the costof previous generation regulated converter products. The modules are focused onthe next generation, mobile Internet infrastructure, and the need for rugged,board-mounted power solutions. The goal is to keep 3G and 4G/LTE wirelesscommunications flowing in the most extreme environmental conditions without theuse of cooling fans.

The Stingray series is designed for usewithin 3G and 4G/LTE cell sites and wireless backhaul networks, triple- andquad-play IP/DSL outdoor cabinets, Ethernet IP LANs and Power-over-Ethernet(PoE) networks, and switching, routing, computing and storage devices.

The dc-dc power converters adhere to DOSAspecification standards for eighth brick format. The Stingray series is backwards-compatibleand fulfills original equipment manufacturer (OEM) needs for reduced size, costand energy efficiency.

"Within the power converter market, the sweetspot has been migrating toward the DOSAstandards, says Allen Rozman, director of product management, Board MountedPower, for Lineage Power. "DOSA is tasked with establishing standard mechanicalfootprints for a variety of power converters to encourage multiple sourcing fora given form factor and a wider variety of choices for customers without havingto do modifications in their designs."

The Stingray series is compliant with the existingDOSA specification for the eighth-brick size, and Rozman says the product willeventually migrate into the sixteenth-brick size, as well. By focusing the designon value-oriented customers, they were able to achieve unit costs starting at$14 in OEM quantities of 1,000 pieces.

To optimize price and performance, Rozmansays they instituted a "design for supply chain" optimization programthroughout Lineage Power to use common circuits and common components frommultiple suppliers across a wide variety of product portfolio designs.

"If you're an OEM power design engineer developinga new product, there is still an initial decision on taking a discrete approachor a module approach to power," says Trent Waterhouse, vice president ofmarketing for Lineage Power. "What we are seeing is the cost premiumdisappearing for the module approach as our next-generation board-mounted powertechnology becomes more cost-effective."

Waterhouse says that, from a reliabilityperspective Lineage Power products are designed for decades of use with MTBFratings measured in billions of hours. And with the general need to accelerateproduct development cycles, OEM customers can reduce risks by leveraging aproven power design that avoids board scrap or re-spin issues associated with discretedesign adjustments.

The first converter module in the Stingrayfamily, the ESTW015A0F, provides 50Wof output power with 36-75 V_inand 3.3 V_out in an eighth-brick size. Energy efficiency of 91percent in a low voltage output is complemented with thermal derating that insuresno heat sinking and full power in the most demanding of environmentalapplications with operation up to 85C (185F).