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Point-of-load converters

The concept of point of load has revolutionised the power supply industry. The task at hand is simple, and is not new - to supply load with a constant voltage that is largely independent of the load current.

The development of high-power chips and microprocessors that work at low voltages of 3.3V, 2.7V, 2.5V and 1.8V has dramatically increased the problems associated with losses on the supply lines. Microvolt losses that pose no problem in a 12V or 24V power supply may have dire consequences in a 1.8V supply.

These losses can be avoided using point-of-load or distributed-power architecture. Point-of-load converters especially developed for this task have a very high performance density on a design footprint that is as compact as possible. As most of these converters are non-isolated, the electrical isolation is left to a DC/DC converter fitted specifically for the purpose, which converts the voltage from the supply to a uniform working voltage for all point-of-load converters, with which the point-of-load converters generate the output voltages necessary for the components they serve. Their compact design allows the point-of-load converters to be placed as closely as possible to the components requiring the voltage supply, or at the point of load.

The total space needed for a circuit requiring four to five voltages can be reduced by around 50% using point-of-load converters compared to separate DC/DC converters. Point-of-load converters require a small space and have extremely high efficiency levels of over 95%, allowing a significant increase in component density and ever decreasing design sizes for component groups requiring several different voltages.

RECOM supplies several series from ECONOLINE, INNOLINE and POWERLINE for point-of-load applications as well as for electrically isolating the circuit leading to the point-of-load converters, with non-isolated point-of-load converters mainly catered for in the specifically developed INNOLINE series. RECOM's point-of-load range is under continuous development and extension - just as the voltage supply should be placed at the point of load, at the point of load is where RECOM wants to stay.