It seems that every 2-3 weeks an article or intelligence statement almost “Digital Power” appears inwards electronic pattern periodicals or online intelligence links. In fact, i manufacture newsletter seems to survive having a dear thing with digital power, every bit it mentions it inwards simply almost every issue.
So what is all this fuss almost Digital Power in addition to what is it anyway? Well, the uncomplicated respond is that at that topographic point are 2 basic types of digital power. These are Digital Control (used internal to the mightiness devices) in addition to Digital Power Management (provides external command in addition to communications betwixt mightiness devices in addition to a principal controller).
Digital Control
The bulk of switchmode AC-DC in addition to DC-DC mightiness supplies/converters exercise analog techniques to regulate/control the output voltage, current, in addition to mightiness ingredient correction circuits, etc. The closest that most of these devices come upward to looking a chip digital (On/Off states) inwards nature is past times employing Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) inwards their switching regulator circuits; but fifty-fifty that is a chip of a stretch.
In recent years, novel integrated circuits (ICs) convey been developed that tin supplant “analog” command ICs in addition to discrete circuits, which are used extensively inwards all mightiness devices, with those that are, at to the lowest degree inwards part, “digital” inwards nature. These internal ICs in addition to circuits perform such command functions as: voltage rule (VR), mightiness ingredient correction (PFC), pulse width modulation (PWM) control, internal monitoring/alarms, in addition to external communications.
The payoff of these digital ICs is that they tin survive programmed past times engineers with digital or analog electronics training. And, since the Universities are pumping out to a greater extent than digital (e.g., calculator science) than analog engineers these days, these digital ICs are becoming attractive. However, at introduce the cost of these digital ICs (along with NRE for the equipment needed to programme the devices) is all the same higher than for the mature analog ICs. Nonetheless, around predict that these IC costs volition locomote equal inside the adjacent 12 months or so. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 potential disadvantage of these digital ICs is that, past times their nature, they require a high speed clock to operate, which tin add together to the radiated in addition to conducted dissonance coming from the mightiness provide or converter. However, advanced functions such every bit error diagnostics/prevention in addition to improved mightiness efficiencies are with the promises of the novel digital command ICs.
Digital Power Management
As mentioned above, Digital Power Management (DPM) involves the external command in addition to communications betwixt mightiness supplies (or converters) in addition to a principal controller. Currently, many analog-based mightiness solutions already convey the mightiness to communicate with an external calculator or controller via digital communications links (e.g., RS232, RS485, GPIB, or I2C bus).
Newer DPM command in addition to communications formats convey evolved that are designed to operate with the novel digitally-controlled mightiness devices. These include DPM technologies such every bit PMBus (Power Management Bus) in addition to Z-One. Sadly, these technologies are non compatible or interchangeable. In fact, currently at that topographic point are lawsuits betwixt the backers of both of these technologies.
If I were a potential user of these Digital Power Management schemes, I would remain clear of them until the lawsuits are settled (expected to spill out inside the adjacent 12 months), rather than detect out after that the cost of these DPM ICs or controllers convey substantially increased due to royalties that must straight off survive paid to the society that won the lawsuit.
The potential advantages of the DPM in addition to digital mightiness technologies inwards general, include enhanced bidirectional communications, error diagnostics, remote programming of the linked mightiness supplies/converters, automatic compensation of dynamic input in addition to output charge changes, in addition to overall improvements inwards efficiencies that relate to green-power.
In Summary
Although “Digital Power” is a pop buzzword these days, peculiarly past times those companies who convey developed or adopted the technologies, the bottom business volition ever be: “What produce I instruct for my money?” At present, at that topographic point are hardly whatsoever mightiness provide or converter applications that “must have” digital mightiness when compared to the many lower cost in addition to field-proven analog solutions that exist.
For example, during their novel power-product pattern in addition to evolution process, Lambda has designed in-parallel devices that employed both analog along with those that exercise digital command ICs in addition to technologies. In all cases, the finally conclusion on which engineering ultimately goes into production has been based on comparative price/performance factors; which is the dominant conclusion ingredient for their customers.
When the fourth dimension comes that digital mightiness products offering the same or improve functioning in addition to reliability, along with the ”needed features”, at the same or lower toll every bit analog-based products, that is when Digital Power volition locomote the winning technology. Realistically, someday digital mightiness volition provide a price/performance payoff over purely analog mightiness devices. Who knows for sure when that fourth dimension volition come.
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