They provide up to 400W of isolated 24 or 48V DC in the VIA package, which is claimed to offer superior cooling performance.

Universal AC input range is 85 to 264V AC. Other features are PFC (power factor correction) and the ability to deliver 400 W of isolated, regulated, DC output power at efficiencies up to 93%. According to the company, the modules provide unprecedented power density of 127W/in³ (8W/cm³) and best-in-class performance in a small, 9mm thin VIA package.

They are suitable for use in industrial, process control, telecommunications, office equipment, test and measurement, LED lighting and other off-line applications. 

Front-end functions for contemporary AC line-operated power systems are integrated, for example, transient and inrush current protection; input power factor correction; input to output isolation; and a regulated SELV (Safety Extra Low Voltage) DC output. They meet international safety and regulatory agency standards for isolation, conducted emissions, power factor correction, and susceptibility to AC line transients, flicker, interruptions and surges.

VIA package configurations are available for both on-board mounting and chassis mounting and units are available in two operating temperature ranges. 

In many applications, a user can instantly implement a complete AC/DC front end by combining a PFM with an AIM (universal AC input module), which integrates all required primary-side rectification, filtering and transient protection circuitry), both in VIA packages and suitable secondary-side storage capacitance. Alternatively, a designer can combine a PFM front-end module with rectification, filtering and secondary-side output capacitance that is optimised for a specific application.

The VIA package, described as mechanically robust and thermally adept by the company, simplifies mounting to an equipment side panel, chassis or other external heat sinking device. Moving the AC/DC conversion function to a chassis or side panel can reduce system size and cost, or free up system real estate, and can provide improved thermal performance while eliminating the need for, and cost of, external heatsinks.

The company’s online suite of PowerBench^M design tools can be used to combine PFM AC/DC front-end modules with downstream modules selected from its portfolio of high-density, high-efficiency, modular power converters.

PFM modules are available from Vicor today; chassis and board-mount options in C and T-grades are generally available from Vicor authorised distributors.