Date: 23/02/2009

New version of power supply design software PI Expert from Power Integrations

Power Integrations has released updated version of its popular power supply design software, PI Expert Suite v7.1.4. The newly released module, which supports Power Integrations' new HiperPLC controller IC, speeds the design of resonant LLC power supplies with power factor correction (PFC) by eliminating tedious iterative magnetic design.

HiperPLC combines PFC and LLC controllers in a single IC. Targeting high-efficiency offline converters from 200 to 600 watts, HiperPLC minimizes the cost of magnetic components and high-voltage bulk storage capacitors by synchronizing the PFC and LLC converter stages. Applications for HiperPLC include LCD TVs, PC power supplies up to 80+ Gold (92% efficiency), LED street lights, telecom power systems, and a wide range of industrial applications.

PI Expert Suite v7.1.4 features the automatic selection of series and parallel resonant element values from user-defined output load requirements and nominal switching frequency. The software also insures zero-voltage switching (ZVS) under all LLC load conditions. PI Expert automatically calculates losses in key power elements of the PFC and LLC power stages and performs PFC boost choke power loss and magnetic field intensity (H) calculations for the PFC choke design. The new software provides a visualization tool, which graphically illustrates a design's switching frequency versus output power, enabling the designer to specify appropriate verification experiments to confirm reliable operation of the final product under a wide range of operating conditions.

Explains Doug Bailey, Power Integrations' vice president of marketing: "High-power applications such as LED street lighting, 80+ Silver and Gold PC-main power supplies, and the new generation of slim LCD TVs, require resonant power supplies to meet very high efficiency targets - in excess of 92% in some cases." Continues Bailey: "PI Expert Suite v7.1.4 provides an estimate of the power-loss budget attributable to the major components in the design - information which speeds electrical design decisions and eliminates the guesswork from layout, heatsink budgeting, and power component package selection."

PI Expert Suite v7.1.4, with fully supported English and simplified Chinese versions, can be downloaded at http://www.powerint.com/pi-expert. Transformer prototypes resulting from the use of this software can be ordered through PI's Rapid Transformer Sample Service (RTSS).