Vicor launches its latest Cool-Power ZVS booster regulator

     Vicor has announced the addition of a new member to its growing PI37xx family of Cool-Power ZVS booster regulators. The new PI3740 Cool-Power regulator supports an operating voltage range of 8 to 60 VDC and a regulated output voltage of 10 to 50 VDC, delivering up to 140 watts of power and up to 8 amps of output current with up to 96% efficiency. The PI3740 not only incorporates Vicor's proprietary high frequency Zero Voltage switching (ZVS) switching technology, but also offers the perfect combination of conversion efficiency, power density, and performance, making it ideal for demanding, automotive, industrial, test automation, LED lighting, and battery charging applications.

     The PI3740, like all members of the PI37xx family, meets its "creative" performance specifications across the entire operating voltage range of the product, without the need for special custom circuits. A wide operating voltage range reduces the number of regulators and power supply designs that must be designed, configured, manufactured, stocked, and maintained.

      For example, the PI3740 converter can be used in a wide range of applications that in addition require the use of several different alternative regulators with a narrow operating voltage range. For example, the design integrates the PI3740 power supply, which can be operated or charged by 12V and 24V battery power. Moreover, all Vicor PI37xx boost converters are able to seamlessly transition between buck mode (input voltage greater than output voltage) and boost mode (input voltage less than output voltage), making them ideal for applications where the regulator input voltage changes above and below the output voltage.

     The PI3740 fully integrates its controller, power switch and support circuitry in a high density, high thermal 10 mm x 14 mm x 2.5 mm system-level package (SiP). In addition, other features of the PI3740 include high frequency (1 MHz) operation, parallel options, constant voltage and constant current (e.g. for LED lighting applications) operation mode, over voltage, over temperature and over current protection, -40º to 115ºC temperature range, as well as integrated electro-fluometric amplifier and integrated universal amplifier.

     This latest addition to the growing line of PI37xx Cool-Power ZVS booster regulators offers the perfect integration of operating voltage range, efficiency, density and thermal performance, and is supported by a range of online design, system analysis and simulation tools. It can help users quickly and economically configure high-density, high-performance and reliable power systems.