21 October 2014

EPC introduces wide-input, 20A GaN-based buck converter demo board

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA, which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) for power management applications, has introduced the EPC9118, a fully functional buck power conversion demonstration circuit.

Featuring the EPC2001 and EPC2015 eGaN FETs as well as the LTC3891 buck controller, the board is a 30-60V input to 5V, 20A maximum output current, 400kHz buck converter. The design is suitable for distributed power solutions in telecom, industrial, and medical applications, says the firm.

The EPC9118 board contains the complete power stage (including eGaN FETs, driver, inductor and input/output caps) in a compact 1” x 1.3” layout to showcase the performance that can be achieved using the eGaN FETs and a traditional MOSFET controller together. The demonstration board is 2.5” square and contains a fully closed loop buck converter with optimized control loop.

Despite its small size, the board has peak power efficiency greater than 93% capable of delivering 20A at 5V with a 36V input. To assist the design engineer, the EPC9118 is easy to set up, says the firm, and contains various probe points to facilitate simple waveform measurement and efficiency calculation.

EPC9118 demo boards are priced at $237.19 each and are available from Digi-Key. A Quick Start Guide containing set up procedures, circuit diagram, performance curves and a bill of material is also available.

Tags: EPC E-mode GaN FETs

Visit: http://digikey.com/Suppliers/us/Efficient-Power-Conversion.page

Visit: http://epc-co.com/epc/Products/DemoBoards/EPC9118.aspx