Ericsson has introduced the 3E design kit for exploration of digital power architectures. The 3E Gold Edition software simplifies monitoring and configuration of digitally controlled DC/DC converters. The company claims that the kit can explore and develop representative digital power management scenarios and can optimize operating efficiency in real-time to conserve energy and minimise operating costs.
Enhanced performance, energy management, and end-user value are the key design objectives of the company's 3E range of digitally controlled dc/dc converters. The device comprises two intermediate-bus converters that source up to 240 and 396W to power the 3E PoL regulators that can each supply 12 to 40A. The design kit hardware comprises two boards that accommodate one or two intermediate-bus converters and up to six PoL regulators. The boards can operate independently or be plugged together to form a representative PMBus-controlled power system. It includes a USB to PMBus adapter that provides a seamless interface between the 3E GUI Gold Edition software running on a Windows PC and the target 3E family DC/DC converter.
The basic and protection configuration pane allows to enter an array of values that define how each converter operates using simple graphical controls that simplify device programming. The available parameters include output voltage levels, delay and slow-rate values for power-supply sequencing in multi-rail applications, warning and fault thresholds for adverse voltage, current, and temperature conditions, and fault-recovery behaviour. A voltage margining facility can test the susceptibility of load circuitry to voltage variations. The advanced configuration facilities divide into standard and device-specific configuration screens. The standard configuration commands provide a device-level method for programming and reading data that mirrors the data formats and values that are exchanged over the PMBus. Device-specific commands comprise facilities that range from reading a device's firmware version to trimming its loop compensation parameters.
