Design Guide & Applications Manual
For VI-200 and VI-J00 Family DC-DC Converters and Configurable Power Supplies
VI-200 and VI-J00 Family Design Guide
Rev 3.4
vicorpower.com
Page 90 of 97
Apps. Eng. 800 927.9474
800 735.6200
A
AC-OK Signal.
The signal used to indicate the loss of AC
input voltage from the 115 / 230 V line.
Altitude Testing.
Generally performed to determine the
proper functionality of equipment in airplanes and other
flying objects. MIL-STD-810.
Ambient Temperature.
The temperature of the
environment, usually the still air in the immediate
proximity of the power supply.
Apparent Power.
A value of power for AC circuits that
is calculated as the product of rms current times rms
voltage, without taking power factor into account.
B
Bandwidth.
A range of frequencies over which a certain
phenomenon is to be considered.
Baseplate.
All modular products have an aluminum
mounting base at which Vicor specifies operating
temperatures and which should be affixed to a thermally
conductive surface for cooling.
Bellcore Specification.
A telecommunications industry
standard developed by Bellcore.
Bipolar Transistor.
A transistor that operates by the
action of minority carriers across a PN junction; and is a
current controlled device as opposed to a voltage
controlled device.
Bleeder Resistor.
A resistor added to a circuit for the
purpose of providing a small current drain, to assure
discharge of capacitors.
Bobbin.
A device upon which the windings of a
transformer or inductor are wound, it provides a form for
the coil and insulates the windings from the core.
Booster Converter.
A “slave” module in a Driver /
Booster combination, where the Driver is the master.
Several Boosters can be paralleled with a Driver module
for higher output power.
Breakdown Voltage.
A voltage level at which dielectric
insulation fails by excessive leakage current or arcing. In
reference to power supplies the breakdown voltage is the
maximum AC or DC voltage that can be applied from
input to output and / or chassis.
Bridge Converter.
A DC-DC converter topology
(configuration) employing two or four active switching
components in a bridge configuration across a power
transformer.
Bridge Rectifier.
A full wave rectifier circuit employing
four rectifiers in a bridge configuration.
British Telecom Standards.
A telecommunications
industry standard developed by the British PTT authorities.
Brownout.
A reduction of the AC mains distribution
voltage, usually caused deliberately by the utility company
to reduce power consumption when demand exceeds
generation or distribution capacity.
Burn-In.
Operating a newly manufactured power supply,
usually at rated load, for a period of time in order to force
component infant mortality failures or other latent defects.
C
Capacitive Coupling.
Coupling of a signal between two
circuits, due to discrete or parasitic capacitance between
the circuits.
Center Tap.
An electrical connection made at the center
of a transformer or inductor winding, usually so as to result
in an equal number of turns on either side of the tap.
Centralized Power Architecture (CPA).
One of the
oldest power systems architectures, generates all system
voltages at a central location and distributes them to load
locations via distribution buses. This can be effective if the
voltages are high and the currents low or if the distances
between the power supply and the loads are small.
C-Grade.
Industry standard where the operating
temperature of a device does not drop below –20°C.
Chassis Mount Configuration.
A configuration where the
modules or AC front ends are mounted directly to the chassis.
Common-Mode Noise.
Noise present equally on two
conductors with respect to some reference point; often
used specifically to refer to noise present on both the hot
and neutral AC lines with respect to ground.
ComPAC.
A Vicor DC input power supply that provides
EMC filtering and transient suppression for industrial,
military and telecommunications markets.
Constant Current Power Supply.
A power supply
designed to regulate output current for changes in line,
load, ambient temperature and drift resulting from time.
Constant Voltage Power Supply.
A power supply
designed to regulate output voltage for changes in line,
load, ambient temperature and drift resulting from time.
Control Circuit.
A circuit in a closed-loop system, typically
containing an error amplifier, that controls the operation
of the system to achieve regulation.
26. Glossary of Technical Terms
Summary of Contents for VI-200 Series
Page 100: ......
