Pulsiv Limited

Existing 240W USB-C chargers distribute the power across multiple ports with a maximum of 140W being delivered from a single 1C port. This leaves many higher-power applications such as monitors, gaming laptops, and small domestic appliances unable to benefit from the common USB-C interface and fast-charging protocol. Traditional Boost PFC+LLC-based designs are notoriously noisy, so EMC compliance can be a challenge. They are also expensive and do not respond well to variable output voltages or rapidly changing load requirements. Pulsiv OSMIUM technology enables a flyback topology to be used at higher power levels which solves all of these problems.

The company’s strategy for deploying this exciting technology adds further flexibility for customers. Three options are set to be offered:

Reference Design. A reference design containing a datasheet, schematic, and bill of materials will be published on www.pulsiv.com in the coming weeks. This will enable anyone to start designing and laying out their own 240W USB-C solution and become one of the first in the world to adopt 240W USB-C.

Standard Assembled Module. For those whose resources and time are limited, Pulsiv will offer a standard fully assembled module with 1 x USB-C connector. The specification and design of this standard module has already started and pre-orders for samples can be placed now for delivery in late March 2025, with mass production quantities being delivered from July 2025 onwards. A number of Pulsiv’s distributors, including Digikey, will also stock the standard modules for fast delivery to customers globally.

Custom Assembled Module. For anyone that has more specific requirements, custom assembled modules will also be offered. This enables customers to determine their own specification, which can include the number and location of USB connectors, input voltage range, and any specific mechanical form factor requirements. This flexible option will come with an NRE of just $10,000 and an MOQ of 500pcs providing a very reasonable entry point for everyone.

For more information on this ground-breaking design, please contact the Pulsiv team, or any of their franchised distributors, or visit www.pulsiv.com

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Pulsiv Limited

The PSV-RDAD-65USB reference design combines Pulsiv OSMIUM technology with an industry-standard QR flyback and highly optimized, ultra-compact magnetics. It represents the first in a series of designs aimed at pushing the boundaries of power conversion by drastically lowering operating temperatures, minimizing losses, and reducing size to create a sustainable platform for the USB-C standard.

The Pulsiv OSMIUM reference design demonstrates a significant improvement in thermal performance and reduces critical component temperatures by more than 30% compared to other designs. At full load, the flyback transformer reaches an impressive 33.9°C at 230VAC and 30.3°C at 265V above an ambient temperature of 26.1°C. This incredible achievement is likely to set a new benchmark and enables 65W fast charging in space-constrained environments and/or heat-sensitive applications such as in-wall plug sockets that incorporate USB-C connectivity.

Pulsiv OSMIUM technology senses AC line voltage and frequency to adjust capacitor charging time, therefore the circuit draws no line current at the AC zero voltage crossing. This enables a simple half-active bridge implementation to increase efficiency, especially at low-line conditions. MOSFETs in the lower half of the AC to DC bridge are carefully controlled, in combination with high-side diodes. The half-active bridge in this design strikes the delicate balance between efficiency, cost, and complexity and supports universal input with efficiency gains of 0.7% at full load from a 115V AC supply.

The PSV-RDAD-65USB document package is available to download free from the Pulsiv website and includes a datasheet, schematics, bill of materials, and Altium files. The PSV-EBAD-65USB evaluation board enables rapid lab testing and can be pre-ordered now for delivery in the second half of August through a network of franchised distribution partners including global stockist, Digikey.

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Isn’t electrical power best delivered at high voltage, low current?

Well, yes. For example, the AC power delivered to your neighborhood arrives at thousands of volts. Transformers drop the voltage near the load, which increases the current but over a short distance. That minimizes losses caused by IR drops in the wires. Same for EVs. The batteries can produce hundreds of volts at low current whereupon load voltages are much lower.

The ICs in network equipment are, of course, digital and they can never be fast enough. That’s why logic levels continue to drop. Those 5 V TTL logic levels are too high for today’s high-speed digital devices. The difference between a logic 0 and logic 1 can go below 1 V, often 0.8 V. Why? Because it takes less time to switch between small logic levels.

Such a small difference in logic levels also creates signal-integrity issues. Digital receivers need lots of help distinguishing between logic states and at low voltages and must contend with noise. That brings in signal processing — predistortion and error correction — which also consumes energy.

The following videos highlight demonstrations related to data-center power.

Picotest

In the video below, Steve Sandler explains how Picotest uses a set of ten Analog Devices power modules to convert a 48 V power rail down to 0.8 V at 2000 A. That’s what it takes to power today’s devices. Engineers can use this board to test power rails while the ASIC, emulated by the board, is in development. The board lets engineers control load current from 0 A to 2047 A with 1 A resolution.

STMicroelectronics

Delivering power to a data center encompasses more that just delivering high-current, low voltage power on a board. At APEC 2024 ST’s David Bates demonstrated the company’s offerings.

The ecosystem starts at 48 V, after which regulators bring the voltage down to 12 V. Following that, protection devices keep the main board safe. Each e-fuse can handle up to 60 A or 120 W. The e-fuses are resettable MOSFETs. The final stage drops the voltage to load levels, which can be as low as 0.8 V. That occurs close to the load to minimize IR drops on the board. Bates also explains the concept of phases in DC power delivery.

Texas Instruments

In the Texas Instruments booth, Abhinay Patil demonstrated a power-delivery reference design for servers. The demonstration started with a 12 V power supply. The reference design provides input protection, temperature protection, and short-circuit protection using TPS25990 e-fuses. DC-DC converters drop the voltage to 1.8 V. The board can deliver up to 700 A.

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