Implementation Aspects of Digital Power Architecture

September 14

Hosted by Mikhail Guz

A digital power system can operate in three different modes depending on complexity of equipment it powers.

1. The first mode, with ongoing communication between the power system and a host controller via the industry standard I 2C bus, is an ideal choice for high-end equipment requiring continuous parameters monitoring and performance optimization.
2. The second mode allows taking advantage of complete programmability without a need for ongoing communication or a host processor by permanently storing customer-specific configuration in a Digital Power Manager.
3. The third mode allows programming of performance parameters by pin strapping thus eliminating the Digital Power Manager and making the system more suitable for low-end equipment.

Specific application examples – tracking/sequencing/cascading, output voltage margining, and transient response improvement are discussed and their implementation for each mode of operation is demonstrated with actual hardware.

Mikhail Guz is the Director of Strategic Marketing and Applications Engineering at Power-One Inc.  After receiving the BSEE from the Kharkov Polytechnic Institute (Ukraine) he worked in electronics industry in Ukraine and the US focusing on power and analog electronics.  Before coming to Power-One, Mr. Guz was managing the power supply group at Apple Computer.

Managing Your Power System With The PMBus™ Protocol

September 14

Hosted by Robert V. White

The PMBus™ is a recently introduced open standard protocol for managing a power system over a digital communications bus. It was created by leading power converter and power management IC suppliers to provide a common means of communicating with power conversion devices of all types, from general purpose point-of-load (POL) converters to ac-dc power supplies. The PMBus specifications, available at www.PMBus.org, are in two parts. Part I describes the physical layer, electrical interface and bus timing. That is, Part I describes how to move bits and bytes of information from one PMBus device to another. Part II describes a standard command language that provides the PMBus user with all the tools needed to control, configure and monitor a power converter.

This seminar introduces the attendee to the PMBus protocol. The approach is to describe how to implement the PMBus and not to simply be a “spec review”. The seminar will describe the various PMBus signals, how they connect from a host to a PMBus device and practical guidelines and application tips for implementing PMBus based power system management. The seminar then moves on to controlling, configuring and monitoring PMBus devices. Questions like “How do I set the output voltage of a PMBus device?” and “How do I monitor the status?” will be answered. Wherever possible, realistic examples will be shown to illustrate the use of the PMBus command language.

Bob is a Staff Engineer in Artesyn Technologies’ Worldwide Technology Group. His principal role is System Engineer, supporting customers and Artesyn’s engineering groups with the definition and development of power systems for telecommunications, networking and computing equipment. Bob also serves as a liaison to universities where Artesyn is sponsoring research.

Bob has broad experience in designing power supplies, dc-dc converters and power systems for electronic equipment and is widely recognized as an expert in power systems architecture. He is a well known speaker and author who has presented many papers and seminars at conferences such as the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference (IEEE APEC), the European Power Electronics Conference (EPE), the IEEE International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC) and the IEEE International Congress on Power Electronics (CIEP). In his more than 20 years of experience, Bob has also worked for Zytec Corporation, AT&T Bell Labs/Power Systems, the Digital Equipment Corporation and General Electric.

Bob has a SBEE from MIT (1980) and a MSEE from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1990).

He has been active in the IEEE for more than 15 years. He was elected to the Power Electronics Society’s executive committee three times, served two terms as the Society’s Technical Vice President and represented the Power Electronics Society in the 1990 IEEE Colloquium to South America. Bob is well known for his key role in developing and supporting APEC. He has served on the conference committee in various roles since 1988 and served twice as the General Chair (1990, 2000). Bob was awarded the IEEE Third Millennium Medal in 2000 and the IEEE Power Electronic Society’s Distinguished Service Award in 2002.

Complete Seminar information (pdf)