A1: First, there are very few AC/DC switching power supplies available in the 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 watt power ratings. Second, there are no competing designs of these power ratings and physical size which are isolated. Third, there are no competing designs of these power ratings and physical size which do not need external filtering to meet EMI specifications.
A2: Bias products incorporate a proprietary technology which greatly reduces the generation of EMI. The levels achieved are within the limits specified in FCC Part 15 and EN 55022, Class B.
A3: All Bias modules are UL Component Recognized to 60950 and a CB report is available. Contact us for more details.
A4: A variety of considerations are appropriate.
1. The module is complete, you need not invest any time in design so you can spend more time designing product features valuable to your customers.
2. If your designs are space constrained, no other technically comparable solutions are as small.
3. Bias modules have an application flexibility difficult to achieve with other designs. Contact Bias for details.
4. Instead of needing to source a variety of components and maintaining inventory on each, you can deal with just one module.
5. Bias products are UL Component Recognized (see above) simplifying your process.
A5: Many Energy Star requirements, and specifically those for appliances, specify standby power of 1 watt or less. Generally, this has required a significant re-design of an existing power supply. The use of the Bias module can often reduce the design time to accomplish these requirements.
A6: Yes! There are two approaches.
1. Bias supplies can easily handle highly capacitive loads. Adding capacitance on the output may be capable of providing the peak power required.
2. Bias supplies can be connected in parallel without additional circuitry. Simple parallel or N+X designs can be accomplished.
A7: Efficiency, Efficiency, Efficiency!
A8: Yes, and without any load-sharing circuitry or droop resistors.
A9: All Bias constant-power modules provide a primary DC (Vo) output. This output, while well regulated at either 8, 12, 14 or 24VDC develops ripple at either 100Hz or 120Hz as load is increased. In many applications, this ripple is acceptable because it is never used directly; it provides a DC ‘bus’ that is further regulated downstream to generate the very low voltages required to power logic IC’s. For some applications, like driving analog IC’s or relays, some smoothing may be required. External capacitors can provide a reduction in this ripple, as can the use of a linear regulator. For our dual output supplies with part numbers ending in -33 or -50, Bias uses an internal linear regulator to provide a secondary (Vr) output. The input to this regulator is the above mentioned primary VDC supply.
A10: Bias supplies are designed to operate at standard 50Hz and 60Hz line voltages from 85 VAC to 265 VAC. Specific performance specifications are available on the appropriate data sheet.
A11: Bias will consider custom module designs where annual quantity commitments are sufficiently large or NRE’s provided. Some special requirements may even be met with minor modifications to our module. Tell us about your needs.
A12: Available space and some technical specification differences will determine this. The best approach is to contact Bias.
A13: Bias products use a switching frequency slightly less than 100kHz.
A14: Yes. Bias Power modules accept a capacitive load. As a result, they can charge a high-value super capacitor much faster than most other switching power supplies. This can be very important when keeping a supercap charged for backup/shutdown applications.
A15: Please call us with details about your specific power, space and environmental requirements.
