Reference Design Meets Latest Energy Star Standby Power Specification

Jul 1, 2009 12:00 PM

The RDK-203 dual-rail power-supply reference design kit from Power Integrations offers high loop bandwidth ratios and peak power for home theater systems with audio power ratings to 650 W. The reference design enables developers to meet new and emerging standby-power-usage regulations for consumer A/V equipment.

The reference design is based on the company's PKS607YN PeakSwitch power supply which features a response time of 40 µs. Amplifiers powered by PeakSwitch-based power supplies support a high-crest-factor, high-frequency audio signals common in high quality digital music and DVD movie soundtracks.

By actively managing power delivery as required by the audio amplifier, PeakSwitch prevents the power-rail voltage from falling during sustained high-energy segments without requiring a large bank of output capacitors. This ensures that the listener experiences very low audio distortion due to clipping or dynamic range compression caused by a reduction in the amplifier's power-supply voltage.

Independent rail regulation eliminates any coupling between the positive and negative supplies, further reducing distortion and increasing audio quality. The RDK circuit consumes less than 0.9 W at 240 Vrms input, easily beating stringent power-efficiency regulations established by ENERGY STAR, California Energy Commission, U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act, EC EuP, and EC CoC.

PeakSwitch ICs are available now in a wide variety of package options and power levels, making the product family scalable for audio applications ranging from MP3 docking stations up to large amplifiers requiring hundreds of watts of peak power.

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