A Talk on IPC Power Supply (Part I)

What is IPC power supply? Why is it that instead of directly using PC power supplies, IPC power supplies with specific specifications has to be selected despite the higher cost shouldered when they appear to be similar to PC power supplies of general personal computers with almost the same output voltage sets, not to mention that some PC power supplies even have higher output power? The reason behind it is the main topic of discussion in this article.

 

The specifications for PC power supplies of general personal computers are mainly based on Intel’s customized ATX specifications. The specifications explicitly specify three main positive voltage rails, namely, +3.3V, +5V, and +12V. An additional +5V SB (Standby) rail independent from the +5V voltage rail is added. This +5V SB (Standby) rail is not found in early IBM AT specifications. With this independent SB power rail, the possibility of turning on and off the software switch and remote wake-up can be realized. Since then, PC power subsequently developed MicroATX, FlexATX, and SFX specifications. Basically, they are ATX-based sizes and external differences, but they are still essentially extensions of ATX.

 

Initially, the main target groups of the Intel-customized ATX specifications are personal computers operated in home and office environments. The main purposes are document editing, programming, general Internet surfing and gaming(*1), and other general business needs. Because of the simple tasks and high specification uniformity, brand operators or DIY players alike can find suitable power products in the market that meet their needs.

 

IPC power, on the other hand, is different. If PC power exists based on the general conditions, then, IPC power exists based on specific application needs. Non-domestic occasions such as security, monitoring, production, communication, medical care, transportation, industrial control, etc. fall under the scope of IPC power. Because work environments vary, the requirements for work environment temperature/humidity, dust capacity, reliability, shelf life, anti-interference ability, etc. relatively differ from those of PC power.

　

Table 1 below show differences between PC and IPC power in terms of use/demand/applications.

Table 2 below shows differences between PC and IPC design with the same 500W power.

(*1) Games with high specifications and a higher screen resolution have undergone development to form the Gaming industry. The gaming discussed in this article are general and simple web games.

 

Differences between industrial computers and personal computers

Item	Industrial computer industry/products	Personal computer industry/products
Targets	Industry/business/government large-scale users	Mainly for personal use
Operating enviroment	Adverse work environment Long working hours, high and low indoor and outdoor temperatures,humidity, vibration, electromagnetic interference, etc.	Stable work environment Short working hours, indoors, constant temperature
Application fields	security, monitoring, production, communication, medical care, transportation, industrial control related.	Offices, households
Pre-use test	Long (6 months to 2 years)	Short
Product lifecycle	Long(3-7 years)	Short(9 monthes~2 years)
Product specifications	Semi-standardized/customized	Standardized
Supply demand	LEmphasis on long-term supply and after-sale technical support Services	No long-term supply demand/less after-sale technical support
Focus of product requirements	Long-term stability quality requirements; not pursuing the fastest and the latest	The latest and the fastest with more powerful functions.
Production demant	Small volume, flexible production	Large volume, economies of scale
Mode of delivery	Small volume, large variety	Large volume, small variety
Period of raw material storage	Long	Short
Customer loyalty	High	Low
Barriers to entry in industrial markets	Medium	Low
Cost	Higer	Low
Product application pattern	Part of the entire application system	Final finished products

*Reference: Chu, Ta Chuan

Differences between industrial computers and personal computers (By FSP model)

 

Item	FSP500-60GMN(PC PSU)	FSP500-80AAB(IPC PSU)
Bridge diode	3A/1000V(DO-201)*8pcs	8A/600V*2pcs
PFC inductor	Ring core SENDUST,T27.7	Ring core SENDUST,T27.7
PFC diode	5A/600V	8A/600V
PFC MOSFET	Cool-MOS 20A/600V*2pcs	Cool-MOS 24A/650V*2pcs
Bull cap	220uF/450V	330uF/420V
Main switch MOSFST	18A/500V	Cool-MOS 20A/600V*2pcs
Main transformer	ERL-28V	ERL-36
Rectification diode or SR-MOSFET	40A/45V*2pcs 30A/45V*4pcs	80A/80V*2pcs (SR) 30A/100V*2pcs
Rectification capacitor	1000uF/16V*5pcs 1500uF/10V*5pcs 2200uF/6.3V*1pcs	1000uF/16V*4pcs  1500uF/10V*3pcs 470uF/16V*2pcs 3300uF/10V*1pcs 100uF/50V*1pcs

 

Other than the different basic conditions of use above, the most frequently encountered challenge in IPC power selection is “differed regulatory requirements”. In response to different scenes of use that often require complementary regulations for verification and because texts in regulations are often difficult to understand, non-professional safety regulation practitioners often sigh at the sight of regulations, feeling helpless. In the article below, we will briefly explain frequently used regulations for IPC power supply, hoping to lower the threshold.