Vicor Introduces High Power, Wide Input Brick Bus Converter

Up to 750W Bus Converter With Greater Than 98% Peak Efficiency


ANDOVER, MA--(Marketwire - Apr 20, 2011) - Vicor Corporation (NASDAQ: VICR) today announced its IB050Q096T70N1-00 -- a high power, wide input range VI BRICK™ Bus Converter. Available as a drop-in upgrade for industry standard 5:1 converters, this new quarter brick operates from a 36V to 60V input voltage range at power levels of up to 750W, with 2,250Vdc isolation from input to output, while achieving over 98% peak efficiency.

The IB050Q096T70N1-00 expands upon Vicor's IBC050 series of intermediate bus converters. With its wide input range, this product complies with ETSI EN300 132-2 standard for -48V telecom applications requiring 5:1 bus conversion. Its input-to-output isolation complies with IEEE 802.3 Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) standards. Owing to its low (3.4 mOhm) effective output resistance, the IB050Q096T70N1-00 module supports bus voltages of 7V to 12V over the line range and up to 750W output at, or above, a 54V input.

IBC050 series modules, using Vicor's Sine Amplitude Converter™ topology, are pin-compatible with, technologically superior to, and offer higher performance than industry standard "square wave" bus converters, which are fundamentally limited by switching losses to low operating frequencies, low power densities and low bandwidth. Operating at 1 MHz, the IB050Q096T70N1-00 cuts transient response time by a factor of 10 and eliminates the need for external bulk capacitors. Superior power density and conversion efficiency enable competitive advantages for OEMs seeking to maximize performance across a range of applications, including telecommunications, computing, data storage, networking and Power-over-Ethernet.

The IB050Q096T70N1-00 has been optimized to address challenging thermal environments without costly heat sinks. Full power is available at 55°C ambient and only 200LFM of airflow while unprecedented power throughput is made possible at up to 85°C ambient with varying air flow rates.

"This new product extends the capability of Vicor's IBC product line by offering higher power and more flexible thermal management," said Robert Marchetti, Senior Manager of Product Marketing for Vicor's Brick Business Unit. "Its performance is indicative of the benefits of V.I Chip technology. Serving the near-term needs of customers whose applications require bus converters and synch-buck regulators underscores the breadth of Vicor's capability to address power system requirements from the wall plug to the Point Of Load with advanced Factorized Power Architecture products, including VTM current multipliers and other flexible, modular power system components."

Priced at less than $0.10 per Watt in OEM quantities, IB050Q096T70N1-00 module is a cost-effective, high performance alternative to obsolete bus converters and DC-DC converters dissipating twice as much heat and taking up a larger volume obstructing air flow. Samples are available from stock.

For datasheets and additional information on Vicor DC-DC and AC-DC power products, please visit the Vicor website at