Active current sharing allows two converters to be used in parallel

Flex Power Modules introduces the BMR490 DC-DC converter with active current sharing. The current sharing capability enables two or more converters to be used in parallel for demanding datacom applications, thus delivering higher power on a single rail and improving redundancy.

Up to six BMR490 converters may be used in parallel. When used in combination with OR-ing, this increases redundancy, because power will still be supplied if one or more converters fails. If redundancy is not required, the converters can be used in parallel without OR-ing diodes, which increases efficiency.

Compared to using traditional droop load sharing (DLS), the BMR490 enables better thermal balance between load and sharing units. This is due to the higher accuracy achieved by active current sharing, and the fact that each unit can deliver higher output power in parallel mode than any competitive solution – up to 1260W per module over the full input voltage range, with droop of 200mV at full power and nominal input.

Olle Hellgren, Director of Product Management and Business Development at Flex Power Modules, said: “The BMR490 is a step ahead of competitors’ products – it is the only module of its class that can offer active current sharing, with the benefits of higher accuracy that this technology delivers.”

The BMR490 is a non-isolated DC-DC converter in the compact quarter-brick form factor (58.4 x 36.8 x 14.5 mm / 2.3 x 1.45 x 0.57 in). It can provide an output power of up to 1300W, with an input voltage range of 40V to 60V, and output voltage of 12V. The converter offers high efficiency of typically 97.3% at 53Vin and half load, in part due to the fact that it is the industry’s first parallelable Hybrid Regulated Ratio (HRR) module.

The BMR490 with active current sharing is available from October 2019.