Riding the rails with this DC/DC converter
ProductJuly 26, 2010
Alice Moss
Military Embedded Systems
Chris A. Ciufo
General Micro Systems, Inc.
Defense integrators utilize COTS products from whichever industry meets their needs, including automotive and railway transportation.
Defense integrators utilize COTS products from whichever industry meets their needs, including automotive and railway transportation. We think the Martek MBRH Series of railway DC/DC converters might have some applicability in mil apps, especially in “big iron” vetronics chassis. After all, a big old locomotive or a big old M1A2 Abrams are, well, big, hot, and loaded with “dirty” power.
The fully encapsulated converters come in single- or dual-output flavors, sourcing from 5 VDC to 48 VDC, with inputs including 24, 36, and 110 VDC. And a 230 VAC input model is soon available. Based on the company’s 15 W models, the new series puts out 25 W in the same bulkhead-mounted package – a footprint we think might be handy in DoD retrofits where in-chassis space is at a premium. Input ripple is per RIA 13 and EN50155, and output transients are in conformance to RIA 12 – go and dig up the railway specs for details. The MBRH Series is manufactured in the UK – handy if a program needs some FMS set-aside or offset forgiveness.
