Smart Meter/HEMS AC/DC Power Adapter Full Custom Support Case Study | Dedicated Design for Residential Equipment

A full custom implementation case study of AC/DC Power Adapter for smart meters and HEMS. We introduce a real example optimized from the design stage to meet long-term use, high temperature and humidity environments, and strict reliability requirements.

What Full Custom Support Means

Full custom support refers to optimization based on required specifications, including circuit design and component selection.

It is selected when semi-custom solutions cannot meet requirements such as:

Harsh operating environments
Long-term warranty and high reliability are mandatory
Proprietary standards for residential equipment

to satisfy these conditions.

Why Full Custom Is Required for High-Reliability Social Infrastructure Applications

For smart meter and HEMS applications:

Replacement is difficult once installed
Failures have significant impact on residents and administrators
They play a role as social infrastructure

For these reasons, a higher level of reliability design than typical IT equipment is required.

Countermeasures Against Aging Deterioration of Solder Joints

In power supplies used over long periods, aging deterioration and cracks in solder joints become critical risks.

UNIFIVE:

Selection of solder materials
Optimization of mounting conditions
Evaluation through accelerated testing

to implement reliability design based on long-term use.

Component Selection and Design Supporting High Reliability

In full custom support, the following points are considered from the design stage:

Circuit design to suppress temperature rise
Adoption of long-life components
Derating according to the operating environment

This enables a dedicated design suitable for residential equipment applications.

Comprehensive Measures Against Radio Interference and Noise in Indoor Environments

HEMS devices are used in the same space as Wi-Fi, home appliances, and communication devices.

With full custom support:

Identification of noise sources
Countermeasures at the circuit and layout level
Evaluation assuming real-world environments

are conducted to implement fundamental noise countermeasures.

Cases Where Full Custom Support Is Suitable

Long-term warranty and social infrastructure applications
Harsh operating environments
Proprietary reliability standards
Requirements cannot be met with semi-custom solutions

UNIFIVE provides optimal solutions for smart meter and HEMS AC/DC Power Adapter through both efficient optimization with semi-custom support and dedicated design with full custom support.