Case of AC adapter for information technology equipment

We introduce a case study on the development of AC adapter products for information technology equipment. At Unifive, we offer a very wide lineup compliant with IEC60950 standards. In addition, we have acquired safety certifications for 60950 standards in countries around the world.

Information technology equipment is defined as "equipment designated in IEC60950, a technical standard established by the IEC." In fact, many information technology devices are prevalent in our daily lives.

Applicable Standards for Information Technology Equipment

Since there are many types of applicable equipment, here are some examples. According to J60950, the Japanese technical standard based on IEC, the following devices are included:

Telephones
FAX machines
Modems
Copiers
Routers
Office equipment
Recording equipment
Personal computers
Public information terminals, etc.

As shown above, even just listing a few examples covers a wide range of equipment. Additionally, other equipment not listed may also be considered information equipment depending on the certification body's evaluation, making the applicable standards very broad in scope. For devices falling under this category, AC adapters used in Japan must pass evaluation according to either Appendix 8 or Appendix 12 of PSE's J60950 technical standard.

For overseas markets, countries participating in the IEC CB Scheme must meet requirements corresponding to both the IEC60950 standard and national safety standards equivalent to it.

The following is a summary of technical standards by country. You will notice that IEC60950 is a common standard across various countries.

Comparison Example of Technical Standards Required for Legal Safety Compliance When Selling Information Technology Equipment in the US and Europe

IEC Standard	IEC60950
UL Standard	UL60950
CE Standard	EN60950

Even in non-CB Scheme countries like Taiwan and China, many have established technical standards closely aligned with IEC60950. At Unifive, we offer a wide lineup of products certified to IEC60950 for items falling under information technology equipment. Depending on the series, we also acquire each country’s 60950-compliant safety certifications derived from the certified IEC60950 standard. So you will find an AC adapter that meets your requirements. Please feel free to contact us or check our catalog.

Examples of Information Technology Equipment

Case Study: Support for a Customer Importing Wi-Fi Access Points

Previously, a customer importing Wi-Fi access points from overseas contacted us. Though the device itself was imported, the included AC adapter complied with foreign standards, resulting in an incompatible plug shape. They requested a reliable AC adapter certified under similar standards.

In addition to proposing AC adapters certified with both PSE and IEC60950, the following points were confirmed and evaluated:

What kind of DC plug is required
Submission of reliability data—MTBF, lifespan information, open/short tests, and more

The evaluation was approved smoothly, and we delivered mass production units by the sales start date, meeting the shipping schedule.

Case Study: Custom Power Supply Development for a Router Used by a Japanese Telecom Carrier

We previously received a custom AC adapter request for a major domestic telecommunications carrier. Although the product was for the domestic market, the customer requested compliance with IEC60950 as part of reliability conditions. Additionally, it had to meet demands from both the carrier’s reliability standards and the customer’s internal power adoption criteria. Therefore, we provided a custom solution.

As mentioned in Case Study 1, please rely on us for detailed consultations regarding power requirements like these. Our experienced power consultants at Unifive conduct proactive interviews in the early stages to provide satisfying solutions based on the necessary power selection standards at that time.

Among the requirements were issues such as thermal regulation and conduction noise adjustments. We thoroughly discussed and adjusted these with the customer. We completed development and delivered mass production units on time. Although the customer bore costs related to customization and safety standard certification like PSE and IEC60950, circuit development, and jig creation, we believe this detailed support is one factor in our customer satisfaction.

Case Study: AC Adapter Development for Gateway Devices

We received an inquiry from a wireless device manufacturer regarding an IoM gateway (note: IoM is a registered trademark of IDY Inc.).

Many commercially available AC adapters guarantee an operating temperature range of 0–40℃. Since the customer requested operation in -20–60℃ environments, they struggled to find a suitable option.

Through customer interviews, we identified three reasons behind the temperature range requirement:

Once installed, the device is rarely moved from its location
Communication equipment may be installed in hotter or colder places than expected, such as attics, sunny spots, or window-side areas in cold regions, so a wide temperature margin is desired
Gateway devices may be deployed in trains, homes, factories, or shopping malls, where failure causes serious inconvenience to users

We modified an AC adapter with slightly higher ratings than the actual usage and adjusted it to guarantee operation in -20℃ to 60℃ environments under real load conditions. The customer adopted the solution as proposed.

Later, their product was selected for use in Wi-Fi services on high-speed railways, such as those used during business or leisure travel.

This also provided the impetus for us to launch a wide-temperature range product lineup: the SU Series.