Case study of AC/DC Power Adapter for information technology equipment

We present development case studies of AC/DC Power AdapterProducts for information technology equipment. UNIFIVE offers a very wide lineup that has already obtained IEC60950 certification. In addition, we have acquired safety certifications based on the 60950 standards of countries around the world.

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

Applicable Standards for Information Technology Equipment

Since there are many applicable devices, we will list some examples below. J60950, the Japanese PSE technical standard based on IEC standards, describes the following equipment as applicable.

As shown above, even a partial list includes a wide range of devices. In addition to those listed, other equipment not specifically mentioned may also be classified as information technology equipment depending on the certification body's review, making this a very broad standard. For AC/DC Power Adapter used in equipment that falls under these categories, compliance with either PSE Appendix Table 8 or Appendix Table 12 (J60950 technical standards) is required in Japan.

For overseas markets, in countries participating in the CB Scheme based on IEC standards, compliance with IEC60950 and equivalent national safety standards is required.

Below is a comparison of the technical standards of various countries. Since IEC60950 is commonly adopted across countries, we present it here for clarity.

Comparison Example of Legal Safety "Technical Standards" Required for Selling Information Technology Equipment in the United States and Europe

IEC Technical StandardIEC60950
UL Technical StandardUL60950
CE Technical StandardEN60950

Even in countries that have not ratified the CB Scheme, such as Taiwan and China, many have established technical standards very similar to IEC60950. UNIFIVE offers a wide lineup of products compliant with IEC60950 for items classified as information technology equipment. Although specifications vary by series, we have also obtained national 60950-based safety certifications using our IEC60950 certification, ensuring you can find the AC/DC Power Adapter that meets your needs. Please feel free to contact us or refer to our catalog for more information.

Examples of Information Technology Equipment

Example: Supporting a Customer Importing Wi-Fi Access Points

Previously, a customer importing Wi-Fi access points contacted us because the bundled AC/DC Power Adapter met overseas standards and had a different plug shape. They requested a highly reliable AC/DC Power Adapter that complied with equivalent standards.

In selecting a suitable product, we proposed an AC/DC Power Adapter certified for both PSE and IEC60950, and also confirmed and evaluated the following:

  1. Preferred type of DC plug
  2. Submission of reliability data such as MTBF, lifespan documentation, open/short circuit tests, etc.

The evaluation was successfully approved, and we delivered mass-production units on time to meet the shipping schedule.

Example: Development of a Custom Power Supply for Routers for a Major Domestic Carrier

As mentioned above, we previously received a request from a customer to create a custom AC/DC Power Adapter for a major domestic telecommunications carrier. Although the Products was for the Japanese market, it was required to comply with IEC60950 as an additional reliability condition. Furthermore, it had to meet both the carrier's reliability standards and the customer's own internal power supply selection criteria. We provided a custom solution to meet these requirements.

As in Example 1, please entrust us with initial consultations regarding power supply requirements and confirmation of your application's needs. From the initial stage, our experienced power supply consultants at UNIFIVE proactively gather necessary information regarding power supply selection standards and propose solutions that ensure customer satisfaction.

Some requirements involved detailed discussions and adjustments regarding heat generation standards for the Products and conducted noise adjustments. We successfully completed development and delivered mass-production units on schedule. In this case, the customer bore the costs of obtaining PSE and IEC60950 certifications, circuit development, and tooling creation associated with the custom design and safety certification. We believe that providing such detailed support is one of the ways we ensure customer satisfaction.

Example: Development of an AC/DC Power Adapter for Gateway Equipment

Previously, we received an inquiry from a wireless equipment manufacturer regarding an IoM gateway (IoM is a registered trademark of IDY Corporation).

Many commercially available AC/DC Power Adapter have an operating temperature range of 0 to 40°C, and do not guarantee operation in environments of -20 to 60°C as required by the customer, which caused difficulties.

Upon discussion, we learned that the requested operating temperature range was based on the following three reasons:

  1. Once installed, the device is rarely moved.
  2. Communication devices may be installed in harsher-than-expected temperature environments such as ceilings, sunny locations, or cold regions near windows, so a design with sufficient temperature margin is desired.
  3. Gateway devices may be installed in railway cars, homes, factories, or shopping malls, and operational failure would cause significant inconvenience to users.

Therefore, we modified an AC/DC Power Adapter with a slightly higher rating than the customer's actual usage requirements, adjusted it to ensure guaranteed operation under -20°C to 60°C conditions at actual load, and proposed it. The proposal was accepted as is.

Subsequently, this customer's Products was selected for use in onboard Wi-Fi services on high-speed trains used for business trips and travel.

This project also led to the release of our wide temperature range SU series.

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