RECOM News

RECOM Technologies, a renewable energy company, and the only European Bloomberg Tier 1 PV module manufacturer launches the new LION 390Wp Bifacial HJT Mono Crystalline Double Glass Module. Allowing more energy to be harvested, due to the Heterojunction technology (HJT), the LION 390Wp promises great performance in small and large-scale ground or rooftop solar applications. Lion series modules with a power output of over 700Wp are based on Heterojunction (HJT) technology. A heterojunction (HJT)...

As part of a global effort to reduce carbon footprint, automotive manufacturers are replacing gasoline with cleaner fuel-less alternatives. As a result, the electric vehicle (EV) transportation segment is experiencing rapid growth. As EVs operated purely on electric power continue to increase market share, the installed battery capacity per vehicle is also increasing. faster charging times Consumers are also demanding faster charging times for larger-capacity batteries. This demand is also sp...

Light rail transit (LRT) is a form of urban passenger rail transit that combines the features of a tram and rapid transit. While its rolling stock is more similar to a tram than a traditional railway, an LRT operates at a higher capacity and speed than a tram, and often on an exclusive right-of-way.  light rail network In the United States of America (USA), light rail operates primarily along exclusive rights-of-way and uses either individual tramcars or multiple units coupled to for...

RECOM has extended its range of DC/DC converters with a 3W version of their isolated RSH series in a surface-mount format with wide input ranges. RSH3 DC/DC converter features The RECOM RSH3 DC/DC converter is an addition to the successful RSH2 series featuring fully regulated, low-noise, and isolated 3W outputs in a surface mount package. The series features nominal inputs of 12V (9–18V) and 24V (18–36V), which are useful for battery or bus-powered systems, while the outputs avai...

GaN is the chemical symbol for gallium nitride, which is an III-V semiconductor material commonly referred to as a 'wide bandgap' (WBG) material, because it has a relatively high energy requirement (compared to silicon or Si) to knock an atom’s electron from a valence band (e.g. – insulator) to a conduction band (e.g. – conductor). semiconducting devices When it comes to an electronically-controlled switch, users want a material that has a high breakdown electric field (e.g....

The replacement of the internal combustion engine (ICE) by the electric motor is touted as key in reducing pollution from automobiles, but the trend isn’t confined to the road: converting diesel locomotives to electric or hybrid operation is also attracting much attention as a means to combat global warming. maintenance, and reliability For locomotives, switching to electric power has multiple benefits, including a reduction in NOx emissions, noise levels, and fuel consumption, improved...

From driving LEDs to powering laptops and smart consumer devices, high-efficiency power supplies are a must to minimize power losses and optimize performance. Inefficient power supplies have higher internal power dissipation, which translates into heat. Removing unwanted heat from the unit translates into additional cost, bigger size, lower reliability, and a decrease in the overall performance of the electronic system. thermal management As systems get more powerful and compact, optimal ther...

Data is at the heart of modern railway infrastructure. Both freight and passenger trains require robust communications to transfer location data between rolling stock systems, between trains, and between trains and control centers. Furthermore, modern passenger trains are equipped with convenience and entertainment functions such as internet access, information display screens, charging sockets, and vending machines. Wireless standards Due to the variety of these use cases, railway networks u...

Even after a legacy of supporting technologies, energy harvesting (the ability to scavenge energy from any source that physics affords us) has only graduated from emerging to emerging. This can be attributed to the drastic reduction in system power budgets resulting from Moore’s law and MEMS.  Can users imagine an entire sensor network, processor, and wireless communication (including a display!) with a system power budget of only a few milliwatts? Users no longer have to. Waste vs....

Plug & Play designs save time and costs for system designers and are common in many application areas. But until now, these designs have been absent from the demanding railway market. RECOM simplifies railway power system design with a new DC/DC family that meets all standard railway requirements right out of the box. plug & play means in railway 'Plug & Play' is a term that is used in various fields to describe a product that meets all the requirements for operating an applic...

RECOM is excited to announce the release of a new range of DC/DC converters for E-mobility applications. RMOD500-W With the push for zero-emission transport, electric propulsion is the ideal solution for off-highway vehicles and they invariably require DC/DC converters to generate isolated auxiliary power rails from the traction battery. The compact and cost-effective RMOD500-W range introduced is perfect for the application as the products are IP67-rated, fully sealed against moisture and du...

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a buzzword associated with everything nowadays, from condition-monitoring systems for preventive maintenance to smart, self-powered labels for tracking assets including all commercial and industrial widgets. This piece of content is a concerted effort to separate the wheat from the chaff by identifying terminology and application opportunities to focus on the power perspective of IoT and help understand how a power-centric mindset can be applied at various levels...

When approaching a project, system designers must take into consideration time to market, overall bill of materials (BOM) cost, and in-house capabilities to design and manufacture when choosing between buying a complete off-the-shelf power supply unit (PSU) or building it in-house. Take a look at the challenges of in-house power supply design and how the manufacturers can help. When approaching a project, system designers must choose whether to buy a complete off-the-shelf power supply unit (PS...

RECOM's low-cost, high-efficiency, RPY-1.5Q AEC-Q100 automotive-qualified LED driver is now available in a thermally-enhanced QFN package with an integrated shielded inductor and optional ‘wettable flanks’. This feature allows Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) of solder joints, as demanded by automotive customers, avoiding the need for costly and slow X-ray inspection. AEC-Q100 qualification The product is just 3 x 5 x 1.6 mm but can provide a precision programmable constant curr...

RECOM's new RPX-0.5Q and RPX-1.5Q are qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade 1 requirements, opening up more options for automotive applications, as well as providing an extra level of confidence for use of the products in other high-reliability areas, such as industrial, medical, and IT infrastructure. Designated RPX-0.5Q and RPX-1.5Q, the DC/DCs respectively supply 0.5 A and 1.5 A from an input up to 36 V with a trimmable output from 0.8 V to 30 V. RECOM’s 3D-Power Packaging The products now inc...

DC/DC converters are now common in automotive applications at a range of power levels. Parts must comply with AEC-Q standards for quality and stress tests and automotive customers may also require additional features such as ‘inspectable’ solder joints. This article discusses the issue and the solutions available. mobile data center It has been said that the modern car is a mobile data center, and EVs add in industrial-scale electrical power handling, battery charging, and mot...

EV chargers are becoming ubiquitous so much so that now legislation requires new domestic and industrial buildings to include charging points. While the main power conversion technology is an area of intense innovation, there is also a need for low-power auxiliary AC/DC and DC/DC converters. This article looks at the specifications these low-power auxiliary converters need to meet. The uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in all of their forms has really taken off. As many as 6.75 millio...

There are numerous informative articles on the operational temperature range of electronic components and sub-assemblies, but relatively few on storage temperatures. The datasheets of most manufacturers either show the same storage temperature range as the maximum possible operating temperatures (e.g. 0°C to +85°C) or use the “standard industrial” values of -40°C to +100°C, non-operating and without further explanation. risks and factors However, to correctly store...

Worldwide electricity use is responsible for a quarter of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, by taking simple steps companies and consumers can cut down the usage of electricity–especially coming from burning coal or gas–to save billions of dollars while reducing millions of tons of CO2 emissions. These changes include replacing toxic fluorescent and inefficient incandescent light bulbs with LED lamps that use significantly less electricity, using energy-efficient appliance...

Homecare medical devices have to potentially withstand more challenging and uncontrolled conditions than those used in the clinical environment. This article looks at the standard that applies to electrical equipment safety, its particular requirements, and the way they can be met with off-the-shelf products. impact on lifestyle Statistics say that users are all living longer (on average), with the best figure achieved by Japanese women at over 87 years, based on 2019 data. Ironically, th...

Despite the attractive incentives offered by governments around the world and the advantages of driving electric vehicles (EVs), the growth has been rather sluggish in the last few years. Plus, the COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated the situation, pioneering to a higher-than-ever consumer demand for EVs without the stock to support it. While there are several causes contributing to this slump in supply, four major factors affecting the sale of EVs are high cost, range limitations, infrastr...

A smart city implements the Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology to interconnect buildings, resources, and data, to create an efficient, adaptive, and more environment-friendly ecosystem for its citizens. Many interlocking technologies make a smart city, but the main sectors are as follows: Smart Buildings Smart Energy Smart Mobility Smart Data As a power supply manufacturer of efficient, compact power supplies, RECOM is well-positioned to support the smart technologies that go into the...

OVC III, power-dense AC/DC modules feature a wide input range and high isolation. RECOM has added a 20W part to its ‘E-K’ range of encapsulated, PCB-mount AC/DC modules, the RAC20E-K/277. Even though it is economically designed, the series is dimensionally of the same size as the existing 20W at just 52.7 mm x 27.6 mm footprint, but with a different pinning that is compatible with further industry standards. It also features full load operation over a very wide input range of 85&nda...

RECOM has announced the launch of their RAC10E-K/277 series of board-mount AC/DC encapsulated modules, rated at 10W in a compact 1.8 x 1 inch (45.7 x 25.4mm) footprint. Part of the RECOM ‘Economy’ series, the modules are available with single 3.3, 5, 12, 15, and 24V fully regulated outputs and with a wide input range that includes nominal 100, 115, 240, and 277VAC (120 – 430VDC).  Applications and Compliance The parts are particularly suitable for harsh electrical envir...

RECOM offers over 25,000 standard portfolio DC/DC and AC/DC products, but still at times, a non-standard converter is needed. This article explores the difference between modified standard, semi-custom, and custom power converters. One of the reasons RECOM has the broadest power converter portfolio in the industry is the sheer number of variations available within our standard product range. DC/DC converter series Overall, for this one DC/DC converter series, there are well over 2000 permutat...

RECOM offers fully custom, semi-custom, and modified-standard AC/DC and DC/DC converters from low power up to kilowatts. RECOM is known globally for its cost-effective AC/DC and DC/DC converters, with a wide range of standard products from 0.25W up to tens of kW. It may be less well-known that it also manufactures full-custom, semi-custom, and modified-standard products. semi-custom designs RECOM's engineering teams in China, Taiwan, Austria, and Italy have extensive experience in product dev...

RECOM announces a high-efficiency baseplate-cooled 500W DC/DC for rail applications. RMD500-EW series The latest addition to RECOM’s railway portfolio is the RMD500-EW series. Featuring a 500W rating with a wide 4:1 (43-154VDC) input range (170V peak) and 24V output, the product is suitable for nominal 72V and 110VDC inputs with tolerance and surges according to EN 50155. The RMD500-EW is designed for ‘plug and play’ use with all features required by EN 50155 including rever...

Advanced packaging techniques have facilitated power conversion and power management solutions with the ability to take advantage of many state-of-the-art (SOTA) technologies and integrate them into highly dense, integrated components. Three-dimensional power packaging (3DPP) allows for the best of these technologies to contribute to size, weight, and power with cost (SWaP-C) optimization, while still taking advantage of the access to commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions. Getting the best...

A ‘hack’ is a clever or elegant solution that uses something for a purpose for which it was not originally intended, usually for fun, but also more seriously to offer a solution that otherwise would not have been possible, but how can they ‘hack’ something as basic as a DC/DC converter module? This article will use the example of an isolated gate driver power supply to show four possible DC/DC converter ‘hacks’ that could be used for many other applications....

RECOM has extended its range of AC/DC open-frame power supplies with the RACM600-L series. The module can deliver 400/450W (115/230VAC) with convection cooling while 600W is available with continuously forced airflow. The product features a universal 80-275VAC input and a single 24V output, adjustable ±20%, rated at 25A. A standby output at 5V/0.5A is also available. IEC 62368-1 for IT The RACM600-L is designed for reliable and cost-effective operations in high-availability application...