NEWSFLASHDecember2003.docVIP

NEWS FLASH December 2003 Focus: DC-to-DC Converters Jeannette Plante, Editor This issue of E-Flash Spotlight focuses on DC-to-DC converters used in flight hardware. It first provides an overview of a work in progress that will eventually be an electronic designer’s and electronic parts engineer’s guide for successful use of these components in flight hardware. Following that, other projects currently in progress will be discussed that deal with analysis of the issues associated with DC-to-DC converters and documented failures. Three studies done for the NEPP program and one by the CALCE Center at the University of Maryland are profiled. Finally, links for suppliers of space-grade DC-to-DC converters are provided. How DC-to-DC Converters Work DC-to-DC converters are critical items in spacecraft power systems. They accept power from the solar arrays or batteries at a range of voltages depending on the power bus design and mission conditions (typically 24 V to 36 V for many NASA satellites, around 70 V for some commercial satellites, and as high as 125 V for the International Space Station) and deliver voltage regulated outputs at the levels needed by various digital and analog electronics. These converters are voltage-regulated, switching power supplies that employ a variety of mature circuit configurations and are implemented with mature electrical and electronic parts. When the switching component inside of the converter, normally a MOSFET, is turned on and off (at rates from 20 kHz to 500 kHz and higher), voltages are produced at the output from energized capacitive or inductive components in the output stage. This method allows good current delivery with low amounts of loss inside the converter. The ratio of output power to input power is called the efficiency. Efficiency for most switching DC-to-DC converters used in space is between 65% and 80% when the converter is used near its maximum rated output power. The input voltage of DC-to-DC co