Enhanced power supply design software supports LED lighting applications
Version 9.0 includes an enhanced schematics-manipulation tool. It also enables designers to upload the resulting BOM from the auto-generated schematic layout to selected, leading design-fulfillment distributors.
PI Expert Suite 9.0 improves the productivity of power supply design teams by greatly reducing the time to first prototype and by slashing the number of prototype iterations required to reach a finished product. The software now includes support for solid-state-lighting products, enabling LED designs to be optimized for CC, dimming and harmonic emissions. As with previous-generations, PI Expert Suite 9.0 generates a complete schematic of the power supply and offers power transformer optimization techniques, even specifying the transformer design and offering links to wound component manufacturers.
A heatsink calculation tool provides the designer with an estimation of the thermal design requirements for a new power supply which may be used to guide layout and mechanical prototyping decisions – avoiding iterations and wasted time. Enhanced PCB layout recommendations based on the IC device and package chosen allow the designer to minimize trace-induced EMI and board area, and also maximize electrical noise immunity and surge tolerance.
Peter Vaughan, director of applications engineering at Power Integrations, said: "LED-lighting engineers face difficult electrical, mechanical and thermal challenges as they continue to develop innovative solid-state-lighting products. PI Expert remains the only comprehensive PSU design tool capable of satisfying the demands of both experienced and new power supply designers alike. With support for our LinkSwitch-PL and LinkSwitch-PH ICs, they can achieve a better, more efficient solution in a shorter time.”
PI Expert Suite 9.0 can be downloaded at www.powerint.com/pi-expert. Transformer prototypes resulting from the use of this software may be ordered through Power Integrations’ Rapid Transformer Sample Service (RTSS); a quick-start guide describing how to create a compatible design file is available at www.powerint.com/rtss