August 12, 2019 by David Rutland
Vox Power’s revolutionary VCCM600 is the world’s first conduction cooled power supply. This means that heat generated through its operation can be transferred directly to any comparatively cooler material upon contact.
This makes the VCCM600 ideal for applications in medical settings where noise from machinery can disturb patients and their sleep patterns (sometimes even to the point of necessitating the use of earplugs at night).
However, the power supply can be configured to use forced air cooling or convection in settings where noise is not an important factor, or where a cooler surface on which to mount the VCCM600 is not available. The unit is able to shed up to 600 500 W through convection, and uses only 1 watt when in standby mode.
In addition to its said 600 W output, Vox Power’s power supply is capable of sustaining a peak output of up to 750 W for up to 5 seconds.
As it isn't reliant on fans, there are few potential modes of failure due to mechanical breakdown; however, the company warns in its user manual that surfaces of the device can become extremely hot during operation. Power output and current are de-rated at above 85°C, dropping to 0.5°C at a maximum temperature of 105°C.
The VCCM600 series power supply from Vox Power. Image courtesy of Vox Power.
Complementing its intended use in hospital settings, the VCCM600 is also approved to the latest medical safety and EMC standards and features market-leading specifications and design in application support.
The VCM600 can reach up to 92% efficiency, and it facilitates a wide variety of other applications—whose conditions range from the most controlled environments to the harshest of conditions (consider test and measurement and military uses, for instance). This allows electrical engineers and designers complete control over their power requirements in any environment.
Although conduction is the most widely-used method of heat transfer in electronic systems, power supplies that are capable of using conduction as the sole means of shedding heat are unusual. This is because, as more power is generated, the amount of heat that needs to be dissipated grows in tandem.
As the physical size of power supplies decreases, there is less surface available for heat to be transferred away to another medium. The enclosure for Vox Power’s unit is only 4 inches by 7 inches, and the VCM600 can supply power to up to 4 separate appliances through 4 configurable isolated outputs (of up to 150 W each) in either series or parallel arrangement.
The VCCM600 series work as standalone power supplies and can also be linked together in series or parallel to create a truly standalone power solution.
The system is modular, meaning that additional components can be added as required. Accessories, also designed and built by Vox Power, can be added to both increase its utility and customise each unit for the user’s intended purpose. Consider, for instance, additional heat sinks, quick-connect terminals, transformers, and evaluation kits.
