Power supplies are traditionally the last sub-system to be specified and the first to be needed for system prototype testing. They are also frequently impacted by late changes elsewhere in the system, whether by the need for more current, or even for additional voltages, and designers have traditionally struggled to balance project budgets and the need for fast time-to-market, where custom designs become inappropriate.

As companies focus on core competences designing PSUs in-house has become less attractive, even when using building-block modules or combining multiple self-contained units. What is needed is a flexible topology that can be configured to customer requirements, using off-the-shelf tested and proven modules, and shipped as a complete sub-system.

This article explores an alternative approach to this problem that simplifies configuration while assuring full agency approvals, even for medical equipment. The result is not a kit of parts but a complete, configured and tested sub-system using versatile packaging to accommodate up to ten outputs and with a wide mix of output voltages and currents.