Power Integrations has introduced support for planar magnetics in its PI Expert Power Supply Design Tool. (Photo: Business Wire)
The design tool is said to quickly generate an application-specific planar transformer design, with full electrical specification and build documentation
October 25, 2022
SAN JOSE, Calif.—A new function in an online design tool is reported to automatically generate optimized power supply designs based on users’ specifications.
Power Integrations, Inc., a supplier of high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, recently introduced the new function in PI Expert™, its powerful online design tool. According to a release from the company, PI Expert now features a planar magnetics builder that generates an application-specific planar transformer design, complete with printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer-ready documentation and Gerber files.
The latest version of PI Expert also includes support for Power Integrations’ entire InnoSwitch™3 flyback switcher IC family, the company said in the release.
“Planar transformers facilitate low-profile flyback power supplies,” said Trevor Hiatt, director of channel marketing at Power Integrations, in the release. “With our new planar magnetics builder, designers can incorporate a sophisticated low-profile transformer in minutes. No other design tool can do this.”
The magnetics designer function in PI Expert is said to provide full planar transformer information, including stack specification, vertical and horizontal PCB construction, trace parameters, current density information, and layer resistance. The tool automatically incorporates user-specified creepage and clearance distances necessary to meet safety isolation standards. An intuitive GUI provides vertical and horizontal stack construction and a bird’s eye view for all layers. The tool also outputs detailed manufacturing information of the planar solution, enabling users to go directly from design to fabrication, the company said.
According to Power Integrations, the tool provides a comprehensive database of planar cores and components to simplify design and can also accept custom core geometries. PI Expert automatically optimizes the planar transformer design to match the power supply specification, incorporating additional winding layers and adjusting trace geometries as appropriate, the company said.
Power Integrations said its products are key building blocks in the clean-power ecosystem, enabling the generation of renewable energy, as well as the efficient transmission and consumption of power in applications ranging from milliwatts to megawatts.
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