Let us break it down a bit for a better understanding. If you were keen in science class, you probably remember the teacher mentioning that DC stands for direct current. Direct current is a unidirectional flow of electric charge – the direct opposite of AC, alternating current.
Simply put, a defense DC-DC converter is an isolated, thick-film hybrid converter for flight critical applications with extreme temperature requirements. They efficiently produce a regulated DC voltage from a source that may or may not be well controlled to a load that may or may not be constant.
DC-DC Conversion
A DC-DC converter is a type of electronic circuit that takes DC source and converts it from the current voltage into another voltage. Now I know this sounds like describing a word with the word but it’s not quite it.
The conversion sometimes can involve increasing or decreasing the voltage. A perfect example of DC-DC conversion is your portable DVD player. Whenever you are going to work jamming to some music, the player has to draw the power from the car battery.
Now too much power may damage it and too little power may not run it. That is exactly why DC-DC conversion is important. The applications of a military DC DC converter may not be as simple and melodious but the idea is pretty much the same.
They for one need to be ruggedized which leads me to a side note:
Ruggedized Power Supply
A rugged power supply is a form of power supply capable of withstanding a variety of unfavorable environmental conditions – however challenging they may be. This comes in handy in military applications. These power supplies were built to withstand extreme environmental and weather conditions like extreme altitude, temperature, vibrations and shock.
Ruggedized power supplies are related to DC-DC converters in that they themselves are DC-DC converters. Regardless of where these power supplies are being used, their purpose is: provide regulated voltage.
Regardless of the source input, the output should be converted to DC. There are both rugged AC-DC and DC-DC power supply units. Just about all electronics require regulated power supplies to function correctly. Without regulated power supply, large fluctuations can occur delivering unsuitable power needs. Regulating the power maintains steady power supply which prevents outages and avoids overloads.
Using non-rugged power supplies in non-ideal conditions will have you having to provide continual maintenance, deal with breakdowns and downtime of course.
Applications of Rugged Power Supply
Ground Vehicles
A rugged vehicle power supply is useful both in and outside of the military scope. Just about any car needs to withstand a host of climates and environmental conditions. Vehicles often travel over rough terrain through dirt, sand, humid areas and marshy areas. On top of using rugged power supplies, military vehicles need to meet other specific codes and standards.
Aerospace
When it comes to manufacturing power management solutions for the aerospace industry, engineers must consider the effects of altitudes and the accompanying changes in weather.
Just like in ground vehicles, vehicles for military use have to meet other standards and requirements on top of using rugged power supplies.
Shipboards
Ship environments don’t exactly scream optimal conditions for electronic systems with the demanding external conditions. This rules out a significant amount of power supply options but no matter, ruggedized power supply to the rescue. These rather harsh environmental conditions necessitate precision-engineered power management solutions that of course meet the standard Naval requirements.
How a DC-DC Converter Works
Like I had earlier explained, DC-DC converters basically change the voltage, sometimes by increasing it or decreasing it.
Boost converters increase the voltage from a power source. You could have a power source of only 10 V and a boost converter kicks that up to 30V. You typically find these DC-DC boost converters in battery chargers or solar panels.
Bult converters on the other hand are responsible for reducing the voltage from the power supply. Remember the 10 V power supply? A DC-DC bulk converter could trim that down to just 5V. Said trimming down is achieved by increasing the current.
