Do you need a MPS power supply?
Using an off the shelf power supply can be useful due to the reduced cost of mass-produced parts and testing such as for MIL-STD only needing to be conducted once. The manufacturing cost per unit is directly related to the scale of production, inventory overheads and MIL-STD testing that takes weeks to perform and a small fortune due to the number of tests, destructive testing of products and the time needed to run each test. Furthermore, if a new design fails it all has to be done again with a revised design at the expense of the company and products unit cost.
A Light modification MIL power supply is designed in a modular way to enable customization to be achieved for a customers requirements without extensive and costly testing to ensure it is up to MIL-STDs. This is a great solution for optimizing a design with modifications that are approximately 20% of the total design. Many clients will want to reduce the weight of the MPS power supply and take out things such as I/O that will never be used or due to a continuing change in features every two years in such products want to update an existing product to become in line with market requirements. By using a MPS power supply MIL-STD testing does not have to be continually conducted making the product cost effective.
Additionally, a MPS power supply allows a client to use already field proven modular designs that they can trust to give to their customers. This should not be underrated as many companies that need a power supply solution will not know if their solution that has been outsourced will actually work on arrival; this can make or break a company. In addition to getting products that may overheat or fail early in the field, the underlying profit and damaged reputation can be a difficult challenge to overcome.
Using a light modification MIL power supply as a solution gives you the best of both worlds from the reliability that has already been proven in a design to a more performant solution to an off the shelf alternative.
In addition to changing the I/O ports of the device, you can also have a light modification MIL power supply mechanical properties changed to suit the needs of the customer. Extreme ambient temperatures may pose an issue for some clients however a light modification MIL power supply can be adapted to be more performant in these conditions with things such as infrared coatings added to the outside of the case.
If the light modification MIL power supply needs to work in environments where high vibration forces or shock may stop it working, cases can be fitted with passive damping systems and external cages to help ensure the system stays intact. Along with weight another key requirement often asked for is the ability to fit an existing system form factor. As cases utilize the same technology to seal them this can be easily accommodated by changing the shape of the case to fit the clients’ requirements. Note that as this is changed it is normal for some thermal simulations and thermal testing to prove the system is thermally stable before being rolled out to the customer.
Summary
If an off the shelf power supply is not going to provide a good fit for your need, then perhaps a light modification MIL power supply will better accommodate your needs. Giving you flexibility without the cost of MIL-STD testing or the increased lead time to new product introduction to the market palace.
