ICEpower AUX-plant / ICEbricks / DC/DC converter

The AUX-plant is the first of ICEbricks power plants and a very powerful and versatile DC/DC converter. It is built on the same concept as the Engine-400 – i.e. using the multilayer PCB as a heat sink, but here also as inductor winding embedded in one of the layers. It is very versatile in that the VA+/- outputs can be referenced to whatever supply rail you wish (usually GND in a single-ended amplifier and or VS- in a single supply full-bridge). VA+ can deliver more than 1 A and if paralleled with VDR, up to 1.5 A at +15 V. The output voltages can also be trimmed with an external resistor in the range between 10-15V. The control loop on the AUX-plant has been built discretely with a matched differential pair in order to maintain a low noise behaviour (approximately 30 uVrms) even at low powers down to below 1 W. There is also no integrator in the loop which means it starts nicely without overshoots. The outputs can handle a large span of capacitance so you are free to experiment. The AUX-plant can provide enough auxiliary power to drive up to 16 Engine-400 amplifier modules.

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Building with the bricks

The ICEbricks, by themselves, do not offer the plug-and-play functionality most of our amplifier modules offer. However, in exchange, they provide you with maximum design freedom, without having to deal with complex switch mode electronics design. Looking at the five rail supply requirements for the Engine-400 might be daunting. This is where the AUX-plant comes to play; this DC/DC converter is specifically designed to supply the VA+/- and VDR voltages from your main supply to the Engine-400. The ICEbrick motherboard is the plug-and-play solution. Combining two Engine-400's, one AUX-plant, storage capacitors, supervision, balanced input buffers and connectors to connect it to a +/- DC-source. It is the fastest and most convenient way of testing the performance of a system built on ICEbricks products.

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Highlights

Very versatile input voltage range

High efficiency with very low idle consumption lead to no need for a heat sink

< 600 mW idle consumption and high efficient design

Very small size and no need for an external heatsink

Simple mounting through wave soldering

Easy mechanical integration

Clever design, having few components

Robust design

Output power of 20W continuous and 30W peak

Very powerful and versatile AUX-plant being very small in size