Are Open Standards Redefining Telecom Power?
http://powerelectronics.com/mag/power_open_standar [2008-7-3]
Tag : UL Power Cable
Released in December 2002, the Advanced TelecommunicationsComputing Architecture (ATCA) standard was the first tospecifically target telecommunications. Growing demand for features(VoIP, IMS, FMC) on multiple competitive channels (copper, cable,fiber, WiFi, WiMax) drove the need for an open standard to providegreater innovation and performance, shorter development cycles andreduced cost. The challenge was balancing interoperabilityrequirements with sufficient flexibility to allow innovation.
Although most telecom systems were based on -48-V power sources,vendors typically had their own custom/semi-custom board powersolutions. Many critical details in ATCA were incorporated fromexisting UL, NEB and IEC documents to facilitate compliance withexisting requirements and ease transition to a new architecture.ATCA boards are powered by dual -48-V supplies with a maximum of200 W per board.
AMC.0 (2005), another open standard from PCI Industrial ComputerManufacturers Group (PICMG), defines the advanced mezzanine card(AdvancedMC). Powered by up to 150 mA at 3.3 V and up to 6.7 A at12 V, AdvancedMCs plug into specially designed ATCA“carrier” boards.
These relatively low-cost units could be hot-swapped into carrierboards for upgrades, personalization or repair. To minimize cost,the required hot-swap circuitry was put on the carrier board. Tomaximize available power to the AdvancedMC, the current limit isspecified near the connector's derated limits at a relatively tight±10% tolerance.
A third standard was released in 2006, MTCA (Micro-TCA). Thesesystems use AdvancedMCs plugged directly into a passive backplane.MicroTCA is a smaller, lighter, less-expensive architecture thanATCA with multiple-chassis form factors and scales.
Of particular interest to the power community is the MicroTCA powermodule (PM), which must generate and distribute 16 channels of 12V, and 16 channels of 3.3 V power on a 75-mm × 150-mm module.The source supply could be single or dual ±48 V, ±24 V orline power. The MicroTCA power committee wrestled with power-supplyredundancy and came up with some innovative solutions that are madepractical by digital power technology, and application-specific ICscontrolling AdvancedMCs.
Although still young, these standards have already had an impact.The holdup, ORing and hot-swap requirements of the dual -48-V feedson ATCA boards have resulted in multiple off-the-shelf modules toprovide compliance. Furthermore, several vendors have developedMicroTCA PMs, FPGA-based PM reference designs and ICs to managepower control for AdvancedMCs. This kind of support bodes well forthe standards.
Qualification and deployment of ATCA systems is progressing, butslowly. Reasons include general market conditions, learning cyclesassociated with a new standard and, perhaps most significantly, thehesitancy of telecommunications equipment manufacturers (TEMs) toabandon the tried-and-true in-house architecture for the brand-newpublic-domain architecture.
However, reluctance to adopt an open standard is tempered by thedesire/need to have a seat on the ATCA bus when it takes off. TEMslooking 5 to 10 years down the road do not want to have onlyproprietary solutions when competitors are using an open standard.Another delaying factor is that many ATCA-based solutions arereplacing existing systems. The“no-customer-interruptions” requirement duringswitchover takes time. However, once installed, there will bemultiple competitive suppliers to provide upgrades at reduced cycletimes and costs.
Factors driving adoption are constant calls for improved efficiencyto address rising energy costs and higher thermal densities. Openstandards provide a common target for chassis, IC and othersuppliers. Conversely, the market seems to have a strong pull forMicroTCA and other AdvancedMC-based systems. Many applications haveno incumbent system to replace, making adoption faster. Also, thecost of entry is lower than that of ATCA.
Are these open standards redefining telecom power? To a degree theyalready have. As the momentum grows, suppliers become willing tomake the investment required to provide highly integrated,efficient solutions. Systems designers see more hardware, softwareand ICs supporting the market — and the growth continues.
Released in December 2002, the Advanced TelecommunicationsComputing Architecture (ATCA) standard was the first tospecifically target telecommunications. Growing demand for features(VoIP, IMS, FMC) on multiple competitive channels (copper, cable,fiber, WiFi, WiMax) drove the need for an open standard to providegreater innovation and performance, shorter development cycles andreduced cost. The challenge was balancing interoperabilityrequirements with sufficient flexibility to allow innovation.
Although most telecom systems were based on -48-V power sources,vendors typically had their own custom/semi-custom board powersolutions. Many critical details in ATCA were incorporated fromexisting UL, NEB and IEC documents to facilitate compliance withexisting requirements and ease transition to a new architecture.ATCA boards are powered by dual -48-V supplies with a maximum of200 W per board.
AMC.0 (2005), another open standard from PCI Industrial ComputerManufacturers Group (PICMG), defines the advanced mezzanine card(AdvancedMC). Powered by up to 150 mA at 3.3 V and up to 6.7 A at12 V, AdvancedMCs plug into specially designed ATCA“carrier” boards.
These relatively low-cost units could be hot-swapped into carrierboards for upgrades, personalization or repair. To minimize cost,the required hot-swap circuitry was put on the carrier board. Tomaximize available power to the AdvancedMC, the current limit isspecified near the connector's derated limits at a relatively tight±10% tolerance.
A third standard was released in 2006, MTCA (Micro-TCA). Thesesystems use AdvancedMCs plugged directly into a passive backplane.MicroTCA is a smaller, lighter, less-expensive architecture thanATCA with multiple-chassis form factors and scales.
Of particular interest to the power community is the MicroTCA powermodule (PM), which must generate and distribute 16 channels of 12V, and 16 channels of 3.3 V power on a 75-mm × 150-mm module.The source supply could be single or dual ±48 V, ±24 V orline power. The MicroTCA power committee wrestled with power-supplyredundancy and came up with some innovative solutions that are madepractical by digital power technology, and application-specific ICscontrolling AdvancedMCs.
Although still young, these standards have already had an impact.The holdup, ORing and hot-swap requirements of the dual -48-V feedson ATCA boards have resulted in multiple off-the-shelf modules toprovide compliance. Furthermore, several vendors have developedMicroTCA PMs, FPGA-based PM reference designs and ICs to managepower control for AdvancedMCs. This kind of support bodes well forthe standards.
Qualification and deployment of ATCA systems is progressing, butslowly. Reasons include general market conditions, learning cyclesassociated with a new standard and, perhaps most significantly, thehesitancy of telecommunications equipment manufacturers (TEMs) toabandon the tried-and-true in-house architecture for the brand-newpublic-domain architecture.
However, reluctance to adopt an open standard is tempered by thedesire/need to have a seat on the ATCA bus when it takes off. TEMslooking 5 to 10 years down the road do not want to have onlyproprietary solutions when competitors are using an open standard.Another delaying factor is that many ATCA-based solutions arereplacing existing systems. The“no-customer-interruptions” requirement duringswitchover takes time. However, once installed, there will bemultiple competitive suppliers to provide upgrades at reduced cycletimes and costs.
Factors driving adoption are constant calls for improved efficiencyto address rising energy costs and higher thermal densities. Openstandards provide a common target for chassis, IC and othersuppliers. Conversely, the market seems to have a strong pull forMicroTCA and other AdvancedMC-based systems. Many applications haveno incumbent system to replace, making adoption faster. Also, thecost of entry is lower than that of ATCA.
Are these open standards redefining telecom power? To a degree theyalready have. As the momentum grows, suppliers become willing tomake the investment required to provide highly integrated,efficient solutions. Systems designers see more hardware, softwareand ICs supporting the market — and the growth continues.
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