SmartEgg PFC architecture achieves 95% efficiency with minimal BOM

The SmartEgg 240W PD 3.1 EVB has a peak efficiency above 95% and operates at over 90% efficiency from light load to full load. A single stage that combines zero voltage switching (ZVS) power factor correction (PFC) and quasi-forward isolated regulation significantly reduces bill of materials (BOM) and size of key components (including storage capacitors and magnetics) compared to traditional PFC+LLC and PFC+Asymmetric Half-Bridge (AHB) architectures. The result is a platform that delivers light-load energy savings of up to 50%, achieves a power density of 21.9W/in3 (1.34W/cm3) to support extremely compact charger designs and, most importantly, dramatically reduces BOM cost.

Based on Eggtronic’s innovative SmartEgg AC/DC architecture, the new EVB incorporates proprietary mixed-signal, low-power EPIC (Eggtronic Power Integrated Controller) 2.0 IC controllers and features built-in protection against overpower, overvoltage, overtemperature, short circuits, and brownouts. EPIC, which is based on a 32-bit RISC-V core and a rich set of high-performance digital and analog peripherals, incorporates a flexible internal structure that supports multiple independent control loops of both standard and proprietary power conversion architectures.

“Users of laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other power-hungry devices with a USB-C interface expect small, lightweight, high-power-density technologies that minimise charge time while saving money as cost is always a key driver in the choice of the power converters,” says Eggtronic CEO and Founder, Igor Spinella. “The new SmartEgg 240W PD 3.1 EVB helps engineers to address these demands in the shortest possible time and with the smallest number of low-cost components.”

Supplied as a dual-port module, the SmartEgg 240W PD 3.1 EVB can be quickly modified for any number of charging ports thanks to the flexibility of the EPIC 2.0 controller, which supports many slave buck converters, each acting as a standalone port. Because the master EPIC IC on the secondary side adjusts all the charging cases by distributing the power needed to each port or allocating the full power to a single port via I2C communication, the power sharing behaviour can be customised.