Power electronics in the minicomputer industry

Author

Burns, William W., III ; Kociecki, John

Author_Institution

Data General Corp., Westboro, MA, USA

Volume

76

Issue

4

fYear

1988

fDate

4/1/1988 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

311

Lastpage

324

Abstract

An overview of modern minicomputer power systems is presented. Requirements placed on the power systems by computer loads, power source characteristics, and product market forces are described. A review of the genesis of switching power converter technologies in the minicomputer industry is presented. Based on power and packaging considerations, four distinct types of computers are identified: laptop computers, workstations, rack-mount systems, and superminicomputers. The attributes of each of these types, as they relate to power system requirements, are described, and the power system architectures and technologies which meet these requirements are presented. The basic technologies which are currently being explored as vehicles for meeting new performance goals and product requirements are discussed

Keywords

minicomputers; power supplies to apparatus; computer loads; laptop computers; market forces; minicomputer industry; packaging; power source characteristics; power system architectures; power systems; rack-mount systems; superminicomputers; switching power converter technologies; workstations; Computer architecture; Electronics industry; Microcomputers; Packaging; Portable computers; Power electronics; Power systems; Switching converters; Vehicles; Workstations;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Proceedings of the IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9219

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/5.4418

Filename

4418