In the field of power electronics, designing magnetics for high-efficiency, compact power converters are critical. CamGan Devices collaborated with Frenetic to optimize the magnetics for their 300W Totem Pole PFC and Half-Bridge LLC Converter Reference Design. Through a combination of Frenetic Simulator and Design & Support Service, the design was completed live with the customer, showcasing the accuracy of Frenetic’s simulation tools and the reliability of hardware performance.

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Challenge

Designing magnetics for a 300W Totem Pole PFC and Half-Bridge LLC converter

CamGan Devices required an optimized magnetic design for their 300W Totem Pole PFC and Half-Bridge LLC converter, targeting high efficiency and thermal management in a compact form factor. The challenge was to design the PFC inductor, LLC transformer, and LLC inductor with a height smaller than 19 mm and free convection.

One of the key aspects was ensuring that the design met performance goals under demanding high-frequency switching conditions while maintaining a small footprint and minimizing heat generation.

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Solution

Through Frenetic, iteration was fast using Core Optimizer and Leakage Inductance Models

CamGan Devices turned to Frenetic Simulator for magnetic component simulations. The components, including the PFC inductor, LLC transformer, and LLC inductor, were designed and simulated live during sessions with the customer, showcasing how Frenetic’s tools could quickly provide real-time feedback on design choices.

Using Frenetic Simulator, the following key tasks were accomplished:

• Leakage Inductance Prediction: Accurate prediction of leakage inductance to optimize the transformer's performance and take the right trade-off between having an integrated or non-integrated transformer.

• Core and Winding Optimization: Using the Core Optimizer, Frenetic evaluated multiple core and winding configurations to come up with the smallest and most efficient core and winding.

• Thermal Management: The accurate Temperature & Winding losses models ensured that the magnetic components would maintain an optimal temperature along the whole operating range.

A comparative analysis was done between simulation results and real hardware measurements, confirming the accuracy of Frenetic’s simulation tools. This significantly reduced the time required for iterations and allowed CamGan to move quickly from design to prototype.

Results

Optimized magnetics for a 300W universal input offline power supply made out with a 300W totem-pole PFC and half-bridge LLC

The collaboration between CamGan Devices and Frenetic resulted in a high-efficiency, compact design for the 300W converter. The components designed through Frenetic Online performed as expected, with simulation results closely matching the hardware performance.

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