Custom Military Power Supply and Military Converter Design

Wall custom power supply solutions have solved many challenging scenarios where military power supplies and equipment needs to serve in the desert with scorching temperatures or at sea with elements of vibration, salt air, and ocean water. In all cases, we partnered to strategize, design, and deliver power in hardened, encapsulated, and ruggedized equipment. Wall offers an array of screening options to meet both the needs set forth by military standards, and those set by individual customer requirements.

Military ATX Style Supplies
With the need for ruggedized computers comes the need for ruggedized power. Wall Industries has several fully military qualified ATX style DC-DC converters for the mobile military market. These are in form factors including VME, Brick and custom enclosures. They meet full military EMI, shock and vibration standards, as well as incorporating a nuclear event detector that shuts down the power until the event is over allowing the converter to power back up. These military grade DC-DC converters and power supplies are fully tested and qualified.

DC-to-DC Converters
Wall offers one of the most comprehensive custom product capabilities in the power converter industry, with power ranging from 1 watt to 7 kilowatts (kW) and beyond. We offer standard products: high-density designs, complete brick family: 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and full brick. Features include 2:1 and 4:1 input ranges, high efficiencies up to 93 percent, with single and multiple outputs. Additional options include remote on/off, continuous short circuit protection, remote sense, external trim, and sync options.

AC-to-DC Power Supplies
With power ranges from 1 watt to 3 kilowatts (kW) and beyond, these high-reliability power supplies are available in open card, cased, and in some series, encapsulated. Features include universal input, soft start, single and multiple outputs. All open card and cased switchers are agency approved.

GPS Units for Military Vehicles
The United States military needs GPS units in every wheel and track vehicle. Since military vehicles are constantly roving, they require that all communication devices stay in constant current mode. In addition, military specifications require that all electronics do not generate EMI that interferes with defense operations. There is also very limited real estate in each vehicle for additional electronics. Wall Industries designed a compact power supply saving space, providing little EMI interference, and powering the GPS units providing way finding for military men and women. An important feature of this custom power supply is its ability to remain in constant current mode (always on).

The device adapts to a wide variety of airborne platforms. The overall configuration provides significant platform installation and endurance benefits without sacrificing targeting system performance.

Ground Mobile Equipment
This military mobile communication application required more power in a low input voltage application. No converter existed to provide power at this low a voltage. The client needed to produce a communications radio amplifier to communicate via multi-band for an inter-team radio application. Wall Industries designed a low input voltage power supply. Prior to this, the power density did not exist for this application at this input voltage level. The client was able to provide multi-band radios for mobile units.

Navigation Devices
This maritime application required a custom power supply for a self-powered navigation device. These navigation systems include propulsion technology and power-generation systems for ships and submarines, control systems, shipboard launch systems and unmanned semi-autonomous systems. The two key requirements for our customization were that the power supply had to be very small and tested in a ruggedized encasement for thermal ranges. Wall Industries designed a custom power supply that scaled to their navigation system, withstood intense thermal conditions, and could fit securely inside of their ruggedized navigation equipment.

7KW Military Ground Mobile
This military mobile application requires a fully militarized power supply to convert 350VDC to 28VDC. The supply had to be extremely rugged due to the operating environment — specifically shock and vibration. Wall Industries designed a liquid cooled, fully redundant converter that met and passed all mil testing for the application. The custom supply was designed and prototyped to the customer in less than 4 months. Wall’s sophisticated watertight design featured a cooling plate drawing coolant directly from the vehicle radiator and dual output, 28VDC at 200 amps continuous and 14VDC at 100 amps continuous.

DVDB
A manufacturer of embedded vehicle electronic systems required a custom supply for their Digital Vehicle Distribution Box (DVDB) systems. These systems provide hull diagnostics & power distribution, as well as driver video management. Three power supplies were required that offered multiple outputs each (up to 13 outputs on one) and status signals to interface and provide power to the vehicles electronics systems. Wall Industries was able to provide custom supplies that satisfied the requirements form fit and function and were able to meet all the military specifications for EMI, EMC, shock and vibration as well as functionality.

AMPV
A manufacturer of Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPV) required custom power solutions for their new vehicle that would become an essential part of the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). This client was looking for high-density, intelligent converters to be used in their APMVs. Wall Industries was able to design 2 DC/DC converters for this client. The first was a 13-output ruggedized LRU meeting MIL-STD-1275 D input (including initial cranking disturbance). It also met ATPD-2407, MIL-STD-217F notice 2, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-704F and MIL-STD-1474D as well as other non-government specifications. This LRU boasts 13 individual isolated outputs as well as data feedback to the system. The second supply was another ruggedized LRU. This one was a 5-output converter with power sequencing with the same military safety requirements mentioned above.