Reliable DIN Rail Power Supplies are Made for Today’s Industries

Industrial operations of all kinds—including discrete and process manufacturing, renewable energy systems, telecommunications, and IT infrastructure—need a stable and reliable power supply. Power supply units (PSUs) provide this capability by taking a voltage input (AC or DC) and converting it into the required form and voltage output that systems need to work.

Criteria for PSUs and DIN rail converters

Today’s AC/DC converters need to be safe, cost-effective, energy-efficient, reliable, and significantly smaller than their predecessors. In addition to working with highly inductive or capacitive loads, industrial-grade AC/DC power supply converters must withstand severe AC input surges generated by heavy machinery being switched on and off. They also need to accommodate a wide operating range of temperature and input voltage.

Deutsche Institut für Normung (DIN) rail PSUs, which power the relays, actuators, valves, and monitoring/control systems, meet these criteria.

The electric power converter mounts onto a DIN rail, which is a standardized metal channel that can be cut into convenient lengths and bolted into racks or on walls (Figure 1).

Figure 1: A typical DIN rail installation (Image source: RECOM)

While the DIN rail PSU offers a number of advantages, the conditions under which they operate require a suite of additional special features. They need a long operating life because they usually work in continuous operation mode, even when a production line is shut down. They also require high efficiency—both under load and when idling—to save energy and minimize internal heat emission. In addition, they need protection against undervoltage and overvoltage fluctuations, power surges, short circuits, overloads, and excess temperatures.

The RACPRO1 Series chassis-mountable LED AC/DC power supplies are industrial DIN rail PSUs from RECOM Power that meet the above features and more. Their operating temperature ranges from -40°C to +70°C with full power output up to +60°C, and a power boost of 150% for 5 seconds. Their energy consumption remains minimal during standby due to their reduced no-load power consumption, which ranges from 1 to 3 watts depending upon the supply output power.

Additional advantages of the DIN rail system

The standardized mounting of DIN rail enables rapid and easy assembly as a PSU can simply snap onto a rail without the need for any tools. The DIN rail saves space and design engineers can pack a lot of standard-sized equipment densely into a small area.

In addition, DIN Rail has evolved over the years to factor in the changing sizes of electrical components. The widths and sizes of the channels fit today’s PSUs, which means design engineers can easily choose the PSUs required to configure complex systems and have them fit into the standardized space. Additionally, DIN rails can host different types of components together, so power supplies for many machines can be configured efficiently, often on the same metal strip.

Selecting the right DIN rail PSU

Complex industrial automation systems may require a range of PSUs to accommodate their power needs. The selection will depend on various factors, including electrical specifications such as the input and output voltage ranges and the maximum current required..

The RACPRO1 series from RECOM Power (Figure 2) is a set of DIN Rail PSUs with conversion from both AC and DC input voltages. For example, the RACPRO1-T240, -T480, and -T960 series feature a universal AC and DC input voltage range from 3 x 320 V_AC to 3 x 575 V_AC, and 430 V_DC to 850 V_DC. They are available in power classes of 240 W, 480 W, and 960 W. The load indicators on the T480 and T960 allow quick determination of the percentage of the rated output current being drawn. Both units enable selection between a constant current (CC) mode for tasks like battery-charging applications and a load-sharing mode for parallel operation.

Figure 2: The RACPRO1-T240, -T480, and -T960 feature a universal AC and DC input voltage range from 3 x 320 V_AC to 3 x 575 V_AC and 430 V_DC to 850 V_DC, and are available in power classes of 240 W, 480 W, and 960 W. (Image source: RECOM)

The RACPRO1-T power supplies achieve up to 97.1% efficiency, allowing for high power density in a compact design. They are available in widths of 43 mm, 52 mm, and 80 mm. They have low power losses and offer a service life exceeding 80,000 hours.

They also have surge immunity up to 6 kV at their input and reverse voltage protection over 35 V at their output. Their extended temperature range of -40°C to +70°C makes them ideal for harsh industrial settings and outdoor applications.

In addition, the RECOM RACPRO1 DIN rail mount power supplies incorporate two separate flue channels that take advantage of the chimney effect to offer 100% power operation at up to +60°C ambient temperature. The chimney effect occurs when a vertical column of warm air rises, creating a natural draft that can significantly lower the internal temperature of hot components.

RACPRO1-4SP e-Fuse series

Also under the RACPRO umbrella is the RACPRO1-4SP series, which comprises 4-channel electronic fuse (e-Fuse) load switches designed to provide independent overcurrent protection for each channel (Figure 3). These include real-time current monitoring and LED status indicators to simplify diagnostics. Each channel operates independently, ensuring system reliability even when faults occur. The design incorporates sequential power-up to limit inrush current and reverse-sequence shutdown to prioritize essential loads. Adjustable overload modes allow for flexible system configuration.

Figure 3: The RACPRO1-4SP series are 4-channel e-Fuse load switches with independent overcurrent limit control and real-time output current indication. (Image source: RECOM)

The RACPRO1 e-Fuses support 5 A or 10 A per channel, with a 150% power boost for up to five seconds to handle temporary load surges. For short-duration overcurrent events, they can sustain 150% overload for up to 120 ms, reducing unnecessary tripping. The series ensures high reliability with a >80,000 hour lifetime expectancy at +40°C, offers streamlined installation with tool-free push-in terminals, and has paired input/output connectors which makes wiring and daisy chaining across multiple modules quick and efficient.

Applications for the RACPRO1 Series

The RACPRO1 series finds use in a wide range of applications, including:

• Industrial automation and smart manufacturing
• Renewable energy and microgrids
• Infrastructure, traffic engineering, and smart cities
• Power distribution and battery storage systems
• Test and measurement equipment

Conclusion

Today’s industrial processes require a complex set of power supplies for equipment with wide ranging current and voltage requirements. As industrial automation incorporates a greater number of sensors, power supplies must be able to work within constrained spaces and rugged environments. The RACPRO1 series from RECOM meets these demanding challenges and efficiently supplies reliable and consistent power to keep systems running.