Flex Power Designer is updated to support Xilinx FPGAs
Included in the extra features in the update of Flex Power Designer software is a reference design tool for Xilinx-based FPGAs.
Flex Power Designer 4.0 also provides further system optimisation and loop compensator features to improve overall power-stage design analysis, says Flex Power Modules. These are intended to help power designers to accelerate time to market.
The latest version of Flex Power Designer provides a load-based design capability that enables a more accessible and accurate load simulation based on the needs of Xilinx FPGAs. Xilinx Power Estimator (XPE) files for the Virtex Ultrascale+ series can now be imported into Flex Power Designer. Once relevant load input data is selected, the software automatically detects potential design issues (for example, addressing transient power requirements). It also suggests suitable parts to deliver optimised power to rails based on performance and cost. This simplifies pre-design, power architecture evaluation and power module device selection.
Other enhancements to Flex Power Designer include a system optimisation feature added to the system view. Starting with a load, it can be used to automatically find suitable products and optimise bus voltage based on several configurable parameters.
There are also two new features for the loop compensator tool. The first is an option to automatically adjust the Vout setpoint to compensate for Vout droop. The other is an option to include Vout accuracy and ripple in load transient plot and optimisation, which allows designers to take into account device tolerances and ripple in load transient simulations.
The upgraded software version 4.0.1 offers extended support for the PMU series of analogue point of load (PoL) regulators.
Flex Power Designer is available to download free of charge.
Flex Power Modules manufactures scalable DC/DC power converters for the data processing, communications, industrial and transportation markets. The company offers a wide range of both isolated and non-isolated solutions and its digitally-enabled DC/DC converters include PMBus compatibility supported by the Flex Power Designer software tool.
