In applications where sealed enclosures are essential, thermal management is one of the biggest design challenges.
In this blog, we explain how baseplate cooling offers a simple, robust, and cost-effective method to remove heat from power supplies operating in harsh environments.
Overview
Sealed enclosures protect electronics but complicate thermal management
Convection cooling and over-rating become impractical at higher power levels
Baseplate cooling provides a reliable, low-maintenance heat removal path
Discrete designs improve efficiency, EMC performance, and thermal optimization
How do you ensure reliable power in challenging conditions?
Rugged, environmentally resilient power supplies are essential beyond military applications. Telecommunications base stations, smart electricity grids, and industrial systems often operate in exposed or remote locations, requiring continuous, reliable operation with minimal maintenance. Sealed enclosures protect sensitive electronics from dust and moisture but make heat removal a significant challenge.
The limits of convection cooling
One common approach is to over-rate convection-cooled power supplies. For example, a unit rated for full output at 50°C may deliver only half its power at 70°C, requiring a larger supply to meet higher loads. While workable at low power, this method quickly becomes inefficient and impractical for high-power systems, increasing size, cost, and thermal stress. For many applications in demanding environments, an alternative cooling strategy is required.
Why does baseplate cooling work?
Forced-air cooling is generally unsuitable for sealed enclosures, as fans draw in dust and contaminants. Filters can help but reduce airflow and require maintenance. Baseplate cooling provides a more effective alternative: heat is transferred directly from the power supply to the enclosure or an external heat sink via conduction, eliminating reliance on airflow.
In a baseplate-cooled supply, primary heat-generating components such as switching FETs, diodes, and magnetics are mounted directly to a metal baseplate. Proper thermal design ensures sufficient heat dissipation, avoids hotspots, and maintains safe operating temperatures for sensitive components.
Efficiency is critical as waste heat is directly proportional to losses, so higher efficiency reduces operating temperatures and allows smaller heat sinks. Lower internal temperatures also improve reliability; for example, reducing electrolytic capacitor temperature by 10°C can double expected lifetime.
Advantages of the ASB160 Series
Traditional baseplate-cooled designs often rely on modular DC-DC components, which require extra external circuitry for filtering, power factor correction, and EMC compliance. XP Power’s ASB160 series uses a fully discrete design, optimizing each stage for thermal, efficiency, and EMC performance.
Key benefits include:
Heat-generating components mounted directly on the baseplate, temperature-sensitive components thermally isolated
Even heat distribution to avoid hotspots and improve thermal transfer
EMC and noise compliance engineered into the design (EN55022 Class B)
Compact, adaptable design, maximizing use of available enclosure space and allowing flexible integration
Owning the full circuit design also allows robust protection against mains-borne transients and simplifies thermal optimization, making it easier to meet demanding application-specific requirements.
ASB160 Series: Baseplate-cooled 160W full-brick AC-DC power supplies
Summary
For applications in demanding environments such as industrial automation, baseplate cooling provides a reliable and efficient thermal solution. By conducting heat directly through the baseplate, baseplate-cooled supplies like the ASB160 series deliver high reliability, minimal maintenance, and long operational life.
Modern discrete designs further enhance these benefits by improving efficiency, thermal performance, and EMC compliance while allowing flexible integration into challenging enclosures. Purpose-built for harsh environments, the ASB160 series ensures dependable performance where it matters most.
Discover our reliable, efficient baseplate-cooled 160W full-brick AC-DC power supplies.
Shravan Govindaraj
Shravan Govindaraj is XP Power’s Product Marketing Manager. He has over 7 years of experience in technical sales and product marketing across multiple industries including power supplies, electric motors and HVAC. Shravan joined XP Power in 2022 to develop and implement go-to-market strategies for all XP Power products.
