|
From: "Richard Fassler" <[email protected]>
Mr. Milton Brown Office of the Chief Counsel National Telecommunications and Information Administration 1401 Constitution Avenue, Room 4713 Washington, DC 20230 FAX: 202-501-8013
RE: Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for Digital-to-Analog (DTA) converter boxes
Dear Mr. Brown:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed implementation and administration of a coupon program for Digital-to-Analog converter boxes. I understand that you are considering applying a minimum energy efficiency criterion to the eligible DTA devices and are asking for specific information from which to develop your policy. Power Integrations manufactures high-voltage semiconductor ICs for AC-DC power conversion. Our chips are used in consumer products, white goods, computer products and cell phones.
There are two basic power architectures commonly in use - linear power supplies and switch mode power supplies. Linear power supplies tend to be inefficient and recent regulation activity in California, Washington, Oregon, Australia, China, and EU countries restricts or bans their use for new products with external adapters. Switch mode power supplies are very much more efficient during operation - 80% is common for switchers compared to 50% for linear power supplies. This means that in a typical DTA, if a switcher is used, only 20% of the energy will be wasted. If a linear is used, the same amount of energy will be wasted as will be consumed by the circuitry inside the DTA box. We help consumer product companies to meet the efficiency regulations of each of the regions by providing ICs for their switch mode power supplies.
A second measure of efficiency that is often quoted is the "standby" power required from a system when it is off and waiting for user input. A DTA will spend much of its time in this mode. Switch mode power supplies can be made to be very efficient at low power levels - 740mW output for 1W input is typical and easy to achieve. Power Integrations has developed an algorithm that we brand as EcoSmart that permits this high efficiency in standby mode. Our competitors have similar technology in their chips also. The algorithm takes no space in the silicon and is therefore "free" to the user. In a typical set top box or DVD player, the customer savings from EcoSmart can amount to $3 to $5 per year in saved energy.
There are many power supply designs that conform to the California Energy Commission's external power supply specifications for efficiency and no-load energy use. The momentum behind those regulations and the accompanying 1W standby movement in geographies around the world helps to focus innovation and provides a clear target for developers. Power Integrations can support system developers with power supply designs should you elect to adopt CEC efficiency specifications and a 1W standby specification for the DTA project.
Sincerely,
Rich Fassler Director of Product Marketing Power Integrations 5245 Hellyer Avenue San Jose, CA 95138 |