Allegro's new green BLDC fan drivers reduce data center energy consumption and improve security

     Allegro MicroSystems, a global leader in power and sensing solutions for motion control and energy-efficient systems, announced the introduction of the world's first three-phase BLDC driver IC A89331 with integrated power loss brake (PLB). This code-free, sine-wave sensorless fan driver is designed to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption and data center costs. New PLB capabilities also improve data center security and reduce bill of materials (BoM) costs.

     Andy Wang, Product Line Engineering Manager at Allegro, explains: "We launched the new product A89331 in direct response to the trends and needs of the server market. The A89331 is the smallest, best-performing solution for the server and data center cooling fan markets."

     The A89331 has a unique integrated power-off braking feature that applies braking to improperly operated fans, thereby avoiding excess power consumption while improving thermal efficiency, with the end result of reducing energy consumption and data center costs. When a server fan fails or is damaged, the backflow of air causes it to reverse spin, and other fans must work harder to compensate for the resulting reverse airflow, which increases the power consumption of the system.

     In order to prevent damage to the fan inversion, the traditional solution is to add an external circuit to achieve fan braking, but this solution is not suitable for 1U fan systems. Traditional solutions not only lead to higher BoM costs and lower efficiency, but also require software development and delay the time to market. The A89331 is the world's first and only solution with both three-phase BLDC drive and power off braking in a 1U fan. In addition, Allegro's proprietary code-free drivers do not require software development and validation, and their benefits include higher performance, lower BoM costs, smaller PCB area, lower development costs, and shorter time to market.

     The A89331's integrated power-off braking also stops fan operation immediately in the event of a system power outage, avoiding potential power damage. Wang added: "Of all these advantages of the A89331, the most important is its ability to enable server fans to operate at higher speeds and improve speed control accuracy. The A89331 integrates all the features our customers need to meet market demands and improve product performance and operational efficiency."

     The A89331 is available with trapezoidal wave drive for higher speed (RPM) and is capable of increasing speed accuracy to ± 1.5% at 25 ° C. The maximum input voltage rating is 18V, and the operating temperature range is -40 to 105 ° C, in a 28-pin 5 ×5mm QFN package with bare cooling pad (suffix ES) or a 20-pin TSSOP package with bare cooling pad (suffix LP). These products are lead free and use 100% mist tin electroplated lead frames.