An automotive supplier for automation technology was unsatisfied with the low reliability of sealed modules even though they were operated within a specific temperature range. Outages caused dents in the plastic housing.

The reason: defect electrolytic capacitors were being used outside the specifications. Additionally, the capacitor valves were closed off by the socketing and thus could not relieve the pressure. The flyback converter electrolytic capacitors are the parts that are under the most thermal stress in the device. This is why the choice, size, position, temperature class and placement in the device are crucial. Following an analysis of our customer's issues we opted for a more "airy" solution and combined both modules into one unit. With our new output voltage combination of 5 V/ 2A, ±15 V/ 1A and 24 V/ 0.5 A the module could be run reliably at a range from 90 to 230 V_AC over years.