Evaluation board unveiled for high-performance and low-BOM wireless power

Eggtronic has released a high-performance 30W wireless charger evaluation board that will speed the prototyping and development of ultra-high-efficiency, low-component-count wireless power transfer applications for electric bikes and scooters, home appliances, industrial tools, drones, and domestic robots.

Based on a reference design that combines the company's EPIC (Eggtronic Power Integrated Controller) IC with a proprietary conversion architecture, the new evaluation board enables engineers to create applications that deliver efficiency levels comparable to conventional wired AC/DC power supplies. Advanced safety features include FOD (Foreign Object Detection) and safeguards against OPP (Over Power Protection), OVP (Over Voltage Protection), OCP (Overcurrent Protection), OTP (Over Temperature Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection), and BOP (Brown Out Protection) provide reliable and safe operation in a diverse range of environments.

The high-performance wireless charger board provides a continuous 30W output power with direct AC input, eradicating the necessity for external adapters. It supports CC/CV battery charging and achieves overall efficiency exceeding 82% (from the AC input on the transmitter side to the DC output on the receiver side) and above 91% DC-to-DC/coil-to-coil efficiency at 30W. This performance surpasses existing wireless power solutions and aligns with conventional corded AC/DC adapters, yet the BOM is significantly lower, ensuring optimum cost efficiency. Performance can be further improved – exceeding other wireless power solutions and even most existing corded AC/DC adapters – by selecting the company's options for maximum performance, such as GaN FETs and semi-active input bridge rectifier architectures.

"As manufacturers seek sustainable and efficient power solutions, Eggtronic's high-performance wireless charger architectures offer a cost-effective transformative alternative to conventional wired adapters," says Eggtronic founder and CEO Igor Spinella. "The new evaluation board based on our innovative reference design showcases our commitment to pushing the boundaries of wireless power technology, setting new standards for efficiency and performance at the same time as reducing component count and cost."

At the heart of the new board is the EPIC IC technology. Integrated into the transmitter and receiver sides of the design, the mixed-signal, low-power controller with a 32-bit RISC-V core and a rich set of analog and digital peripherals allows multi-mode operation and enables the integration of multiple functions. This integration reduces the BOM by minimising the number of ICs required, improving cost-effectiveness and simplifying product development.

The EPIC IC's ability within a single device is unique to the company's approach to managing AC/DC conversion on the transmitter side and overseeing receiver-side functions such as battery charging. This streamlined architecture improves efficiency and enhances reliability by minimising energy losses through ZVS-ZCS (zero voltage switching, zero current switching) under different load conditions thanks to proprietary firmware control algorithms.

The new board is based on a series-resonance wireless power transfer, which can be compatible with the Qi standard. When Qi compatibility is not needed, and higher power transfer is required, designers can choose to deploy the company's E2WATT proprietary architecture, which integrates AC/DC and DC/AC stages into a single, highly efficient solution. Operating with up to 92% efficiency and delivering up to 300W, it delivers all the benefits of wireless power transmission with performance comparable to top-tier wired AC adapters while lowering active and passive component counts by 50%.