Engineered for mission-critical telecom, datacom, railway, industrial automation, and heavy mobility platforms requiring high efficiency, superior thermal performance, and continuous field reliability.
4:1 and 10:1 ultra-wide input voltage ranges (9-75V, 16-160V, 180-400V) built to withstand extreme thermal shock, vibration, and EMI compliance demands.
High input voltage isolated converters optimized for 384V DC datacenter distribution, EV auxiliary systems, and industrial high-voltage DC networks.
Looking for custom pin lengths, non-standard output voltages, or specialized thermal mounting? NetPower provides rapid derivative designs — see Custom Power Solutions.
Compare flagship NetPower Half-Brick (61.0mm x 57.9mm / 2.4in x 2.28in) module series engineered for extreme power density, wide thermal operational margins, and field-proven reliability.
| Series Name | Input Range (Vin) | Output Voltage (Vout) | Power Rating | Peak Efficiency | Thermal Package | Primary Applications | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HKS Series | 36 – 75 VDC | 12V, 28V, 48V | 300W – 600W | 95.8% | Baseplate / Open Frame | Telecom base stations, 48V datacenter power shelves | Send an Inquiry |
| HKE Series | 18 – 75 VDC (4:1) | 5V, 12V, 15V, 24V | 150W – 450W | 94.5% | Encapsulated / Baseplate | Industrial automation, robotics, outdoor machinery | Send an Inquiry |
| HKR Series | 16 – 160 VDC (10:1) | 12V, 24V, 48V | 200W – 500W | 92.5% | Rugged Encapsulated | Railway rolling stock (EN 50155), heavy transportation | Send an Inquiry |
| HKH Series | 180 – 400 VDC | 12V, 24V, 28V, 48V | 400W – 1000W+ | 96.2% | Aluminum Baseplate | 384V DC microgrids, high-voltage bus architectures, EV testing | Send an Inquiry |
| HKW Series | 9 – 36 VDC (4:1) | 12V, 24V, 28V | 200W – 400W | 93.8% | Baseplate Cooled | 12V/24V battery systems, defense, mobile communications | Send an Inquiry |
Optimized for 48V intermediate bus architectures (IBC) requiring tight output regulation, high transient response, and minimal footprint.
Designed for rail rolling stock systems subjected to wide battery fluctuations, voltage spikes, and mechanical vibration.
High power density modules stepping down high-voltage DC distribution buses directly to 12V or 28V point-of-load sub-systems.
An in-depth evaluation of mechanical standardized footprints, planar magnetic integration, thermal conduction dynamics, and trade-offs against Quarter-Brick and Full-Brick modules.
In modern power system design, balancing physical volume, conversion efficiency, and thermal dissipation is a constant challenge for power supply engineers. While smaller form factors such as Quarter Brick (57.9mm x 36.8mm) and Eighth Brick (57.9mm x 22.9mm) converters have dominated low-to-medium power rails (up to 300W), the Half Brick DC-DC Converter (61.0mm x 57.9mm x 12.7mm / 2.4in x 2.28in x 0.5in) remains the industry’s preferred architecture for high power levels ranging from 300W to 1000W+.
The Distributed-power Open Standards Alliance (DOSA) defined the Half Brick footprint to guarantee multi-vendor interchangeability without sacrificing board area. A key structural advantage of the Half Brick format is its surface area to volume ratio. With approximately 35.3 cm² of surface area, a Half Brick package accommodates a full-size heavy aluminum baseplate that functions as an primary thermal spreader.
Heat generated by internal power switches (MOSFETs or GaN transistors) and magnetic elements is transferred to the baseplate via thermal interface materials (TIM) with high thermal conductivity (typically > 3.0 W/m-K). This allows system designers to utilize three distinct thermal management strategies:
Achieving peak conversion efficiencies reaching 96.2% inside a compact Half Brick housing requires eliminating conventional wire-wound transformers. NetPower's Half Brick DC-DC converters utilize multi-layer PCB-integrated planar magnetics paired with low parasitic inductance planar cores.
By replacing bulky round copper wire with flat copper traces etched directly into multi-layer printed circuit boards, planar magnetics deliver remarkable benefits:
Planar windings contact the aluminum baseplate directly across a broad surface area, reducing internal thermal impedance (Rth_junction-to-case) by up to 40% compared to wire-wound components.
Ultra-thin copper strip layers reduce high-frequency skin effect and proximity losses at switching frequencies above 250 kHz to 500 kHz.
Replacing secondary output Schottky diodes with ultra-low Rds(on) power MOSFETs drastically cuts secondary conduction losses (P_loss = I² * Rds(on)), enabling continuous output currents exceeding 50A to 80A on single 12V or 28V rails.
When selecting a board-mounted isolated power module, engineering teams must evaluate power density, cost, thermal headroom, and system scalability. The matrix below outlines how the Half Brick footprint compares against adjacent standard form factors:
| Form Factor | Dimensions (mm) | Typical Power Range | Thermal Dissipation Capacity | Best Fit Engineering Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter Brick | 57.9 x 36.8 x 12.7 | 50W – 300W | Moderate (Airflow Dependent) | Space-constrained PCBs with limited power budgets (<300W). |
| Half Brick | 61.0 x 57.9 x 12.7 | 150W – 1000W+ | High (Conduction & Heatsink Optimized) | Optimal sweet spot for high-power density (300W–800W), heavy industrial, telecom IBC, and wide-input rail applications. |
| Full Brick | 116.8 x 61.0 x 12.7 | 600W – 2000W+ | Maximum (Large Surface Area) | Ultra-high power applications requiring massive heat dissipation surfaces or dual isolated high-current outputs. |
Key market shifts shaping power converter selection for global OEM procurement managers, component engineers, and system architects.
The integration of Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductors inside Half-Brick power modules is pushing conversion efficiencies past 96.5% while increasing switching frequencies. Higher switching frequencies reduce the physical size of inductors and capacitors, enabling power densities over 150W/in³ in the same standard DOSA outline.
As AI compute workloads increase server power consumption from 10kW to over 40kW per rack, hyperscale datacenters are moving away from traditional AC distribution toward 384V DC buses. High-voltage input (180V-400V) Half Brick DC-DC converters act as the critical primary step-down stage, converting HVDC directly into localized 12V or 48V intermediate rails with high efficiency.
Procurement departments are replacing multiple single-input power converter part numbers with unified wide-input modules (such as 4:1 and 10:1 wide ranges). A single 16V-160V Half-Brick module covers 24V, 48V, 72V, 96V, and 110V nominal inputs across all railway platforms, drastically reducing SKU complexity and inventory carrying costs.
NetPower Technologies, Inc. is a recognized designer and manufacturer of high-efficiency, high-density power modules. With millions of units operating reliably in mission-critical installations worldwide—including telecom base stations, enterprise cloud servers, high-speed rail locomotives, and commercial electric vehicles—our engineering rigor ensures your system remains operational under harsh stress conditions.
Every NetPower Half Brick DC-DC Converter undergoes rigorous design-for-reliability protocols, including thermal stress modeling, Worst-Case Circuit Analysis (WCCA), Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT), and 100% automated burn-in screening. Our ISO9001 and IATF16949 certified manufacturing facilities provide complete lot-level material traceability and long-term manufacturing continuity guarantees.
Engineered to meet electrical isolation, transient surge, shock, vibration, and EMI compliance standards required by global industries.
48V input Half Bricks supplying high-current low-voltage rails for remote radio heads (RRH), optical transport networks, and baseband units.
Wide 4:1 input (9-36V / 18-75V) encapsulated modules delivering stable voltage rails to motor drives, PLCs, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Ultra-wide 10:1 input (16-160V) Half Brick converters compliant with EN 50155, EN 45545-2 fire safety, and RIA 12 surge protection specs.
180V-400V HVDC input converters powering low-voltage 12V/24V auxiliary electronics in commercial electric trucks and off-highway equipment.
Clear answers to technical and procurement questions asked by hardware design engineers and component buyers.
NetPower Technologies, Inc. is a recognized leader in high-efficiency, high-density isolated DC-DC converters and power conversion systems. Our Half Brick DC-DC Converters span power ratings from 150W to over 1000W, delivered in industry-standard DOSA footprint packages (61.0mm x 57.9mm x 12.7mm). Featuring wide input ranges—including 9-36V, 18-75V, 36-75V, 16-160V, 34-160V, 66-160V, and 180-400V DC—NetPower modules power critical hardware across telecommunications, cloud server datacenters, industrial automation, railway transportation, and electric vehicle platforms.
In addition to standard non-isolated point-of-load (POL) regulators and e-Mobility power converters, NetPower engineers semi-custom and full-custom power modules designed for extreme thermal resilience and high MTBF reliability. Global purchasing managers, OEM engineers, and distributor procurement partners are backed by direct FAE technical support, fast engineering sample turnaround, and established sales channels worldwide.