More power for medical equipment

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 10, 2005

Oneac Corp has added to its PCm Series medical-grade power conditioner line with three new high-power units.

Oneac Corp has added to its PCm Series medical-grade power conditioner line with three new high-power units.

The new PCm 1500, 2000 and 3000VA models join the previously released 120-1000VA medical-grade power conditioners and a robust line of ONm Series medical-grade UPSs.

The PCm Series medical-grade power conditioners eliminate power contaminants in medical applications with a full-time, online isolating transformer, while conforming to the global electrical safety standards for medical equipment - IEC60601-1 and its derivatives for Europe (EN60601), the USA (UL60601-1/UL2601) and Canada (CSA C22.2 No 601.1).

These medical-grade units are available with hospital-grade plugs and receptacles and in 120 and 230V, 50/60Hz with IEC connectors to facilitate country-specific connector compatibility.

Multiple input voltage options are available on select models.

These new PCm models are available now and carry a list price from US $1136 to $2050.

Patient monitoring equipment, lab instrumentation and medical information systems have become significantly more sophisticated as electronic technology has evolved.

Semiconductor chips are smaller and process information faster than ever before.

While at the same time, making them more susceptible to disruption, degradation and destruction caused by poor power quality.

The PCm medical-grade power conditioners ensure more reliable medical equipment performance by isolating medical equipment from the outside electrical worlds they connect to.

Unlike surge suppression devices, Oneac limits peak voltage (amplitude) and edge-speed (frequency) of electrical transients by employing a low impedance isolation transformer and virtual Kelvin ground to remove the full spectrum of power line noise in both common and normal modes.

This technology converts a noisy safety ground to a noise-free signal ground and provides a separately derived power source which limits earth leakage current to less than 100mA, which is well below the IEC60601-1 specification of 300mA.

According to Maureen Janosch, Director of Product Marketing for Oneac Corp: "The Oneac approach has proven uniquely effective against all conducted electrical disturbances".

"In medical applications, the need to protect critical electronic equipment and crucial data is second only to protecting patients".

"Oneac medical-grade power conditioners provide clean, conditioned power and also help medical facilities comply with the strict earth leakage requirements of IEC60601-1".

Power fluctuations and electrical transients hinder the availability and reliability of electronic-based systems used in medical environments.

PCm medical-grade power conditioners condition the power to attached loads, while fully conforming to the strict earth leakage requirements of IEC60601-1 specifications.

Typical applications include use with medical diagnostic equipment, imaging systems, analysers, audio systems and other "patient contact" or "patient vicinity" equipment.

Additional applications may include manufacturer integration with new or existing medical systems as part of an IEC60601-1 test and compliance programme, or use with installed equipment to improve compliance with certain safety parameters.

The PCm product line is built on a field-proven, extremely reliable architecture and stands up to the harshest electrical environments.

The PCm is backed by a five-year warranty on all power and control systems.

The PCm Series medical-grade power conditioners are listed for UL60601-1/UL2601 and CSA-C22.2 M601.1 compliance and carry the CE Mark for testing to the EN60601-1 standard for medical electrical equipment.

Designs are compliant with all specification parameters for Class I, Type B equipment (such as earth leakage and enclosure leakage currents).