Major Characteristics for Medical Power Supply
Medical environments are known for its omnipresent risk for both vulnerable and healthy people. To ensure the utmost safety, the design of Medical Power Supplies is monitored by the strictest quality exigences and safety regulations.
As the heart of any electrical medical device, the medical power supplies must comply with the highest standards of performance, safety (IEC 60601) and reliability. Criteria such as MOPP, MOOP, low leakage current, EMC must be taken into consideration during the development stage.
As a result, Medical Power Supplies are equipped with higher levels of insulation and superior EMC performance, and we can distinguish one medically approved Power Supply from other electronics components by its exigent protection level, its high reliability and its extended life cycle of components.
MEAN WELL Medical Power Supplies
MEAN WELL is the global leading manufacturer of Standard Power Supplies in the market. With over 40 years of experience in the development and production of power supplies, MEAN WELL offers the widest range of high-quality Medical Power Supplies in 6 categories as below.
How to choose your Medical Power Supply?
As the keystone of one medical system, it is extremely important to select a safe and reliable Medical Power Supply. To choose the most suitable Medical Power Supply for the Medical system, the R&D engineers are strongly suggested to take, as guideline of selection, the listed criteria below into consideration
A. Electrical requirements
The input voltage range and required power should be defined for the application, as well as its output voltage and the needed current to power the application:
- Input voltage range: the most common input source is an AC source, and the range requirement is related to the destined market of the end devices. In the case of multiple market regions of the Medical system, it is strongly recommended to choose a Medical Power Supply with input voltage range covering at least the range of 100VAC to 240VAC.
- Power requirement: the required power depends mainly on the end device. It is suggested to keep in mind the derating caused by the unfavorable working temperature, as well as the potential peak current.
Output voltage and current: according to the design of the Medical system, some systems demand a constant current output while others need constant voltage. The R&D engineers should choose an adequate Medical Power Supply, with the right level and type of DC output, based on the design of the application.
B. Regulations
As each market territory and each application field imposes its own safety regulations on the end devices, it is crucial to understand which certifications are mandatory for the application and its target market(s) during the development process.
For instance, home healthcare devices are required to meet the standards of IEC 60601-1-11, while for equipment not directly in contact with the patient, IEC 62368 might still give one the possibility to get a medical certification for medical test and measurement equipment on a system level.
Meanwhile, each country adopts its specific safety standards for the application field (e.g. UL ANSI/AAMI ES60601-1 for the US, EN 60601-1 for EU countries, CAN/CSA-C22 3rd edition for Canada…etc.
C. Installation Method
The installation of the PSU can be either internally or externally depending on how the Power Supply is designed to be integrated into the system.
External solution:
Internal solution:
- Medical Enclosed type: PSU with plastic or metal case.
- Medical PCB type: A PCB populated with components which from the power supply. Normally this solution is without any mechanical protection such as a housing. For this reason, normally installed inside an application and not touchable by the user.
- Medical On board or Medical PCB mount: PSU designed to fit on a PCB. It can be either “open frame” or “encapsulated”. The second type is potted with compound to provide protection against external elements (e.g. moisture, corrosive elements, shock, vibration…etc.).
D. Other requirements
Medical systems are regulated with extremely vigorous exigences. On top of the above criteria, it is also important to verify that the other specific requirements are met:
- Class: Class I or class II
- Heat dissipation: Forced air cooling (with fan) or Passive cooling (without fan)
- Level of protection required: 2 x MOOP, 2 x MOPP
- Leakage current
- Overload protection: Constant Current Limiting or Hiccup mode
- Remote on/off function
- Current sharing function
- Parallel function
- …
Specific Requirements for Medical Power Supplies
I. IEC 60601-1:
Defined by the world known International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), IEC 60601-1 is a series of technical standards destined to ensure the safety and performance of electrical equipment in the medical industry. On one hand, some digression from the IEC 60601-1 standards exists. For example, EN 60601-1 for Europe and ES 60601-1 for the US market which are harmonized with the IEC standards. One the other hand, there are also some “collateral” standards to IEC 60601-1; such as IEC 60601-1-2 which is the 4th edition of collateral EMC standards to IEC 60601-1.
II. MOOP and MOPP
In the medical environment, risk is constantly present for patient and/or operator of a medical device. Aiming to protect both groups from electrical medical devices, MOOP and MOPP are introduced to monitor the level of insulation.
- MOOP stands for Means of Operator Protection. This category is related to electronic devices which are handled by trained operators, and do not come into direct contact with the patient. The medical device with 2 x MOOP has an isolation of 3000V AC isolation.
- MOPP, on the other hand, is the Means of Patient Protection; all electronic devices with direct physical contact with patients must meet stricter standards and require a double isolation between input and output.
Presuming that patients are vulnerable; MOPP standards are specially designed to protect them from any potential electric shock. In the design, MOPP requires the medical devices to have two separate insulation barriers.
Therefore, devices are MOOP and MOPP classified depending on the type of contact with patients and operators.
| Classification | Required Isolation | Required Creepage | Requirement Insulation |
| MOOP | 1500V AC | 2.5mm | – |
| 2 x MOOP | 3000V AC | 5mm | Reinforced |
| MOPP | 1500V AC | 5mm | – |
| 2 x MOPP | 4000V AC | 8mm | Reinforced |
1 MOOP and MOPP under IEC60601-1 are different in the levels of isolation, creepage, insulation.
III. Low leakage current
The essential use of medical equipment is on the human body, therefore the chance and duration of contact with this equipment is higher and longer. Having electric current running throughout the body can be extremely dangerous and might even result in death. For example, a current as low as 40mA could already be fatal to a healthy person, while a weakened person’s tolerance is even lower.
To protect all people in contact with the devices from the electric shock, medical power supplies must meet strict requirements in terms of leakage current. While Applied Parts (AP) indicate the parts of a Medical device or a Medical system which, during normal use, come into direct physical contact with a patient. The standards of IEC60601-1 give a clear definition of the acceptable values of leakage current for each classification of Applied Parts (AP), and the classifications are further divided into 2 categories: “NC” for normal condition and “SFC” for Single fault condition.
Leakage Current |
Type B | Type BF | Type CF | |||
| NC | SFC | NC | SFC | NC | SFC | |
| Earth Leakage Current | 5mA | 10mA | 5mA | 10mA | 5mA | 10mA |
| Enclosure Leakage Current | 100µA | 500µA | 100µA | 500µA | 100µA | 500µA |
| Patient Leakage Current | 100µA | 500µA | 100µA | 500µA | 10µA | 50µA |
2 Different Leakage Current limits defined by IEC60601-1 according to the medical environment: Type B, Type BF, Type CF
IV. Classification of medical environment
Just like medical power supplies, end systems in medical environments are also regulated by strict isolation and leakage current requirements.
Depending on the type of physical contact between patient and medical device, there are three main classification types of Applied Parts (AP) in the medical environment: Type B, Type BF, Type CF.
- Type B (Body)
Devices with no direct physical contact with patients. Examples: medical bed, medical laser…etc. - Type BF (Body Float)
Devices with physical contact with patients and might present risk in the case of device failure. Examples: Incubators, diagnostic equipment, etc. - Type CF (Cardiac Float)
Direct contact to the patient’s heart, risk of injury or death in the event of device failure. Examples: Defibrillators, heart-lung machines, etc.
Note: Medical power supplies for type BF & CF devices are designed to meet 2 x MOPP
V. EMC standard and limits
Malfunction induced by electromagnetic or interference could be fatal when it comes to life-saving devices. The EMC standards EN 55011 for electromagnetic interference and IEC 60601-1-2 with reference and electromagnetic immunity must be considered.
The 4th edition of the IEC-60601-1 standard on EMC is much more vigorous with electromagnetic immunity than the previous edition. Medical devices must now be immune to HF fields up to 2.7GHz, which represent an increase by 0.2GHz. To prevent damage caused by electrostatic discharge, the limits have also been increased accordingly. For contact discharge, the level has been increased from 6 to 8kV. For air discharge, it has been increased from 8 to 15kV compared to the previous edition.
VI. EU Medical Device regulation (MDR)
The European Union Medical Device Regulation (MDR) published 2017, will soon replace the current Medical Device Directive (MDD) (93/42/EEC) and the EU’s Directive on active implantable medical devices (90/385/EEC). All development engineers and manufacturers related to Medical Devices within Europe will need to follow the Medical Device Regulation of 2017 published by European Parliament.
VII. ISO 13485
ISO 13485 is the standard for the quality management system for medical devices. The requirements are destined to organizations involved in the design, production, storage, installation and maintenance of medical devices and other related services.
Learn more about Medical Power Supplies
Explore our blog for insightful technical notes about Medical Power Applications.
Got questions?
Look at the section below to find the most frequently asked questions (with answers)
we received in Medical Power Applications.
The GTIN number can be found directly on the www.meanwell.com:
All the latest KNX firmware updates can be found on ETS Online Catalogue or MEAN WELL website dedicated to KNX products.
a. Got to KNX Building Automation Solution-MEAN WELL -> Downloads -> ETS Application Database
b. Click on Download button to see PDF file with all the hyperlink for specific products.
A Surge Protection Device is optimized for a single voltage. Therefore, SPD should be chosen according to the actual operating voltage of the part that need to be protected.Secondly, the voltage protection level shows what is the maximum voltage appeared at output side when a specified surge is coming to the SPD. In general, the lower the voltage protection level, and the higher the discharge or surge current from SPD, means the better protection that the SPD provides.
Enclosed power supplies:
- 35-125W applications: The RD, RT and RQ series provide dual, triple, and quadruple output.
- 150-320W applications: The QP series comes with 4 different outputs.
- 190-240W applications: The semi-potted HDP series provides dual output.
PCB-type power supplies:
- 25-250W applications: The PD and PT series provide dual and triple output.
- 45-200W medical applications: The MPD, MPT and MPQ series offer dual, triple, and quadruple output.
Configurable power supplies:
- 400W fanless, the UMP-400 series is a convection cooled 1U height modular power supply and can provide up to 4 different outputs.
- 450-1000W for ITE applications, MP series provides up to 7 different isolated outputs.
- 650-1200W for ITE and medical applications, NMP series can provide up to 6 different isolated outputs with the NMS single output modules from 3~55VDC. With the NMD dual output module more outputs are possible in the 3~30VDC range. Additionally, the NMP offers a 5V AUX output.
Please also see our “NMP Page”
Desktop-type power supplies:
- 25-50W applications, our GP series is a triple-output type industrial adaptor.
DC-DC modules:
- 1-2W applications, the SMD-type DETN series comes with +/-5, 12 or 15V symmetrical outputs.
- 3-30W applications, the DIP-type DCW, DCWN, RDDW, DKM, DKMW, DKA30 series come with +/- 5, 12 or 15V symmetrical outputs.
- 20W ultra-wide input range requirements, the DIP-type RDDW20UW series can provide a +/-12, 15 and 24V symmetrical output.
- 15W applications, the DIP-type DKE15 series offers a +/-5, 12, 15 or 24V symmetrical output.
- 30W applications, the DIP-type TKA30 series offers a 5V output in addition to a +/-12 or 15V symmetrical output.
- 10-15W applications, the on-board-type NSD series can provide a +/- 5, 12 or 15V symmetrical output.
The number of outputs, the available output voltage range and minimum load requirements are some key aspects to be considered when it comes to choosing a multiple output type PSU.
Basic power supplies in this category have a so-called minimum load requirement. These types of PSU rely on one same internal transformer to provide different outputs. For all outputs to work properly, a minimum current should always be drawn from the main output channel.
See below example how this is shown in the specification for the RPT-60A
More advanced power supplies such as the RT-65A do not have this restriction:
There are two options to select a multiple output PSU: a standard PSU with fixed output voltages, or modular power supplies. Modular PSUs can be personalized according to one’s systems requirements and offer much more flexibility than fixed output voltages PSUs. For instance, our NMP modular medical power supply series come with up to 6 slots for different output voltages from 3 to 55V which can be connected in series and parallel to adapt to each application.
This information can be found back in our installation manual, please visit “Installation Manual-MEAN WELL Switching Power Supply Manufacturer” and select the right product (group) and language.
Yes, CSP-3000 and PHP-3500-HV series both come with an inclusive choice of output voltages (120, 250, 400VDC). Also, our IP67 rated HEP-1000 series can provide DC output up to 100VDC.
All MEAN WELL power supplies come with at least one fuse on the line path1. The internal fuse is designed to handle the nominal current on the whole range of input voltages; for the same power, at low input voltages, the current drawn by the PSU will be higher:
If you want a more adapted protection for a specific input voltage, you could add an external fuse to protect the power supply. Considering that it will only protect the PSU (no other appliances connected after it), you should refer to the datasheet of the power supply and look for the typical input current under your input voltage. The fuse should be rated slightly higher than this current value. The selected external fuse should be a Slow-Blow type, this to avoid it is triggered by the inrush current of the power supply. For reference, most of MEAN WELL power supplies use type-T slow acting fuses.
Further please take into consideration that fuses characteristics are given for an operating temperature of 25oC. Exceeding this value will lower the current rating and shorten its lifetime. Similarly, when operated in cold areas, the current rating will be increased.
Note 1: Except for DDRH-60 series
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MEAN WELL’s distributor information can be found on Distributor Network-MEAN WELL Switching Power Supply Manufacturer
- Click on the region that you are located
- Select the country you are in
- Click on the search button
- Scroll down to see our local distribution channels
- Look for the distributor with a tick for the product group that you are looking for
MEAN WELL has the largest distribution network for serving your small and medium demand Power Supplies. You can find all MEAN WELL’s distribution channels on Distributor Network-MEAN WELL Switching Power Supply Manufacturer.
OEM’s which have no sales channel for MEAN WELL products yet can contact us via the “Contact Us” form on this website.
MEAN WELL’s discontinued product schedule and End of Life products are normally updated 2 times per year, in January and in July and are published on www.meanwell.com. See FAQ “Where can I find MEAN WELL’s discontinued product schedule and End of Life information? “
The normal procedure for E.O.L. is:
- The product or series is announced in the Discontinued product list in January or July and announced as NRND (Not Recommend for New Design)
- 6 months later the lead time of the product or series will increase +30 days, the price will increase as well.
- Another 6 months later, the lead time will increase another +30 days (so + 60day compared to the original lead time), the price will increase again.
- Another 6 months later, the lead time will increase another +30day (so +90 days compared to the original lead time) and the price will increase again and additionally there will be a MOQ of 200pcs (and steps of 100 for higher quantities)
- After another 6 months the last buy is announced on the website. This will be the last opportunity to place an order for this product or series.
In total MEAN WELL’s End of Life, procedure will take 2 years. However, there are situations for instance that certification is expired, or some components can no longer be obtained by the market which will force to accelerate the EOL schedule. Therefore, it is always highly recommended from the moment that a product is on the discontinued list to design in one of our new generation products. If need any advice to this, please use the “Contact Us” function on this website.
MEAN WELL’s discontinued product schedule and End of Life products are normally updated 2 times per year, in January and in July. To see the full list, go to www.meanwell.com
1. Click on products
2. Click on Discontinued products for the schedule for the EOL schedule
Click on EOL for the MEAN WELL products which are End Of Life
You can use the “Contact Us” function on this website
MEAN WELL’s website provides you all the basic information about our Power Supplies. This includes company news, product announcements, ISO certificates, Specifications, test report, Certificates, ROHS declarations, Reach declarations and many more.
MEAN WELL’s products can be found on www.meanwell.com
1. Click on products and select the product category
Or in case you already have a part number, you can use the search function on the website:
2. Use the search function on the website to find the right product
3. Fill in the series number in the search field (do not include the last extensions such as -12 in XLG-150-12)
4. Click the search button
5. Click on the PDF icon to open the specification
Owing to line (voltage)-drop, we suggest the extension made from AC cable. In case DC cable extension is necessary, please consider Line-Drop leading to insufficient Vf so that the LED model or lamp may fail to switch ON. Moreover, EMC performance and characteristic may also be affected by DC cable extension.
There are so many MEAN WELL dimming products. How can I make a choice? What are the pros and cons?
First, you have to know your Led lamp specification in order to screen out a suitable Led driver range (Wattage, Voltage, Max Current CC or CV). From those ranges, further check a compatible dimming function. Hereunder is a table to show you the pros and cons of Dimming Function you can find in MW’s catalogue.
MEAN WELL has several charger products, and we suggest choosing them first. Chargers would be more suitable since they are designed for charging applications. Safety and approvals should be taken into account based on the final application. If you are unable to find a proper model in our charger series, our LED CC models can be used as charger. Please choose suitable products after confirming the current and voltage specification on the datasheet of the battery.
3 in 1 dimming circuit would drain 0.1mA per model. Dividing the rated current of the dimmer by the 0.1mA, and we could know how many units can be controlled by one dimming device. For resistance dimming applications, resistance for 100% dimming output would be 100K ohm divided number of models.
A LED strip is normally a Constant Voltage application (CV). For this type of CV application MEAN WELL has design the PWM, IDLV and ODLV series which will allow CV applications to dim.
3 in 1 dimming is the most common application used in LED dimming with the feature that it does not have to work with any specific dimmer. The only thing that has to be verified is that whether the dimmer (1~10V/10V PWM/resistance) is compatible with the definition advised in our specs.
All MEAN WELL chargers are preset for lead-acid batteries. For other products that can customize the charging curve (such as ENC / NPB series), customers can customize their charging curve depending on the charging and discharging characteristics of batteries. If you have other requirements, please use the contact us function on this website.
Noise is directly related to the fan which is built into the power supply. Lowering the airflow of the fan means reducing the heat dissipation ability. It will also influence the reliability of the products. Furthermore, minimum airflow of fans is defined by Safety Organization and a safety appendage will be needed if using a new fan. If fan noise is a critical concern, we suggest to select FANLESS products or contact MEAN WELL for other possibilities according to the conditions of use.
There are two different applications when power supplies are connected in series. One is to generate plus minus voltage, another is to increase total output voltage. Connection methods are as follows:
(1) Connection for plus and minus voltage are shown as follow
(2) To increase the total output voltage (Output current remain the same). Diodes connect in parallel at output side of the driver is necessary to prevent damage during start up. The voltage rating of diode shall greater than V1 + V2(shown as figure below), in addition, peak forward surge current rating shall greater than rated current.
* Because part of the signal ground is shorted with output ground, strongly suggest to use isolated signals to achieve control scheme, in order to prevent damage to the product.
MEAN WELL has launched ENC, HEP-600C, GC, PA, PB, RPB and RCB series for battery charge applications (30~1000W). However, if these models cannot fulfill your requirements, there is an alternative solution. Power supplies with constant current limiting as overload protection are suggested. Charge current varies in battery percentage (full or flat), there is high possibility to trigger overload protection when battery is low, those with overload protection as hiccup or shutdown will stop charging the battery in low battery condition. Yet, using a power supply as charging purpose is considered as overload usage, modification is required. Please Contact Us for the request.
An adaptor may need connection of a power cord to receive energy needed from the utility. You can refer to the specification of the adaptor for the connector (AC inlet) at the adaptor end of the power cord; Different countries/regions vary in type of AC socket and voltage, please look at the table below for the information of the AC plug you need.
MEAN WELL’s LED product specification normally exhibits V-I characteristics. Per the characteristics, there are generally two types of drivers, the “CC” type and the “CC+CV” type. “CC” type of driver is suitable only for LED applications whereas “CC+CV” is for either LED applications or general switching power supply applications. The section that is not suitable for LED applications are represented by dotted line, and based on the protection procedures it can be categorized into hiccup mode and constant current mode; in this section, the tolerance of current is not defined but only the characteristic of current is displayed. If customers attempt not to see a very high current under short circuit conditions, those models with hiccup mode for this section can be selected; if there are applications with motors or capacitive load, those with constant current can be chosen.
There are 2 types of Power Factor Correction circuits; one is Single Stage; the other is Two Stage.
Single Stage power supply combines functions of power factor correction and converter in one circuit but Two Stage use two separate circuits. Compared to Single Stage, Two Stage design is more complex and costly, but the immunity performance of Two Stage power supply against AC mains is much better than that of Single Stage power supply. In addition, Two Stage power supplies manifest better ripple noises performance on output. Owing to that Single Stage is only suitable for fields with quality AC mains but Two Stage can be used in serious circumstances for LED drivers or as industrial switching power supplies.
It is the small unwanted residual periodic variation of the direct current (DC) output of a power supply which has been derived from an alternating current (AC) source. The wave form is shown as figure below.
There are two AC contents, also known as Ripple and Noise (R&N), on the DC output. The first one, coming from sine wave rectification, is at a low frequency which is 2 times of the input frequency; the second one is at high frequency which is from the switching frequency. For measuring high frequency noise, a configuration of an oscilloscope with a bandwidth of 20MHz, a scope probe with shortest ground wire possible, and add 0.1uF and 47uF capacitors in parallel with test point for filtering out noise interference are required.
1. To increase the reliability of the power supply, we suggest users choose a unit that has a rating of 30% more power than actual need. For example, if the system needs a 100W source, we suggest that users choose a power supply with 130W of output power or more. By doing this, you can effectively boost the reliability of the power supply in your system.
2. We also need to consider about ambient temperature of the power supply and whether there is additional device for dissipating the heat. If the power supply is working in a high temperature environment, we need to make some derating to the output power. The derating curve of “ambient temperature” versus “output power” can be found on our specifications.
3. Choosing functions based on your application:
- Protection function: Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Over Temperature Protection (OVP), Overload Protection (OLP), and etc.
- Application function: Signaling Function (Power Good, Power Fail), Remote Control, Remote Sensing, and etc.
- Special function: Power Factor Correction (PFC), Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) function.
4. Make sure that the model qualifies for the safety standards and EMC regulations you need.
All MEAN WELL power supplies have an internal fuse except for the DDRH series.
MEAN WELL’s Step files/ 3D files can be found on www.meanwell.com
- Use the search function on the website to find the right product
- Fill in the series number in the search field (do not include the last extensions such as -12 in XLG-150-12)
- Click the search button
- Click on the PDF icon to open the specification
- Click on 3D OUTLINE
- Click on the model XLG-150-3D to download the step file.
