May 13, 2013  — VPT is set to exhibit and give a presentation at next week’s Space Tech Expo in Long Beach, California. Stop by to view the latest VPT space-qualified DC-DC converters, point of load converters, and EMI filters for space power systems.

Exhibit: May 21 – 23, 2013, booth #8010.

Presentation: “Important Factors in Selecting DC-DC Converters for Tomorrow’s Space Applications,” by Paul Andersen, Regional Sales Manager, VPT.  Presentation will be at 12:20 p.m., May 21, in the Open Tech Forum.

Location: Long Beach Convention Center, California

VPT will also be attending the Nuclear Space and Radiation Effects Conference California in July.

View the complete schedule and details on  our events page.

February 27, 2012 — VPT announced today participation in the upcoming Space Parts Working Group conference. Dr. Dan Sable, CEO of VPT, will present on the latest product developments in DC-DC converters and EMI filters qualified for use in space applications.

Date: April 23-24, 2013

Location: Doubletree by Hilton, Torrance, CA

VPT will also be attending the Space Tech Expo in California in May, and the Nuclear Space and Radiation Effects Conference California in July.

View the complete schedule and details on  our events page.

February 13, 2012 – VPT’s line of space DC-DC converters were recently profiled in a new book written by NASA, Spinoff. The article details the history of a grant from NASA which enabled VPT to research, design, and develop a line of DC-DC converters for space that address the challenges and requirements of today’s space applications.

Spinoff 2012 presents remarkable examples of spinoffs providing benefits around the world—saving lives, creating jobs, preserving resources, and more. The NASA Spinoff book offers 204 pages highlighting the many different technologies that NASA has transferred to private sector.  The Agency distributes copies to politicians, economic  decision makers, company CEOs, academics, professionals in technology transfer, the news media, and the general public.

Read the Spinoff article on VPT

Download a .pdf of the entire Spinoff publication.

January 21, 2013 — In an exclusive technology feature, How2Power.com has published VPT’s latest article, “Rad Hard Processors And Power Converters Propel Intermediate Bus Architecture Into Space Applications.”  Authored by VPT’s Manager of Space Product Engineering, Leonard Leslie, this article covers efficient design parameters, various architectures, and the vital environmental issues to consider when developing a distributed power system for space.

Read it now.

December 4, 2012 — Read our latest technical article on choosing the correct level of DC-DC converters in COTS Journal today.  Or, you can download the entire whitepaper on this topic here.

Synopsis:

Complex Factors Drive Mil/Aero DC/DC Converter Choice

Matching the proper DC/DC conversion technology with a military / aerospace design is less straightforward than may seem. A host of reliability, packaging and standards issues need to be considered.

Critical applications range from undersea to military ground to commercial and military avionics to deep space. DC/DC converters, point of load converters, EMI filters and other power modules are offered by various manufacturers, all claiming high reliability. The question is, how do you know what level of quality and reliability you are getting, and how do you select the correct level for your application?

Enjoy!

July 26, 2012 -  Military Aerospace Electronics Magazine stopped by the VPT booth at the recent Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC) to check out our new SVGA 15A point of load DC-DC converter.This video features Leonard Leslie, our Manager of Space Products.

Intended for space applications, the SVGA0515S is an important module in VPT’s distributed power system for space applications.

• Rad hard to 100 krads (Si) including ELDRS
• MIL-PRF-38534 Class K qualified
• Available on DLA SMDs

July 17, 2012  – Stop by and see VPT at the Nuclear Space and Radiation Effects Conference today and tomorrow in Miami, Florida. See our newest product, the SVGA0515S point of load DC-DC converter for space, and check out our demo board. Booth 42.

VPT is the only manufacturer to now offer two point of load converters that are MIL-PRF-38534 Class H and Class K Qualified, 100K rad hard, and available off-the-shelf.

BLACKSBURG, VA, May 8, 2012 – VPT Inc., a HEICO company (NYSE:HEI.A) (NYSE:HEI), announced today the availability
of a new point of load power converter designed and manufactured for use in the extreme environment of space. The new SVGA0515 Series point of load DC-DC converter is now qualified to MIL-PRF-38534 Class H and Class K by the Defense Logistics Agency.  The SVGA delivers up to 50W of output power, is radiation hardened to 100 krads (Si) including Enhanced Low Dose Rate Sensitivity (ELDRS), and is characterized to SEE of 85 MeV-cm2/mg.

The SVGA Series is the latest addition to VPT’s existing line of space DC-DC converters. The SVGA functions as a non-isolated,
regulated buck converter that steps down the voltage at the point of use in a distributed power system. From a single, small size, high current package, this module saves significant board space, weight, and cost for power systems headed for LEO, MEO, GEO, and deep space missions.

“To reduce weight and component cost, distributed power systems are relying more on smaller, less expensive point of load
converters used in conjunction with the larger, traditional, isolated DC-DC converters. Customer response to our space-qualified, off-the-shelf, point of load DC-DC converters has been phenomenal,” explained Monty Pyle, Executive Director of Sales. “We’ve been asked for a higher current option without the need to waste space and weight stringing together multiple POL converters.
We’re proud to announce that this product will satisfy the needs of space customers requiring higher power levels and stringent radiation requirements.”

Read the Complete Article  

VPT has posted a new catalog, “Power Conversion Products for Avionics, Military, Space and Other Hi-Rel Applications.” This quick tri-fold will spells out VPT’s extensive offerings for Hi-Rel COTS, Avionics/Mil, and Space series products. Learn the distinguishing features of each product level and select the products you need today.

Download the catalog now, and when you need your mission accomplished, rely on VPT.

VPT’s president, Dr. Dan Sable, will give a presentation on space-qualified
hybrid DC-DC converters and accessories at this year’s Space Parts Working
Group. See Dr. Sable’s presentation on Wednesday, 4/25, at 1:25 p.m.

Space Parts Working Group (SPWG) is sponsored by The Aerospace
Corporation in cooperation with the Space and Missile Systems Center. In its
41st year, SPWG is an unclassified, international forum for disseminating
information to the aerospace industry and for resolving problems with
high-reliability electronic piece parts for space applications.

Planning to attend? Register here.

VPT’s SV Series of Rad Hard DC-DC Power Converters Now Listed on Standard Microcircuit Drawings

BLACKSBURG, VA, November 15, 2011 – VPT Inc., a HEICO company (NYSE:HEI.A) (NYSE:HEI), today announced that the Defense
Logistics Agency (DLA)  has issued new Standard Microcircuit Drawings (SMDs) for more than 150 of VPT’s space grade, radiation hardened DC-DC power converter modules.

VPT’s rad hard SV Series of DC-DC converters are manufactured to MIL-PRF-38534 Class K, the highest level for products used in space environments. These products are suited for use in a wide variety of space applications including low Earth orbit (LEO) systems, geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) systems, deep space probes, and other demanding applications.

The specific space grade SV Series DC-DC converters now available
on DLA SMDs include:

•  SMD# 5962-11219:  6W SVSA single output modules of 3.3V, 5V, 12V, and 15V
• SMD# 5962-11216: 6W SVSA dual output modules of ±5V, ±12V, ±15V
• SMD# 5962-11218: 20W SVHF single output modules of 3.3V, 5V, 12V, and 15V
• SMD# 5962-11215: 20W SVHF dual output modules of ±5V, ±12V, ±15V
• SMD# 5962-11220: 40W SVTR single output modules of 3.3V, 5V, 12V, and 15V
• SMD# 5962-11223: 40W SVTR dual output modules of ±5V, ±12V, ±15V
• SMD# 5962-11217: 120W SVFL single output modules of 3.3V, 5V, 12V, and 15V
• SMD# 5962-11214: 120W SVFL dual output modules of ±5V, ±12V, ±15V

Read the Complete Article  

VPT recently received a letter from the Russian Space Research Institute recognizing VPT’s contribution to the development of the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched in 2009.

In a letter, the Institute said, “Due to perfect cooperation with your company, the flight-quality secondary power converters made by VPT were delivered to us in the shortest terms possible at our special request and then they were successfully and timely integrated into the instrument having passed all the testing procedures.”

The letter went on to praise VPT with “Since the start of the LRO mission on June 19, 2009, the LEND instrument has been successfully operating as part of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter which proves high technical performance and reliability of your company’s products.”

The LEND instrument provided a unique dataset on hydrogen abundance in the lunar soil, and this data is already used by the scientific community worldwide to plan further manned missions to the Moon.

Here’s a quick photo of our Czech Republic Sales Distributors, VUMS-POWERPRAG, doing a great job of representing VPT at a recent electronics trade show in Prague.

VPT’s series of space-qualified DC-DC power converters can now be offered with an approved Radiation Hardness Assurance Plan from the DLA Land and Maritime.

BLACKSBURG, VA, May 31, 2011 –

VPT, Inc., a HEICO company (NYSE:HEI.A) (NYSE:HEI), received approval of its Radiation Hardness Assurance Plan from the United States Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Land and Maritime, the office of primary involvement for MIL-PRF-38534. As a result of this approval, VPT’s series of space-qualified DC-DC power converters will appear imminently on Standard Military Drawings (SMDs) with a radiation assurance level P.

Specifically, the DLA certified VPT to MIL-PRF-38534 Appendix G, Radiation Hardness Assurance Requirements (RHA) for hybrid microcircuits and multi-chip modules.

With the new radiation hardness (RH) certification, VPT customers can be confident that the procedures and practices in place for making the RH assurances have been reviewed and approved by industry experts in the field of radiation hardening for electronics. Under the new approved plan, VPT’s radiation hardness procedures will be subject to regular audits and approvals by the DLA.
Read the Complete Article  

Dr. Dan Sable, President of VPT, will make a presentation at the Space Parts Working Group Conference in Torrance, CA on April 26, 2011.  He will present the topic ”VPT Radiation-Hardened DC-DC Converters.”

Details.

NASA’s spacecraft, Mercury Messenger, is now all set to explore our system’s “smallest and strangest” planet. Check it out!

Read the USA Today article.

Read about the mission on NASA’s website.