The growing use of DIN rail solutions for installation in power cabinets
A DIN rail has always been synonymous with the assembly format in power cabinets.
However, the high demand for such solutions has led many manufacturers in various fields to develop and create DIN rail-mounted solutions that can be installed without requiring specific mechanical adjustments for each component. For example, while in the past power supplies were installed in electrical cabinets alongside switches and different controllers, today you can find a wide range of low-voltage components designed for easy rail mounting. These include items like voltage converters, chargers, DC-UPS systems, and even parallel connection units for power supplies (diodes), all of which are adapted for easy installation on a DIN rail without the need for packaging or covering.
MEAN WELL diodes designed for DIN rail installation
In the past, the reason for this was quite simple: market needs created the demand. Every manufacturer observed that their product was being mounted on rails with various mechanical adjustments and realized they could offer the same product at a lower cost by making minor mechanical changes and packaging it as a DIN rail-mounted power supply. This eliminated the need for the mechanical adjustments that the customer or designer would otherwise have to make.ceToday, manufacturers no longer wait for market needs to arise; they create the demand by introducing both existing and new products with DIN rail installation options. For example, MEAN WELL, in collaboration with Advice Electronics Ltd., offers a new product called the ICL-16, which is essentially an Inrush Current Limiter for power supplies. It can be installed on the wall, but there’s also a DIN rail-mounted version, the ICL-16R. The reasoning is straightforward: there may be greater market demand for DIN rail-mounted installations.
Many are familiar with the situation where an electrical panel, installed in a specific location, building, or home, is designed close to the maximum current limit allowed by the network. When a large number of power supplies are installed, this could exceed the limit due to an initial current surge at startup. This is caused by the large number of capacitors in power supplies, which create high inrush currents. In other words, adding an inexpensive unit like this allows the current limit not to be exceeded at startup, even with a large number of power supplies installed in the same panel. Therefore, it only makes sense to have the option of mounting such a unit on the panel as if it were just another switch or power supply on the rail within the electrical panel.
The ICL series for DIN rail applications and non-rail installation
Not every conversion of a standard power supply to a DIN rail-mounted power supply led to higher demand for the rail-mounted version over the regular model. In the field of LED lighting power supplies, for instance, the DIN rail-mounted power supplies offered by MEAN WELL, one of the largest manufacturers of standard power supplies, are relatively limited editions. While power supplies for lighting are typically characterized by outdoor durability ratings (IP65, IP67, IP68) and control options through various protocols like DALI, KNX, 0-10V, PWM, and resistance, the LED power supplies designed for DIN rail installation only support control via 0-10V, PWM, and resistance. This is due to the installation approach for lighting power supplies, which are mostly mounted outside electrical cabinets, both indoors and outdoors. Additionally, their control systems are often located within the cabinet itself.
Thus, it is not surprising that controllers for managing these power supplies, lighting switches, and protocol converters for lighting applications were designed for DIN rail installation and, in some cases, are only available in this mounting format.
KNX Series for Lighting Control and Application Management with a Unified International Protocol
The KNX series offers a simple and smart solution based on the KNX protocol, which enables centralized management of lighting, HVAC, security, and more. For example, it allows the control of all LED lighting in a building from a single management system that also operates other applications in parallel, saving space, labor time, and energy consumption.
MEAN WELL's KSR – a KNX switch with 4 inputs
KNX to DALI converter
One of the proofs of the growing demand for new DIN rail installation solutions is the innovations and improvements in the field. These advancements respond to the increasing needs in industrial, control, security, and transportation applications. Not only are there new products that didn’t exist before, but there are also new products replacing existing ones from the same manufacturer. For example, MEAN WELL has introduced the new NDR series of power supplies, with capacities ranging from 75W to 480W. Models in the NDR series, such as the NDR-75, NDR-120, NDR-240, and NDR-480, have replaced older series from the same manufacturer, offering significantly higher power density, improved efficiency, and enhanced durability.
An example of this improvement is the older DRP-240-24 model, a 240W power supply with 84% efficiency, which has been replaced by the more compact, more affordable NDR-240-24 model, featuring an efficiency of 88.5%. Additionally, the manufacturer introduced an upgraded series, the SDR series, where the SDR-240-24 model, with an equivalent power rating, achieves an efficiency of 93%. This results in dual benefits: first, less energy is consumed as there is less wasted power; second, less electricity is required to cool the power environment.
The NDR series, with power capacities up to 480W, offers competitive pricing for the DIN rail power supply sector.
MEAN WELL's premium series with efficiency of up to 93%
Manufacturers who use power cabinets and panels, along with components installed on DIN rails, are well aware of the advantages of this installation format. Typically, there is no need for special connectors to link the input and output to the various components in the panel, nor is there a need for mechanical adjustments, as everything is mounted on the rail, and the sizes of the components are generally similar.
For example, Advice Electronics offers two parallel series of DIN rail-mounted power supplies with capacities up to 100W. Both series have similar power ratings and are mounted on rails, but while one series, the MDR, has a narrow and deep form factor, the other series, HDR, is designed for flat power cabinets with a depth of less than 100mm. This allows for a solution in applications such as printing machines with limited space on the rail. For instance, the MDR-100-24 model, with a power rating of 100W, or the MDR-60-12 with 60W, can be installed side by side at the same height and depth.
On the other hand, for smart home applications, the HDR-100-24 model can be installed in a home cabinet where the walls limit the depth to 100mm. Similarly, other power supplies in the HDR series, such as HDR-60-12 or HDR-30-5, will have the same depth and height, with only the width of the power supply changing according to its power rating.
The HDR series for installation in flat cabinets
The MDR series for installation in deep but narrow cabinets
The transition from manufacturing products for installation on a surface or printed circuit board (PCB) to producing products for DIN rail installation can be natural and simple when there is a demand on one hand and an existing solution not yet available on a rail on the other. This transition occurred when Advice, in collaboration with MEAN WELL, identified the need for voltage converters in the security and outdoor cabinet sector, leading to the development of the DDR series of voltage converters with power ratings ranging from 30W to 240W.
In every outdoor cabinet, there can be numerous devices powered by different DC voltages. To avoid creating parallel backup systems (such as chargers, batteries, etc.), it is possible to simply convert the voltage and supply each device with the required voltage. In the past, when a solution for voltage conversion on a DIN rail did not exist, mechanical solutions had to be created. Additionally, the installation and removal process, in the case of a faulty unit, was relatively complicated due to the need to unscrew various points on the panel. A rail-mounted converter saves time on installation and eliminates the need for special space that would have been required for installing such converters. Today, these converters even allow a wide range of input voltages, such as 9-36VDC or 18-72VDC.
DDR series voltage converters in various power ratings
There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a process when it comes to searching for and finding solutions for systems that utilize DIN rails, with the manufacturing of their power and control systems largely based on the convenient "click" rail installation. It will be interesting to see what the next development in the field will be
For more information: 03-9000910, Chaim@advice.co.il, 052-3231060
{formbuilder:5448}