San Jose, CA — April 19, 1999 - A patented new redundant cooling system that provides the market’s first intelligent cooling fan back-up for power supplies has been introduced by SUPERMICRO of San Jose, CA.

This new system intelligently detects and responds to increases in temperature that result from the breakdown of a simple fan, the weak link in any power supply system.

"A reliable, dependable power supply is crucial to the stability and performance of your system," said Charles Liang, president of SUPERMICRO. "This innovative technology prevents the disasters that can happen when the cooling fan breaks down and the power supply is interrupted."

The redundant cooling system includes an additional back-up fan, which operates independently from the primary fan, and a thermal control circuit that includes a solid state temperature sensor. This sensor detects ambient temperature changes inside the power supply, and is connected to the fan power drives of both the primary and back-up fans. The thermal control circuit works with the temperature sensor to trigger a response whenever specific high and low temperature thresholds are exceeded. This circuitry enables the primary fan to increase its RPM simultaneously with increases in the ambient temperature until reaching full speed at 40°C.

Power supply fans inevitably break down over long periods of use, due simply to the wearing out of their parts. If this happens, or if the ambient temperature exceeds approximately 68°C, the cooling system’s back-up fan automatically turns on, an alarm sounds and a warning LED is illuminated. The power supply includes an external button to turn the alarm off, but the LED display remains lit until corrective measures have been taken. These warning signals give system administrators advance notice of fan breakdown or dangerous rises in the power supply temperature. In addition, the system will be protected until it can be safely shut down to replace the primary fan or to correct the cause of the heat problems. These Redundant Cooling Power Systems are especially appropriate for servers or workstations, where system integrity is critical.

The Redundant Cooling Power Supply is available in 400 W and 300 W models.

Redundant Cooling Power Supply Specifications

• 400 W model • P/N SP401-RA
• 300 W model • P/N SP301-RA
• 150 x 86 x 170 mm (WxHxL)
• +5V, -5V, +12V, -12V and +5V standby outputs
• UL, CSA, TUV and CE certified

For more information, contact SUPERMICRO by phone at 408/503-8000, via fax at 408/503-8008, through e-mail at marketing@supermicro.co.uk, or visit the company’s web site at http://www.supermicro.co.uk.

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SUPERMICRO is a leading supplier of high-end motherboards and servers. Since its founding in 1993, SUPERMICRO has led the industry in delivering cutting-edge technology such as the first solution for the I2O architecture. SUPERMICRO strives to build long-term relationships with its customers by providing outstanding engineering innovations, quality and reliability. SUPERMICRO’s server building block solutions decrease systems integrators’ time-to-market by ensuring the interoperability of all components. All SUPERMICRO products are available through OEMs and distributors.