Welcome to 160 Rectifier.com. Knowledgebase for the 160/54/28A and 160/27/50A rectifiers. 

• Background Information
• Part Numbering System
• Specification
• Pinout Information
• Servicing, Sales & Support
• Contact

Background.

The 160 and 164 series of rectifiers (otherwise known as AC-DC power supplies) were  specifically designed to meet a specification devised by BT (British Telecom) in the mid 1980’s to power telephone exchanges and mobile cell sites.

The specification was standardised for equipment supplying DC power in a nominal 27Vdc or 54Vdc positive earth system, typically in an n+1 redundant format.

The most common rectifiers were 1,500W convection cooled (1605428A), although a limited amount of 2,000W (1605438A) products were also sold. It was common to have a shelf consisting of 2 to 6 rectifiers in parallel with a battery, essentially forming a DC UPS for backup in the event of mains failure. It was also possible to parallel shelves together to give systems of several hundred amps capability.

The 160 standard ensured that all units fitted were compatible, primarily in terms of output voltage, current, noise, regulation, basic signals, connections and physical size. There were also specifications for EMC, efficiency, harmonic distortion, power factor, electrical isolation and safety approvals.

The first manufacturer to develop rectifiers to the 160 / 164 spec was Advance Power Supplies based at Bishops Stortford in the form of the F2705X (54V o/p) and the F2705C (27V o/p). The company eventually merged with Farnell and later formed Farnell Advance and finally Advance Power. It is common to see units with all five manufacturer logos (ultimately all the same company):

A few years later several other manufacturers came on board, notably Bonar Brentford, Harmer & Simmons, Weir and Invensys.  Despite supposedly meeting the standard, not all rectifiers are found to be compatible in practice, particularly in terms of physical depth and front panel height, so a good amount of diligence is required.

The Farnell units in particular were an extremely reliable design and many units are still going strong after more than 40 years in the field.
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A Farnell F2705SX rectifier. Part no. 160/54/28A MK1 (Click to enlarge)

An Invensys R160/54/28A rectifier. (Click to enlarge)

A Harmer and Simmons 160/54/28A - MK3 rectifier. (Click to enlarge)

An APS 160/27/50A rectifier, part number CCR1500H27V. Still currently in production.

A Brentford 160/54/28A rectifier. (Click to enlarge)

A Weir Rectifier 160. (Click to enlarge)

Towards the end of 2013, a group of ex-Farnell design engineers began work on a new modern design of the 160/54/28A and 160/27/50A called the CCR1500H54V and CCR1500H27V respectively. They have proven to be extremely robust units and are highly compatible with previous generation rectifiers. They are available through Advance Product Services Ltd (www.advanceproductservices.co.uk).

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Part numbering system.

The standardised part numbering system contained three key pieces of information:

It was also common to see MK 1, 2 or 3 on the end of the part number, e.g. 160/54/28A MK3 which causes much confusion. In theory, the MK refers to internal build and all later revision units should be compatible with earlier MK’s. In practice however this may not be the case for retrofit as connector locations were changed along with front panel dimensions and some signals.

The product range proved very popular and many other customers specified similar rectifiers to power their own systems.  Ultimately there were a huge number of variants manufactured and (in the case of the Farnell units) these were designated by a suffix on the part number, e.g:

F2905SXE/4 (an Erskine / Microtel variant with different output voltages)

F2905SXN (a narrow version which was just 120mm wide).

F2905SCC/3 (a special variant for Shell with M6 output studs and a 29.5V nominal output voltage)

Note that  none of these variants officially comply with the BT 160 specification but many can be converted back to a standard 160 with internal settings and minor component value changes.

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Specification

BT part no.	164/54/28A MK1	164/27/50A MK1	160/54/28A MK1	160/27/50A MK1	160/54/28A MK2	160/27/50A MK2	160/54/38A MK1	160/27/75A MK1	160/54/28A	160/27/50A
Farnell part no.	F2705X F2705/X	F2705C F2705/C	F2705SX	F2705SC	F2905SXE	F2905SC	F2900SXH	F2900SC	CCR1500H54V	CCR1500H27V
INPUT
AC connection	Flying lead	Flying lead	IEC Connector (10A)	IEC Connector (10A)	IEC Connector (10A)	IEC Connector (10A)	IEC Connector (10A)	Flying lead	IEC Connector (10A)	IEC Connector (10A)
AC Voltage Range	216-264	216-264	176-264	176-264	176-264	176-264	176-264	176-264	176-264	176-264
Frequency (Hz)	45-55	45-55	45-65	45-55	45-65	45-55	45-55	45-55	47-440	47-440
Max Input Power (W)	1750	1750	1680	1680	1680	1680	2450	2450	1650	1650
Max Current (A)	12 (peak)	12 (peak	7.8	7.8	7.8	7.8	11.4	11.4	7.5	7.5
Power Factor	0.65	0.65	0.85	0.85	0.85	0.85	0.85	0.85	>0.95	>0.95
OUTPUT
DC  / alarms connection	19w Golden D	M6 studs / 15w D-conn	19w Golden D	M6 studs / 15w D-conn	19w Golden D	21w Golden D	21w Golden D	M8 studs / 15w D-conn	19w Golden D	21w Golden D or M6 studs
Nom Voltage	54.9V	27.4V	54.9V	27.4V	54.9V	27.4V	54.9V	27.4V	54.9V	27.4V
Max Current	28A	50A	28A	56A	28A	56A	38A	75A	28A	56A
Power nom.	1500W	1370W	1500W	1500W	1500W	1500W	2000W	2000W	1500W	1500W
Hold-up (min)	28ms	28ms	28ms	28ms	28ms	28ms	28ms	28ms	28ms	28ms
Regulation (%) for 0-100% load	+/- 0.1	+/- 0.1	+/- 0.2	+/- 0.2	+/- 0.1	+/- 0.1	+/- 0.1	+/- 0.1	+/- 0.1	+/- 0.1
Ripple & Noise (mV rms)	<10	<10	<10	<10	<50	<50	<50	<50	<50	<50
Current Limit Point  (foldback)	28-30A	50-55A	28-30A	56-61A	28-30A	56-61A	38-42A	75-83A	28-30A	56-61A
Overvoltage protection	63V +/- 0.2	31.5V +/- 0.2	63V +/- 0.2	31.5V +/- 0.2	63V +/- 0.2	31.5V +/- 0.2	63V +/- 0.2	31.5V +/- 0.2	63V +/- 0.2	31.5V +/- 0.2
Efficiency  (100% load, 240VAC)	88%	88%	85%	85%	85%	85%	85%	85%	88%	88%
Operating Temperature (°C)	0 to 55	0 to 55	0 to 55	0 to 55	-5 to 55	-5 to 55	-5 to 55	-5 to 55	-5 to 55	-5 to 55
MECHANICAL
Main unit size (WxHxD) mm	160 x 245 x 441	160 x 245 x 441	160 x 245 x 495	160 x 245 x 495	160 x 245 x 450	160 x 245 x 450	160 x 245 x 441	160 x 245 x 441	160 x 245 x 450	160 x 245 x 450
Front panel sixe (WxH) mm	164 x 301	164 x 301	160 x 301	160 x 301	160 x 266	160 x 266	160 x 266	160 x 266	160 x 266	160 x 266
NOTES & AVAILABILITY	Non PFC. Obsolete	Non PFC. Obsolete	Obsolete	Obsolete	Obsolete	SCC has O/P on M6 studs. Obsolete	Obsolete	Obsolete	Available	Available

 

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Pinout information.

 

Function


+ve Output

-ve Output

+ Sense

V change link

Opto Common

Opto I/P Healthy

Opto O/P Healthy

Opto Current Limit

Opto Overvoltage

Spare

- Sense

Current Monitor
(F2905 & CCR1500 only)

Remote Shutdown +

Remote Shutdown -

Active Current Share
(F2905 & CCR1500 only)

O/P Healthy Relay N/O

O/P Healthy Relay COMM

O/P Healthy Relay N/C

Spare

19W Golden D
Pin no.

A1

A4

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


11

12

13


14

15

16

17

21W Golden D
Pin no.

A1, A2

A3, A4

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


11

12

13


14

15

16

17

15W D conn
Pin no.

M6 stud—red

M6 stud—blk

1

-

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

-


9

10

-


12

13

14

15

15W D connector (signals only)

21W Golden D. Note 19W connector has pins A2 & A3 missing.

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Servicing, spares & support

Farnell sold off its power supply division in 1995 and now concentrate solely on component distribution as Premier Farnell, based in Leeds.

The original design engineers for the units still exist as Advance Product Services Ltd (APS), based in Harrogate  N. Yorkshire., U.K. They have a great deal of expertise with the units and can be contacted here for support including repairs, replacements and spares.

In 2014, the engineers at APS released a form, fit and function replacement for all the 160 and 164 series rectifiers called the CCR1500.

Like the unit it replaces, it is a very high quality and reliable product made in the UK with modern components and manufacturing techniques. It is fully compatible with all 160/54/28A and 160/27/50A units and can also be configured for many of the variants.

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