# High Voltage Flyback Converter for Safety Indicators in Electrical Testing Laboratories

## TL;DR

This paper presents a compact, safe high-voltage converter for use in electrical testing labs, designed to power LED safety indicators without risking operator safety.

## Contribution

The novel design optimizes isolation and PCB layout to meet safety standards in a compact form for high-voltage environments.

## Key findings

- The Flyback converter achieves stable low-power output for LED beacons with galvanic isolation.
- The design meets HV safety standards with minimal physical footprint and no output overshoot during startup.
- Experimental results show strong agreement between simulated and measured performance.

## Abstract

High voltage (HV) test environments require dependable visual status indicators to maintain operator safety; however, directly supplying these indicators from HV sources introduces substantial electrical and operational hazards. This work addresses these challenges through the design and implementation of a compact Flyback DC–DC converter that provides galvanic isolation and a stable low-power output specifically intended for LED-based safety beacons. While utilizing Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) and valley-switching to minimize thermal stress, the primary innovation of this design lies in the rigorous optimization of the isolation barrier and PCB architecture to meet HV safety standards (such as IEC 60950-1) within a minimal physical footprint. Transformer parameters were determined using analytical design procedures and subsequently verified by circuit-level simulations, which confirmed correct DCM operation as well as rapid startup behavior without output overshoot. A two-layer PCB was designed in accordance with IPC-2221B standard, with particular emphasis on minimizing parasitic effects and thereby improving overall performance. Experimental characterization demonstrated stable output regulation and a strong correlation between measured and simulated waveforms. The proposed system enhances safety in HV laboratory settings while achieving a compact form factor and supporting a wide input voltage range.