Having returned from the hugely successful APEC power event in Palm Springs, California, I am still amazed by the number of companies that have been quietly innovating during the recession. It was heartening to see and hear about the new products and technologies about to hit the market. Engineering never sleeps, it seems, even when times are extremely tough. This APEC was a very special time for us at Power Systems Design too. It was the first anniversary of the launch of our North American magazine (Power Systems Design North America). At the time we took the decision, it was a brave - if not seemingly foolhardy - move, given the financial climate. We did it at the request of the engineering community there. Since that time, we have found that engineers ‘across the pond' have accepted it eagerly. Engineering is a truly global community with a hunger for good information. Now, we have the European top power conference and exhibition, PCIM in Nuremberg, Germany which takes place May 4th - 6th. Looking at the list of conference participants and exhibitors, it promises to be another feast of innovation from the power industry. I would strongly recommend making a date in your diary to come along and see for yourself. We shall be there participating too. In fact on Wednesday 5th May in Hall 12, Stand 377 for just an hour from 4pm - 5pm, I shall be running a lively forum with key companies on the topic of "Designing for Energy Conservation and Performance". My thinking here is that in today's competitive environment, it's just not enough to design for merely saving energy. Power can be saved for sure, but maintaining peak performance at the same time takes a specialized approach. Customers continually insist on ever higher levels of performance and reliability in a wide range of applications. This is a tough call and requires a special approach to system design and to the components or modules selected. Do try to free up some time to join us all, I'm sure you'll not be disappointed. I also had a wonderful opportunity to meet with the legendary Bob Dobkin, Vice President of engineering at Linear Technology - and a highly creative engineer - at the company's HQ in California. He gave me a briefing on his latest brainchild, the LT4180, a Virtual Remote Sense™ DC/DC controller that eliminates those cumbersome remote sense wires required to compensate for the voltage drop in cables, wires, and circuit board trace runs. It blew my mind and is reported in this issue. I hope you enjoy this issue. Please keep the valuable feedback coming for my guidance and do check out our fun strip, Dilbert.
All the best, Cliff Keys Editor-in-Chief Power Systems Design Cliff.Keys@powersystemsdesign.com
