Batteries & Other Energy Storage Devices

July 2021
Climate-Neutral Fuel Cell Test with Regenerative Loads

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1 here

Figure 1. E-Mobility: Sustainable battery recycling with EA Elektro-Automatik

Fuel cells have found applications in material handling vehicles, delivery vehicles, long-haul trucks, and use as backup power systems. Government initiatives, economic incentives, and new applications are resulting in a market growth rate exceeding 30%. An individual fuel cell generates under 2V of output
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/31/2021
The World's Fastest and Lowest-Power IoT Face Detection
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. and Xailient Inc., announced that Maxim Integrated’s MAX78000 ultra-low power neural-network microcontroller detects and localizes faces in video and images using Xailient’s proprietary Detectum neural network. Xailient’s neural network draws 250x lower power (at just 28
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/27/2021
1500V Power Module Doubles Up for Both Solar and Storage Use
This is partly due to packaging requirements and partly due to the bespoke requirements for individual use cases. This drives up the cost of components for high-power applications as there is very little economy of scale. Infineon has tried to buck this trend somewhat with its new EasyPACK CoolSiC MOSFET module that
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/16/2021
8Gb SDRAM Offers 50% Reduction in Power Consumption
Alliance Memory announced that it has expanded its offering of high-speed CMOS mobile low-power SDRAMs with a new LPDDR4X device featuring on-chip ECC. Offering an extension to the company's fourth-generation LPDDR4 SDRAMs, the 8Gb AS4C256M32MD4V-062BAN offers ~50% lower power ratings in the 200-ball FBG
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/14/2021
Expanded Lineup of Load Switch ICs with Ideal Diode Function
Torex Semiconductor Ltd. has launched a load switch IC with ideal diode function – the XC8110/XC8111 series. The XC8110/XC8111 series are load switch ICs that reproduce ideal diodes, and equipped with functions including chip enable (CE), over current limit, inrush current limit,
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/05/2021
Würth Expands Popular Transformer Series
This series of parts can be used in a host of push-pull and pulse transformer applications, and is found on dozens of reference designs.   The four parts added to the MID-PPTI series include 750317828, 750317829, 750317830, and 750317331; all which are AEC-Q200 qualified, and include and isolation vol
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
ROHM’s New 80V Withstand 5A Output Power Supply ICs
Recent years have seen evolving markets of battery-driven applications and advanced industrial equipment such as 5G base stations and factory automation systems equipped with new functions utilizing IoT. This demands power supply ICs that are not only compact and operate at high efficiency, but also deliver lar
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
TRENCHSTOP 5 WR6 family in TO-247-3-HCC housing
The family comes in a TO-247-3-HCC package and offers a broad portfolio comprising 20 A, 30 A, 40 A, 50 A, 60 A and 70 A current ratings. The devices can easily be used for replacing previous technologies like Infineon’s TRENCHSTOP 5 WR5 and HighSpeed 3 H3 as well as competitor technologies. The family is optimi
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
Increasing Energy Storage: We Can’t Take Short Cuts
The need for energy storage is growing tremendously, and battery applications are everywhere – from cell phones to handheld power tools, to electric vehicles using grids tied to alternative energy. Meanwhile, the boundaries between storage cells and supercapacitors are getting blurred. Supercapacitors are ta
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
Battery Management for Li-ion based Power Tools

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1 - Cordless tools must “feel” functionally the same as their corded counterparts

Battery management is a key design consideration for all products with batteries, but it’s especially important for products with rechargeable batteries or high power demands. One such application is lithium-ion based power tools. Lithium-ion batteries are the most popular type of battery for cordless power too
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
The Importance of Expanding the Supply Chain for Rare Earth Minerals

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1. Official execution and commencement of the road and river diversion project at the Sangdong Mine site in Korea

China produces 80% of the U.S. rare earths and has been doing so for quite some time. What makes things even worse is that over the past 12 to 18 months, a global pandemic has had a serious effect on the supply chain. People around the world rely on these rare materials in their everyday lives, and ma
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
Relax and Recharge
I know I talk a lot about exhibitions and conferences in this part of the magazine, but they really are the focal points of the industry. Large and small companies generally save their most interesting launches until those exhibitions to get the best possible exposure. International travel has started to open up
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
Reliable Energy Storage and Power Conversion Efficiency
It’s a happy coincidence that next month focuses on Electric & Hybrid Vehicles, because July’s slate of contributors went hard on the automotive front for our “Batteries & Other Storage Devices” focus. And it’s not hard to see why – despite the global semiconductor shortage (and its dispr
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021
BLDC-Based Cordless Power Tools Offer Longer Run Times and a Better User Experience

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1. Three-phase BLDC motor drive overview

Introduction Cordless power tools are becoming increasingly popular in professional and DIY usage due to their ease of use, portability, and increased safety over mains-powered tools. With the inclusion of brushless DC (BLDC) motors, they are now suitable for most tasks. However, manufacturers are being chal
. . . Learn More
Date:
07/01/2021