Consumer
January 2016
Now that the first generation of mass-market consumer wearables are on the shelves, we can take a step back and analyze the issues that they have encountered and begin to architect a new generation that improves on their design.
Key issues that are apparent are the need for greater battery autonomy – consu
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Date:
01/29/2016
Exacting demands are currently being placed onto the manufacturers of white goods, in what is an increasingly competitive market. Pressures are intensifying to implement design concepts which enable major energy savings while also supporting more streamlined form factors that will attract consumers and offering re
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Date:
01/29/2016
The sub-28 nanometer Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) now available feature the in-dustry’s only hard floating-point digital signal processing (DSP) blocks with speeds up to 1,500 Gbps floating-point operations. Built on sub-28 nm process technology, these FPGAs provide up to 17.4 Gbps for long-reach ba
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Date:
01/29/2016
Current-mode control has been around in one form or another for almost 50 years now, but it is still a topic that creates much confusion in the minds of many engineers and researchers. In this series of articles, Dr. Ridley shows historical reasons for the confusion, and presents for the first time the source of
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Date:
01/29/2016
Kevin Parmenter, Power Systems Design Contributor
It seems that consolidation is the operative word for the technology industry. The semiconductor industry has achieved 112 Billion+ Dollars in M&A activity in 2015 as of this writing and the year is not over yet. This appears that the frenzy will continue in 2016 as the industry matures and becomes mo
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Date:
01/29/2016
Ray Zinn, Founder of Micrel
You have likely heard the news that despite economic stimulus, the Shanghai stock exchange dropped over 7% before “circuit breakers” kicked in. Had those government-mandated panic aversion tools not triggered, the one day drop would rival long-term market corrections. None of this, aside from the exact timing, wa
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Date:
01/29/2016
Alix Paultre, Editorial Director, PSD
With all the buzz around optical data transfer technology development lately, especially in light of the push to empower small, low-power intelligent devices for the Internet of Things (IoT). What many forget is that there was and is a technology that is well-suited for final-feet connection between intelligent de
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Date:
01/29/2016
Alix Paultre, Editorial Director, PSD
One of the beautiful things about being a wordsmith is that one finds all kinds of history, culture, and advice in many of the quaint and poetic turns of phrase that exist in the (American) English language. One such turn of phrase is “flash in the pan” which is so good at describing a situation that its us
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Date:
01/29/2016
BD49101AEFS-M Power IC
To meet the expanding needs of the car audio market for multifunction power supplies, ROHM developed a system power supply IC that features the lowest power consumption in the industry. The BD49101AEFS-M leverages ROHM’s expertise in car audio power system design to achieve an optimized system based on a high-efficiency DC
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Date:
01/28/2016
Astute Electronics, a leading supplier of electronic components and value added services, has added switches to its ever-growing franchised distribution product portfolio with the signing of a deal with C&K Components covering the UK and Eire.
C&K is a leader in interface and switch technology as well a
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Date:
01/28/2016
Most systems require multiple different voltage rails. Voltages below the system ground voltage, or zero voltage, are considered to be negative voltages. Such voltages are needed in many different applications. In power electronics, some switch types may not reliably be turned off if ground voltage is applied to
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Date:
01/27/2016
As electronic systems continue to become more compact, temperature plays an increasingly important role in system reliability and power efficiency. Many engineers are already familiar with how temperature can affect reliability; if a system becomes too hot, device operation can become unpredictable. Using a si
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Date:
01/27/2016
From cellphones to electric vehicles and smart grid energy storage, the use of rechargeable batteries is dramatically increasing. Engineers that design products that use these rechargeable batteries must be able to characterize the battery performance in their designs. Programmable bidirectional DC power supplies an
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Date:
01/27/2016
Key criteria for designing power supplies units (PSU) for consumer applications are low cost, high efficiency, good thermal performance and low Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI). Starting with an optimal power conversion topology assists the design process. Flyback topology is optimal for low and mid power PS
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Date:
01/27/2016
Bidirectional symmetrical (BiSy) single-line ESD protection diodes for portable electronics
Vishay Intertechnology released two new bidirectional symmetrical (BiSy) single-line ESD protection diodes for portable electronics with a low working range of 3.3 V in the ultra-compact CLP0603 silicon package. Measuring only 0.6 mm by 0.3 mm with a very low height of 0.27 mm, the Vishay Semiconductors VBUS03B1-SD0 an
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Date:
01/26/2016
Altera, now a part of Intel Corporation, announced the results of the 5G Algorithm Innovation Competition, the industry's first awards competition to focus on aligning silicon and systems companies with the research community to create a pool of new and innovative ideas to help accelerate 5G, the fifth generation of
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Date:
01/26/2016
USB Type-C portfolio
Mouser Electronics, Inc. is teaming up with Fairchild, Littelfuse, and Amphenol Commercial Products to present the building blocks of a USB Type-C solution. Delivering data rates up to 10Gbps and up to 100W of power with a reversible interface for easy and reliable mating, USB Type-C technology offers a multifunction, si
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Date:
01/26/2016
Johnson Controls, a U.S. maker of car batteries and heating and ventilation equipment, agreed to acquire Ireland-based peer Tyco International in a $16.5 billion deal that will lower its tax bill, the companies said on Monday. By moving its headquarters to Cork, Ireland, Johnson Controls would become the latest ma
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Date:
01/26/2016
Anaren’s Wireless Group announced that it will release version 1.5 of its Atmosphere development platform in the coming weeks. The combined local and on-line software tool set helps manufacturers at every RF-design skill-level build applications for mobile devices and programs for embedded devices simultaneously. Th
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Date:
01/26/2016
The emergence of commercially available and cost-effective gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors begins a new age in power electronics. There are significant benefits in using enhancement-mode gallium nitride FET (eGaN FET) devices in power converters for existing data center and telecommunications architectures ce
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Date:
01/25/2016
False-colour microscopic view of a reduced graphene oxide electrode (black, centre), which hosts the large (on the order of 20 micrometers) lithium hydroxide particles (pink) that form when a lithium-oxygen battery discharges
Scientists have developed a working laboratory demonstrator of a lithium-oxygen battery which has very high energy density, is more than 90% efficient, and, to date, can be recharged more than 2000 times, showing how several of the problems holding back the development of these devices could be solved.
Lithium-oxygen, or lithiu
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Date:
01/25/2016
LQP02HQ series of film-type high-frequency chip inductors
Murata announced mass production of the LQP02HQ series of film-type high-frequency chip inductors in the ultra-compact 01005 size (0.4 x 0.2 mm). Along with the trend toward increased multiband capability and ever more sophisticated functions, the configuration of the RF circuits in smartphones and other compact mo
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Date:
01/25/2016
The EN6362QI PowerSoC
Altera, now a part of Intel, has expanded its Enpirion power products portfolio with a 6A PowerSoC DC-DC step-down converter that is a full-featured, highly integrated, and fully tested PowerSoC with integrated inductor. The new PowerSoC (EN6362QI) is the first in a new generation of low-VIN (input voltage) po
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Date:
01/25/2016
VES90 series of external AC-DC power supplies
XP Power has developed four external power supply series that enable products to meet new EU and US environmental and energy efficiency regulations, which come into force this year. The VEC40, VEC50, VEC65 and VES90 series of external AC-DC power supplies all comply with the new DoE level VI (US) and CoC Tier 2
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Date:
01/22/2016
One of the main concerns about the so-called Internet of Things is security
One of the main concerns about the so-called Internet of Things is security, and the recent findings of researchers at Princeton won't help ease the anxiety. Researchers at the university's Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) took a close look at how information is transmitted between the connected devi
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Date:
01/22/2016
The Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) and the IEEE Power Electronics Society (IEEE PELS) are jointly sponsoring an all-day workshop titled “Power Magnetics at High Frequency – Solving the Black Magic.” The workshop will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2016, prior to the start of APEC 2016 at th
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Date:
01/21/2016
Molex exhibited their solutions at DesignCon 2016
Molex showcased its extensive technical expertise and broad product portfolio at DesignCon 2016 Expo and Conference, held January 20-21 at the Santa Clara Conference Center in Santa Clara, CA. Demonstrations at Molex booth 817 highlighted products that meet growing demand for increased network bandwidth and adva
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Date:
01/21/2016
Ford Motor Company has selected the Automotive Audio Bus
Analog Devices announced today that the Ford Motor Company has selected the Automotive Audio Bus (A2B) as its primary infotainment network technology with in-vehicle deployments starting in 2016. ADI’s A2B technology is capable of distributing audio and control data together with clock and power over a single, un
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Date:
01/20/2016
Cree expands its industry-leading portfolio of lighting-class LEDs with the addition of the XLamp XQ-A LED to the XQ LED family. The compact, ceramic-based XQ-A enables lighting manufacturers to quickly and cost-effectively expand their product portfolios by leveraging an LED design that is similar to that of th
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Date:
01/20/2016
PSM10A wall plug adapters
Phihong USA, a leading supplier of OEM power solutions, has introduced a new series of 10W, fixed blade wall-plug adapters. Designated the PSM10A Series, the new wall-plug adapters deliver high efficiency at a low cost, making them ideally suited for a wide range of consumer electronics applications, including: wi
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Date:
01/20/2016
Monarch Series multi-mode global navigation satellite system ceramic antennas
Pulse Electronics' Monarch Series multi-mode global navigation satellite system ceramic antennas provide wireless signal reception for the four major global and regional satellite systems: GPS, GLONASS, Beidou (Compass), and Galileo. The Monarch Series W3010 is a compact, low profile antenna that delivers high eff
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Date:
01/20/2016
Berkeley Lab battery scientist Nitash Balsara
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a novel electrolyte for use in solid-state lithium batteries that overcomes many of the problems that plague other solid electrolytes while also showing signs of being compatible with next-generation ca
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Date:
01/20/2016
Allegro’s A6214 and A6216 devices
Allegro MicroSystems Europe announced two new single-IC switching regulators that provide constant-current output to drive high-power LEDs in automotive applications. These devices are the industry’s first to allow LED dimming without the need for local microcontroller or timer-based or PWM dimming control.
Allegro’s A6214 and
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Date:
01/19/2016
MesoGlue gives you the strength and thermal/electrical conductance of a metal bond, with the ease of attachment of glue or tape
MesoGlue is a revolutionary joining solution that lets you attach items together with a metal bond, at room temperature. This is like welding or soldering, but without the heat. The patented process gives you the strength and thermal/electrical conductance of a metal bond, with the ease of attachment of glue or
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Date:
01/19/2016
element14 will add thousands of devcies from Silicon Valley-based Maxim Integrated Products to its franchise. With this new stock from Maxim, element14 will have a variety of ICs for research and design applications. With expertise in power management ICs, Maxim offers high-performance analog and mixed-signal en
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Date:
01/18/2016
Microsemi, a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, announced that Microsemi’s wholly-owned subsidiary Lois Acquisition successfully merged with and into PMC-Sierra, completing Microsemi’s acquisition of PMC. Under Section 251(h) of the Ge
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Date:
01/18/2016
The BD99991GW PMIC
ROHM has released for mass production two system Power Management Integrated Circuits (PMICs).These PMICs are optimized for low power and will enable fanless designs of space-conscious mobile PC products such as Ultrabooks™, 2-in-1 detachables, and tablets built around Intel’s 14nm Skylake processor.
The BD99991GW
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Date:
01/15/2016
Power Integrations, a leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, announced its InnoSwitch-CP family of off-line CV/CC flyback switching ICs. The new devices incorporate a constant power output profile which, when paired with an adaptive-voltage protocol such as Qualcomm Qui
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Date:
01/15/2016
Parker Chomerics, a world leader in EMI shielding and thermal management, is excited to announce that its Compounds Business Unit has changed its name to Specialty Materials Business Unit effective immediately. This name change is to reflect the tremendous growth in a broader array of conductive materials in bo
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Date:
01/13/2016
Renesas Electronics, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced new developments for the Renesas Synergy Platform, including the commercial release of the Renesas Synergy Software Package (SSP) version 1.0.0, mass production availability of the S7G2 Renesas Synergy Microcontrollers (MCUs), an
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Date:
01/13/2016
Rutronik is focusing on the IoT at embedded world 2016 (booth 5.238)
Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente is focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT) at embedded world 2016 (booth 5.238): At RUTRONIK EMBEDDED visitors will find selected components from the areas of Wireless, Displays, Boards and Storage characterized by their durability, long-term availability and high integration ca
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Date:
01/13/2016
Dr. Yuanzhe Zhang
EPC is proud to announce that Dr. Yuanzhe Zhang has joined the EPC engineering team as Director, Applications Engineering. As a member of the EPC applications team, Dr. Zhang's focus will be designing state-of-the-art envelope tracking systems for 4G, LTE and 5G wireless infrastructure that demonstrate the
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Date:
01/11/2016
Dynamic keynotes from the top executives at FitBit, NBCUniversal, Samsung and YouTube, along with tech policy sessions and top product awards rounded out Day Two and Three of CES 2016. The future of technology innovation stood center stage this week, with more than 3,600 companies launching products across more th
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Date:
01/11/2016
From right to left:
Solience Ngansso, Product Sales Manager Analog & Sensors at Rutronik
Martin Grimmer, Senior Marketing Manager Analog & Sensors at Rutronik
Christian Constantin, Distribution Channel Manager at Sensirion
Hartmut Welte, Area Sales Manager DACH / International Sales at Sensirion
With effect from 1st of November 2015, Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente will be serving as a global distributor for Sensirion. In doing so, Rutronik is further developing its extensive sensor portfolio and supporting Sensirion in its global sales and support operations for high-quality sensors and sensor solutions.
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Date:
01/11/2016
The Technical Program Committee is excited to announce that the 8th Annual IEEE Energy Conversion Congress & Expositions (ECCE’2016) submission window is NOW OPEN.
Jan 15, 2016 – paper digests
Feb 01, 2016 – tutorial proposal
Mar 31, 2016 – special session proposal
Whether is it power converters, moto
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Date:
01/11/2016
Flow batteries provide a cost-effective, reliable, and safe energy storage solution
American Vanadium announced that it has entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with DMG MORI to acquire DMG MORI's wholly owned subsidiary, GILDEMEISTER energy storage manufacturer of the CellCube vanadium flow energy storage system. The LOI provides American Vanadium with the exclusive right to enter into a sha
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Date:
01/11/2016
ApP Lite application processors
Toshiba Electronics Europe has expanded its line up of ApP Lite application processors for wearable devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). The TZ1201XBG is the latest addition to the TZ1000 series, and is based on a high performance 32-bit ARM® Cortex®-M4F RISC processor capable of operating at frequencies of
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Date:
01/06/2016
The ZigBee Alliance, a non-profit association of companies creating open, global standards that define the Internet of Things (IoT) for use in consumer, commercial and industrial applications, announced it is working with the Thread Group on an end-to-end solution for IP-based IoT networks. The solution will be
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Date:
01/05/2016
USB 3.0 adapter reference design supporting the IEEE 802.11ad wireless standard (also known as WiGig)
SiBEAM, a Lattice Semiconductor company, announced a USB 3.0 adapter reference design supporting the IEEE 802.11ad wireless standard (also known as WiGig) for wireless connectivity at gigabit per second speeds over the 60 GHz frequency band. The reference design lets OEMs add wireless gigabit connectivity to
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Date:
01/05/2016
FCI USB 3.1 Type C connector
Now available in Europe through TTI, FCI’s new USB 3.1 Type C Connectors boast a small form factor design that is reversible for quick and easy connection whichever way it is inserted. The USB 3.1 Type C Connector is a new standard plug and receptacle which provides a multi-function single cable solution for US
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Date:
01/04/2016
The PolyU research team has developed a simple approach to synthesize aqueous MnO2 ink
The Department of Applied Physics of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a simple approach to synthesize novel environmentally-friendly manganese dioxide (MnO2) ink by using glucose. The MnO2 ink could be used for the production of light, thin, flexible and high performance energy storage de
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Date:
01/04/2016
Allegro MicroSystems announced a new 360° contactless high-resolution programmable magnetic angle position sensor IC that has been designed for digital systems. Allegro’s A1335 device has a system-on-chip (SoC) architecture with a front-end based on Circular Vertical Hall (CVH) technology, programmable microprocessor-based si
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Date:
01/04/2016
LUXEON XR-M LED devices
Mouser Electronics is now stocking LUXEON XR-M LED devices from Lumileds. These modular LED devices integrate three, four, or five LUXEON M LEDs on a metal core PCB, and can be connected in series or parallel, providing manufacturers with an easy-to-use solution for outdoor and industrial lighting applications.
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Date:
01/04/2016
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