Notable & Newsworthy

March 2020
USB Type-C Linear Mux/DeMux ReDriver with USB-C Detector
Diodes Incorporated announced the PI3EQX10612/PI3EQX10312 2-port 10Gbps linear ReDriver devices with integrated USB-C detection for equipment implementing a USB Type-C interface. Offering 1:2/2:1 mux/demux functionality, the ReDrivers can be used to extend the reach of USB signals running across rigid or flexible PCBs
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Date:
03/31/2020
Shielded Power Inductors Feature Low Resistance
Bourns, Inc., announced 11 new low resistance, high saturation current model series to its shielded power inductor line. Featuring a very low profile (less than 2 mm), the Bourns Model SRP0xxx series has a metal alloy powder core and flat wire construction that provides a range of benefits including low copper lo
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Date:
03/31/2020
Medical, ITE Power Supplies Shipping from Sager Electronics
Sager Electronics is now stocking TDK-Lambda’s CUS-M Series of 30W to 1500W Medical and ITE Power Supplies. TDK-Lambda's CUS-M product range offers high efficiency, a low profile and is suitable for medical and industrial applications such as hospital, dental, broadcast and professional audio equipment. The CUS-M product ran
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Date:
03/31/2020
D-Wave Provides Free Quantum Cloud for COVID-19 Response
D-Wave Systems Inc., the leader in quantum computing systems, software, and services, today announced the immediate availability of free access to its quantum systems via the Leap quantum cloud service for anyone working on responses to the COVID-19 crisis. Joining the effort are partners and customers including CI
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Date:
03/31/2020
AI can Help Some Businesses but may not Work for Others
The temptation for businesses to use artificial intelligence and other technology to improve performance, drive down labor costs, and better the bottom line is understandable. But before pursuing automation that could put the jobs of human employees at risk, it is important that business owners take careful st
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Date:
03/31/2020
TTI Stocks High-Current System from Molex
TTI, Inc., announces that Molex’s High Current System, Coeur CST is now in stock. This new Molex product delivers up to 200A thru through 3 diameter sizes (8.00mm, 6.00mm and 3.40mm) and offers a wide range of configurations, connecting PCBs, bus bars and cables. The product design allows an industry leading 1
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Date:
03/31/2020
GaN and 48 V – Where are We and Where are We Going?

Figure 1: Si MOSFET-based architecture for providing AC power to the CPU or GPU

Three years ago, the cost of making medium voltage eGaN FETs fell below the cost of equivalently rated power MOSFETs.  At that time EPC decided to use the performance and cost advantages of eGaN FETs to aggressively pursue applications with input, or output, voltage around 48 V. Specifically, automotive an
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Date:
03/31/2020
Trends in Electromagnetic & Magnetic Components

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Figure 1 - Complete 3D CAD tool suites offer capability to create production level drawings

For many designers these magnetic and electromagnetic components are considered very “low tech”. The reality is, however, that much technology and know-how is applied to designing and constructing these passive components: moving their capability inexorably forward. Technological developments - energy
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Date:
03/30/2020
Powering Processors and FPGAs with the New TDK µPOL

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Figure 1: A typical ‘power tree’ for a Xilinx Zynq 7 device

Minimising power consumption is a high priority and in digital devices, it is directly related to voltage swing and data rates. Consequently, supply voltages have steadily reduced from 5V to sub-1V with sub-sections of devices having separate supply rails: processor cores between 0.56V to 0.88V on next generation 7n
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Date:
03/30/2020
Eco-Sustainability Using Pressure-less Silver Sintering

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Figure 1. Dispense Line Consistency (um)

Silver sintering provides a void-free strong bond with superior thermal and electrical conductivity. It can decrease the junction temperature (Tj) of a device up to 100°C. In the process, when the material is heated under optimal pressure, temperature and time, its form will change from powder to a solid structure. Th
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Date:
03/30/2020
SiC Semiconductors Towards an Energy Efficient Auto Industry

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Figure 1. The above graph shows the strong growth opportunity at hand as emission standards drive a significant shift to battery electric vehicles. (Source: Yole and Cree estimates)

It’s no secret that the automotive industry is striving for "zero emissions" transportation, which means manufacturers are rapidly ramping up their electrification programs. Most OEMs target 2025 for significant sales volumes of battery and hybrid electric vehicles (BEV and HEV). To meet customer ex
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Date:
03/30/2020
CES 2020: The Power Behind the Robot

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Figure 1. A baby-faced service robot on the CES 2020 show floor. (Picture courtesy of Reno Rossetti)

At this year’s CES 2020 in Las Vegas, service robots where a big hit on the show floor. It’s easy to understand why: they look and are, indeed, exotic. Among the automated machines I saw at CES: Samsung’s Ballie, a personal assistant the size of a tennis ball that rolls on the floor, following its owner an
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Date:
03/30/2020
The Ethernet of Things

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Figure 1. Twisted pairs in an Ethernet cable powered by Power over Ethernet

Wireless technology continues to expand into more applications, delivering higher data rates, lower power and superior coverage. Wired Ethernet connections may seem like ancient technology sitting in the rear-view mirror beside fax machines, dialup modems and dot matrix printers. Yet Ethernet, with its low latency, de
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Date:
03/30/2020
Step-Down Regulators for Automotive, Industrial Applications

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Figure 1. Ultralow EMI emission LT8609S 12 V to 5 V synchronous step-down converter

This device family is optimized for applications requiring low EMI, high efficiency, and a small solution size—suitable for demanding automotive, industrial, computing, and communications applications. All regulators in this series have the same 2 A continuous, 3 A transient (<1 second) load current capability. Th
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Date:
03/30/2020
Making Cables Safer

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Figure 1: LAPP’s Ölflex Classic control cables include the flame-retardant 130H version, which is suitable for facilities that face high fire risks.

Power, control and communication cables have undoubtedly contributed to the spread of many fires due to their flammability and prevalence throughout buildings. Defective cabling can also be an ignition source. To improve success in evacuating burning buildings and quickly extinguishing fires, the European Union (E
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Date:
03/30/2020
Selecting a Power Supply for Operation on Three-Phase Input

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Figure 1: Delta configuration

Power supplies with a rated output of greater than 2,500W often require, or have an option for, a high voltage three phase AC input. A load of 3,000W, for example, operating from a single phase 230Vac input will consume 13A (3000W / 230V = 13A). The same load operating from a 400Vac three phase input will draw jus
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Date:
03/30/2020
Hybrid Regulated Ratio Tech for Intermediate Bus Converters

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Figure 1: HRR operation is similar to fixed ratio at lower Vin, but limits Vout at higher values of Vin

When designing the distributed power architecture for applications such as data centers, an isolated intermediate bus converter (IBC) might be used to take a nominal 48V or 54V input and generate a 10V to 12V bus for one or more downstream point-of-load (PoL) converters. In the past, there have been broadly tw
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Date:
03/30/2020
FPGA Power System Management

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Figure 1. One possible FPGA power tree: a high voltage input supply (for example, 12 V, 24 V, or 48 V) is stepped down to an intermediate voltage bus feeding the POL regulators that power the FPGA

Since the 1980s, FPGA resources, speed, and efficiency have improved rapidly, making FPGAs the go-to solution for a wide variety of computing and processing applications, especially when production volume doesn’t justify application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) development costs. FPGAs have advanced to
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Date:
03/30/2020
Smart Connected Sensors Drive Innovation at the Factory

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Figure 1. Sensors must offer versatility for broad applicability

Connected devices and smart equipment are streamlining manufacturing and supply chain processes on a global scale. Smart sensors are at the heart of this movement, driving change by extending the inherent capabilities of legacy sensors. Today, sensor technology that merely collected, stored and monitored data ca
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Date:
03/30/2020
Supercapacitors Deliver Reliable Warehouse Automation Power

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Figure 1a. Example voltage and current discharge curves for 10 kW discharge from one module with 56 V float voltage

Warehouse automation systems include robots, high speed shuttles and pallet movers used extensively in warehouses, storage facilities, and manufacturing plants to pick, transport, and place materials at various locations within a building. Efficient use of power throughout these systems ensure logistics companies pr
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Date:
03/30/2020
Switches: Critical to Modern Industrial Sensors

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Figure 1. Rated to IP67, the KSC3 series sealed tact switch offers positive adaptable tactile feeling

Machines can now outperform their human counterparts in activities that range from parts assembly to more cognitive tasks including self-learning algorithms for data mining and pattern recognition. At the center of this new industrial revolution are sensor switches that can simplify both factory and process au
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Date:
03/30/2020
Stretchable Supercapacitor Could Revolutionise Wearables
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of wearables. Whether it was action figures with eagle eye vision or Q’s selection of gadgets in my favourite James Bond movies, the incorporation of technology in everyday items has always really appealed to me, and it still does. I was even on the verge of buying a
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Date:
03/30/2020
The APEC That Could've Been
The worst collateral damage of COVID-19 is the decimation of global commerce, and trade shows have been hit especially hard – tough to practice “social distancing” with a few thousand people (or more) clustered together. And one of the most unfortunate victims of this new, quarantined reality was the 2020 Ap
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Date:
03/30/2020
Wire-to-Wire Connector w/ High Vibration and Heat Resistance
Hirose has developed a low-profile waterproof wire-to-wire connector for demanding automotive, agricultural and construction vehicles. Rated to IP67 / IP69K, the 2.2 mm pitch ZE064W Series is resistant to temperatures up to 125°C. A double-layer spring, three-point contact design ensures highly reliable con
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Date:
03/30/2020
Cree's 650V MOSFETs Offer Industry-leading Efficiency
Cree announced the expansion of its product portfolio with the release of the Wolfspeed 650V silicon carbide MOSFETs, delivering a wider range of industrial applications and enabling the next generation of Electric Vehicle (EV) onboard charging, data centers, and other renewable systems with industry-leading po
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Date:
03/30/2020
EPC Launches Update of Popular Video Podcast Series on GaN
Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) Corporation has posted an update to its popular “How to GaN” video podcast series, These updated videos are based on the recently published third edition textbook, GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion.This 14-part educational video podcast series is designed to provi
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Date:
03/30/2020
Molex Expanded Ditto Connector Series Available at TTI
TTI, Inc., announces Molex recently expanded the successful Ditto connector series to include Glow Wire capable versions. They are available in all products across the range of 2.50mm and 3.0 pitch offerings. The available OTS pigtails remain as non-glow wire. All of these products, including the Glow Wire variants ar
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Date:
03/30/2020
Automotive-Grade E-Shield Inductors Lower Costs, Save Space
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. expanded its IHLE series of low profile, high-current inductors featuring integrated e-shields for the reduction of EMI with new commercial and Automotive Grade devices in the 5050 case size. The Vishay Dale IHLE-5050FH-51 and IHLE-5050FH-5A lower costs and save board space by eliminating th
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Date:
03/30/2020
Omron Boosts its Robot Family with Next-Gen Software
Omron Automation Americas recently launched a next-generation software package for its mobile robots. Shortened as “FLOW Core”, the Fleet Operations Workspace Core is designed to increase the robots’ performance and ease of use while laying the foundation for future service-focused capabilities. Among the primary advantages that FLOW Core provides are a user-focused design that simplifies integration, charge management functionality that maximizes uptime, and intelligent fleet management capabilities that increase flexibility and efficiency. As an all-in-one platform, the software boosts the navigational capabilities of individual robots while simplifying the management of robot fleets.
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Date:
03/30/2020
TVS Arrays Guard Against Smartphone Electrical Transients
ProTek Devices has introduced a series of ultra-low capacitance TVS arrays for circuit protection in smartphones, other handheld wireless systems, USB interfaces and Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base T applications. The new series of TVS arrays consists of four new devices. The GBLCxxHP/CHP series comprises of two devic
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Date:
03/30/2020
Machine Learning Puts a New Spin on Spin Models

Simulated low temperature (left) and high temperature (right) phase of a 2D Ising model, where blue points are spins pointing up, and the red points are spins pointing down.

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used machine learning to study spin models, used in physics to study phase transitions. Previous work showed that image/handwriting classifying AI could be applied to distinguish states in the simplest models. The team showed the approach is applicable to more co
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Date:
03/29/2020
Double-Walled Nanotubes Have Electro-Optical Advantages

Rice University theorists have calculated flexoelectric effects in double-walled carbon nanotubes. The electrical potential (P) of atoms on either side of a graphene sheet (top) are identical, but not when the sheet is curved into a nanotube. Double-walled nanotubes (bottom) show unique effects as band gaps in inner and outer tubes are staggered.

One nanotube could be great for electronics applications, but there's new evidence that two could be tops. Rice University engineers already knew that size matters when using single-walled carbon nanotubes for their electrical properties. But until now, nobody had studied how electrons act when confronted with the R
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Date:
03/29/2020
Data-Based Optimization of Energy Systems

Automated detection and inventorying of energy systems using photovoltaic facilities as an example. (Photo: Google Maps/greenventory)

greenventory brings the energy transition into cities: The startup offers utilities, grid operators, and municipalities highly resolved data and software tools for forward-looking planning of sustainable energy systems. The system for automated inventorying, analysis, and optimization made by greenventory considers el
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Date:
03/27/2020
Thinner Electrolyte can Improve Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Increasing the efficiency of Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs)

In this post-industrialization age, electricity has become the backbone of our society. However, using fossil fuels to generate it is not the best option because of their limited availability and harmful nature. In the last two decades, significant efforts have been made to develop techniques to foster sustainable en
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Date:
03/27/2020
As Electronics Shrink to Nanoscale: Still Good as Gold?
Deep inside computer chips, tiny wires made of gold and other conductive metals carry the electricity used to process data. But as these interconnected circuits shrink to nanoscale, engineers worry that pressure, such as that caused by thermal expansion when current flows through these wires, might cause gol
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Date:
03/27/2020
Würth Elektronik to Host Their First-Ever Virtual Conference
Würth Elektronik is proud to announce the introduction of their first-ever Virtual Conference. This free Virtual Conference includes easy-access to topics including Robust Design for E-Mobility, EMI Mitigation with Wide Bandgap Devices, Wireless Power Transfer: Advanced Coil Knowledge, and more; all presented by
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Date:
03/27/2020
Lightweight Glass for Efficient Cars, Wind Turbines
A new machine-learning algorithm for exploring lightweight, very stiff glass compositions can help design next-gen materials for more efficient vehicles and wind turbines. Glasses can reinforce polymers to generate composite materials that provide similar strengths as metals but with less weight. Liang Qi, a pro
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Date:
03/27/2020
Automotive Load Dump TVS Devices Offer Best-in-Class Specs
Taiwan Semiconductor announces the introduction of the TLD5S/6S/8S Series of AEC-Q101 qualified high power unidirectional transient voltage surge suppressors (TVS). The devices, offered with ratings of 3.6 KW, 4.6 KW and 6.6 KW, are ideally suited for critical load dump applications designed to protect onboard e
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Date:
03/26/2020
TTI Brings You Eaton's SuperCaps Modules for Reliable Power
TTI, Inc., has stock for immediate shipment of multiple values of the Eaton Supercap Modules. All products feature low ESR for high power density with environmentally friendly materials for a green power solution. Eaton supercapacitors are maintenance-free with design lifetimes up to 20 years and operating temperat
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Date:
03/26/2020
Siemens Helps Produce Components w/ Additive Manufacturing

Siemens connects healthcare providers and medical designers to produce components through additive manufacturing

In response to the ongoing global health crisis caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, Siemens is making its Additive Manufacturing (AM) Network along with its 3D printers, available to the global medical community to speed design and production of medical components. The AM Network connects users, designers an
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Date:
03/26/2020
Würth Elektronik Circuit Board Tech Creates Ventilator PCBs
The worldwide spread of the corona virus is not only increasing the demand for personal protective equipment, but also for medical ventilators. In order to ensure the supply in Germany, the German government has placed several orders for ventilators with different manufacturers at short notice – and this is wh
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Date:
03/26/2020
Proximity Sensors Feature World's Longest Sensing Range
Manufacturers in the automotive industry are striving to make the most of the current trend towards electric vehicles and low fuel consumption by building lighter-weight vehicles and favoring aluminum over iron. As the prevalence of mixed production lines containing both iron and aluminum increases, the demand fo
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Date:
03/25/2020
Aitech Joins NVIDIA Partner Network to Advance Embedded AI
Aitech has joined the NVIDIA Partner Network as a Preferred Solutions Integration partner. Involvement in the program requires a strong product development effort and continued commitment to growing the general-purpose GPU (GPGPU) community. With innovations like the NVIDIA Xavier-based A178 Thunder AI System, Ai
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Date:
03/25/2020
Mahr Adds New Depth Gages to Its Wireless Gage Offerings
Mahr Inc. announced an expanded line of digital depth gages. The pocket-sized 30 EWRi is easy to take along for fast depth measurements and the new universal depth gage 30 EWR-U/40 EWRi-U includes interchangeable anvils. The 30 EWRi is a compact depth gage with a 0.06inch (1.5mm) contact and 1 inch (25mm) gag
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Date:
03/25/2020
Visual Power Manager Delivers Essential Power Monitoring
Eaton has launched the newest version of its Visual Power Manager (VPM) software, VPM Essential. The new offering delivers the comprehensive remote power monitoring capabilities IT and data center professionals rely on in VPM, but in a self-installable, subscription-based license ideal for small to medium business ap
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Date:
03/25/2020
MCU Starter Kit Jumpstarts Accurate Analog Evaluation
Renesas Electronics Corporation introduced a new Renesas Solution Starter Kit (RSSK) for developers working with the 32-bit RX23E-A microcontroller (MCU), which features one of the most highly accurate analog front ends (AFE) in the industry. The RX23E-A RSSK brings together hardware, software, and tools optimized fo
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Date:
03/25/2020
TTI Earns Raytheon 4-Star Award for 10th Year
TTI, Inc., has received recognition from Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems as a 4-Star Supplier Excellence Award winner for performance and partnership for 2019. Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business instituted the annual Supplier Excellence Awards program to recognize suppliers who have provided
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Date:
03/25/2020
Scientists Develop Handheld, High-Res Medical Imaging Device

(from R-L): Assoc Prof Liu Linbo and one of his researchers Dr Xinyu Liu from NTU Singapore, have developed the prototype of a handheld medical imaging device, which produces images 100 times higher resolution than what X-Ray, computed tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines can provide.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed the prototype of a handheld medical imaging device that can produce images down to resolutions of 1 to 2 micrometres. This is detailed enough to spot the first signs of tumours in specific cells and is about 100 times hig
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Date:
03/25/2020
Bourns Launches Mobile App for iPhone and Android
Bourns, Inc., announced the launch of its mobile app for iPhone and Android platforms. Bourns developed the mobile app to give customers easy, anytime access to the company’s extensive library of useful technical documents and product selection materials. The broad range of features available on the new a
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Date:
03/25/2020
Sager Electronics Offers DC/DC Converters from RECOM
Sager Electronics is now stocking RECOM Power’s RHV2 and RHV3 series of DC/DC converters. RECOM Power's RHV2 & RHV3 series DC/DC converter offers remarkably high 20kVDC isolation in a compact SIP16 case. With input voltages available at 5, 12 or 24VDC and output voltages at 5V, 12V, 24V, ±5V or ±12V, th
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Date:
03/25/2020
Shifting Dimensions: Exciting Excitons in Phosphorene

For exciton-exciton annihilation to occur, two excitons must interact with each other. These interactions are well-characterized for 1D and 2D systems. In a 1D system, we can think of exciton interactions occurring like schoolchildren talking on a bus.

Since its discovery in 2014, phosphorene - a sheet of phosphorus atoms only a single atom thick - has intrigued scientists, due to its unique optoelectronic anisotropy. In other words, electrons interact with light and move in one direction only. This anisotropy means that despite being two dimensional (2D), ph
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Date:
03/25/2020
SiTime Boosts Performance and Reliability for Garmin Devices
SiTime Corporation announced that Garmin International, Inc., has chosen SiTime’s MEMS timing solutions for several of Garmin’s automotive, aviation, marine, fitness, and outdoor products. “Garmin makes products that are engineered on the inside for life on the outside,” said Patrick Desbois, Garmin ex
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Date:
03/24/2020
Industrial Lighting Delivers High-Quality Illumination
Power management company Eaton announced its latest innovation in industrial and hazardous-area lighting, Crouse-Hinds series Champ CPMV and WPMV LEDs. The wallpacks are designed for vertical surface lighting applications in industrial environments and Class I, Division 2 areas, providing high-performance, maintenance-free il
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Date:
03/23/2020
High-Voltage Power Supplies Include Expandable Functionality
Dean Technology, Inc. announced the introduction of its new SPS series of digital high-voltage power supplies. These are the first products available using the company’s patented technology developed through years of research that drastically improves the performance and capability of high-voltage power supplies. Th
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Date:
03/23/2020
The Coronavirus Strikes Again – EDS 2020 Cancelled
No surprise here – COVID-19 has sacked every trade show, event, and gathering for the foreseeable future, so EDS had no prayer. The Elec­tron­ic Dis­trib­u­tors Sum­mit (EDS) board of direc­tors has officially cancelled its 2020 conference. EDS is held each year in Sin City, Las Vegas (lately, something
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Date:
03/23/2020
ABB Expands CLP Open-Frame Power Supply Family
With a focus on providing the power levels and options designers need, ABB is expanding its CLP open-frame power supply product family to support a higher range of output voltages. The new additions to the product line increase its output voltage options to up to 54 volts DC and its output power options to up to
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Date:
03/23/2020
Flex Power Modules Launches New Website
Flex Power Modules announces the launch of its newly revamped website. With a modern design aligned to its parent company’s branding, the new website has many new features to enhance overall user experience, navigation and search. For example, the website has introduced a parametric search, allowing custo
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Date:
03/23/2020
Design Kits for a Tech that Reduces Power Consumption
Tower Semiconductor announced the release of design kits for a novel 0.18um high-performance power management technology which offers over 35% power efficiency improvement and/or equivalent amount of die-area directly contributing to the die’s price competitiveness. This new offering enables scalable IC operation of
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Date:
03/23/2020
Anchor Design Workflow with One-Click RISA Integration
Hilti has streamlined the anchor and base plate design workflow for PROFIS Engineering Suite users by integrating the cloud-based software with RISAConnection. The agreement with RISA Tech, Inc., a structural design software developer, affirms Hilti’s investment in collaborating with external partners to better le
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Date:
03/20/2020
Berkeley Cosmologists are Top Machine Learning Challengers

2020 LHC Olympics logo.

In searching for new particles, physicists can lean on theoretical predictions that suggest some good places to look and some good ways to find them: It's like being handed a rough sketch of a needle hidden in a haystack. But blind searches are a lot more complicated, like hunting in a haystack without knowing wh
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Date:
03/20/2020
Tiny Double Accelerator Recycles Energy

Proof of concept for cascaded terahertz accelerator using long pulses. The mini-accelerator uses terahertz radiation that can be recycled for a second stage of acceleration.

A team of DESY scientists has built a miniature double particle accelerator that can recycle some of the laser energy fed into the system to boost the energy of the accelerated electrons a second time. The device uses narrowband terahertz radiation which lies between infrared and radio frequencies in the electromagnetic sp
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Date:
03/20/2020
Silicon Computing Power for Brain Research and Prosthetics

Abdulmalik Obaid (on left) and Nick Melosh with their microwire array. This bundle of microwires can enable researchers to watch the activity of hundreds of neurons in the brain in real time.

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new device for connecting the brain directly to silicon-based technologies. While brain-machine interface devices already exist - and are used for prosthetics, disease treatment and brain research - this latest device can record more data while being less intrusive th
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Date:
03/20/2020
OpenLicht is developing the light of tomorrow
OpenLicht was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), with the goal of enabling new forms of collaboration between science, business, maker and startup community. Infineon Technologies AG is supervising the project in close cooperation with Bernitz Electronics GmbH, Deggendorf Institute
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Date:
03/19/2020
RS introduces easy to use IR thermal imaging cameras
Offering easy one-handed fixed-focus image capture, these new Fluke infrared imagers are ideal for engineers and technicians new to thermal imaging, allowing accurate non-contact temperature measurement from a safe distance to reveal invisible thermal issues that cannot otherwise be detected.   The TiS
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Date:
03/19/2020
UI Devices Adds Sirens Product Line to Audio Portfolio
The CPS models utilize piezo technology with a built-in driving circuit to create a range of variable tones and sounds, including hi-lo, warble, sweeping, one tone, and six tone. Featuring sound pressure levels (SPLs) up to 120 dB as well as through hole, panel mount, and wire lead mounting styles, these piezo si
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Date:
03/19/2020
SCALE-iDriver for SiC MOSFETs Achieves AEC-Q100 Qualification
Devices can be configured to support gate-drive voltage requirements of commonly used SiC MOSFETs and feature sophisticated safety and protection features.   The SIC1182KQ (1200 V) and SIC1181KQ (750 V) SCALE-iDriver devices are optimized for driving SiC MOSFETs in automotive applications, exhibiting rail-to-r
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Date:
03/19/2020
UnitedSiC Announces New Global Partnership with Digi-Key
The new partnership willprovide Digi-Key customers with worldwide, 24-hour availability of UnitedSiC’s Silicon Carbide product portfolio - including the only standard gate drive SiC devices currently in the market.   Yalcin Bulut, VP of Global Sales and Marketing at UnitedSiC, said: “This partnership focuses
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Date:
03/19/2020
OptiMOS™ IPOL voltage regulators with COT engine
      This product family is designed for today’s server, base station and telecom (operating at 85˚C ambient temperature) and storage applications requiring both high efficiency and high density. The IR3887M is the smallest 30 A device on the market. Fusing Infineon’s latest FET gene
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Date:
03/19/2020
KEMET Introduces Automotive Metal Composite Power Inductors
The MPXV product offering enhances the company’s METCOM range and is AEC-Q200 qualified for use in the automotive sector.   The new power inductors provide efficient power conversion while minimizing Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and are ideal for use in DC to DC switching power supplies for t
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Date:
03/19/2020
Microchip Expands SiC Family of Power Electronics
Together with its broad portfolio of microcontrollers (MCUs) and analog products, Microchip serves the needs of high power system control, drive and power stage – supporting customers with total system solutions.   Microchip’s SiC family includes commercially qualified Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD)-based pow
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Date:
03/19/2020
Total to Build the Largest Battery-based Energy Storage Project in France
With a storage capacity of 25 megawatt hours (MWh) and output of 25 MW of power, the new lithium-ion energy storage system will be the largest in France. It will be used to provide fast reserve services to support the stability of the French power grid. It is part of government policy to support the development
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Date:
03/19/2020
JJ Micro deal gives Transonics access to triacs & thyristors
Many of these parts are drop-in replacements for leading brands such as STMicro and NXP (WeEN Semiconductor).   Transonics’ extensive UK inventory includes JJ Micro’s internally-isolated tab Triacs ranging from mAs up to 40A, with sensitive data recurring currents. JJ Micro’s range of Triacs extend
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Date:
03/19/2020
Expanded High Power Portfolio for Industrial Applications
Bel Power Solutions announced the expansion of their high power portfolio with the TXP4000 Series, a maximum 4000 W AC-DC power supply suitable for industrial, process and control, railway and machinery applications. The TXP4000 Series of AC-DC converters employs a PFC front-end stage and an isolated DC-DC sta
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Date:
03/19/2020
ETAL Group showcases expanded transformer range at PCIM
ETAL Group will present its newly introduced range of High Voltage and High Power transformers at the upcoming PCIM Europe show in Nuremberg.   ETAL Group is a leading supplier of magnetic components for the telecom, power technology, automotive and defence industries.   In addition, ETAL’s established
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Date:
03/19/2020
Power Integrations Expands Range of InnoSwitch3 ICs
The new INN3x78C devices incorporate a smaller “size 8” 750 V PowiGaN transistor, enabling compact, efficient power supplies delivering between 27 W and 55 W without heatsinks. The ICs are housed in the same high-creepage, safety-compliant InSOP-24D package as larger members of the GaN-based InnoSwitch3 families,
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Date:
03/19/2020
Microlease, Livingston and Electro Rent Europe finalise rebrand
The three companies will operate within the global Electro Rent Corporation as Electro Rent.   This will give its customers access to a global inventory worth more than $1.2bn. With over 300 quality brands all available from one source, including major brands like Anritsu, EXFO, Fluke, Keithley, Keysi
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Date:
03/19/2020
Infineon launches OPTIGA Connect 5G ready eSIM solution
This solution fully supports all GSMA standards from 3G to 5G and securely authenticates the device to the subscribed carrier network of choice. It is the perfect match for smartphones, tablets and wearables like smart watches or fitness trackers thanks to its small footprint. Combining hardware and software i
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Date:
03/19/2020
New 15W and 20W chassis / DIN rail mount DC-DC converters
Their flexible specification allows devices with incompatible voltages to be easily integrated into industrial systems.   The DTJ15 and DTJ20 series are designed for convenience of installation and operation. They can be installed to a chassis or DIN rail and connected via screw terminals and require
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Date:
03/19/2020
  PULS DIN-Rail Power Supplies with built-in redundancy
    The function is used for secure power N+1 redundant operation without the need for an external decoupling unit or use of inefficient “OR-ing” diodes.   The new CP power supply family features a 100-240VAC wide range input voltage and an output of 24VDC rated at 10A or 20A. Rugged
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Date:
03/19/2020
ON Semiconductor Introduces New 900 V and 1200 V SiC MOSFETs
Intended for use in a variety of demanding high-growth applications including solar power inverters, on-board charging for electric vehicles (EV), uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), server power supplies, and EV charging stations, the new devices offer levels of performance that were simply not possible with s
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Date:
03/19/2020
Pickering Electronics launches smallest HV reed relay
Housed in the miniature SIL/SIP package, new Series 131 reed relays have a footprint of just 12.5mm x 3.7mm and a height of 6.6mm and deliver a minimum stand-off of 1500V.     Featuring a choice of 3, 5 or 12 volt coils, with optional internal diode, Series 131 reed relays are available in the 1 Form A
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Date:
03/19/2020
Nexperia delivers first ESD protection device for USB4
Of special interest to engineers designing USB4 and Thunderbolt interfaces, the new device uses Nexperia’s TrEOS ESD protection technology with active silicon-controlled rectification. It delivers a winning combination of extremely low capacitance (down to 0.1 pF); extremely low clamping (dynamic resistance dow
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Date:
03/19/2020
Würth Elektronik adds 36 V versions to its MagI³C FDSM family
The components in a SIP-3 package represent cost-effective solutions to meet the requirements for the transient capability of a 24 V industrial voltage network. The new modules operate from 6 to 36 V VIN and generate a fixed output voltage of 3.3 or 5 V at a current of up to 1 A.   The FDSM series
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Date:
03/19/2020
Scientists Transform Tough Pollen into Flexible Material
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found a way to turn pollen, one of the hardest materials in the plant kingdom, into a soft and flexible material, with the potential to serve as 'building blocks' for the design of new categories of eco-friendly materials. The findings, p
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Date:
03/19/2020
Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work in the Lab

Dr Agustin Schiffrin and his team at the School of Physics and Astronomy (Monash University)

An Australian-German collaboration has demonstrated fully-autonomous SPM operation, applying artificial intelligence and deep learning to remove the need for constant human supervision. The new system, dubbed DeepSPM, bridges the gap between nanoscience, automation and artificial intelligence (AI), and firml
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Date:
03/19/2020
The Power of Light for Internet of Underwater Things

This 1.5-meter-long experimental setup was used to test the effectiveness of a submerged temperature sensor to charge and transmit instructions to a solar panel.

A system that can concurrently transmit light and energy to underwater energy devices is under development at KAUST. Self-powered internet of underwater things (IoUT) that harvest energy and decode information transferred by light beams can enhance sensing and communication in the seas and oceans. KAUST researchers ar
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Date:
03/19/2020
Chip-Based Devices Improve Quantum-Secured Communication

New chip-based devices contain all the optical components necessary for quantum key distribution. The cost-effective platform is designed to facilitate citywide networks.

Advances in computing technology will soon leave today's methods for encrypting online data vulnerable to eavesdropping. Quantum key distribution offers impenetrable encryption by using the quantum properties of light to generate secure random keys between users for encrypting and decrypting their online data. Alt
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Date:
03/19/2020
Cross-Technology Communication in the IoT Simplified

The X-Burst framework developed at TU Graz can be integrated into the operating system of existing devices.

Whether networked vehicles that warn of traffic jams in real time, household appliances that can be operated remotely, "wearables" that monitor physical activity, or industrial plants that detect possible production errors in time and notify technical support, the number of intelligent products that co
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Date:
03/19/2020
Drones Could Still be a Threat to Public Safety
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones, are widely used in mapping, aerial photography, rescue operations, shipping, law enforcement, agriculture, among other things. Despite great potential for improving public safety, use of drones can also lead to very undesirable situations, such as privacy an
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Date:
03/19/2020
Polymer Films Pass Electron Gun Test
HSE researchers, jointly with colleagues from the RAN Institute of Organoelement Compounds and the RAN Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, have studied the properties of a polyarylene ether ketone-based copolymer (co-PAEK) for potential space applications. Co-PAEK films are highly resistant to
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Date:
03/19/2020
Fish Scales Could Make Wearable Electronics More Sustainable

This film derived from fish scales could someday be used in flexible electronic devices.

Flexible temporary electronic displays may one day make it possible to sport a glowing tattoo or check a reading, like that of a stopwatch, directly on the skin. In its current form, however, this technology generally depends on plastic. New research in ACS Nano describes a way to make these displays, which wou
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Date:
03/19/2020
A Landmark Plan for Fusion Energy and Plasma Science

PPPL physicist Nathan Ferraro with image from cover of report behind him.

Creating and controlling on Earth the fusion energy that powers the sun and stars is a key goal of scientists around the world. Production of this safe, clean and limitless energy could generate electricity for all humanity, and the possibility is growing closer to reality. Now a landmark report released this we
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Date:
03/19/2020
Composite Metal Foams Move Closer to Widespread Applications

This image shows steel-steel composite metal foam samples before testing (right) and after 100 minutes exposure to 825C (left).

North Carolina State University researchers have demonstrated that composite metal foams (CMFs) can pass so-called "simulated pool fire testing" with flying colors, moving the material closer to use in applications such as packaging and transportation of hazardous materials. In addition, researchers us
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Date:
03/19/2020
A Quantum Sensor that Covers Entire Radio Frequency Spectrum

Atoms in a glass vapor cell are excited with laser beams to Rydberg states. They detect the electric fields (coming from the gold antenna in the background) and imprint the information back onto the laser beams.

A quantum sensor could give Soldiers a way to detect communication signals over the entire radio frequency spectrum, from 0 to 100 GHz, said researchers from the Army. Such wide spectral coverage by a single antenna is impossible with a traditional receiver system, and would require multiple systems of indivi
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Date:
03/19/2020
Coronavirus May Force TV Makers to Cut Panel Demand in Q2

Korean TV makers aim to refill panel inventories to meet shipment targets

Television makers that had been planning to significantly boost their display panel purchasing in the second quarter now may be forced to curb their ambitions as concerns rise over a potential coronavirus-driven recession. South Korean and Chinese TV makers were hoping to take advantage of improving panel ava
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Date:
03/19/2020
A Nanoscale Laser Made of Gold and Zinc Oxide

The research group "Ultrafast Nano-Optics" at the University of Oldenburg, Germany, investigates processes in the nanoworld using lasers that emit extremely short flashes of light.

Tiny particles composed of metals and semiconductors could serve as light sources in components of future optical computers, as they are able to precisely localize and extremely amplify incident laser light. A team from Germany and Sweden led by Prof. Dr. Christoph Lienau and Dr. Jin-Hui Zhong from the University of
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Date:
03/19/2020
Revolutionizing Autonomous Navigation, AR, Neuroscience
While beam steering systems have been used for many years for applications such as imaging, display, and optical trapping, they require bulky mechanical mirrors and are overly sensitive to vibrations. Compact optical phased arrays (OPAs), which change the angle of an optical beam by changing the beam's phase pro
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Date:
03/19/2020
Metal Composite Power Inductors for Automotive Applications
KEMET Corporation has launched a new family of metal composite power inductors to address the stringent demands of the automotive market. The MPXV product offering enhances the company’s METCOM range and is AEC-Q200 qualified for use in the automotive sector. The new power inductors provide efficient power con
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Date:
03/18/2020
Renesas RE Family Chosen as Main Controller of G-SHOCK Watch
Renesas Electronics Corporation announced that Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (“Casio”) has adopted a Renesas ultra-low power consumption RE Family controller as the main controller of the new Casio G-SHOCK watch GBD-H1000 with heart rate monitor and GPS functionality, unveiled on February 26, 2020. The GBD-H1000
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Date:
03/18/2020
Current Sense Chip Resistor w/ High Power in a Small Package
There is an on-going trend to smaller, portable and more functional devices in the consumer electronics world. This is particularly true in the current sense resistor market where power control architectures are being downsized even as the functionality is being enhanced. Stackpole's CSS0508 is a 1W current sense chip
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Date:
03/18/2020
ASIL-Grade Protector IC Ensures Reliability of Safety Apps
Designers can now achieve ASIL compliance for automotive camera modules safely and cost-effectively with the MAX20087 dual/quad camera protector IC from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM). This is the industry’s only ASIL B- to ASIL D-compliant camera protector IC with integrated I2C-based
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Date:
03/18/2020
Company Offers Range of Black and White E-Paper Displays
Pervasive Displays (PDi) announces that its full range of Aurora black and white e-paper, or E-ink, electrophoretic displays (EPDs) are available with immediate effect. These chip-on-glass (COG) front plane laminate (FPL) displays make use of the latest driving waveform technology to produce sharp images in a
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Date:
03/18/2020
Embeddetech's Next-Gen Embedded Systems Development Platform
Embeddetech has announced a powerful yet inexpensive platform for rapidly building electronic hardware prototypes. The platform is expected to revolutionize the development of software that runs on microcontrollers, called "embedded software," by leveraging state-of-the-art microprocessor virtualization te
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Date:
03/18/2020
LED High Bay Rated at 54,000 Hours
Access Fixtures has announced a new commercial and industrial UFO-style high bay luminaire. The fixture, named SYMO, is available in 150w or 212w.  SYMO is first and foremost an extreme life fixture - it is L90 rated at 54,000 hours and L70 rated at 162,000 hours. Its long life guarantees that it will continue to
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Date:
03/18/2020
Richardson Electronics is Global Distributor for Custom MMIC
Richardson Electronics, Ltd. announced it will be distributing products from Custom MMIC, a Qorvo company. Custom MMIC is a leading supplier of high-performance GaAs and GaN monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) for defense, aerospace and commercial applications. Qorvo (Nasdaq:QRVO), is a global provider of
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Date:
03/18/2020
CUI Devices Adds Sirens Product Line to Audio Portfolio
CUI Devices’ Audio Group announced the addition of sirens to its diverse offering of buzzer products. The CPS models utilize piezo technology with a built-in driving circuit to create a range of variable tones and sounds, including hi-lo, warble, sweeping, one tone, and six tone. Featuring sound pressure levels (SPLs) up to 120
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Date:
03/17/2020
Caddock Releases Ultra-Precision Voltage-Monitoring Networks
Caddock Electronics is pleased to announce Type VMN Voltage Monitoring Resistor Networks for applications that need superior Transient Tolerant capability – while maintaining precision voltage divider performance. These precision voltage divider networks are designed for use in the voltage measurement circuits of
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Date:
03/17/2020
SCALE-iDriver for SiC MOSFETs Achieves AEC-Q100
Power Integrations announced that its SIC118xKQ SCALE-iDriver, a high-efficiency, single-channel gate driver for silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, is now certified to AEC-Q100 for automotive use. Devices can be configured to support gate-drive voltage requirements of commonly used SiC MOSFETs and feature sophisticated sa
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Date:
03/17/2020
Strain Gage Sensors Offer Improved Humidity Protection
The Micro-Measurements brand of Vishay Precision Group, Inc.  introduced the CHA Series – humidity resistant strain gage sensors. Micro Measurements is a worldwide industry leader in the field of stress analysis using resistive-foil sensors for high-precision strain, high-stress and force mechanism
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Date:
03/17/2020
900 V and 1200 V SiC MOSFETs for Demanding Applications
ON Semiconductor has expanded their range of wide bandgap (WBG) devices with the introduction of two additional families of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET. Intended for use in a variety of demanding high-growth applications including solar power inverters, on-board charging for electric vehicles (EV), uninterruptible po
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Date:
03/17/2020
Fully-Illuminated Vandal-Resistant Pushbuttons
Sager Electronics is now stocking OTTO’s fully illuminated LP3-V pushbutton series. The fully illuminated LP3-V pushbutton from OTTO, available with or without legends, is a momentary action, vandal resistant switch designed to provide reliable and secure lighted position indication. The series features
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Date:
03/16/2020
TTI Wins 2019 Global Broadline Distributor of the Year Award

Karen Leggio, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Channel, TE, presents the Global Distributor of the Year award to Mike Morton, TTI COO and members of TTI's leadership team.

TTI, Inc., has been awarded TE Connectivity’s (TE) 2019 Global Broadline Distributor of the Year Award. TTI senior leadership proudly accepted the honor during an awards ceremony in Berwyn, Pennsylvania celebrating the performance of TE’s top distribution partners. The award recognizes TTI’s strong POS gro
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Date:
03/16/2020
IC Family Designed for 48 V DC-DC Conversion
EPC announces the introduction of an 80 V, 12.5 A power stage integrated circuit designed for 48 V DC-DC conversion used in high-density computing applications and in motor drives for e-mobility. The EPC2152 is a single-chip driver plus eGaN FET half-bridge power stage using EPC’s proprietary GaN IC techno
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Date:
03/16/2020
First Miniature Tact Switch Rated to 10 Million Cycles
C&K has launched a new tact switch with a rating of 10 million cycles. The KSC Tireless Endurance (KSC TE) is a revolutionary addition to C&K’s tactile product portfolio that helps ease the design cycle by offering a long-standing lifetime for its size and force range. The superior tact switch is ideal fo
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Date:
03/16/2020
SiC Family Provides System Level Improvements in Efficiency
Demand continues to rapidly grow for Silicon Carbide (SiC)-based systems to maximize efficiency and reduce size and weight, allowing engineers to create innovative power solutions. Applications leveraging SiC technology range from electric vehicles and charging stations to smart power grids and industrial and ai
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Date:
03/16/2020
Shielded Inductors Meet High-Current Density Requirements
Bourns, Inc., announced the addition of nine new series to its SRP series power inductor line. These new Model SRP inductor families are designed to meet high current and low radiation requirements in a small form factor. Bourns' latest inductors feature a coil that is wound with either round or flat wire completely pre
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Date:
03/16/2020
Linear AC Power Sources for a Wide Range of Applications
Pacific Power Source has introduced a new range of precision programmable linear AC power sources for a wide range of AC power test applications.  This new LMX Series consists of over 20 different models ranging in power from 500VA to 30,000VA.  Compared to more commonplace PWM switching AC power sources, th
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Date:
03/16/2020
UnitedSiC Announces Distribution Partnership with Digi-Key
UnitedSiC announced a distribution agreement with Digi-Key Electronics. The new partnership will provide Digi-Key customers with worldwide, 24-hour availability of UnitedSiC’s Silicon Carbide product portfolio - including the only standard gate drive SiC devices currently in the market. Yalcin Bulut, VP of G
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Date:
03/16/2020
Chasing Lithium Ions on the Move in a Fast-Charging Battery
A team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has captured in real time how lithium ions move in lithium titanate (LTO), a fast-charging battery electrode material made of lithium, titanium, and oxygen. They discovered th
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Date:
03/15/2020
Building the World's Most Powerful Particle Accelerator

Professor Moses Chung and ChangKyu Sung in the School of Natural Sciences at UNIST were the only Korean researchers who partook in the MICE collaboration.

An international team of researchers, affiliated with UNIST has for the first time succeeded in demonstrating the ionization cooling of muons. Regarded as a major step in being able to create the world's most powerful particle accelerator, this new muon accelerator is expected to provide a better understanding of
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Date:
03/15/2020
6W Automotive-standard DCDC Converter ——CVRC1215JD-6WR3
The device provides 82% efficiency and has a sustainable short-circuit protection (self-recovery), and EMI that meets the automotive standards EN55025/ CISPR25 level 4. It also meets the AEC-Q100 automotive standards, which can better meet the requirements of the automotive industry for high reliability and smal
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Date:
03/13/2020
30W High Power Density DC/DC Converter Series URB_YMD-30WR3
This new series URB_YMD-30WR3 comes in 1x1 inch standard package and its power density increased by 50.4% compared to 2x1 inch package products with the same output power. Besides, this URB_YMD-30WR3 series features 18-75V ultra wide input voltage range and operating temperature range of -40℃ to +85℃. Protectio
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Date:
03/13/2020
PCIM Europe 2020 Postponed till July
COVID-19 has claimed another victim – on Friday, PCIM Europe 2020 was officially postponed. The good news is that PCIM will be delayed (until July 28-30) instead of cancelled. And the decision was almost entirely out of the show organizers’ hands. German Health Minister Jens Spahn recently called for
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Date:
03/13/2020
RS Components adds STMicroelectronics’ surge suppression range
Designed to handle 8/20µs and 10/1000µs voltage transients and protect circuits and equipment from power surges, the ST portfolio of Electrical Over-Stress (EOS) TVS Flat devices includes industrial and automotive grade devices. Delivering a lower cost per watt ratio, the portfolio of TVS Flat package variants ar
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Date:
03/12/2020
XP Power launches 20W & 40W PCB mount AC-DC power supplies
Complementing the previously released 3W, 5W and 10W models, the VCE20 and VCE40 series provide 20 and 40 Watts of power respectively and offer an encapsulated version as well as a lower cost open frame version, both of which are suited to PCB mounting. The compact (VCE20 – 63.5mm x 30.5mm x 21.8mm / VCE40 - 85.0mm
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Date:
03/12/2020
Flex adds telecom version to BMR480 DC-DC converters
The converter, called the BMR480 0113/034, provides an extended input voltage range below 40Vin, as required for telecom power conversion applications. It is optimized for a wider input voltage range of 36Vin to 60Vin, compared to the standard converters in the BMR480 series. The new version also has an output volt
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Date:
03/12/2020
Schaffner EMC products available on the EPLAN Data Portal
EPLAN is a powerful information source for global design engineering. The data portal offers customers shared by Schaffner and EPLAN benefits from the integration of device data and CAD which can be used digitally and efficiently in design engineering. EPLAN is a powerful planning tool that is used as a worldwide standa
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Date:
03/12/2020
600 V CoolMOS PFD7 series provides ultra-high power-density
The devices are suitable for ultrahigh power-density designs such as chargers and adapters as well as for low-power drives and specific lighting applications. Robustness and reliability gains together with increased efficiency, minimized switching losses and improved thermal behavior make this product fami
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Date:
03/12/2020
IEC 63171-6 published: Standard industrial interface for SPE set
On January 23, 2020 the international standard for Single Pair Ethernet interfaces in industrial applications was published with IEC 63171-6. The editor is the IEC committee SC 48B copper connectors. The mating face standard IEC 63171-6 T1 Industrial Style was the first standard submitted by HARTING to SC 48B for
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Date:
03/12/2020
IEEE 802.11ax compliant WLAN signaling test solution
Access points and WLAN stations can now be tested in single input single output (SISO) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode as well as in single-user or multi-user (OFDMA) operation, even under fading conditions and during IP data application. The greatest innovation in IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) compliant WLAN tr
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Date:
03/12/2020
RS Components adds Isabellenhütte precision power resistors
Produced using two different proprietary manufacturing technologies known as ISA-Plan and ISA-Weld, Isabellenhütte’s current-sense resistors meet stringent criteria with regard to thermoelectric voltage, long-term stability and inductance that allow electronics designers to optimise power use on PCBs more e
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Date:
03/12/2020
100 V Rated Voltage for 1005-Size Automotive Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors
The capacitor comes in a 1.0 x 0.5 x 0.5 mm package and features a rated voltage of 100 V and a capacitance of 0.01 μF.   We have sophisticated the materials and process technologies nurtured by us to improve rated voltage to 100 V compared to our conventional product UMR105 B7103KV (1.0 x 0.5 x
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Date:
03/12/2020
TAIYO YUDEN Creates 105°C Capable Lithium Ion Capacitor
The new capacitor has an increased operating temperature limit of 105°C Example applications for this newcapacitor include peak assistance and backup power supply in servers, drive recorders, and smart meters. When the product is used at 3.5 V, the upper limit of the operating temperature can reach +105°C,
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Date:
03/12/2020
OptiMOS Source-Down 25 V power MOSFET in PQFN package
The Source Down is the new industry standard packaging concept. The first wave of power MOSFETs launched in this new package is the OptiMOS TM 25 V in a PQFN 3.3x3.3 mm. The device sets a new industry benchmark in MOSFET performance, reducing on-state resistance (R DS(on)) and offering superior thermal management c
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Date:
03/12/2020
MOSFET Driver for Synchronous Rectification
The driver is designed for AC-DC rectification circuits in general consumer applications, notebooks, and USB adapters. The APR348 is capable of driving the external MOSFET in both high-side and low-side secondary-side synchronous-rectifier configurations. This flexible and efficient device supports secondar
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Date:
03/12/2020
ADI and Jungo Cooperate to Improve Vehicle Safety
The combination of ADI’s ToF technology with Jungo’s Co-driver software is expected to enable the monitoring of vehicle occupants for levels of drowsiness and distraction by observing head and body position as well as eye gaze. The solution is also expected to enable smart vehicle interaction based on face,
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Date:
03/12/2020
Intelligent Power Devices enable Standalone System Protection
The IPDs are optimized for automotive ECUs in transmission control, engine control, and other vehicle systems. IPDs are semiconductor devices that protect electronic circuits from breakdown (i.e. due to overcurrent during abnormalities). Unlike conventional fuses, IPD as semiconductor fuses can protect circ
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Date:
03/12/2020
Pre-Switch Demonstrates Efficacy of AI-based Soft Switching
Pre-Switch, Inc., has released first data from its Cleanwave 200kW inverter reference. Double pulse test data demonstrates that the Pre-Switch soft-switching platform – comprising the Pre-Drive 3 controller board powered by the Pre-Flex FPGA, and RPG gate driver board – reduces total system switching losses by
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Date:
03/12/2020
Ultra-Miniature Pushbutton Switches for Lasting Performance
C&K has developed a sealed miniature pushbutton switch that offers an extended operating life to 50,000 cycles on FP11 & FP21 version. The FP Series is completely sealed via an O-ring between the actuator and bushing, preventing contamination. The sealing also enables automated soldering and cleaning, sa
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Date:
03/12/2020
TE Connectivity donates 3D Printer to Penn State
TE Connectivity (TE) has donated a 3D printer to the Penn State College of Engineering in State College, Pennsylvania. The high-capacity, multifunctional nScrypt 3Dn-450-HP printer, a donation valued at around $350,000, will help students and researchers explore new additive manufacturing materials and proce
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Date:
03/12/2020
Silicon Labs to Buy Redpine Signals' Connectivity Business
Silicon Labs announced that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with Redpine Signals to acquire the company’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth business, development center in Hyderabad, India, and extensive patent portfolio for $308 million in cash. “The acquisition of Redpine Signals’ ultra-low
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Date:
03/12/2020
Expanded RF Portfolio for Satellite, Radar Applications
Renesas Electronics Corporation expanded its portfolio of mmWave solutions with the introduction of two new IC families for satellite communications (Satcom), radar, and phased array applications: The F65xx transmit active beamforming ICs and F692x low-noise amplifiers (LNAs). Featuring a combination of low po
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Date:
03/12/2020
A Graphene Innovation That is Music to your Ears

Sound waves illustration.

Just over 15 years since a couple of researchers in the U.K. used adhesive tape to isolate single atomic layers of carbon, known as graphene, from a chunk of graphite, their Nobel Prize-winning discovery has fueled a revolution in ultrathin materials R&D. Graphene and other atomically thin "2D" materials
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Date:
03/12/2020
Efficient, Solution-Processed, Hybrid Tandem Solar Cells

Professor Sung-Yeon Jang (center) and his research team in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST.

Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have attracted considerable attention due to the advantages of being flexible and lightweight. Besides, they are much easier to manufacture, compared with that of commercial silicon solar cells in use today. A novel technology, capable of maximizing the performance of th
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Date:
03/12/2020
DIN Rail Mount DC-DC Converters for Industrial Applications
XP Power has announced the availability of two new series of wide range input DC-DC converters. Their flexible specification allows devices with incompatible voltages to be easily integrated into industrial systems. The DTJ15 and DTJ20 series are designed for convenience of installation and operation. The
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Date:
03/11/2020
2.5/5/10Gbps Ethernet LAN Mux/Demux Enables Port Switching
Diodes Incorporated introduced the PI3L2500 LAN multiplexer/demultiplexer, the industry's first switch designed to enable port switching in next-generation corporate LANs at Ethernet signal speeds of 2.5/5/10 Gigabit per second (Gbps). The PI3L2500 bidirectional mux/demux design enables two Ethernet PHY differential
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Date:
03/11/2020
New Underground Software for Takeoff, Production Control
AGTEK Development Company, part of Hexagon, announced the introduction of Underground, the next-generation software to simplify takeoff and production control of pipe and underground utilities. AGTEK’s new Underground software combines intuitive data entry with flexible reporting to speed up takeoffs an
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Date:
03/11/2020
IoT Solutions for Cloud Connectivity to All MCUs and MPUs
Due to the fragmented nature of the Internet of Things (IoT) marketplace, increasing project complexity and costs, today’s developers face more challenges in design decisions than ever before. These challenges lead to extended development times, increased security threats and failed solutions. Continuing to ex
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Date:
03/11/2020
Automotive Phototransistor Optocoupler Saves Energy, Space
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new Automotive-Grade phototransistor optocoupler that combines a high current transfer ratio (CTR) range from 50 % to 600 % with a low forward current of 1 mA in the compact SOP-4 mini-flat package. Offering 80 % lower forward current than the previous-generation solution,
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Date:
03/11/2020
The Highest-Performance Wideband mmWave Synthesizer
Renesas Electronics Corporation introduced a next-generation wideband mmWave synthesizer with the industry’s highest performance and unique set of features optimized for 5G and broadband wireless applications. The flagship 8V97003 device is ideal as a local oscillator (LO) for mmWave and beamforming, or a pr
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Date:
03/11/2020
Four-Terminal Shunt Resistors for Less Wasted Power
Low resistance values are important for high-efficiency current sensing in that lower values mean less wasted power on the current sensing measurement itself. But sensing low resistance values becomes challenging because of lead resistance. Using a four terminal shunt resistor eliminates the detrimental effects o
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Date:
03/11/2020
Hirose Partners with Amphenol on ix Industrial Connector
Hirose would like to announce their partnership on the release of ix Industrial connectors by Amphenol. The ix Industrial is an ideal connection solution for Factory and Process Automation, Machine to Machine communication, Robotics, Sensors, Human Interface devices and other devices needing Ethernet IIoT connectivity in
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Date:
03/11/2020
SkyWater Chosen to Make High-Performance Si Power MOSFETs
SkyWater Technology and Applied Novel Devices Inc. announced the companies have entered into a licensing and manufacturing agreement to offer an improved standard process flow for Si power MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors).  The partnership will enable AND to bring new power device pr
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Date:
03/11/2020
Beacon EmbeddedWorks Announces New RZ/G2 System on Modules
Beacon EmbeddedWorks announces its new line of versatile RZ/G2 SOMs. As a Renesas Alliance Partner, Beacon’s RZ/G2 SOMs are the first available solution based on the Renesas RZ/G2N, RZ/G2M, and RZ/G2H SoCs. The flexible RZ/G2 SOM series delivers the latest in connectivity and multimedia capabilities, with unrivale
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Date:
03/11/2020
SiC MOSFET Devices Enable Better Performance, Efficiency
ON Semiconductor has expanded their range of wide bandgap (WBG) devices with the introduction of two additional families of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET. Intended for use in a variety of demanding high-growth applications including solar power inverters, on-board charging for electric vehicles (EV), uninterruptible po
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Date:
03/11/2020
Common Mode Toroidal Chokes for Noise Reduction
Signal Transformer, a Bel group company, announces their new HCTC Series of Common Mode Toroidal Chokes for design engineers and manufacturers who specify power supplies accommodating Common Mode noise reduction and line filtering. The HCTC Series features a solid carrier base for stable vertical PCB mount
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Date:
03/11/2020
$21.4 Million to Develop Water-Energy Technologies
Northwestern University and BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), announced today the initiation of a U.S.-Israel consortium led by both universities for the development of new technologies to solve global water challenges. The multi-institutional, internati
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Date:
03/11/2020
Software Designed for Materials Takeoff, Production Control
AGTEK Development Company, part of Hexagon, announced the introduction of Materials, the next-generation software to simplify takeoff and production control of construction materials. The new software puts materials first and accounts for all construction cost items without entering any data twice. Users can
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Date:
03/10/2020
APEC 2020 Cancelled over Coronavirus Concerns
For the first time in 35 years, the show won’t go on for the Applied Power Electronics Conference. On Tuesday, show organizers and sponsors decided to cancel APEC 2020. We all know why – the COVID-19 coronavirus has already claimed South by Southwest (SXSW),
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Date:
03/10/2020
Expanded Range of ICs Incorporate 750 V GaN Transistors
Power Integrations announced an expansion of its InnoSwitch 3 families of offline CV/CC flyback switcher ICs. The new INN3x78C devices incorporate a smaller “size 8” 750 V PowiGaN transistor, enabling  compact, efficient power supplies delivering between 27 W and 55 W without heatsinks. The ICs are hou
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Date:
03/10/2020
Polymer Aluminum Electrolytics Provide High Capacitance
The new PPC Series of ultra-thin polymer aluminum electrolytic capacitors from Cornell Dubilier represents a totally new capacitor form factor. Designed specifically for applications requiring high ripple current and the thinnest possible profiles, type PPC opens up new product design options. In addition to be
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Date:
03/09/2020
Lithium Equals > 99.9% Battery Quality Lithium Carbonate
Standard Lithium Ltd. is pleased to report that it has produced its first >99.9% purity (also known as ‘three-nines’) battery quality lithium carbonate using the Company’s proprietary ‘SiFT’ crystallisation technology.  This optimisation work was performed at the University of British Columbia (U
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Date:
03/09/2020
The Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe
550+ top suppliers, 10,000+ industry peers, 3 days. Source the latest powertrain technology in the e-mobility industry at the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe. Get your free trade fair pass today: https://bit.ly/2vTpfOp
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Date:
03/09/2020
Stackable DC/DC Buck Converter Maximizes Power Density
Texas Instruments (TI) introduced a new 40-A SWIFT DC/DC buck converter, offering first-of-its-kind stackability of up to four integrated circuits (ICs). The TPS546D24APMBus buck converter can deliver up to 160 A of output current at an 85°C ambient temperature –four times more current than competing power ICs
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Date:
03/09/2020
Sager Electronics Releases Line Card for Battery Solutions
Sager Electronics and its specialized group, Sager Power Systems, announced the release of a new battery solutions line card. As an authorized distributor and value-add reseller working with many of the industry’s top battery brands, Sager’s new, full-color line card showcases both its standard battery o
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Date:
03/09/2020
Super Junction MOSFETs in SMD-type DFN5x6, DFN8x8 Packages
Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited (AOS) announced the release of700V and 600V αMOS5 Super Junction MOSFET families in SMD-type DFN5x6 and DFN8x8 packages. αMOS5 is AOS’ latest generation of high voltage MOSFET, designed to meet the high efficiency and high-density needs for Quick Charger, Adapter, PC Po
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Date:
03/08/2020
Proximity Sensors from Vishay are Available at TTI
TTI, Inc., is now stocking the VCNL36821S/36826S proximity sensors from Vishay. Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced two new fully integrated proximity sensors designed to increase efficiency and performance in industrial, medical and commercial applications. Featuring an IR emitter and a vertical cavity sur
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Date:
03/08/2020
Caltech & JPL Launch Hybrid High-Rate Quantum Communications
Caltech and JPL have been successful partners in space exploration since the mid-1930s. In their tradition of intermixing in unique ways fundamental science, technology and engineering they develop a collaborative multi-disciplinary cross-agency research program to advance and accelerate scalable hybrid quantum ne
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Date:
03/08/2020
Total Review of Heterogeneously Integrated 2D Materials

Schematic illustration of the newly emerged 2D heterostructures research with various heterogeneous integration of 2D materials.

In a paper published in NANO, a group of researchers from Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea provide a comprehensive review of heterogeneously integrated two dimensional (2D) materials from an extensive library of atomic 2D materials with selectable material properties to open up fascinating possibilities fo
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Date:
03/08/2020
Layered Solar Cell Tech Boosts Efficiency, Affordability

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are contenders for the next-generation photovoltaic technology, with the potential to deliver module efficiency gains at minimal cost.

The future's getting brighter for solar power. Researchers from CU Boulder have created a low-cost solar cell with one of the highest power-conversion efficiencies to date, by layering cells and using a unique combination of elements. "We took a product that is responsible for a $30 billion a year indus
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Date:
03/06/2020
Longest Microwave Quantum Link

The ETH quantum link in Andreas Wallraff's laboratory. The tube at the centre contains the strongly cooled waveguide that connects the two quantum chips in their cryostats via microwave photons.

Collaboration is everything - also in the quantum world. To build powerful quantum computers in the future, it will be necessary to connect several smaller computers to form a kind of cluster or local network (LAN). Since those computers work with quantum mechanical superposition states, which contain the logical va
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Date:
03/06/2020
Optically-Inspired Computing with Spin Waves one Step Closer
An article was published in the journal Advanced Materials, and will appear on the front cover of the March 5th issue, demonstrating a new methodology for generating and manipulating spin waves in nanostructured magnetic materials. This work opens the way to developing nano-processors for extraordinarily quick and e
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Date:
03/06/2020
All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries w/ High Capacity

Schematic images and electron microscope photograph of sulfur-carbon composites (upper). Schematic images and cycle characteristics of all-solid-state sulfur battery (lower).

Prof. Atsunori Matsuda, Prof. Hiroyuki Muto, Assistant Prof. Kazuhiro Hikima, Assistant Prof. Nguyen Huu Huy Phuc, Researcher Reiko Matsuda, and Mr. Takaki Maeda (Master Program) at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology have made an active sulfur ma
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Date:
03/06/2020
A Filter for Cleaner Qubits

Schematic of a Josephson quantum filter (JQF). The data qubit (DQ) to be protected and the JQF are directly coupled to a semi-infinite waveguide, through which control pulses for the DQ are applied.

Researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), RIKEN, and the University of Tokyo propose an improved method for isolating the qubits in a quantum computer from the external environment, which may help usher in the era of practical quantum computing. Tokyo, Japan - A research team at the To
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Date:
03/06/2020
Improving the Vision of Self-Driving Vehicles
There may be a better way for autonomous vehicles to learn how to drive themselves: by watching humans. With the help of an improved sight-correcting system, self-driving cars could learn just by observing human operators complete the same task. Researchers from Deakin University in Australia published their res
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Date:
03/06/2020
Dual, Quad Channel USB-to-UART/MPSSE Bridge ICs
FTDI Chip’s latest series of multi-channel USB interface ICs have the capacity to deal with next-generation power requirements, as larger items of hardware start to make use of the protocol. Available in both 2-channel (FT2233HP) and 4-channel (FT4233HP) versions, the new Hi-Speed (480Mbits/s) devices have se
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Date:
03/04/2020
Transphorm Inc. Raises $21 Million, Completes Reverse Merger
Transphorm, Inc. announced it raised $21.5 million in a private placement equity financing. Prior to the financing, Transphorm Technology, Inc. (“Transphorm”) completed a reverse merger with Peninsula Acquisition Corporation (“Peninsula”), a public Delaware corporation, whereby Transphorm became a wholly ow
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Date:
03/04/2020
Magnetic Whirls in Future Data Storage Devices

Schematic representation of the magnetization in an advanced racetrack memory data storage. Skyrmions (blue) and antiskyrmions (red) constitute the '1' and '0' bits, respectively.

Magnetic (anti)skyrmions are microscopically small whirls that are found in special classes of magnetic materials. These nano-objects could be used to host digital data by their presence or absence in a sequence along a magnetic stripe. A team of scientists from the Max Planck institutes (MPI) of Microstructure Ph
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Date:
03/04/2020
New Class of 2D Materials Stores Electrical Energy

MXenes are 2D materials forming multi-layered particles (left) from which pseudocapacitors are made. Shining X-ray light on MXenes revealed changes of their chemical structure upon intercalation of urea molecules (right) compared to pristine MXenes (center).

There are different solutions for storing electrical energy: Lithium-based electrochemical batteries, for example, store large amounts of energy, but require long charging times. Supercapacitors, on the other hand, are able to absorb or release electrical energy extremely quickly - but store much less electrical en
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Date:
03/04/2020
Global Television Market Overcomes Trade Barriers
Defying a host of headwinds, the global television market managed to attain slight growth in the fourth quarter and for the entire year of 2019, as an easing in a shortage of LCD panels helped propel the market’s expansion. Global TV set shipments in the fourth quarter of 2019 totaled 68.6 million, a 1.5 per
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Date:
03/04/2020
Plug-and-Play Gate Drivers Suit Press-Pack IGBT Modules
Power Integrations introduced the 1SP0351SCALE-2 single-channel, +15/-10 V, plug-and-play gate-driver, developed specifically for new 4500 V press-pack IGBT (PPI) modules from manufacturers such as Toshiba, Westcode and ABB. Based on Power Integrations’ widely used SCALE-2 chipset, the new gate-drivers are per
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Date:
03/04/2020
Filter Increases Motor Life and Eliminates Motor Failure
MTE Corporation announces the launch of SineWave Nexus. The SineWave Nexus is the latest addition to MTE’s best-in-class motor protection filter family. The SineWave Nexus eliminates high frequency content and voltage peaks to extend system efficiency and motor life at any cable length. The SineWave Nexus is
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Date:
03/03/2020
Coronavirus Increases Demand for Seoul Viosys' LED Tech
Seoul Viosys announced that customer inquiries for its violeds UV LED products, which are ideal for sterilizing bacteria, increased more than five times over the previous month, fueled by concerns over the continuing global spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). According to the Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiati
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Date:
03/03/2020
Modular Configurable 600W, 1200W PSUs are Smallest in Class
FiDUS Power announces the availability of the NEVO range of smallest in its class modular configurable power supplies including medical variants. Both sizes of the NEVO power supplies are available with the latest in medical safety approvals for safety EN/IEC/ANSI 60601-1 and EMC immunity EN60601-1-2 4th edition
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Date:
03/03/2020
Ultra-Precision Thin-Film Resistors Available in 0402 Case
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. announced that the company has extended its TNPU e3 series of Automotive Grade ultra precision thin film flat chip resistors with a new space-saving component in the compact 0402 case size. Offering excellent long term stability — for example, permitted maximum resistance change
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Date:
03/03/2020
MLCCs Withstand Demands of Automotive and Medical Equipment
Taiyo Yuden Automotive-Grade Products consist of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and inductors that withstand the demands of automotive electronic components, industrial equipment, and medical equipment. Taiyo Yuden uses its own raw materials and advanced technologies for greater control and flexibility on
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Date:
03/03/2020
Web Simulation Tool Does Verification for Power Devices, ICs
ROHM announced to start to provide with a web simulation tool, “ROHM Solution Simulator”, that allows designers of electronic circuits and systems in the automotive and industrial markets to simultaneously verify power devices and ICs on 44 different solution circuits. Simulations are typically conducted before
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Date:
03/03/2020
Data Acquisition System Offers High Flexibility, Accuracy
Micro-Measurements announced that it has introduced a new high performance data acquisition system featuring a scanner with up to 128 software-configurable input channels. The System 7100 offers high-accuracy, greater flexibility and ease-of-use for a broad range of applications including design verificati
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Date:
03/03/2020
Adapter Integrates Blue e Cooling Units into IoT Systems
Rittal now offers a special adapter that retrofits comprehensive communications capabilities to ensure that customers can integrate existing Blue e cooling units into condition monitoring and IoT systems. Smart manufacturing is driven by the rise of technology; digital retrofit may be the most economical solution
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Date:
03/03/2020
Graphene, Perovskites, and Silicon -- An Ideal Tandem

Graphene Flagship researchers successfully combined graphene with tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells to achieve efficiencies of up to 26.3%.

Graphene Flagship researchers at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and its spin-off, Graphene Flagship Associate Member BeDimensional, in cooperation with ENEA have successfully combined graphene with tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells to achieve efficiencies of up
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Date:
03/03/2020
Developing Faster Algorithms to Deduce Complex Networks

Digging deeper into the intricacies of these networks in an effort to develop more efficient Quantum Algorithms

Our world has no dearth of complex networks--from cellular networks in biology to intricate web networks in technology. These networks also form the basis of various applications in virtually all fields of science, and to analyze and manipulate these networks, specific "search" algorithms are required. Bu
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Date:
03/03/2020
Isolated, Nonisolated ±12 V Outputs from 30 V to 400 V Input

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1. A complete ±12 V/50 mA isolated flyback converter for a wide input range, 30 V to 400 V.

Electric vehicles, large-scale battery storage stacks, home automation, industrial, and telecom power all require converting high voltages to ±12 V, where dual polarity rails are required for powering amplifiers, sensors, data converters, and industrial process controllers. One challenge in all of these systems is
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Date:
03/02/2020
Powering the Next Sophisticated AI System

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Table 1: Advanced Controllers vs. Analog-Based and Digital Control Solutions

AI systems imitate the human brain’s capacity to learn and solve problems. They accomplish this with computer-based “neural” networks consisting of parallel processors that run complex learning and execute software algorithms. Today’s AI is revolutionizing computing architecture to replicate neural
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Date:
03/02/2020
How to Improve Thermal Performance of Ignition IGBTs

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Figure 1. Simplified schematic of the Ignition IGBT test circuit and the resulting IGBT gate voltage, collector current, and dissipated power. P1 is the ON-state power loss and P2 is the discharging cycle power loss

As a result of greater pollution and more stringent regulations, electric and hybrid research and development includes developments in more efficient internal combustion engines and alternative fuels. While the all-electric vehicle is considered the leading solution to eliminate pollutants from vehicles, a number of
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Date:
03/02/2020
When Does it Make Sense to Switch Out Si for SiC?

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Figure 1: RDS(on) comparison for a CoolSiC device using various gate drive voltages at different temperatures

Switch mode power supplies (SMPS) have continued to improve in the overall efficiencies that are attainable when using classic silicon (Si) MOSFET technology. This has been achieved by pushing the boundaries with new silicon fabrication processes, design methodologies, and using these devices in innovative new to
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Date:
03/02/2020
SiC MOSFET Gate-Driver Design for Efficiency and Reliability

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Figure 1. A large driver source current is needed to charge gate capacitances quickly. Source: ON Semiconductor TND6237/D

Silicon carbide power MOSFETs are moving closer to approximate price parity with conventional silicon MOSFETs or IGBTs. Their key advantages are lower RDS(ON) and reduced switching losses, breakdown voltages comparable to IGBTs, and greater temperature capability. These give designers of power-conversion systems su
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Date:
03/02/2020
Testing GaN Devices to Failure

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Weibull plots of gate-to-source failures of EPC2212. Note that very few failures occur even at 8 VGS , yet the device has a maximum VGS rating of 6 V. The data on the left is at 25oC and the data on the right is at 120oC

Standard qualification testing for semiconductors typically involves stressing devices at-or-near the limits specified in their data sheets for a prolonged period of time, or for a certain number of cycles.  The goal of qualification testing is to have zero failures out of a relatively large group of parts te
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Date:
03/02/2020
GaN Takes the Baton from Silicon to Support High Efficiency

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Figure 1: GaN optimized for fast switching

As silicon-based technology approaches its evolutionary limits, design engineers are now looking to wide bandgap technologies such as gallium nitride (GaN) to provide a solution. Unusually for a new technology, GaN is inherently lower cost than the technology it will supercede, namely silicon. GaN devices a
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Date:
03/02/2020
GaN Type Determines Design Benefits

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Figure 1: Two-chip normally-off high voltage GaN FET

Two-chip normally-off Gallium Nitride (GaN) FETs are currently used in in-production power systems in various markets ranging from Consumer Adapters, PC Gaming to Broad Industrial. Within these applications, the GaN devices regularly demonstrate the end-to-end benefits expected from GaN, including increased ef
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Date:
03/02/2020
Enabling High-Density Multi-Kilowatt Grid Converters w/ GaN

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Figure 1: Examples of grid-tied converters

Grid converters manage the flow of power between the electric grid and loads, as well as energy storage and generation sources. Their efficient operation and physical size have become more important recently for a couple of reasons. First, any inefficiency has a direct impact on operating costs, as well as cooling an
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Date:
03/02/2020
Follow the Yellow SiC Road
Growth in electric vehicle adoption is now exponential. According to the International Energy Agency ‘Global EV Outlook 2019’ document, there were over 5 million electric passenger cars on the roads in 2018, up 63% from 2017, with the figure set to reach 250 million in just ten years. This is in the EV30@30 sc
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Date:
03/02/2020
Half Bridge, Gate Driver Measurements for Wide Bandgap

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Figure 1. The half-bridge circuit is widely used to convert electrical energy efficiently in modern designs

The faster switching transitions on modern wide bandgap power devices (SiC, GaN) have made measuring and characterizing a considerable challenge, and in some cases, nearly impossible. That is changing with new isolated probing technologies that are allowing designers to at long last confidently measure half br
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Date:
03/02/2020
A Challenging Time
I am writing this column in my hotel in Nuremberg just before I leave to visit the Embedded World Exhibition, which opens its doors to the public today. Usually my diary would be packed with appointments to meet a variety of companies, but mainly the largest players who save their biggest announcements of the ye
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Date:
03/02/2020
The Industry's Sustainability Efforts
We’ve spilled a ton of digital ink on the consumer world’s green efforts, but sustainability can be found much closer to home. Infineon Technologies just announced plans to go carbon-neutral by 2030, and that inspired me to take a look at our industry’s voluminous environmental efforts. In the past, we’ve co
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Date:
03/02/2020
Gearing Up for APEC
Across the Atlantic this month, all the talk is about APEC, the first real show of the year to focus on the power industry. This year, the event will take place in New Orleans, which should bring a touch of French Quarter sparkle to the event. However, in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center the focus will be
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Date:
03/02/2020
Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors in the Big Easy
It’s that time of year again – no, not the one where weird relatives stink up the joint and some fat guy zips around the world with magical caribou. I’m talking about APEC. The big one. The crown jewel. The World Series of power. And with it comes arguably the hottest topic in our fair industry – wide ba
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Date:
03/02/2020
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