Powering Communications

    October 2016
    To read the November issue of PSDE, simply click here
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    Date:
    10/31/2016
    The quest for energy efficiency has focused attention on those components of the power electronics that can connect hundreds of volts and amps in inverters with exceptional efficiency. We are talking about modern power switches – IGBTs and SIC-FETs – and how the voltage supplied to the respective gate drivers is
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    Date:
    10/30/2016
    Recently there have been efforts to lower below 1V the core voltage of various chipsets used for wearable devices and GPS/communication modules. This is due to the fact that holding down the core operating voltage enables a significant reduction of power consumption. Here we’ll go over a new ultra-low power DC-
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    Date:
    10/30/2016
    Oftentimes, designers of mobile medical devices, digital cameras, and portable consumer electronics choose to power their device from two, series-stacked, Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, yet still desire the capability to charge from a 5-V universal serial bus (USB) port. Boosting a 5-V USB input to charge two se
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    Date:
    10/30/2016
    The trend in consumer electronics has always been to make them faster, smarter, and with ever-expanding capabilities. But waterproofing has become the new focus of global electronics manufacturers and most brands are rushing to include this benefit to ensure they are not left behind in this ultra-competitive ma
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    Date:
    10/30/2016
    When designing portable battery powered systems, size and battery life constraints are often the most severe challenges to overcome. One traditional way to pack a lot of functionality into a small size and power budget is to use a low power microcontroller such as TI’s popular MSP430. These types of ultra-low po
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    Date:
    10/30/2016
    People like to move around, and they like to take their things with them when they do. This is especially true of things we need to maintain our health and fitness. This is not only the case for electronic devices, people have been carrying around pills and pillows for years to feel better on the road. Hotels ha
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    Date:
    10/30/2016
    With fuel economy regulations tightening and autonomous-driving capability with connectivity proliferating, the old-fashioned 12-volt automotive electrical system has reached its usable power limit. Furthermore, a vast increase in automotive electronic systems, coupled with related demands on power, has created an
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    Date:
    10/30/2016
    Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCC) in chipscale surface-mount packages are widely used in electronics for consumer, medical, industrial, automotive, and other applications. Their combination of affordability, compatibility with high-volume assembly, high capacitance values within small dimensions, and high re
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    Date:
    10/29/2016
    High-voltage IGBT-modules usually consist of two types of IC, an IGBT for the transistor and a diode for the freewheeling functionality. A device that combines both functions in a single die is known as a reverse conducting IGBT (RC-IGBT). These modules exhibit a lower thermal resistance when compared to an IG
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    Date:
    10/29/2016
    People don’t think about engineers much, and in general engineers are looked upon in a positive light. Unless something goes wrong with something. In the marketplace, engineering is usually the first direction people point fingers when problems occur in a product. Unsafe and/or malfunctioning products are proble
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    Date:
    10/28/2016
    Here we’ll look at how a rugged and flexible control can be rapidly implemented using an 8-bit microcontroller with analog blocks. For many custom power supplies, this provides an optimum combination of noise immunity, high performance, short development time, and digital flexibility. Analog PWM control circu
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    Date:
    10/28/2016
    Equipment designs increasingly utilize advanced MCU, DSP and FPGA devices to deliver the functionality and performance demanded of them. With this sophistication comes the challenge of providing the multiple power rails these devices require. The use of carefully chosen power modules can significantly ease this ta
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    Date:
    10/28/2016
    RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents, a distributor for engineers, has become an authorised worldwide distributor for Power Integrations, giving RS customers faster access to new products from the leading innovator in power semiconductor technologies for applications including offline AC/DC pow
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    Date:
    10/27/2016
    Qualcomm and NXP Semiconductors announced a definitive agreement, unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, under which Qualcomm will acquire NXP. Pursuant to the agreement, a subsidiary of Qualcomm will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of
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    Date:
    10/27/2016
    PSDcast - Jorg Hantschel of Wuerth Elektronik eiSos on wireless power

    Jörg Hantschel of Würth Elektronik eiSos

    In this PSDcast Jörg Hantschel of Wuerth Elektronik eiSos talks to Alix Paultre of Power Systems Design about the state of wireless power development. Long ignored due to complexity, cost, and efficiency, wireless power transmission is starting to take off. Important for applications beyond the field of sm
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    Date:
    10/14/2016
    PSDcast - Karl Fleischmann of TI on USB Type-C development

    Karl Fleischmann of TI

    In this PSDcast Karl Fleischmann of TI talks to Alix Paultre of Power Systems Design about USB Type-C development. Texas Instruments recently introduced a multiport USB Type-C and Power Delivery (PD) minidock reference design that provides audio, USB data, power and video support. This new TI Designs reference de
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    Date:
    10/12/2016
    Oftentimes, designers of digital cameras, mobile devices and other consumer electronics choose to power their device from two, series-stacked, Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, yet still desire the capability to charge from a 5-V universal serial bus (USB) port. Boosting a 5-V USB input to charge two series-stacked Li
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    Date:
    10/12/2016
    A key consideration for wireless sensor nodes that will populate the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is battery lifetime. The sensor nodes, in many applications, will need to be installed in locations that are difficult to reach and, consequently, service. Because it is too costly and difficult to run power li
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    Date:
    10/12/2016
    Continuing the old story-telling tone which began the issue, I would like to point your attention to the centuries-old proverb “For want of a nail” which describes a chain of events and their consequences from a small error snowballing into catastrophe. There are many lessons to draw from this, from the im
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    Date:
    10/11/2016
    LGA package technology can deliver important advantages for the high-performance Point-Of-Load converters needed to feed power-hungry, fast-reacting data centers and network infrastructure. As the power demands of high-performance Cloud and telecom computing systems continue to increase, converter modules that of
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    Date:
    10/11/2016
    Infineon's OptiMOS 5 boasts a breakthrough reduction in on-state resistance and reverse recovery charge

    OptiMOS 5 150 V

    Aiming at high efficiency designs and applications, Infineon Technologies introduces the OptiMOS 5 150 V portfolio. This product family further expands the industry leading OptiMOS 5 generation of power MOSFETs. The new 150 V product family is especially optimized for high performance applications which require lo
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    Date:
    10/11/2016
    Having a good grasp of how measurement tools actually operate can provide valuable insight into how test methods can be improved. Setups can subsequently be made simpler and more effective, plus test performance parameters can be significantly raised. This is true for any sphere of technology that requires the ca
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    Date:
    10/11/2016
    TE Connectivity (TE), a leader in connectivity and sensor solutions, announced it will showcase its latest products and innovations at electronica 2016, the world's leading trade fair for electronic components, systems and applications, in Munich, Germany November 8 – 11. Join TE experts in Hall B2, Booth #22
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    Date:
    10/10/2016
    Compact TVS diodes from Littelfuse protect sensitive electronics

    SMF3.3 Series TVS Diodes

    Littelfuse, a leader in circuit protection, has introduced a series of TVS Diodes designed specifically to protect sensitive portable and compact electronics from voltage transient events. The SMF3.3 Series TVS Diode combines 200W surge capability, low reverse standoff voltage (3.3V), and low clamping voltage (6
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    Date:
    10/10/2016
    Here we’ll explore the analytical transfer function for the tightly-coupled Sepic converter. It is shown that the control-to-output function is just second-order, not fourth-order like the conventional Sepic converter [1]. The coupling capacitor of the converter has no effect on the control, and it can be ma
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    Date:
    10/10/2016
    To read the October issue of PSDE, simply click here
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    Date:
    10/08/2016
    To read the October issue of PSDNA, simply   click here  
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    Date:
    10/08/2016
    Automated factories employ sensors and I/O modules to control their industrial processes. As they increase in sophistication and shrink in size, they are enabling the fourth industrial revolution, dubbed Industry 4.0. A single module (see Figure 1) can have up to 64 channels, and a typical factory floor may uti
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    Date:
    10/07/2016
    Using EMC filters
    EMC problems in frequency converters occur not only at the input, but also at the output. To ensure reliable elimination of any kind of interference at the output as well, companies like TDK, for example, offer a wide range of EPCOS filters and reactors. Frequency converters are used for regulating the speed
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    Date:
    10/07/2016
    The role of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is simple in concept: provide a temporary power bridge to support the load between the loss of the utility and the transfer to diesel generators. Even though the task is easy to define, the best way to achieve the goal is often clouded in obscurity as the benefits be
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    Date:
    10/07/2016
    TI claims first fully-integrated DDR memory power solution

    TPS54116-Q1 DC/DC buck converter

    Texas Instruments introduced the industry’s first fully integrated power management solution for double date rate (DDR)2, DDR3 and DDR3L memory subsystems in automotive and industrial applications. The TPS54116-Q1 DC/DC buck converter is a 2.95-V to 6-V input, 4-A synchronous step-down converter with a 1-A pea
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    Date:
    10/04/2016
    Industry 4.0, the latest industrial revolution, is changing the way manufacturing organizations think about production. The aim of Industry 4.0 is to make manufacturing more flexible and responsive to customer needs, providing the ability to make small batches that are tailored to individual customers. The quantity
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    Date:
    10/04/2016
    PSDcast - Eric Glatfelter of ON Semi talks about Fairchild and other things

    Eric Glatfelter of ON Semi

    In this PSDcast Eric Glatfelter of ON Semiconductor talks about the Fairchild acquisition and other things going on in the electronics industry with Alix Paultre of Power Systems Design. The company recently completed its previously-announced $2.4 billion cash acquisition of Fairchild, and Eric talks about th
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    Date:
    10/03/2016
    Archive

    Power Systems Design

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    Annapolis, Maryland 21401 USA

    Power Systems Design

    Power Systems Design is a leading global media platform serving the power electronics design engineering community. It delivers in-depth technical content, industry news, and product insights to engineers and decision-makers developing advanced power systems and technologies.

    Published 12× per year across North America and Europe, Power Systems Design is distributed through online and fully digital editions, complemented by eNewsletters, webinars, and multimedia content. The platform covers key areas including power conversion, semiconductors, renewable energy, automotive electrification, AI power systems, and industrial applications—supporting innovation across the global electronics industry.