Smart Power Grid

May 2017
Detect Power Variations with Analog Devices’ ADE9000 AFE for Power Quality Monitoring, Now at Mouser

Detect Power Variations with Analog Devices’ ADE9000 AFE for Power Quality Monitoring

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry's leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor with the widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components, is now stocking the ADE9000 analog front end (AFE) from Analog Devices. The ADE9000 is a highly integrated polyphase AFE with power quality analysis des
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Date:
05/31/2017
Redefining Alternative Energy and the Smart Grid

Renewable energy is booming in the United States.

“We live in a world bathed in 5,000 times more energy than we consume as a species in the year, in the form of solar energy. It's just not in usable form yet.” - Peter Diamandis, author and founder and chairman of the X Prize Foundation We’ve never been closer to commercializing viable replacements for
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Date:
05/31/2017
Arlington, VA, May 31, 2017 -The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) today announced that Smart Cities will be a new area of focus at CES, as the show launches a dedicated Marketplace (exhibit area) and a full schedule of related conference programming. Owned and produced by CTA, CES 2018 is the world's gather
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Date:
05/31/2017
Smart meters and time-of-use electricity pricing have only modestly reduced residential energy demand during the most expensive peak periods, a new study suggests. Researchers at the University of Waterloo compared data for nine months before and nine months after time-of-use rates were introduced in Novemb
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Date:
05/31/2017
Smart “things,” whether connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) or relying purely on their local intelligence, are pervading almost every aspect of work and life. Today’s low-cost, low-power computing devices enable product designers to create new and more sophisticated features and capture and analyze d
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Date:
05/31/2017

eRamp

One of the most important European research projects for energy efficiency, “eRamp”, is coming to a close. Over the past three years, 26 partners from business and science have explored innovative electronics components for using energy even more efficiently. Their focus was on the rapid introduction of new pr
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Date:
05/30/2017
How did my lovely, talented, infinitely kind and caring wife end up with a schlub like me? Luck, I guess. I like to think she made an investment in her future (and one amazing son later, I’d say the ROI was fantastic!). And that’s the quandary the smart grid/alternative energy market finds itself in, whethe
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Date:
05/30/2017
Butterfly wings inspire new solar technologies

Butterfly wings inspire new solar technologies

Engineers have invented tiny structures inspired by butterfly wings that open the door to new solar cell technologies and other applications requiring precise manipulation of light.   Click image to enlarge Butterfly wings inspire new solar technologies  The inspiration comes from the bl
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Date:
05/25/2017
ABB is bringing affordable, safe and reliable electricity to remote communities thanks to its new integrated microgrid solution, MGS100, that enables solar power and battery energy storage. The MGS100 has been built to perform in extreme environments, and has the ability to transform lives and businesses for the b
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Date:
05/25/2017
Infineon starts volume production of first full-SiC-module, announces additional devices for its CoolSiC™ family

Infineon starts volume production of first full-SiC-module, announces additional devices for its CoolSiC™ family

Higher efficiency, increased power density, smaller footprints and reduced system costs: these are the main advantages of transistors based on silicon carbide (SiC). Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) is starting volume production for the EASY 1B, the first full-SiC module announced during PCIM 201
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Date:
05/17/2017
LEM reinvents the fluxgate technology for high accuracy current measurement with a low noise level, over a wide temperature range

LEM reinvents the fluxgate technology for high accuracy current measurement with a low noise level, over a wide temperature range

LEM reinvents the fluxgate technology, announcing the new IN 2000-S high accuracy current transducer for non-intrusive and isolated measurement of DC, AC and pulsed nominal current of 2000 A. This is the first model of a future family that will cover a range of different primary currents. Click image to
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Date:
05/16/2017
Compact, Efficient SCALE-iDriver™ IC Family from Power Integrations Supports 1700 V IGBTs

New gate driver IC targets applications from 400-690 VAC, including three-level topology inverters

Power Integrations, the leader in IGBT and MOSFET driver technology for medium- and high-voltage inverter applications, today announced an expansion of its SCALE-iDriver™ family of galvanically isolated single-channel gate driver ICs. The new devices support IGBT blocking voltages up to 1700 V, which are generally us
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Date:
05/16/2017
TRENCHSTOP™ Advanced Isolation package for discrete IGBTs

TRENCHSTOP™ Advanced Isolation package for discrete IGBTs

Infineon Technologies introduces the new package technology TRENCHSTOP™ Advanced Isolation. It is available for TRENCHSTOP and TRENCHSTOP Highspeed 3 IGBTs for best-in-class thermal performance and simpler manufacturing. The two versions are performance optimized to replace both fully insulated packages (FullPA
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Date:
05/11/2017
New PIC32 Family of 32-Bit Microcontrollers Optimized for Motor Control and General Purpose Applications

Microchip’s PIC32MK Family is Packed with Analog Peripherals, Dual USB Capabilities and Support for up to Four CAN 2.0 Ports

The newest family of PIC32 microcontrollers (MCUs) is now available from Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP). The PIC32MK family features four highly integrated MCUs for precision dual Motor Control applications (PIC32MK MC) and eight MCUs packed with serial communication modules for General Purpose
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Date:
05/11/2017
15dB Gain Differential Amplifier Delivers up to +50dBm OIP3 Linearity and  Low Noise from 100kHz to 1.4GHz

An Ultralow Distortion 15dB Gain Wideband Differential Amplifier Extends Outstanding Dynamic Range to Low Frequencies

Analog Devices announces the LTC6432-15, a wideband fully differential amplifier with 15dB gain, offering linearity of up to +50.3dBm OIP3 (output third-order intercept), very high OP1dB (output 1dB compression point) of +22.7dBm, and 3.2dB noise figure at 150MHz. In addition to its outstanding signal-to-noise
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Date:
05/11/2017
Analog Devices’ Versatile 50 Mbps RS-485 Transceiver Series Protects Communication in Harsh Environments

Analog Devices’ Versatile 50 Mbps RS-485 Transceiver Series Protects Communication in Harsh Environments

Analog Devices has announced the availability of two 50 Mbps RS-485/RS-422 transceivers for use in harsh environments including industrial automation, motor control, military and avionics. The ADM3065E and ADM3066E transceivers combine IEC61000-4-2 Level 4 electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection,
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Date:
05/11/2017
Vicor Expands High Voltage Bus Converter Family with New K=1/16, 384 VDC - 24VDC Module in a ChiP Package

BCM series of DC-DC converters utilizing the Converter

Vicor Corporation has announced the expansion of its BCM series of DC-DC converters utilizing the Converter housed in Package™ (ChiP) power component format. Click image to enlarge BCM series of DC-DC converters utilizing the Converter   The new BCM6123TD1E2663Txx is a
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Date:
05/10/2017
Over the last several years mainstream distribution of U.S. electronics has ended up in the hands of “the Big Three” – two major players in the U.S. and one privately held Canadian company. Concerned that the large semiconductor companies have determined they are not getting the ROI they need from the di
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Date:
05/05/2017
This is the busy time of the year for those of us in the Power Electronics Industry. APEC was a great show and PSD held their 8th annual golf tournament along with sponsors, Mouser Electronics and Coilcraft.  Congratulations goes to United Silicon Carbide who proudly was the recipient of the perpetual tro
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Date:
05/05/2017
CUI’s 300 W Ac-Dc Power Supply Series Offers High Efficiency in a 3” x 5” Package

CUI’s 300 W Ac-Dc Power Supply Series Offers High Efficiency in a 3” x 5” Package

CUI’s Power Group expands its VOF ac-dc power supply family with the introduction of a compact 300 W series. The VOF-300 series, available in open frame and metal enclosed packages, is a higher-power addition to CUI’s general purpose ac-dc power supply portfolio currently ranging from 6 W to 280 W. Of
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Date:
05/05/2017
The world has a bottomless appetite for energy – and electrical energy is no exception.  Of the electricity generated, it’s estimated that approximately 45% of electricity is used to power motors. Compare this to lighting, which accounts for about 19%, even with LED lighting making a significant impact in
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Date:
05/05/2017
Still keeping your hybrid power systems indoors?  It’s time for change

eSITE from Flexenclosure

Mobile telecommunications network equipment is expected to work without issue 24/7.  There is no compromise on this, which is why transmission equipment, BTS systems, RF equipment, etc., are designed, tested and built for operation in the most demanding of environmental conditions. Click image to enlarg
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Date:
05/05/2017
Riedon Expands its DC Current Shunt Resistor Portfolio with Current Ranges from 1 Amp to 10,000 Amps

DC Current Shunt Resistors

Riedon, a specialist manufacturer of cutting-edge power and precision resistors, has expanded its portfolio of precision current shunts to provide one of the broadest range of current ratings available today. Responding to increases in the output levels from renewable energy sources, higher capacity batteries that req
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Date:
05/04/2017
PULS products now available from Digi-Key

DIN-rail power supplies

Digi-Key’s worldwide customers now have fast and easy access to AC/DC and DC/DC converters from PULS, the DIN-rail power supply specialist. The power supplies and matching supplementary modules are now in stock at Digi-Key and available for immediate shipment. Click image to enlarge DIN-rail power supplies "
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Date:
05/04/2017
Analog Devices’ MEMS Accelerometers Provide Low Power Vibration Measurements, Enabling Wireless Condition Monitoring

The EVAL-ADXL35x-Z are simple evaluation boards that allow quick evaluation of the performance

Analog Devices has announced the addition of two devices to its popular series of low noise, low drift, low power, three-axis MEMS accelerometers. The low noise performance over high frequencies provided by the new ADXL356 and ADXL357 MEMS accelerometers delivers high resolution vibration measurements that enable the early detection of machine failure in condition monitoring ap
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Date:
05/04/2017
STMicroelectronics Works with Hilscher to Provide Scalable Multi-Protocol Industrial Ethernet Platform

I-NUCLEO-NETX expansion board

The creation of cost-efficient and compact industrial slave devices that can connect to any Real-Time Ethernet network is now simplified through the combination of the STM32™ ecosystem with the multi-protocol flexibility of Hilscher’s netX control ICs. The results of this collaboration are the I-NUCLEO-NET
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Date:
05/04/2017
Murata’s convection cooled 250W AC-DC power supplies for industrial & limited airflow applications

Convection cooled 250W AC-DC power supplies for industrial & limited airflow applications

Murata announces its new wide input range, single output PQC series of industrial/medical power supplies from Murata Power Solutions. Rated at 250 watts of output power in an industry-standard open frame 3 x 5 inch, 1U footprint, this high-efficiency design can deliver full power with free-air natural convection coolin
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Date:
05/04/2017
Using SPICE model blocks – Part Two

Relative timing of all edges for the input clock (CLK) and the two outputs (HS & LS)

This article is Part Two of a mini-series, presenting useful SPICE model blocks to help motor control and power supply designers perform effective simulations.  Part One introduced a block called “DUALCLOCK” that generates two floating clock outputs (see PSD, March 2017) for driving half-bridge circuit
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Date:
05/03/2017
Balancing energy efficiency and ease-of-use in a world of high power demands

Schematic drawing of conventional HV planar MOSFET and SJ MOSFET

We are surrounded by electrically powered devices. The mobile phones in our pockets, the laptop computers we use on the job, the television in our living rooms, the servers powering the Internet, or even the EV car in our garage - all require electricity to operate and drive the demand for power supplies which ar
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Date:
05/02/2017
Power quality monitoring technology - helping industrial equipment stay healthy

See the different sources of power quality problems in the United States (left) and Europe (right). Source: Melhorn et al., 2005, McNulty et al., 2002, Manson & Targosz, 2008

According to a recent study published by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), large industrial facilities in the US lose over $100 billion every year due to power problems including power supply variations and voltage disturbances.  When the lights flicker at home, it’s an annoyance. But when po
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Date:
05/02/2017
Avoiding Voltage Rail Blind Spots

LTC3886 Schematic Converting 48VIN to 5V/15A & 12V/15A

Knowing the condition and operating status of a voltage regulator is perhaps the last remaining blind spots in today’s modern electronic systems since they do not normally have the means for directly configuring or remotely monitoring key operating parameters. It’s usually critical for reliable operation wh
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Date:
05/02/2017
Unleashing SiC MOSFETs to Extract their Maximum Performance in Power Converter Designs

Dynamic characterization platform

Silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs switch up to five to ten times faster than silicon (Si) IGBTs and can operate at higher junction temperatures. Because they can switch on and off so quickly, they enable higher switching frequencies and therefore allow those designing inverters and other power converters to shrink th
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Date:
05/02/2017
A Single-Chip FPGA-based Platform for Integrated Power and Motion Control

A new motor control platform designed by Intel & their partner D3

Motor control applications using small fast-spinning motors such as e-turbos, UAVs, surgical instruments and high-speed pumps, and the advent of SiC and GaN switching transistors, are driving a need for compact drives with high-frequency control loop updates. This paper describes a multi-axis motor and power co
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Date:
05/02/2017
Small Leadless-SMD Packages Replacing Large Modules for High Power GaN and SiC Products

μMaxPak Smart Single-Switch Cross-Section

Power WBG Package Requirements The power Wide Band Gap (WBG) market is ramping with SiC and GaN devices replacing Si FETs and IGBTs for higher power and higher voltage products. These WBG materials will not only provide far superior performance and speed, but provide higher power densities, efficiency, rel
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Date:
05/02/2017
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