Technical Features

    December 2015
    Transformer Design Comparisons for Mitigating EMI in Gate Driver Circuits

    Click image to enlarge

    Figure 1: Gate driver circuit diagram with a Bourns transformer

    While gate driver-based converters deliver improved efficiency, speed and signal integrity, their high frequency switching features can produce elevated levels of conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI), posing challenges to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and overall system reliability. To solve this
    Date:
    03/29/2026
    The past 15 years have seen a massive shift in the way consumers communicate, not only with each other, but with the devices around them. There has been a vast array of wireless technologies introduced that aimed to connect devices and people. These connections ultimately became the foundation for the ever-evolving In
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    Date:
    12/13/2015
    Electrolytic capacitors are an essential ingredient in AC/DC power supplies, providing high Capacitance x Voltage (CV) and low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) in low-volume packages that simply cannot be achieved cost-effectively using alternative parts. With power density demands increasing and as the only com
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    Date:
    12/07/2015
    Some of the key applications which drove the explosive growth of LEDs used to backlight thin film transistor (TFT) liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) included high definition (HD) TVs, portable tablet PCs, automotive infotainment displays and the myriad of handheld communication devices. However, in order to maintain th
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    Date:
    12/07/2015
    Monitoring fluid levels efficiently and accurately has been a challenge to automotive engineers for a long time. While knowledge of the fuel level is important to the driver, there are other fluids the vehicle itself needs to monitor, such as motor oil, brake fluid, and battery fluids. Many cars have also started to
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    Date:
    12/07/2015
    For AC/DC power supplies, there is by nature phase differences and distortion between input currents and voltages due to the existence of holding capacitors and various load features. Here, only the instantaneous product of current and voltage produces power that can actually be used by the appliance, and the pow
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    Date:
    12/05/2015
    In Part 1 of this discussion, we explored the functionality of a series-connected avalanche transistor pulser, specifically for the purpose of evaluating dV/dt ruggedness of SiC Schottky diodes. In this issue, the diodes are tested with the new pulser design. SiC Schottky diode dV/dt ruggedness testing With a
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    Date:
    12/04/2015
    There is a growing debate on the issue of autonomous, or self-driving cars (let’s call them “autocars”), as people and society begin to re-evaluate and further develop the concept of what the next generation of personal mobility technology should be. Cars are on the cusp of change, as next-generation energy, dr
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    Date:
    12/03/2015
    Automotive systems in flux

    Kevin Parmenter, Power Systems Design Contributor

    The yearly figures for electronics in the automotive and transportation market continue to grow, as vehicle tech push the envelope on quality and reliability almost as stringent as mil/aero applications. Interestingly enough the automotive market is also the largest application user/consumer of motors.  This means that
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    Date:
    12/03/2015

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