Technical Features

June 2017
Molded Power Inductors

Figure 1a here

Figure 1a: Saturation current (Isat) comparison between a hard saturation ferrite power inductor (orange color) and soft saturation powdered alloy power inductor (blue color) at different ambient temperatures displayed by REDEXPERT. Saturation at an ambient temperature of 20ºC

Higher power requirements and miniaturization expose passives to rising temperatures, increasing the probability of thermal aging. This article explores how to select molded high-current power inductors, which are exposed to high temperatures for an extended time. The constant market demand to increase power density
Date:
09/28/2024
Wireless Charging: An Integrated Approach is the Way Forward

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Figure 1: Wireless charging offers multiple benefits for users and device manufacturers

Data has been wireless for some time. Now consumers are demanding the ability to charge wirelessly and technology enablers are responding. In this technical article, Infineon will review the current state-of-art and compare the benefits of advanced wireless charging solutions using a totally integrated approach. Background Every electronic device requires power,
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Date:
06/29/2017
Resistors are More Complex Than You May Think

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Figure 1. With so many different types of resistor it is important to understand the benefits each offers in order to find the right product for your application.

Resistors will never be as sexy as microcontrollers or other ICs, or even as interesting as their passive relations. This means that when systems are being designed, the performance characteristics of the resistors in the circuit are often overlooked, or left till last. If the characteristics of the resistor do
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Date:
06/28/2017
Streamlining Power Management in Audio Infotainment Systems

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Figure 1. Supplying a large number of voltage rails using discrete voltage regulators increases both component count and solution size.

As modern life increasingly depends on being always connected – to work colleagues, social contacts, family, smart home appliances – people’s desires for seamless connectivity are driving changes in car infotainment systems. Demand for new and better in-car equipment that suits today’s digital lifestyles, lo
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Date:
06/28/2017
Wireless Power Supply in the Smart Home of the Future

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Figure 1: The wireless power spots can be invisible, disappearing into the wall or floor. Easy monitoring and control of the power sources is enabled by communication with the info center and blends seamlessly into the smart home concept.

The Smart Home is one of the classic examples of the Internet of Things. While more and more networked items are becoming pervasive in our everyday lives, it is clear that the network will usually be wireless and mobile devices will often play a key role. Once you are rid of the data cable, the logical question is
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Date:
06/28/2017
Module or Discrete Power?

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Figure 1: CUI’s VOF-300 is an open frame ac-dc power supply delivering up to 14.7 W/in3

Engineers today are feeling the pressure to get more done in less time, be experts in multiple disciplines, and use their resources more efficiently to maximize profits. This environment is shifting the way engineers approach finding solutions to their most pressing challenges; especially when it comes to the un
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Date:
06/28/2017
Speeding System Design Using Modular, Configurable Power Supplies

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Figure 1. Example of system design project using bench power supplies, each powered separately.

There are many issues involved in integrating power supplies into system design. Three typical approaches: custom, in-house and standard off-the-shelf designs are often implemented at the end of the system design – and they have the serious drawback of causing major disruptions in the process if the power su
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Date:
06/28/2017
The “Power” of PDUs

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Figure 1. PDI 50 kVA PDU in Data Center — built in 2002 (Photo credit: Hurricane Electric)

Consider this -- the United States began its power grid construction in the late 1880s and today, it is responsible for delivering electricity to more than 144 million end users throughout the nation. There are seemingly endless points of failure when you consider there are over 450,000 miles of high-voltage tr
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Date:
06/28/2017
Addressing Power’s

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Figure 1. Proper selection and deployment of magnetic components provides cascading benefits across the board

A precision discipline that must apply engineering solutions in the real world, power supply design has always been a pursuit for the optimal solution. Analog engineering is not an a la carte design process -- every device in the circuit impacts the others around it, especially in the area of passives.  One ar
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Date:
06/28/2017
Standard High-Voltage Modules Save Time, Space and Money

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Figure 1: Component, high voltage DC/DC converters generate a high voltage output that is fully controllable using standard low voltage circuitry.

System power designers specifying high-voltage power supplies have three basic options: (i) specify, manage and procure a custom supply from a third-party supplier; (ii) design, manage and manufacture either in-house or via a contract manufacturer; or (iii) the option that allows them to build a high voltage po
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Date:
06/28/2017
Engine Downsizing Mandates Next Generation Temperature Sensor Technology

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Hot engine

The latest updates to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) directive are set to have far-reaching implications for the automotive industry. They mean that car manufacturers will need to make substantial improvements to fuel economy across their entire range of models – with 40 mpg being dictated by 2017 an
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Date:
06/28/2017
Powering the Modern Vehicle: Designing for the Digital-First Driver

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Figure 2. C&K’s Clicker integrates several functions within a single surface, independent of bulky keys or switches, delivering a smooth, consistent haptic feel for the driver.

When we look at today’s automobiles, they’re beginning to look more like computers than vehicles. From a sea of headlines about autonomous, self-driving vehicles to the ‘smartphone-ization’ of the cockpit, it’s clear that the digitization of cars – particularly within the interior – is upon us an
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Date:
06/28/2017
Emergency eCall – Available When You Need It!

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Table 1. Supercapacitor Comparison vs. Capacitors & Batteries

Electronic systems must continue to remain operational, regardless of its external operating conditions. Said another way, any glitch in its power supply, whether momentary or seconds or even minutes, must be taken into account during its design process. The most common way of dealing with such circumstances is
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Date:
06/28/2017
Synchronous High-Power Buck LED Controller Enables Efficient Automotive Exterior Lighting

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Figure 1. Advanced LED Lighting System

With their support for unique headlamp designs and their energy efficiency, high-power LEDs are becoming common components for automotive exterior lighting designs. Their brightness and precision control also have positive implications for safety. Taking a look at the electronics that support the LEDs, it’s cl
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Date:
06/28/2017
How to Program Slew Rate?

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Figure 1: Typical battery voltage profile for “cold crank”

Slew rate is defined as rate of change of voltage or current in a period of time.  It is a frequently used term in operational amplifier specifications, but it also applicable when discussing programmable power supplies. When performing repetitive production testing on say a vehicle engine management system, m
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Date:
06/28/2017
Safety and thermal management

The creepage distance is the shortest path between two conductors along the surface of an isolator (typically a PCB)

When designing a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) operating losses and the ability to dissipate heat are critical selection criteria for MOSFETs. This is especially critical in the area of intelligent solid-state lighting systems, as the cramped environment and limited ventilation opportunities can significantly im
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Date:
06/11/2017
Controlling high-speed motors with an FPGA

An FPGA-based motor control system (Source: Altera)

The increasing use of electric motors spinning at up to 100,000 rpm, in applications ranging from electric turbochargers to surgical instruments, is creating new challenges in the design of control circuits. The IGBT switches used in many power converters cannot switch quickly or efficiently enough to match
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Date:
06/11/2017
Tailor made solutions in capacitor markets

Performance Inverters used in Railway Applications

More and more customers in different markets require customized solutions for power electronic capacitors. Last generation of high performance inverters used in Railway, (See Figure 1) Renewable Energy, Heavy Industry applications, to name a few, need more and more customized capacitors to satisfy their hi
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Date:
06/11/2017
The Main Causes of Power Supply Failure – And How to Avoid It

The CoolX 600 Series fanless power supply offers very high input and surge-withstand built in.

Power supplies are the underpinning of any electronic system. This article presents the five main reasons power supplies fail. It also describes the necessary precautions design engineers should take to avoid systems failures. The article is based on data spanning all markets and applications, from industrial, me
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Date:
06/11/2017
The Behavior of Electromagnetic Radiation of Power Inductors in Power Management

Inductors, shielded and semi-shielded in addition to conventional unshielded inductors

This article focuses on the Electromagnetic (EM) radiation behavior of power inductor(s) in DC-DC converters, which is dependent on several parameters such as ripple current, switching frequency, rise & fall time of a switching device, the core material and its frequency dependent complex permeability and su
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Date:
06/10/2017
Power Film Capacitors Prove Effective in Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Technology

AVX’s six-terminal FFLC Series power film capacitor is ideal for DC filtering in wind turbines.

The cost of renewable energy technology has significantly decreased since the early 1990s due to continual developments in enabling technologies, and the relatively recent evolution of smart grid technologies has allowed renewable energy sources to legitimately contend with fossil fuels. The primary advantage th
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Date:
06/10/2017
Smart Building energy disaggregation Submeter with LEM Split-core CT (ATO)

LEM ATO split core current transformers

Industrial companies, factories, multi-tenant commercial and residential building owners install submetering equipment for the purpose of real-time in-house metering. This allows for accurate allocation of costs, calculation of internal billing and enables the implementation of new energy efficiency measure
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Date:
06/10/2017
IoT can use WPT

Wireless Power Transfer from a Primary Transmit Coil (Tx) to a Secondary Receive Coil (Rx), Including the LTC4120

Background & Introduction The term “Internet of Things” (IoT) refers to the ongoing trend to connect not only people and computers, but all sorts of “things” to the Internet and each other. By way of example, consider if you will applications such as industrial manufacturing facilities or large infr
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Date:
06/10/2017
Power system design in the age of mobile devices, and especially wearable devices, is more challenging than it has ever been.  The end users of these devices want them to continue to get smaller, lighter and cheaper, while at the same time having bigger screens and longer battery life.  These opposing go
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Date:
06/05/2017
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