Technical Features

October 2018
CoolSiC™ MOSFET 750 V G1 from Infineon Make Onboard Chargers Smaller, Lighter and More Efficient

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Figure 1: Electric vehicle stock by mode in the Announced Pledges Scenario, 2022-2030 IEA Global EV Outlook 2023

­The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that by 2030, 60 percent of the automobile market will consist of electric vehicles (EV), resulting in over 200 million electric powertrains on the road (Figure 1). In addition to this rapid growth, the automotive industry must integrate various other trends, su
Date:
02/29/2024
The Power and Evolution of GaN - Part 2

48 V Power Distribution

Building the Smallest and Most Efficient 48 V to 5 - 12 V DC to DC using eGaN® FETs and ICs In the first article in this series, how gallium nitride(GaN)-on-silicon low voltage power devices have enabled many new applications, such as light detection and ranging(LiDAR), envelope tracking, and wir
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Date:
10/31/2018
5 Steps to Secure Electrical Devices in a Connected World

Figure 1. Eaton’s’ Power Xpert Dashboard is the first power management product certified to the UL 2900-2-2 Standard for cybersecurity. This user portal to Eaton’s switchgear enables customers to monitor, diagnose and control equipment from a location outside the arc flash boundary.

Last year, businesses were expected to spend an estimated $964 billion on IoT devices. (Source: Gartner) Moving forward, analysts forecast that connected devices and the data they generate will continue to grow exponentially. By 2020, an estimated 31 billion devices will be connected to the internet. (Source:
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Date:
10/15/2018
New Opportunities in Long-Life Battery Powered IoT

Figure 1. Telit NE910C1 - LTE Cat NB1 module series designed to provide narrow band cellular access (NB-IoT) to low power devices connecting to the Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT creates limitless remote monitoring and control opportunities for everything from tracking packages, livestock or humans through “wearables”, providing security alerts from remote locations or adding sensors to smart grids for entire cities.  It has been forecast there will be an installed base of 31 billion IoT devices in 2020 rising to 75 billion by 2025. New innovations
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Date:
10/15/2018
Wearable Devices Need to Change their Power Consumption
Our busy lives are increasingly being made easier and managed by technology with new devices entering the market on a regular basis. As we become more health conscious, personal fitness devices are proliferating, yet to provide full functionality these devices require the ability to sense position. However, pr
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Date:
10/15/2018
A Challenge to the Potential of Industrial IoT

Figure 1. Typical nuclear power plant in the US is over 35 years old, built before the availability
of widespread digital sensors and networking

IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is a hot trend these days – it promises to revolutionize our industrial infrastructure by improving efficiency at existing power plants, refineries, off-shore oil platforms, pharmaceutical plants, hospitals etc. According to McKinsey, IIoT will unlock $6.2 trillion in potential ec
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Date:
10/15/2018
High-Performance Design for Wireless Power Transfer

Figure 1: Block Diagram for a Typical WPT System.

In the more compact portable and wearable devices now being introduced onto the market, it is extremely difficult, or even impossible, to incorporate a charge connector. For example, some may simply have too little available space in which to house an appropriate connector. Other devices may require sealed enclosures to
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Date:
10/10/2018
The New Challenges of Industry 4.0
Sometimes described as the fourth industrial revolution, a new wave of technology is sweeping through industry. What was originally part of a 2020 strategy plan adopted by the German Federal Government has now spread across Europe, disrupting manufacturing and factory automation. There are now 159 organisations co
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Date:
10/10/2018
Is that a Battery, is that a Capacitor? No, it’s Supercap

Figure 1. Small-cell supercapacitor with aqueous electrolyte

With capabilities including high cycle life and fast charge and discharge times, small-cell supercapacitors can oust coin-type batteries from back-up power duties in equipment ranging from IoT devices, smart meters, or medical devices, to automotive electronics and industrial computing. Typical applications in
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Date:
10/10/2018
Selecting Connector Solutions for Electric Vehicles

Figure 1: Electric Vehicle Charging

An electric vehicle contains many sub-systems that need to inter-operate so the vehicle can function as intended. These disparate systems range from the battery string, comprising Lithium-Ion modules to various drive systems, converters, auxiliary modules, and charging and monitoring systems. As a result, choosing th
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Date:
10/10/2018
IoT Systems Need High Integration & Small Form Factor

Figure 1. 3.3V to 5V Input, Delivering 12V at up to 800mA with an External Clock

At the medium-to-low end of the power spectrum there are modest power conversion requirements such as those commonly found in “Internet of Things” (IoT) equipment, which necessitate the use of power conversion ICs that deal with modest levels of current. These are usually in the range of 100’s milliamps of
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Date:
10/10/2018
Wearable ECG Monitor is a Weight Off Your Chest

Figure 1. Holter Heart Monitor

If you have ever visited your doctor suffering from symptoms even mildly suggestive of a cardiac problem, you may have been subjected to the “pleasure” of wearing a Holter heart monitor (Figure 1). After subsequent sleepless nights, you probably asked yourself, “Surely there must be a more comfortable wa
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Date:
10/03/2018
The Silent Power of Supercapacitors

Figure 1: Supercapacitor cell basically consists of two electrodes, a separator, and an electrolyte.

In the unceasing quest to increase the performance of power electronics, new components and technologies such as wide-bandgap semiconductors and digital power management are receiving most of the hype. However, hiding in the shadows there is a component that is very important and intrinsically involved in many vi
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Date:
10/02/2018
Rechargeable Solid-State SMD Battery for IoT Applications

Figure 1: Cross-section of the CeraCharge. A solid ceramic electrolyte is used in place of a liquid electrolyte

Life today would be unimaginable without batteries and accumulators using a wide variety of technologies and with widely differing capacities. The Internet of Things in all its facets will in future require billions of special power supplies tailored to the requirements of new ultra-low-power semiconductors an
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Date:
10/02/2018
Driving the Gates of SiC Cascodes is a Breeze

Figure 1. Gate drive voltage comparisons, recommended and absolute maximum

In the days when bipolar transistors were the only option for semiconductor power switches, their base drive circuit was critical for fast and efficient operation. With power device gains often just in double digits, base currents could be huge. Complex arrangements had to be used to drive current in and out at
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Date:
10/02/2018
Reliability of Exercise Equip as it Joins the Connected Home

Figure 1. TE Connectivity’s Universal MATE-N-LOK connectors are high reliability power connectors that use a combination of pins and sockets intermixed in the plug and cap housings to achieve excellent electrical performance.

The way consumers use personal exercise equipment at home is changing, and so are their expectations for that equipment, such as treadmills, ellipticals, and stair climbers. Today, they expect these machines to be as smart, connected, and sophisticated as machines found in their local gyms – if not more. The gr
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Date:
10/02/2018
How Healthcare Demands are Impacting Power Supply Design

Figure 1: Digital Power’s OFM225 Series 225 Watt forced cooled and 120 Watt convection cooled AC/DC power supply is approved to IEC60601-1, 3rd Edition 2 MOPP and designed to meet 4th Edition EMC.

Key triggers are general technological advances, an aging population, and government healthcare reforms. Trends include the proliferation of wireless technologies; an increase in implantable medical devices; a push towards home healthcare options; and greater cost-consciousness. To meet increased density,
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Date:
10/02/2018
Developing Medical Power Systems That Conform to IEC60101-1
The updated IEC 60601 standard will bring some real changes including a focus on EMI and how medical equipment will be used in the home. The latest standards for the development of medical power supplies are set to have a significant impact on how system designs are carried out, particularly in relation to their
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Date:
10/02/2018
Cleaning Challenges for Medical Electronics

Figure 1: Ball Grid Array (BGA) here

The market for medical electronics is huge and growing. The astounding capabilities of digital technology and broadband connectivity are “a perfect storm” enabling doctors to diagnose more accurately and offer therapies more precisely than ever before. They also offer labor-saving benefits that are important i
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Date:
10/02/2018
Designing a Medical Power Supply

Figure 1 - Creepage and clearance example (UL60601-1)

Power supplies for medical equipment must comply with IEC/UL 60601-1 3rd edition. Within this standard there are three categories of equipment. B-rated equipment will have only brief contact with a patient – for example an MRI scanner. BF-rated equipment will have routine contact with the skin; for example ul
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Date:
10/02/2018
Navigating the Challenges in Selecting Medical Equipment Power Supplies

Figure 1. The CmF bulk power module, occupying three slots, provides a 48V output voltage which can deliver up to 600W of power in the CX600 and up to 900W in the CX1800.

The healthcare industry is naturally transforming - even in the patient realm, as we see a continued increase in age, lifestyle-related conditions and levels of outpatient/home care. As can be imagined, this ongoing transformation translates into how we use technology and its impact on a vast range of applications. For
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Date:
10/02/2018
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