Technical Features

December 2018
QSPICE: A Mission to Get SPICE Right

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Figure 1: MOSFET channel punch-through showing outputs from previous SPICE simulators vs. QSPICE

Qorvo’s QSPICE™ simulator for analog and mixed-signal simulation provides power designers with the tools to confidently evaluate their designs. Free to use, QSPICE improves SPICE basics, supports large amounts of digital logic without performance penalties, and delivers the speed and accuracy needed for rel
Date:
11/29/2024
The Power and Evolution of GaN – Part 4

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Figure 1: Brushless DC (BLDC) motor

(Source: Globalsources.com)

Bringing Precision Control to Surgical Robots with eGaN® FETs and ICs In this series, how the superior switching speed of gallium nitride (GaN)-on-silicon low voltage power devices have enabled many new applications is being discussed.  These applications are transforming industries such as lig
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Date:
12/31/2018
Surface-Mount Fuse Tech. Steps Up to EV Reliability Demands

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Figure 1: Damage resulting from two conventional wire-in-are fuses subjected to extreme overload conditions - simulating a catastrophic EV battery short circuit

Electronic systems for automotive applications are subjected to among the harshest of environments – wide temperature variations, shock and vibration, exposure to humidity, water chemicals and salt. Traditionally, blade-type automotive fuses have provided the necessary fault protection, but as cars get “smart” an
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Date:
12/23/2018
IPM, Battery Chemistry & Charging Algorithms for Wearables

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Figure 1: A block diagram for Microchip’s PIC16F18446, which features high resolution Intelligent Analog peripherals such as an integrated 12-bit ADC2

The greatest challenge faced by both new battery chemistry and charging algorithm developers is obtaining an Application-specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design.  Without silicon, new batteries and new charging algorithms have no way to acquire customers, and without customers – or at least potential cu
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Date:
12/22/2018
A Brush with the Future of Wind Power Technology

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Figure 1. A brush box with OEM-style single pocket ground brush holders

Although a relative newcomer to the energy market, wind power is growing rapidly as the global demand for clean, efficient and sustainable energy rises. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, the sector grew 25 per cent each year between 2002 and 2007. It’s now estimated that the Global Wind Energy Market wi
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Date:
12/18/2018
An Alternative to the Alternator

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Figure 1. The Bel Power Solutions 350DNC40 is a 4 kW DC/DC Converter that creates DC voltages in hybrid and electric vehicles suitable to power low voltage accessories. Features include very high efficiency, high reliability, low output voltage noise and excellent dynamic response to load/input changes.

With innovative manufacturers developing and expanding their range of solutions, engineers have more reasons than ever to replace alternators with DC-DC converters in road transport applications. Today’s eMobility and hybrid and electric vehicle manufacturers emphasize the efficiency, reliability and pract
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Date:
12/11/2018
Simple Battery Charger ICs for Any Chemistry

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Figure 1. Typical Application Circuit for the LTC4162-L

It is common for many battery-powered devices to require a wide variety of charging sources, battery chemistries, voltages and currents. For example, industrial, high-end feature-rich consumer, medical and automotive battery charger circuits demand higher voltages and currents as newer large-battery packs are em
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Date:
12/11/2018
Surface-Mount Fuse Tech Steps up to EV Reliability Demands

Figure 1: Damage resulting from two conventional wire-in-are fuses subjected to extreme overload conditions - simulating a catastrophic EV battery short circuit

Electronic systems for automotive applications are subjected to among the harshest of environments – wide temperature variations, shock and vibration, exposure to humidity, water chemicals and salt. Traditionally, blade-type automotive fuses have provided the necessary fault protection, but as cars get “smart” an
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Date:
12/11/2018
Challenges of SiC for Automotive Applications

Figure 1. IGBT’s and Discrete Diodes

(Be sure to check out our PSDcast with ROHM on the same topic here: https://www.powersystemsdesign.com/articles/psdcast-the-formula-e-electric-racing-series/35/13290) Two of the biggest challenges that are preventing widespread adoption of Silicon Carbide (SiC) diodes and MOSFET devices for traction inverters ar
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Date:
12/11/2018
IPM, Battery Chemistry, & Charging Algorithms for Wearables

Figure 1: A block diagram for Microchip’s PIC16F18446, which features high resolution Intelligent Analog peripherals such as an integrated 12-bit ADC2

The greatest challenge faced by both new battery chemistry and charging algorithm developers is obtaining an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design. Without silicon, new batteries and new charging algorithms have no way to acquire customers, and without customers – or at least potential customer -
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Date:
12/11/2018
IoT Devices Are Hot, But They Still Need Thermal Protection

Figure 1. Devices like these Low Rho SMD Series PPTCs have long been used for over-current and over-temperature protection in USB connectors

Of all the “hot” electronics markets, none is hotter than the market for devices designed to interact with the Internet of Things (IoT). Currently, more than seven billion IoT devices are in use worldwide, and the number of active IoT devices is expected to grow to 22 billion by 2025. Virtually all of those de
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Date:
12/11/2018
The Basics & Benefits of Tantalum & Ceramic Capacitors

Figure 1: The dielectric surface area of a tantalum capacitor anode compared to its finished size

Tantalum (Ta) capacitors and multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are two widely accepted capacitor technologies that can be employed in a wide range of electronics applications. Although both technologies perform the same basic function, they are very diff
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Date:
12/11/2018
Mild Hybrid Vehicle Solutions Address Emissions Challenge

Figure 1. A Typical 48V Mild Hybrid System Electrical Topology

With the very recent reassertion by scientists that the current trajectory for reducing the rate of global temperature increases is simply not good enough, there is now even greater pressure to reduce vehicle emissions of CO2 gasses. The best way of achieving this is through a reduction of the average vehicle’s f
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Date:
12/10/2018
Overcoming Poor Power Quality in Small Spaces
For years, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has been marred by a slow diffusion of innovation among consumers. Probably the most obvious problem is that buyers have been apprehensive of the high initial cost of buying EVs, as well as the total cost of owning an electric vehicle over the course of its li
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Date:
12/10/2018
Ultra-Compact Secondary Automotive Buck DC/DC Converters

Figure 1: Example System Configuration

ROHM has recently launched the BD9S series of secondary synchronous Buck DC/DC converters qualified to AEC-Q100 for automotive applications. These offer high reliability and low power consumption in a compact form factor. This makes them very suitable for applications like radars, cameras and sensors which can be
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Date:
12/10/2018
Enhancing EV Ecosystems Through Efficient Power Conversion

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EV charging

Today’s hybrid and fully electric vehicles (EVs) are still in the early stages of the iterative process of innovation. Several generations of hybrid vehicles have been introduced to market and improved through a combination of technology advances and user feedback. A number of vendors now market competent EV
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Date:
12/10/2018
When Configurable Power Supplies are the Best Solution

Figure 1: Typical configurable power supply architecture

It is often assumed that in any product design, if you can use a standard ‘off-the-shelf’ power supply it will be the lowest cost option compared with a full custom or configurable part. It’s true that with today’s fast-paced product launches and upgrades, if a custom part is commissioned, the Non-Recurring En
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Date:
12/10/2018
The Power and Evolution of GaN - Part 3

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Figure 1: Overview of a typical LIDAR system

How to Build an Ultra-Fast High-Power Laser Driver using eGaN® FETs - That Sees Farther, Better, and at a Lower Cost! 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 (Li
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Date:
12/02/2018
Precision Power Analysis

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Figure 1: Measuring power-train efficiency in an electric vehicle, showing four DC measurements (1 to 4) with the corresponding mechanical power measurements (M1 to M4)



In the rapidly evolving area of power electronics, the need for reliable testing to enhance safety, efficiency and performance has never been greater. In sectors as diverse as renewable energy, electric vehicles and energy-efficient technologies, changing application needs and evolving industry standards call fo
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Date:
12/01/2018
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