Technical Features

October 2019

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Conventional Intermediate Bus Architectures use a fixed-ratio isolated bus converter (IBC) to step down 48V to a 12V intermediate rail, which then feeds niPOL converters

Current Multipliers: The Obvious Choice for Powering AI Processors and Other Demanding Applications

Tom Curatolo, Industrial BU Apps Engineer, Vicor

AI processors can draw up to thousands of amps while operating at voltages well below 1V. This current demand is unprecedented and has turned the power delivery network (PDN) into a major system bottleneck. With every amp pushed through PCB or substrate copper power planes, conductive losses and, thermal m

. . . Learn More

Date:

10/31/2025

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Contact wear in an electromechanical relay

Moving from Electromechanical to Solid-State in Relays and Circuit Breakers

By Giovanbattista Mattiussi, Product Marketing Manager, Infineon Technologies

As a mature technology, electromechanical relays and circuit breakers are well established, however they continue to suffer from some inherent weaknesses. Moving to solid-state technology can address these but introduces its own challenges. So, what is the right solution? In the movies, whenever the lights go

. . . Learn More

Date:

10/31/2019

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1. Electrical schematic of the two terminal, bipolar, adjustable power supply.

Bipolar Power Supplies Based on the Common Buck Converter

Victor Khasiev, Senior Applications Engineer, Analog Devices

A bench-top power supply (PS) tends to have an even number of terminals (ignoring the chassis port)—with one positive terminal and one negative terminal. Using a bench-top supply to produce a positive polarity output is easy: set the minus output to GND and the positive output voltage at the plus output. It is

. . . Learn More

Date:

10/29/2019

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1. Solar panels deployed on a satellite (Image courtesy of NASA)

GaN in Space

Steve Taranovich, Eta Kappa Nu Member and an IEEE Life Senior Member

The commercial space sector led by Space X and Blue Origin, plus companies like Northrop Grumman and Boeing, have given new life and accelerated NASA’s plans for the journey to Mars. The addition of the Artemis program, to establish a Moon base for the first leg of exploration and mining in the mid-2020s, will

. . . Learn More

Date:

10/29/2019