Technical Features

July 2021

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

QSPICE: A Mission to Get SPICE Right

Siddharth Mohan, design engineer, Qorvo

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

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Date:

11/29/2024

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Figure 1. E-Mobility: Sustainable battery recycling with EA Elektro-Automatik

Climate-Neutral Fuel Cell Test with Regenerative Loads

By: Zeke Pietsch, Customer Success Manager, EA Elektro-Automatik, Inc.

Fuel cells have found applications in material handling vehicles, delivery vehicles, long-haul trucks, and use as backup power systems. Government initiatives, economic incentives, and new applications are resulting in a market growth rate exceeding 30%. An individual fuel cell generates under 2V of output

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Date:

07/31/2021

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Figure 1. Conventional AC power source topology

Benefits of Digital Switching in Programmable AC Power Sources

Herman van Eijkelenburg, Director of Marketing, Pacific Power Source, Inc.

Programmable AC power sources have been widely used to implement and support numerous product test procedures over the years. They provide the test engineer with the ability to fully control voltage, frequency, and current to the unit under test (UUT). Products like these are used to simulate various power conditions an

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Date:

07/19/2021

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Figure 1. Distributed EV BMS monitoring topology using LTC6811-1s and an LTC2949

Low Voltage Battery Monitor Floats into High Voltage EVs

Christopher Gobok, Product Marketing and Operations Manager

For much of the automobile’s history, innovation has focused on improving the fuel burning efficiency of the ICE to clean up emissions. However, the vast majority of recent innovations in ICE automobiles are a direct result of advancements in electronics—improvements in chassis systems, power trains, autonomous an

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Date:

07/01/2021

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It's All Downhill From Here

Mark Patrick, Mouser Electronics

Compared to fossil-based fuel, electricity is clean, easily stored, and much more renewable. It is also easier to make if you have the right equipment. As it turns out, electric motors also make great generators, so why not use the momentum of your vehicle to top up your battery? That’s exactly what regenerative br

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1 - Cordless tools must “feel” functionally the same as their corded counterparts

Battery Management for Li-ion based Power Tools

Takahiro Urushi, Business Development Manager, ROHM Semiconductor USA

Battery management is a key design consideration for all products with batteries, but it’s especially important for products with rechargeable batteries or high power demands. One such application is lithium-ion based power tools. Lithium-ion batteries are the most popular type of battery for cordless power too

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1. Official execution and commencement of the road and river diversion project at the Sangdong Mine site in Korea

The Importance of Expanding the Supply Chain for Rare Earth Minerals

Lewis Black, CEO of Almonty Industries

China produces 80% of the U.S. rare earths and has been doing so for quite some time. What makes things even worse is that over the past 12 to 18 months, a global pandemic has had a serious effect on the supply chain. People around the world rely on these rare materials in their everyday lives, and ma

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1: Typical EV power conversion elements

New Wide Band-gap Semiconductor Technology Increases Power Conversion Efficiency

Anup Bhalla, VP Engineering, UnitedSiC

Ask any power electronics designer what they strive for and top of the list is normally conversion efficiency. It’s not just for energy savings but also the knock-on benefits of smaller, lighter and cheaper products, with options opening up for better reliability and more functionality in space that’s freed-up. So

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1: Typical factory communication system using Ethernet and Fieldbus

When a Visual Power-Fail Indication is Not Enough

Udo Schweizer, FAE & Product Manager, TDK Lambda

To meet the requirements of Industry 4.0 and smart production, digital communication between machines, sensors and host systems is essential. Even simple applications need the ability to control and monitor the manufacturing process in real time using software and the internet. Standard power supplies wi

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1: Si, SiC and GaN material characteristics

The Origins and Evolution of SiC FETs

Anup Bhalla, VP Engineering, UnitedSiC

A basic building block in power conversion electronics is the semiconductor switch. The ideal is one with no static or dynamic losses that can withstand high voltage in the off state and with no leakage when on – but that is always just out of reach. One of the closest though is the wide band-gap technology Si

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1: There are many choices when it comes to selecting the right plug for your external power adapter (Source: CUI)

Why Power Supply Requirements Don't Need to Be a Design Restriction

Ron Stull, Power Systems Engineer at CUI Inc.

New product features tend to have a direct impact on the total power needed, which may mean increasing the capacity of dc-dc converters or increasing the number of regulators distributed throughout the design. Ultimately, feature-creep will also put greater demand on the main source of power. Engineers responsib

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1. On the left is the TSPD functional model and, on the right, a TVS diode

Using Old Semiconductor Structures to Advance the Low Power High Speed ESD Protection Market

Alfredo Ochoa, Product and Applications Engineer Manager at ProTek Devices

With low-power, high-speed data systems, standard TVS diodes are commonly used in combination with low capacitance diodes to reduce the parasitic capacitance in applications like HDMI 2.0, USB 3.1, and Gigabit Ethernet. TVS diodes have offered the smallest form factors possible without sacrificing performance. Bu

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Date:

07/01/2021

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Figure 1. Three-phase BLDC motor drive overview

BLDC-Based Cordless Power Tools Offer Longer Run Times and a Better User Experience

By: Chia Lin, Product Manager and Peter Green, Product and System Applications Engineering, both at Infineon Technologies

Introduction Cordless power tools are becoming increasingly popular in professional and DIY usage due to their ease of use, portability, and increased safety over mains-powered tools. With the inclusion of brushless DC (BLDC) motors, they are now suitable for most tasks. However, manufacturers are being chal

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Date:

07/01/2021