Technical Features

May 2024
QSPICE: A Mission to Get SPICE Right

Click image to enlarge

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
Qorvo Hard-Wires Safety Features into Motor Controllers for 44V-72V Power Tools and Appliances

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: PAC52711

Introduction We're all familiar with the pervasive hum of gas-powered gardening equipment in the spring, summer and fall, from hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, and jack hammers, not to mention the droning of snowblowers in the winter. While gas-powered tools have long been a staple for outdoor mainte
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/31/2024
New Power Supply Concepts Needed for Intelligent Edge Sensors

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: SPoE supplies up to 52W via a single 2-wire cable up to 1km in length

­A smart sensor is created by adding a microcontroller to the sensor. However, this unit has higher current consumption, so new concepts for supplying the higher current are required. This is especially true for existing industrial plants and infrastructure. The solutions should provide easy and secure means of
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
How the IIoT is Changing the Face of Manufacturing

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP is the lowest power complete cellular IoT solution on the market – extending battery life

­Digital computers first disrupted factory automation in the late 1960s. The machines ushered an era of computer aided design (CAD), consistent manufacture of complex components, greater automation using programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and higher productivity. The period was considered the third generation of
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
Circuit Simulation Shapes Up for Energy-Conscious Design

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Improved I-V curves

­SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) was created at Berkeley in 1970 and has become the reference for integrated circuit simulators, receiving an IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing award in 2011. The ability to model components and simulate their behavior has empowered ge
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
GenAI – Helping to Tame the Most Power-Intensive Computing Application on Earth

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: GenAI training GPU-based processor chiplet complex with high-bandwidth memories (HBMs) mounted on an accelerator module (AM)

­Training generative AI (genAI) neural network models typically take months, with thousands of multi-billion-transistor GPU-based processors, high-bandwidth SDRAMs, and terabit per second optical network switches operating simultaneously and continuously. While genAI holds the promise of increasing human productivity, it
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
Galvanic Isolation Keeps Pace with Control Requirements

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Isolation locations in a PLC

­There are two distinct trends in the design of the electronic systems that support motors. On one side are power generation and electrical distribution subsystems that operate at voltages that are moving toward the kilovolt regime. On the other are high-speed MCUs that enable advanced algorithms to optimise sy
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
Improving Residential Solar System Designs

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Residential Solar Inverter System Block Diagram

­The deployment of residential solar systems, which is expected to proliferate over the next five years, will provide many benefits to users, including providing a reliable, clean, green energy source to power home appliances, charge electric vehicles and transfer power back to the grid. This article provides an
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
How to Extend Data and Power over Extended Distances

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Illustration of FMP System

­Class 1, 2, and 3 circuits are classified as remote-control, signaling, and power-limited circuits in the National Electrical Code (NEC). The NEC defines such circuits as that portion of the wiring system between the load side of the overcurrent protection device (OCPD) or the power-limited supply and all co
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
Power Modules: One Shortcut to EMI Compliance

Click image to enlarge

Figure 1: Notional spectra for a square, trapezoidal, and triangular signal

­Electronic devices that are in proximity or share common conductors are susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI) that can disrupt their operation. Minimizing emissions is necessary to ensure that electrical systems do not interfere with each other’s normal operation when placed in the same environment. Po
. . . Learn More
Date:
05/01/2024
Archives