Test & Measurement

June 2017
Half-Brick 150 Watt DC-DC Converters Offer Ultra-Wide 8:1 Input Range
XP Power announced the QSB150 series of 150 Watt half brick DC-DC converters aimed at a wide range of applications where an ultra-wide input range are required. Conforming to the industry standard half brick footprint of 61.5 x 57.9 x 12.7 mm (2.40 x 2.28 x 0.50 inches), and having pin out compatibility with ex
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Date:
06/29/2017
Murata’s IRQ DC-DC Converters Deliver Leading Reliability for Railway & Industrial Applications

Murata’s IRQ DC-DC Converters Deliver Leading Reliability for Railway & Industrial Applications

Murata is introducing the first in a series of encapsulated DC-DC converters designed specifically for industrial and railway applications from Murata Power Solutions. The IRQ series delivers the latest technology in fixed frequency power conversion available in the industry. The advanced electrical and mechanical de
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Date:
06/28/2017
CWIEME 2017 Berlin Highlights
When thinking of power systems, or even any other electronics area, it is easy to get caught up in the latest breakthroughs and forget about the fundamental technologies that make up the majority of designs. Isaac Newton once allegedly said, that if he could see further, it was because he was standing on the sh
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Date:
06/28/2017
Speeding System Design Using Modular, Configurable Power Supplies

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Figure 1. Example of system design project using bench power supplies, each powered separately.

There are many issues involved in integrating power supplies into system design. Three typical approaches: custom, in-house and standard off-the-shelf designs are often implemented at the end of the system design – and they have the serious drawback of causing major disruptions in the process if the power su
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Date:
06/28/2017
Addressing Power’s

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Figure 1. Proper selection and deployment of magnetic components provides cascading benefits across the board

A precision discipline that must apply engineering solutions in the real world, power supply design has always been a pursuit for the optimal solution. Analog engineering is not an a la carte design process -- every device in the circuit impacts the others around it, especially in the area of passives.  One ar
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Date:
06/28/2017
Standard High-Voltage Modules Save Time, Space and Money

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Figure 1: Component, high voltage DC/DC converters generate a high voltage output that is fully controllable using standard low voltage circuitry.

System power designers specifying high-voltage power supplies have three basic options: (i) specify, manage and procure a custom supply from a third-party supplier; (ii) design, manage and manufacture either in-house or via a contract manufacturer; or (iii) the option that allows them to build a high voltage po
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Date:
06/28/2017
R&S FSW Becomes the First Signal and Spectrum Analyzer Offering 2 GHz Internal Analysis Bandwidth
Munich -- Rohde & Schwarz is expanding the internal analysis bandwidth of its R&S FSW high-end signal and spectrum analyzer up to 2 GHz by introducing the new R&S FSW-B2001 option. This test solution enables R&D users to investigate wideband signals in detail without the need for an external di
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Date:
06/28/2017
Engine Downsizing Mandates Next Generation Temperature Sensor Technology

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Hot engine

The latest updates to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) directive are set to have far-reaching implications for the automotive industry. They mean that car manufacturers will need to make substantial improvements to fuel economy across their entire range of models – with 40 mpg being dictated by 2017 an
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Date:
06/28/2017
Emergency eCall – Available When You Need It!

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Table 1. Supercapacitor Comparison vs. Capacitors & Batteries

Electronic systems must continue to remain operational, regardless of its external operating conditions. Said another way, any glitch in its power supply, whether momentary or seconds or even minutes, must be taken into account during its design process. The most common way of dealing with such circumstances is
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Date:
06/28/2017
Synchronous High-Power Buck LED Controller Enables Efficient Automotive Exterior Lighting

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Figure 1. Advanced LED Lighting System

With their support for unique headlamp designs and their energy efficiency, high-power LEDs are becoming common components for automotive exterior lighting designs. Their brightness and precision control also have positive implications for safety. Taking a look at the electronics that support the LEDs, it’s cl
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Date:
06/28/2017
How to Program Slew Rate?

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Figure 1: Typical battery voltage profile for “cold crank”

Slew rate is defined as rate of change of voltage or current in a period of time.  It is a frequently used term in operational amplifier specifications, but it also applicable when discussing programmable power supplies. When performing repetitive production testing on say a vehicle engine management system, m
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Date:
06/28/2017
 The Transportation Connected Sensor

Kevin Parmenter, PSD Contributor

With more electronics in the vehicles than ever before, we’re seeing the industry move from a basic set of electronics applications, with some automation for safety and road assistance, to high and full automation and complete comfort driving. To make this work, the transportation industry is capitalizing on
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Date:
06/28/2017
LVDT sensors provide precision measurements of position and path
The new Inelta ILAT Series Miniature LVDT Sensors provide precision measurements of position and path in the range of single-digit millimeters.  The sensors of this series are available in Models ILAT 2, ILAT4 and ILAT10 for the exact measurements of ±1 mm, ±2 mm or ±5 mm traveling distances. Owing to th
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Date:
06/26/2017
Pocket-sized device combines a logic analyzer and built-in pattern generator
Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stocking the Digital Discovery module from Digilent. This pocket-sized, high-performance device combines a logic analyzer and built-in pattern generator in a single instrument. The Digital Discovery provides designers a suite of advanced features to debug, visualize and simulate di
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Date:
06/22/2017
New Traco Power - DC/DC Converter Series

TDN Series: 1-5 Watt DC/DC converters in most compact cubical package

These fully regulated and 1600 VDC I/O- isolated DC/DC converters come in a cubical package that occupies only 1.2 cm2 on the PCB. The models are available in SMD version or with pins for trough hole mounting. The ultra-wide 4:1 input voltage ranges cover 4.5-18, 9-36 and 18-75 VDC.  With a high efficiency
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Date:
06/20/2017
Electrolytes Made From Liquefied Gas Enable Batteries to Run at Ultra-Low Temperatures
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a breakthrough in electrolyte chemistry that enables lithium batteries to run at temperatures as low as -60 degrees Celsius with excellent performance -- in comparison, today's lithium-ion batteries stop working at -20 degrees Celsius. The new ele
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Date:
06/16/2017
Powerbox reveals its high reliability power solution for subsea applications

Powerbox reveals its high reliability power solution for subsea applications

Powerbox, one of Europe’s largest power supply companies and a leading force for four decades in optimizing power solutions for demanding applications, has announced a new technology platform to power industrial applications requiring high reliability and resilience in extreme environments. Designed to power su
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Date:
06/16/2017
Wireless Power Development Kit Charges Devices up to 80 Feet
PITTSBURGH, PA -- Powercast Corporation announced the P1110-EVAL-01 development kit that enables manufacturers of smart, connected devices to easily design and deploy them using Powercast's wireless power technology. The kit includes Powercast's FCC-approved Powercaster transmitter (FCC ID: YESTX91501, IC #
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Date:
06/16/2017
Nickel for Thought: Compound Shows Potential for High-Temperature Superconductivity

Materials scientists at Argonne National Laboratory synthesized these single crystals of a metallic trilayer nickelate compound via a high-pressure crystal growth process. A team led by John Mitchell, an Argonne Distinguished Fellow and associate director of the laboratory's Materials Science Division, describe the compound's potential as a high-temperature superconductor in the June 12 issue of Nature Physics.

A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has identified a nickel oxide compound as an unconventional but promising candidate material for high-temperature superconductivity. The team successfully synthesized single crystals of a metallic trilayer nickelate compound,
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Date:
06/16/2017
Railway DC-DC Converters Offer RIA12 Surge Withstand Capacity
ABSOPULSE Electronics has recently added the DCR 30R-F0 series to its line of RIA12 railway quality DC-DC converters. The input voltage surge withstand capacity is 3.5 times greater than the nominal input voltage for 20 milliseconds, which ensures that the converters meet RIA12, the specification for the protection of
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Date:
06/15/2017
KEMET, a leading supplier of electronic components, has introduced the industry’s first COTS grade polymer electrolytic capacitor with a 1,000-hour life test option. The new option, also known as the “Biased Humidity Test,” provides capacitors qualified at 85 degrees Celsius with 85% relative humidity at
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Date:
06/15/2017
Breakthrough by Queen's University Paves way for Smaller Electronic Devices

Domain Walls research is pictured.

Queen's University Belfast researchers have discovered a new way to create extremely thin electrically conducting sheets, which could revolutionise the tiny electronic devices that control everything from smart phones to banking and medical technology. Through nanotechnology, physicists Dr Raymond McQuaid, D
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Date:
06/14/2017
Angle sensors:TMR angle sensor with digital output

TMR angle sensor TAD2141 with digital output

TDK Corporation presents the new TMR angle sensor TAD2141 with digital output. The new sensor offers a guaranteed accuracy of ±0.2° and at room temperature achieves the industry’s highest accuracy*** for angle error of only ±0.05°. The sensor is capable of contactless sensing 360° within a temperature range of -
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Date:
06/13/2017
Modular Platform Enable Rapid Implementation of Smart and Connected Cloud-Based Applications
Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stocking the IoT Development Kit (IDK) from ON Semiconductor. Combining hardware and software elements to enable rapid implementation of smart and connected cloud-based applications, ON Semiconductor’s IoT Development Kit provides engineers with all of the building blocks needed to
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Date:
06/12/2017
Safety and thermal management

The creepage distance is the shortest path between two conductors along the surface of an isolator (typically a PCB)

When designing a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) operating losses and the ability to dissipate heat are critical selection criteria for MOSFETs. This is especially critical in the area of intelligent solid-state lighting systems, as the cramped environment and limited ventilation opportunities can significantly im
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Date:
06/11/2017
Controlling high-speed motors with an FPGA

An FPGA-based motor control system (Source: Altera)

The increasing use of electric motors spinning at up to 100,000 rpm, in applications ranging from electric turbochargers to surgical instruments, is creating new challenges in the design of control circuits. The IGBT switches used in many power converters cannot switch quickly or efficiently enough to match
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Date:
06/11/2017
Tailor made solutions in capacitor markets

Performance Inverters used in Railway Applications

More and more customers in different markets require customized solutions for power electronic capacitors. Last generation of high performance inverters used in Railway, (See Figure 1) Renewable Energy, Heavy Industry applications, to name a few, need more and more customized capacitors to satisfy their hi
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Date:
06/11/2017
The Main Causes of Power Supply Failure – And How to Avoid It

The CoolX 600 Series fanless power supply offers very high input and surge-withstand built in.

Power supplies are the underpinning of any electronic system. This article presents the five main reasons power supplies fail. It also describes the necessary precautions design engineers should take to avoid systems failures. The article is based on data spanning all markets and applications, from industrial, me
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Date:
06/11/2017
How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Gateway

Stop Worrying

This article will help you navigate through the deluge of IoT information and identify which technology choices will have the biggest positive impact on your upcoming product plans. Selecting the optimal protocol stack for your IoT solution is critical. However, in order to that, we need to talk about the Gateway. By “Gatewa
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Date:
06/11/2017
At present, the usage of alternative energy sources by major countries is: Spain, at an impressive 40.1%; Germany at 26.2%, Great Brittan at 19.4%, France at 16.1% (using hydro and nuclear for their entire remaining usage); and, finally, the US at 12.9% and Japan at 12.8%.   Why are some countries good at a
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Date:
06/11/2017
Molex Technology Makes Keypad Backlighting on Curved Surfaces a Reality

PEDOT Clear Conductive Sensors expand realm of possibility for capacitive user interface panels.

Molex has solved the challenge of backlighting capacitive keys on a curved surface for user-interface designers. Molex PEDOT Clear Conductive Sensors are flexible translucent conductive circuits printed on a polyester substrate that can be implemented on three-dimensional surfaces, allowing for more elaborate designs and greater design freedom. Translucent PEDOT sensors can be used in sp
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Date:
06/11/2017
Power Film Capacitors Prove Effective in Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Technology

AVX’s six-terminal FFLC Series power film capacitor is ideal for DC filtering in wind turbines.

The cost of renewable energy technology has significantly decreased since the early 1990s due to continual developments in enabling technologies, and the relatively recent evolution of smart grid technologies has allowed renewable energy sources to legitimately contend with fossil fuels. The primary advantage th
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Date:
06/10/2017
Smart Building energy disaggregation Submeter with LEM Split-core CT (ATO)

LEM ATO split core current transformers

Industrial companies, factories, multi-tenant commercial and residential building owners install submetering equipment for the purpose of real-time in-house metering. This allows for accurate allocation of costs, calculation of internal billing and enables the implementation of new energy efficiency measure
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Date:
06/10/2017
IoT can use WPT

Wireless Power Transfer from a Primary Transmit Coil (Tx) to a Secondary Receive Coil (Rx), Including the LTC4120

Background & Introduction The term “Internet of Things” (IoT) refers to the ongoing trend to connect not only people and computers, but all sorts of “things” to the Internet and each other. By way of example, consider if you will applications such as industrial manufacturing facilities or large infr
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Date:
06/10/2017
Significant Addition to the NFC Ecosystem Provides a New IoT Growth Vector
As co-inventor of NFC technology, NXP Semiconductors is excited about the expanding number of users of NFC applications: brand owners can connect and engage directly with consumers pre- and post-sale, leverage social connectivity, drive omnichannel sales, build loyalty, protect products and their distribution ch
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Date:
06/09/2017
Power TVS Diodes Deliver Performance Enhancements for High-Power DC Bus-Clamping Applications
RIVERSIDE, Calif., June 7, 2017 - Bourns, Inc. released a new series of high current Power TVS (PTVS) diodes that provide excellent overvoltage protection. Bourns' latest Model PTVS-M series is designed to meet the strict surge requirements in high power DC applications, especially in exposed and harsh environmen
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Date:
06/08/2017
IO-Link Master Transceiver Ensures Robust Communications
San Jose, CA—June 7, 2017—Designers of Industry 4.0 applications can now achieve robust communications and reduce power dissipation by 50% with the MAX14819 dual-channel, IO-Link master transceiver from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. Today's fanless programmable logic controller (PLC) and IO-Link gateway sy
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Date:
06/08/2017
Power Supplies Feature Remote Sense without Wires
Campbell, CA—Versatile Power introduces its BENCH XR line of 600W programmable supplies. BENCH XR power supplies are the industry’s first to provide accurate point-of-load voltage regulation over a wide range of load conditions – without the use of an auxiliary remote sense circuit. Remote sense is implemented ut
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Date:
06/06/2017
1200 V Discrete IGBT Product Portfolio Comes in TO-247PLUS Package
Munich, Germany – 6 June 2017 – Infineon Technologies AG expands its 1200 V discrete IGBT product portfolio by offering up to 75 A. The devices are co-packed with a full rated diode in a TO-247PLUS package. The new TO-247PLUS 3pin and 4pin packages serve the growing demand for higher power density and highest ef
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Date:
06/06/2017
CCD Image Sensor Combines High Resolution With Enhanced Imaging Performance
PHOENIX, AZ – June 06, 2017 –ON Semiconductor is improving performance for industrial imaging applications that require both high resolution image capture and maximum image uniformity. The new 29 megapixel KAI-29052 image sensor provides up to twice the imaging sensitivity of the existing KAI-29050 in
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Date:
06/06/2017
Data Acquisition System Offers Ruggedized Solution
Marlborough, Massachusetts  — June 6, 2017 —  HBM, Inc. announces its next generation of the company’s popular, ruggedized Somat eDAQ data acquisition solution, the Somat eDAQXR system. This offers eDAQ customers a simple migration path to the upgraded eDAQXR hardware and software tool. The eDAQX
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Date:
06/06/2017
New Millimeter-Wave Technology Could Make Future Vehicles Much Safer

Millimeter-wave radars covering several tens of meters could be on cars, bikes, and smartphones. This might create a lot of new applications including games.

Higashihiroshima and Yokohama, Japan, June 5, 2017--Hiroshima University and Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited (MIFS) today announced the development of a low-power millimeter-wave amplifier that feeds on 0.5 V power supply and covers the frequency range from 80 GHz to 106 GHz. It was fabricated using MIFS's Dee
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Date:
06/05/2017
  It is with great pleasure that we are announcing the appointment of Ally Winning as European Editor, PSD. Ally’s background brings a wealth of knowledge and experience relevant to PSD and our market position. Click image to enlarge Ally W
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Date:
06/03/2017
Mouser Offers TI’s CC2640R2F SimpleLink Bluetooth 5 MCU for IoT Applications
Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stocking the CC2640R2F SimpleLink ultra-low-power wireless microcontroller from Texas Instruments (TI). Part of TI’s CC26xx SimpleLink family of 2.4 GHz devices, the CC2640R2F microcontroller features a small, single-chip system that integrates a flash-based microcontroller an
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Date:
06/02/2017
SIMI VALLEY, Calif., June 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Airborne Wireless Network is pleased to announce that on May 31, 2017, it completed its Proof of Concept flight tests in Roswell, New Mexico.   The Proof of Concept flight tests were performed using two Boeing 767s and a temporary mobile mast system, em
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Date:
06/01/2017
Ultra-Stable Perovskite Solar Cell Remains Stable for More Than a Year

This is a schematic representation of the findings of this study.

Perovskite solar cells promise cheaper and efficient solar energy, with enormous potential for commercialization. But even though they have been shown to achieve over 22% power-conversion efficiency, their operational stability still fails market requirements. Despite a number of proposed solutions in fabrication te
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Date:
06/01/2017
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