Technical Features

    September 2012
    Transformer Design Comparisons for Mitigating EMI in Gate Driver Circuits

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    Figure 1: Gate driver circuit diagram with a Bourns transformer

    While gate driver-based converters deliver improved efficiency, speed and signal integrity, their high frequency switching features can produce elevated levels of conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI), posing challenges to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and overall system reliability. To solve this
    Date:
    03/29/2026
    Integrated Current Sensing
    Competitive markets put pressure on OEMs to improve energy efficiency in their product designs. Accordingly, it is important to be able to monitor accurately currents through critical paths
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    Date:
    09/21/2012
    Performance vs power in off-chip DDR SDRAM

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    Figure 1: Relative active power

    To deliver new features and higher performance in consumer-electronic products, SoC developers constantly look to integrate more functionality into their designs. SoCs with more features
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    Date:
    09/12/2012
    How high-TJ TRIACs benefit your applications

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    Figure 1a: Two TRIACs operating near their Tj(max): The BTB16-600CW standard TRIAC (a) and the T1635H-6T high-temperature TRIAC (b).

    High-temperature TRIACs present several benefits particularly useful in applications demanding high current density or imposing high-temperature environments. These applications include
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    Date:
    09/12/2012
    IEC 61850 increases grid reliability

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    Figure 1: Redundant 8.46 kV lines power an industrial customer's facility.

    A power industry consultant recently asked for assistance solving a reliability problem for a municipal utility. The utility had recently experienced disturbances on its system, negatively
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    Date:
    09/10/2012
    Test today your PV inverter for tomorrow

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    Figure 1: Micro-inverters convert direct current from individual solar panels into alternating current for the electric grid.

    An increasing number of DERs (distributed energy resources), which include storage systems, are connecting to the grid by means of inverters. This is already evident in countries with dedicated
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    Date:
    09/10/2012
    Securing the life cycle in the smart grid

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    Figure 1: A conscientious life-cycle design will consider threats at every step of product development and manufacturing.

    Investment in smart meters and smart-grid end equipment continues to grow worldwide as countries try to make their electric delivery systems more efficient. As critical as the electric delivery
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    Date:
    09/07/2012
    Improving electric-motor testing techniques

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    Figure 1: Each stage of embedded-software validation for electric-motor simulation introduces new challenges for test engineers such as high-speed processing and high-power signals.

    The growing adoption of electric motors in the automotive industry creates new challenges for embedded-control-system developers and test engineers. Control algorithms for electric-drive
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    Date:
    09/05/2012
    New power electronics based on GaN MISHEMPTs

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    Figure 1: EpiGaN deposits a unique in-situ SiN capping layer, grown by MOCVD on top of HEMT epi wafers.

    GaN appears to be a highly suitable material for power switching devices operating at high frequencies without suffering major losses. The Promise of GaN This is due to the drastically
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    Date:
    09/04/2012
    Estimating bond wire current-carrying capacity
    Semiconductor manufacturers use wire bonds extensively to connect a chip's I/O pads, including power, to its package's external pins. Wire bonding processes typically use gold wire because
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    Date:
    08/28/2012
    High-side automotive battery monitoring

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    Figure 1: Functional blocks for amsï½s two-chip sensor interface for high-side automotive battery current sensing.

    Manufacturers are electrifying more functions within a car, reducing the mechanical load on the internal-combustion engine. These functions include water, oil, and fuel pumps; valve actuation;
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    Date:
    08/28/2012
    Current sensing in an automotive environment

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    Figure 1: An example of a shielded air-core open-loop current sensor from Raztec provides a strong combination of high performance in a small package and at low cost.

    The Automotive industry has long been the ultimate test ground for electronic components. Few terrestrial environments present such a combination of demands as does the under-hood locale
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    Date:
    08/28/2012
    Improving engine stop-start system design

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    Figure 1: Integrated gate driver with external passive components.

    Automatic engine stop-start is effective in helping reduce CO2 emissions from private cars. When integrated in an otherwise conventional combustion-engine power train, engine stop-start
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    Date:
    08/24/2012
    Non-contact driver�s ECG monitoring system

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    Figure 1: Block diagram of a typical EPIC sensor

    EPIC (Electric Potential Integrated Circuit) is a very-high-impedance electric-field sensor that measures the ambient electric field with minimal disturbance. EPIC sensors are suitable for
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    Date:
    08/19/2012
    Hall effect current sensing in HEVs and EVs

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    Figure 1: Typical HEV system block diagram

    Consumers are embracing environmentally friendly green cars due to the rising cost of fossil fuels and a growing concern for the health of the environment. Sales forecasts predict that green
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    Date:
    08/19/2012
    Sleeping Conserves Energy

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    Figure 1: CAN network with partial-networking controllers during the transmission of a message to ECU7 (without partial-networking support)

    Minimizing energy consumption has become a major factor for any new product design in recent years. Hardly any industry can afford to disregard this issue in the definition, development,
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    Date:
    08/19/2012
    Flexible power management for complex PCBs

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    Figure 1: Communication line card primary ICs and power supply requirements

    The number of power supplies on a board depends on the VLSI chip complement, the communication speed between them, and the number of other devices that require unique supplies. This
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    Date:
    08/18/2012
    Designing with low-leakage tantalum and niobium oxide capacitors
    DCL (direct current leakage) is an effect common to all capacitors. DCL values and behavior under varying electrical and environmental conditions relate to the capacitor's dielectric. The leakage
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    Date:
    08/13/2012
    Battery-charger trends in portable power products
    The first trend requires increased battery capacities. Unfortunately, users are often impatient and charge systems must recharge these increased capacities in a reasonable time, which leads to
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    Date:
    08/09/2012
    Safety and reliability in home alternative-energy systems

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    Figure 1: A typical AES design includes power sources sharing a common high-voltage DC Link, an inverter for generating AC, and a system controller ensuring coordinated operation.

    Solar- and wind-power-based home AESs (alternative energy systems) are becoming more popular among consumers. To achieve the product lifetime that consumers demand and ensure user safety,
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    Date:
    07/25/2012
    Consumer-Friendly Power Design

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    Figure 1: Step-down converter efficiency used to power the main processor in a set top box

    The intricacies of power design are not conversation pieces for electronic-product consumers. Nor should they be. Consumers care about visible signs of power design in the product, including the
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    Date:
    07/24/2012
    Improving battery-fuel-gauge accuracy

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    Figure 1: The principle of fuel gauging based on coulomb counting: The stored energy represents state of charge. A circuit measures the in- and out-flowing current.

    For simplicity, you can imagine the battery as an energy storage device analogous to a fuel tank. However, measuring stored energy from an electrochemical device is far more complex than that comparison
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    Date:
    07/20/2012
    Input-line-current synthesis in PFC control

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    Figure 1: Converter input power vs. line current with a symmetric conduction angle, constant current peak and resistive load.

    Traditionally, PFC (power-factor-correction) controls present a purely resistive behavior with respect to the power line. By means of multiplier or equivalent blocks, front-end converters draw
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    Date:
    07/13/2012
    Smart Activation circuit protection in li-ion battery applications

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    Figure 1: The activation steps of the MHP device

    Li-ion technology with smaller, lighter-weight, and higher-power batteries is now replacing nickel-cadmium or lead-acid batteries in high-discharge-rate battery applications. Meanwhile,
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    Date:
    07/09/2012
    Reduce stand-by power loss in ACDC supplies
    Over the past decade, controller-IC manufacturers have worked to reduce so-called vampire or stand-by power consumption. Organizations such as Energy Star in the US, Blue Angel in Germany, and CNIS
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    Date:
    07/01/2012
    Next-generation commercial building network-connected lighting systems

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    Figure 1: Lighting controls for next generation lighting.

    A significant percentage of a building's energy consumption is due to its lighting. Historically, lighting was a coarsely controlled power load, managed manually with a simple on-off switch. With
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    Date:
    05/21/2012
    What to expect from your LED driver

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    Figure 1: Incandescent light bulbs (blue curves) are purely resistive, LEDs (red curves) are not.

    LEDs are gaining significant traction in the lighting market due to their long operating lifetime, low running cost, and ease of control for specific applications. However, in order to realize
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    Date:
    05/20/2012
    LED-driver ICs lead to a broad spectrum of lighting

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    Figure 1: The LT3791 Driving a 3 A LED Array at up to 100 W

    Incandescent light bulbs waste 90% of the energy they consume in the form of heat. The light outputs from HB (high-brightness) LEDs have already exceeded the critical milestone of 100 lm/W. In fact,
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    Date:
    05/20/2012
    Smart and simple sensor interfaces

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    Figure 1: Modern robotic systems featuring sophisticated multi-axis arms are adding to factory productivity and safety. Simply picking up an object can require several sensors.

    Automation is providing improvements in safety, accuracy, and convenience for many everyday applications. Consider the precision and advantages of computer-assisted surgery or the array of automation
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    Date:
    05/20/2012
    High-power LED-lighting drivers

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    Figure 1: Resonant driver for high-power LED-lighting applications.

    Solid-state lighting applications such as streetlights and industrial lighting demand drivers that offer better efficiency than the traditional flyback topology in the 50—250 W power range. As
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    Date:
    05/19/2012
    Flicker and dimmer challenges in LED-lamp design

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    Figure 1: One-Stage Approach: The driver converts an AC-rectified line voltage to the necessary DC current through a flyback transformer and filter. Unfortunately, the rectified voltage contains ripple at twice the line frequency (100 or 120 Hz).

    The SSL (solid-state lighting) industry is in a state of excitement mixed with trepidation. With the obvious need for lighting more efficient than traditional incandescents, key market drivers
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    Date:
    05/19/2012
    Closed-loop voltage scaling

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    Figure 1: Development of CNA ASICs

    For some designs, reducing circuit-board power dissipation by 25% to 30% would just be a nice outcome. For other designs, it's an absolute necessity. Designers of products using the latest high-performance
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    Date:
    05/19/2012
    MCU with FPU allows advanced Motor Control Solutions

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    Table 1: Test comparison for PI Loops

    Motor control algorithms for efficient motors often employ vector and sensorless vector control involving complex transformations and control loops for speed and position. Industrial applications
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    Date:
    04/24/2012
    The Status of GaN based Power Device Development at International Rectifier

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    Figure 1 : Measured efficiency of a high frequency 12 Vin to POL buck converter, including output filter losses, using low voltage GaN based power devices.

    There are relatively few opportunities in one's career to participate in the development of a truly revolutionary technology in a chosen field. The past 8 years have been such an opportunity
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    Date:
    04/15/2012
    Setting New Efficiency Benchmarks for Next Generation Motor Control Applications

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    Figure 1: AMIS-30522 Functional Block Diagram

    Electric motors are continuing to evolve, as market requirements grow for more compact, higher performance solutions which exhibit greater resilience to the often harsh environmental settings in
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    Date:
    04/15/2012
    Sensors, Smart Sensors and Sensor Control Electronics

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    Figure 1. Block Diagram of the ISL29028A ambient light and proximity sensor

    For safety, accuracy and convenience, automation is providing improvements in everyday applications. Consider the precision and advantages of computer-assisted surgery or the array of automation
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    Date:
    04/15/2012
    Easy to use Digital PFC

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    Figure 1: Different PFC circuits

    Many AC powered systems above a certain power consumption level require power factor correction (PFC). This is demanded by either utility companies or by governments. PFC sits right at the
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    Date:
    04/15/2012
    Industrial Control

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    Figure 1: Example PLD, with 12 inputs, 8 product terms and 4 macrocells
    PLDs can have hundreds of macrocells with up to 16 product terms driving each macrocell. The AND and OR gates within the product terms can be interconnected to form highly flexible custom logic functions. The macrocells are typically clocked, and their outputs can be fed back into the product term array. This allows state machines to be created.

    In most microcontroller architectures, there is a ‘smart' CPU surrounded by a set of relatively ‘dumb' peripherals. Peripherals have limited functions; converting data from one form to
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    Date:
    04/15/2012
    Saving Power Using Closed Loop Voltage Scaling Control

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    Figure 1 - Development of Converged Network Adapter ASICs

    Wouldn't it be nice to save 25% to 30%, or even more, in circuit board power dissipation in your next design? While for some designs such a savings would just be nice to have, for others it's
    . . . Learn More
    Date:
    04/10/2012
    Enabling More Effective Battery Charging Over USB Interconnects

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    Figure 1: Difference between a DCP and SDP

    Developed in the mid 1990s, USB has gone on to become the most widely used data interface on the planet. Its huge popularity has certain additional upshots which are also now being realised. Market
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    Date:
    04/06/2012
    Efficient Boost Conversion

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    Figure 1: Typical application circuit, using 2 AA batteries and a regulator IC, the AS1337, to produce a 3.3V output

    Small, battery-powered medical analysis equipment presents a challenge to the power circuit designer. In meeting this challenge an understanding of the way boost conversion is implemented
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    Date:
    04/04/2012
    Flyback Controller Incorporates Active PFC into a Single Stage Converter

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    Table 1. IEC 61000-3-2 Classifications

    Any power system operating from the AC mains has an associated power factor defined as the way it draws current from the source. The power factor of an AC electric power system is defined as the ratio
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    Date:
    03/26/2012
    Understanding Common-Mode Noise in Low-Power Offline Supplies

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    Figure 1. A flyback converter's main common-mode noise sources and transfer paths.

    Yet the ruggedness of the underlying technology makes the core designs attractive to a much wider audience, such as industrial users who need low-power supplies for DIN-rail and similar equipment.
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    Date:
    03/16/2012
    Inverter Efficiency

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    At least two power reactors are needed for solar inverters: one in the boost converter (step-up chopper) and one at the ouput of the inverter for EMC filtering. Besides the IGBTs, the losses in the reactors are a major determining factor of the overall efficiency of the inverter

    Low-loss and high saturation flux density core materials in reactors and transformers are a key determining factor for the efficiency of inverters. The new TDK PE90 ferrite is a cutting-edge
    . . . Learn More
    Date:
    03/06/2012
    Efficient Power Protection

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    Figure 1: NetRiver desired a solution capable of easily scaling to match its unpredictable future growth.

    NetRiver, the leading provider of collocation and interconnection services in the state of Washington, has been making data center managers green with envy — racking up hefty utility rebates, generating
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    Date:
    03/06/2012
    Wiring for Safety and Efficiency
    This article describes a unique spacer cable system designed to power an industrial renewable energy plant pipeline. When the L'Anse Warden Electric Company in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
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    Date:
    03/06/2012
    Multiphase DC/DC Converters

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    Figure 1: High output current 1.5V/50A application schematic

    The data centers' incremental overhead power consumption, due to inefficiencies and cooling systems is estimated to be equal to the amount of power that is consumed by servers, storage and networking. The
    . . . Learn More
    Date:
    03/06/2012
    Industrial Control

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    Figure 1: Example PLD, with 12 inputs, 8 product terms and 4 macrocells
    PLDs can have hundreds of macrocells with up to 16 product terms driving each macrocell. The AND and OR gates within the product terms can be interconnected to form highly flexible custom logic functions. The macrocells are typically clocked, and their outputs can be fed back into the product term array. This allows state machines to be created.

    In most microcontroller architectures, there is a ‘smart' CPU surrounded by a set of relatively ‘dumb' peripherals. Peripherals have limited functions; converting data from one form to
    . . . Learn More
    Date:
    03/05/2012
    Industrial Applications Control

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    Figure 1: With the new XMC4000 family - starting with the XMC4500 series - Infineon addresses three high-level trends for microcontrollers in industrial applications: higher energy efficiency, enhanced connectivity and reduced software complexity

    Infineon has taken their wealth of know-how in microcontroller design for real-time critical control applications to combine it with all benefits of an industry standard core. The unique
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    Date:
    03/05/2012
    The Power Output Stage

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    Figure 1

    Power electronics subsystems are often divided in a control and a power circuit, where the power output stage components strongly determine the characteristics of the whole application, like efficiency,
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    Date:
    03/05/2012
    Safe System Operation

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    Figure 1: Optocoupler Construction

    Isolation components such as optocouplers that are used in applications that have user safety issues as a key aspect must not fail under continuous high-working-voltage bias conditions. Safety
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    Date:
    03/03/2012
    Simplified POL Design

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    Figure 1: Five steps of working with the SupIRBuck® Online Design Tool

    Fast and reliable design and evaluation of Point of Load (POL) circuits is a major factor to reduce the product development cost and time for electronics industry. Switching power supply
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    Date:
    03/03/2012
    Challenge of Automotive Audio

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    Fig. 1 - The ON Semiconductor NCV47701 Current Sense Regulator Implementation

    In the age of connectivity, increasingly demanding consumer expectations are driving the evolution of in-vehicle infotainment, resulting in greater demands on the infotainment system power supply.
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    Date:
    03/02/2012
    Powerful Ideas

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    Figure 1. How intellectual property, intellectual assets and intellectual capital work together

    An inventor caught up in the thrill of developing a new product, or an engineer trying to source parts from other companies to complete his new design, may understandably not have legal matters
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    Date:
    03/02/2012
    Digital Power

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    Compared to traditional analog PWM controllers, Digital power controllers provide an extremely high level of flexibility and programmability over the serial interface bus. The designer
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    Date:
    02/03/2012
    Efficient Utilization

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    Figure 1: Harmonic Performance

    As a designer and manufacturer of critical power systems used in airborne, shipboard and ground-based applications in the defense and commercial markets, Excelitas Technologies recognizes the
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    Date:
    02/03/2012
    Energy Saving

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    Figure 1: Development of Converged Network Adapter ASICs

    Wouldn't it be nice to save 25% to 30%, or even more, in circuit board power dissipation in your next design? While for some designs such a savings would just be nice to have, for
    . . . Learn More
    Date:
    02/03/2012
    High Power solutions

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    Many applications in power management are based on buck topology. The purpose of this application note is to describe a technique to overcome the current limitation of these solutions. The
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    Date:
    02/03/2012
    Energy Efficient Micros

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    Figure 1: Power budget

    Although power consumption is the product of operating voltage (Vcc) multiplied by the current consumption (Icc), current consumption is usually the only parameter considered when describing the power
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    Date:
    02/03/2012
    Innovative Drives

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    Figure 1: Internal structure of the ITRIP and RCIN sections

    The megatrends in consumer drive systems are unbroken: The numbers of units are growing and so are the number of comfort features and quality requirements for the drive. With Infineon's
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    Date:
    02/03/2012
    White Goods Efficiency

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    Figure 1. CAPZero high-level functional diagram

    Recent studies have indicated that standby power consumption can range as high as 10 percent of all domestic electricity usage. Over the last few years, multiple programs - including
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    Date:
    02/03/2012
    Circuit Protection Design

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    Figure 1: Typical solar power system diagram

    Increasing demand for clean electrical power has led to a focus on renewable energy sources such as solar power. Solar power systems are independent power generation systems meant to power
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    Date:
    02/02/2012
    Renewable Energy Parking

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    A new solar carport transforms the parking space into a provider of green power that should delight designers and owners of electric cars alike. Fitted with innovative lightweight solar
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    Date:
    02/02/2012
    Optimized Design for High-Temp Operation

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    Figure1: The test circuit used for all turn-off measurements Lcomm= 3.2 μH?Configuration 1: Cclamp = 10 μF, Rclamp = 0.625 ?, L? = 330 nH?Configuration 2: Cclamp = 20 μF, Rclamp = 0.37 ?, L? = 325 nH

    A 4.5 kV IGCT (Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor) with extraordinary high Safe Operating Area (SOA) at 140°C is presented. The improvements for the IGCT were achieved by optimizing the corrugated
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    Date:
    02/02/2012
    Monitoring the Energy

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    National Wind Energy Centre

    NEL is a world-class provider of technical consultancy, research, testing, flow measurement and programme management services to the energy, oil & gas manufacturing industries and government. The
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    Date:
    02/01/2012
    Inverter Efficiency

    Click image to enlarge

    At least two power reactors are needed for solar inverters: one in the boost converter (step-up chopper) and one at the ouput of the inverter for EMC filtering. Besides the IGBTs, the losses in the reactors are a major determining factor of the overall efficiency of the inverter

    Low-loss and high saturation flux density core materials in reactors and transformers are a key determining factor for the efficiency of inverters. The new TDK PE90 ferrite is a cutting-edge
    . . . Learn More
    Date:
    02/01/2012
    Solar Battery Charger

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    Figure 1: Typical off-grid PV system

    Photovoltaic cell technology over the last few years has reached levels of cost and efficiency that enable its use in new markets. Due to the varying sunlight conditions, energy storage
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    Date:
    02/01/2012
    Smart Energy Metering Applications

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    Figure 1: Single-phase anti-tamper smart meter

    DC tolerant current transformers have long been used to sense ac currents in smart energy meters, but they have drawbacks and can be expensive. For some applications, resistive shunts make
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    Date:
    01/31/2012
    Cost-Optimized Solar

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    Figure 1: Typical Solar Panel Output Current & Power vs. Output Voltage Curve

    The influence of clouds, trees, dirt, on the solar cell panel and the rotation of the sun causes problematic fluctuations in the amount power generation. The typical output current and
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    Date:
    01/31/2012
    Power Module Mounting

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    Figure 1a: State-of-the-art configurations

    The mounting option for power modules has always been somewhat limited, meaning that the designer is constrained to a standard configuration. These new modules overcome this problem. Most
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    Date:
    01/31/2012
    Miniaturized Modules

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    Figure 1: A wireless handset may need to cover 13MHz to 6GHz in future - figures show the Murata estimate for the take-up of various technologies

    Ceramic technologies are complementing semiconductor advances in enabling ever-more sophisticated and smaller wireless electronic systems. Improvements in ceramic materials technology have
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    Date:
    01/31/2012
    Spoilt for Choice - Power Switch Technologies for Renewable Applications

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    Figure 1: Offshore wind park ï½Lillgrundï½ in Sweden is connected to the main land via a 138kV high-voltage DC link (picture: Siemens)

    With 7 billion human beings living on this planet, and at the same time, the energy consumed by human beings is shifting more and more from oil to electricity Improving power density
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    Date:
    01/07/2012
    Battery Management
    Lithium Ion batteries are becoming the technology of choice for most portable applications requiring rechargeable batteries. The advantages include high energy density per volume and weight, high
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Challenging Charging
    This article discusses the selection process for deciding the battery charging topology in portable, consumer applications. The article analyzes system and battery conditions under which the benefits
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Digital Power Conversion

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    Figure 1a: The effects of parallel connecting two power supplies without share control

    Power supplies with digital control are gaining in popularity. However the term ‘digital control' is commonly applied to two quite different meanings. The two main terms are; ‘Digital power
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Digital Power Delivers Auto-Compensation

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    Figure 1: GUI view of Auto Compensation page

    Stability is a critical operational requirement for power supplies. In regulated power supplies, the stability is controlled, by a large part, by the characteristics of the feedback path.
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Delivering Precision Performance

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    Figure 1: Supplies are margined by changing the resistor connected to the Trim/FB node

    Modern microprocessors, FPGAs and other complex ICs require accurate power supply voltages, often more accurate, in fact, than the tolerances provided by commodity low-dropout regulators (LDOs)
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    USB Modem Design
    With USB being a standard interface in PC peripherals, the number of applications that can be powered from a USB port is increasing at an exponential rate. The need for flexibility and continuous
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Keep on Running
    These days, people can't live without cell phones. This is not a monumental revelation to anyone who has been at an airport, a shopping mall, or a park watching their children play. We close business
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Antenna Tuning Technology
    Thinner form factors, mobile TV and the requirement for power efficiency are placing extreme demands on the antenna, requiring a new approach to keep calls on track and antennas inside the handset. Footprints
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Portable Efficiency
    The handset world is seeing a burgeoning need for memory storage. This article discusses memory trends and different methods of powering SD Flash memory. The need for memory is being driven
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    Date:
    01/01/2012
    Low-Power Networked Solution

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    Figure 1: JenNet-IP Stack build-up

    All households and businesses are under pressure to fulfil the twin ideals of reduced energy consumption and reduced costs. There have been many advances in building technology such as double
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    Date:
    11/20/2011
    Communicated Adaptive Digital Control

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    Figure 1: Auto-Control Adapts to Power Stage Variations

    Real-Time Auto-Compensation Technique Enables More Versatile and More Efficient Power Systems while Reducing Design Overhead Experienced power supply design engineers know that specific power requirement
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    Date:
    11/20/2011
    PMBus Communications

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    Figure 1: In a typical rack, the system host provides overall control for each board's power system via a Board Power Manager.

    Digitally controlled power converters that embody power management subsystems and PMBus communications in telecoms applications makes it easy to assemble sophisticated hardware that suits a variety
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    Date:
    11/19/2011
    LTPoE++ Extends PoE

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    Figure 1: Typical PoE system

    Power over Ethernet, or PoE, is an increasingly popular way to deliver both power and data over existing Ethernet cable, thus freeing applications from the constraint of AC-power proximity. As
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    Date:
    11/19/2011
    UPS Sizing

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    Choosing a UPS of the right capacity for a commercial or industrial application may appear as a simple task. In reality however, making the correct choice depends on knowledge and understanding
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    Date:
    11/19/2011
    Avoiding Coexistence Problems

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    Figure 1: An example of the simplification of an RF design using an integrated front-end module

    Applications for portable wireless data communications have been booming in the last few years. For designers, these applications pose the challenge of designing multiple high-efficiency, low-noise
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    Date:
    11/19/2011
    Managing the Power

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    Figure 1: The Total Energy Management approach to design

    Energy management techniques have emerged as competitive and differentiating features of electronic equipment. Traditional DC-DC Integrated Circuit (IC) point solutions have focused on optimizing
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    Date:
    11/18/2011
    Telecom Central Office Datacenters have seen rapid evolution in terms of the architecture of their power supply arrangements; a number of different approaches have been used in relatively quick succession and, indeed, more than one approach may be found within a single installation This article considers a number
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    Date:
    11/15/2011
    Cost-Optimized Solar

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    Figure 1: Typical Solar Panel Output Current & Power vs. Output Voltage Curve

    The influence of clouds, trees, dirt, on the solar cell panel and the rotation of the sun causes problematic fluctuations in the amount power generation. Consistent with the movement towards
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    Date:
    11/11/2011
    Power Conditioning

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    POWERVAR SecurityPlus product

    In a two-year study involving customer projects around the world, POWERVAR, a power management systems company, examined how power quality technology can significantly reduce the service burden
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    IEC60601 Medical Standards

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    The internationally accepted IEC 60601-1 standard has been continuously developed to help alleviate safety issues relating to all manner of medical equipment. Engineers need to be aware
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    Designing for Medical

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    The vital selection process required for choosing the most suitable supplier for a medical power supply and to achieve requirements for EN60601 specifications Power supplies are a critical
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    Information Fusion in Medical Systems

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    Figure 1

    As medical instrumentation acquires increased processing power, the amount of information that is gathered from a patient is growing exponentially. Whenever large amounts of data are presented
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    Patient Protection

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    LTM2881 2.5kVRMS isolated RS485 μModule transceiver

    An important consideration when designing medical products is satisfying the IEC 60601-1 safety standard and the isolation ratings for products that come into contact with patients. One
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    Medical Goes Mobile

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    Figure 1

    In the world of medical devices, smaller is more beautiful. The market has seen a plethora of product announcements that herald a new era in size and portability. While research teams
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    Why Simulation Software?

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    Analysis of insulator covered with water droplets

    Using modelling software in this current economic market speeds up delivery time by increased accuracy at an early stage in the design process. The majority of engineering designers today
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    Making the Most of Iron

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    Figure 1: Broadband attenuation

    In recent years, innovative soft magnetic materials have moved to the forefront of electrical engineering and electronics and led to the development of many advanced components. Today, VACUUMSCHMELZE
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    Date:
    10/29/2011
    Highly Efficient Flyback

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    Table 1: Turns Ratios and Inductances

    For industrial applications, power supplies with galvanic isolation in the range of 10 to 20W are often required. In general, a flyback converter is a good choice for this application. But
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    Date:
    10/20/2011
    Sensor-Driven Solid State Lighting

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    Fig 1 LED Driver

    Over 20% of the energy consumed in the US is in lighting; in fact, next to heating and air conditioning systems, lighting systems account for the greatest energy. Today, adequate daylight
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    Date:
    10/19/2011
    A new generation of low power, self-configuring network devices capable of remote management via a web connected smartphone or tablet PC are set to deliver the next healthcare revolution. The cost of providing healthcare to those recovering from illness or surgery has risen rapidly in recent years and there
    . . . Learn More
    Date:
    10/14/2011
    Archives

    Power Systems Design

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    Power Systems Design

    Published by Power Systems (PSD) serves all aspects of the Power Electronics market including but not limited to Power Conversion, Power Management, Intelligent and Embedded Motion, Automotive, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Lighting. PSD is published 10x per year in English with separate print editions for Europe and North America and is published 6x per year in China. PSD Apps are available for Android & iOS. Additionally qualified power engineering professionals may subscribe and receive PSD daily PowerSurge newsletters.