Technical Features

April 2016

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Figure 1: Power stage of the flyback converter (simplified)

Eleazar Falco, FAE, Würth Elektronik eiSos / Editor, Gerhard Stelzer

Isolated flyback converters often use optocouplers in the feedback loop to regulate the output voltage. As part of the compensation circuit, its parameters such as CTR influence the control loop and must be taken into account in the flyback converter design. The flyback converter is an isolated switching power

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Date:

04/01/2024

High isolation voltage flyback transformers - Part 1

Edgar C. Taculog, TT Electronics

Transformers can often provide an inexpensive solution for a variety of applications. The purpose of the transformer is to isolate the secondary side of the circuit from the primary power source, transfer power efficiently from the electrical source to the target load and protect users from hazards like electric sh

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Date:

04/17/2016

Peak Power vs. Average Power

Ron Chiang & Andy Yao, Enargy Power

Beginning February 10, 2016 power supplies for medical equipment must comply with the new U.S. DoE energy efficiency standards (LEVEL VI). They also must meet the more stringent electromagnetic immunity and other requirements dictated by the new 4th Edition IEC/EC/UL60601-1-2 released in 2014 which becomes effective on A

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Date:

04/17/2016

Meeting green standards in 24VAC & 12VAC lighting

Keith Szolusha, Linear Technology

LEDs are increasingly used in 24VAC and 12VAC lighting systems as a robust, energy efficient and high performance alternative to halogen lamps. Power converters that drive the LEDs should have a high power factor (above 90% in order to meet generally-accepted green standards), should be efficient, use a minimal nu

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Date:

04/17/2016

The evolution of personal control

Geoff Hammett, Eaton

The buzz around a concept called The Internet of Things has been around for a few years, and it’s not going away anytime soon. In fact, it might be bigger than anyone ever imagined. And all that added connectivity brings with it a great deal more control. The industry is becoming excited about the evol

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Date:

04/17/2016

Optimizing LED power chains

Chester Firek, Vicor

LED technology has developed over recent years, and is now the obvious choice for many applications from energy-efficiency architectural lighting to outdoor displays. These applications tend to vary considerably, each requiring a different number, type, color and configuration of the LEDs, which means that driver ci

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Date:

04/17/2016

Ferrite Bead Demystified

Jefferson Eco and Aldrick Limjoco, Analog Devices

An effective method for filtering high-frequency power supply noise and cleanly sharing similar voltage supply rails (i.e. analog and digital rails for mixed-signal ICs) while preserving high-frequency isolation between the shared rails is the use of ferrite beads. A ferrite bead is a passive device that fi

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Date:

04/15/2016

Optimizing energy use for IoT

Martin Woolley, Bluetooth SIG

The phone Martin Cooper used was the prototype Motorola DynaTAC, and it could only be used for 20 minutes before the battery died. Battery life has continued to cause concern for manufacturers. Bluetooth introduced its low-energy feature in 2010 with Bluetooth 4.0 with energy efficiency as the prime goal, achieved in

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Date:

04/15/2016

Power management is getting smart

Ron Lowman and Angela Raucher, Synopsys

The Internet of Things (IoT) is providing increasing levels of transparency in our everyday energy usage, be it for connected factory equipment or small appliances or in exciting new market segments including wearables and drones. Advanced Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC) designs have implemented sw

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Date:

04/15/2016

Balancing image quality and power use

Gi Young Lee, Exar

The desire for ever higher image quality has seen frame rates in high-end televisions increase to 240 frames per second (fps) simply to ensure that the fast moving action in sports programs or movies does not suffer from smearing or multiple images. Display panels for PCs similarly need to support high frame ra

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Date:

04/14/2016