It may seem a bit mundane but choosing ceramic capacitors can cause some problems and confusion. Ceramic capacitors have taken over from aluminum electrolytic capacitors and tantalum electrolytics…
SMD fuse with 1.5-kA breaking capacity gets UL, VDE stamps
SCHURTER’s Universal Modular fuse, UMT-H, offers a 1500-A breaking capacity at rated voltages of 277 VAC / 250 VDC. The compact, high performance fuse now has VDE approval…
Printed circuit board card guides
A new assortment of durable Nylon card guides for vertical mount circuit boards are among the latest circuit board mounting devices available from Keystone Electronics Corp. Engineered to…
60V Synchronous Buck Controller Simplifies Power Supply Design
Intersil Corporation, a provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions, announced the first 60V synchronous buck controller able to bypass the intermediate step-down conversion stage traditionally…
Synchronous step-down PWM controller
Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions, announced the first 60V synchronous buck controller able to bypass the intermediate step-down conversion…
Instrumentation amplifiers
What is an instrumentation amplifier and why do we need them? On the face of it they just look like a differential amplifier using more parts than necessary….
DC-DC converters offer additional voltages in DIN rail power systems
XP Power announced the DDC15 and DDC30 series of low profile 15 Watt and 30 Watt DIN rail format DC-DC converters. The range is designed to offer additional…
900V SiC MOSFET for high frequency power applications
Cree, Inc. has introduced its latest breakthrough in SiC power device technology: the industry’s first 900V MOSFET platform. Optimized for high frequency power electronics applications, including renewable energy…
Dialog Semiconductor extends power management leadership in China
DA9210 sub-PMIC powers MediaTek MT6795 processor in HTC One M9+ and E9+ Android based smartphones Dialog Semiconductor plc (FWB:DLG), a provider of highly integrated power management, AC/DC power…
GlobTek’s up-to 60 watt universal input regulated switchmode AC-DC open frame power supply
GTM43007 represents GlobTek’s entry into ultra-small range of open frame ruggedized power converters, which adds to its existing broad line of wall plug-in, desktop and other open-frame power…
USB AC adapter/power supply certified to ANSI/AAMI ES60601-1
USB AC Adapter/Power Supply Certified to ANSI/AAMI ES60601-1 for the United States and Canada and EN/IEC 60601-1, 3rd edition for Europe, Asia, and Africa and is rated up…
Understanding and using charge amplifiers
A charge amplifier is not the most common type of amplifier, but very useful in the right circumstances, it is really a current integrator which produces a voltage…
Gallery: Cool technology at APEC 2015
The recently concluded Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition in Charlotte, N.C. showcased a variety of new developments in wide bandgap semiconductors, LEDs, power converter topologies, and much…
DC backup power in new Ultra Capacitor Modules
Altech Corp. now sells a new DC back-up power device. Called DC/UPS Ultra Capacitor Modules, they can be used in place of a battery for backup power. They are DIN-rail mountable, virtually maintenance free and carry none of the hazards of a battery. Voltages include 12V and 24Vdc from 1,000 up to 10,000 W of energy in…
Power converters with GaN
by Alex Lidow, CEO, Efficient Power Conversion Corp. It can be tricky to analyze power supply designs incorporating GaN power devices. Here are the basics of calculating losses…
High switching frequencies come to laptop chargers
New designs for switch-mode power supplies are pushing frequencies higher as a way of cramming circuitry into smaller and smaller volumes. An indication of the trend can be…
Move over, wave power — Vortex device aims to harvest energy from water
Pilot projects aimed at generating electrical energy from the motion of ocean waves have gotten a lot of press. The Scottish government, for example, has now approved the…
Better barriers make lithium batteries hard to beat
An advanced barrier between the electrodes in lithium-ion batteries could help head off fires and overheating that occasionally arises in laptops or industrial applications. The barrier uses nanofibers…
Gallium Nitride power FETs go into mass production
Fujitsu Semiconductor group’s CMOS-compatible, 150-mm wafer fab in Japan has started mass production of Gallium Nitride (GaN) power devices for switching applications. The facility is providing GaN foundry…
Power supply makers get ready for tighter energy efficiency regs
Tougher Energy Star standards kick in next year. Some manufacturers may not be able to handle its more stringent mandates. The latest round of energy efficiency standards for…
The next generation of power electronics engineers
by Leland Teschler, Executive Editor, @DW_LeeTeschler Who do you suppose can ace a ten-question quiz about using power transistors? We asked ourselves that question recently when we ran…
Thermal management and cost of ownership in power systems
by Jerry Hovdestad, Director COTS Engineering, Behlman Electronics To an engineer, power management is also thermal management. Excess heat generated by power systems places additional burdens on their…
Small batteries pack big wallop for wireless devices
by Sol Jacobs, Tadiran Batteries Battery makers have devised chemistries that put a lot of energy in a tiny volume. Generally speaking, every penny counts when it comes…
Choking off EMI/RFI in off-line switchers
by Jim Earley, President, Premier Magnetics Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) are natural byproducts of switching power supplies. Much of this noise arises as a…
Cool calculations
by Steve Griffiths, Manager of Technical Sales and Marketing, Ametek, Dynamic Fluid Solutions Business Unit It pays to do a back-of-the-envelope thermal analysis before cranking up a CFD…