New gate drivers simplify the task of deploying silicon-carbide FETs to shrink the size and boost the efficiency of power inverters. Charlie Ice Silicon Labs The electric vehicle revolution is upon us. Automotive companies search desperately for a technological edge, investors see EV companies as more valuable than traditional automakers, and governments press ahead with […]
FAQ
Emerging applications for switched capacitor power conversion
Switched capacitor (SC) technology is often associated with on-chip filters and amplifiers or low-power and low-voltage power conversion such as charge pumps for wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) and similar battery-powered devices. That is changing. Today, SC power conversion is being developed for higher-power and higher-voltage industrial, electric vehicle and power grid applications such as […]
Handling the 48-to-12-V stepdown
A multiphase, interleaved buck converter can reduce bus voltage down to something useful in data center server racks. Brad Xiao, Nazzareno (Reno) Rossetti Maxim Integrated Hyperscale data centers that dissipate hundreds of megawatts demand efficient power delivery beyond the ability of the traditional 12-V power supplies on old server motherboards. A data center on 12 […]
The changing maze of power supply standards
Brexit altered the landscape of standards for power supply products. Here’s an update on the latest revisions. Ron Stull CUI Inc. The usual way of choosing a power supply is to search on the electrical performance parameters the application demands. But today, it is actually more efficient to start with the national or international standards […]
Picking reliable power supplies
A few basic parameters can be useful for selecting power supplies that must work dependably in specific application scenarios. Alex Karapetian Acopian Power Supplies Electronic devices require a reliable source that can supply power at all times. But power supplies are available in a wide range of voltage and current ratings. Engineers tasked with selecting […]
Switched capacitor power conversion for electronic systems
Switched capacitor (SC) technology can be integrated into ICs and used for dc/dc converters, voltage inverters, voltage doublers, voltage dividers, and standalone dc/dc converters, ac/dc power supplies, and solar microinverters. This FAQ is focused on power conversion for the internet of things, portable, medical, automotive, computing and communications, and renewable energy applications. The next FAQ […]
Measuring a sense-resistor’s voltage drop, Part 3: CMV-suitable components
Measuring the voltage drop across a current-sense resistor can be a trivial issue or a challenging one depending on the rail voltage and other factors. Part 2 of this FAQ looked at the issues related to sensing the small differential voltage across a current-sense resistor, often but not always in the presence of a high […]
Measuring a sense-resistor’s voltage drop, Part 2: Isolation
Measuring the voltage drop across a current-sense resistor can be a trivial issue or a challenging one depending on the rail voltage and other factors. The problem with low-side sensing is that it “ungrounds” the load, and the alternative is high-side sensing. This part looks at the use of isolation to deal with CMV […]
What are switched capacitor filters, amplifiers and integrators?
Switched capacitors (SCs) are highly-versatile circuit elements that can be used to provide various functions, ranging from micro-scale implementations embedded in integrated circuits (ICs) or designed into wearables and other small devices, to a variety of power conversion applications, up to grid-scale systems. This FAQ series will explore the versatility of switched-capacitors. Following this initial […]
Measuring a sense-resistor’s voltage drop, Part 1: Sensing issues
Measuring the voltage drop across a current-sense resistor can be a trivial issue or a challenging one depending on the rail voltage and other factors. In previous articles, we looked at an apparently simple issue of sizing the resistor used for this common technique for current sensing (EE World Content References 1 and 2). This […]
