During the coronavirus pandemic, there’s been a lot of interest in using germicidal lamps to disinfect surfaces rather than hosing everything down with bleach or disinfectant. Lamps are a little easier to work with when you’ve got things like knobs, buttons, and slider controls on test instruments that may not do well when doused with […]
Haptics components, Pt 2: LRA, ERM, and piezo drivers
Haptics capabilities are embedded in smartphones and game controllers, and their use is expanding into robotic controls, automobile consoles, and more; the physical actuator and its driver are the key hardware elements. Part 1 of this article looked at actuators for haptics functions. This part looks at an equally important part of the haptics hardware: […]
Haptics Components, Pt 1: LRA, ERM, and piezo actuators
Haptics capabilities are embedded in smartphones and game controllers, and their use is expanding into robotic controls, automobile consoles, and more; the physical actuator and its driver are the key hardware elements. Haptics-enhanced devices are all around us, even if we don’t consciously realize it. The smartphone with different vibrations depending on who is calling […]
Comparing magnetic cores for power inductors
It is helpful to know how the material properties and geometries of magnetic cores affect the ability of inductors to store energy or filter current. There can be a mystique surrounding the specs of magnetic cores used in power inductors, due partly to the fact that magnetic materials may not be well characterized for handling […]
Maximize piezoelectric transducer buzzer audio output with these driver circuits
One of the most common choices for audio communication between a product and a user is a buzzer. Piezo transducer buzzers are one such technology used for audible identification or alert, but unlike their indicator counterparts, transducer buzzers require an external driver circuit to produce a desired tone or sound. So, how does an engineer […]
Killing Covid-19 with UV-C LEDs
Yes, light in the UV-C part of the spectrum will destroy the virus. Here are the basics and a few myths surrounding these light emissions. For those of us still working, it can be a bit unsettling to ponder whether the surfaces we touch harbor a few virions left over from someone infected with Covid-19. […]
Hot topic: Electric vehicle components get more sophisticated thermal models
The high electrical currents of fast charging are forcing designers to invent standard techniques for predictably modeling heat and cooling. Dr. Michael Ludwig, T&C Core Technologies, TE Connectivity The only way electric vehicles (EVs) will ever catch on is if consumers can charge them up quickly. Consequently, manufacturers are developing high-power charging (HPC) schemes which […]
Myth busted: No, LEDs don’t get 50% dimmer after a year
A one-year burn-in test helps refute a small piece of fake news about LED bulbs. We’ve torn down a number of LED bulbs over the years to analyze their content and design strategies. But when we published some of our findings a little over a year ago, we got this missive in the comment section: […]
Thermal propagation triggering and mitigation in medium- and large-format battery modules
by Iris Su, Project Engineer II, Inventus Power A recent change in Li-ion battery pack safety is the shift from a focus on just prevention to one that emphasizes prevention and mitigation. Battery pack designers who were once focused on preventing thermal runaway (TR) are now taking increasing measures on preventing single cell failures within […]
Heat shrink tubing, Part 2: Extensions
Although we take it for granted, versatile and widely used heat shrink tubing is the result of advanced material science, and is available in a broad range of varieties and options. Part 1 of this FAQ looked at the basics of HST and its history. This part looks at the many variations and standard options […]
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