Another myth busted: You needn’t worry about ultraviolet light coming from ordinary LED bulbs. We recently checked a batch of LED bulbs for the amount of blue light they gave off. This effort came in response to claims from some in the alternative medicine crowd that LED bulbs gave off inordinate amounts of unhealthy blue […]
FAQ
Heat sinks, Part 2: Available components
Part 1 of this FAQ looked at the basic issues associated with cooling and heat sinks. Part 2 focuses on the various heat sinks available. Q: Are heat sinks limited to a single component such as an IC? A: No, there are heat sinks which fit entire unit or chassis cool such as those which […]
Taking resistor technology beyond RoHS
By Stephen Oxley, Senior Engineer Applications and Marketing, TT Electronics Lead has long been recognized as a serious environmental hazard. It has a detrimental effect on the workings of the human central nervous system, and this is particularly acute when children are exposed to it. Based on the findings of scientific research conducted during the […]
Choosing a capacitor? Ripple current capability matters as much as Farads
by Derick Stephens, KEMET Corporation Selecting capacitors for decoupling and filtering in power circuits may seem like a basic chore for electronics designers. Getting it right, however, can critically influence reliability and longevity, but is complicated by the fact that parameters tend to change with factors such as the temperature and operating frequency. Proper attention should […]
Heat sinks, Part 1: Thermal principles
A heat sink is a non-electronic, passive mechanical component that has a vital role in the reliability and performance of ICs, PC boards, modules, chassis, and more. Heat sinks often don’t get much attention, at least not in the early stages of a design. This FAQ will look at the basic thermal principles of these […]
Power Management ICs, part 2: PMIC implementations
The power management IC (PMIC) is often a vital part of the lower-voltage DC subsystem, as circuits have multiple power rails with tight individual specifications as well as mandated relationships among them. Part 1 of this FAQ discussed the need for, PMICs and their general characteristics. Part 2 now looks at specific ICs which implement […]
Power Management ICs, part 1: PMIC functions
The power management IC (PMIC) is often a vital part of the lower-voltage DC subsystem, as circuits have multiple power rails with tight individual specifications as well as mandated relationships among them. It’s one thing to develop needed low-voltage DC rails via DC/DC converters or regulators, but there’s also a need to manage these power […]
GaN FETs boost efficiency in electric vehicle chargers
The role gallium-nitride FETs play in the design of an EV charging circuit help illustrate how these wide-bandgap semiconductors facilitate energy efficiency. FENG QI, TRANSPHORM THE PHASE-SHIFT FULL BRIDGE (PSFB) is a classic topology for applications that must accommodate a wide range of operating voltages, as with battery chargers. A PSFB converter generally uses four […]
Don’t be led astray on three-phase power measurements
Measurements made on power analyzers may differ from those on another because different manufacturers employ different settings and wiring assumptions. KEN JOHNSON, TELEDYNE LECROY POWER ANALYZERS have been manufactured for many years and are used in a wide variety of applications. Often, the settings and preferences dialed in from the front panel can significantly impact […]
Optimizing the energy efficiency of converters and controllers
Here’s how to evaluate energy efficiency associated with components that make up widely used power conversion circuitry. FRANK DE STASI, MATHEW JACOB, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC. IN SOME WAYS, selecting a module, converter or controller for power conversion resembles deciding whether to take a flight, board a train, or drive from point A to B. Once […]