New ways of routing power around circuit boards bring more efficiency and fewer thermal problems. Phil Davies | Vicor Corp. Power distribution networks (PDNs) are the backbone of any power system. As system power demands rise, traditional PDNs are under tremendous pressure to deliver enough performance. There are two main ways to improve PDN impact […]
Featured
How to make dc/dc converters rugged
Design standards for rail transportation equipment are so severe that they are used as qualifications for products targeting other areas where ruggedness comes in handy. Here’s a quick overview of what these standards entail. Martin Tenhumberg | Traco Power In transportation, there is an emphasis on electronic systems in rail because of expanding safety, telemetry […]
Don’t be confused by line and neutral fusing
It pays to know when the use of a single fuse is less hazardous than fusing both hot and neutral wires. David Norton | TDK-Lambda Americas For many years ac-dc power supplies for the medical market have been safety certified to the IEC 60601-1 medical standard and to the industrial IEC 60950-1 /IEC 62368-1 standards. […]
Common misconceptions about the MOSFET body diode
Engineers who design power circuits around wide-bandgap semiconductors frequently make costly mistakes that relate to the switching behavior of transistors. Julian Styles | GaN Systems We need to face an awkward and embarrassing truth about ourselves in the world of power electronics. I’d like to ask you to try to be completely open and honest […]
How to electrocute yourself in a few easy steps
Here’s a fun project: Pop open an old microwave oven and scavenge the high-voltage transformer powering the cavity magnetron vacuum tube. Then use it to make yourself a Lichtenberg generator. But be sure there’s someone nearby to call an ambulance. Lichtenberg generators are used to create art and abstract objects by burning fractal patterns into […]
Error analysis in temperature sensing with NTC and silicon-based PTC thermistors: Comparing the Ratiometric and Absolute methods
by Hadi Ebrahimi-Darkhaneh, Texas Instruments A thermistor is a resistive device specifically designed to vary resistance with thermal change, and therefore follows Ohm’s law. According to Ohm’s law, a current passing through a resistive component will produce a voltage drop across that component. This voltage is proportional to the magnitude of the component resistance and […]
Understanding airflow fundamentals for proper DC fan selection
DC Fans have been the go-to solution in a designer’s thermal management toolbox for years, providing efficient cooling for products requiring the removal of heat from a few watts to several hundred watts. To ensure that the appropriate fan is selected, it is important to align the system’s cooling needs with the fan’s airflow characteristics. […]
Power Electronics Top Talks in September 2019 on EDABoard.com
Peer-to-peer, engineer-to-engineer questions and answers from the EDABoard.com engineering community around power electronics. Click the “Read more” link and follow the entire conversation and maybe add your two cents by logging in to EDAboard.com Flyback SMPS power MOSFET getting hot – I built this flyback SMPS transformer for this circuit as shown above using PQ3230 […]
Biggest-ever SiC manufacturing facility set to go up in New York
Silicon-carbide (SiC) technology provider Cree, Inc. says it plans to establish a silicon carbide corridor on the East Coast of the U.S. with the creation of the world’s largest silicon carbide fabrication facility. The company will build a brand new, state-of-the-art, automotive-qualified 200-mm power and RF wafer fabrication facility in Marcy, N.Y., complemented by its […]
Will LEDs go purple?
Examine an LED bulb and you are likely to find the LEDs on board are phosphor-converted white LEDs (PC-LEDs). These are created either from blue- or near-ultraviolet-emitting chips emitting light at about 450 nm that are coated with a yellow phosphor. The phosphor down-converts the light output into lower visible light frequencies. PC-LEDs that operate […]