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 Extremely simple overnight AAA Ni-MH charger – I want to build an ultra simple charger, to charge a 750mAh 1.2V AAA Ni-MH […]
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Power-supply noise, Part 2
Part 1 looked at the basics of noise, especially concerning power supplies. There are two noise sources which are not as obvious to many engineers as noise that results from the switching action of the power supply: differential mode noise and common-mode noise. These two noise modes have different causes and thus different solutions Q: […]
Power-supply noise, Part 1
“Noise”—perhaps nothing worries design engineers as much as the implications of this single five-letter word. There are good reasons for this worry. Noise is often unpredictable; may come from internal and somewhat controllable sources, or external impossible-to-control sources; it can affect performance accuracy and consistency; it can cause products to not meet their target design […]
How advanced IGBT gate drivers simplify high-voltage, high-current inverters
IGBTs have nuanced operations associated with high current densities and temperature that force IGBT gate drivers to incorporate sophisticated features. Tom Zemites, Kim Gauen, NXP The automotive industry is moving inexorably towards electrification. As automakers move from electric assistance to full autonomy, the trend in EV invertors is toward higher system efficiency and functional safety […]
Power Electronics Top Talks in December on EDABoard.com forums
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 Practical circuit problems – I tried to make an experiment with a “push-pull inverter” and it worked in simulation (software LTspice) […]
Top power electronics stories of 2017
Here are the power electronics features that got the most interest from readers in 2017. Teardown: Inside Ikea’s smart LED bulb As smart LED bulbs go, this one is pretty simple. It doesn’t incorporate any sort of smartphone app and can’t be controlled over the Internet, like some other smart bulbs […]
Solar cells and power, Part 2 – power extraction
Part 1 looked at the solar cells themselves; Part 2 looks at how a cell or panel is managed for maximum performance. Q: How can the useful output of a solar cell or panel be maximized? A: While an active, in-use load or a power-generating facility could be connected directly to the output of a […]
Solar cells and power, Part 1 – basic operation
Both small- and large-scale solar power on is an effective way of generating electrical power from an impinging light source, usually the sun. Colloquially, the term may also encompass a local light source such as overhead illumination; thus this, a more-accurate broad term is photovoltaic (PV) power. Although the physics of the solar cell is […]
How to hot plug sequence your BMS cell connections
By Robert Grist, Intersil, a Renesas Company Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are used in a wide variety of portable system applications, including vacuum cleaners, lawn equipment, handheld power tools, e-bikes, and energy storage systems. Li-ion batteries are smaller, weigh less, and deliver longer battery life than other battery chemistries, but require monitoring and protection for safe […]
Basics of AC, DC, and EC electric motors (Part 2) — EC and stepper
Part 1 looked at basic AC and DC motors which do not require “electronics” to operate (although the variable-frequency AC motor is an important exception). However, the development of fast, low-resistance all-electronic switches – primarily MOSFETs as well as IGBTs – and microcontrollers, plus powerful permanent magnets has dramatically changed the situation. Q: What is […]