The recently concluded Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition in Charlotte, N.C. showcased a variety of new developments in wide bandgap semiconductors, LEDs, power converter topologies, and much more. Here are a few of the more noteworthy scenes we noted on the exhibition floor. In the news: Wireless charging There were a number […]
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Choking off EMI/RFI in off-line switchers
by Jim Earley, President, Premier Magnetics Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) are natural byproducts of switching power supplies. Much of this noise arises as a direct result of the large voltage swings caused by short-duration charging and discharging in the power supply circuitry. Common mode noise, which is generated through the power […]
Podcast: Managing thermal issues with CFD
How are power circuit designers making use of computerized fluid dynamics in dealing with heat problems? John Parry, Electronics Industry Manager at the Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Div., talks about how much designers need to know about CFD to get useful results, the accuracy of new “simplified” CFD methods, what happens when CFD packages must […]
Carrying the Heat Away from Power Module PCB Designs
By Jerome Johnston Power system designers are always seeking higher power capability built on smaller footprints. This is especially true for datacenter servers and LTE basestations that support high current loads from increasingly power hungry FPGAs, ASICs and microprocessors. To reach higher output currents, multi-phase systems are being used more and more. To get higher current […]
This week’s top power electronic posts from EDAboard.com
Two different grounds, one transformer — On switched mode power supplies….I have seen many circuit block diagrams where the ground connections on either side of the transformer have different symbols….I would assume this means the grounds can’t be connected together to maintain the galvanic isolation of the secondary side from the mains for safety; so […]
Understanding op amp input stages
Choosing an op amp and getting the best out of it involves some understanding of what is inside the chip, particularly the input stage. Simple bipolar input stage A conventional bipolar opamp will usually have a long-tailed-pair with two NPN or PNP input transistors as shown below. This explains the limited working range of a […]
Top power electronics posts on EDAboard.com
Here are some of the most popular power electronic posts on our sister forum EDAboard.com this week. Industrial electronics and home appliances – What is the differences between industrial electronics and home appliances? Lets discuss it. Why are circuits used in industrial applications becoming more important in other fields? Read more. Interfacing ultrasonic sensors with […]
New GaN HEMT power devices work at 50 V
Cree, Inc., a global supplier of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) wafers and devices, has extended its family of 50V discrete GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) die with the release of three new components: a 20W, 6GHz die; a 75W, 6GHz die; and a 320W, 4GHz die. Currently comprised of five die, […]
America Semiconductor introduces high-power standard recovery rectifiers in DO4 package
DO4 Stud Devices Optimized to Provide Reliable and Efficient Power Solutions to a Variety of High-Reliability Industrial Applications America Semiconductor, LLC, a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-industry high-power semiconductors, announced the availability of a new full series of high-power standard recovery rectifiers in a DO4 package. Offered in stud cathode and stud anode versions, the parts […]
Podcast: Designing with SiC power semiconductors
Not all design parameters for SiC semiconductors can be found on data sheets. Madhu Chinthavali, team lead for Oak Ridge National Lab’s Power Electronics & Electric Machinery Group, describes what to look for and what design engineers need to test for themselves when working with SiC power devices. Madhu’s group recently devised a 30-kW inverter […]