Long-life pacemakers powered by plutonium-based thermal decay were implanted beginning in the 1970s, but better battery technology, safety concerns, and regulatory issues made them obsolete within a few decades. The technology Q: What did the nuclear pacemaker look like? How is it identified? A: The unit’s electronics are embedded in epoxy, with the plutonium power […]
FAQ
How does digital isolation contribute to sustainability?
In general, digital isolation can be implemented using capacitive, giant magneto restrictive (GMR), and magnetic technologies. The digitally isolated gate drivers used to drive silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices plus silicon power MOSFETs and IGBTs in green energy systems like electric vehicles (EVs) and solar inverters mostly rely on magnetic isolation techniques, […]
FAQ on creepage and clearance: Part 3
Regulatory creepage and clearance requirements are increasingly affecting mainstream designs; understanding and meeting them is a complicated, multifaceted process. The final part of this article looks at an IC pair specifically designed for an enhanced creepage and clearance value, tools for helping with design, and also provides some “pre-electronics” perspective on the subject. Q: Are […]
What’s a digitally isolated transceiver?
Digitally isolated transceivers are available for industrial applications, electric vehicles, satellites, communications, data processing, and medical systems. They are available for specific protocols like control area network (CAN), RS485, RS422, and RS232, serial peripheral interface (SPI), I2C, low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS), and others. Some support multiple protocols. They can have a single channel or multiple […]
A nuclear-powered cardiac pacemaker? Yes, but…. (Part 1)
Long-life pacemakers powered by plutonium-based thermal decay were implanted beginning in the 1970s, but better battery technology, safety concerns, and regulatory issues made them obsolete within a few decades. Recently, I was surfing through my free over-the-air (OTA) TV channels and stumbled across a show from the 1970s called “To Tell the Truth” (there is […]
What technologies are used for digital isolators?
There are three main technologies used for digital isolators, capacitive, magnetic, and giant magnetoresistive (GMR). This FAQ briefly looks at capacitive designs (they are covered in more detail in “What is a capacitive digital isolator”), then digs deeper into magnetic and GMR devices. Capacitive digital isolators use two CMOS dies connected with a capacitive isolation […]
FAQ on creepage and clearance: Part 2
Regulatory creepage and clearance requirements are increasingly affecting mainstream designs; understanding and meeting them is a complicated, multifaceted process. This part delves into more details on creepage and clearance. Q: What are the key standards for defining creepage and clearance minimum values? A: It’s complicated. Different documents cover PCB creepage and clearance standards and requirements, […]
What are the key specifications of digital isolators? Part 2
Digital isolators have two primary functions, to provide isolation and to transmit information across the isolation barrier. Part one looked at the various specifications related to voltage and isolation performance. Part two details key specifications related to the transmission of information. Common‐mode transient immunity (CMTI) is one of three key specifications of digital isolators. The […]
What are the key specifications of digital isolators? Part 1
Digital isolators have two primary functions, to provide isolation and to transmit information across the isolation barrier. This first of two FAQs on digital isolator specifications looks at voltage and isolation specs. Part two details key specifications related to information transmission. Two basic voltage specs are: Working voltage (VIOWM) is the maximum rms, or corresponding […]
FAQ on creepage and clearance: Part 1
Regulatory creepage and clearance requirements are increasingly affecting mainstream designs; understanding and meeting them is a complicated, multifaceted process. Electrical, mechanical, and packaging designers who work with lower power rails of just a few tens of volts usually have few or no concerns about product safety with respect to stray voltage and user shock. Now, […]