Part 1 introduced some of the issues related to charging of electric vehicles. Part 2 continues with a look at the hardware (which also involves software, of course). Q: What about the electrical and physical connections? A: There are three connection situations, called “cases”: Case A has the charger connected to the AC mains, and […]
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Charging electric vehicles, Part 1: The numbers
It’s nice to envision that recharging an electric vehicle is as straightforward as filling up an internal combustion vehicle, but it’s not: there are multiple charging, power, and connector options as well as limitations. You’re driving your internal-combustion (IC) car, and the gauge indicates it’s time to get “gas” (of course, it’s actually gasoline). So […]
GaN power devices, Part 2: application
Part 1 of this FAQ explored the basics of GaN switching transistors at the device and physics level. This part will look at driving and applying GaN devices. Q: What do I need to know to use a GaN device? A: There are three functional blocks associated with power switching: the power-device driver, the power […]
GaN power devices, Part 1: principles
Power devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) are rapidly becoming a viable, higher-performance alternative to silicon MOSFETs due to their higher efficiency and other favorable attributes. In recent years, discrete power-switching and power-handling devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) material have become practical and available, and these devices are now found in many power supplies […]
Battery management system reference design boosts EV range
Texas Instruments introduced fully tested reference designs for battery management and traction inverter systems, along with new analog circuits with advanced monitoring and protection features to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and enable hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles (HEV/EVs) to drive farther and longer. Scalable across six to 96-series cell supervision circuits, TI’s new battery […]
Flyback power converters, Part 2: enhancements and ICs
Power supplies and converters tend to be simple in principle, yet their actual design – including overcoming the subtle issues that degrade and impede their performance — is the real challenge. In Part 1, we looked at the flyback design and some distinct advantages along with unique idiosyncrasies. This FAQ looks at some of these […]
Flyback power converters, Part 1: basic principles
Among the many available topologies used for power-supply converters, the flyback design offers some distinct advantages along with unique idiosyncrasies. There’s a wide and diverse array of power-supply converter topologies among which to choose, each with tradeoffs in their various performance attributes and cost. The flyback design is a converter approach that has been used […]
Working with higher voltages, Part 1: Voltage boosters
Whether for efficiency or due to the device physics, many applications require voltages ranging in the tens, hundreds, or even thousands of volts; the circuits which produce these voltages start with basic charge pumps and extend to voltage multipliers with simple schematics but many subtleties. Lower-voltage circuitry is the trend, with ICs and designs operating […]
Motor field-oriented control, Part 2: implementation
Part 1 of this FAQ set the stage for a rudimentary understanding of FOC (field-oriented control) but did not delve into the math-heavy details. Part 2 now looks at some implementations, again without the underlying math. Q: If a designer wants to implement FOC, does he or she have to pull together all the hardware […]
Motor field-oriented control, Part 1: principles
Field-oriented control, also known as vector control, is a calculation-intensive algorithm for motor control that is now practical due to advances in ICs. It offers improved efficiency and superior control of torque and other performance parameters. Motor control — and doing so accurately and efficiently — is a topic of great interest. Field-oriented control (FOC), […]
