The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

­It’s here! At long last! The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles might’ve clashed in early February, but with respect to the NFL, March brings us the true Super Bowl, the biggest event of the year for power electronics.

I speak, of course, of the Applied Power and Electronics Conference (APEC), which some of you might be attending at this very moment. Or it’s possible you already had a grand time at the Georgia World Congress Center (and hopefully sampled some of the South’s famously decadent cuisine).

In which case…we hope you learned a lot, made some new contacts, met some old friends, and didn’t go up too many pants sizes! Chicken and waffles, pecan pralines, and biscuits and gravy are indulgent treats that are hard to pass up and even harder on your waistline!

Inside the Georgia World Congress Center, we commemorated/are commemorating that 40th anniversary of the premier showcase for the “practical and applied aspects of the power electronics business.” Optoelectronics has Lightfair. Power electronics has APEC.

And appropriately enough, the March issue covers, what else, Power Supplies. As you’re no doubt aware, the power electronics market has been trending ever upwards, worth nearly $50 billion in 2023 and forecast to reach $61 billion by 2028, with the Asia Pacific region, in particular, taking the lead.

As per usual, our contributors tackled a broadly critical topic like Power Supplies from very different angles, and I’d like to briefly preview two of them – starting with XP Power’s glimpse at “Essential Power Supply Considerations for Medical Equipment Design.”

Like much of the tech world, medical devices are getting smaller and more portable, and designers must take care to maintain efficiency with the reduction in size and removing the waste heat effectively becomes increasingly difficult, while EMI immunity and emissions become critically important.

“From a mechanical perspective, managing the thermal path is of paramount importance,” says XP Power’s Andrew Bryars. “Many engineers recognize an electrolytic capacitor’s (e-cap) lifetime as a fundamental reliability factor for a power supply due to the changes in electrolyte property affecting its value…depending on the quality of the e-cap, the design lifetime can vary significantly….”

Microchip Technology, meanwhile, has a very distinct – but no less fascinating – take, with a look at how “SiC is Redefining the Landscape in HVAC Power Systems.”

As Microchip’s Kevin Dykyj points out, “the demand for efficient, reliable, and eco-friendly heating and cooling solutions has never been higher,” with the residential heat pump a “groundbreaking innovation.”

Furthermore, “SiC offers unparalleled thermal conductivity, resilience to high temperatures and enhanced efficiency…paving the way for innovation in heat pump technology.”

Enjoy APEC and the March issue!