Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD
Welcome to the July edition of Power Systems Design Europe. I’m not sure what the weather is like where you are, but as I write this, here in Scotland the sky is blue and the temperatures are in the mid 20s Celsius. When the weather is like this, there is no better place to be. July is the start of holiday season here and many people will be heading abroad, hopefully including myself if I can find the time.
One thing I have found that has really improved my travelling experience is that nowadays there is no real need to worry about forgetting chargers. In the past it wasn’t unusual to go on holiday, or even a work trip, with four or five different chargers for my devices, each of which had a different connector. Now, the EU has mandated the USB-C standard for power, meaning that now I am down to one adaptor and two wires, making life a lot easier when going abroad. Even if I did manage to forget them, it is simple to source a replacement. That just didn’t happen previously with a bespoke connector for a video camera or laptop. Battery powered devices are critical to our lives and will only become more important in the future as applications such as telemedicine and augmented reality become more popular.
We will look more into the technology behind these applications in this month’s Special Report on Batteries and Other Storage Devices. The first article in the Special Report comes from Analog Devices. In the article, Franco Contadini and Alessandro Leonardi talk about fast charging, the advantages it brings and how to implement it in designs. From smart watches to electric vehicles, nobody wants to wait around for a battery to charge while they could be doing something more productive. The introduction of GaN technology in particular has allowed the design of very high power chargers, but the batteries themselves limit the amount of charge that power that each cell can take at any time. The article looks at those factors and best practices to ensure the battery is charging as quickly as possible, while still remaining safe.
The second article in the Special Report is a bit different from those we would normally publish. Electric batteries are ideal for most applications, but can hydrogen power offer a better alternative in some situations, especially for heavy industrial vehicles? Simone Bruckner from resistor manufacturer Cressall takes a look at powering heavy vehicles and compares the advantages and disadvantages of electrical power and hydrogen fuel cells.
As well as the articles in the Special Report, this month’s issue also contains general power features in our Tech Focus section, as well as the latest views and views from the industry.
Best Regards,
Ally Winning
European Editor, PSD
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