Military, Aerospace & Hi-Rel

April 2015

Serving high power & high reliability applications

M.Weaver, J. Petrzilek, and M. Biler, AVX

Tantalum surface mount capacitors with a solid electrolyte have been the favorite capacitor technology choice in many electronic devices for more than five decades, thanks to their stability, high reliability, and superior volumetric efficiency. The traditional manganese dioxide (MnO2) cathode material provides go

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Date:

04/30/2015

Implementing a high-performance power-conditioning solution

Zhen Yu & Shamim Choudhury, Texas Instruments

The use of power diodes and Thyristors in applications such as small and large appliances, such as UPS systems, AC/DC rectifiers, and variable speed motor drives is the primary source of harmonic distortion in AC grid or mains current. Due to the source impedance of the mains power, the harmonic load current cau

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Date:

04/30/2015

Air Force officials have revealed that the autonomous X37B will be used as the test-bed for a new type of Hall effect thruster

Secretive space drone used to test futuristic propulsion system

Daniel Cooper, engadget

Ask someone in the street what they know about the Air Force's top-secret space plane and you'll probably wind up getting pinched by the NSA. Nobody can claim to know much about the X-37B, beyond the fact that it's the force's long-term space vehicle, capable of staying in orbit for more than a year at a time. In the

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Date:

04/29/2015

60 V EPC2035 and 100 V EPC2036 eGaN power transistors

EPC's new eGaN power transistors now break silicon’s cost-speed barriers

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announced the 60 V EPC2035 and 100 V EPC2036 eGaN power transistors designed to compete in price, while outperforming silicon. Price, the last barrier to widespread adoption of GaN transistors as silicon MOSFET replacements, has fallen. These products demonstrate th

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Date:

04/29/2015

Alex Lidow, Efficient Power Conversion

GaN FET apps are growing rapidly

Alex Lidow, Efficient Power Conversion

Enhancement-mode gallium nitride transistors have been commercially available for over five years. Commercially available gallium nitride (GaN) FETs are designed to be both higher performance and lower cost than state-of-the-art silicon-based power MOSFETs. This achievement marks the first time in 60

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Date:

04/29/2015

Saving energy in a software-controlled world

Patrick Le Fèvre, Ericsson Power Modules

Software is playing an increasingly prominent role in networking at a system architecture level, but it also has growing importance in the future in the delivery of power. Digital control, the use of power-optimization software algorithms and the concept of the Software Defined Power Architecture are all being se

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Date:

04/29/2015

Replacing electrolytics with MLCCs in power applications

Jun Nakajima, TAIYO YUDEN

Advances in multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) technology now offer designers a high-capacitance alternative to traditional electrolytic capacitors. New high-value MLCCs provide the advantages of lower equivalent series resistance (ESR) and inductance (ESL) than electrolytics, and demonstrated mean time to fa

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Date:

04/29/2015

Optimizing power by phase positioning

Dr. Zaki Moussaoui, Exar

The technique of paralleling power converters and phase shifting their outputs is not new, and “interleaving” (as it is known) has been used in a number of applications to reduce the size of input and output capacitors. These include the 42V/14V DC-DC converters found in dual-voltage vehicle electrical systems and

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Date:

04/29/2015

The HSAutoLink media module allows integration of multiple I/O port connection types

Molex offers electronic solutions for aircraft interiors

There is growing use of electronics in aircraft cabins to fulfil passengers’ needs for using their personal electronic equipment, as well as having access to inflight entertainment, passenger comfort systems, such as lighting, HVAC and safety, and automatic seat adjustment. All of these amenities create a di

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Date:

04/28/2015

Market forecasts for thermal interface materials 2015-2025 - see the report for a full breakdown by applications and type

Thermal interface materials market set to grow to $3.7bn by 2025

Recent research conducted by analysts IDTechEx finds that the thermal interface materials (TIM) market - including tapes, adhesives, greases, gels, pastes, elastomeric pads, phase change materials, graphite, solders, compressible materials and liquid metals - will grow from $1.7 billion in 2015 to $3.7 billion in

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Date:

04/15/2015

VITA ratifies VITA 78 SpaceVPX systems standard

VITA, the trade association dedicated to fostering American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited, open system architectures in critical embedded system applications announced that VITA 78 “SpaceVPX Systems” has reached ANSI recognition as ANSI/VITA 78.00-2015. This specification has completed the VIT

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Date:

04/14/2015

TE’s D-200 splice kit

TE's high-temp, flexible splice kits deliver environmental and EMI protection

TE Connectivity (TE), a leader in connectivity, announced its D-200 high-temperature, flexible splice kit specifically designed for use in demanding high-temperature aerospace and defense applications. Rated at 200 degrees Celsius and offer a reliable cable connection, the product offers circumferential (360 de

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Date:

04/14/2015