Smart Power Grid

June 2017
Murata’s IRQ DC-DC Converters Deliver Leading Reliability for Railway & Industrial Applications

Murata’s IRQ DC-DC Converters Deliver Leading Reliability for Railway & Industrial Applications

Murata is introducing the first in a series of encapsulated DC-DC converters designed specifically for industrial and railway applications from Murata Power Solutions. The IRQ series delivers the latest technology in fixed frequency power conversion available in the industry. The advanced electrical and mechanical de
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Date:
06/28/2017
Wireless Power Supply in the Smart Home of the Future

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Figure 1: The wireless power spots can be invisible, disappearing into the wall or floor. Easy monitoring and control of the power sources is enabled by communication with the info center and blends seamlessly into the smart home concept.

The Smart Home is one of the classic examples of the Internet of Things. While more and more networked items are becoming pervasive in our everyday lives, it is clear that the network will usually be wireless and mobile devices will often play a key role. Once you are rid of the data cable, the logical question is
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Date:
06/28/2017
CWIEME 2017 Berlin Highlights
When thinking of power systems, or even any other electronics area, it is easy to get caught up in the latest breakthroughs and forget about the fundamental technologies that make up the majority of designs. Isaac Newton once allegedly said, that if he could see further, it was because he was standing on the sh
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Date:
06/28/2017
The “Power” of PDUs

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Figure 1. PDI 50 kVA PDU in Data Center — built in 2002 (Photo credit: Hurricane Electric)

Consider this -- the United States began its power grid construction in the late 1880s and today, it is responsible for delivering electricity to more than 144 million end users throughout the nation. There are seemingly endless points of failure when you consider there are over 450,000 miles of high-voltage tr
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Date:
06/28/2017
How to Program Slew Rate?

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Figure 1: Typical battery voltage profile for “cold crank”

Slew rate is defined as rate of change of voltage or current in a period of time.  It is a frequently used term in operational amplifier specifications, but it also applicable when discussing programmable power supplies. When performing repetitive production testing on say a vehicle engine management system, m
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Date:
06/28/2017
 The Transportation Connected Sensor

Kevin Parmenter, PSD Contributor

With more electronics in the vehicles than ever before, we’re seeing the industry move from a basic set of electronics applications, with some automation for safety and road assistance, to high and full automation and complete comfort driving. To make this work, the transportation industry is capitalizing on
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Date:
06/28/2017
ABB’s Microgrid to Power Aruba and Support Transition to Renewable Energy

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ABB microgrid will integrate wind and solar energy to provide electricity to Caribbean island that was previously fully dependent on fossil fuels

ABB microgrid will integrate wind and solar energy to provide electricity to Caribbean island that was previously fully dependent on fossil fuels ABB will provide an advanced microgrid to WEB Aruba N.V., the main power utility serving the DutchCaribbean island of Aruba. ABB’s software, automation and con
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Date:
06/28/2017
Automotive surface mount load dump TVS helps to overcome transient surges in vehicles
Now available in Europe through TTI, Inc. are SLD8S Series Automotive SMT Transient Voltage Suppression (TVS) Diodes from Littelfuse offering a choice of 7000W (10/1000μs) or 2200W (load dump) peak pulse power dissipation ratings in a surface mount SMTO-263 package. The high peak pulse power dissipation ratings ena
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Date:
06/26/2017
50 volt DC-DC bricks enable GaN wireless power amplifiers
Tempe, Ariz. — Artesyn Embedded Technologies today announced three new series of 50-volt dc-dc converter modules to support the rapidly growing number of high power wireless base station (BTS) and remote radio head (RRH) deployments using GaN and high voltage LDMOS technologyfor increased power density and h
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Date:
06/26/2017
Mouser Electronics and Grant Imahara launch  “Shaping Smarter Cities” video series
Mouser Electronics Inc. is teaming up with celebrity engineer Grant Imahara for the Shaping Smarter Cities project, the newest series in the successful Empowering Innovation Together program. The exciting series features five videos that showcase engineers and companies from around the world that are working to make cities more intelligent and resourceful through innovative
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Date:
06/23/2017
New Traco Power - DC/DC Converter Series

TDN Series: 1-5 Watt DC/DC converters in most compact cubical package

These fully regulated and 1600 VDC I/O- isolated DC/DC converters come in a cubical package that occupies only 1.2 cm2 on the PCB. The models are available in SMD version or with pins for trough hole mounting. The ultra-wide 4:1 input voltage ranges cover 4.5-18, 9-36 and 18-75 VDC.  With a high efficiency
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Date:
06/20/2017
Changing how solar power rolls

Smaller and lighter than traditional solar panels, the Roll-Out Solar Array, or ROSA, consists of a center wing made of a flexible material containing photovoltaic cells to convert light into electricity.

Traditional solar panels used to power satellites can be bulky with heavy panels folded together using mechanical hinges. An experiment that recently arrived at the International Space Station will test a new solar array design that rolls up to form a compact cylinder for launch with significantly less mass an
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Date:
06/20/2017
KEMET, a leading supplier of electronic components, has introduced the industry’s first COTS grade polymer electrolytic capacitor with a 1,000-hour life test option. The new option, also known as the “Biased Humidity Test,” provides capacitors qualified at 85 degrees Celsius with 85% relative humidity at
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Date:
06/15/2017
The power grid's physical components are continuously improving, with the integration of renewable power sources and advances in physical technology. The software underlying the safe function of the upgraded grid, however, isn't keeping up. Engineers depend on the software to predict and correct for potential e
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Date:
06/12/2017
Controlling high-speed motors with an FPGA

An FPGA-based motor control system (Source: Altera)

The increasing use of electric motors spinning at up to 100,000 rpm, in applications ranging from electric turbochargers to surgical instruments, is creating new challenges in the design of control circuits. The IGBT switches used in many power converters cannot switch quickly or efficiently enough to match
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Date:
06/11/2017
Tailor made solutions in capacitor markets

Performance Inverters used in Railway Applications

More and more customers in different markets require customized solutions for power electronic capacitors. Last generation of high performance inverters used in Railway, (See Figure 1) Renewable Energy, Heavy Industry applications, to name a few, need more and more customized capacitors to satisfy their hi
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Date:
06/11/2017
The Main Causes of Power Supply Failure – And How to Avoid It

The CoolX 600 Series fanless power supply offers very high input and surge-withstand built in.

Power supplies are the underpinning of any electronic system. This article presents the five main reasons power supplies fail. It also describes the necessary precautions design engineers should take to avoid systems failures. The article is based on data spanning all markets and applications, from industrial, me
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Date:
06/11/2017
At present, the usage of alternative energy sources by major countries is: Spain, at an impressive 40.1%; Germany at 26.2%, Great Brittan at 19.4%, France at 16.1% (using hydro and nuclear for their entire remaining usage); and, finally, the US at 12.9% and Japan at 12.8%.   Why are some countries good at a
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Date:
06/11/2017
Power Film Capacitors Prove Effective in Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Technology

AVX’s six-terminal FFLC Series power film capacitor is ideal for DC filtering in wind turbines.

The cost of renewable energy technology has significantly decreased since the early 1990s due to continual developments in enabling technologies, and the relatively recent evolution of smart grid technologies has allowed renewable energy sources to legitimately contend with fossil fuels. The primary advantage th
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Date:
06/10/2017
Finnish Demo Plant Produces Renewable Fuel From Carbon Dioxide Captured From the Air
The unique Soletair demo plant developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) uses carbon dioxide to produce renewable fuels and chemicals. The pilot plant is coupled to LUT's solar power plant in Lappeenranta. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the techni
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Date:
06/09/2017
– Silego Technology announces the introduction of SLG46580, further expanding the GreenPAKTM (GPAK) family of Programmable Mixedsignal Integrated Circuits (CMICs). This newest GPAK is targeted to support power systems in wearable and handheld market segments. This device is both highly integrated and highly fl
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Date:
06/07/2017
  It is with great pleasure that we are announcing the appointment of Ally Winning as European Editor, PSD. Ally’s background brings a wealth of knowledge and experience relevant to PSD and our market position. Click image to enlarge Ally W
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Date:
06/03/2017
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