Technical Features

July 2012

Figure 1: Reference schematic of a buck converter Vin = 24 V; Vout = 5 V

Annika Frankemölle, Alexander Lang / Editor: Gerhard Stelzer, Würth Elektronik

Increasing current densities and short switching times in MOSFETs are placing ever greater stress on the dielectric strength of inductors. Molded inductors with a distributed air gap based on iron powder enable high inductance values in the smallest of spaces and thus increase the power density. A new test con

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Date:

03/31/2025

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Figure 1: A typical AES design includes power sources sharing a common high-voltage DC Link, an inverter for generating AC, and a system controller ensuring coordinated operation.

Safety and reliability in home alternative-energy systems

Chun Keong Tee, Technical Marketing Engineer, Avago Technologies

Solar- and wind-power-based home AESs (alternative energy systems) are becoming more popular among consumers. To achieve the product lifetime that consumers demand and ensure user safety,

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Date:

07/25/2012

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Figure 1: Step-down converter efficiency used to power the main processor in a set top box

Consumer-Friendly Power Design

Masoud Beheshti, Director of Product and Marketing Strategy, Texas Instruments, Power Supply Solutions

The intricacies of power design are not conversation pieces for electronic-product consumers. Nor should they be. Consumers care about visible signs of power design in the product, including the

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Date:

07/24/2012

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Figure 1: The principle of fuel gauging based on coulomb counting: The stored energy represents state of charge. A circuit measures the in- and out-flowing current.

Improving battery-fuel-gauge accuracy

Isidor Buchmann, CEO & founder, Cadex Electronics Inc.

For simplicity, you can imagine the battery as an energy storage device analogous to a fuel tank. However, measuring stored energy from an electrochemical device is far more complex than that comparison

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Date:

07/20/2012

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Figure 1: Converter input power vs. line current with a symmetric conduction angle, constant current peak and resistive load.

Input-line-current synthesis in PFC control

Maurizio Salato, Director of Systems Engineering, Vicor

Traditionally, PFC (power-factor-correction) controls present a purely resistive behavior with respect to the power line. By means of multiplier or equivalent blocks, front-end converters draw

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Date:

07/13/2012

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Figure 1: The activation steps of the MHP device

Smart Activation circuit protection in li-ion battery applications

Ty Bowman, Global Battery Market Manager, TE Connectivity

Li-ion technology with smaller, lighter-weight, and higher-power batteries is now replacing nickel-cadmium or lead-acid batteries in high-discharge-rate battery applications. Meanwhile,

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Date:

07/09/2012

Reduce stand-by power loss in AC—DC supplies

Scott Brown, Senior VP of Marketing, iWatt

Over the past decade, controller-IC manufacturers have worked to reduce so-called vampire or stand-by power consumption. Organizations such as Energy Star in the US, Blue Angel in Germany, and CNIS

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Date:

07/01/2012