Technical Features

September 2022

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Figure 1: Replacing conventional, discrete power conversion with power modules throughout the vehicle provides significant cost and weight savings in EVs

High-Density Power Modules Simplify and Downsize EV Power System Design

Greg Green, Director of Automotive Marketing, Vicor

The electrification of the automobile is presenting new challenges for power system designers in achieving the highest power density at the lowest weight possible, eliminating compromises in vehicle range and overall performance. Designers of power delivery networks (PDNs) are also tasked with designing safe, effici

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Date:

10/31/2024

Low-Voltage Solution for Load Variation Testing

Low Voltage Testing with Bias Power Supplies

Nathan Ruiz, Sales Application Engineer, Kikusui America, Inc.

The use of semiconductors in devices has skyrocketed in past decades. This leads to a large growth in the demand for more semiconductor components and the need to develop new solutions to power each device. Compounded with this growth in the market is the drive for increased performance and efficiency for ea

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Date:

09/03/2022

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Figure 1. Keysight 34980A data acquisition switch / measure unit (SMU)

Independent Testing Helps Solve Battery Temperature Issues

Bernard Ang, Brian Whitaker, Keysight Technologies

Large-scale applications typically use battery packs with modules wired in series and parallel connections. Thermal sensors placed strategically across a battery pack detect temperature variations. Large battery-pack thermal imbalance usually starts with the non-uniformities of battery cells affecting their charging and

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: Wireless charging is emerging as a solution to range anxiety

Testing Times for Electric Vehicles

Kelvin Hagebeuk, Marketing Manager, Test & Measurement Yokogawa Europe B.V.

With the growing awareness of the damage that can be caused by fossil fuels, electric vehicles are certainly having their moment in the sun. But are potential drivers and buyers of EVs convinced that these vehicles can give them what they need? To really allow the EV market to take off, consumers need to know th

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: Eye diagram at 32Gbps (RF1 to RFC with reference trace, pattern used PRBS 215-1)

MEMS Switches Speed Test Capability and System Productivity

Richard Houlihan, Naveen Dhull, and Padraig Fitzgerald, Analog Devices

The semiconductor market is evolving with higher speed and higher density interchip communications for advanced processors. Assuring quality amidst this increasing complexity and demand for increased throughput is a challenge for today’s ATE designers. One critical aspect is the increasing number of transmitter

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: Output curve for an autoranging power supply compared with a power supply with a rectangular output. The autoranging supply provides higher output voltage, higher output current, and full power output at more V-I points.

When Selecting a DC Power Supply, Understand its Output Characteristic

Craig Frahm, Global Marketing Manager, EA Elektro-Automatik

An important but overlooked aspect of power supply selection is the type of output characteristic that the power supply has. A typical power supply has a rectangular output in which maximum power is delivered only at the supply’s maximum rated voltage and maximum rated current. Another option is a power suppl

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: 4p108s Battery Pack Configuration

Current Sensing for Electric Vehicles

Aaron Reynoso, Director, Product Marketing, Crocus Technology

Electromobility in the form of electric bicycles or Electric Vehicles (EVs) has gained popularity as gasoline prices increase and the public becomes environmentally aware. These electromobility vehicles consist of an electric battery for energy storage, an electric motor for movement and a controller to manage th

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1. Conventional Hall sensor in concentrator air gap

Accurate Current Sensing for Next-Generation EV Designs

Bruno Boury, Product Line Manager Sense & Drive, Melexis

Automotive manufacturers need to enhance the performance and capabilities of their electric vehicle (EV) models to differentiate and attract buyers to switch from conventional vehicles. Reliability, extended driving range, and safe fast-charging are important buying criteria that can be improved with precision cu

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: A bidirectional OBC enables new vehicle-to-everything use cases

Pushing EVs Ahead of the Curve

Jianwen Shao, Discrete Applications Manager, WolfSpeed

Electric vehicle (EV) on-board chargers (OBCs) can take several forms based on power level and functions. Charging powers vary from less than 2 kW in applications such as electric scooters to 22 kW in high-end EVs. Traditionally, charging power is unidirectional, but bi-directional charging is gaining traction. Why bidirectional OBC

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: Applications for GaN power semiconductors in EVs

GaN Drives Development of Next-Generation EVs

Charles Bailley, Senior Director, Global Business Development Hao Sun, Senior Director, Navitas EV Design Center

According to a recent report1 transportation generates around 8 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually, with passenger vehicles responsible for almost half the total. As we drive towards ‘net zero’, moving to electric vehicles (EVs) is being seen as a large part of the solution. However, there remains an

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: Secure provisioning is mandated by the Qi 1.3 standard

Qi Charging Gets a Much-Needed Security Boost

Xavier Bignalet, product marketing manager of the Secure Product Group business unit, Microchip Technology

Qi inductive charging took a while to catch on because the emergence of the new technologies was hindered by opposing approaches. So, while Qi was first released in 2010 it took another five years before it emerged as preeminent. Since then, the Wireless Power Consortium has made significant enhancements to Qi

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Date:

09/01/2022

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Figure 1: 4:1 Zero-voltage switching (ZVS) switched capacitor (ZSC) topology

Understanding and Overcoming the Challenge of Powering AI in Data Centers

By:Matt Hunter, Senior Application Engineering Manager, Infineon Technologies

Introduction Today’s data centers typically contain a dual-CPU server connected to multiple hard drives. These server systems excel at storing large amounts of information while processing a limited amount of it. However, they are not optimized for number crunching the huge volumes of data that help keep us safe from hackers, answer questions about the universe, or even drive an auto

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Date:

09/01/2022