Retimer boosts USB 3.2 and DP in auto cockpits
A bit-level retimer from Diodes, the PI2DPT1021Q enables high-speed USB and DisplayPort (DP) connectivity in automotive smart cockpits and infotainment systems. The 10-Gbps bidirectional device supports USB 3.2 and DP 1.4 standards for various…
Compact oscillator fits tight AI interconnects
Housed in a 6-pin, 2.0×1.6-mm LGA package, Mixed-Signal Devices’ MS1180 crystal oscillator conserves space in AI data center infrastructure. Factory-programmed to provide any frequency from 10 MHz to 1000 MHz with under 1-ppb resolution,…
EIS-powered chipset improves EV battery monitoring
NXP’s battery management chipset integrates electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to enable lab-grade vehicle diagnostics. The system comprises three devices: the BMA7418 18-channel Li-Ion cell controller, BMA6402 communication gateway,…
RISC-V Summit spurs new round of automotive support
The adoption of RISC-V with open standards in automotive applications continues to accelerate, leveraging its flexibility and scalability, particularly benefiting the automotive industry’s shift to software-defined vehicles. Several RISC-V…
Circuit makes square deal
A classic nonlinear analog function is the squaring circuit. It’s useful in power sensing, frequency multiplication, RMS computation, and many other odd jobs around the lab bench.
The version in Figure 1 is straightforward, fast, temperature-compensated,…
How help are free AI tools for electronic design?
For the past couple of years, I’ve been using AI to assist in the design of my hardware and firmware projects. The experience has generally been good, even though the outcome isn’t always useful. So, I’m presenting a short summary of a…
Power Tips #146: Design functional safety power supplies with reduced complexity
Many industrial applications in the automotive, automation, appliance, or medical sectors require power supplies that comply with functional safety standards. If the input voltage of such a power supply is not within its specification, the system…
5-V ovens (some assembly required)—part 1
The ovens in this two-part Design Idea (DI) can’t even warm that leftover half-slice of pizza, let alone cook dinner, but they can keep critical components at a constant temperature. In the first part, we’ll look at a purely analog approach,…
Are rough surfaces on PCBs impacting high-frequency signals?
Printed-circuit boards (PCBs) are an integral part of most electronic devices today, and as PCBs become smaller, electronics engineers must remain aware of the tiny defects that can affect how these components function, especially when they…
Polyn delivers silicon-implementation of its NASP chip
Polyn Technology Ltd. announces the successful manufacturing and testing of its first silicon-implementation of its neuromorphic analog signal processing (NASP) technology. It includes the validation of both the NASP technology and design tools,…
Behind the curve: A practical look at trailing-edge dimmers
Trailing-edge dimmers offer smoother, quieter control for modern lighting systems—but their inner workings often remain overlooked. This post sheds light on the circuitry behind the silence. Sometimes, the most elegant engineering hides in…
Rad-hard buck controller integrates gate drive
Infineon Technologies AG claims the industry’s first radiation-hardened (rad-hard) buck controller with an integrated gate drive. The RIC70847 buck controller targets point-of-load power rails in commercial space systems and other extreme…
