With PEN nearing end-of-life, capacitors built on it must change
For decades, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) held a small but critical place in high-performance capacitors. It was never the volume material that biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is, since cost and production capacity kept it niche. But…
8 to 48 volt PWM relay/solenoid driver finds fault, pinches power
This versatile Design Idea survives and reports open- and short-circuits, not to mention multiplying efficiencies.
Generally accepted tech folklore says that after you drive relays and solenoids into full actuation, only half as much coil voltage…
Space-rated analog ICs are increasingly standard catalog items
It wasn’t that long ago that space-rated components were special in every possible sense. They had to be ordered via a different process well in advance of fabrication, manufactured to order, undergo the additional tests to qualify them, and…
Frequency division by any number, with a 50% duty cycle output
Using the concept and leveraging the example circuits in this Design Idea, you can divide any frequency by any number divisible by 2.
Any dividend frequency can be divided by any number representable by 2n, resulting in a square wave output…
MCUs for power conversion and motor control feature PQC
A new microcontroller family boosts real-time control performance for power and motor applications through higher control-loop frequency, accuracy, and system efficiency. This enables the MCUs to meet the needs of applications that require precise,…
SFP: The single-mode module autopsy
This initial entry in a planned dissection series analyzes the insides of a long distance-capable fiber optic cable networking adapter containing a focused-beam laser.
Last week’s tutorial, the conceptual kickoff to the teardown coverage cadence…
Unmasking the ghosts in your grid with power quality analyzers
Power that looks perfect can still betray you. Hidden distortions in the mains lurk behind flawless root mean square (RMS) readings—waiting to trip up even the best‑designed systems.
You’ve built the device exactly to spec, tested it in…
Some tips for electrical engineers
Chime in with your suggestions in the comments. We’ll even allow the mechanical engineers out there to participate. Well…maybe.
The following are a few of the tips, advice, rules, or guiding principles, I’ve discovered after many years…
FPGA architecture: SEU detection and recovery strategies
Part 1 of this mini-series covering single event upset (SEU) challenges in FPGA architectures examined radiation particles and related SEU challenges for FPGA applications that require robustness and predictability in ground-based and terrestrial…
Highly integrated approach to power system design in the AI era
Packaging innovation in the AI era has reached the doorsteps of power electronics. A new architecture uses the silicon wafer itself as the package foundation to enable a highly integrated approach to power system design. It optimizes electrical,…
SFP: Add-in module delivers diminutive performance, flexibility
Want to network-connect your gear using prevalent wired Ethernet? Or interference-impervious optical fiber? How about a bandwidth boost? Or a range extension? SFP and its siblings do it all.
One recent sequential-coverage cadence of mine just…
Sensor sharpens infrared in-cabin imaging
The ST SafeSense VD56GA 1.1-Mpixel automotive image sensor enables infrared in-cabin sensing for driver and occupant monitoring applications. Based on ST’s DeepNIR BSI pixel architecture, the sensor delivers 35% higher modulation transfer…
