Passive RC circuit produces gain

Could a simple passive RC network without any transformers, inductors, switches, or non-linear components produce a voltage gain? Wow the engineering world with your unique design: Design Ideas Submission Guide Well, it’s not “free energy,”…

Build a practical 400 mA linear Li-ion charger with visible CC-CV behavior

Single-cell lithium-ion (Li-ion) chargers are widely used, yet many practical designs rely on highly integrated ICs that conceal their internal operation. The type of Li-ion charger outlined in this design is, somewhat surprisingly, not readily…

Six critical trends reshaping 3D IC design in 2026

AI compute is scaling at ~1.35× per year, nearly twice the pace of transistor scaling. Thus, the semiconductor industry has reached a hard inflection point: if we can’t scale down, we must scale up. Increasingly, engineering teams are turning…

Perusing a LED-based gel nail polish UV lamp

This engineer doesn’t use nail polish, but his wife does. And he deals with plenty of PCBs. What do these things have in common? Read on. Speaking of LEDs that lose their original intensity over time and use… In the fall of 2020, after accepting…

Eddy current in focus: A rapid revisit

Eddy currents are not just textbook curiosities; they are the hidden loops that appear whenever metal meets a changing magnetic field. From DIY levitation tricks to clever braking systems, these swirling paths of electrons keep finding new ways…

Safe operating area

Any semiconductor has limits on how much voltage, how much current, and for how much time combinations of voltage and current can be supported in normal usage. Sometimes that information is provided as part of the device’s datasheet, and sometimes…

A tutorial on instrumentation amplifier boundary plots—Part 2

The first installment of this series introduced the boundary plot, an often-misunderstood plot found in instrumentation amplifier (IA) datasheets. It also discussed various IA topologies: traditional three operational amplifier (op amp), two…

Microchip empowers real-time edge AI

Microchip provides a full-stack edge AI platform for developing and deploying production-ready applications on its MCUs and MPUs. These devices operate at the network edge, close to sensors and actuators, enabling deterministic, real-time decision-making.…

AI agent automates front-end chip workflows

Cadence has launched the ChipStack AI Super Agent, an agentic AI solution for front-end silicon design and verification. The platform automates key design and test workflows—including coding, test plan creation, regression testing, debugging,…

AI-powered MCU elevates vehicle intelligence

The Stellar P3E automotive MCU from ST features built-in AI acceleration, enabling real-time AI applications at the edge. Designed for the next generation of software-defined vehicles, it simplifies multifunction integration, supporting X-in-1…

Gate drivers emulate optocoupler inputs

Single-channel isolated gate drivers in the 1ED301xMC121 series from Infineon are pin-compatible replacements for optocoupler-based designs. They replicate optocoupler input characteristics, enabling drop-in use without control circuit changes,…

IC enables precise current sensing in fast control loops

Allegro Microsystems’ ACS37017 Hall-effect current sensor achieves 0.55% typical sensitivity error across temperature and lifetime. High accuracy, a 750‑kHz bandwidth, and a 1‑µs typical response time make the ACS37017 suitable for demanding…