Boost controller powers brighter automotive displays

A 60-V boost controller from Diodes, the AL3069Q packs four 80-V current-sink channels for driving LED backlights in automotive displays. Its adaptive boost-voltage control allows operation from a 4.5-V to 60-V input range—covering common…

Hybrid device elevates high-energy surge protection

TDK’s G series integrates a metal oxide varistor and a gas discharge tube into a single device to provide enhanced surge protection. The two elements are connected in series, combining the strengths of both technologies to deliver greater…

Power supplies enable precise DC testing

R&S has launched the NGT3600 series of DC power supplies, delivering up to 3.6 kW for a wide range of test and measurement applications. This versatile line provides clean, stable power with low voltage and current ripple and noise. With…

Space-ready Ethernet PHYs achieve QML Class P

Microchip’s two radiation-tolerant Ethernet PHY transceivers are the company’s first devices to earn QML Class P/ESCC 9000P qualification. The single-port VSC8541RT and quad-port VSC8574RT support data rates up to 1 Gbps, enabling dependable…

Active current mirror

Current mirrors are a commonly useful circuit function, and sometimes high precision is essential. The challenge of getting current mirrors to be precise has created a long list of tricks and techniques. The list includes matched transistors,…

Charting the course for a truly multi-modal device edge

The world is witnessing an artificial intelligence (AI) tsunami. While the initial waves of this technological shift focused heavily on the cloud, a powerful new surge is now building at the edge. This rapid infusion of AI is set to redefine…

Infused concrete yields greatly improved structural supercapacitor

A few years ago, a team at MIT researched and published a paper on using concrete as an energy-storage supercapacitor (MIT engineers create an energy-storing supercapacitor from ancient materials) (also called an ultracapacitor), which is a…

Gold-plated PWM-control of linear and switching regulators

“Gold-plated” without the gold plating Alright, I admit that the title is a bit over the top. So, what do I mean by it? I mean that: (1) The application of PWM control to a regulator does not significantly degrade the inherent DC accuracy…

A simpler circuit for characterizing JFETs

The circuit presented by Cor Van Rij for characterizing JFETs is a clever solution. Noteworthy is the use of a five-pin test socket wired to accommodate all of the possible JFET pinout arrangements. This idea uses that socket arrangement in…

The role of AI processor architecture in power consumption efficiency

From 2005 to 2017—the pre-AI era—the electricity flowing into U.S. data centers remained remarkably stable. This was true despite the explosive demand for cloud-based services. Social networks such as Facebook, Netflix, real-time collaboration…

Power resistors handle high-energy pulse applications

Bourns, Inc. releases its Riedon BRF Series of precision power foil resistors for high-energy pulse applications. These power resistors offer power ratings up to 2,500 W and a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) as low as ±15 ppm/°C,…

The Linksys MX4200C: A retailer-branded router with memory deficiencies

How timely! My teardown of Linksys’ VLP01 router, submitted in late September, was published one day prior to when I started working on this write-up in late October. What’s the significance, aside from the chronological cadence? Well,…