Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
Switch-Mode Device Alternatives to Linear Regulators for Energy Star Products
November 30, 2007 6:30 am | Product Releases | CommentsEnpirion introduced a 2A buck-mode device with integrated inductor technology. The company calls its EN5322QI the “LDO Killer,” which it positions as a replacement for linear regulators to meet Energy Star requirements. The part integrates all converter functionality including MOSFET switches, control and compensation, and the inductor, in a 6 mm × 4 mm × 1.1 mm QFN package, while requiring only
Sixteen-bit Analog Input Module
November 30, 2007 6:19 am | Product Releases | CommentsMEN Micro introduced the M36N M-Module, an analog input mezzanine board that provides high resolution and precise data acquisition for analog signals found throughout automation, measuring and simulation applications. Available in 16- or 18-bit versions, the board can be used as an I/O extension for CompactPCI, PCI, PXI or VME embedded systems as well as on stand-alone single board computers (SBCs).
Tunable Tactile Switches Enable Additional Sound Effects In Applications
November 30, 2007 6:13 am | Product Releases | CommentsC&K Components has developed a series of sound tunable tactile switches, designated the KSC ST Series. The design of the switch enables the sound intensity to be 100 percent controlled, with the ability to match the sound level of applications with two sound intensity grades. The company is also able to ensure continuity of the sound when a printed circuit board is populated with a number of switches.
Eight-GB Mini-Registered DIMM
November 30, 2007 5:00 am | Product Releases | CommentsSmart Modular Technologies expanded its DDR2 family to include what is said to be the industry’s first 8GB PC2-5300 244-pin Mini-registered DIMM (RDIMM) designed using CoolFlex and dual die package (DDP) technologies. The new Mini-RDIMM is suited for high-density, space-constrained networking and storage applications. Configured as a 1Gx72, four-rank module using SMART-built 2Gb (512Mx4) DDPs
Do Silicon Carbide Schottky Diodes Make Silicon Rectifiers Obsolete?
November 29, 2007 7:02 am | by John Jovalusky, QSpeed Semiconductor | Articles | CommentsPower factor is the ratio of the actual power used to the apparent (reactive) power that a piece of equipment draws from the alternating current (AC) line. The reactance of large capacitors or inductors can cause the apparent power drawn from the line to exceed the actual power used, resulting in low power factor (PF). The lower the PF, the more energy is lost along the AC power line. The result is higher electricity bills for the utility customer. That lost energy also lowers the capacity of the utility distribution system.
PCB Terminal Blocks for High Power Applications
November 29, 2007 3:59 am | Product Releases | CommentsOKW Electronics has launched the CTB77 series high power PCB terminal blocks from Camden Electronics. These have been designed for heavy duty applications such as energy management, industrial heating and ventilation, and machine controllers. The terminal blocks can handle high currents of up to 57A. They are molded in gray UL94 V-0 flame retardant PA66, and are available in 2 and 3 pole interlocking types
Transceivers Connect You To the CAN Bus Lines
November 28, 2007 9:51 am | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsMost likely you know a bit about the Controller Area Network, also called CAN or CAN bus, developed for communications between equipment in vehicles. The CAN has spread into embedded systems, too, but unlike chip-to-chip I2C or SPI connections, CAN communications may occur between cards and systems over a bus that can extend from 10's to 100's of meters. (The ISO-11519 and ISO-11898 standards covers CAN protocols and physical-layer specifications.)
DC-Input Font-end Power Modules Meet Telecom-standard
November 28, 2007 9:00 am | Product Releases | CommentsEmerson Network Power launched four DC-input bulk front-end power modules for systems that use distributed power architectures. The modules add DC-input options to the company's DS series of power supplies. The DS450DC, 550DC, 650DC and 850DC modules all feature a very wide 40V DC to 72V DC input voltage range, which is suitable for telecom and central office applications operating from 48V battery plants.
High-voltage Full Bridge Inverter for Increased Energy Efficiency in LCD Backlight Applications
November 28, 2007 4:43 am | Product Releases | CommentsNXP announced its high-voltage, full bridge fluorescent backlight controller IC the UBA2074 and its low-voltage twin, the UBA2072. Together, they form a family of full-bridge fluorescent backlight controller ICs, designed specifically to address the trend toward growing display sizes and supporting the increased use of high-supply voltage backlight inverters in LCD-TV applications.
Get Your Low-Energy Computing with a Catch
November 27, 2007 11:21 am | Blogs | CommentsEnergy News: Three stories about energy efficiency, focusing on computers, landed in my inbox today -- with a big fat asterisk attached. The stories are: Google Plans Renewable Energy Push -- they want to make one a gigawatt of clean energy cheaper to produce than the same amount of coal; HP Enters Two Renewable-Energy Contracts -- they're using solar and wind power for facilities in San Diego and Ireland; and Climate Savers Computing Initiative Empowers Smarter Computing Choices -- there's an online catalog of green desktops and servers, but it's only for companies that pay to join
Interchangeable Blade Power Supplies meet RoHS, Energy Star and CEC Standards
November 27, 2007 5:46 am | Product Releases | CommentsGlobTek introduced the GT-41xxx series of blade power supplies. The series features the GT-41076 with power up to 6W, GT-41052 up to 15W and GTM41060 up to 25W with constant current option. The regulated outputs voltage range from 5V to 48V DC in 0.1V increments, with up to 25W of continuous output power. The 64 mm × 40.5 mm × 29 mm polycarbonate impact resistant non-vented cases
Gone With the Wind, Part 2: Maglev Tech
November 27, 2007 5:44 am | Blogs | CommentsProductive Product: What if you could eliminate all of the material friction in a windmill? (And why is this our third consecutive Efficiency Zone lead in question form?) No ball bearing is that good, but you could use maglev technology to just suspend the turbine blades in air. Magnetic levitation is more common for high-speed train research
Gone With the Wind, Part 1: The Sailboat
November 27, 2007 5:40 am | Blogs | CommentsProductive Product: It was good enough for Columbus, Magellan, and Ellison, but is wind power -- the sail -- better in some cases than modern engines for oceanic cargo ships? A few companies are voting affirmatively. A blogger for Network World writes, "A kite the size of a football field will provide most of the power for a German
Mini-Power Management Unit Maximizes Design Flexibility
November 27, 2007 3:47 am | Product Releases | CommentsAdvanced Analogic Technologies, Inc. announced the AAT2504, an adjustable 3-channel regulator that combines a step-down converter with two low dropout linear regulators (LDOs). Targeted at mobile devices with rapidly changing feature sets, it allows designers to extend system functionality and still benefit from power management integration. The step-down converter delivers up to 800 mA of output current and supports an input range of 2.7V to 5.5V
Nuclear Bathtub Full of Controversy
November 26, 2007 5:57 am | Blogs | CommentsProductive Product: What if nuclear power were mass-produced in portable battery-like containers? That's the mission of Hyperion Power Generation, a start-up based on the research of Los Alamos National Labs scientist Otis Peterson. The bathtub-sized device with no moving parts could power 25,000 homes for five years, and Hyperion is poised to build 4,000 around
