Applications
Five-Watt DC-DC Converters Provide Wide 2:1 Input Range
March 5, 2010 9:26 am | Product Releases | CommentsMicroPower Direct’s LF500RW Series of SMT 5 W DC/DC converters provides a wide 2:1 input range, tight line/load regulation, output power/overload protection and low noise operation. Twenty-one models operate from wide 2:1 inputs of
Thomas Medical Products, Inc., Transseptal Sheath Introducer Kits: Class I Recall
March 5, 2010 8:21 am | by FDA MedWatch | News | CommentsSheath tip may break off and separate during heart procedures, causing a blockage that could lead to permanent injury and/or death.
Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitor Family Extends Temperature Ratings
March 5, 2010 7:02 am | Product Releases | CommentsNIC Components has expanded its NSPE family of high performance hybrid construction aluminum electrolytic capacitors to include extended temperature +135°C and 80 VDC and 100 VDC ratings. The NSPE products feature
Compact Enclosures Suit a Wide Range of Applications
March 5, 2010 6:42 am | Product Releases | CommentsElma Electronic Inc. offers a family of modular enclosures in a compact size. The MiniBox 34 serves a wide range of applications including medical, communications, industrial, test and measurement, military/aerospace, and other markets. Its construction allows
Metrology and Laboratory Resistors Feature High Accuracy
March 5, 2010 6:20 am | Product Releases | CommentsVishay Intertechnology announced a series of metrology and laboratory ultra-high-precision Bulk Metal Z-Foil resistors built using Z1-Foil technology that features
Non-Captive Programmable Linear Actuator Accommodates Variety of Screw Pitches
March 5, 2010 6:07 am | Product Releases | CommentsHaydon Kerk Motion Solutions introduced the Haydon RoHS compliant IDEA non-captive programmable linear actuator. In addition to full programmability through an easy-to-use graphic user interface, the non-captive actuator configuration is capable of
MCUs Feature Less Than 50 µA-MHz Active Current
March 5, 2010 5:30 am | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology Inc unveiled several new 8-bit PIC microcontrollers (MCUs) that are asserted to set the industry benchmark for low-power microcontrollers and peripheral integration. These MCUs feature active currents of
Secure Interconnects Are Designed for Defense Forces
March 4, 2010 12:48 pm | Product Releases | CommentsFischer Connectors announced secure interconnect solutions designed for Defense Forces: Fischer UltiMate Military Connectors Line. First within this line, the new Fischer LandForce Series offers compact, rugged, lightweight circular connectors for an improved protection of
SIM-Micro SD Socket Combo Suits High Vibration Environments
March 4, 2010 12:25 pm | Product Releases | CommentsGlobal Connector Technology’s MES3055 hinged connector allows full retention of both the SIM and uSD cards in handheld and mobile applications. The connector also allows engineers to design more reliably for dust-laden or damp environments because
Simplify Power Designs with an Innovative MOSFET Package
March 4, 2010 10:32 am | by Hawk Lee, Jingen Qian & Kim Norton, Vishay | Articles | CommentsA major challenge facing power engineers today is how to overcome a reduction in board space for the power circuitry in commercial electronic products. A quick walk through any electronics retail store will reveal that personal computers have become smaller and even miniaturized which is a trend for many other types of electronic devices.
Discrete Components Optimize Medical Equipment Performance and Reliability
March 4, 2010 10:16 am | by Steve Wade, VP of Sales and Marketing, TT electronics | Articles | CommentsMedical electronics applications require components that are smaller, more robust, and highly versatile, particularly as medical equipment becomes increasingly portable. Because medical systems often use discrete electronic components in their circuit designs, passive components are critical to optimizing performance and reliability.
MOSFETs Provide Efficient Operation for Battery-powered “Green” Products
March 4, 2010 9:33 am | by Kevin Turchin, FAE Manager, ROHM Semiconductor | Articles | CommentsPortable products increasingly rely on a single 3.7V Li-Ion battery for the energy source. For these and other low-voltage applications, lower gate voltage power MOSFETs improve the efficiency for extended battery life and reduce the heat dissipation involved in switching the loads. In addition, they simplify the design of numerous control functions by allowing direct control / drive.
Coping with the Smart Grid
March 4, 2010 7:39 am | Articles | CommentsThis year at APEC I moderated a rap session on dealing with the Smart Grid. It had a standing-room-only crowd, and demonstrated how much interest exists on both the technical and political issues involved.
Design Smart - Design Safe - Design Fast
March 4, 2010 7:27 am | by Hans Wiedemann, Manager - Product Marketing, Vincotech | Articles | CommentsWith GPS rapidly becoming an increasingly vital part of our business and private lives, the market for these devices has seen a strong and steady business growth. Apart from traditional GPS applications, such as navigation and car breakdown emergency systems, GPS functionality has expanded well into the industrial and business markets.
Non-contact Safety Switches Are Fully Sealed, Encapsulated
March 4, 2010 7:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsTapeswitch is expanding is product line with Mechan Controls, a British designer and manufacturer of machine guard safety systems whose non-contact safety switches ranges from simple, low cost magnetic safety versions through fully electronic safety systems with the option of
Efficient Material Handling in Automotive Manufacturing Applications
March 4, 2010 7:05 am | by Todd Belt, Systems Sales Manager, Pepperl+Fuchs | Articles | CommentsPick and place robotics has been a common sight in the automotive industry for some time. It is capable of auto racking, bin picking, positioning parts for assembly, and other repetitive tasks that help automate production sequences and reduce costs.
Partial Networking: In-Vehicle Networks Can Reduce Costs and CO2 Emissions
March 4, 2010 6:40 am | by Holger Huber, System Marketing Manager In-Vehicle-Networking, NXP Semiconductors | Articles | CommentsIn the past, electronic control units (ECUs) in automotive applications were connected by individual signal wires. However, today, close to 100% of the ECUs are connected by bus systems such as LIN, CAN and FlexRay. This yields significant advantages, including improved data availability, straightforward wiring and standardized interfaces.
Power Resistors Deliver 20 W to 600 W with Low Inductance
March 4, 2010 6:26 am | Product Releases | CommentsTT electronics IRC’s MHP Series power resistors feature power ratings from 20 W to 600 W in industry standard TO-220, TO-247 and SOT-227 transistor-style packages. The resistors provide
Green Phase-shifted Full-bridge IC Controls Synchronous Rectifier Output
March 4, 2010 6:18 am | Product Releases | CommentsTexas Instruments Incorporated (TI) introduced a phase-shifted full-bridge PWM controller with synchronous MOSFET control outputs and light load power management. According to the company, the UCC28950 can achieve efficiencies above 90 percent from light load to full load, enabling it to
Power MOSFETs for DC-DC Conversion Tout Reduced Gate Switch Charge
March 4, 2010 6:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsToshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. has launched its latest generation of power MOSFETs for synchronous DC-DC conversion. The seventh generation trench process in the Toshiba fast switching series, UMOS VII-H, is asserted to
Shield Clips Reduce Assembly Time
March 4, 2010 5:43 am | Product Releases | CommentsHarwin Inc. launched its Maxi Clip, which handles protective cans with wall thickness between 0.7 mm and 1 mm. The use of clips reduces assembly time and simplifies rework. Instead of hand-soldering shielding cans to a PCB as a
SMD Inductors Are Cost Efficient
March 4, 2010 5:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsRAF Tabtronics announced the release of a line of SMD Power Inductors for high reliability applications. This SESI Power Inductor product line features a low profile ruggedized high-grade package with an operating temperature range of -55°C to +125°C. The product is highly customizable with either SMD or thru-hole pin-outs and flexibility in the number of terminations.
Y-Flash to Improve Memory Size
March 4, 2010 5:35 am | Product Releases | CommentsTowerJazz announced its patented Y-Flash technology, not available from any other foundry in the industry, which is designed to give customers flexibility on memory size, allowing optimization of performance/cost for any given application.
DC-DC Converter Features Built-in Power Functionality
March 4, 2010 5:31 am | Microsemi Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsMicrosemi Corporation, a manufacturer of high performance analog/mixed signal integrated circuits and high reliability semiconductors, today extended its family of DC-to-DC controllers and switching regulators with the introduction of a synchronous buck switching regulator in a compact multi-chip module
Power politics
March 3, 2010 12:26 pm | Articles | CommentsI recently had the great honor of moderating the Smart Grid Rap Session at this year’s Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC). It brought home to me that in addition to the technical challenges facing the power industry, there are also political issues that must be addressed as we move forward. The old political arguments around power revolved around NIMBY issues about the location of power plants...
