AC/DC power supplies designed for space-critical, board-level applications
October 26, 2012 2:29 pm | Product Releases | CommentsAvailable now from MicroPower Direct, the MPL-03SE series is a family of miniature, safety approved, 3W AC/DC power supplies. Designed specifically for space-critical, board-level applications, these power modules are packaged in a space-saving, single-in-line (SIP) package. As part of our "Cost Cutter" product series, they are offered at very low cost.
Flexible parametric curve tracer solutions suits power device characterization
October 26, 2012 11:20 am | Keithley Instruments | Product Releases | CommentsKeithley has introduced seven instrumentation, software, and test fixture configurations for parametric curve tracing applications for characterizing high power devices at up to 3,000 V and 100 A, including those based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) technology. According to the company,
Power supply meets 1500 VA power requirements
October 26, 2012 10:17 am | Product Releases | CommentsBehlman Electronics has introduced the BL3X500 Power Supply to more efficiently meet 1500 VA power requirements. Joining the Behlman BL HP Series of 1000 VA to 20,000 VA units, and the Behlman BL PLUS Series of 25 kVa to 120 kVa units, the new Behlman BL3X500 rounds out Behlman’s High Power Series.
China set to okay nuke plants
October 24, 2012 12:09 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChina has announced it is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of ambitious plans to reduce reliance on oil and coal, ending a moratorium imposed after Japan's Fukushima disaster. The government said Wednesday that it hopes to generate 30 percent of China's power...
EU: Spain, Italy putting EU emissions cuts at risk
October 24, 2012 9:08 am | by KARL RITTER and JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press | News | CommentsDebt-ridden Spain and Italy could hinder the European Union from achieving its goal of cutting greenhouse emissions under an international climate pact, the EU's environmental agency said Wednesday. The EU considers itself at the forefront of the fight against climate change and as a bloc it's on track to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol,
Compact, single output baseplate suited to harsh environment
October 23, 2012 4:23 pm | Product Releases | CommentsXP Power announced the CCH400 and CCH600 series of compact single output baseplate cooled 400 W and 600 W AC-DC power supplies suited to harsh environment applications. With its highly efficient design, up to 90 percent, the CCH series generates substantially less waste heat that current product on the market, this being critical for use in sealed box applications.
November 2012: Power
October 23, 2012 4:03 pm | Digital Editions | CommentsThe November issue of ECN focuses on the power application area. Executive Editor Chris Warner discusses net neutrality, Jon Titus presents his annual Kits for Kids column, and the Brainstorm Q&A section asks “What is the most significant challenge in the miniaturization of medical devices?”
SEMICON Japan 2012: Focus on Next-Generation Technology Challenges — with Keynotes from Toshiba, Intel, Xilinx and TSMC
October 22, 2012 12:53 pm | by SEMI | News | CommentsSEMICON Japan 2012, one of the largest exhibitions in the world for semiconductor manufacturing and related processing technology, will take place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on December 5-7. Today, SEMI announced an exceptional lineup of keynotes speakers
Poll finds large majority of Germans favor phasing out nuclear power despite rising costs
October 22, 2012 9:41 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA new poll finds that a large majority of Germans back the government's decision to phase out nuclear power and switch to renewable energies within a decade, despite rising electricity bills. The poll for German news magazine Focus published Sunday found that 72 percent continue to support the country's energy switchover.
Better Design Practices and Connector Technologies for Midplane Power Engineering
October 18, 2012 3:47 pm | by Corey Schroeder, Molex Incorporated | Articles | CommentsMidplane power engineering requires better design practices and connector technologies Upticks in computing power in a range of industries—consumer goods and appliances, data/communications devices, medical and diagnostic equipment, servers and other networking systems
2000W compact pure sine wave inverter features 90-140VDC or 180-275VDC inputs
October 18, 2012 12:47 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSchaefer introduces the AEP-2000 Series of 2000W, rugged, high efficiency, pure sine wave inverters. The “clean” pure sine wave output of the AEP-2000 Series, with less than 3% total harmonic distortion, is ideal for powering sensitive loads and for improving AC equipment performance.
Could NASA help paraplegics walk?
October 18, 2012 9:37 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsNASA has been known to make pretty large contributions to society. But they might have outdone themselves on this one. The agency is currently in the research and development phase for a powered armor suit that could one day allow paraplegics to walk. The suit, called X1, is a robotic exoskeleton designed to be worn over the body to assist in leg movements.
MOSFET packaging technology enables power designers to remove heat more effectively
October 18, 2012 9:18 am | Product Releases | CommentsAlpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited set a new standard in power density and technology innovation for discrete power MOSFETs with exposed-source XSFET, a new patent-pending packaging technology. XSFET incorporates the packaging technology where the bottom of the package is the “source”...
Food vs. fuel: Is there surplus land for bioenergy?
October 18, 2012 8:44 am | News | CommentsAn interdisciplinary team of 11 scientists from seven European countries and the USA have discussed the concept to utilize so called surplus land for the production of feedstock for bioenergy. They identified environmental, economic and social constraints but also options for efficient use of surplus land for bioenergy.
Rugged PDU provides 300 amps of intelligent solid-state power control
October 17, 2012 1:11 pm | Product Releases | CommentsData Device Corporation (DDC) introduces its first Power Distribution Units (PDUs) in the RP-20S1X family of stackable, configurable devices for 28 VDC systems. The High Power Solid-State Power Controllers (SSPCs) provide four independent 75 Amp load channels (300 Amp total current capability) to distribute and control power to four independent subsystems.
Intelligent power switch optimized for automotive PTC electric heaters
October 17, 2012 10:14 am | International Rectifier | Product Releases | CommentsInternational Rectifier introduced the reliable AUIR3320S high-side intelligent power switch (IPS) optimized for automotive auxiliary positive temperature coefficient (PTC) electric heaters. Offering very low on-state resistance (Rds(on)) of 4 mohm (max.) at 25°C, the AUIR3320S delivers higher current with a smaller heat sink to reduce system footprint.
AC/DC power supplies aimed at industrial applications
October 17, 2012 10:11 am | Product Releases | CommentsXP Power announced the SHP350 series of single output rugged 350 W AC-DC power supplies aimed at industrial applications. Achieving a high power density of 6.6 Watts per cubic inch and with a typical efficiency of 85 percent, these compact fan-cooled units measure only 7.0 x 3.6 x 2.1 inches (177.8 x 91.44 x 53.34 mm).
Fault underneath Oi Nuclear Plant to be checked
October 17, 2012 10:06 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said Wednesday that it will conduct an on-site inspection on Nov. 2 to confirm whether there is an active fault underneath the sole nuclear power plant operating in the quake-prone country. The outcome of the inspection at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear plant...
Pitt engineers to design affordable CO2 thickener to augment oil extraction
October 17, 2012 9:16 am | by eurekalert! | News | CommentsPITTSBURGH—Crude oil extraction could be improved significantly and accessible domestic oil reserves could be expanded with an economical CO2 thickener being developed by University of Pittsburgh engineers, thanks to a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Evolving microbes help Iowa State engineers turn bio-oil into advanced biofuels
October 15, 2012 8:19 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsMicrobes are working away in an Iowa State University laboratory to ferment biofuels from the sugar and acetate produced by rapidly heating biomass such as corn stalks and sawdust. But it's not an easy job for E. coli and C. reinhardtii. The bacteria and microalgae, respectively, don't like something
16V step-down DC/DC converter includes output voltage from 1.2V to 5.6V
October 12, 2012 10:17 am | Product Releases | CommentsTorex Semiconductor has developed a new 16V Step-down DC/DC converter with an internal driver Tr., the XC9246/XC9247 series. The XC9246/XC9247 series are 16V step-down DC/DC converters with an internal driver Tr. The output voltage can be set within the range 1.2V to 5.6V using the 1.0V (±1.5%) internal reference voltage and external resistors.
Wireless power technology embraces user-friendly features
October 12, 2012 8:37 am | by Pearl (Ke) Cao and Vladimir A. Muratov, Texas Instruments | Articles | CommentsWireless charging technology has been recognized as a very attractive solution to a wide range of applications because it conveniently replaces power cords and charging cables. This emerging technology is being adopted for charging mobile phones and other handheld devices.
Microwave / RF signal generators available for wide variety of applications
October 11, 2012 12:01 pm | Product Releases | CommentsBerkeley Nucleonics commercially releases a full line of high performance, robust, and extremely cost effective Microwave / RF signal generators. This Microwave / RF product line sets a new standard in performance to cost. Capable of producing in excess of 20GHz, with very low phase noise, fast switching speeds,
Non-isolated point-of-load converters are programmable from 0.591 to 6.0 VDC
October 11, 2012 11:08 am | Murata Power Solutions Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMurata has added a miniature 1.5A SIP model to the Murata Power Solutions OKR family of non-isolated point-of-load converters. The OKR-T/1.5-W12-C provides an ideal solution for designs that require low load current with limited board space.
Improving nanometer-scale manufacturing with infrared spectroscopy
October 11, 2012 9:03 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsOne of the key achievements of the nanotechnology era is the development of manufacturing technologies that can fabricate nanostructures formed from multiple materials. Such nanometer-scale integration of composite materials has enabled innovations in electronic devices, solar cells, and medical diagnostics.


