Power
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.
Film capacitor line offered in values from 0.22 nanofarads to 10 microfarads
October 10, 2012 10:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsCornell Dubilier Electronics announced that it has acquired the Orange Drop film capacitor product lines and all other radial product lines, from capacitor maker, SBE, Inc. (dba SB Electronics) of Barre, VT. Orange Drop capacitors made withfilm dielectric and metallized or foil electrodes are well known for their excellent performance in pulse DC and AC circuits.
Off-line switcher IC family features line-compensated overload power protection
October 10, 2012 9:47 am | Power Integrations | Product Releases | CommentsPower Integrations introduced the TinySwitch-4 family, the latest generation of its industry-leading TinySwitch series of off-line switcher ICs. Featuring line-compensated overload power protection, TinySwitch-4 devices dramatically reduce the maximum overload power that can be delivered into the load over the entire AC input voltage range.
Solar cells made from black silicon
October 9, 2012 5:29 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsSolar cells convert three-quarters of the energy contained in the Sun‘s spectrum into electricity, yet the infrared spectrum is entirely lost in standard solar cells. In contrast, black silicon solar cells are specifically designed to absorb this part of the Sun‘s spectrum...
Integrating power electronics design technologies
October 9, 2012 4:47 pm | by Tony Christian, Director, Cambashi | Articles | CommentsThe field of power electronics, the application of electronics for the control and conversion of electric power, is underpinned by basic electrical principles that were established in the distant past by the pioneers of electrical science. But today, the need to supply, modify and control the voltage, current or frequency
September 2012 Supplement: Power
October 9, 2012 11:44 am | Digital Editions | CommentsMR16 lamps, also known as multi-mirror lamps, are halogen-type lamps designed in an integral multifaceted reflector and are renowned for their exceptional beam control. To encourage adoption of MR16-compatible LED-based lamps, it is essential that they match or exceed the performance of conventional halogen or incandescent lamps.
Development boards feature enhancement-mode gallium nitride field effect transistors
October 9, 2012 11:26 am | Product Releases | CommentsEfficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announces the availability of two development boards, the EPC9003 and the EPC9006, both featuring EPC’s enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN) field effect transistors (FETs). These boards demonstrate how the recent introductions of IC gate drivers,
September 2012: Power
October 9, 2012 10:53 am | Digital Editions | CommentsIn this issue of ECN, Associate Editor Kasey Panetta writes about the steady proliferation of electric vehicle charging stations, Jon Titus discusses brushless DC motors, and Executive Editor Chris Warner sounds the alarm about the encroaching reality of sci-fi dystopias.
Oscillator boasts a frequency stability over temperature of ±.28ppm from -40°C to +85°C
October 8, 2012 3:03 pm | Product Releases | CommentsRaltron Electronics has raised the bar in innovation with the launch of the TX057 Stratum III compatible TCXO family. The new 5x7mm Stratum III compatible temperature-compensated crystal oscillator boasts a frequency stability over temperature of ±.28ppm from -40°C to +85°C
Oscillators offer very low integrated phase jitter
October 5, 2012 11:19 am | Product Releases | CommentsMercury is now manufacturing quartz crystal clock oscillators with Differential LVPECL Square Wave & Differential LVDS Square Wave output logics in a miniature 5 x 3.2 x 1.2mm 6 pad ceramic surface mount package (HPK5361 & HDK5361 Series)
DC/DC converter modules boast high power density
October 4, 2012 12:10 pm | Product Releases | CommentsPower Sources Unlimited, Inc. announces the new THN-30 and THN-30WI Series of high-performance single and dual output DC/DC converter modules with high power density. All models have a wide-input voltage range of 2:1 or 4:1 and precisely regulated output voltages of 3.3, 5.0, 12, 15, 24, & ±12, ±15VDC, even under no load conditions.
New sophisticated control algorithms poised to revolutionize electric battery technology
October 4, 2012 8:42 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsEngineers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed sophisticated estimation algorithms that allow lithium-ion batteries to run more efficiently, potentially reducing their cost by 25 percent and allowing the batteries to charge twice as fast as is currently possible. In one instance, electric batteries could be charged in just 15 minutes.
Power supplies are 80 PLUS and EN/UL/IEC 60601-1 3rd Edition Certified
October 3, 2012 10:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsTumbler Technologies + TRUMPower offers its TMPC 1U Series of 250-W to 350-W AC/DC medical grade PC power supplies with 1.59” low profile. The units are approved to the 3rd edition of EN 60601-1, UL 60601-1, and IEC 60601-1 medical standards, which includes risk management and are also approved to
Why you should support improvements in electric car chargers
October 3, 2012 8:55 am | Articles | CommentsPeople simply don’t think of electric cars as long-distance vehicles. It’s a car to run down the street and grab some groceries, make the 15 miles commute to work or—like one of my friends—if you live in Hawaii and can’t really drive that far. It’s not an option most people think about for a regular car.
