Power
The energy of stunt kites
November 12, 2012 2:25 pm | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsKite surfing has risen to become a fashionable sporting activity, with the number of enthusiasts participating in this cross between wind surfing and stunt kite flying growing at a tremendous pace. When the wind catches the kite, the surfer is carried meters into the air; and the greater the leap
All-SiC power module features 100-A current handling, 1200-V blocking
November 12, 2012 12:02 pm | Product Releases | CommentsCree, Inc. introduced an all-SiC power module. The new high frequency module, rated at 100-A current handling and 1200-V blocking, allows higher efficiency, compact and lighter weight systems that can, according to the company, result in
Roundtable: What must designers of portable devices do to deal with power and performance demands?
November 12, 2012 11:57 am | Articles | CommentsExperts in the power industry weight in on the question: What must designers of portable devices do to keep pace with increased power and performance demands? In their responses the industry experts talk about the future of portable devices and the design changes necessary to power them.
DC/DC converter meets industrial rail standards
November 12, 2012 9:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsSchaefer announces the PRC-240 Series of DC/DC converters that provide 240W of power in a compact, chassis mount package. The PRP-240 Series has versions that meet industrial (EN60950) or rail (EN50155) standards. Standard nominal input voltages are 24VDC, 48VDC, 72VDC, and 110VDC.
Advanced single-chip digital motion controllers designed for precision equipment
November 12, 2012 9:26 am | Stmicroelectronics | Product Releases | CommentsPrecision movement and positioning systems used in industries such as automated manufacturing and pharmaceutical production can be quieter, smaller, lighter, simpler and more efficient using the advanced single-chip digital motion controllers announced by STMicroelectronics.
Using rust and water to store solar energy as hydrogen
November 12, 2012 9:13 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsEPFL scientists are producing hydrogen from sunlight, water and rust - They're paving the way for an economic and ecological solution for storing renewable energy How can solar energy be stored so that it can be available any time, day or night, when the sun shining or not? EPFL scientists are developing a technology that can transform light energy into a clean fuel that has a neutral carbon footprint: hydrogen.
Study provides recipe for 'supercharging' atoms with X-ray laser
November 12, 2012 9:10 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsResearchers using the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have found a way to strip most of the electrons from xenon atoms, creating a "supercharged," strongly positive state at energies previously thought too low.
More bang for the biofuel buck
November 9, 2012 9:21 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsA fermentation technique once used to make cordite, the explosive propellant that replaced gunpowder in bullets and artillery shells, may find an important new use in the production of advanced biofuels. With the addition of a metal catalyst, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley
New Zealand won't sign 'Kyoto 2' climate treaty
November 9, 2012 9:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsNew Zealand's government said Friday that it would not sign on for a second stage of the Kyoto Protocol climate treaty, a stance that angered environmentalists and political opponents. The announcement came the same day that Australia said it would stay the course and commit to "Kyoto 2."
Environmentally sealed connector offers rugged design
November 8, 2012 4:07 pm | Product Releases | CommentsAnderson Power Products (APP) announces the expansion of the SPEC Pak family of environmentally sealed connectors, which now includes Mid-Power SPEC Pak. Mid-Power SPEC Pak, like the other connectors in the SPEC Pak family, is rugged and environmentally sealed (IP68) and leverages APP’s core Powerpole flat wiping contact technology.
Power management IC delivers up to 12A from six DC/DC converters
November 8, 2012 3:55 pm | 3M Electronics Solutions Division | Product Releases | CommentsDialog Semiconductor plc announces the most powerful and most integrated configurable power management IC (PMIC) for ARM quad-core and dual-core application processors. The DA9063 can deliver up to 12A from its six DC/DC converters. It simultaneously powers the processor
Do you have what it takes to be a Roundtable expert?
November 8, 2012 11:11 am | Articles | CommentsIn October, we asked you for your words of wisdom for a brand-new design engineer and boy, did you guys have advice in spades. The responses we received were so good in fact, we’ve decided to open up our December Roundtable to our faithful readers in hopes that you can offer more words of wisdom.
Anti-corrosive passivated nichrome thin film chip resistors target high power, high humidity apps
November 8, 2012 10:14 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe RNCH is a high power version of Stackpole’s RNCS series of anti-corrosive passivated nichrome thin film chip resistors. This series offers the power rating of the RNCS0805 in the 0603 size and similar power upgrades for the 0805 and 1206
Ben-Gurion University develops side-illuminated ultra-efficient solar cell designs
November 8, 2012 8:56 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsBEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, November 8, 2012 -- Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a radically new design for a concentrator solar cell that, when irradiated from the side, generates solar conversion efficiencies which rival, and may eventually surpass, the most ultra-efficient photovoltaics.
Power source offers output power at 1725VA maximum
November 7, 2012 3:13 pm | Product Releases | CommentsInterpower Corporation announces a low-cost, convenient source of AC power that lets you test your product before exporting globally. Common operating voltages and frequencies for global electrical products are typically 110-240VAC/50-60Hz. The Interpower International Power Source provides fast, convenient testing of AC electrical equipment....
Low profile DC/DC power supplies boast ceramic capacitors
November 7, 2012 10:51 am | Product Releases | CommentsAimtec has launched three new series of DC/DC converters featuring multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). According to the company, MLCCs used in the AMxQ-Z family of DC/DC converters withstand high temperatures; higher voltage conditions and reduced leakage current better than
Single-chip wireless power receiver integrates battery charger
November 7, 2012 10:00 am | Product Releases | CommentsTexas Instruments Incorporated introduced a single-chip wireless power receiver with integrated battery charger and a new “free-position” transmitter integrated circuit. The two bqTESLA circuits are positioned to give smart phone users a simpler, stress-free charging experience and help designers
Drivers designed to switch an N-Channel enhancement-mode MOSFET in low-side applications
November 6, 2012 2:48 pm | Product Releases | CommentsMicrel, Inc. introduced the MIC4414/15, two low-side MOSFET drivers designed to switch an N-Channel enhancement-mode MOSFET in low-side applications. The devices are ideal for switch-mode power supplies, solenoid drivers and motor-driver applications. The MIC4414/15 are
Power supplies accommodate the universal AC input voltage range from 90 to 264 VAC
November 6, 2012 11:22 am | Murata Power Solutions Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMurata has introduced the MVAC series of highly efficient, a 3" x 5" open frame AC-DC power supplies from Murata Power Solutions. Suitable for use in a wide variety of industrial factory automation, communications and medical equipment, the series comprises two single output models, the 250 Watt MVAC250 and the 400 Watt MVAC400 units.
Do ultracapacitors make wind energy a sustainable option?
November 5, 2012 12:27 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsThe idea of using wind to create energy isn’t exactly new. The first examples can be traced back to 200 B.C. in Persia – a creation of Heron of Alexandria. That particular device simply harnessed the wind to power a machine, so a case could be made that the first real windmills were built a little bit later, in the 7th century in Sistan, modern day Iran.
An optimized power factor-corrected driver for LED bulbs
November 2, 2012 10:08 am | by Bernie Weir and Frazier Pruett, ON Semiconductor, www.onsemi.com | Articles | CommentsAs incandescent bulbs are phased out, the two options that offer significant energy savings are compact fluorescent (CFL) and LED. While CFL’s are a mature technology, white LEDs are still advancing rapidly with higher lumens per packaged LED as well as increased efficacy.
Top 10 must-see posts from October
November 1, 2012 1:49 pm | by The ECN Editors | Articles | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles on the web. Take a look at what you missed the first time around or check up on an old favorite to see the conversation in the comments. Keep checking out the Lead at www.ecnmag.com and follow us on Twitter @ecnonline for our most up-to-date articles.
Biofuel breakthrough: Quick cook method turns algae into oil
November 1, 2012 11:35 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsIt looks like Mother Nature was wasting her time with a multimillion-year process to produce crude oil. Michigan Engineering researchers can "pressure-cook" algae for as little as a minute and transform an unprecedented 65 percent of the green slime into biocrude."We're trying to mimic the process in nature that forms crude oil with marine organisms," said Phil Savage
Ever-smarter digital power modules ease energy-efficiency gains
October 31, 2012 12:20 pm | by Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communication Director, Ericsson Power Modules, www.ericsson.com | Articles | CommentsA gift from decades of telecoms-industry development, bullet-proof models for high-availability power-supply systems and key standards documents are freely available online to tempt adventurous designers into exploring their own solutions for safeguarding processes that cannot afford unplanned downtime.
Constant-current power supplies earn CSA/UL agency approvals
October 30, 2012 2:44 pm | Product Releases | CommentsGreen Watt Power announces CSA/UL agency approvals on the Green Watt Power offering of LED Constant Current power supplies. The GLC Series offers solutions from 18 Watts to 150 Watts. All GLC models are enclosed to IP67 standards and well suited for virtually all LED lighting applications...
