Clik here to view.
New WEBENCH® Power Designer is now even easier to use
TI is committed to continually improving the online design experience. On July 5, we will introduce our new fully redesigned HTML5 application for WEBENCH® Power Designer. In this post, I will walk you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to modify a step-down converter to the inverting buck-boost topology
When looking for a DC/DC converter to create a negative voltage, in many cases you will use a step-down converter in the inverting buck-boost topology. While dedicated inverter devices such as the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Effects of IC package on EMI performance
The origin of electromagnetic interference (EMI) in switched-mode power supplies can be traced back to the transient voltages (dv/dt) and currents (di/dt) generated during the switching of power...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Optimizing solar power with battery chargers
As solar-powered devices become more portable and interconnected, rechargeable batteries eliminate the need for AC adapter input power and take advantage of the abundant energy from the sun.For...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boosting efficiency for your solar inverter designs
With summer upon us here in the U.S., I’m already thinking about beach days and poolside BBQs. Growing up in South Florida and currently living in Texas, I’m very familiar with hot and sunny days....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why you need a programmable lighting engine when designing LED driver circuit
Advanced light-emitting diode (LED) animation effects like “deep breathing” and “color chasing” are becoming increasingly popular. However, a common issue designers’ face is that the microcontroller...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to achieve higher system robustness in DC drives, part 2: interlock and...
While commuting to work, waiting for a traffic light I noticed the green and red light sequence that prevents traffic flow conflicts, or crashes. The crossing traffic directions are out of sequence to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The new PoE standard: It’s almost here
This July will mark six years since the beginning of the journey for IEEE 802.3bt, the IEEE standards project that will standardize 4-pair Power over Ethernet (PoE). I began preparing for the standard...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Understanding valley current limit
The concept of current limit seems pretty straightforward: when you increase the output current of a DC/DC converter, at a certain point it’s not possible to increase it any further. This level is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
LDO Basics: Quiescent Current 101
How aggravating is it to pick up an electronic device that you’ve barely used, only to find that the battery is nearly or completely dead? If your device was just on standby or asleep, this may have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPGA power design challenges: Can I use a PMIC for that?
System designers gain three benefits when designing systems with a field-programmable gate array (FPGA): reprogrammability, performance scalability and fast time to market. But there are also...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The sound of GaN
High-fidelity (hi-fi) audio is becoming more and more popular among music fans and movie buffs, from portable speakers to high-end, in-home audio to automotive systems. And from the A to Z of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A review of EMI standards, part 1 – conducted emissions
In general, electrical products must meet some type of electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance metric, whether established in the product’s design specifications or to comply with regulatory...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A review of EMI standards, part 2 – radiated emissions
Radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) from switching power supplies is dynamic and situational problem that relates to circuit board layout, component placement and parasitic effects within the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Key considerations for designing with the new PoE standard
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3bt standard will publish in September 2018 and enable Power over Ethernet (PoE) applications up to 90W/71.3W (sent/received) such as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
LDO Basics: Preventing reverse current
In most low-dropout regulators (LDOs), current flow is like one-way street – go in the wrong direction and major problems can occur! Reverse current is current that flows from VOUT to VIN instead of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
LDO basics: capacitor vs. capacitance
Low-dropout regulators (LDOs) provide power in all types of applications. But for an LDO to operate normally, you need an output capacitor. A common issue when designing LDOs into an application is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When it comes to power process technologies, one size does not fit all
Power electronic system and circuit designers have more choices in power process technologies. Silicon-based devices continue to evolve, but there is also an increasing option to use wide-bandgap...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dimming in switched-mode LED drivers
One of the key concerns in light-emitting diode (LED) driver designs is the dimming performance. Most designers use one of two methods: analog dimming or digital pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming....
View ArticleClik here to view.
How LILO LDOs increase system efficiency
High efficiency for power supplies has historically been attributed to switching controllers or converters, whereas designers assume that linear regulators (LDOs) have bad efficiency. But linear...
View Article