Bidirectional power supplies dynamically direct power from multiple sources to different loads, some of which are also power sources at other times. In recent years, there’s has been a dramatic increase in the need for bidirectional AC/DC and DC/DC power supplies, in addition to the unidirectional supply of a traditional UPS. That supply takes a […]
Bidirectional power supplies support new UPS requirements, Part 1
Bidirectional power supplies dynamically direct power from multiple sources to different loads, some of which are also power sources at other times. We recently had a short-term power failure in the neighborhood due to a storm and a downed tree. As the outage lasted only about eight hours, it was a minor inconvenience in the […]
The humble neon lamp: down, but definitely not out, Part 3
Despite the convenience and availability of LEDs, the neon lamp still has a viable position as a power-on indicator as well as use in some specialty applications. Thus far, we have looked basic neon lamp principles and operation. This part looks at some special issues related to these versatile indicators. Q: Why use a neon […]
The humble neon lamp: down, but definitely not out: Part 2
Despite the convenience and availability of LEDs, the neon lamp still has a viable position as a power-on indicator as well as use in some specialty applications. This part continues the exploration of the neon lamp. Q: Are there more details of the various operational phases? A: Yes, the entire glow process has been studied […]
The humble neon lamp: down, but definitely not out: Part 1
Despite the convenience and availability of LEDs, the neon lamp still has a viable position as a power-on indicator as well as use in some specialty applications. The classic neon indicator lamp with its reddish-orange glow has been used since the early 1990s. Now, the availability, convenience, longevity, and other attributes of LED-based indicators have […]
With so many mandates, can successful designs still be achieved?
The overlap among best design practices, regulatory mandates, and project requirements may result in conflict and unachievable project results. Engineers are used to designing with respect to constraints and tradeoffs: after all, that’s what design is mainly about. If there were no such tradeoffs, getting a project completed and signed off would be far, far […]
Have you considered resistance soldering? Part 2
Resistance soldering is an alternative to conventional “pencil” soldering iron, which offers unique capabilities. Resistance soldering is an easy-to-use alternative soldering technique that’s been available for decades and offers many benefits, although it cannot always be used when soldering is required. It leverages the well-known principle of electrical self-heating (I2R dissipation) to create a localized […]
Have you considered resistance soldering? (Part 1)
The image of the electrical engineer or hacker bent over and using a soldering iron on a circuit board is a classic visual cliché of TV and movies (Figure 1). In most of these soldering images, the engineer is using a basic pencil-style soldering iron. That makes sense because the pencil soldering iron is the […]
Signal integrity can’t kill the breakout box
Just when you thought the trusty breakout box would fall victim to high-speed digital signals, it lives on
Digipots as electronic potentiometers, Pt 3: Enhancements
Digital potentiometers – digipots – are widely used, versatile, flexible, and feature-laden alternatives to classic mechanical potentiometers. In addition to their “hands-off” controllability, digipots offer additional simplicity, design-in ease, and much lower cost than potentiometers. Among their other capabilities: Dual digipots are useful where two resistances must be adjusted independently but especially so when they […]