Size constraints and a need for high efficiency are forcing designers to use more sophisticated current sensing techniques in modern electronics. Teoman Ustun, ACEINNA The historical mindset of power design being an afterthought in the overall system architecture is changing. Before the focus of electronic design shifted to power efficiency, it was a common practice […]
Saving energy with MCU power management
MCU low-power features such as built-in energy harvesting help optimize applications where long battery life is important. Masamitsu Muratani, Renesas The spectacular growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving the need for devices that are smarter, faster, and can last for long periods on small and inexpensive batteries. To meet such requirements, Renesas […]
Multiport USB hub sports transfer speeds up to 40 Gbits/sec, charges/syncs up to 10 USB 3.2 devices
The Cambrionix ThunderSync3-C10 Charge/Sync Hub is a Thunderbolt-certified hub which features 10 x USB Type-C connectors and offers 3-A (15 W) charging and USB 3.2 Gen 1 data for each connected device. It is claimed by Cambrionix to be the fastest Thunderbolt to USB Hub commercially available, with the ability to control and monitor each […]
How trimming affects thick-film resistor performance
Ordinary thick-film resistors can display varying qualities depending on how the manufacturer elected to trim the device. It pays to know what to look out for. Kory Schroeder, Stackpole Electronics Inc. Surface-mount thick-film chip resistors are the predominant type of resistor in electronic circuits today. This technology is inexpensive; thick-film resistors are produced by screen-printing […]
Better thermal management of eGaN FETs
A few simple thermal management guidelines can help conduct heat away from GaN FETs. Assaad Helou, Efficient Power Conversion Enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN) FETs offer high power-density with ultra-fast switching and low on-resistance, all in a compact form factor. However, the power levels these high-performance devices provide can be limited by extreme heat-flux densities. If […]
High-temperature spring-pin sockets handle LGA464 packages
A new LGA socket addresses high-performance requirements for 1.5-mm-pitch LGA464 packages. The CBT-LGA-5037 socket’s contactor is a stamped-spring pin with 19-gm actuation force/pin and cycle life of 125,000 insertions. The self-inductance of the contactor is 0.93 nH, insertion loss is < 1 dB at 23 GHz, and capacitance is 0.097 pF. The current capacity of […]
RF test system handles Bluetooth Basic Rate, Extended Data Rate, LE technologies
The FRVS RF test system has been approved by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG), the governing body for Bluetooth technology, for testing Bluetooth Basic Rate (BR), Extended Data Rate (EDR) and Low Energy (LE) technologies. It is estimated by ABI Research and the Bluetooth SIG that about 4.5 billion Bluetooth enabled devices were […]
Scope test regime validates PCIe 6.0 standard transmitters
An oscilloscope software pack implements PCI Express 6.0 compatible Base transmitter tests. PCIe 6.0 is an important and scalable standard for data-intensive markets such as data center, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), and high-performance computing. To meet ever growing performance demands, PCIe 6.0 standard transitions to PAM4 signaling and new innovative error correcting techniques. The Tektronix […]
Image classification models deliver improved run time on Intel Cascade Lake CPUs
A new set of industry-leading image classification models, dubbed DeciNets, run on Intel Cascade Lake CPUs. Deci’s proprietary Automated Neural Architecture Construction (AutoNAC) technology automatically generated the new image classification models that significantly improve all published models and deliver more than 2x improvement in runtime, coupled with improved accuracy, as compared to the most powerful […]
Optimizing power delivery networks
A few rules of thumb help navigate the nuances and common pitfalls of power system design using power modules. Jeff Ham, Vicor Corp. With industry emphasis on minimizing and eliminating waste wherever possible, it is the responsibility of the system designer to optimize the overall power architecture. Every piece of electronic equipment has a power […]