Distributed power architectures (DPAs) are many and varied. DPAs, including the dynamic bus architecture and the intermediate bus architecture, are evolving as a result of new power demands from FPGAs, CPUs, GPUs, ASICs. And the concept of a DPA has extended into distributed power control architectures (DPCAs) being developed for electric vehicle charging stations, renewable […]
FAQ
What are ASILs and how do they work?
Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASILs) are a risk classification framework based on the ISO 26262 standard for Functional Safety for Road Vehicles. ISO 26262 is the adaptation of the IEC 61508 standards to address the specific needs of electrical or electronic (E/E) systems within road vehicles. This FAQ reviews the current status of the ASIL […]
VSWR and impedance, Part 6: Microstrip and stripline
Understanding the role and implications of impedance in RF transmission lines and antennas is vital to successful system performance. The traditional matching approaches are still in wide use, but new application requirements and advances in components, modeling and simulation, and manufacturing precision have also provided new ways to address the matching problem. Q: What is […]
VSWR and impedance, Part 5: Making a match
Understanding the role and implications of impedance in RF transmission lines and antennas is vital to successful system performance. The importance of impedance matching, minimizing reflections, and keeping a low VSWR means these topics have been studied extensively, ranging from analytical perspectives through many physical designs and implementations. This section looks at some matching techniques. […]
What does automotive qualification mean?
Automotive qualification means that a component or system meets specific industry standards for manufacturing and performance. Automotive qualification is not a static landscape. New standards are developed in response to the emergence of new technologies, and existing standards evolve in response to changing applications and new mission profiles. This FAQ reviews and contrasts key international […]
Negotiate through 1/f noise challenges towards sample sizes into the 100s of years
Measuring and determining 1/f voltage noise over a multiple-year sample requires an operational amplifier and effective 1/f knowledge. This article shows how to identify and determine the actual op amp 1/f voltage noise across a sample size of years and explains why the 1/f voltage noise is a non-issue at higher frequencies. After many years […]
VSWR and impedance, Part 4: Measurements
Understanding the role and implications of impedance in RF transmission lines and antennas is vital to successful system performance. The previous section looked at the basics of VSWR. This section looks at two approaches to measuring impedance and VSWR. Q: What do engineers and users need to know? A: For some applications, such as connecting […]
Technology trends for increased PoL power densities
The power density of point of load (buck) converters (PoLs) has been increasing for several decades. It is driven by a combination of component improvements and advanced power conversion technologies that produce the increases in power conversion efficiencies needed to support higher power densities. Where are we now? And what’s next? Power density is an […]
VSWR and impedance, Part 3: Implications
Understanding the role and implications of impedance in RF transmission lines and antennas is vital to successful system performance. The previous sections looked at the basics of impedance and VSWR. This section looks at the implications of VSWR measurements. Q: Why should I care about reflected waves due to impedance mismatch and resultant non-unity VSWR? […]
VSWR and impedance, Part 2: Reflected power
Understanding the role and implications of impedance in RF transmission lines and antennas is vital to successful system performance. Part 1 of this article looked at the basics of impedance matching and power transfer. This part looks at the closely related topic of nominal impedance and VSWR. Q: Why all this worry? Aren’t RF systems […]
