Day 1 of the 2021 Brooklyn 6G summit looked at the upcoming standards, features, and enhancements that will come to 5G while the research community explores 6G technologies.
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Nuances of low power MCUs for wireless sensors and wearables
The optimization of microcontrollers (MCUs) in power-sensitive applications such as wireless sensor nodes and wearables is all about maximizing power management effectiveness. To minimize power consumption, low-power MCUs typically operate at frequencies below 50 MHz, compared with hundreds of MHz or even 1+ GHz for conventional MCUs. These power-optimized MCUs also use low-power peripherals; they […]
8-, 16- and 32-bit MCUs, are more bits better?
Are more bits better in an MCU? That’s similar to asking: are more cylinders better in an internal combustion engine (ICE)? Peripherals and other features matter, not just bits (or cylinders). For example, in the 1980s, Volvo offered a station wagon with a turbo-V4 engine that was faster off the line than Chevrolet Corvette with […]
3 Things to know when transitioning to mmWave
Get a handle on the differences between working at the traditional sub-6 GHz frequencies and mmWave frequencies. The old design techniques won’t work in this new world. Turning 5G wireless communication into a widespread reality will require the use of mmWave frequencies. But if you have spent much of your career working in the sub-6…
Comparing IGBT and SiC MOSFET PIMs in solar inverters
Side-by-side performance comparisons can show where silicon-carbide excels in PV installations. Steven Shackell • onsemi According to the International Energy Agency, solar power (PV) installations are on track to reach an installed capacity of 3,300 TWh by 2030, a yearly growth rate of 15% from 2019. Installations will be a mix of micro, mini and […]
Reliable real-time control in automotive HVAC compressor applications for HEVs and EVs
By Osamah Ahmad, product marketing, C2000 real-time MCUs, and Kevin Stauder, system engineer, automotive systems, Texas Instruments After a decade of rapid growth, global hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) market sales increased a record 43 percent in 2020 over 2019. This much-anticipated global HEV and EV market surge occurs because of region-led […]
Inside a modern power management IC
PMICs today do a lot more than just regulate voltages. Here’s a look at high-end functions these devices provide. Narasimhan Trichy • Qorvo Superior power management and high efficiency have become essential as electronics have become increasingly smaller and more streamlined. The reduction of power dissipation and consequent heat and thermal issues is critical to […]
Improvements in stacked load architectures
Stacked-load schemes have made power conversion more economical in server racks. New developments in this technology promise to provide additional gains in efficiency. Laszlo Lipcsei, Alexandr Ikriannikov, Di Yao — Maxim Integrated, now part of Analog Devices Load currents continue to rise in server applications while rail voltages tend to drop. Consequently, the conduction losses […]
Thermal challenges with high-power resistors
Shrinking component sizes have complicated the task of ensuring temperatures stay below their allowable maximum. Kory Schroeder • Stackpole Electronics Inc. Electronic components of all types continue to shrink in size. In response, resistor manufacturers are devising resistors with higher power ratings but which come in commonly used sizes. Of course, when more power gets […]
Harvesting energy from ocean waves
Efficient power conversion technology now makes buoy systems practical for powering real-world devices. Autonomous offshore power systems (AOPS) now capture mechanical wave energy and convert it into usable power for a wide range of oceanic applications such as offshore oil and gas exploration and production, offshore carbon sequestration, oceanographic research, aquaculture and homeland defense. An […]
