(editor’s note: Intrigued by these power electronics problems? Have a question or another solution? Then click the “Read more” link and follow the conversation on EDAboard.com or log in to EDAboard and participate in the power electronics forum threads.) Cheap mains conducted emissions tester? – Our direct drive, 100W offline, non-isolated LED driver failed EMC […]
Featured
How to power and configure LEDs
LEDs – light-emitting diodes – have largely supplanted other sources of light in many applications. They are used in applications ranging from small on/off power indicators, to small and large alphanumeric displays, to screen backlighting, and even for area and street illumination. It’s well known that LEDs are far more efficient than venerable incandescent lighting, […]
Teardown: The electronics of Hello Barbie
Parents leery of privacy invasion have little to fear from Barbie, whose language skills mainly reside in the cloud. There’s been a lot of discussion in the media about privacy and home appliances that listen to conversations. The Hello Barbie doll is a voice-enabled toy that has been part of the controversy. It uses Wi-Fi […]
The post Teardown: The electronics of Hello Barbie appeared first on Microcontroller Tips.
New heart rate sensor claims to cut power consumption of fitness watches
It’s said that nearly 80% of the battery power in smartwatches goes to running the heart-rate monitor. But a new generation of photodiodes able to function as heart-rate sensors consumes five times less energy than the devices now found in smartwatches. The new photodiodes were developed by a Swiss startup called ActLight in conjunction with […]
Why lithium-ion batteries lose capacity over time
Researchers at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory say they’ve identified a major culprit in capacity fade of high-energy lithium-ion batteries. With the cause identified, the next step is to figure out ways of curing the fading problem. The capacity of a Li-ion battery is tied directly to how many lithium ions […]
Basics of measuring self capacitance
We ordinarily think of capacitance as a property of a device consisting of two conductive plates with terminals or leads, separated by an electrolytic layer. There is also unintended or parasitic capacitance, where two conductive bodies take the form of a capacitor and exhibit similar properties. An example of this is the atmospheric situation preceding […]
The post Basics of measuring self capacitance appeared first on Test & Measurement Tips.
Is RF wireless or an RF-cable transmission?
What is RF? RF stands for “Radio Frequency” and has become a catch-all term for certain wired communications and a large (spectral) range of wirelessly transmitted waves. It’s easy to find wireless RF modules for microcontroller development kits and other design-ready products, but where does RF cable fit in? What does Ethernet have to do […]
The post Is RF wireless or an RF-cable transmission? appeared first on Microcontroller Tips.
What are active and passive sensors?
“Passives” in general within the electronics community are devices that do not drive or transmit power or signals. Passives do not control electricity directly and do not require external power sources to accomplish control of an electrical signal. Examples of passive components are resistors (R), capacitors (C), inductors (L), transformers, antennas, potentiometers (variable resistors), diodes […]
The post What are active and passive sensors? appeared first on Analog IC Tips.
Video line-up: Gallium nitride semiconductors at APEC 2017
The recently concluded APEC 2017 in Tampa played host to a lot of technological developments involving GaN semiconductors. Here are a few of the demos on the exhibit floor that highlighted what these wide band gap devices can do for power circuits. In the future, your TV set may not need a power cord […]
The case for multiprotocol, multiband connectivity in the IoT
Wireless protocols that are widely used in the IoT have a lot of common attributes. Multiprotocol SoCs able to run them all can simplify many kinds of wireless designs. TOM PANNELL | SILICON LABS We have many innate expectations for controlling the myriad devices and systems in our lives. When I enter a room in […]
The post The case for multiprotocol, multiband connectivity in the IoT appeared first on Microcontroller Tips.