Frequency synthesizers of various architectures, made possible by IC technology, are a key building blocks for applications which must accurately tune multiple channels, and hop from one frequency to another while using a single signal source such as a crystal oscillator. When you want to tune a desired radio station — AM or FM — […]
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Image gallery: Smart, small, and integrated at electronica 2018
Over 80,000 attendees from 80 countries spent four days at electronica 2018 in Munich last month combing 17 halls, 182K square meters of exhibition space, and meeting with as many of the 3,100 exhibitors as possible. The driving force for many of the new products introduced at the trade fair was, again, the need to […]
Power Electronics Top Talks in November on EDABoard.com forums
Peer-to-peer, engineer-to-engineer questions and answers from the EDABoard.com engineering community around power electronics. Click the “Read more” link and follow the entire conversation and maybe add your two cents by logging in to EDAboard.com Dell power supply – I got this PSU from one of my colleagues and did a quick inspection for the faults in […]
Power management ICs, part 2: PMIC implementations
The power management IC (PMIC) is often a vital part of the lower-voltage DC subsystem, as circuits have multiple power rails with tight individual specifications as well as mandated relationships among them. Part 1 of this FAQ discussed the need for, PMICs and their general characteristics. Part 2 now looks at specific ICs which implement […]
Power Management ICs, part 1: PMIC functions
The power management IC (PMIC) is often a vital part of the lower-voltage DC subsystem, as circuits have multiple power rails with tight individual specifications as well as mandated relationships among them. It’s one thing to develop needed low-voltage DC rails via DC/DC converters or regulators, but there’s also a need to manage these power […]
Optimizing the energy efficiency of converters and controllers
Here’s how to evaluate efficiencies associated with components that make up widely used power conversion circuitry. FRANK DE STASI, MATHEW JACOB, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC. IN SOME WAYS, selecting a module, converter or controller for power conversion resembles deciding whether to take a flight, board a train, or drive from point A to B. Once you’ve […]
electronica 2018: Get smart, Get small, Get integrated
I thought I heard about 100 different languages spoken as I crisscrossed 17 halls over four days in Munich at electronica 2018 with an average of eight miles a day of walking. I was wrong. It was closer to 180 languages. Tens of thousands of attendees were laser-focused on simplifying design and integrating devices and […]
Blood oxygen meters, Part 1: Background and principles
It is now trivial and non-invasive to measure blood-oxygen saturation SpO2, thanks to LEDs, algorithms, and ICs for pulse oximetry — and it’s a very long way from having to draw blood and send it out for assessment. Just a few decades ago, determining the vital medical parameter known as blood oxygen level — formally […]
Low-power single-chip temperature sensor performs like RTDs
Texas =Instruments has introduced a new temperature sensor family that offers ±0.1°C accuracy across a wide temperature range and helps simplify system design for industrial and medical applications. The TMP117 is the first single-chip temperature sensor to offer similar performance to platinum resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) while significantly reducing design complexity and power consumption, and […]
FAQ: Piezoelectric motors, Part 2: drive circuits
Unlike better-known electromagnetic motors, the widely used piezoelectric-based motor/actuator provides precise, repeatable linear motion over short distances, and requires a voltage drive rather than a current drive. Part 1 of this FAQ looked at the moving piezoelectric element of the actuator. Part 2 looks at their drive requirements, which are very different than those of […]