The Sky's the Limit for Wind Power Conversion

Harnessing the energy in the high altitude winds is a technology that can support the world’s energy needs. Capturing this energy can be accomplished by further development of existing technologies and may not require any fundamental scientific breakthroughs. ...

Demystifying Power MOSFET's Avalanche Ruggedness

Different power electronics applications stress MOSFETs in completely different ways. For example, there are MOSFETS in which the datasheet parameters provide a picture that is “frozen in time.” That is, they are captured under very specific test conditions that may or may not provide an accurate picture of what to expect from the MOSFET behavior in the circuit....

Multi-Stage Charge Timer Enhances Li-Ion Battery Safety and Functionality, Complies with IEEE Std. 1725-2006

A multi-stage charge timer provides charge safety and battery fault detection benefits to Li-Ion charging.  It also provides application flexibility by terminating charging when the charger output current is shared with an operating load.  The multi-stage timer tops off the battery without resorting to perpetual float charging.  It provides fault detection and charging safety, and enhances battery capacity and service life. ...

Li-Polymer Enables Product Distinction

Lithium polymer batteries have become common in single-cell consumer applications like cell phones and MP3 players, but industrial and commercial applications are now putting them to good use as well. The thin and custom shaped cells are now used in large, complex packs. ...

Simplified Phase-Shifted Full-Bridge Converter Design

To implement a zero voltage switching topology, a streamlined design for a phase-shifted, full-bridge converter uses fixed delays in place of adaptive delays. ...

Press-Fit pin Enables Solder-Less Assembly

Solder pins have been the interface of choice for power modules for many years. New press-fit pins take the assembly properties of power modules a step further: the solder-less assembly of the modules, equally easy on both sides of the PCB, leads to higher reliability and design flexibility and drastically reduces production costs. ...

Effective Energy-Harvesting Requires Appropriate Components

Designers are attracted to energy harvesting solutions that eliminate the need to run power cables to remote locations and to eliminate the need for frequent battery replacement. To be effective, these energy harvesting systems need components that provide the requisite performance, efficiency, and physical size....

A Simple Method to Determine ESR Requirements for Stable Regulators

A single, simple measurement is described that allows the determination of the ESR required to achieve a desired phase margin, using a particular value of output capacitor. Solving the ESR requirement at the lowest operating current provides a stable solution for higher operating currents as well. ...