Fast Charge Becomes a Reality For Li-Ion Batteries

High-drain-rate Li-ion batteries developed for power tools accept high-charge currents, but alter the demands on the battery charger. ...

SMPS Design Extends Universal Input to 690 Vac

A quasi-resonant flyback converter uses high-voltage emitter-switched bipolar transistors to achieve the wide inputvoltage range needed to power digital electric-energy meters in both residential and industrial applications. ...

Legacy PD Controllers Support PoE Plus Power

As the IEEE 802.3af standard for Power over Ethernet is superseded by 802.3at, it is possible to implement a PoE Plus-required power level of 30 W, with the aid of an external MOSFET and a controller designed for the older standard....

Processed Power Inductors Shine at High Frequencies

As multimegahertz switching becomes common in dc-dc converters, processed inductors offer the advantages of smaller size and lower cost when compared with conventional wirewound components. ...

LED Lighting Illuminates Buck Regulator Design

When driving high-brightness LEDs with switching regulators, LED requirements will influence many details of regulator design including the methods used for closing the feedback loop and for LED dimming....

Standby for New Power-Supply Metrics

Performance metrics are constantly evolving to suit changing user requirements. That certainly seems to be the case with power electronics. For instance,...

Data Points

Green Grid to Collaborate with DOE The Green Grid, a nonprofit consortium dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing...

Spotlight on Battery-Charger ICs

Li-Ion/Li-Polymer Chargers Microchip Technology's MCP73837 and MCP73838 dual-input, high-current Li-ion/Li-polymer charge-management controllers feature...

New Products

Digitally Controlled Power Supplies ColdWatt has expanded its digital power-conversion portfolio to include platforms aimed at blade and high-end server...

Inertia Stalls Application of Brushless Motors in Cars

Brushless motor technology has been around for what seems like forever. Interestingly, the motor technology itself is simpler than the brush type, has...

ICs Make Meter Designs Easier, Energy Theft Harder

Demands for greater functionality, higher reliability and lower cost have driven the development of the latest electronic energy-metering ICs. These devices, which include both system-on-a-chip metering chips and general-purpose microcontrollers with metering-oriented peripherals, target a range of single-phase and three-phase electricity meter applications for residential or commercial use....

Generate an Output Below the Reference Voltage

Applications sometimes require the generation of a voltage that is below the reference rail. Many design engineers would just use a second regulator to generate this voltage. However, a simple change in the feedback path of a switching regulator allows a single regulator to perform this task....

Product of the Year: LDO Redesign Creates a More Versatile Regulator

Ultimately, the device selected for Product of the Year award must offer a refreshing combination of novelty and usefulness. Linear Technology's LT3080, an adjustable 1.1-A low-dropout regulator, appears rich in both qualities....

Power-Supply ICs Boost Efficiency Over Load Range

Power Integrations' TOPSwitch-HX family of ac-dc power-conversion ICs help power supplies achieve high efficiency across the load range. In doing so,...

2007 Industry CEOs

At the center of tomorrow's energy solutions is power-systems design. And at the heart of the companies showing the way are the power-industry CEOs. ...