Bridgeless PFC Boosts Low-Line Efficiency

Wide input-voltage range power factor correction (PFC) converters present some of the most difficult component challenges in ac-dc power electronics....

Model PCB Thermals with Greater Accuracy

Electronics companies at the leading edge of performance are being forced to address board-level thermal requirements at the earliest stages of design....

Current-Sense Amp Offers Four-Quadrant Operation

Many current-sensing ICs are available for applications that require single-quadrant operation, where positive common-mode voltages are present and current...

LED Streetlight Demands Smart Power Supply High-Brightness LEDs

A two-stage architecture enables designers to meet requirements for energy efficiency, power factor correction, dimming control, ac input voltage and constant-current regulation for solid-state large-area lighting...

Increase DC-DC Efficiency Across Load and Frequency

To help improve dc-dc conversion efficiency at lighter loads and higher switching frequencies, a Schottky diode can be integrated onto a MOSFET chip....

Time Pressures Often Trump Design Concerns

Last year we conducted a survey of you, our readers, asking many questions about how you work, how you obtain technical information and what challenges...

Data Points

Chipmaker and University Develop Energy-Efficient Microchip Researchers at MIT and Texas Instruments (TI) have unveiled a new chip design for portable...

Digital Controllers Maximize Efficiency Over Load Range

The latest generation of Zilker Labs' digital power controllers, the ZL2006 and ZL2004, feature new algorithms that dynamically optimize efficiency as...

Spotlight on Magnetics

Toroidal Inductors Vishay Intertechnology's TJ5-HT toroidal, high-current inductors feature operating temperatures up to 200C and enable low EMI. Inductance...

The Data Sheet Is Not Your Mother

Possibly the most common and familiar thermal parameter known to electronics packaging engineers and system designers is theta-JA (JA). Theta-JA is typically...

Simple, Constant-Current Drive Controls 16 LEDs

To match the brightness and color of multiple LEDs in RGB applications you should drive all LEDs with a constant current. However, some of these driver...

Industry Showcases Advanced Power Components at APEC

Many of the vendors participating in this year's Applied Power Electronics Technology Conference and Exhibition (APEC), Feb. 24-28 in Austin, Texas, will...