PMBusTakes Command of Data Center Power Issues

PMBus-capable server power supplies, in conjunction with system-level and data center-level management applications, can lower system operating costs, improve data center efficiency and increase system densities ...

Test Saturation Voltage to Achieve High Efficiency

Build a low-cost saturation tester to measure the saturation voltage of switching transistors accurately in the presence of high switching voltages or noise...

Proper Care Extends Li-Ion Battery Life

Li-ion battery lifetime depends on battery chemistry, depth of discharge, battery temperature and battery capacity termination level...

Copper Alloy Inductors Stabilize Current Sensing

For CPU VRM designs, a copper alloy features a more constant dc resistance over temperature than a traditional copper inductor, with little in the way of performance tradeoffs...

Automated Fault Diagnosis Ensures Product Success

SPICE-based fault diagnosis eliminates potential product failures early in the design cycle, so they don’t occur in the field...

Packaging Can Take Us Into Uncharted Territories

It's as old as the three-terminal voltage regulator or as new as the latest digital power controller...

Data Points

Battery Tests Suggest Li-Ion is Tough Enough to Rule Automotive Jungle Researchers in the Power Sources R&D group at Sandia National Laboratories have...

Spotlight on Passives

Multilayer Capacitors The EVC series of multi-layer monolithic ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) from Murata Electronics features higher ripple-current capabilities...

New Products

Low-Noise DC-DC Converter The EP5368QI 600-mA synchronous buck converter delivers extremely low output ripple...

Low-Voltage MCU Exploits a Battery of Power Tricks

A family of 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) from Silicon Laboratories is able to operate at voltages down to 0.9 V...

Design Challenges are Mounting for Power Modules

The need for increased energy efficiency is shaping both the generation and consumption of electrical energy...

Low-Voltage MOSFETs Aim to Build Better Buck Converters

Power semiconductor suppliers continue to advance the state-of-the-art in power MOSFETs by enhancing their process technology...

Constant-Power Driver is Simple and Efficient

Actuators and sensor systems sometimes include a resistive load that requires a controllable, constant-power drive...