Articles and news - 2

Over the years, various power-off circuits have been published. However, the circuit proposed here is very simple and has excellent characteristics. It features a fast power-off transition, with only 8 mV voltage drop at power on and sub-µA leakage current...

PragmatIC Semiconductor’s recent announcement about developing a flexible version of the 6502 processor takes tech history buffs on the road to nostalgia...

Some transducers for portable or automotive applications need accurately regulated, high-voltage bias and draw little current. To produce such high voltages from a low battery voltage, designers typically use switch-mode dc/dc converters...

A ground plane acts as a common reference voltage, provides shielding, enables heat dissipation, and reduces stray inductance (but it also increases parasitic capacitance). While there are many advantages to using a ground plane, care must be taken when implementing it...

Despite its critical nature in high-speed circuitry, printed-circuit-board layout is often one of the last steps in the design process. There are many aspects to high-speed PCB layout; volumes have been written on the subject. This article addresses high-speed layout from a practical perspective...

Class D audio amplifiers provide a dual benefit for battery-powered portable devices. They enhance battery life, and they produce much less power dissipation than do their linear cousins. Those features make Class D amplifiers ideal candidates for controlling speed and direction in small electric motors...

Figure shows a polarization circuit applicable to ISFET sensors. ISFETs are solid-state chemical sensors that measure the pH value of a solution in biomedical and environmental applications, for example...

Texas Instruments introduced a new high-performance microcontroller portfolio that advances real-time control, networking and analytics applications at the edge. With new Sitara AM2x MCUs, engineers can achieve 10 times the computing capability of traditional...

D-type flip-flops, with the inverted output connected to the D input, can toggle a clock signal. If your circuit has an extra Schmitt-trigger inverter gate, you can use it to accomplish the same thing...

A previously-published Design Idea outlined a polarity protection circuit that provides the correct connection of the battery to a load regardless of the battery’s orientation in its holder. The circuit, based on the MAX4636, a fast-switching, low-voltage, dual SPDT CMOS analog switch IC from Maxim Integrated, was functional, but it had some drawbacks...