Articles and news - 10

25-kV generator tests insulation
25-kV generator tests insulation
Aug 31, 2025 Circuits

To generate high voltages with proper insulation between the “hot node” and the rest of the circuitry, a car ignition coil can function in place of a high-voltage transformer...

Ultra-low-noise phantom microphone supply uses tiny
Ultra-low-noise phantom microphone supply uses tiny DC-DC converter plus capacitor "trick"
Aug 28, 2025 Circuits

Professional condenser microphones require a 48-V supply to charge the internal capacitive transducer and power the internal buffer for the high-impedance transducer output. You can use a simple boost converter, a filter circuit to reduce electromagnetic interference...

Simple changes improve Schmitt trigger
Simple changes improve Schmitt trigger
Aug 27, 2025 Circuits

The classical Schmitt trigger circuit that you'll find in textbooks provides some noise immunity, such as for the front end of magnetic pickup in position-sensor circuits...

Why modulate power amplifier how do
Why modulate a power amplifier? - and how to do it
Aug 26, 2025 Circuits

We recently saw how certain audio power amplifiers can be used as oscillators. This Design Idea shows how those same parts can be used for simple amplitude modulation, which is trickier than it might seem...

Light an LED without wasting energy
Light an LED without wasting energy
Aug 25, 2025 Circuits

A typical LED-driver circuit uses a transistor to provide current and a series resistor to decrease the voltage you apply to the LED. Unfortunately, the energy (VSOURCE – VDIODE) × IDIODE in a transistor/resistor combination goes to waste...

Matchmaker
Matchmaker
Aug 24, 2025 Circuits

Precision-matched resistors, diode pairs, and bridges are generic items. But sometimes an extra critical application with extra tight tolerances (or an extra tight budget) can dictate a little (or a lot) of DIY...

simulated 100-MHz VFC
A simulated 100-MHz VFC
Aug 21, 2025 Circuits

Stephen Woodward, a prolific circuit designer with way more than 100 published Design Ideas, had his “80 MHz VFC with prescaler and preaccumulator” published on October 17, 2024...

Holtek new TinyPower low dropout voltage
Holtek new TinyPower low dropout voltage regulators with low quiescent current - HT75Rxx-1 and HT75Rxx-7
Aug 21, 2025 News

Holtek is delighted to announce the release of its new generation of low dropout voltage linear regulators with low quiescent current, the HT75Rxx-1 and HT75Rxx-7 series...

Flip ON Flop OFF high ish
Flip ON Flop OFF: high(ish) voltages from the positive supply rail
Aug 20, 2025 Circuits

We’ve seen lots of interesting conversations and Design Idea collaboration devising circuits for power switching using inexpensive momentary-contact SPST pushbuttons...

Nexperia releases industry first ESD protection
Nexperia releases industry's first ESD protection diodes for 48 V EV communications networks
Aug 19, 2025 News

Nexperia introduced the industry’s first ESD diodes designed to protect 48 V automotive data communications networks against the destructive effects of electrostatic discharge events...