Articles - 8

I’ve always been interested in simple-looking components which solve well-defined, clear, bounded problems. One carpentry example I encountered and used many years ago is formally known as a hanger bolt, Figure 1. One end has a wood-screw ...

The high-efficiency switching power supply has become a staple ingredient in many of today’s electronic systems. What is its origins and how has it evolved over the decades? Switched-mode power supplies are found in electronics all around us. ...

A generally accepted fact about relays and solenoids is that after they’re driven into the actuated state, only half as much coil voltage and therefore only one fourth as much coil power, are required to reliably sustain it. Consequently, any ...

Abstract This article details a method of generating dual-output voltage rails that provide both the positive and negative rails for a device power supply (DPS) while requiring only one bidirectional power supply. The traditional method of powering ...

Abstract This article will explain the inherent limitations of the boost topology and how to overcome them. When designing and evaluating boost converters, sometimes the intended output voltage is not realized. Instead, it has a lower value than ...

Figure 1 shows the architecture of a conventional isolated flyback converter. These converters can be found frequently in power classes of up to about 60 W. A supply voltage is converted to an output voltage with the help of a primary-side switch ...

Modern measurement systems often operate with single 5-V power supplies, yet their input signals may have large common-mode voltages that exceed the supply by tens or hundreds of volts. Also, unless the converter is driven differentially, the noise ...

Many precision test-and-measurement and high-speed analog applications require an exact targeted voltage to be delivered to the device under test or intended load to accurately analyze the device. Design and test engineers are well-aware that this ...

Despite massive, large-scale integration being ubiquitous in contemporary electronic design, discrete MOSFETs in the classic CMOS totem pole topology are still sometimes indispensable. This makes tips and tricks for driving them efficiently with ...

Abstract This article discusses the use of dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) to achieve precise voltage regulation. DVS is a process that adjusts the output voltage slightly higher or lower in anticipation of load transients. The article examines how ...