News
China’s proposed ban of rare-earth metals would affect hybrid cars, CFLs 11/26/2009
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is proposing a total ban on exports of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium and a restriction on neodymium, europium, cerium, and lanthanum to a total of 35,000 tons a year, which is far below global needs. Many of these metals are vital to energy-efficient technology.Power-converter IC targets dimmable LEDs, needs no optoisolator 11/12/2009
The large installed base of dimmable-lighting switches dictates that most new lighting technologies, including LED lights, should support dimming, and the myriad disparate specifications for dimming switches requires these lights to meet a wide range of characteristics.Microcontroller for power meters thwarts tampering 10/6/2009
Government agencies and utilities are pushing to move the global power infrastructure to a smart grid—a transition that will rely on the installation of intelligent power meters in residences and businesses.Osram develops direct-emitting green-laser diode 9/17/2009
Osram Opto Semiconductors announced lab results for a direct-emitting green-InGaN (indium-gallium-nitride)-laser diode. In pulsed-mode operation at room temperature, the laboratory prototype achieved an optical output of 50 mW, with a threshold-current density of approximately 9 kA/cm2, emitting light in true green—defined by the spectral range of 515 to 535 nm—with a wavelength of 515 nm.Workshop addresses LED challenges 9/9/2009
The US Department of Energy recently invested $6.4 million in LED design to encourage innovation in solid-state lighting. But solid-state lighting is as much about the surrounding electronic-power-control circuitry, thermal management, and optics as it is about the basic LED devices.In-Depth
What every designer should know about magnetics in switch-mode power supplies 11/26/2009
Power is often an afterthought in system design, but the choice and design of the magnetic elements at the heart of an SMPS are crucial. Acquaint or reacquaint yourself with the fundamentals of this frequently overlooked area.Secondary-side synchronous rectification boosts resonant converter efficiency 11/19/2009
While secondary-side synchronous rectification in resonant half-bridge topology is not uncommon, its implementation has not been easy. A novel control scheme precisely turns on and off the secondary-side synchronous rectifier MOSFETs to achieve rectification that emulates a Schottky-diode rectifier, minimizing switching losses and optimizing conversion efficiency.Using high-current integrated-switch power-regulator ICs 10/22/2009
Learn the thermal considerations so you don't get burned.Breaking down the sensor-signal path 9/17/2009
By understanding the stages of an analog-signal path, digital-system developers can more accurately capture sensor data for a variety of applications.Implementing power factor correction with frequency clamp critical conduction mode 8/19/2009
An innovative power factor correction design, frequency clamp critical conduction mode, clamps the frequency with a near-unity power factor while keeping the simple control scheme of a critical conduction mode design.Experts
New power-supply efficiency numbers herald a new era in power management 11/17/2009
GUEST OPINION: The EDN article "Industry standards lead push toward energy-efficient computing" discussed the new Platinum power requirements for high-efficiency ac/dc power supplies. But have we reached the point of diminishing returns by pushing efficiency requirements too high?Understanding power-over-Ethernet power allocation 8/10/2009
GUEST OPINION: Along with power-over-Ethernet's growing popularity has come growing demand for intelligent and efficient POE power allocation and management. In response, today's POE silicon suppliers have made sure that real-time power management is an integral part of virtually every enterprise-grade midspan and switch. Still, confusion about power-allocation best practices persists.Can’t see the forest ... 6/25/2009
Analog design is all about trade-offs, so system-design expertise is vital to any company offering analog chips.Voices: Avnet LightSpeed’s Cary Eskow: illuminating energy-efficient design 11/27/2008
Cary Eskow is director of LightSpeed, the solid-state-lighting- and LED (light-emitting-diode)-business unit of Avnet Electronics Marketing. A 28-year Avnet veteran, he leads Avnet’s national team of illumination-focused engineers experienced in thermal, drive-stage, and optics design and has worked closely with LED manufacturers, advanced analog IC,Voices: National Semiconductor’s David Anderson 7/10/2008
EDN's Paul Rako talks with David Anderson, National Semiconductor's chief technologist for power management, about his long and distinguished engineering career, his company, and the present and future of power management.DesignIdeas
