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Components & Packaging

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Rich Pell

A resource and community for engineers involved in the design, selection and application of electronic components and hardware, including resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors, diodes connectors, switches, relays, cabling, IC and system packaging, enclosures, circuit protection devices and thermal management. The Center includes in-depth technical design articles, blogs, regulatory and industry updates, technical papers, webinars, product updates and reviews, design ideas, forums, commentary and Q&A.
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Signal distortion from high-K ceramic capacitors

Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are used extensively in modern electronics because they offer high volumetric efficiencies and low equivalent series resistances at attractive prices. Read More...

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Component obsolescence: Is your process up to the challenge? (Part 2)

Obsolete end-of-life (EOL) components can be a challenge for design engineers. Having the right processes in place to deal with them doesn't have to be. Read More...

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Chipheads unite: DesignCon 2014 calls for papers

If you are ready to share your expertise with the chip, board & systems design community, then it’s time to submit your proposals for the DesignCon 2014 Technical Program. Read More...

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Six road blocks in high-voltage connector design (and how to overcome them)

Learn about the six most common challenges in high-voltage cable assembly and connector design and how to avoid them. Read More...

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Component obsolescence: Is your process up to the challenge?

Obsolete end-of-life (EOL) components can be a challenge for design engineers. Having the right processes in place to deal with them doesn't have to be. Read More...

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A circuit simplification for AC power supply surge protection devices

An attempt is made to simplify the circuit of the traditional surge protective device installed on single-phase AC power supply lines of electronic systems while still retaining comparable performance. Read More...

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Energy harvesting wireless switch transmits on-off data over a 300m range

The energy harvesting wireless switch offered by Cherry Corporation comes as a 25x9.4x23.9mm unit that communicates its switching status wirelessly over the 868MHz or 2.4GHz RF band. Read More...

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Counting squares: A method to quickly estimate PWB trace resistance

This article presents a simple method of estimating the DC resistance of a printed wire board trace or plane. Fairly complex geometries can be broken up into various different size squares of copper to approximate the entire region of interest. Read More...

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Ohm’s Law iPhone app helps engineers back-solve electrical power calculations

Cressall Resistors is usually associated with heavy engineering but the company also has software engineering expertise in-house, the first fruit of which is an iPhone app for solving Ohm's Law. Read More...

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Eliminating soldering in automotive electronic systems manufacturing

This article addresses the key advantages to compliant pin technologies as well as important design guidelines when manufacturing automotive electronics. Read More...

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Ensure long lifetimes from electrolytic capacitors: A case study in LED light bulbs

Several years ago I worked on a few designs for LED light bulbs. Very early on it became clear that the temperatures of components in such light bulbs can get quite high. Read More...

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Three things they should have taught in Engineering 101, Part 3: Learn an intuitive approach

Part three of an excerpt from the book "Electrical Engineering 101, Third Edition" discusses how to develop the skill of intuitive signal analysis. Read More...

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Contactless connectivity platform targets applications that contain moving parts

TE Connectivity has unveiled a new technology platform that will allow the delivery of robust power, signals and data without any physical connectors or contact, in virtually any environment. Read More...

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Slideshow: Analog Aficionados 2013 sees old relationships, new mentoring

This is the fourth year that the stars of the analog electronics world have united under one roof to share a meal, a beer, stories and experiences. Here are some of the awesome engineers and very interesting people I met at this great event. Read More...

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Three things they should have taught in Engineering 101, Part 2: How to visualize electrical components

Part two of an excerpt from the book "Electrical Engineering 101, Third Edition" covers some basic comparisons that use everyday items - i.e., physical equivalents of basic electronic components - to create an intuitive understanding of a circuit. Read More...

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Modeling the Q factor for accurate lumped element filter simulation

The modeling of the lumped element's quality factor, or Q value, can be used to simulate the inductor's or capacitor's parasitics as well as non-linear behavior over frequency. The Q-value's equation can be used in circuit simulators to predict the filter's response over frequency. Read More...

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Circuit's RMS output is linearly proportional to temperature over wide range

In this design idea the concept of the p-n diode driven at constant current is extrapolated, potentially eliminating voltage references and op amps. The result is a unique implementation of a simple but highly accurate temperature proportional circuit. Read More...

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Photo meter assesses ambient light

When most PN-junction diodes are reverse biased, they will produce a small photovoltaic output as the light level is increased. Read More...

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Quasistatic Spice model targets ceramic capacitors with Y5V dielectric

Run more accurate Spice simulations by accounting for the capacitance variation versus applied voltage. Read More...

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Complementary-pair dc/dc converter simultaneously doubles, inverts supply voltage

Change a single positive supply into twice its positive and equal negative voltages. Read More...

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Obtain a gain of 450 from one vacuum tube

Combine sand (silicon) with vacuum tube technology to get the best of both. Read More...

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Simple solenoid driver is adaptable and efficient

Use capacitive reactance to save energy while holding a solenoid in the energized position. Read More...

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Read 10 or more switches using only two I/O pins of a microcontroller

Use a decoded counter to easily read one or multiple switch closures. Read More...

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Rotary encoder with absolute readout offers high resolution and low cost

This Design Idea attempts to combine the advantages of the potentiometer with the endless operation of the mechanical-optical rotary encoder. Read More...

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Technique maximizes converter efficiency

Run a switching voltage regulator from its own low-voltage output after it starts up. Read More...

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Charge a nickel-cadmium cell reliably and inexpensively

A nickel-cadmium cell charger uses two ICs to achieve long charge times and accurate charge current. Read More...

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Active surge protection filter module for 28v military applications

Here is a part of ultra-reliable, mission critical power systems that is often understated, but is nonetheless a key component to a robust design----the surge protection filter. Read More...

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Inductors achieve high current, temperature

Vishay Dale has introduced two inductor families aimed at automotive applications. Read More...

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TE unveils triple-lock appliance connector

The PTL (power triple lock) connector system from TE Connectivity offers a centerline spacing of 6.0 mm and two locking options—CPA (connector position assurance) and TPA (terminal position assurance)—for enhanced connection stability. Read More...

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Automotive X8R chip capacitors operate up to 3 kV

To keep pace with today’s automotive requirements, Syfer Technology has extended the working voltage of its X8R dielectric multilayer chip capacitors to 3 kV DC, available in capacitance values from 270 pF to 1.8 µF with tolerances of ±5%, ±10%, and ±20%. Read More...

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High-performance oscillators target cloud computing

Silicon Labs has introduced a new family of crystal oscillators for ultra-low jitter reference timing for 10G, 40G and 100G cloud computing and networking equipment. Read More...

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2.0x1.2mm tantalum chip capacitors have values from 22 to 220uF

Kemet has released three new series of tantalum chip capacitors: T488 small case substrate terminal MnO2, T527 facedown polymer, and T529 small case substrate terminal polymer. Read More...

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Industry's first all SiC three-phase power module offers lower cost power conversion

Cree, Inc. has introduced the industry’s first commercially available silicon carbide (SiC) six-pack power module in an industry standard 45 mm package. Read More...

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Silver conductive EMI/RFI shielding coating effective to 95-105 dB

Master Bond MB600S is an aqueous based sodium silicate formulated for coating applications where electromagnetic interference/radio frequency interference shielding is required. Read More...

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Factory-programmable linear Hall-effect sensor ICs for high-bandwidth applications

Two new factory one-time programmable automotive-grade linear Hall-effect sensor ICs eliminate the need for customers to optimise or program the devices for their finished sensor assemblies. Read More...

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Smaller charger designs enabled by Super Barrier rectifiers

The 15A rated SBR15U50SP5 Super Barrier Rectifier (SBR) from Diodes Inc. has been introduced to meet the needs of next-generation smartphone and tablet chargers. Read More...

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Energy harvesting wireless switch transmits on-off data over a 300m range

The energy harvesting wireless switch offered by Cherry Corporation comes as a 25x9.4x23.9mm unit that communicates its switching status wirelessly over the 868MHz or 2.4GHz RF band. Read More...

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Acoustic adhesive vent protects portable electronics

The GAW113 acoustic vent from W. L. Gore Portable Electronic Vents group is designed to provide dust and splash protection for acoustic openings in portable electronic devices. Read More...

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Ohm’s Law iPhone app helps engineers back-solve electrical power calculations

Cressall Resistors is usually associated with heavy engineering but the company also has software engineering expertise in-house, the first fruit of which is an iPhone app for solving Ohm's Law. Read More...

image

Contactless connectivity platform targets applications that contain moving parts

TE Connectivity has unveiled a new technology platform that will allow the delivery of robust power, signals and data without any physical connectors or contact, in virtually any environment. Read More...

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MLCCs have near-pure silver electrodes for high conductivity

AVX has introduced a series of microwave MLCCs with near-pure silver (Ag) electrodes, which both enhance performance and mitigate cost. Read More...

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Fused tantalum chip capacitors offer 'fail-safe' design

KEMET has introduced the T496 Hi-Rel Fused Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) MnO2 Series of tantalum surface mount capacitors. Read More...

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Component obsolescence: Is your process up to the challenge? (Part 2)

Obsolete end-of-life (EOL) components can be a challenge for design engineers. Having the right processes in place to deal with them doesn't have to be. Read More...

image

Six road blocks in high-voltage connector design (and how to overcome them)

Learn about the six most common challenges in high-voltage cable assembly and connector design and how to avoid them. Read More...

image

Component obsolescence: Is your process up to the challenge?

Obsolete end-of-life (EOL) components can be a challenge for design engineers. Having the right processes in place to deal with them doesn't have to be. Read More...

image

A circuit simplification for AC power supply surge protection devices

An attempt is made to simplify the circuit of the traditional surge protective device installed on single-phase AC power supply lines of electronic systems while still retaining comparable performance. Read More...

image

Counting squares: A method to quickly estimate PWB trace resistance

This article presents a simple method of estimating the DC resistance of a printed wire board trace or plane. Fairly complex geometries can be broken up into various different size squares of copper to approximate the entire region of interest. Read More...

image

Three things they should have taught in Engineering 101, Part 3: Learn an intuitive approach

Part three of an excerpt from the book "Electrical Engineering 101, Third Edition" discusses how to develop the skill of intuitive signal analysis. Read More...

image

Three things they should have taught in Engineering 101, Part 2: How to visualize electrical components

Part two of an excerpt from the book "Electrical Engineering 101, Third Edition" covers some basic comparisons that use everyday items - i.e., physical equivalents of basic electronic components - to create an intuitive understanding of a circuit. Read More...

image

Modeling the Q factor for accurate lumped element filter simulation

The modeling of the lumped element's quality factor, or Q value, can be used to simulate the inductor's or capacitor's parasitics as well as non-linear behavior over frequency. The Q-value's equation can be used in circuit simulators to predict the filter's response over frequency. Read More...

image

Three things they should have taught in Engineering 101, Part 1: Units count!

Part one of an excerpt from the book "Electrical Engineering 101, Third Edition" explains how, by understanding unit math, you can solve nearly any problem. Read More...

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Understanding grounding, shielding, and guarding in high-impedance applications

This article explores how ground loops and poor or non-existent electrostatic shielding can cause error or noise currents to flow in measurement leads or the device under test (DUT), as well as techniques for identifying these error currents and preventing them from undermining measurement integrity. Read More...

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Advanced capacitors ensure long-term performance stability

Component manufacturers have developed professional-grade tantalum capacitors that ensure long-term electrical performance stability in demanding applications like automotive. This article lists some application guidelines that will help in the correct capacitor selection. Read More...

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Developing power electronics for manufacturing: System-level design offers an effective approach

Diverse power electronics applications can leverage the same or similar core components and control concepts to create fully integrated system platforms to serve as templates for new designs. Read More...

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Selecting the best resistor technology for the application

Designers must consider price, cost and risk issues when selecting the best resistor technology for their application. Read More...

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Halogen-free cables pose electrical, mechanical, and performance challenges

A project to search for halogen-free materials in cables is offering some encouraging progress toward designing halogen-free, flame-retardant alternatives to PVC. Read More...

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ASK & ANSWER

mosfet pair as potentiometer?

Recently I needed a uC adjustable 50 ohm potentiometer ... doesn't exist. Approximated the effect another way. Then wondered if it's possib Read more...

04.19.2012

Use a transistor as a heater

A temperature sensor and a hot transistor hold biological samples at a preset temperature. Read more...

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