News, in-depth tutorial feature articles, and Design Ideas published in EDN.com's Power Management Design Center. en-us http://www.edn.com/community/47042/Power+Management.html Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. Subject to its Terms of Use (http://www.edn.com/index.asp?layout=page&module=terms) Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:53:09 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6707793.html?rssid=237 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. Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6707789.html?rssid=237 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. Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6707473.html?rssid=237 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. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6707615.html?rssid=237 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? Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6706827.html?rssid=237 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. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6705251.html?rssid=237 Environmental concerns and rising energy costs are spurring industry and government groups to develop requirements for high-efficiency ac and dc power conversion, leading to energy-efficient servers. Meeting the newest specifications will demand knowledge of competing power-conversion topologies, components, and design. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6702282.html?rssid=237 After years of double-digit growth, the modern incarnation of the solar industry has run into its first major market cycle. Limited credit, jittery customers, and currency fluctuations have severely hit PV (photovoltaic) vendors. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6702281.html?rssid=237 Last year, EDN's power supplement discussed the still-young digital-power market in terms of overall market potential for digital controllers. Digital power has now matured to the point at which Gartner breaks out products by application type. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6702280.html?rssid=237 Reflecting the worldwide economic recession, the semiconductor industry last year showed its first revenue drop since 2000. However, although total semiconductor-industry revenue for 2008 declined by 5.4% to $255 billion, the market for power-management ICs grew 1% from $8411 million to $8473 million. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6702279.html?rssid=237 Power transistors and diodes are the workhorses of the semiconductor industry: Without them, you cannot move or transform any significant amount of electrical energy. The servers populating enormous data farms, white goods with their newly efficient motors, hybrid-electric cars, and home theaters rely on power transistors and diodes that switch and manage their power requirements. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6702278.html?rssid=237 Last year was the first since 2000 that the semiconductor industry’s revenues dropped. The power-management-IC segment, however, bucked the trend by eking out a 1% gain. Likewise, the decidedly unglamorous power-transistor and -diode segment, already at almost $15 billion, promises to continue to grow. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6702277.html?rssid=237 Learn the thermal considerations so you don't get burned. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.edn.com/article/CA6699802.html?rssid=237 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. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT