Power Management News & Articles

Power Management

News and in-depth technical information for system designers responsible for specifying or selecting power sources for electronics applications. Topics include power supplies, components including dc-dc converters, batteries, digital power, and alternative energy technology.

• Light, life, and LEDs: Taking LEDs beyond lighting

  By Suzanne Deffree, Managing editor, news, May 5, 2011
  Avnet's Cary Eskow discusses the physiological benefits brought on by emerging uses of LED that could change the game for solid state lighting and make LEDs more than just a light source.  More

• Celebrating engineering: EDN names 2010 Innovation Award winners

  EDN Staff, May 3, 2011
  EDN bestows its 21st annual Innovation Awards, honoring a diverse group of electronics engineers and the ground-breaking products they have produced.  More

• MIT uses virus to increase solar-cell efficiency

  By Suzanne Deffree, Managing editor, news, April 26, 2011
  Researchers at MIT claim to have increased the power-conversion efficiency of solar cells by nearly one-third through the use of tiny viruses to perform detailed assembly work at the microscopic level.  More

• LED bulbs reveal different design approaches

  Margery Conner, Technical Editor, April 21, 2011
  A peek into the Philips LED bulb’s electronics and the 6W, dimmable Pharox 300 contrasts two approaches in how a bulb handles the protection of the LED-power-control electronics.  More

• Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee

  Jan Gazda, Engineer, April 21, 2011
  A new chip works perfectly the first time it is powered up, but never again. Is the problem the design, or elsewhere?  More

• A little electrical overstress won't hurt, right?

  
  
  Bonnie Baker, Texas Instruments, April 21, 2011
  It is worth the effort to evaluate potential problems with your circuit.  More

• Increase efficiency in embedded digital-I/O lines

  Vasile Surducan and Emanoil Surducan, National Institute for R&D of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, April 21, 2011
  Multiplex IO lines and drive LEDS without ghosting.  More

• Offline supply drives LEDs

  TA Babu, Chennai, India; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, April 21, 2011
  Keep LEDs lit when AC voltage drops.  More

• Light an LED without wasting energy

  Raju R Baddi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Maharashtra, India; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, April 21, 2011
  Use an inductor to store energy and deliver current.  More

• Take engineering education in context

  Kevin C Craig, PhD, April 21, 2011
  Engineers practice engineering in context, so why is it taught out of context?  More 

• Band together
  
  Kunal Ghosh, Project Manager, April 7, 2011
  One engineer given the task of testing graphics equalizers devises a way to speed up the process. More
  
• Low-component-count logic probe works with TTL and CMOS logic
  
  Aruna Rubasinghe, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, April 7, 2011
  LED's indicate logic levels. More
  
• Switch circuit controls lights
  
  C Castro-Miguens, University of Vigo, Spain, and JB Castro-Miguens, Cesinel, Madrid, Spain; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, April 7, 2011
  A light-dependent resistor, a comparator, and a triac control when a light turns on and off. More
  
• GE plans US 400-MW solar panel plant
  
  By Suzanne Deffree, Managing editor, news, April 7, 2011
  GE said the facility will be larger than any US solar panel manufacturing plant currently in operation and will employ 400 people. More
  
• The electrical-overstress ghost
  
  Bonnie Baker, Texas Instruments, March 17, 2011
  Customers sometimes use electrical-overstress techniques to inadvertently cause problems with a product. More
  
• Remote phosphor expands reach of LED light
  
  Margery Conner, Technical Editor, March 17, 2011
  This Prying Eyes explores how an LED bulb is able to project light in an almost 360-degree pattern. More
  
• Impedance: an essential multidisciplinary concept
  
  Kevin C Craig, PhD, March 17, 2011
  
  
  The impedance principle is core to connecting mechanical subsystems, but mechanical-engineering education and practice have neglected it. More
  
• Transistor tester identifies terminals
  
  Raju R Baddi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Maharashtra, India; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, March 17, 2011
  It also lets you determine if a transistor is an NPN or PNP type. More
  
• Finely tune the hue of blue-light sources
  
  Marián Štofka, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, March 17, 2011
  Get 32 grades of hues between royal-blue and cyan. More
  
• Monitor PWM load current with a high-side current-sense amplifier
  
  Maurizio Gavardoni and Akshay Bhat, Maxim Integrated Produtcs, March 3, 2011
  An innovative circuit allows you to monitor diodes' recirculating and power-supply current. More
  
• Bicolor LED indicates 10 states
  
  Abel Raynus, Armatron International, Malden, MA; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, March 3, 2011
  Using a combination of color and blinks, you can indicate as many as ten conditions. More
  
• Silver-diamond composite offers microelectronics cooling option
  
  By Suzanne Deffree, Managing editor, news, March 2, 2011
  Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute are developing a solid composite material composed of silver and diamond to help cool defense systems microelectronics at a higher degree of thermal conductivity compared to materials currently used for this application. More
  
• From the real world to the digital world
  
  Kevin C. Craig, PhD, February 17, 2011
  Digitization, including sampling and quantization, is universal and essential in engineering. More
  
• Designing offline ac/dc switching power supplies, brick by brick
  
  Paul Rako, Technical Editor, February 17, 2011
  It's a challenge to convert high-voltage ac to dc while keeping efficiency high and cost low. More
  
• Function generator has variable frequency
  
  Adolfo Mondragon, Electrolux Products, Juarez, Mexico; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, February 17, 2011
  Use a function-generator IC and an internal reference voltage to provide reliable frequency settings. More
  
• Power supply accepts wide input-voltage range
  
  Jim Windgassen, Northrop Grumman Undersea Systems, Annapolis, MD; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, February 17, 2011
  A SEPIC-based power supply runs from 1.5V to 20V. More
  
• The Nexus One: Google hits a smartphone home run
  
  Brian Dipert, Senior Technical Editor, February 17, 2011
  More than a year after its unveiling, the Nexus One remains a leading-edge product, and represents a substantial leap in capability beyond the T-Mobile G1. More
  
• Advances in energy-storage technology power wireless devices
  
  Margery Conner, Technical Editor, February 3, 2011
  Energy harvesting relies on intermittent energy sources and requires energy storage, such as a capacitor or a battery. New improvements in these components point toward smaller, longer-lived wireless sensor nodes, but a long-lived primary battery may be your simplest energy-source choice. More
  
• Limit inrush current in high-power applications
  
  JB Castro-Miguens, Cesinel, Madrid, Spain, and C Castro-Miguens, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, February 3, 2011
  Protect circuits from high current until a capacitor charges. More
  
• Protect MOSFETs in heavy-duty inductive switched-mode circuits
  
  Marián Štofka, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovakia; Edited by Martin Rowe and Fran Granville, February 3, 2011
  Measure peak currents and use ac coupling to prevent FET burnout. More