Tagore Technology announced a partnership with Inventchip to introduce a new compact 500 W power supply reference design solution with a Totem Pole PFC front-end and an LLC back-end. Tagore Technology has been delivering disruptive GaN semiconductor solutions for more than 12 years. The reference design uses Tagore’s TP44100SG (90mOhm) and Inventchip’s CCM Totem Pole…
How to design an ac-dc buck converter
An ac-dc converter is commonly used in many devices. Also called a rectifier, it converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). Most electronic devices, such as computers, smartphones, and electronic circuits, operate on DC power. However, there are different ways to convert AC into DC power (as discussed in the previous AC-to-DC conversion article). For…
Minimizing electromagnetic interference in smart motor control for automobiles
by Sebastiano Grasso, Leonardo Agatino Miccoli, Giusy Gambino, Filippo Scrimizzi, STMicroelectronics, Catania, Italy The automotive landscape constantly evolves, driven by the increasing demand for automation, safety enhancements, and power efficiency. Within this dynamic environment, the deployment of DC motors in automotive body applications has gained significant prominence. These versatile motors find application in both traditional combustion…
What is ac-dc conversion and its various topologies?
This tutorial explains the process of ac to dc conversion and why it is needed. The electricity that is delivered to our home is mainly AC (Alternative Current). Different countries have different standards for domestic AC lines ranging from 100 V to 220 V. Even so, most home appliances are DC (Direct Current)-operated, although devices…
A guide to bipolar junction transistors
The term transistor is derived from the words “transfer and “resistor.” The first semiconductor transistor was invented to replace the triode as an amplifier device, a vacuum tube with three electrodes. The transistor was smaller, lighter, and cheaper than a vacuum tube triode. It also proved easy to construct and had no heat losses like…
Power Failure Indicator in NRF24LE1 (Part 4/14)
Nowadays most of our devices are portable and run on batteries. We often do not know when the battery is about to get discharged. Many systems have the battery voltage display to indicate the battery voltage but what if we don’t have the display in our system. In such a case, using a small LED to indicate low battery is very helpful for users to know about the battery status.
High and Low Side Switching of MOSFET – ( Part 13/17)
While designing the UPS circuits, MOSFET were used in the inverter circuits. The MOSFET were used as High side switches in the circuit. For driving the MOSFET in high side configuration, IR2110 gate driver IC was used. IR2110 is a High –Low side Gate Driver IC which is used with power MOSFET and IGBT. A Gate Driver is a specially designed circuit that is used to drive the Gate of MOSFET or IGBT in High Side Switching application. That means when MOSFET/IGBT is used in High side configuration then a Gatedriver IC is need to be used. In this tutorial, some important concepts like the High and Low side Switching of MOSFET, need of Gate Driver circuit and driving methods of High side MOSFETs will be discussed. These concepts will crystal clear the working of MOSFET as a switch and will so justify the use of MOSFET in inverter circuit as switching component.
How do dc-dc converters work?
A DC power supply is used in almost all of devices where a regulated voltage is required. A DC converter implements the process of DC conversion. There are two types of DC converters: Buck converter- Steps down the input source voltage Boost converter – Steps up the input source voltage Conversion topology Linear regulator –…
How to achieve longer MCU battery life with low power sleep mode
There are generally six power modes in an MCU: Run: In full run mode, an MCU consumes full current. This mode is best suited for applications where power efficiency is not essential. Doze: As we know, power increases proportionally to the frequency. Therefore, we can conclude that higher clock speeds tend to higher power consumption.…
Key factors to optimize power consumption in an embedded device
In the realm of embedded systems, power management plays a crucial role in determining both the design’s success and its overall performance. As energy efficiency becomes increasingly important in our technology-driven world, engineers and developers must consider power consumption at every stage of the design process. This article explores the various design levels where power…
What is a low power design?
Low power design is a system using a collection of techniques and methodologies for the purpose of optimizing battery life and reducing the overall power dissipation of the system. To optimize the power there are many low power techniques that depend on the level of the design selected, ranging from semiconductor technology to the higher…
Testing MOSFET – (Part 16/17)
MOSFET are more commonly used transistors. They are known for their high switching speed and high input impedance. That is why they are preferred to be used in the fabrication of integrated circuits and the high frequency application chips. Individual MOSFET are also widely used in lots of applications. Before using a MOSFET in a circuit, it is important to check if it is not faulty. In a defective MOSFET, the drain may get shorted to the gate. This can cause the drain voltage feedback to the gate terminal and this voltage then feed to the driver circuit through the gate resistor which can blow the driver circuit further. Therefore it is better to test the MOSFET before using it in the circuit. As N-channel MOSFET are more common so testing of N-channel MOSFET is only discussed in this tutorial.
Driving High Side MOSFET using Bootstrap Circuitry – (Part 17/17)
When using MOSFET as a switch, it can be connected in two switching modes – high side switch and low side switch. Contrary to low side, the high side configuration of MOSFET requires some external circuitry to turn it ON. There are various methods for driving the high side MOSFET. The following three methods are most commonly used to drive a MOSFET as high side switch – 1. Dual power supply method2. Gate Driver IC method 3. Bootstrap circuitry method