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Linear Technology’s LTC554x family of mixers meets the demands of wireless basestation receivers in the 700-MHz to 4-GHz frequency range. These devices offer an outstanding input third-order intercept (IIP3) of 26 dBm, low noise figures of 9 to 10 dB, and high conversion gain of 8 dB.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) responded harshly to new regulations issued by the California Energy Commission (CEC) that would regulate energy efficiency standards on televisions sold in California.

Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), better known as ultracapacitors or supercapacitors, are now a primary energy storage option for design engineers. During the past 10 years, we have seen the emergence of this technology, especially with the move toward “green” and more energy-efficient options. These devices have an advantage over batteries, particularly in applications requiring long life or operation in low temperatures.

Philips Electronics is the first company to submit a prototype LED replacement for the common 60-W bulb in the U.S. Department of Energy’s $10 million Bright Tomorrow Lighting Contest. However, Congress has yet to appropriate funding for the prize, and questions remain about contest eligibility.

Designers parallel their power supplies to increase system power output or to provide fault tolerance. Paralleling also improves system performance. When both power supplies are load sharing, for example, the two supplies share the dissipated heat, improving reliability. Furthermore, if one power supply goes offline, the other one is coming from an already loaded state, so the perturbation on the output is not significant.

The battery industry is being lauded as the great hope for domestic manufacturing and job creation. Much of the economic stimulus package has been directed toward the fabrication and recycling of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in the United States. The $790 billion economic stimulus legislation includes tens of billions of dollars in loans, grants, and tax incentives for advanced battery research and manufacturing.

What do ac-dc power supplies, lighting ballasts, and driver ICs have in common? They all represent immediate growth opportunities for new designs based on current regulation, specifically for various applications in LED lighting. If you look toward signs, billboards, and specialty applications for color lighting, you’ll see growing markets for LEDs.

The sixth annual Digital Power Forum (DPF ’09) is scheduled for Sept. 21-23 in Santa Ana, Calif. Organized by the Darnell Group, DPF ’09 will concentrate on “digital” power. That’s a slightly elusive term that can mean anything from closing the power-supply control loop in the digital domain to a wide variety of power-management technologies, from ICs for handhelds to power distribution in the data center and telco central office to the Smart Grid.

Nearly every new design tries to add functionality while using less power. Recent products from Infineon Technologies, National Semiconductor, Ricoh Europe BV, and Dialog Semiconductor all seek to provide that efficiency. In fact, Infineon and NI claim that their new devices represent benchmarks in power technology.

Applications engineers are in a unique position with respect to dc-dc converter architectures. In the lab, in the field, or on the telephone, they hear a lot. In fact, the centralized control architecture (CCA), which coexists with and adds capability to other power architectures, and the factorized power architecture (FPA) have been getting a lot of press recently.

Lithium-chemistry batteries are replacing sealed lead-acid (SLA) and nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) types in many fixed and portable applications due to their higher energy storage density relative to both weight and volume. As larger lithium-chemistry batteries are designed, managing the waste heat generated by the ever-higher charge and discharge currents becomes an increasing challenge.

The Obama Administration has made finding alternative sources of green energy one of its key goals. Recent developments in wind, solar, hydrogen, and geothermal energy have highlighted the many innovative projects working towards this goal. Four standout projects, partially funded by the U.S. government, in particular the Department of Energy, have made significant strides in shaping the future of American energy consumption.

How2Power.com is a new search tool for electrical engineers who want a quick and easy way to find resources, such as application notes and articles, to assist with their power-supply designs. The Web site’s Design Guide search offers a broad span of information pertaining to power electronics topics at various levels of expertise.

Munich Re, the world’s largest re-insurance company, has announced plans to invest heavily in the Desertec project, which will install solar power plants in North Africa. The German-based company plans to invest 400 billion euros to construct plants in the North African Sunbelt, which lies in the Sahara Desert. Research firm, iSuppli Corp., believes this could mark the beginning of the end of the use of fossil fuel and nuclear technologies for electrical generation.

While consumers and businesses have a growing appetite for new technologies, energy sources are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. In an interview with Electronic Design Contributing Editor John Edwards, Analog Devices' Jon Perzow discusses today's low-power design challenges and what the semiconductor industry is doing to help companies introduce more energy-efficient products.

Proper thermal management in the form of proper layout and the use of heatsinks or fans can increase product reliability. Catching flaws early in the design phase can save time and costs compared to dealing with failures in the field.

Many applications need lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery packs with high cell counts. Large-scale arrays based on Li-ion batteries can provide the high voltage, current, and capacity required by many emerging markets. Yet designers of larger battery packs face many problems, including the issues around cell imbalance.

ZigBee Green Power, introduced by the ZigBee Alliance, is an energy-harvesting, battery-free feature set designed to create a global, standard technology for self-powered devices. Without needing wires or batteries, according to the Alliance, these new devices are compatible with ZigBee and ZigBee PRO networks and can enable maintenance-free, environmentally friendly products.

Power supplies not only need to be powerful and efficient, they also must meet performance and reliability requirements for rugged and demanding environments, such as military and medical applications. Two European companies are rising to the occasion, with the SL Power Electronics MINT1110 series and the Powersolve Electronics PSL400BP.

• Build A Smart Battery Charger Using A Single-Transistor Circuit
• Efficient DC-To-AC Inverters Charge Equipment Racks
• DC-AC inverter targets electroluminescent applications
• Easy-To-Build AC Power Meter
• Voltage-To-Current Converter Works From A Single-Supply Rail