App note from Nexperia on how MOSFETs’ imperfection can cause imbalance current when paralleled, and how these problems are solved. Link here (PDF) In today’s automotive and power industries, higher power requirements are leading to more designs that require lower RDSon. Sometimes this is not achievable with a single packaged MOSFET and the design will […]
Author Archives: DP
App note: Understanding the MOSFET peak drain current rating
App note from Nexperia on an explanation of the derivation of the maximum drain current as a function of pulse duration rating. Link here (PDF) Historically the IDM capability is shown in the limiting values section of the data sheet for tp ≤ 10 µs. ID at DC (continuous) is also shown. IDM is traditionally […]
App note: Fuse holders
App note from Littlefuse intended to give an overview of the available systems, the strength and weaknesses of each combination, and to help the designer in the selection of the best fuse and holder solution for each application. Link here (PDF) 5×20 mm fuses continue to be the most widely used components for primary and […]
App note: Versatile high precision programmable current sources using DACs, Op Amps, and MOSFET transistors
Sample circuit of high precision programmable current source from Analog Devices. Link here (PDF) Digitally controlled current sources are critical functions in a variety of applications, such as power management, solenoid control, motor control, impedance measurement, sensor excitation, and pulse oximetry. Here we describe three current sources with serial interface digital control using DACs, op […]
App note: Low cost, level shifted low side current monitor for negative high voltage rails
Low side current monitoring sample circuit from Analog Devices. Link here (PDF) The circuit monitors current in individual channels of −48 V to better than 1% accuracy. The load current passes through a shunt resistor, which is external to the circuit. The shunt resistor value is chosen so that the shunt voltage is approximately 50 […]
App note: Factors responsible for thermal shock behavior of chip capacitors
A good read on this app note from AVX on thermal stresses that leads to device failure on chip capacitors. Link here (PDF) Thermal shock behavior of multilayer ceramic chip capacitors was evaluated for different ceramic dielectrics with varying construction and design considerations, effects of terminations and role of physical defects to decrease the thermal […]
App note: Linear regulator BUxxSA5 series dropout voltage
App note from ROHM on known dropout voltage values for you to consider in designing with their linear regulator. Link here (PDF) The dropout voltage is the difference between the input and output voltages that is necessary for the stabilizing operation of a linear regulator. When the input voltage approaches the output voltage, stabilizing operation […]
App note: Protect USB Type C power switch at hot plug/unplug and shutdown events
App note from Alpha & Omega Semiconductor on added input protection for USB-C against voltage spikes/ringing that can damage the inputs of USB-C power switches. Link here (PDF) USB Type C protection power switches such as the AOZ132xDI and AOZ1398xDI product family (AOZ1327/1376, AOZ13984/13987/13929) are powerful and effective protection ICs, which protect downstream devices from […]
App note: HT7K1xxx drive actuator
App note from Holtek on their HT7K1xxx series drive control that replace limit switches but uses speed reduction instead when controlling motor actuation. Link here (PDF) In actuator applications, when a valve or an actuator has reached the end of its stroke, the motor input power will be switched off using a limit switch. This […]
App note: HT45F4050 NFC function
App note from Holtek on their HT45F4050 device which discuss its hardware and software application. Link here (PDF) NFC, which is an acronym for Near Field Communication, is a technology allowing wireless connection between devices using a simple touch. NFC technology operates at a frequency of 13.56MHz with an operating distance within 10cm. It has […]
App note: Considerations for designs using radiation-hardened solid state relays
App note from International Rectifier on various solid state relay circuits. Link here (PDF) Manufacturers of satellites, satellite launch vehicles, and tactical weapon systems face many challenges when designing electro-mechanical relays (EMR) into their systems. Some method of “cushioning” must be employed in order to prevent false relay operation when encountering shock and vibration. In […]
App note: HT62104 infrared remote encoder IC
App note from Holtek on their dedicated IR remote IC. Link here (PDF) The HT62104 is a high performance infrared remote encoder capable of encoding a signal with a 3-bit start code, 2-bit custom code and 7-bit data code. The HT62104 device has 8 key inputs. When one of the keys is triggered, the programmed […]
App note: 5 common Hall-effect sensor myths
Article from Texas Instruments on various common misconceptions about Hall-effect sensors as well as real-world applications. Link here (PDF) Hall-effect sensors are commonly used in automotive and industrial systems for applications including proximity detection, linear displacement measurement and rotary encoding. Currently, the high system performance requirements of modern applications have led to IC manufacturers increasing […]
App note: How a fully-stackable eFuse can help meet ever-increasing power needs of servers
Technical note from Texas Instruments on their high power density eFuse used in hot swappable servers. Link here (PDF) As demand for data increases, so does demand for servers and data centers, and thus higher demand for power. Industry trends suggest that power per rack, which was 4 kW in 2020, will be as high […]
App note: LT6703 AC line overcurrent indicator
App note from Analog Devices about a low power overcurrent indicator circuit using their micropower comparator LT6703. Link here This circuit design is to monitor the average current in an AC line-connected load and to illuminate an LED if it exceeds a specified level.
Multiband SDR with remote receivers
Mare shared a step by step guide to setting up the multiband WEB SDR with remote receivers: I recently built homelab server based on “proper” server infrastructure with plenty of RAM and lots of processing cores. I decided to setup OpenWebRx in one linux virtual machine with raspberry pi only as remote receivers serving single […]
Happy New Year 2023 from Dangerous Prototypes
Happy New Year! Thank you for reading the blog and being part of our community in 2022! We’re looking forward to more open hardware projects, more how-tos, more videos, more free PCBs, and more hacking in 2023.
App note: Power MOSFETs in battery management charge-discharge systems
Alpha & Omega Semiconductors app note about MOSFETs used in battery protection circuits. Link here (PDF) Power MOSFETs are required to be connected in series between the lithium-ion battery pack and the output load. At the same time, a dedicated IC is used to control the on and off of the MOSFET for managing the […]
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. May you find many PCBs and other electronics wizardry under your tree or pole. Remember, support is available on Christmas. Just give us a shout in the forum.
App note: Optical isolator for I2C Bus System
App note from Vishay on galvanically isolating I2C bus by optocoupler. Link here (PDF) The I2C bus, also known as inter-IC bus, is a bidirectional, two-wire, multi-user bus. It was developed by Philips Semiconductors to connect microcontrollers, EEPROMs, A/D and D/A converters, I/O interfaces, and other peripherals. For optical isolation between master and slave, an […]