App note about conductive plastic used on motion transducers from Vishay. Link here (PDF) The polymer film track has a conductive plastic paste laid upon it. This paste includes an inert filler of carbon black which constitutes the basis of Vishay SFERNICE’s technology for manufacturing precision potentiometers. The resistive track obtained can be used: • […]
Author Archives: DP
App note: Optimizing output power of power op amps
Enhancing the performance of power op amps discussed in this app note from Apex Microtechnology. Link here (PDF) Power op amps are attractive because they reduce circuit design time enormously. Assembly costs of the power op amp design amount to a fraction of the discrete counterpart due to vastly reduced parts count. Careful attention to […]
App note: Migrating from FT2232D to FT2232H
App note on FTDI’s FT2232 USB bridge migration, with full detailed list of capabilities on the newer FT2232H. PDF link can be found here This Application Note details the differences between the FT2232D and FT2232H to help customers design with FT2232H as this newer, high speed USB device has better performance.
App note: Continuous DC current ratings of International Rectifier’s large semiconductor packages
App note from International Rectifier on how to optimize the maximum current handling of power FETs. Link here (PDF) There is a trend within the discrete power component industry of late to increase the dc current rating for low on-resistance devices to levels that historically have not been seen. This trend has accelerated as power […]
App note: AC film capacitors in connection with the mains (≤ 60 Hz)
Suppressing EMI from mains and getting power in-series with a capacitor are just the two main function of these front line capacitors and is discussed in this app note from Vishay. Link here (PDF) Because of the high energy availability and the severe environment of surge voltages and pulses, applications of capacitors in connection with […]
App note: ESD protection for super speed USB 3.0 ports
Design guide app note from Alpha & Omega Semiconductor on USB 3.0 protection. Link here (PDF) USB 3.0 is an enhanced version of the USB 2.0, with up to 5Gbps data rate. USB 3.0 has 10 times the performance over USB 2.0. Legacy device continue to work when plugged into new host connector albeit at […]
App note: Direct current ammeters
App note from Murata about digital ammeter and things to consider implementing them. Link here (PDF) There is a trend to replace older, analog-style readouts with modern digital displays. As one might expect, the conversion is not always a trivial task. This is especially true when the conversion involves older, moving-vane (“pointer” style) analog ammeters. […]
App note: Some thoughts on DC/DC converters
Basis App note of modern DC/DC converters from Analog Devices. Link here (PDF) Many systems require that the primary source of DC power be converted to other voltages. Battery driven circuitry is an obvious candidate. The 6V or 12V cell in a laptop computer must be converted to different potentials needed for memory, disc drives, […]
App note: The Alexander Current-Feedback audio power amplifier
An old App note for audio enthusiast from Analog Devices about Current-Feedback approach in audio power amps its designs and history by Mark Alexander. Link here (PDF) The subject of power amplifier design is one of those controversial areas of audio engineering that continues to receive intense debate, despite the fact that there are literally […]
App note: Understanding dual terminator resistor networks
App note from Vishay about the dual terminator resistor network and how to check its internal resistor values. Link here (PDF) One of the least understood resistor network schematics in the industry today is the dual-resistor terminator schematic shown in the 8-pin SIP and in the 16-pin DIP configuration. This schematic shows up in both […]
App note: Phase noise measurement guide for oscillators
App note from SiTime about phase noise, its fundamental and going to actual measurements. Link here Phase noise is one of the fundamental metrics for oscillators. An experienced engineer can tell a lot about the quality of an oscillator and whether it fits the application by looking at the phase noise plot. RF engineers focus […]
App note: Transmission-line effects influence high-speed CMOS
Old app note from ONSEMI but still a good reference when designing with high speed CMOS devices. Link here (PDF) Unlike low-power, metal-gate CMOS, high-speed 54HC/74HC devices readily drive long cable runs and backplanes. While the family maintains CMOS’s traditional noise immunity, you must watch transmission-line effects in such applications.
App note: Reading onsemi IGBT datasheets
Helpful app note from ONSEMI that will guide you to their IGBT parameters. Link here (PDF) The Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor is a power switch well suited for high power applications such as motor control, UPS and solar inverters, and induction heating. If the application requirements are well understood, the correct IGBT can easily be […]
App note: High-side smartFETs with analog current sense
App note from ONSEMI about their high side SmartFETs and their specific application. Link here (PDF) The “end requirement” from a high side SmartFET is to switch loads, and there are different alternatives, available in market, towards that end. Relays, for instance, have been used for long in the industry to switch various automotive loads, […]
App note: SEPIC converter analysis and design
Wide input voltage is a specialty of this type of DC-DC converter, here’s an app note from ON Semiconductors on SEPIC converters. Link here (PDF) The single−ended primary−inductor converter (SEPIC) is a type of DC/DC converter that allows the electrical potential (voltage) at its output to be greater than, less than, or equal to that […]
App note: Method of suppressing increase in surface temperature of shunt resistors
App note from ROHM Semiconductor about their shunt resistor mounting designs to keep heat away. Link here (PDF) Shunt resistors are widely used for current sensing in automotive and industrial applications. In the automotive sector, as vehicles become more complex and the number of motors and ECUs grows, applications need to be configured in a […]
App note: Effect of PCB design on temperature coefficient of resistance
App note from ROHM Semiconductor on the importance of sense trace/line arrangement on PCB designs. Link here (PDF) While resistance, power rating and size are important considerations when using shunt resistors, tolerances that affect the accuracy of the detected voltage must also be considered. These tolerances include the temperature coefficient of resistance and the tolerance […]
Happy New Year 2022 from Dangerous Prototypes
Happy New Year! Thank you for reading the blog and being part of our community in 2021! We’re looking forward to more open hardware projects, more how-tos, more videos, more free PCBs, and more hacking in 2022.
App note: Types of capacitors used for output smoothing of switching regulators and their precautions
Another app note from ROHM Semiconductor on various capacitors used for output smoothing. Link here (PDF) In recent years, it has become a common practice to recommend multilayer ceramic capacitors for the output smoothing of switching regulators due to the stability of their temperature characteristics and the reduction on the mounting area. On the other […]
App note: 5kW High-Efficiency Fan-less inverter
A novel inverter design by ROHM and Power assist technology. Link here (PDF) We employ trans-linked interleaved circuits as inverter circuits that utilize the high frequency switching performance of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 99% or more at 5 kW. Since this circuit topology allows a reduction in the inductance […]