Silicon Labs’ app note featuring low power boost for microcontrollers. Link here (PDF) Boosting the output voltage of common alkaline button-cells to at least 1.8 V needed by microcontrollers provides an “always on” standby power source sufficient for low-power oscillator interrupt/sleep state operation. Two ultralow power op amps are used in a charge pump configuration […]
Tag Archives: app note
App note: How to generate a negative voltage using buck converters?
An app note from Alpha and Omega Semiconductor on using their AOZ1016 buck regulator to generate negative voltage. Link here (PDF) The negative voltage source is widely used in various applications such as computing systems, LCD panels, audio amplifiers, etc. Using the additional secondary winding of a transformer is the widely used approach to generate […]
App note: Ceramic Varistors TNR™
A technical note on varistors by Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation. Link here (PDF) A varistor has the volt-ampere characteristics in which current suddenly starts to flow through the device at a certain voltage. Varistors are used to protect semiconductor devices in electronic and electric circuits from overvoltage. They are inserted in parallel with a circuit to […]
App note: Conductive polymer aluminum solid capacitors
Presenting the polymer capacitor by Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation. Link here (PDF) Conductive polymer aluminum solid capacitors, which will be abbreviated to “polymer capacitors” in the following, have been recently extending in their applications. The polymer capacitors as well as conventional aluminum electrolytic capacitors are featured by large capacitance and excellent bias characteristics which multilayer ceramic […]
App note: Start-up test using electronic load
An app note from Alpha and Omega Semiconductor on importance of start-up power behavior to diagnose and prevent unwanted inrush current. Link here (PDF) Electronic loads, such as Chroma 6310 series, can be configured as constant current (CC) mode, constant voltage (CV) mode and constant resistance (CR) mode. In CC mode, the load will sink […]
App note: Buck converter control cookbook
An Alpha and Omega Semiconductor app note for their AOZ101X buck controller using peak current mode control. Link here (PDF) A Buck converter consists of the power stage and feedback control circuit. The power stage includes power switch and output filter. It converts a higher input voltage to a lower output voltage. The feedback control […]
App note: Selection of three locations of current sense resistor in buck converter
Sensing current utilizing MOSFET’s Rds(on) and Inductor’s DCR in different location discussed in this app note from Alpha and Omega semiconductor. Link here (PDF) In current mode converters, current sense resistor can be placed in three locations: input loop, output loop and freewheeling loop. The pros and cons are discussed in details. The principles and […]
App note: Paralleling power MOSFETs in switching applications
Application note from Alpha and Omega semiconductor on proper design of circuit and PCB layout to balance parallel MOSFETs. Link here (PDF) This paper discusses issues involved in paralleling MOSFETs in high-power, high-frequency switching applications. It investigates root cause problems such as unbalanced voltage and current by taking a closer examination of PCB layouts and […]
App note: Protecting the Universal Serial Bus from over voltage and overcurrent threats
An old application note from Littelfuse about USB protection. Link here (PDF) This application note addresses the various requirements for protecting the Universal Serial Bus (USB) from overcurrent and overvoltage environmental threats. The solutions presented cover both USB 1.1 and the higher speed USB 2.0 circuitry. Specific emphasis is placed on USB 2.0 with information […]
App note: Automotive circuit protection using Littelfuse automotive TVS diodes
An interesting app note from Littelfuse about automotive circuit protection but also discusses about where transients came from in an automotive setup. Link here (PDF) The designers of automotive electronics face many technical challenges during the system design process, including designing methods of protection against a variety of electrical hazards. The three major sources of […]
App note: Combining GDTs and MOVs for surge protection of AC power lines
Another circuit protection from power surges/spikes application note from Littelfuse. Link here (PDF) AC power line disturbances are the cause of many equipment failures. The damage can be as elusive as occasional data crashes or as dramatic as the destruction of a power supply, computer terminal, or television set. Power line disturbances go by many […]
App note: Circuit protection for Lithium-Ion and lithium polymer rechargeable battery applications
Adding secondary circuit protection to ensure safety when using Lithium-Ion and Lithium polymer batteries discussed in this app note from Littelfuse. Link here (PDF) The introduction of portable devices with advanced features and the demand for longer run times and has resulted in innovations in the battery technologies used for portable applications. The latest generation […]
App note: Transient suppression devices and principles
App note from Littlefuse on how do transient suppression devices protect electronic circuits. Link here (PDF) There are two major categories of transient suppressors: a) those that attenuate transients, thus preventing their propagation into the sensitive circuit; and b) those that divert transients away from sensitive loads and so limit the residual voltages. Attenuating a […]
App note: An overview of electromagnetic and lightning induced voltage transients
Application note from Littelfuse on sources of transient voltages that can induced in electronic circuits. Link here (PDF) This Note is an overview of the sources and nature of various transient overvoltages, and the problems that may result. Transients in electrical circuits result from the sudden release of previously stored energy. This energy can be […]
App note: Designing P.C. Board heat sinks
Application hint from Micrel on how to do baseline calculation on board area required as heatsink for SMD components. Link here (PDF) System designers increasingly face the restriction of using all surface-mounted components in their new designs; even including the power components. Through-hole components can dissipate excess heat with clip-on or bolt-on heat sinks keeping […]
App note: Heatsink characteristics
Application note from International Rectifier on various method for thermal management. Link here (PDF) In many electronic applications, temperature becomes an important factor when designing a system. Switching and conduction losses can heat up the silicon of the device above its maximum Junction Temperature (Tjmax) and cause performance failure, breakdown and worst case, fire. Therefore […]
App note: Heat sink mounting guide
Fairchild Semiconductor’s app note on proper heat sink mounting to achieve lower thermal resistance between the package and its heat sink. Link here (PDF) This document provides guidelines for mounting heat sinks for the proper thermal management of power semiconductor devices in field applications. This document describes heat sink mounting methods, considerations, contact thermal resistance, […]
App note: Understanding thermal dissipation and design of a heat sink
Application report from Texas Instruments on heatsink designs. Link here (PDF) Power dissipation performance must be well understood prior to integrating devices on a printed-circuit board (PCB) to ensure that any given device is operated within its defined temperature limits. When a device is running, it consumes electrical energy that is transformed into heat. Most […]
App note: Fast charging control with NTC temperature sensing
Vishay’s application note on fast charging control using NTC and TI’s BQ2005. Link here (PDF) The need for increased autonomy for new models of laptops and cellular phones has resulted in high-energy density power packs – Ni MH and Li-ion batteries. These batteries can be charged quickly, on the condition that the fast charging complies […]
App note: VSOP98260 for IR code learning applications
Application note from Vishay on their VSOP98260 IR learning chip which uses the same IR LED as transceiver. Link here (PDF) There is a wide interest in universal remote controls, which can be used to diminish the “clutter” of remote controls typically present in a modern living room setting. Training the universal remote to send […]