Latest Power Articles and Videos

There are all sorts of batteries out there- this short overview will help you find the right one!

There are all sorts of batteries out there- this short overview will help you find the right one!

Delving further into the transmission line concept, the boundary between treating the line as a single lumped circuit…

Delving further into the transmission line concept, the boundary between treating the line as a single lumped circuit element and using the distributed circuit parameters is investigated with a simple analysis in python. Circuit parameters for multiple waveguide geometries are shown.

Let's delve into AC power concepts, how to calculate instantaneous power, average power, reactive power, complex power,…

Let's delve into AC power concepts, how to calculate instantaneous power, average power, reactive power, complex power, and the power factor. We'll also talk about the relationship each concept has to one another.

Programmable thermostats can save a lot of energy and money. But you don't have to buy one- you can convert an old…

Programmable thermostats can save a lot of energy and money. But you don't have to buy one- you can convert an old mechanical thermostat into a programmable thermostat using an Arduino and a servo.

The buck converter is a ubiquitous DC-DC converter that efficiently converts a high voltage to a low voltage efficiently.…

The buck converter is a ubiquitous DC-DC converter that efficiently converts a high voltage to a low voltage efficiently. Efficient power conversion extends battery life, reduces heat, and allows for smaller gadgets to be built. The buck converter can be used in lots of cool applications.

Here are some great power conversion topologies that can be used as alternatives to the boost converter; they are much…

Here are some great power conversion topologies that can be used as alternatives to the boost converter; they are much less vulnerable to short circuit load conditions.

How to use frequency-domain simulations to analyze loop gain and evaluate the stability of your amplifier circuit. We…

How to use frequency-domain simulations to analyze loop gain and evaluate the stability of your amplifier circuit. We need a way to determine whether a circuit is sufficiently stable—in other words, stable enough to ensure that the circuit will perform properly despite part-to-part variations and environmental or operational conditions that affect the characteristics of the open-loop gain or the feedback network. There is where gain margin and phase margin come into play.

How an op amp works with LTspice simulation. We left off last time finishing up how the input stage of an op-amp works.…

How an op amp works with LTspice simulation. We left off last time finishing up how the input stage of an op-amp works. The next important stage is made up by transistors Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7.

Resolution and sampling rate are two important factors to consider when selecting an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).…

Resolution and sampling rate are two important factors to consider when selecting an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). In order to understand these fully, concepts such as quantisation, and the Nyquist Criterion must be understood to a certain degree.

The boost converter is a DC-DC converter used to created an output voltage that is higher than the input voltage. Boost…

The boost converter is a DC-DC converter used to created an output voltage that is higher than the input voltage. Boost converters are also used to drive LEDs placed in series in products like LED flashlights. The boost converter suffers from vulnerability to a short circuit load. Learn how to protect them from shorts!

NXP demonstrated its Thread Platform at ARMTechCon last week. Based on the JN5179 wireless MCU, with Secure Element, NFC,…

NXP demonstrated its Thread Platform at ARMTechCon last week. Based on the JN5179 wireless MCU, with Secure Element, NFC, Thread encryption, its own dc/dc converter and featuring ARM's mbed OS, the Platform makes secure home automation application design a whole lot easier.

Why are negative-feedback amplifiers susceptible to oscillation? What is the fundamental criterion for stability? Let’s…

Why are negative-feedback amplifiers susceptible to oscillation? What is the fundamental criterion for stability? Let’s find out.

This article discusses power conversion topologies that can be used as alternatives to the boost converter that are less…

This article discusses power conversion topologies that can be used as alternatives to the boost converter that are less vulnerable to short circuit load conditions.

Connecting a PICAXE to the IoT through an ESP8266 module is easy once you know the process. Here are the details you need!

Connecting a PICAXE to the IoT through an ESP8266 module is easy once you know the process. Here are the details you need!

Delve into phasor concepts and transforming a circuit with circuit analysis techniques to solve a given circuit in the…

Delve into phasor concepts and transforming a circuit with circuit analysis techniques to solve a given circuit in the frequency domain.

Use negative feedback to increase your amplifier’s signal-to-noise ratio, reduce its nonlinear distortion, and improve…

Use negative feedback to increase your amplifier’s signal-to-noise ratio, reduce its nonlinear distortion, and improve its input- and output-impedance characteristics.

An overview of how the concepts of electron flow and the role of individual circuit components can be related to the flow…

An overview of how the concepts of electron flow and the role of individual circuit components can be related to the flow of fluid in pipe networks. The analogy between hydraulics and electricity is a useful tool for teaching and for those who are struggling to understand how circuits work.

All About Circuits took Ambiq up on its invitation to a sneak preview of its Apollo microcontroller running under the new…

All About Circuits took Ambiq up on its invitation to a sneak preview of its Apollo microcontroller running under the new ULPBench benchmark. The results were surprising.

Explanation of what a transmission line is, and the conditions under which it exists. Uses lumped element model to derive…

Explanation of what a transmission line is, and the conditions under which it exists. Uses lumped element model to derive differential equations and manipulates the equations to get telegraph equations. Uses solutions to telegraph equations to get characteristic impedance and propagation constant and looks at matched and unmatched load cases.