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Five EE Innovations Highlighted by the 2020 Edison Awards

Five EE Innovations Highlighted by the 2020 Edison Awards

These Edison Award-winning chips show how EEs are surging innovation forward.


News Apr 15, 2020 by Kayla Matthews
Energy Sharing—The Key to Preventing LED Drivers from Overheating?

Energy Sharing—The Key to Preventing LED Drivers from Overheating?

Managing heat in LED drivers is a challenge when the device encounters a high input voltage, but the output voltage is low. In these cases, an “energy sharing” mechanism may be a solution.


News Apr 14, 2020 by Dr. Steve Arar
The ‘Redox Flow’ Battery Poised to Solve the Electricity Storage Problem

The ‘Redox Flow’ Battery Poised to Solve the Electricity Storage Problem

A battery designed by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) could be used to resolve the issues facing large-scale renewable energy storage make it inefficient.


News Apr 14, 2020 by Luke James
“Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload”: A Call for Engineers to Help Send Mini Rovers to the Moon

“Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload”: A Call for Engineers to Help Send Mini Rovers to the Moon

NASA is headed to the moon again, and this time, they're reaching out to the public engineering community for help.


News Apr 13, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
The Longer the PCB Trace, the Greater the Signal Distortion. Redrivers Can Help

The Longer the PCB Trace, the Greater the Signal Distortion. Redrivers Can Help

Laptop or desktop PC designers know the woes of USB signal loss down a 12-inch PCB trace. The good news is there's a device purpose-built to strengthen signals the whole way across.


News Apr 10, 2020 by Dr. Steve Arar
Maxim’s PMIC Rocks the Hearables Market, Slashing BoM by 40% and Bumping Battery Life 20%

Maxim’s PMIC Rocks the Hearables Market, Slashing BoM by 40% and Bumping Battery Life 20%

Designing hearables can be tricky enough, considering the constraints on power, space, electrical noise, and heat dissipation. Maxim says they're leveling up a new PMIC for the job.


News Apr 08, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
Harvesting Unused Energy to Power Sensor Networks

Harvesting Unused Energy to Power Sensor Networks

Researchers at Penn State University have developed a device which turns wasted magnetic energy from household devices into electricity that can power sensor networks.


News Apr 07, 2020 by Luke James
Transphorm and Microchip Highlight the Virtues of GaN for Bridgeless Totem-Pole PFC

Transphorm and Microchip Highlight the Virtues of GaN for Bridgeless Totem-Pole PFC

The new evaluation board opens a discussion on the pros and cons of continuous conduction mode PFC circuits and bridgeless totem-pole PFC circuits. What's your take?


News Apr 07, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
International Collaboration Provides New Insight on the Material Functions of Solid-State Devices

International Collaboration Provides New Insight on the Material Functions of Solid-State Devices

University of Porto researchers have created a simple self-charging battery which offers power solutions for various devices. To create the battery, the researchers used ferroelectric glass electrolyte inside of an electrochemical cell.


News Apr 06, 2020 by Luke James
When Does a Pandemic Overstep Privacy? A New Contact-Tracing Wristband Opens the Discussion

When Does a Pandemic Overstep Privacy? A New Contact-Tracing Wristband Opens the Discussion

A new Bluetooth wristband traces a person's contact with other wristband wearers, and if that person tests positive for COVID-19, other contacts are notified to quarantine. But does this new device cross the lines of privacy?


News Apr 04, 2020 by Robin Mitchell
How Do You Reduce EMI in DC-DC Power Management?

How Do You Reduce EMI in DC-DC Power Management?

Selecting the right switching DC-DC step-down regulator while minimizing EMI can feel like a balancing act. Here's an idea of how to do it with ADI's new integrated regulator.


News Apr 03, 2020 by John Koon
An Electrical Starter Generator Designed for Hybrid Vehicles is Upgraded for Use in Wind Turbines

An Electrical Starter Generator Designed for Hybrid Vehicles is Upgraded for Use in Wind Turbines

A pair of researchers from Samara Polytech’s Department of Theoretical and Basic Electrical Engineering have designed an electrical starter generator that could be used in hybrid cars.


News Apr 02, 2020 by Luke James
If You’ve Heeded the Rallying Cry for Ventilators, Here are the Government Regulations You Should Know

If You’ve Heeded the Rallying Cry for Ventilators, Here are the Government Regulations You Should Know

Learn about which government regulations have been dropped or modified to speed up design approval for ventilators.


News Mar 31, 2020 by Robin Mitchell
US Space Force Revs Up a “Space Fence” With Wolfspeed’s Power Amplifiers

US Space Force Revs Up a “Space Fence” With Wolfspeed’s Power Amplifiers

The US Space Force spends millions of dollars preventing spacecraft collisions in earth's increasingly crowded orbit. The Space Fence, powered by Wolfspeed's power amplifiers, aims to change that.


News Mar 31, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
Evaluating the Future of 3D-Printed Integrated Circuits

Evaluating the Future of 3D-Printed Integrated Circuits

A flurry of new ventures has produced powerful, silicon-on-polymer chips for complex applications—but how do they compare to standard chip designs?


News Mar 30, 2020 by Tyler Charboneau
Eliminating Brownouts and Blackouts by Manipulating Electricity Distribution in Power Grids

Eliminating Brownouts and Blackouts by Manipulating Electricity Distribution in Power Grids

A research team from the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) School of Engineering is redesigning how electricity is distributed within power grids.


News Mar 29, 2020 by Luke James
Designing FPGA-Dependent Medical Devices Just Got More Streamlined With New PMIC Reference Designs

Designing FPGA-Dependent Medical Devices Just Got More Streamlined With New PMIC Reference Designs

Renesas' new reference designs for Xilinx's FPGAs and SoCs solve the issues of multiphase regulators. But how might they also speed up the design process for in-demand medical devices?


News Mar 27, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
FPGAs Are More Accessible to Non-FPGA Specialists Than Ever Before

FPGAs Are More Accessible to Non-FPGA Specialists Than Ever Before

FPGAs pose a major drawback: they require the expertise of highly specialized (and scarce) engineers trained to work with FPGAs. Three companies have set out to change that.


News Mar 26, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
Power Engineering Catchup: Here’s What Would Have Been Presented at APEC

Power Engineering Catchup: Here’s What Would Have Been Presented at APEC

APEC was canceled less than a week before the event. What did we miss? Is there still a way for us to stay up to date on power electronic trends?


News Mar 26, 2020 by Kayla Matthews
The Market for Bluetooth 5.1 SoCs Heats Up as Goodix Enters the Arena

The Market for Bluetooth 5.1 SoCs Heats Up as Goodix Enters the Arena

How does the new transceiver hold up against forerunners from Nordic Semiconductor and Dialog Semiconductor?


News Mar 24, 2020 by John Koon