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Mouser Electronics, an authorised global distributor with the widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components, is shipping a broad range of new products and solutions from the YAGEO Group, a leading global manufacturer of passive components. With more than 300,000 parts available to order and almost 70,000 YAGEO Group products in stock — including YAGEO, KEMET and Pulse Electronics — Mouser offers a complete portfolio of the latest YAGEO Group products and solutions.

KO-CAP capacitors

YAGEO Group KO-CAP capacitors are tantalum capacitors with an organic polymer, designed for applications that demand hold-up protection and maximum circuit energy efficiency in small spaces. The conductive polymer cathode of these solid electrolytic capacitors delivers very low ESR and high capacitance retention at high frequencies. Unlike liquid electrolyte capacitors, KEMET polymer capacitors offer a very long operating life and high ripple current capability, making them ideal for solid-state drives (SSDs), enterprise storage, networking and servers.

SCFx and SCTx common mode inductors

The YAGEO Group SCFx and SCTx high-performance common mode inductors offer a rated current of up to 22 A for the single-phase version and up to 110 A for the three-phase version. The SCFx series is built around a nanocrystalline core, while the SCTx series uses a proprietary Mn-Zn ferrite core. Thanks to their very high inductance and permeability, these inductors suit audio-video equipment, office automation equipment, industrial equipment, air conditioners, home appliances, digital devices and power supplies.

CE X5R multilayer capacitors

The YAGEO Group CE X5R multilayer ceramic capacitors are Class 2 embedded capacitors designed for compact module assembly, with capacitance values from 10 nF to 220 nF. Their construction, a rectangular ceramic dielectric with interleaved metal electrodes, provides high capacitance per unit volume while reducing parasitic inductance. The capacitors support customisation of thickness and termination dimensions for embedding under ICs, ensuring excellent electrical bonding and advanced resonance.

HXE1 high-voltage isolation modules

The YAGEO Group HXE1 10 kV high-voltage isolation modules are designed for 100Base-TX applications and are available in single-channel or single-port (dual-channel) versions. The HXE1 modules support IsoSPI for BMS solutions and 100Base-T1 for industrial STPE. These high-voltage isolation modules comply with the IEEE 802.3u 100Base-TX standard.

Content and resources for designers

Besides offering a wide selection of YAGEO Group products, Mouser is proud to work with YAGEO Group to produce engaging content for design engineers and purchasing professionals, such as an automotive content stream and eBooks. In the eBook Powering the New Automotive Era with Smart Passive Solutions, industry experts explore how passive electronic components are evolving to meet the needs of increasingly electrified automotive systems.

To learn more about the YAGEO Group products available from Mouser, visit the site. For further Mouser news and the latest new product introductions, visit the site.

As an authorised global distributor, Mouser offers the widest selection of the latest semiconductors, electronic components and industrial automation products. Mouser customers can count on 100% certified, genuine and fully traceable products from each of its manufacturer partners. To accelerate customer designs, the Mouser website hosts an extensive library of technical resources, including a Technical Resource Centre, along with product datasheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, engineering tools and other useful information.

Engineers can stay up to date on exciting new products, technologies and applications through Mouser’s free electronic newsletter. Subscriptions to Mouser’s email news and references can be customised to the unique and changing design needs of customers and subscribers. No other distributor gives engineers this level of customisation and control over the information they receive. To learn about emerging technologies, product trends and more, you can sign up today.

The post Mouser Ships Nearly 70,000 YAGEO Group Products appeared first on Open Electronics.

Picture a portable box full of scientific sensors, designed to explore environments and make discoveries in the field. Dr. Peter Jansen’s open source tricorder does exactly that: it is a prototype built around a Clockwork Pi UConsole that integrates thermal imaging, visible spectroscopy, magnetic imaging, radiation spectroscopy and environmental sensors. All in a handheld format.

The UConsole uses a Raspberry Pi compute module, so it runs Linux and has about 4 GB of RAM. That lets it handle a user interface written in Python and analyse the data coming from the sensors. What’s more, the project is completely open: anyone who wants to study it or derive a personal version will find all the files available.

The tricorder’s sensors and their numbers

The heart of the device is its sensor suite. Each one covers a different measurement band, so the tricorder can observe the environment from several points of view at the same time.

• Waveshare Long-wave IR Camera: 80×62 pixel thermal imaging
• Waveshare IMX378 12MP: 12 megapixel visible camera
• Hamamatsu C12666MA: spectrometer with 256 spectral channels between 340 nm and 780 nm, effective resolution of about 15 nm
• SparkFun Magnetic Imaging Tile 8×8: 64 pixel magnetic camera, up to about 20 kHz
• Pomelo Spectroscopic Radiation Detector: radiation detection
• Sensirion SPS30: particulate matter measurement

The magnetic camera deserves a section of its own. Its 64 pixels may seem few, but the acquisition rate reaches about 20 kHz, that is 20,000 frames per second. So it can follow fast magnetic phenomena that a traditional camera would not see. The Hamamatsu spectrometer, on the other hand, covers the whole visible band with 256 channels and a spectral resolution of about 15 nm.

ESP32 firmware and JSONL packets to the UConsole

Not all the sensors speak the same language. Some connect directly to the UConsole over USB. The others are polled periodically by firmware on an ESP32, which collects the measurements and sends them to the UConsole over a USB-to-Serial connection. The data packets are in JSONL format, so the software on the UConsole can parse them easily.

The sensors are wired up in different ways. The Hamamatsu spectrometer, the magnetic imaging tile and the environmental sensors go through dedicated breakouts. The back plate hosts the environmental sensors with the Sparkfun mounting pattern, which measures about 25×25 mm, and the QWIIC hub. That way the wiring stays tidy and every sensor has its place.

For anyone who wants to rebuild the project, Dr. Peter Jansen’s code repository collects the ESP32 firmware, the Python interface, the EAGLE 9.6.2 project files with schematics and board, and the OpenSCAD models with the .scad sources and the exported STLs.

3D printing, M4 screws and press-fit inserts

The enclosure and the sensor mounts are 3D printed. The main body replaces the back of the UConsole and is fastened with four M4 screws at the corners. The press-fit inserts used are mainly M2.5, with some M2 and M3. So anyone who wants to replicate the assembly has to get hold of these inserts and the matching screws.

The cost of the components is not trivial. The UConsole, the CM4 compute module and the HackerGadgets expansion boards probably cost between 300 and 400 dollars. Adding the sensors and the build, the complete cyberdeck comes to around 1000 dollars. Even so, the project remains open and anyone who wants to can start from a reduced configuration and add the sensors later.

If you need a board for another computing project, the catalogue offers the Raspberry Pi 400 computer with Italian keyboard layout, which integrates a 4 GB Raspberry Pi 4 board. For more recent applications there is also the Raspberry Pi 5 with 2 GB of memory, with a quad-core Broadcom BCM2712 processor at 2.4 GHz.

Source: https://github.com/tricorderproject/cyberdeck

Related products

• Raspberry Pi 400 Computer with Italian Keyboard Layout
• Raspberry Pi 5 – 2 GB memory version

The post An Open Source Tricorder with Thermal Imaging and Spectroscopy appeared first on Open Electronics.

Samtec, Inc., a leader in connector services, announces a new product range designed for the SGeT oHFM.c standard. These connectors are based on Samtec’s proven AcceleRate® HD and AcceleRate® HP families, known for their high density and high performance.

What oHFM is

oHFM, short for Open Harmonized FPGA Module, is the world’s first open modular standard for FPGAs. It tackles the common challenges of unique pinouts, custom form factors and proprietary thermal concepts in FPGA and SOM development by providing a unified, scalable architecture. Ready-made blocks and clear design rules cut engineering time for a faster time-to-market.

Features of the Samtec connectors for oHFM.c

SOMs based on connectors defined by the oHFM.c standard are optimised for compact high-speed interfaces, mid-range and high-end FPGAs, and field upgrades using Samtec connectors with a 5 mm or 10 mm stack height.

Samtec’s oHFM.c connectors feature high-density channels on a 0.635 mm pitch with performance targets of 64 Gbps PAM4 or 112 Gbps PAM4. Within each connector, the narrow edges of the Edge Rate® contact system are aligned with the connector body to reduce broadside coupling and crosstalk, optimising signal integrity. The Edge Rate contact system also has a smooth, wide milled mating surface that reduces wear and increases durability for high-cycle applications. Samtec’s IPC Class 3 compliant solder column termination technique is used to secure the connectors to the printed circuit board. The solder column termination offers superior solder joint reliability and excellent insertion loss and return loss performance.

Designed to meet the evolving needs of FPGA-based computing platforms, Samtec interconnect solutions enable scalable, flexible and reliable system architectures for next-generation embedded and edge applications.

Ordering and more information

Samtec SGeT oHFM.c connectors are available from stock and can be ordered directly from Samtec or through authorised distributors. For more information on Samtec interconnect solutions for SGeT oHFM.c applications, visit samtec.com/oHFM.

The post Samtec backs the SGeT oHFM.c standard with high-performance interconnects appeared first on Open Electronics.

Multiple examples (with scope readings!), formulas for everything you need, and everything laid out so nicely (even if they're a bit long sometimes)... I can't count how many times an exact scenario I encountered was directly described somewhere in the datasheet. Great stuff. submitted by /u/ExerciseFun6808 [link] [comments]

In my local maker space, someone asked about taking a project from a breadboard to a prototype board and wasn't quite ready to go buy a printed PCB quite yet. I think I've seen this topic come up a few times so I figured I'd share how I handle this. Basically, I place all my parts on the prototype board and then draw out where I think all the traces need to go, then I remove all the components. Then I take copper tape and tape over the connections. Then, I place all the parts back on and double check that everything looks good before soldering everything. NOTE: In my my examples below, I made the copper tape thick so it'd show up easier on camera, but if you are doing this for real, you want to copper tape to be thinner than the pads so that the solder connects the tape to each pad along the way. Here is a demonstration (without any components) that I did on a scrap prototype board: Place the copper tape down on the board and press it firmly in place. Using a craft knife, cut away the extra portion (thinner than what I've done here) so that you can see the pads along the length of the trace. You can reuse the portion that you've cut away, but be careful not to touch the adhesive side because it is very weak and the oil from you hands will prevent it from sticking. Finish trimming your trace, then add flux and solder over it. Normally when you solder a component, you want to tin your tip and then add solder to the pad (not your iron), but when doing these traces, you just need the solder from your tip. Ensure that each end that connects to a part is firmly soldered like normal. There are a log of reasons that I like this method. First, it is very intentional. You get to map out all of the work ahead of time and double and triple check your work before soldering anything to the board. Second, if you are planning on designing a PCB, you can use this intermediary step to test your assumptions and figure out if there are any problems. Finally, this method allows you to use both sides of the prototype board for your traces. This can be especially helpful when connecting components to ground without crossing over other traces. This isn't a "You should do this and sell this on the market" thing, but a quick "try it before you buy it" approach to transition from your breadboard to a prototype board and all it costs is a little time and some copper tape. submitted by /u/FrequentlyVeganBear [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
[link] [comments]

Bel Fuse Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of reliable components, systems and solutions for mission-critical applications in the industrial, medical and data solutions markets, has announced the XRCM 200 and 300 series, the second generation of DC-DC converters with an ultra-wide input voltage range. Designed for the most demanding rail and transportation applications, the new converters combine a compact form factor, an ultra-wide input voltage range and high efficiency to help engineers simplify system design while meeting the strict reliability and safety requirements of the rail sector.

“Rail operators and system designers need power solutions they can rely on, and that is at the heart of our work at Bel,” said Silvan Mueller, Business Development Manager for Rail Power Products. “This new generation of the XRCM series was designed to simplify installation, combining support for a wide input voltage range, a reduced footprint and the protection features technicians need to build resilient transportation systems.”

Key features

The dual-output XRCM 200 converter delivers 200W at ±15V and is a more compact and cost-effective option with low power consumption. The single-output XRCM 300 converter delivers 300W at 24V and offers an extended temperature range for continuous operation at an ambient temperature of up to 85°C. Both feature high power density, low inrush current and full protection against overheating, overvoltage, overcurrent and short circuits. Both are also designed to meet the latest safety standards, including EN 50155, EN 50121-3-2 and AREMA.

Shown at InnoTrans 2026

The converters were presented at the Bel Fuse booth (Hall 17, Stand no. 310) at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, held from 22 to 25 September, together with other power conversion solutions designed for modern rail and transportation systems. Both converter families support DC input voltages from 16.8V DC to 137.5V DC and are compatible with all the most common rail battery systems, allowing OEMs to standardise on fewer power platforms across multiple vehicle architectures.

Together, the XRCM200 and XRCM300 converters give engineers versatile power conversion solutions that reduce integration effort, improve system reliability and support the evolving needs of modern rail electronics.

Summary

• Product series: XRCM
• Applications: rail sector
• Distribution availability: to be defined

For more information on the XRCM series, visit the dedicated DC-DC Converters page. Other product lines are available on the Bel Fuse website.

The post Bel Fuse launches XRCM200 and XRCM300 converters for rail appeared first on Open Electronics.

The wireless charging is not working what might be the issue. Im afraid if i pull the board out it will give me trouble to place it back submitted by /u/Jazzlike-Maybe-6424 [link] [comments]

JBR-001 is an open source desktop robot that sees and recognizes the objects in front of it, then reacts with movements, sounds and animations. It was created by syntheticAIdata and built around the Arduino UNO Q 2GB. Inside there are three servos, a camera, a distance sensor, a buzzer and an animated display. So it is not yet another blinking ornament: it is a platform for experimenting with robotics, computer vision and edge AI on a workbench.

Assembly starts from a body of 3D-printable parts that house the board and the rest of the electronics. The head contains the camera, mounted so that it looks straight ahead of the robot. On the back of the same head sits a Modulino Distance, which continuously measures the distance to nearby objects. The arms and the rotation of the head, on the other hand, come from three servos. The mechanics are therefore easy to replicate for anyone who already has a 3D printer at home.

Servo pins and distance thresholds in the code

The three servos split the tasks: one rotates the head, the other two control the arms. In the code the pins are HEAD_SERVO_PIN = 9, LEFT_ARM_SERVO_PIN = 10 and RIGHT_ARM_SERVO_PIN = 11. The rest positions are all at 90 degrees, so HEAD_CENTER = 90, LEFT_ARM_CENTER = 90 and RIGHT_ARM_CENTER = 90. The servos also use a separate external power supply instead of drawing power from the UNO Q: a forced choice when three motors start at the same time.

The distance sensor decides when the robot should notice someone. In the code the detection threshold is DETECTION_DISTANCE = 200.0, while the reset one is RESET_DISTANCE = 250.0. The units are not specified in the project material, so they should be checked on the bench before trusting them. The margin between the two thresholds prevents the robot from switching on and off continuously when someone stays right on the boundary.

Heartbeat on the display, a greeting in notes and the vision model

The robot’s responses go through three different channels. The LED matrix display is driven with bitmaps of 8 rows by 13 columns, the two used for the small and large heart. In the heartbeat animation the delays are 120, 100, 160 and 700 milliseconds, and the last long gap gives the sense of the pause between one beat and the next. The sound greeting playHello instead uses the notes 523 Hz (C5), 659 Hz (E5), 784 Hz (G5) and 1047 Hz (C6), that is a C major arpeggio rising by one octave.

The most interesting part comes from the camera mounted in the head. It connects through a USB-C hub and gives the robot a front view of its surroundings. The captured images can be processed on the UNO Q with a trained computer vision model: this way JBR-001 does not just understand that something is nearby, but identifies the object and uses the result to decide how to react. Consequently the same hardware can turn its head, move its arms, change the image on the display or play a short sequence.

• Arduino UNO Q 2GB as the robot’s brain
• Modulino Distance for continuous distance measurement
• Modulino Motors for motion control
• Modulino Buzzer for sound sequences
• Arduino USB-C Hub (8 in 1) to connect the camera
• Three servos for head and arms
• Camera mounted in the head
• 3D printer for the body parts

On the software side you need Arduino App Lab and the JBR-001 source code, plus a trained computer vision model for object recognition. The project has 1805 views and 2 respects. Anyone who wants to rebuild it starts here: the maker syntheticAIdata’s site, where the code and the instructions to replicate the build are. For the servos, an RC servo control module simplifies the wiring when the channels to drive grow. The project’s distance sensor is a Modulino, and as an alternative you can consider a ToF laser sensor for close-range measurement. The board everything runs on is the 2GB version, while the catalogue also lists the Arduino UNO Q 4GB in a complete kit: same family, more memory for vision models.

Source: https://projecthub.arduino.cc/syntheticaidata/jbr-001-a-desktop-companion-robot-powered-by-arduino-uno-q-b11c96

Related products

• Arduino shield for RC servo control
• ToF Laser Distance Sensor with VL53L3CX
• Arduino UNO Q 4GB – Complete kit with accessories

The post JBR-001: the open source desktop robot that recognizes objects appeared first on Open Electronics.

Arrow Electronics has announced global access for customers who want to remotely evaluate NXP® Semiconductors’ discrete Ara240 neural processing unit through the Digital Test Drive capability, giving engineers the chance to get early access to advanced AI models and technologies for computer vision, generative AI and multimodal systems, and letting them assess performance and start a project before investing in hardware.

The importance of edge AI

As AI adoption accelerates across industrial, robotics and intelligent vision applications, developers increasingly look to implement more sophisticated AI workloads closer to where data is generated. Working with AI locally at the edge can help reduce latency, improve data privacy and limit dependence on cloud-based processing, particularly in time-sensitive applications.

Features of the NXP Ara240 DNPU

Designed to support these requirements, the NXP Ara240 DNPU delivers up to 40 tera eTOPS (equivalent operations per second), supporting workloads that include LLMs (large language models), VLMs (vision language models), transformers and CNNs (convolutional neural networks). With LPDDR4 memory support up to 16 GB, this device makes it possible to run larger and more complex AI models directly on edge and embedded systems, without having to rely on cloud resources.

Arrow’s Digital Test Drive platform

To help those who want to explore these capabilities, Arrow has made NXP’s Ara240 solutions available through the Digital Test Drive platform, often described as a “digital test platform”: a cloud-based, Arrow-managed remote hardware testing and development environment that lets you evaluate physical embedded boards over the web, without having the hardware on your desk.

This makes it possible to remotely access live systems based on NXP i.MX applications processors paired with the Ara240 DNPU, in order to evaluate real AI applications such as computer vision, large language model inference and vision language AI, without having to rely on specifications or benchmark data. This gives a better understanding of system performance and of a project’s suitability, before committing to hardware investments or architecture decisions.

What the key players say

“Developers need a hands-on way to understand how advanced AI technologies will behave in real applications,” said Justin Mortimer, senior director of product marketing, Secure Connected Edge, NXP Semiconductors. “By providing access to NXP’s Ara240 DNPUs through Digital Test Drive, Arrow lets designers evaluate real edge AI performance more quickly and make design decisions more knowingly.”

“At Arrow we are committed to helping customers accelerate their AI journey by removing the barriers between innovation and implementation,” said Shelby Schnurrenberger, vice president of global semiconductor management and suppliers at Arrow Electronics. “By integrating NXP’s Ara240 AI accelerator into our Digital Test Drive platform, designers can immediately evaluate advanced edge AI workloads, gaining the necessary hands-on experience with the technology before investing in hardware. Together with NXP, we are enabling them to move faster from initial idea to production and to unlock new opportunities in intelligent edge applications. Digital Test Drive extends global access to NXP’s AI portfolio, making it possible to evaluate performance, explore use cases and shorten development cycles anywhere in the world. This collaboration strengthens our commitment to making edge AI more accessible, scalable and practical for customers working in industrial, robotics, computer vision and emerging intelligent systems sectors.”

Availability and access

The NXP Ara240 evaluation environment is now available through Digital Test Drive, which simplifies early-stage testing by removing common obstacles such as kit availability, shipping delays, setup complexity and software installation.

For more information, visit Digital Test Drive – Remote Hardware Testing.

The post Arrow Electronics Offers Digital Test Drive for NXP’s Ara240 AI Accelerator appeared first on Open Electronics.

Power semiconductor start-up Vertical Semiconductor of Cambridge, MA, USA — which was spun out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2024 — has signed a letter of intent with the US Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Research and Development Office (CRDO) to receive up to $73m in federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act...

STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland has extended its MasterGaN integrated transistor/driver family with new MasterGaN7 devices that contain 650V enhancement-mode gallium nitride (GaN) transistors with 6A maximum current rating. The new series helps designers to boost efficiency and power density in applications such as power adapters, chargers, industrial lighting equipment, and solar micro-inverters...

Semiconductor transistor materials and technology licensing company Atomera Inc of Los Gatos, CA, USA has entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) with epiwafer and substrate maker IQE plc of Cardiff, Wales, UK to bring high-performance, cost-effective RF gallium nitride GaN to market...

Farnell is widening access to NI Nigel AI from Emerson, an AI technology designed specifically for test and measurement. The new enhancements, now available through Farnell, evolve the technology from a simple AI assistant into a true AI author, thanks to new code generation and automated test development capabilities across the entire NI software portfolio. These improvements help make Emerson’s AI-driven test capabilities accessible to even more engineers worldwide, accelerating development without compromising the rigour, control and validation that modern test and measurement environments demand.

The challenge of modern test environments

As increasingly software-defined and connected engineering systems become more widespread, test engineers face growing pressure to manage ever more complex development and validation flows without sacrificing quality or extending development times. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, NI Nigel AI was developed by Emerson specifically for engineering test environments and offers contextual assistance able to understand code and engineering workflows, existing test systems and application data.

AI-assisted authoring features

Integrated directly into NI software, Nigel AI helps engineers speed up tasks such as code generation, debugging, sequence development and system comprehension. With the latest updates introduced by Emerson, Nigel AI moves beyond simple operational support to offer AI-assisted authoring features, including prompt-based code generation in NI LabVIEW and automatic sequence generation in NI TestStand. This lets engineers move more quickly from design to validation while retaining full control over the review, validation and deployment of their work.

A concrete demonstration at NI Connect 2026

During NI Connect 2026, Emerson engineers demonstrated the concrete impact of Nigel AI by reducing a task that, using conventional AI coding tools, had taken around 20 hours of work spread over two weeks, to a workflow completed in about 20 minutes, with working results on the very first attempt.

Statements

Andy Weatherill, Global Head of Product and Technology at Farnell, said: “AI has enormous potential to improve engineering productivity, but its real value emerges when it integrates naturally with the way engineers work every day. By making Emerson’s NI Nigel AI available through Farnell, we help customers adopt an artificial intelligence designed specifically for the sector, capable of enhancing engineering expertise, accelerating development and supporting the high standards of quality and validation required by modern test environments.”

Siddarth Sethi, Vice President and General Manager, NI Test and Analytics Software, Test & Measurement, Emerson, added: “The future of AI in engineering is not about replacing engineers, but about improving the way they work. Nigel brings artificial intelligence directly into the systems, workflows and data engineers rely on every day, combining speed and rigour and helping teams confidently tackle increasingly complex challenges.”

An AI-ready NI platform

Built on the AI-ready NI platform, Nigel AI connects hardware, software, data and engineering workflows to provide intelligent assistance across the entire test lifecycle. Rather than operating as a standalone AI tool, Nigel AI integrates into existing engineering environments, supporting development, validation, troubleshooting and deployment, while helping to reduce repetitive tasks and simplify the most complex workflows.

Global access through Farnell

Through Farnell’s global distribution network, engineers can more easily access the latest NI innovations and products, enabling organisations of any size to adopt AI-based test technologies within the workflows and tools they already use and trust. (https://uk.farnell.com/sc/ni-emerson/software-campaign?ICID=I-SF-NI-QUARTERLY-SOFTWARE-FEB26-WF4836310)

The post Farnell Widens Access to Emerson’s NI Nigel AI for Test appeared first on Open Electronics.

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Cadence has announced that Nokia is using its AuraStack AI Super Agent on the Cadence Millennium M2000 AI Supercomputer to improve the design of complex electronic systems. The platform combines agentic AI, Cadence engineering software and high-performance computing in a secure system installed on-site. According to Cadence, this technology helps Nokia complete key design and analysis tasks up to five times faster while keeping sensitive engineering data and intellectual property under its own control.

The deployment introduces a new approach to AI-powered engineering for large technology companies. Nokia can use Cadence’s AuraStack AI Super Agent to automate engineering tasks, evaluate different system designs and analyse how multiple physical factors, such as heat, electrical performance and mechanical effects, interact in complex electronic systems. The modular Millennium architecture also allows Nokia to expand computing capacity as its needs increase and run multiple AI-driven engineering tasks simultaneously.

“Nokia’s deployment demonstrates how agentic AI can transform the way the world’s most advanced systems are engineered,” said Michael Jackson, corporate vice president of R&D for System Design and Analysis at Cadence. “Cadence uniquely brings together AI, computational software and accelerated computing in one platform, enabling Nokia to automate complex workflows, accelerate design convergence and protect critical IP.”

The Cadence platform integrates three layers of AI-driven engineering:

1. Agentic AI: The Cadence AuraStack AI Super Agent, built with NVIDIA Nemotronopen models, automates and coordinates electronic system design tasks, including schematic capture, placement, routing and multi-objective optimization.
2. Computational software: Cadence EDA and SDA technologies use GPU-optimized NVIDIA CUDA-X libraries, including cuDSS, and NVIDIA Omniverse to accelerate power integrity, thermal analysis, electromagnetic characterization, and circuit simulation workflows.
3. Accelerated computing: Cadence Millennium M2000 systems provide a shared, scalable foundation for the AuraStack AI Super Agent and Cadence engineering applications, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs.

Together, these technologies help Nokia compress design and analysis cycles from months to days and accelerate targeted workflows by 5X, increasing engineering throughput and enabling teams to evaluate more design options. The self-contained deployment keeps sensitive data and IP within Nokia’s environment, while the modular architecture provides a path to scale capacity with demand.

“Cadence is helping us rethink how we approach electronic system design and heterogeneous integration,” said Derek Urbaniak, Head of SoC Development at Nokia. “The integrated platform enables our teams to evaluate complex tradeoffs and close multiphysics loops in a fraction of the time, while keeping sensitive engineering data and IP under our control. This helps us move advanced systems toward production faster.”

“AI gives engineering teams the speed to explore more designs and the insight to make better tradeoffs, while keeping proprietary data and expertise under their control,” said Tim Costa, vice president and general manager of industrial and computational engineering at NVIDIA. “Nokia is bringing that capability inside its own environment, with Cadence agents built with NVIDIA Nemotron open models and simulation powered by NVIDIA accelerated computing and NVIDIA CUDA-X libraries like cuDSS. Together, they connect design automation with the power, thermal and electromagnetic analysis needed to evaluate each iteration, while keeping proprietary data and IP under Nokia’s control.”

The post Cadence AI Super Agents Help Nokia Accelerate Electronic System Design by 5X appeared first on ELE Times.

There are several ways to boost a relatively low voltage by a factor of two or three, or even hundreds—but there are also many risks.

Part 1 of this high-voltage article series discussed configurations that boost the voltage, but they can only go so far. Instead, what are called voltage “multipliers” can push voltages to much-higher values. The design and considerations change dramatically when the output voltage starts going about 100 V and then into the >1000 V range.

Fortunately, many of these higher-voltage systems need only modest current (100 mA or less) which simplifies the problem somewhat. Applications for these truly high voltages include X-ray machines, physics experiments, beam steering, electric-field shaping, lightning simulation, electrostatic tests, and many more – it’s more common than many people realize.

The obvious question is why can’t you just use a transformer with suitable turns ratio to multiple the input voltage by 10× or 1000×, or whatever is needed? In theory, you could. But as the turns ratio and secondary voltage increases, there are issues of additional inefficiency due to transformer losses (perhaps acceptable), and high-voltage breakdown of the wire insulation, among others. This does not mean it can’t be done, but it can be a difficult approach due to practical considerations.

The transformer approach been used commercially in many applications with a configuration called a flyback converter (Reference 1), such as for the cathode-ray tube (CRT) of the mass-market TVs that dominated the video world for over 50 years until the LED/LCD flat panels took over) The flyback design uses a special transformer which is a wound as a combination of a transformer, plus an inductor to store energy.

However, there are various topologies which use passive components to multiply an input voltage. In general, they rely on a combination of diodes and capacitors in a series of stages to leverage the voltage of the previous stage. These voltage multipliers are specialized rectifier circuits which develop an output voltage which is (in theory) an integer times the AC peak input, for example, ×2, ×3, or ×4 times the AC peak input value. They are usually configured as a stack of half or full-wave rectifiers.

For example, the circuit of Figure 1 shows a three-stage multiplier. The action is as follows: each cycle of the AC input charges the various capacitors, and each capacitor is eventually charged by successive AC cycles to the peak value of the input sine wave. Thus, for a 120 VAC rms line voltage, the peak is 170 V. By doing this across the multiple capacitors – each charging independently – and then allowing these capacitors to be stacked in series, the output voltage is the sum of the individual capacitor voltages.

Figure 1 In the basic voltage-multiplier configuration, a ladder of capacitor-diodes arranged as rectifiers is used with the capacitor charging from the AC line and then adding their voltages in series at the output. (Image source: Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation)

There is no tangible or visible switching in this arrangement, yet it goes from charging to stacking of stored voltage in a standard rectifier arrangement. The diodes act as passive switches and prevent discharge of the capacitors when the input voltage starts to drop. They allow current flow to the capacitors, but not flow from the capacitors back to the input source. And if you need a negative high voltage from a multiplier, that’s only easy thing about high-voltage multipliers: simply reverse the polarities of all the multiplier diodes and capacitors to produce a negative version.

These multiplier configurations seem easy enough to implement but they are not. First, the diodes and capacitors must have a minimum reverse-breakdown voltage rating of at least twice the peak voltage across them. Even if you are starting with a 120 VAC line (170 V peak), you’d need components rated for at least 1700 V if you are building a 10× multiple (plus a factor of ×2 or more for safety margin, of course).

There are also other issues in a high-voltage designs such as these. First, they can deliver very little current at that high voltage: once you begin to draw current for the for the load, the stored charge and thus the voltage drops. In many cases, this is too restrictive, since many higher-voltage applications need only small amount of current, for example, to create an electric field.

Also, the physics of the high-voltage world has many points at which “strange” things happen; increasing the voltage is not a linear situation. Think of it as analogous to water crossing the temperatures where freezing or boiling occurs. For example, high voltage circuits will have corona discharges from sharp points. These are both hazardous in themselves, and they also cause pitting of metal contacts and can punch through insulators.

Even “small things” such solder joints are an issue for corona. You might assume a standard, well-made solder joint would be OK, but it will act as a starting point for corona discharge. Therefore, “ball soldering” is frequently used instead in the high-voltage implementation using large, spherical solder connections (Figure 2). The large-diameter, smooth spherical shape of the solder connection helps to control the local E-field, thus suppressing the generation of corona.

Figure 2 In the high-voltage word, every aspect of the physical construction is critical: a standard solder joint will encourage corona discharge, so the joints must be made as balls without corners. (Image source: Maker Forums)

If you are tempted to build your own high-voltage circuit, think about it very carefully. It’s probably not a good idea, because there is so much more to it than just the schematic diagram and the bill of materials (BOM), and that BOM itself has truly unique parts.

It is a truly dangerous world where just “being careful” is not enough, and even the slightest mistake or oversight has deadly consequences. Physical spacing, component ratings, insulation properties, pinhole imperfections, and material breakdown are just some of the many issues. Circuit protection is also unique: specialty fuses and other overvoltage/overcurrent devices are essential.

Not surprisingly, that doesn’t stop people from doing so, as seen in the posting which shows someone building a multiplier going into the tens of kilovolts (Reference 5).  Don’t try this at home (or even in the lab) unless you have someone with you is experienced in high-voltage construction (and can call for help – although it usually too late at that point!). Finally, there are the complicated regulatory issues if you intend to produce and sell the product.

There are many examples of high-voltage multipliers used in attention-getting projects. For example, a team at MIT recently built and tested an aircraft with a wingspan of a few meters but with no moving parts (Figure 3, details are in References 6 and 7). Instead, it uses the flow of negative ions attracted by high-voltage, positive electrostatic field across the wing rear edge.

Figure 3 High voltages are key to some very unusual applications, such as this MIT aircraft, which is propelled by a stream of ions across the wing; the ions are attracted to the 20-kV “fence” at the trailing edge of the wing. (Image source: MIT)

This non-tethered, free-flying aircraft has an on-board battery (nominally at 200 V DC) for its 600-W power supply (Figure 4, designed by the Power Electronics Research Group in the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics). It uses a switching regulator followed by a 1:15 step-up transformer, and then a six-stage, full-wave “Cockcroft-Walton” voltage multiplier to deliver 20 kV DC (see References 8 through 10).

Figure 4 Within the MIT aircraft is a DC/DC power subsystem which converts 200 V DC from on-board batteries into an AC waveform, then transforms it to 20 kV DC using the Cockcroft-Walton multiplier topology. (Image source: MIT)

Cockroft-Walton multipliers play a very large role in advanced physics experiments, often used as initial “injectors” for various particle accelerators. The 750-kV unit of Figure 5 was commissioned in 1975 at CERN and was recently retired. Larger units can now reach up to the single-digit megavolt range.

Figure 5 This Cockroft-Walton generator at CERN produces up to 750 kV; it’s definitely not a “desktop” unit, as it is about 12 feet (~3 ½ meters) tall. (Image source: CERN)

The world of high-voltage boosters and multipliers is a strange yet important one. Some of these architectures result in modestly higher voltages, and some reach into kilovolt range. As voltages go beyond about 60 V, issues of safety become a concern. As they go into the hundreds and thousands of volts, additional issues of material characteristics and electrical phenomena show that design and construction for these levels is a very different world.

References:

1. Wikipedia, “Flyback converter”
2. Spellman High Voltage Electronics Corporation, “High-Voltage Reference Manual”
3. All About Circuits, “Voltage Multipliers (Doublers, Triplers, Quadruplers, and More)”
4. Instructables, “High Voltage Multiplier”
5. MIT, “MIT engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts”
6. MIT Electric Aircraft Initiative, “MIT engineers fly first-ever plane with no moving parts in propulsion system”
7. Georgia State University Hyperphysics, “Cockroft-Walton Accelerators”
8. Wikipedia, “Cockcroft–Walton generator”
9. Wenzel Associates, TechLib, “Cockcroft-Walton voltage multipliers”
10. CERN, “The 750kV Cockcroft-Walton generator and Faraday cage”

—Bill Schweber is a degreed senior EE who has written three textbooks, hundreds of technical articles, opinion columns, and product features. Prior to becoming an author and editor, he spent his entire hands-on career on the analog side by working on power supplies, sensors and signal conditioning, and wired and wireless communication links. His work experience includes many years at Analog Devices in applications and marketing, and he also developed significant mechanical-engineering insight while designing control electronics for large materials-testing systems.

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The post Creating higher voltages, part 2: Voltage multipliers appeared first on EDN.

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