Microelectronics world news

New SXV, SXE, and SVPG series deliver superior durability, low ESR, high ripple current, and increased capacitance, setting a new standard for industrial power supply applications.

Panasonic Industry Europe announces the expansion of its renowned OS-CON aluminum polymer solid capacitors, introducing the latest members of the product lineup: the SXV, SXE, and SVPG series. These new capacitor families are designed for surface mount and radial lead applications, offering remarkable performance improvements that meet the evolving needs of industrial applications.

SXV and SXE Series: Enhanced Performance for High-Density Mounting

The OS-CON SXV (surface mount type) and SXE (radial lead type) series capacitors are engineered to deliver superior durability and efficiency, featuring remarkable equivalent series resistance (ESR) even at low temperatures. Both series boast a high-temperature endurance of 1,000 hours at 125°C and operate within a wide voltage range of 63V to 100V. With enhancements to the aluminum foil, these capacitors offer a capacitance increase of up to 20% compared to competitors in the conductive polymer aluminum solid capacitor category. This advancement enables improved functionality and miniaturization, making them ideal for high-density mounting in power supplies, solar inverters, measuring machines, servers, and base stations.

SVPG Series: Reliability and Low ESR for High Ripple Current Applications

Complementing the SXV and SXE series, the OS-CON SVPG series introduces a line extension available in 20V and 25V ratings, designed for long life with an endurance of 5,000 hours at 105°C. With the extended voltage range, it is an ideal capacitor for smoothing 12-15V power lines that require high ripple current. The SVPG series is specifically formulated to provide low ESR and high ripple current handling, achieving an average ripple current increase of 1.37 times compared to competitors. This makes the SVPG series an excellent choice for power supply circuits that require reliability under high ripple conditions.

The SVPG series is suitable for a variety of demanding applications, including industrial power supplies, AI accelerators, industrial automation, and data centers.

All new capacitors in the OS-CON lineup are halogen-free and RoHS compliant, ensuring they meet the highest standards for safety and environmental responsibility.

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• Companies aim at developing powerful ion traps for Quantinuum’s future generations of quantum computers.
• Infineon provides expertise in process development, fabrication, and quantum processing unit (QPU) technology
• Partnership to drive progress in fields such as generative chemistry, material science, and artificial intelligence.

Infineon Technologies AG, a global leader in semiconductor solutions, and Quantinuum, a global leader in integrated, full-stack quantum computing, have announced a strategic partnership to develop the future generation of ion traps. This partnership will drive the acceleration of quantum computing and enable progress in fields such as generative chemistry, material science, and artificial intelligence.

“We are thrilled to partner with Quantinuum, a leader in quantum computing, to push the boundaries of quantum computing and generate larger, more powerful machines that solve meaningful real-life problems,” said Richard Kuncic, Senior Vice President and General Manager Power Systems at Infineon Technologies. “This collaboration brings together Infineon’s state-of-the-art knowledge in process development, fabrication, and quantum processing unit (QPU) technology with Quantinuum’s cutting-edge ion-trap design expertise and experience with operating high-performance commercial quantum computers.”

Infineon innovates with a dedicated team to make their trapped-ion quantum processing units (QPUs) the heart of the leading quantum computers. The company has invested in this field since 2017, applying its expertise in high-volume processing technologies and developing technologies, like integrated photonics and control electronics, to enable their partners to scale the qubit count of their machines.

In Quantinuum’s hardware approach, charged atoms are trapped with electromagnetic fields so they can be manipulated and encoded with information using microwave signals and lasers. This design has distinct advantages over other quantum hardware, including higher fidelities and longer coherence times.

This collaboration builds on today’s leading performance of Quantinuum’s trapped-ion quantum computers, which currently hold the world records in key performance benchmarks such as 2-qubit gate fidelity, quantum volume and cross-entropy benchmark fidelity. To deliver even better fidelity at greater scale and achieve commercial advantage, larger and more sophisticated ion traps are needed. Engineers from the two companies have been working together for more than a year and will intensify their efforts under the current partnership to develop powerful ion traps for Quantinuum’s next-generation quantum computers.

“At Quantinuum, our mission is to accelerate useful quantum computing. We have announced a roadmap to reach universal fault-tolerance in 2029. Our partnership with Infineon is key to our delivering on this commitment,“ said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum.

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Texas Instruments (TI) has announced its India Automotive Seminar 2024, where automotive designers will learn about the latest innovations and emerging automotive trends. At the seminar, taking place on November 19 in Pune and November 22 in Bangalore, attendees will meet with TI experts in sessions on how to use TI’s innovative technology to address critical areas in automotive applications, such as battery management system (BMS), car access and infotainment.

“To address ever-evolving challenges, automakers are looking to semiconductor advancements from reliable suppliers,” said Elizabeth Jansen, sales director, Texas Instruments India. “In areas such as intelligent EV powertrains and software-defined vehicles, the insights and technologies at TI’s India Automotive Seminar will help drive automotive forward alongside automakers. We’re building reliable, cost-efficient, and intelligent technologies that are at the core of safer and smarter vehicles.”

In addition to educational sessions, attendees will see live demonstrations of TI’s analog and embedded processing portfolio and design resources enabling hybrid and electric powertrain systems, body electronics and lighting solutions, and infotainment and cluster solutions.

Demonstrations at India Automotive Seminar 2024

• Vehicle electrification: For manufacturers who are developing smarter, safer electric vehicle (EV) systems, TI will showcase devices that help meet functional safety standards in BMS and smarter EV powertrains.

o   48V BMS reference design: Advanced BMS helps overcome some of the most critical barriers to widespread adoption: driving range, safety, performance, reliability, and cost.

o   Traction inverter 5KW: Advances in traction inverters, enabled by TI’s microcontrollers with real-time control capabilities and isolated gate drivers, are pushing expectations of EV performance even further. Better switching speeds lead directly to improvements in reliability, performance, weight, and power density.

o   New TI programmable logic device portfolio: Programmable logic devices can integrate up to 40 combinational and sequential logic and analog functions into one chip, reducing board size as much as 94% — and lowering system costs — compared to discrete logic implementations.

• Body electronics and lighting: TI’s products address common challenges such as load driving, condition diagnostics, and fault detection and optimize automotive light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems. Designers can use TI reference designs to quickly develop door locks; window lifts; seat heaters; heating, ventilation and air conditioning lamps; and more.

o   Radar kick-to-open demo: Demonstration of TI mmWave radar sensors which enable automakers to integrate more sensing into any level of vehicle, helping to make automobiles safer.

o   OPT4001-Q1 light-to-digital sensor: Designed for systems that require light-level detection to enhance user experience, this sensor often can be used to replace low-accuracy photodiodes, photoresistors and other ambient light sensors to improve human eye matching and near-infrared rejection.

• Infotainment and cluster: TI’s broad analog and embedded processing portfolio enables applications such as car audio, navigation systems, power supplies, as well as in-car and personal entertainment.

o   Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) oscillators: The industry’s first BAW-based fixed-frequency oscillator offers jitter performance lower than 100fs, stability across 10 years of aging and vibration, and low current consumption in industry-standard packages.

o   Dynamic ground projection with DLP® technology: Enable dynamic content to be displayed anywhere around the vehicle with DLP3021-Q1 and DLP2021-Q1 digital micromirror devices. These DLP products are automotive-qualified, compact and reprogrammable, enabling a system that can display an infinite number of full-color images and videos for vehicle personalization, customization and styling.

o   Ultrasonic lens cleaning: TI’s ultrasonic lens cleaning chipset automatically detects when there is an obstruction on the lens and activates a cleaning cycle to remove contaminants — reducing the need for human intervention and maintenance, even in complex integrated systems.

o   Digital cluster: The entry-level automotive-grade AM62 Arm®-based processors address automotive applications like driver monitoring systems and entry-level digital clusters.

o   Front Camera: AM62 processors are built for a set of cost-sensitive automotive applications including driver and in-cabin monitoring systems, and the next generation of eMirror systems.

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• Reduces Radio Frequency (RF) device modeling time from days to hours
• Automated Python workflows streamline design processes
• Accelerates predictive design of chiplet interconnects

Keysight Technologies, Inc. has introduced its new Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software portfolio to transform how engineers address the demands of next-generation technologies. As the electronics industry races to develop advanced solutions for 5G/6G and data center applications, Keysight’s suite of EDA tools leverages AI, machine learning (ML), and Python integrations to dramatically reduce design time for complex RF and chiplet products.

Keysight’s EDA 2025 software addresses critical challenges in the development lifecycle by enhancing data manipulation, integration, and control of best-in-class simulators, allowing engineers to build efficient workflows seamlessly across multiple tools. AI-enhanced workflows and high-performance computing further reduce the time-to-insight, enabling engineers to move from simulation to verification and compliance with greater confidence. For simulating fast digital interconnects, the software is equipped with end-to-end component models and measurements that conform to digital standards, providing an efficient and high-accuracy digital twin for complex digital electronic design challenges.

Core benefits of the EDA 2025 software portfolio include: 

• RF Circuit Design: Accelerate RF design cycles through open, automatable workflows featuring Python integration and multi-domain simulation. Additionally, the Python toolkit enables engineers to quickly consolidate measured load pull data from various files and formats into a single, cohesive dataset to train fast AI/ML models.
• High-speed Digital Design: Create precise digital twins for complex standard-specific SerDes designs, including Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express  (UCIe) chiplets, memory, USB, and PCIe, with the Advanced Design System (ADS) 2025 release.
• Device Modeling and Characterization: Reduce model re-centring time by 10X through AI/ML capabilities in the IC-CAP 2025 release, while Python integrations streamline and automate the modelling process.

Nilesh Kamdar, EDA Design & Verification General Manager at Keysight, said, “AI is transforming how engineers approach complex design challenges. Automating traditionally time-intensive tasks enables engineers to focus on innovation rather than repetitive refinements, resulting in real productivity gains. The foundation for the practical application of AI and ML is first having an open, interoperable workflow and then providing turn-key solutions tuned for specific applications. It’s a fascinating time, and AI and ML will undoubtedly be a huge driver of design innovation in the future.”

Stephen Slater, Director of Product Management at Keysight, said, “With this release, engineers can easily import data from measurements or swept simulations to train neural network models, which then execute very quickly in subsequent simulations. This unlocks new possibilities for abstracting and co-optimizing large parts of the RF design together, dramatically accelerating the development process.”

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New Multiplexed Registered Clock Driver, Multiplexed Data Buffer and PMIC Enable Next-Generation MRDIMM Speeds up to 12,800 Mega Transfers per Second for AI and High-Performance Compute Applications

The post Renesas Introduces Industry’s First Complete Memory Interface Chipset Solutions for Second-Generation DDR5 Server MRDIMMs appeared first on ELE Times.

STMicroelectronics has introduced its fourth-generation STPOWER silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET technology, delivering breakthroughs in power efficiency, density, and robustness for automotive and industrial applications. Designed to optimize EV traction inverters, the technology enhances energy efficiency and performance in both 400V and 800V platforms, driving the adoption of more affordable and sustainable electric vehicles. Additionally, it addresses critical needs in renewable energy, industrial motor drives, and data centers, reflecting ST’s commitment to advancing electric mobility and industrial efficiency through innovation and a vertically integrated manufacturing strategy.

Rashi Bajpai, Sub-Editor at ELE Times, engaged with Gianfranco Dimarco, Chief of Staff and Marketing Communication Manager Power & Discrete at STMicroelectronics, to explore emerging SiC MOSFET technology.

ELE Times: What are the key advantages of the new 750V and 1200V SiC MOSFET devices for mid-size and compact EVs, and how will they contribute to making electric vehicles more affordable and accessible?

Gianfranco Dimarco:  STMicroelectronics’ new 750V and 1200V SiC MOSFET devices offer significant advancements for mid-size and compact electric vehicles, enhancing efficiency, reducing size and weight, increasing range, and enabling faster charging. The improved efficiency stems from SiC MOSFETs’ ability to minimize switching losses, significantly reducing energy waste during driving. Additionally, the compact and lightweight design of these components optimizes space utilization, boosting vehicle performance and extending the distance covered on a single charge. Their higher power capacity also facilitates faster charging, making electric vehicles more practical for daily use. Together, these innovations lower production costs, accelerating the adoption of green technologies in the automotive industry.

ELE Times: Beyond EV traction inverters, how does the Generation 4 SiC technology enhance the performance of high-power industrial applications, such as solar inverters, energy storage systems, and data center power supply units?

Gianfranco Dimarco: STMicroelectronics’ Generation 4 SiC technology not only advances EV traction inverters but also plays a crucial role in enhancing high-power industrial applications like solar inverters, energy storage systems, and data center power supply units. Solar inverters benefit from increased efficiency and higher power density, resulting in better energy conversion and more reliable solar power systems.

Energy storage systems also leverage SiC devices for greater durability and efficiency, making them ideal for long-term use, particularly in grid balancing and hybrid power systems with renewables. In data centers, SiC technology ensures stable, efficient power delivery, preventing disruptions in critical operations. These advancements underscore the growing importance of SiC technology in modern high-power industrial applications, significantly improving both efficiency and reliability across various sectors.

ELE Times: With STMicroelectronics’ vertically integrated manufacturing strategy, how does the company plan to ensure a resilient supply chain for SiC components to meet growing global demand, especially for automotive and industrial markets?

Gianfranco Dimarco:  STMicroelectronics ensures a resilient supply chain for SiC components through its vertically integrated manufacturing strategy. The company is investing in facilities like the Silicon Carbide Campus in Catania, a fully vertically integrated SiC substrate manufacturing facility, which is expected to start production in 2026. This approach allows STMicroelectronics to control the entire production process, from raw materials to finished components, ensuring consistent quality and supply. Additionally, strategic investments to start the migration from 150mm to 200mm for SiC, further enhance manufacturing efficiencies and scalability. By vertically integrating and expanding its manufacturing footprint, STMicroelectronics is well-positioned to meet the growing global demand for SiC components, especially in the automotive and industrial markets.

ELE Times: Can you provide specific performance metrics or benchmarks that demonstrate the improvements in efficiency, power density, and robustness of the Generation 4 SiC MOSFETs compared to previous generations or silicon-based alternatives?

Gianfranco Dimarco: The 4th generation SiC MOSFETs feature several key advancements over the previous generation:

• Faster Switching Speeds: this results in lower switching losses, which is crucial for high-frequency applications, enabling more compact and efficient power converters.
• Lower On-Resistance (RDS(on)): significantly reduced on-resistance minimizes conduction losses and enhances overall system efficiency.
• Enhanced Robustness: improved performance in Dynamic Reverse Bias (DRB) conditions, exceeding the AQG324 automotive standard, ensuring reliable operation under harsh conditions.
• Smaller Die Size: the average die size of Generation 4 devices is 12-15% smaller than that of Generation 3, considering an RDS(on) at 25 degrees Celsius. This allows for more compact power converter designs, saving valuable space and reducing system costs.

ELE Times: How does STMicroelectronics’ vertically integrated manufacturing strategy contribute to its sustainability goals, and what specific initiatives are in place to ensure environmentally friendly production processes for these new SiC devices?

Gianfranco Dimarco:  Through our vertically integrated manufacturing strategy we maintain full control over the entire production chain, from raw materials to finished products, and all initiatives are aligned with our sustainability strategy and our sustainable manufacturing commitment, in terms of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, air, and water quality.

All these initiatives. ST Sustainability Report 2024

ELE Times: What can you share about the timeline and expected features of the forthcoming fifth-generation SiC power devices? How does the planned radical innovation differ from current technologies in terms of performance and application?

Gianfranco Dimarco:  The main goals for the 5th generation of SiC MOSFET include achieving higher power density, further reducing on-resistance (RDS(on)), and improving thermal performance. These advancements aim to meet the increasing demands of high-power applications in automotive, industrial, and renewable energy sectors. We will share more details on Gen5 and the planned radical new technology at the appropriate time.

ELE Times: Which leading EV manufacturers are currently collaborating with STMicroelectronics to implement the Generation 4 SiC technology into their vehicles, and what feedback have they provided regarding the anticipated performance improvements?

Gianfranco Dimarco:  Leading EV manufacturers and Tier 1s are engaged with ST to integrate Generation 4 SiC technology into their vehicles and powertrain solutions. We will share more details on our customers at the appropriate time.

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As of this year, EDN has consecutively published (intentionally ahead of Black Friday, by the way, if you hadn’t already deduced that non-coincidence) my odes to holiday-excused consumerism for more than a half-decade straight, nearing ten editions in total. Here are the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 versions; I skipped a few years between 2014 and its successors. As in the past, I’ve included up-front links to the prior-year versions because I’ve done my best here to not reiterate any past category recommendations; the stuff I’ve previously suggested largely remains valid, after all. That said, it gets harder and harder each year not to repeat myself!

Without any further ado, and as usual ordered solely in the order in which they initially came out of my cranium…

Being tethered in one place, or at best able to roam only a short distance from a power outlet, is a pet peeve of mine. It’s why, for example, I barely ever use a desktop computer anymore; not only are laptops and the like performance-adequate for most tasks nowadays, they also run for hours on batteries (no matter that mine’s still most times plugged into a wall outlet). It’s why I long ago replaced a legacy AC “weed whacker” with a battery-operated successor, accompanied by a suite of rechargeable lithium cells (and chargers) that also work with other portable tools.

Similarly, I’d sometimes prefer to take my soldering iron to where I need to use it versus always needing to drag whatever widget needs soldering down to my workbench and its AC outlet-fed traditional soldering iron set. That’s where the new FixHub |Power Series from my long-time buddies at iFixit comes in. The baseline is the $79.99 USB-C PD-based Smart Soldering Iron:

Up to 100 W of power (a 35-W minimum power source is necessary). Heats up in around 5 seconds. An illuminated ring for heat indication, along with safety features like auto standby snf fall protection. Interchangeable soldering tips and a factory-preset default tip temperature of 350°C (660°F), subsequently user-adjustable between 100°C and 420°C. How, you might ask, since there’s no temperature dial shown in the picture? One setting-customization option is a Web Interface (currently not supporting Mozilla Firefox, alas, I’ve just learned), believe it or not.

The other option, which also neatly addresses the “what about that portability you were touting earlier” query some of you might be having right now, is a smartphone-sized 55 watt-hour portable battery-plus-control box, which iFixit optionally bundles with the soldering iron to come up with the $249.95 Portable Soldering Station. It delivers an estimated 8-hour runtime between charges and provides a second USB-C PD output for (among other things) devices such as what I’ll talk about next:

How’s that saying go: champagne taste on a beer budget? Or, if you prefer a visual definition:

That’s me, at least some of the time, and with some things (cameras aside, for example, although in self-defense here, pretty much everything photo-related I buy is already gently used). Which explains, in part, my burgeoning fascination with low-priced lab equipment. Another key motivation is to see, as time goes on and bill-of-materials cost reductions combine with customer demand increases, just how much (measured in both feature-set quantity and per-feature quality) I can get at a particular price point. Kinda like solar panel trends, I suppose…

Anyway, here are a few of my purchase examples for your consideration. First up is Jesverty’s WPS-3005 0-30 V and 0-5 A adjustable switching DC regulated bench power supply (other options with different output voltage and current ranges and case and display colors are also available), which I bought on sale at Amazon in October 2022 for $22.49:

Then there was the FNIRSI DSO-TC3, a 3-in-1 digital oscilloscope, electronic component tester, and function signal generator, the advanced (translation: more test probes included) version of which I snagged back in May of this year from Banggood for $39.99:

Serious testing equipment? Are you serious? But hey, the scope’s 10 MS/s sampling rate and 500-kHz bandwidth are nothing to sneeze at. It integrates a 2.4” color TFT display. Signal waveform generator options include sine, square, pulse stroke, triangle, ramp and DC. The DSO-TC3’s transistor and other component testing capabilities are notable, especially considering the price tag. A bunch of other available device functional modes are also listed on the product page, including temperature and humidity sensor measurement support. To my earlier point about roaming to where the (testing and measurement, in this case) “action” is versus forcing relocation to the gear-tethered workbench, it’s powered by an embedded lithium battery which, yes, can be recharged by (among other sources) the second USB-C PD port on the iFixit FixHub |Power box, as I foreshadowed earlier. And did I mention that it cost me less than $40?

Last year, I covered the recently introduced Raspberry Pi 5, which is now available in an entry-level $50 variant with 2 GBytes of RAM in addition to the originally introduced 4 GByte and 8 GByte flavors (two example of the latter which I own). This year, I’d like to focus on a few “RasPi” peripherals I’ve also recently acquired (and in another case, still have on my wish list). Focusing first on HAT+ add-in cards, the Raspberry Pi Foundation belatedly finally rolled out its own M.2 board, a while after third-party partners had done so. Unlike some of those others, however, it can be fitted to a Raspberry Pi 5 with the Raspberry Pi Active Cooler also in place…which is nice.

It also, unlike some third-party counterparts, and quoting from the product page, “is autodetected by the latest Raspberry Pi software/firmware.” This is the key reason why I always tend to go for “official” peripherals versus third-party alternatives, no matter how tempted I might be by those others’ specs. Do a bit of research, for example, into some third-party camera modules whose drivers don’t keep pace with base board firmware and O/S updates, inevitably ending up prematurely dropped from their suppliers’ support lists, and you’ll see what I mean.

Speaking of impressive specs, while the M.2 HAT+ board’s support for “fast (up to 500 MB/s) data transfer to and from NVMe drives” might sound impressive, realistically the Raspberry Pi 5’s microSD interface is plenty speedy enough for pretty much any current application; the biggest benefit to the M.2 alternative might be as a (cost-effective) high-capacity storage option. But note, too, the “and other PCIe accessories” qualifier in the originally published version of that earlier quote. What might those “other PCIe accessories” be, you ask? They include, for example, Hailo’s M.2 2242 module based on the Hailo-8L deep learning inference processor, which Raspberry PI bundles with the M.2 HAT+ as the $70 Raspberry Pi AI Kit:

Speaking of camera modules, what’s new in the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s stable? Well, there’s…

• A version of the Camera Module 2 absent the IR filter
• The HQ Camera, which bumps up the resolution to 12.3 Mpixels and, although absent a lens of its own (therefore absent the word “Module” in the product name), supports both C/CS and M12 mount interchangeable lenses
• The Global Shutter Camera, with “only” 1.6 Mpixel resolution but which “can capture rapid motion without introducing artifacts typical of rolling shutter cameras” and is therefore “Ideal for fast motion photography and machine vision applications” (again, there’s no integrated lens, therefore no “Module” in the product name, but a C/CS interchangeable lens mount is included)
• The Camera Module 3 series, which adds autofocus support
• And last but not least (and, in fact, most recently) the $70 AI Camera, based on Sony’s IMX500 Intelligent Vision Sensor and also integrating a Raspberry Pi RP2040 IC for neural network firmware management.

I’ve conceptually discussed power banks before:

And even tore one down a few years back:

But unless I’m mistaken (always a possibility), I don’t think they’ve yet made one of my holiday gift lists. Let’s rectify that oversight, because they’re handy, powerful, totable and increasingly cost-effective devices. They sometimes integrate Qi wireless charging pads, as a supplement to their various wired power outputs, which some power banks further augment via MagSafe (Qi2, more broadly) support for convenient attachment to a drained-internal-battery phone:

And thanks to USB’s (specifically, USB-C’s) combo of increasing ubiquity and functional diversity, manufactures are even beginning to bundle lithium batteries with solid-state storage:

multi-port hub connectivity:

and in other multi-function single-device combinations, which admittedly is quite clever from a diversification-and-competitive isolation standpoint, when you think about it. Just remember, if you take one or multiple on an airplane, that as with external batteries for videography, each will need to be in your carry-on luggage, not checked, and smaller than 100 watt-hours in capacity.

Beef up the internal battery capacity, along with the array of charging-input and power-output options, and you’ve got a portable power station on your hands, capable of fueling an appliance or few or even (if it’s big enough and your house is small enough) an entire room-to-residence for a notable amount of time in the absence of utility-sourced premises “juice”. Regular readers may recall that a few months ago, I covered the Phase2 Energy PowerSource 660Wh 1800-Watt Power Station I’d recently acquired:

“Portable” is admittedly arguable here, given its size and especially weight, due to its SLA (sealed lead acid) AGM (absorbed glass mat, although I haven’t yet definitively determined this latter variation) battery foundation. But it does the job and was relatively affordable. And thanks to the portable (an unarguable use of the term, this time) solar panel I also purchased for it:

I’m not even dependent on the presence of utility-sourced premises “juice” to recharge it.

That all said, as I also mentioned back in August, an increasing number and diversity of portable power stations are now appearing based on lighter weight and more compact, not to mention more powerful-per-pound and per-cubic-inch, lithium-variant battery technologies. As a sneak peek of more in-depth coverage to come, I’ll share that recently I’ve personally acquired two EcoFlow units. The smaller one, a RIVER 2:

is passable for overnight camping trips in the van, for example. Or a day’s worth of drone flying. Or for powering my CPAP machine and oxygen concentrator overnight. And I can use the aforementioned 100-W portable solar panel to also recharge it during the day (albeit not at the same time as the Phase2), in conjunction with an Anderson-to-XT60i connector adapter cable.

The other, beefier (but still portable) EcoFlow power station I recently bought is a DELTA 2:

which I’ve supplemented with two 220-W second-generation portable solar panels in conjunction with a parallel panel output-combiner cable:

That said, as I mentioned a few months ago, the number of credible (i.e., not no-name, fly-by-night) suppliers is steadily growing, at the moment also including companies such as (but not limited to) Anker, Bluetti, Jackery and, believe it or not, even DJI (to my earlier drone-flying comments). Whoever’s product(s) you end up buying, I encourage you to keep a key foundational differentiator in mind as you select among the options. LiFePO₄ (lithium iron phosphate), sometimes instead referred to by the LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) acronym, is one common lithium-based battery approach. Another popular battery technology, which in retrospect I realize I neglected to mention back in August, is NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt), which is also lithium-based although “lithium” is nowhere to be found in the name.

NMC batteries have a higher energy density, therefore delivering more power for a given cell volume, and operate more stably across temperature extremes. Conversely, LiFePO₄/LFP batteries are capable of significantly higher recharge cycle counts without degrading, are more cost-effective due to both rapidly growing manufacturing supply and booming customer demand and are more thermally stable. Which technology is inside a given power station can be hard to determine; the Energizer one I previously mentioned (and then briefly owned, which you’ll read more about later), for example, was only listed as using a “lithium-ion battery”, and only after doing a bunch of research did I learn that it was NMC. The effort’s worthwhile.

The other day, in preparation for re-creation with higher capacity, I backed up a 20 GByte sparse bundle-based virtual disk to my 128 GByte Samsung S1 mini external storage device, based on a Spinpoint SPU 1.8” 3600 rpm HDD, over USB 2. It took about 30 minutes for the copy to complete. Then, acting out of curiosity, I also backed up that same 20 GByte file to my 1 TByte SK Hynix “Beetle” X31 portable SSD over USB-C-based USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps). This time, it took less than 30 seconds. And no, the difference wasn’t (just) due to the more modern interface. I think it’s time to retire the Samsung Si mini, with gratitude for its long, reliable service ;-).

If you want something with a USB “stick” or “thumb drive” reminiscent (albeit “thicker”) form factor instead, there’s always also the SK Hynix “Tube” T31, a 1 GByte variant of which I also own and which leverages USB-A-based USB 3.2 Gen2 (5 Gbps, this time):

The perhaps obvious key differentiation in these (and other: SK Hynix isn’t the sole supplier) cases, versus with a conventional USB flash “stick”, is the inclusion of a true NVMe SSD module inside, coupled to a fast interface to the outside world. And versus the conventional 2.5” external HDD-reminiscent form factors of the Samsung T5 and T7 portable SSDs I also own:

the SK Hynix T31 and X31 are more diminutive, albeit more peak capacity-limited.

This last one is at least mildly controversial, at least in Canada, where a ban was considered albeit ultimately paused, and Brazil, where imports were seized. It’s the $169 Flipper Zero:

described on the manufacturer’s website as (among other things) a “Multi-tool Device for Geeks” and, more extensively:

A versatile tool for hardware exploration, firmware flashing, debugging, and fuzzing [editor note: testing various protocols and signals]. It can be connected to any piece of hardware using GPIO to control it with buttons, run your own code and print debug messages to the LCD. It can also be used as a regular USB adapter for UART, SPI, I2C, etc.

Flipper Zero supports a diversity of wireless RF schemes—125 kHz RFID, NFC, Bluetooth Low Energy, etc.—along with infrared, and integrated microSD support further expands its data and application storage (and execution, in the latter case) capabilities. So, what’s the controversy? Simply stated, hardware “exploration” can in at least some cases transform into “exploitation”. Canadian officials have controversially claimed, for example, that Flipper Zero devices can be used to steal vehicles by cloning the signals used for remote keyless entry. So, assuming you take my bait and buy one, the Christmas-themed question then is “will you be naughty or nice”?

I’ve got plenty of additional presents-to-others-and/or-self ideas, but the point isn’t to write a book, so I’ll close here, having just passed through 2,500 words. Upside: I’ve already got topics for next year’s edition! Until then, sound off in the comments, and happy holidays!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Vision Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the company’s online newsletter.

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As we near the end of the year, two CEOs at prominent semiconductor firms are leaving, and in both cases, the chairmen of the board are replacing them as interim CEOs. What’s common in both companies is the quest for a turnaround in the rapidly evolving semiconductor market.

First, Ganesh Moorthy, president and CEO, is leaving Microchip, and chairman Steve Sanghi is taking back the charge of the top job at the Chandler, Arizona-based semiconductor firm. While the announcement states that Moorthy is retiring after his nearly three-year stint at the corner office, the fact that Sanghi is back at the helm immediately doesn’t exactly signal a smooth transition.

Figure 1 Before joining Microchip, Moorthy was CEO of Cybercilium, the company he co-founded in Tempe, Arizona.

Sanghi, who will remain chairman, is taking charge as interim president and CEO. Moorthy joined Microchip as VP of advanced microcontrollers and automotive division in 2001, and he was appointed chief operating officer before being elevated to the CEO job in 2021. He had served at Intel for 19 years before his stints at Cybercilium and Microchip.

Microchip has been confronting an inventory stock and sales slump for some time, and its shares are down 28% in 2024. Sanghi’s statement on taking the charge as CEO clearly points toward an aim to return to growth in revenue and profitability.

Then there is the news about Wolfspeed’s CEO change, and it’s more startling and less subtle. The Wolfspeed board has ousted CEO Gregg Lowe without cause, and like Microchip, chairman of the board Thomas Werner is taking over as interim CEO before Wolfspeed finds Lowe’s replacement.

Lowe, who spearheaded Freescale’s sale to NXP in 2015 as CEO, took the helm of Cree in 2017 and transformed it from an LED lighting company to a silicon carbide (SiC) IDM. During this transformation under Lowe, the company acquired a new name: Wolfspeed. Also, during this time, Infineon made a failed attempt to acquire Wolfspeed.

However, the Durham, North Carolina-based chipmaker seems to have failed to translate its enviable position as a pure-play SiC company in this high-growth market, and that probably sums up Lowe’s ouster. It’s apparent from Werner’s statement announcing this CEO transition. “Wolfspeed is materially undervalued relative to its strategic value, and I will focus on driving the company’s priorities to explore options to unlock value.”

Figure 2 Lowe sold off Cree’s LED lighting business and turned the sole focus on SiC under the Wolfspeed brand.

For a start, Wolfspeed has been struggling in the transition from 150-mm to 200-mm SiC wafers. It has also been facing slowing orders from the electric vehicle (EV), industrial and renewable energy markets. The company recently dropped plans to build a SiC fab in Ensdrof, Germany.

These two CEO office transitions don’t come as a surprise to the semiconductor industry watchers. And it surely won’t be the last as we are about to enter 2025. The semiconductor industry is highly competitive, and stakes are even higher when you are a vertically-integrated chip outfit.

Related Content

• Microchip, Micrel CEOs Duel Over Deal
• CEO interview: Microchip’s Steve Sanghi
• Wolfspeed Set to Invest $5 Billion in SiC Expansion
• Wolfspeed to Build 200-mm SiC Wafer Fab in Germany
• CEO Sanghi bets Microchip’s future on power, connectivity

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A recent design idea, “Negative time-constant and PWM program a versatile ADC front end,” offered a pretty peculiar ADC front end (see Figure 1). It comprises a programmable gain (PG) instrumentation amplifier (INA). It uses PWM control of a flying capacitor to implement a 110-dB CMRR, high impedance differential input and negative time-constant exponential amplification with more than 100 discrete programmable gain steps. It’s then topped off with a built-in sample and hold (S&H). Hence PGINASH. Catchy. Ahem.

Figure 1 PGINASH: An unconventional ADC front end with INA inputs, programmable gain, and sample and hold.

Wow the engineering world with your unique design: Design Ideas Submission Guide

 Due to A1c’s gain of (R3 / R2 + 1) = 2, during the PWM = 1 gain accumulation phase the connection established from U1c’s output through U2a and R1 to C creates positive feedback that makes the voltage captured on C multiply exponentially with a (negative) time-constant Tc of (nominally):

Tc = R1*(C + Cstray) =
= 14.3k*(0.001µF + (8pF (from U2a) + 1pF (from U1c)))
= 14.3k*1009pF = 14.43µs
= 10µs / ln(2)
G = gain increment of 20.1 = 1.0718 = 0.6021dB per us of accumulation time T
G10 = 2.0 = 6.021dB per 10µs of T
This combines with A1c’s fixed gain of two to total
Nominal net Gain = 2GT/10µs

Of course, the keyword here is “nominally.” Both R1 and C will have nonzero tolerances, perhaps as poor as ±1%, and ditto for R2 and R3. Moreover, further time-constant, and therefore gain, error can arise from U2 switch to switch ON resistance mismatches. The net bad news, pessimistically assuming worst case mutual error reinforcement of all the time-constant component tolerances, is A1c’s gain may vary by ±2% and G by as much as ±3%. This is far from adequate for precision data acquisition! What to do?

The following sequence is suggested as a simple software-based in-circuit calibration method using a connected ADC and requiring just two calibration voltages to be manually connected to the IA inputs as calibration progresses, to combat the various causes of front-end error. 

The first calibration voltage (Vcal) is used to explicitly measure the as-built gain factors. Here’s how it works:

 Vcal = Vfs/Vheadroom
where
Vfs = ADC full-scale Vin
Vheadroom = (2*1.02)*(2*1.04)2 = 8.8
e.g., if Vfs = 5v, Vcal = 0.57v

 Vcal’s absolute accuracy isn’t particularly important, +/-1% is plenty adequate. But it should be stable to better than 1 lsb during the calibration process. Connect Vcal to the INA inputs, then take two ADC conversions: D1 with gain accumulation time T =10 µs and D2 with T = 20 µs. Thus, if 2x = the as-built A1c gain and G = the as-built exponential gain, the ADC will read:

D1 = ADC(2x *G10*Vcal)
D2 = ADC(2x*G10*G10*Vcal)

 Averaging a number (perhaps 16) acquisitions of each value is probably a good idea for best accuracy. The next step is some arithmetic:

D2/D1 = (2x*G10*G10*Vcal)/(2x*G10*Vcal) = G10
D1/ (G10*Vcal) = (2x*G10*Vcal)/(G10*Vcal) = 2x
G = (G10)0.1

That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now we if we want to set (most) any desired conversion gain of Y, we just need to compute a gain accumulation interval of:

T(µs) = log(Y/2x)/log(G)

Note if that this math yields T < 1 µs, we’ll need to bump Y for some extra time (and gain) to allow for capacitor “flight” and signal acquisition.

There is, however, another error source we haven’t covered: U1 input offsets. Although the TLV9164 typical offset is only 200 µV, max can range as high as 1.2 mV. If uncorrected, the three input amplifiers’ offsets could sum to 3.6 mV. This would render the upper gain range of our amplifier of little value. To fix it, we need another input voltage reference (Vzero), some more arithmetic, and another ADC conversion to measure the Voff offset and allow software subtraction. We’ll use lots of gain to get plenty of resolution. Vzero should ideally be accurate and stable to <10 µV to take full advantage of the 9164’s excellent 0.25 µV/oC drift spec’.

Let Vzero = 4.00mV
N = log(Vfs/(.008v * 2x))/log(G)
D3 =  ADC(2x*GN*(Vzero + Voff))
Voff = D3/(2x*GN) – Vzero

 And there you have it. To accurately massage any raw ADC result into the actual Vin input that produced it, write:

Vin = (ADC(Vin)/(2x GN)) – Voff

 But avoid GN  > Vfs /(2x*Voff). Otherwise A1c and the ADC may be driven into saturation by amplified offset. Also, things may (okay, will) get noisy.

Okay. But what about…

The leakage current conundrum comes from the fact that negative time-constant current from U1c through R1 isn’t the only source of gain-phase charge for C. Unfortunately, leakage currents from U2’s X pin and U1’s noninverting input also contribute a mischievous share. U1’s contribution is a negligible 10 pA or so, but U2’s can be large enough to become problematic.

The burning question is: How much to HC4053 switches really leak? Reeeeeally?  Datasheets are of surprisingly little help, with the answer seeming to range over literally a million-to-one, pA to µA, range.

Figure 2 quantifies the result for some plausible 100 pA to 1 µA numbers.

Figure 2 The input referred current – equivalent voltage offsets.

 Stephen Woodward’s relationship with EDN’s DI column goes back quite a long way. Over 100 submissions have been accepted since his first contribution back in 1974.

Related Content

• Negative time-constant and PWM program a versatile ADC front end
• Simulating the front-end of your ADC
• Parsing PWM (DAC) performance: Part 1—Mitigating errors
• PWM DAC settles in one period of the pulse train

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