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День Гідності та Свободи kpi пт, 11/21/2025 - 17:35

Industrial automation, robotics, and electric mobility are increasingly driving demand for improved motor driver ICs as well as solutions that make it easier to design motor drives. With energy consumption being a key factor in these applications, developers are looking for motor drivers that offer higher efficiency and lower power consumption.

At the same time, integrating motor drivers into existing systems is becoming more challenging, as they need to work seamlessly with a variety of motors and control algorithms such as trapezoidal, sinusoidal, and field-oriented control (FOC), according to Global Market Insights Inc.

The average electric vehicle uses 15–20 motor drivers across a variety of systems, including traction motors, power steering, and brake systems, compared with eight to 12 units in internal-combustion-engine vehicles, and industrial robots typically use six to eight motor drivers for joint articulation, positioning, and end-effector control, according to Emergen Research.

The motor driver IC market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% from 2024 to 2034, according to Emergen Research, driven by industrial automation, EVs, and smart consumer electronics. Part of this growth is attributed to Industry 4.0 initiatives that drive the demand for more advanced motor control solutions, including the use of artificial intelligence and machine-learning algorithms in motor control systems.

Emergen Research also reports that silicon carbide and gallium nitride (GaN) materials are gaining traction in high-power applications thanks to their higher switching characteristics compared with silicon-based solutions.

Other trends include the growing demand for precise motor control, the integration of advanced sensorless control, and low electromagnetic interference (EMI), according to the market research firms.

Here are a few examples of new motor drivers for industrial and automotive applications, as well as development solutions such as software, reference designs, and evaluation kits that help ease the development of motor drives.

Motor drivers

Melexis recently launched the MLX81339, a configurable motor driver with a pulse-width modulation (PWM)/serial interface for a range of industrial applications. This motor driver IC is designed for compact, three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) and stepper motor control up to 40 W in industrial applications such as fans, pumps, and positioning systems.

The motor driver targets a range of markets, including smart industrial and consumer sectors, in applications such as positioning motors, thermal valves, robotic actuators, residential and industrial ventilation systems, and dishwashing pumps. The MLX81339 is also qualified for automotive fan and blower applications.

A key feature of this motor control IC is the programmable flash memory, which enables full application customization. Designed for three-phase BLDC or bipolar stepper motors, these advanced drivers use silent FOC. It delivers reliable startup, stopping, and precise speed control from low to maximum speed, Melexis said.

The MLX81339 motor driver supports control up to 20 W at 12 V and 40 W at 24 V, integrating a three-phase driver with a configurable current limit up to 3 A, as well as under-/overvoltage, overcurrent, and overtemperature protection. Other key specifications include a wide supply voltage range of 6 V to 26 V and an operating temperature range of –40°C to 125°C (junction temperature up to 150°C).

The MLX81339 also incorporates 8× general-purpose I/Os and several interfaces, including PWM/FG, I2C, UART, and SPI, for easy integration into both legacy and smart systems. It also supports both sensor-based and sensorless control.

Melexis offers the Melexis StartToRun web tool to accelerate motor driver prototyping, eliminating engineering tasks by generating configuration files based on simple user inputs. In addition to the motor and electrical parameters, the tool includes prefilled mechanical values.

The MLX81339, housed in QFN24 and SO8-EP packages, is available now. A code-free and configurable MLX80339 for rapid deployment will be released in the first quarter of 2026.

Melexis’s MLX81339 motor driver (Source: Melexis)

Earlier this year, STMicroelectronics introduced the VNH9030AQ, an integrated full-bridge DC motor driver with high-side and low-side MOSFET gate drivers, real-time diagnostics, and protection against overvoltage transients, undervoltage, short-circuit conditions, and cross-conduction, aimed at reducing design complexity and cost. Delivering greater flexibility to system designers, the MOSFETs can be configured either in parallel or in series, allowing them to be used in systems with multiple motors or to meet other specific requirements.

The integrated non-dissipative current-sense circuitry monitors the current flowing through the device to distinguish each motor phase, contributing to the driver’s efficiency. The standby power consumption is very low over the full operating temperature range, easing use in zonal controller platforms, ST said.

This DC motor driver can be used in a range of automotive applications, including functional safety. The driver also provides a dedicated pin for real-time output status, easing the design into functional-safety and general-purpose low-/mid-power DC-motor-driven applications while reducing the requirements for external circuitry.

With an RDS(on) of 30 mΩ per leg, the VNH9030AQ can handle mid- and low-power DC-motor-driven applications such as door-control modules, washer pumps, powered lift gates, powered trunks, and seat adjusters.

The driver is part of a family of devices that leverage ST’s latest VIPower M0-9 technology, which permits monolithic integration of power and logic circuitry. All products, including the VNH9030AQ, are housed in a 6 × 6-mm, thermally enhanced triple-pad QFN package. The package is designed for optimal underside cooling and shares a common pinout to ease layout and software reuse.

The VNH9030AQ is available now. ST also offers a ready-to-use VNH9030AQ evaluation board and the TwisterSim dynamic electro-thermal simulator to simulate the motor driver’s behavior under various operating conditions, including electrical and thermal stresses.

STMicroelectronics’ VNH9030AQ half-bridge DC motor driver (Source: STMicroelectronics)

Targeting both automotive and industrial applications, the Qorvo Inc. 160-V three-phase BLDC motor driver also aims to reduce solution size, design time, and cost with an integrated power manager and configurable analog front end (AFE). The ACT72350 160-V gate driver can replace as many as 40 discrete components in a BLDC motor control system, and the configurable AFE enables designers to configure their exact sensing and position detection requirements.

The ACT72350 includes a configurable power manager with an internal DC/DC buck converter and LDOs to support internal components and serve as an optional supply for the host microcontroller (MCU). In addition, by offering a wide, 25-V to 160-V input range, designers can reuse the same design for a variety of battery-operated motor control applications, including power and garden tools, drones, EVs, and e-bikes.

The ACT72350 provides the analog circuitry needed to implement a BLDC motor control system and can be paired with a variety of MCUs, Qorvo said. It provides high efficiency via programmable propagation delay, precise current sensing, and BEMF feedback, as well as differentiated features for safety-critical applications.

The SOI-based motor driver is available now in a 9.0 × 9.0-mm, 57-pin QFN package. An evaluation kit is available, along with a model of the ACT72350 in Qorvo’s QSPICE circuit simulation software at www.qspice.com.

Qorvo’s ACT72350 three-phase BLDC motor driver (Source: Qorvo Inc.) Software, reference designs, and evaluation kits

Motor driver IC and power semiconductor manufacturers also deliver software suites, reference designs, and development kits to simplify motor drive design and development. A few examples include Power Integrations’ MotorXpert software, Efficient Power Conversion Corp.’s (EPC’s) GaN-based motor driver reference design, and a modular motor driver evaluation kit developed by Würth Elektronik and Nexperia.

Power Integrations continues to enhance its MotorXpert software for its BridgeSwitch and BridgeSwitch-2 half-bridge motor driver ICs. The latest version, MotorXpert v3.0, enables FOC without shunts and their associated sensors. It also adds support for advanced modulation schemes and features V/F and I/F control to ensure startup under any load condition.

Designed to simplify single- and three-phase sensorless motor drive designs, the v3.0 release adds a two-phase modulation scheme, suited for high-temperature environments, reducing inverter switching losses by 33%, according to the company. It allows developers to trade off the temperature of the inverter versus torque ripple, particularly useful in applications such as hot water circulation pumps, reducing heat-sink requirements and enclosure cost, the company said.

The software also delivers a five-fold improvement to the waveform visualization tool and an enhanced zoom function, providing more data for motor tuning and debugging. The host-side application includes a graphical user interface with Power Integrations’ digital oscilloscope visualization tool to make it easy to design and configure parameters and operation and to simplify debugging. Also easing development are parameter tool tips and a tuning assistant.

The software suite is MCU-agnostic and includes a porting guide to simplify deployment with a range of MCUs. It is implemented in the C language to MISRA standards.

Power Integrations said development time is greatly reduced by the included single- and three-phase code libraries with sensorless support, reference designs, and other tools such as a power supply design and analysis tool. Applications include air conditioning fans, refrigerator compressors, fluid pumps, washing machine and dryer drums, range hoods, industrial fans, and heat pumps.

Power Integrations’ MotorXpert software suite (Source: Power Integrations)

EPC claims the first GaN-based motor driver reference design for humanoid robots with the launch of the EPC91118 reference design for motor joints. The EPC91118 delivers up to 15 ARMS per phase from a wide input DC voltage, ranging from 15 V to 55 V, in an ultra-compact, circular form factor.

The reference design is optimized for space-constrained and weight-sensitive applications such as humanoid limbs and drone propulsion. It shrinks inverter size by 66% versus silicon, EPC said, and eliminates the need for electrolytic capacitors due to the GaN ICs and high-frequency operation. The high switching frequency instead allows the use of smaller MLCCs.

The reference design is centered around the EPC23104 ePower stage IC, a monolithic GaN IC that enables higher switching frequencies and reduced losses. The power stage is combined with current sensing, a rotor shaft magnetic encoder, an MCU, RS-485 communications, and 5-V and 3.3-V power supplies on a single board that fits within a 32-mm-diameter footprint (55-mm-diameter outer frame; 32-mm-diameter inverter).

EPC’s EPC91118 motor driver reference design (Source: Efficient Power Conversion Corp.)

Aimed at faster development of motor controllers, Würth Elektronik and Nexperia have collaborated on the NEVB-MTR1-KIT1 modular motor driver evaluation kit. The kit can be configured for use in under two minutes and is powered via USB-C.

The companies highlight the modularity of the evaluation board that can be adapted to a wide range of motors, control algorithms, and test setups, enabling faster optimization as well as faster iterations and testing. With an open architecture, the kit enables MCUs and components to be easily exchanged, and the open-source firmware allows developers to quickly adapt and develop motor controllers under real-world conditions, according to the companies.

The kit includes a three-phase inverter board, a motor controller board, an MCU development board, pre-wired motor connections, and a BLDC motor. A key feature is the high-current connectors integrated by Würth Elektronik, which enable evaluations up to 1 kW at 48 V.

The demands on dynamics, fault tolerance, and energy efficiency in drive systems are rising steadily, resulting in increasingly more complex motor control system design, according to the companies. The selection of the right switches (MOSFETs and IGBTs), gate drivers, and protection circuits is critical to ensure lower switching losses, better thermal behavior, and stable dynamics.

The behavior of the components must be carefully validated under real-world conditions, taking into consideration factors such as parasitic elements, switching transients, and EMI, according to the companies. The modular kit helps with this by enabling different motors and control concepts to be evaluated.

The Würth Elektronik and Nexperia NEVB-MTR1-KIT1 motor drive evaluation kit (Source: Würth Elektronik)

The post Motor drivers advance with new features appeared first on EDN.

A 4 to 20 mA loop current is a popular terminology with Instrumentation/Electronics engineers in process industries. Field transmitters like pressure,temperature,flow, etc., give out 4 to 20 mA current signals corresponding to the respective process parameters.

Industrial equipment, such as plant control rooms (situated at a distance from the field), will house a distributed control system (DCS) or programmable logic controller (PLC) to monitor, record, and control these process parameters. This equipment will supply 24 VDC to a typical transmitter through one wire and receive current proportional to the process parameter through another wire.

Typically, two wires are needed to connect the supply voltage and ground, and two more wires are needed to connect the current signal. Thus, a two-wire system cuts cable cost by 50%. Hence, all field devices must conform to this two-wire system in process industries. DCS/PLC should receive a current in the range 4 to 20 mA. A current of zero indicates the cable has been cut.

Still, there is equipment, like gas analyzers, which give out a conventional 0 to 20 mA current output. These signals are to be converted into the 4 to 20 mA loop current format to feed the DCS/PLC in the control room.

Figure 1’s circuit does exactly this.

Figure 1 A 0 to 20 mA current source to a 4 to 20 mA loop current converter module circuit. The SPAN & ZERO potentiometers can be multiturn PCB mountable types for precision adjustment. Q1 should have a heatsink.

How it works

Connect the 24-V power supply, digital ammeter, and a load resistor to J2 as shown in Figure 1.

Then, connect a current generator to the J1 connector. This current flows through R3 and is converted to a voltage.

The output of U1B is this voltage multiplied by (1+(R10/R11)), which is nearly one. Let us call this Vspan. The output of U3 is Vreg.

There are three currents at pin3 of U1A. Let us analyze the basic equation of this circuit:

The third current through R4 is:

The total current at pin3 of U1A is:

In this circuit, R4/R6 is chosen to be 99; therefore:

Both U1A and Q1 adjust the current flow through R6, satisfying the above equation in closed-loop control. U3 generates 5 VDC from the 24 VDC input for circuit operation.

R12 loads the regulator to draw a small current. Q2 and R1 limit the output current to around 26 mA.

How to calibrate this circuit

Connect a 24 VDC power supply to J2, a load resistor of 200 Ω, and a digital ammeter

to J2 as shown in Figure 1. Connect a current generator to J1 as shown.

Keep the current as zero. Adjust Rzero until Ioutput reaches 4 mA.

Now, set the current generator to 20 mA. Adjust Rspan until Ioutput shows 20 mA.

Repeat this a few times to get the correct values. Now this current converter is calibrated.

How to improve accuracy

This circuit gives an accuracy of < 1%. To improve accuracy, select components with close tolerances.

You may introduce a 2.5-V reference IC after U3. Connect R2 and Rzero to this reference. In this case, R2 will be 50 KΩ and Rzero will be 20 KΩ.

Figure 2 illustrates how this current converter module is connected between the field transmitter and the control room’s DCS/PLC. Make sure to introduce a suitable surge suppressor in the line going to the field.

This module does not need a separate power supply. This can be kept in the field near the equipment giving out 0 to 20 mA.

Figure 2 A block diagram that shows the connection of the current converter in process industries.

Jayapal Ramalingam has over three decades of experience in designing electronics systems for power & process industries and is presently a freelance automation consultant.

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The post A 0-20mA source current  to 4-20mA loop current converter appeared first on EDN.

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Hi I'm making an Ethernet adapter that I'll mount in a flush wall box. Two ports will be PoE (access points), powered from the switch. The other two will be data only without power, also from the switch. The internet speed is 1 Gbps. For routing copper connections I'll follow standards (length, width) for 1Gb speed. Now I'm wondering whether to use a standard RJ45 connector or a connector that contains a transformer with filters for PoE usage. As an addition I was thinking of using two LEDs on the RJ45 connector — one for activity and the other for link speed. I would use a PHY chip. (I know the switch already has those two LEDs). submitted by /u/soko007 [link] [comments]

AC/DC power supply manufacturers have focused their latest designs on meeting the increased demand for higher efficiency and miniaturization in industrial and medical systems. A few of them are also leveraging wide-bandgap (WBG) technologies such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) to achieve gains in efficiency in their latest-generation power supplies.

It is understood that these power supplies need to meet a range of safety certifications for industrial and medical applications. They must also be rugged enough to operate in harsh environments.

Here are 10 top AC/DC power supplies introduced over the past year for industrial and medical applications. In some cases, these AC/DC power supplies meet certifications for both medical and industrial markets, allowing them to be used in both applications.

Medical and industrial power supplies

GaN technology is making its way into AC/DC power supplies for industrial and medical applications, helping to improve performance and shrink designs. Bel Fuse Inc. recently introduced its 65-W GaN-based AC/DC power supplies in a compact footprint. The latest additions to the Bel Power Solutions portfolio are the MDP65 for medical applications and the HDP65 for industrial and ITE, both offering up to 92% efficiency.

The series is available in two mechanical mount options: printed-circuit-board (PCB) mount or open frame. The compact package size of 1 × 3 inches offers 50% real-estate savings compared with 2 × 3-inch devices for increased power density in lower-power applications.

The MDP65 series is a cost-effective option for the medical market while providing critical safety. Suited for Type BF medical applications, it is compliant with the IEC/EN 60601-1 safety standard and features 2 × Means of Patient Protection (MOPP) isolation. The HDP65 devices meet safety standards IEC 62368-1, EN 62368-1, UL 62368-1, and C-UL (equivalent to CAN/CSA-C22.2 No.62368-1). Both series are safety-agency-certified, meeting the latest regulatory requirements with UL and Nemko approvals.

Both series output 65-W power, offer a universal, 90- to 264-VAC input voltage range, and deliver a high power density of 17.20 W/in.3. They also feature an operating temperature range of –20°C to 70°C, ensuring reliable performance even when incorporated into compact, sealed diagnostic or portable monitoring units where heat dissipation is a challenge, the company said.

Bel Fuse’s HDP65 and MDP65 power supplies (Source: Bel Fuse Inc.)

Claiming to set new standards in power density and on-board intelligence, XP Power has introduced its FLXPro series of chassis-mount AC/DC power supplies to address space constraints and the need for increased power. The FLXPro series is also designed with SiC/GaN, achieving efficiencies up to 93%, which helps to reduce system operating costs, cooling requirements, and system size.

The FLX1K3 fully digital configurable modular power supply delivers power levels of 1.3 kW at high-line conditions and 1 kW at low-line conditions with a power density of up to 23.2 W/in.3. It is housed in a compact 1U form factor, measuring 254.0 × 88.9 × 40.6 mm (10.0 × 3.50 × 1.6 inches) and is designed to simplify power systems in healthcare, industrial, semiconductor manufacturing, analytical instrumentation, automation, renewable energy systems, and robotics applications.

The FLXPro design features up to four customer-selected, inherently flexible output modules with selectable outputs from 9 VDC to 66 VDC and a wide adjustment range (10% to –40%), which can be configured under live conditions to form part of a customer’s active control system, XP Power said. The output modules can be combined into multiple parallel and series configurations, and multiple FLXPro units can also be combined in parallel for higher-power applications.

XP Power said this flexibility optimizes application performance and control, addressing requirements for fixed and variable loads.

A unique feature of the FLXPro series is the fully digital architecture for both the input stage and output modules. It is the foundation for XP Power’s new iPSU Intelligent Power technology, which converts internal data into usable information for quick decisions that improve application safety and reduce operating costs.

The FLXPro series also provides extensive diagnostics, including a new Black Box Snapshot feature that reduces troubleshooting time after shutdown events by recording in-depth system status at, and prior to, shutdown; tri-color LEDs that indicate power supply health with a truth table incorporated on the chassis for simple interpretation without manuals or digital communications; and multiple internal temperature measurements for fast status checks through temperature diagnostics that drive intelligent fan control and overtemperature warnings and alarms.

FLXPro also features built-in user-defined digital controls, signals, alarms, and output controllability. Inputs, outputs, and firmware can be configured through the user interface or directly over direct digital communications. It supports ES1 isolated digital communications and uses PMBus over I2C for digital communications, enabling real-time control, monitoring, and data logging. The operating temperature range is –20°C to 70°C.

XP Power’s FLXPro series (Source: XP Power)

Also addressing industrial and medical applications with an efficient and power-dense design is Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.’s PQC600 open-frame AC/DC power supplies. Target markets include hospital beds, dentist chairs, medical equipment, and industrial process machinery.

The industrial-grade PQC600 offers 600 W of power in a package that is less than 1U in height. It leverages the Murata Power Solutions transformer design with an optimized layout and package design. With a 600-W forced-air cooling design, it achieves an efficiency of 95% at full load. Key features include an optimized interleaved power-factor correction, back-end synchronous rectification, and a droop-current-sharing feature, enabling multiple units to be configured in parallel for greater power scalability.

The PQC600 is certified to the IEC 60601-1 Edition 3 medical safety standard, which includes 2 × MOPP from primary to secondary, 1 MOPP from the chassis to ground, and 1 MOPP from output to chassis. It also complies with the IEC 60601-1-2 4th Edition for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards and is suitable for use with medical devices that have Type B or Type BF applied parts.

Also targeting the need for high efficiency and miniaturization is the NSP-75/100/150/200/320 series of AC/DC enclosed-type power supplies from Mean Well Enterprises Co. Ltd. The NSP series surpasses Mean Well’s RSP series, which has been on the market for over 10 years, with a higher cost-performance ratio. It offers a wider, 85- to 305-VAC input range; an extended temperature range of –40°C to 85°C with full load operation possible up to 60°C, making it suitable for harsher environments; and a smaller footprint, ranging from 28% to 46% smaller than the RSP series.

The NSP series offers high efficiency of up to 90% to 94.5% with low no-load power consumption (<0.3 W to 0.5 W), depending on the model, and 200% peak-power-output capability. Other features include short, overload, overvoltage, and overtemperature protection; programmable output voltage; ultra-low leakage of <350 µA; and operation at altitudes up to 5,000 meters.

The AC/DC power supplies also offer safety certifications in multiple industries, including ICT, industrial, medical, household, and green energy applications, and meet OVC III requirements. Safety certifications include CB/DEKRA/UL/RCM/BSMI/CCC/EAC/BIS/KC/CE/UKCA, and IEC/EN/UL 62368-1, 61010-1, 61558-1, 62477-1, and SEMI 47 for semiconductor equipment. They meet 2 × MOPP and medical BF-grade applications.

Mean Well’s NSP-320 power supply (Source: Mean Well Enterprises Co. Ltd.) Medical power supplies

P-Duke Technology Co. Ltd. launched the MAD150 medical-grade AC/DC power supply series, capable of delivering up to 150 W of continuous output power and 200-W peak power for five seconds. The compact, 3 × 2-inch package is available in open-frame, enclosed, and DIN-rail options, with connection types including JST connectors, Molex connectors, and screw terminals.

Suited for most industries worldwide, the series features a universal input range from 85 to 264 VAC and supports DC input voltages from 88 to 370 VDC. The MAD150 series provides single-output options for medical devices at 12, 15, 18, 24, 28, 36, 48, and 54 VDC, with up to 7% output adjustability.

Designed for medical applications and suited for BF-type parts, it offers less than 100-μA patient leakage current, 2 × MOPP, and 4,000-VAC input-to-output isolation. Applications include portable medical devices, diagnostic equipment, monitoring equipment, hospital beds, and medical carts.

These devices reduce thermal generation, offer an extended temperature range of –40°C to 85°C, and provide a conversion efficiency up to 94%. It operates at altitudes up to 5,000 meters.

The MAD150 is certified to IEC/EN/ANSI/AAMI ES 60601-1 (Medical electrical equipment – Part 1: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance) and IEC/EN/UL 62368-1 (Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment – Part 1: Safety requirements).

Advanced Energy Industries Inc. has introduced the NCF425 series of 425-W cardiac floating (CF)-rated medical open-frame AC/DC power supplies with CF-level isolation and leakage current. These standard, off-the-shelf power supplies, simplifying isolation and speeding time to market, are certified to IEC 60601-1 and streamline critical medical device product development.

Advanced Energy said it is one of the few companies that provides standard, off-the-shelf CF-rated power products. The system-level CF rating is the most stringent medical device electrical safety classification, with certification needed for equipment that has direct contact with the heart or bloodstream, the company explained.

The company’s CF-rated portfolio was initially launched in September 2024 with the introduction of the NCF150, followed by the NCF250 and NCF600. The NCF series achieves a sub-10-µA leakage current and integrates the high levels of isolation required in critical medical devices.

This latest release offers additional options and helps reduce the number of isolation components required, translating into a smaller system size and lower cost.

The NCF family is designed to simplify thermal and electromagnetic interference (EMI) management, reduce system size and weight, and reduce the bill of materials. It also includes functionality typically provided at the system level, which reduces time and complexity in the development process, the company said.

The NCF425 is certified to the medical safety standard IEC 60601-1 and meets 2 × MOPP. Key features include a maximum output power of 425 W in a 3.5 × 6 × 1.5-inch form factor and a 5-kV defibrillator pulse protection. Applications include surgical generators, RF ablation, pulsed field ablation, cardiac-assist devices and monitors, and cardiac-mapping systems.

Advanced Energy’s NCF425 series (Source: Advanced Energy Industries Inc.) Industrial power supplies

Delivering a high level of programmability and flexibility, XP Power’s 1.5-kW HDA1500 series suits a variety of applications across a range of industries. For example, the HDA1500 can be used in applications such as robotics, lasers, LED heating, and semiconductor manufacturing, providing benefits in digital control, communication, and status LEDs.

Rated for 1.5 kW of power with no minimum load requirement, the HDA1500 power supplies offer efficiency up to 93%, allowing for a more compact form factor as well as reducing operating costs. The HDA1500 units can be operated in parallel with active current sharing when more power is required in a rack.

Advanced digital control in power solutions has not always been widely available, according to XP Power, with the HDA1500 offering precise digital adjustment of both output current and output voltage from 0% to 105% for greater user flexibility.

The standard advanced digital control is key to the flexibility of the HDA1500, the company said. Driven by a graphical user interface, the power supply can be adjusted via several digital protocols, including PMBus, RS-485/-232, Modbus, and Ethernet, which also allow for easy integration into more advanced power control schemes.

The HDA1500 units operate from a universal single-phase mains input (90 to 264 VAC) and are reported to offer one of the widest single-rail output selections on the market, covering popular voltages between 12 VDC and 400 VDC in a portfolio of 11 units. At low-line operation, the power supplies can deliver more power than many competitive offerings, the company said.

With an operating temperature range of –25°C to 60°C, the units require no derating below 50°C. Other features include built-in protection, including overtemperature, overload, overvoltage, and short-circuit; a 5-VDC/1-A standby supply rail that keeps external circuitry alive when the main supply is powered down; and remote sense, particularly for applications in which power cables are extended.

The power supplies meet a range of ITE-related approvals, including EN55032 Class A and EN61000-3-x for emissions, as well as EN61000-4-x for immunity. Safety approvals include IEC/UL/EN62368-1 as well as all applicable CE and UKCA directives. Applications include test and measurement, factory automation, process control, semiconductor fabrication, and renewable energy systems.

XP Power’s HDA1500 series (Source: XP Power)

Targeting space-constrained industrial applications is the CBM300S series of 300-W fanless AC/DC power supplies from Cincon Electronics Co. Ltd. The series is housed in a brick package that measures 106.7 × 85.0 mm (4.2 × 3.35 inches) with an ultra-slim profile of 19.7 mm (0.78 inches). The device delivers 300-W-rated power with a peak power capability of 360 W.

The CBM300S operates with an input range of 90 to 264 VAC and accepts DC input ranging from 120 to 370 VDC. Seven output voltage options are available: 12, 15, 24, 28, 36, 48, and 54 VDC, all classified as Class I.

The series comes with safety approvals for IEC/UL/EN 62368-1 3rd edition and is EMC-compliant with EN 55032 Class B and CISPR/FCC Class B standards.

A key feature of the CBM300S is its exceptionally low leakage current of 0.75 mA maximum. It also delivers efficiency of up to 94% and operates across a wide temperature range of –40°C to 90°C, making it suitable for harsh environments.

This power supply can function at altitudes up to 5,000 meters and maintains a low no-load input power consumption of less than 0.5 W. The MTBF is rated at 240,000 hours. It also offers protection features, including output overcurrent, output overvoltage, overtemperature, and continuous short-circuit protections.

The CBM300S power supplies can be used in a variety of industrial/ITE applications, including automation equipment, test and measurement instruments, commercial equipment, telecom and network devices, and other industrial applications.

Recom Power GmbH introduced a series of flexible and highly efficient AC/DC power supplies in a small form factor for new energy applications. Applications include energy management and monitoring and powering actuators, as well as general-purpose applications.

The 20-W RAC20NE-K/277 series is available in board-mount or open-frame options. The board-mount, encapsulated power supplies measure 52.5 × 27.6 × 23.0 mm, and the open-frame devices with Molex connections measure 80.0 × 23.8 × 22.5 mm.

AC/DC power supplies increasingly must operate over nominal supply values from 100 VAC to 277 VAC, Recom said, and the RAC20NE-K/277 matches this requirement with 20 W available at optional 12-, 24-, or 36-VDC outputs. This series is available with encapsulated versions with constant-voltage- or constant-current-limiting characteristics and a constant-voltage open-frame type with 12- or 24-VDC output.

The RAC20NE-K/277 series is highly efficient, Recom said, allowing reliable operation at full load to 60°C ambient and to 85°C with derating. It also offers <100-mW no-load power consumption.

The parts are Class II–insulated and OVC III–rated up to 5,000 meters and meet EN 55032 Class B EMC requirements with a floating or grounded output. Standby and no-load power dissipation meet eco-design requirements.

Recom’s RAC20NE-K/277 (Source: Recom Power GmbH)

If you’re looking for greater flexibility with more options, TDK Corp.’s ZWS-C series of 10- to 50-W industrial power supplies offers new mounting and protection options. The TDK-Lambda brand ZWS-C series of 10-, 15-, 30-, and 50-W-rated industrial AC/DC power supplies was initially launched in an open-frame configuration. Four additional options are now available: a metal L-bracket (with or without a cover), pins for PCB mounting, and two-sided board coating for all voltage and power levels.

These options can provide additional operator protection, lower the cost of wiring harnesses, or reduce the impact of dust and contamination in harsh environments, TDK said.

The ZWS-C series is available with 5-, 12-, 15-, 24-, and 48-V (50 W only) output voltages. The ZWS10C and ZWS15C models measure 63.5 × 45.7 × 22.1 mm, the ZWS30C package measures 76.2 × 50.8 × 24.2 mm, and the ZWS50C footprint measures 76.2 × 50.8 × 26.7 mm. The operating temperature with convection cooling and standard mounting ranges from –10°C to 70°C, derating linearly to 50% load between 50°C and 70°C.

The power supplies can operate at full load with an external airflow of 0.8 m/s, and no-load power consumption is typically less than 0.3 W. Other features include a 3-kVAC input-to-output, 2-kVAC input-to-ground, and 750-VAC output-to-ground (Class I) isolation. The models meet EN55011/EN55032-B conducted and radiated EMI in either Class I or Class II (double-insulated) construction, without the need for external filtering or shielding.

All models are also certified to the IEC/UL/CSA/EN62368-1 for AV, information, and communication equipment standards; EN60335-1 for household electrical equipment; IEC/EN61558-1; and IEC/EN61558-2-16. They also comply with IEC 61000-3-2 (harmonics) and IEC 61000-4 (immunity) and carry the CE and UKCA marks for the Low Voltage, EMC, and RoHS Directives.

Thanks to electrolytic capacitor lifetimes of up to 15 years, the ZWS-C models can be used in factory automation, robotics, semiconductor fabrication manufacturing, and test and measurement equipment.

TDK’s ZWS15C model (Source: TDK Corp.)

The post Top 10 AC/DC power supplies appeared first on EDN.

Opened up this active speaker with a failed SMPS, and found this absolute shit show. Precious repair tech was too lazy to remove the board from the frame and just botched a cap to the remnants of the previous, presumably exploded cap. FML, I'm checking this board extra carefully now. submitted by /u/Defiant-Appeal4340 [link] [comments]

NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA — which was founded in 2015 and developed and previously manufactured high-power industrial blue lasers — has executed the €2m first tranche of financial support for Tekne S.p.A. (a provider of integrated electronic warfare and cyber capabilities in military vehicles), following the updated Tekne agreement announced 12 November...

SemiQ expands its 1200-V Gen3 SiC MOSFET family with SOT-227 modules offering on-resistance values of 7.4 mΩ, 14.5 mΩ, and 34 mΩ. GCMS models are co-packaged with a Schottky barrier diode (SBD), while GCMX types rely on the intrinsic body diode.

The modules are designed for medium-voltage, high-power systems such as battery chargers, photovoltaic inverters, server power supplies, and energy storage units. Each device undergoes wafer-level gate-oxide burn-in testing above 1400 V and avalanche testing to 800 mJ (330 mJ for 34-mΩ types).

The 7.4-mΩ GCMX007C120S1-E1 reduces switching losses to 4.66 mJ (3.72 mJ turn-on, 0.94 mJ turn-off) and features a body-diode reverse-recovery charge of 593 nC. Junction-to-case thermal resistance ranges from 0.23 °C/W for the 7.4-mΩ device to 0.70 °C/W for the 34-mΩ module.

All models have a rugged, isolated backplate for direct heat-sink mounting. Samples and volume pricing are available upon request. For more information about the 1200-V Gen3 SiC MOSFET modules, click here.

SemiQ

The post SiC power modules gain low-resistance options appeared first on EDN.

Wolfspeed’s YM 1200-V six-pack power modules deliver up to 3× the power cycling capability of comparable devices in the same industry-standard footprint. The company reports that the modules also provide 15% higher inverter current.

Built with Gen 4 SiC MOSFETs, the modules are suited for e-mobility propulsion systems, automotive traction inverters, and hybrid electric vehicles. Their YM package incorporates a direct-cooled pin fin baseplate, sintered die attach, hard epoxy encapsulant, and copper clip interconnects. An optimized power terminal layout minimizes package inductance, reducing overshoot voltage and lowering switching losses.

In addition to their 1200-V blocking voltage, YM module variants offer current ratings of 700 A, 540 A, and 390 A, with corresponding RDS(on) values at 25°C of 1.6 mΩ, 2.1 mΩ, and 3.1 mΩ. According to Wolfspeed, the modules achieve a 22% improvement in RDS(on) at 125°C over the previous generation and reduce turn-on energy by roughly 60% across operating temperatures. An integrated soft-body diode further cuts switching losses by 30% and VDS overshoot by 50% during reverse recovery compared to the prior generation.

The 1200‑V SiC six‑pack power modules are now available for customer sampling and will reach full distributor availability in early 2026.

Wolfspeed

The post SiC modules boost power cycling performance appeared first on EDN.

Joining ST’s lineup of safety switches, the IPS1050LQ is a low-side switch featuring smart overload protection with configurable inrush and current limits. Three pins allow selection between static and dynamic modes and set the operating current limit. In dynamic mode, connecting a capacitor enables an initial inrush of up to 25 A, which then steps down in stages to the programmed limit.

The output stage of the IPS1050LQ supports up to 65 V, making it suitable for industrial equipment such as PLCs and CNC machines. Its typical on-resistance of just 25 mΩ ensures energy-efficient switching for resistive, capacitive, or inductive loads, with active clamping enabling fast demagnetization of inductive loads at turn-off. Comprehensive safety features include undervoltage, overvoltage, overload, short-circuit, ground disconnection, VCC disconnection, and an overtemperature indicator pin that provides thermal protection.

Now in production, the IPS1050LQ in a 6×6-mm QFN32L package starts at $2.19 each in 1000-unit quantities.

IPS1050LQ product page

STMicroelectronics

The post Power switch offers smart overload control appeared first on EDN.

Vorago has announced four rad-tolerant MCUs for LEO missions, which it says cost far less than conventional space-grade components. Part of the VA4 series of rad-hardened MCUs, these new chips provide an economical alternative to high-risk upscreened COTS components.

Based on Arm Cortex-M4 processors, the Radiation-Tolerant by Design (RTbD) MCUs are priced nearly 75% lower than Vorago’s HARDSIL radiation-hardened products. The RTbD lineup includes the extended-mission VA42620 and VA42630, as well as the cost-optimized VA42628 and VA42629 for short- or lower-orbit missions. By embedding radiation protection directly into the silicon, these MCUs tackle the reliability challenges of satellite constellations and provide a more efficient solution than conventional multi-chip redundancy approaches.

All four MCUs provide >30 krad(Si) TID tolerance, with the VA42630 integrating 256 KB of nonvolatile memory. Extended-mission devices are designed for harsher obits and primary flight control, while cost-optimized MCUs target thermal regulation and localized power management. These chips can be dropped into existing architectures with no redesign, enabling rapid deployment.

Vorago will begin shipping its first rad-tolerant chips in early Q1 2026.

VA4 product page

Vorago Technologies 

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The KGM133S, the first in a range of Matter over Thread modules from Quectel, enables seamless interoperability for smart home devices like door locks, sensors, and lighting. Powered by Silicon Labs’ EFR32MG24 wireless chip, the module uses Matter 1.4 to connect devices across multiple ecosystems, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. Thread 1.4 support ensures compatibility with IPv6 addressing.

The KGM133S features an Arm Cortex-M33 processor running at up to 78 MHz, with 256 KB of SRAM and up to 3.5 MB of flash memory. With a receive sensitivity better than -105 dB and a maximum transmit power of 19.5 dBm, the module ensures reliable signal transmission. In addition to Matter over Thread, the KGM133S also supports Zigbee 3.0 and Bluetooth LE 6.0 connectivity.

Two LGA packaging options are available for the KGM133S to accommodate both compact and slim terminal designs. The first option (12.5×13.2×2.2 mm) features a fourth-generation IPEX or pin antenna, while the second option (12.5×16.6×2.2 mm) comes with an onboard PCB antenna.

A timeline for availability of the KGM133S wireless module was not disclosed at the time of this announcement.

KGM133S product page  

Quectel

The post Module streamlines smart home device connectivity appeared first on EDN.

Photonic simulation CAD software developer Photon Design Ltd of Oxford, UK has provided laser design and simulation training on the JePPIX ‘PIC Design Course’ 2025, held at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven) on 27 October to 7 November...

GlobalFoundries of Malta, NY (GF, the only US-based pure-play foundry with a global manufacturing footprint, including facilities in the USA, Europe and Singapore) and Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA — which provides GaNFast gallium nitride (GaN) and GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors — have announced a long-term strategic partnership to strengthen and accelerate US-based GaN technology, design and manufacturing. Together, the firms will collaborate, develop and deliver solutions for critical applications in high-power markets that demand the highest efficiency and power density, including AI data centers, performance computing, energy and grid infrastructure and industrial electrification...

ams OSRAM GmbH of Premstätten, Austria and Munich, Germany has launched the new-generation FIREFLY SFH 4030B and SFH 4060B infrared light-emitting diodes (IREDs), which are claimed to set new standards for infrared LEDs in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications such as eye tracking in smart glasses and AR/VR headsets...

📰 Газета "Київський політехнік" № 41-42 за 2025 (.pdf) Інформація КП чт, 11/20/2025 - 17:07

Industry 4.0 has transformed manufacturing, connecting machines, automating processes, and changing how factories think and operate. But its success has revealed a new constraint: compute. As automation, AI, and data-driven decision-making scale exponentially, the world’s factories are facing a compute challenge that extends far beyond performance. The next industrial era—Industry 5.0—will bring even more compute demand as it builds on the IoT to improve collaboration between humans and machines, industry, and the environment.

Progress in this next wave of industrial development is dependent on advances at the semiconductor level. Advances in chip design, materials science, and process innovation are essential. Alongside this, there needs to be a reimagining of how we power industrial intelligence, not just in terms of the processing capability but in how that capability is designed, sourced, and sustained.

Rethinking compute for a connected future

The exponential rise of data and compute has placed intense pressure on the chips that drive industrial automation. AI-enabled systems, predictive maintenance, and real-time digital twins all require compute to move closer to where data is created: at the edge. However, edge environments come with tight energy, size, and cooling constraints, creating a growing imbalance between compute demand and power availability.

AI and digital triplets, which build on traditional digital twin models by leveraging agentic AI to continuously learn and analyze data in the field, have moved the requirement for processing to be closer to where the data is created. In use cases such as edge computing, where computing takes place within sensing and measuring devices directly, this can be intensive. That decentralization introduces new power and efficiency pressures on infrastructure that wasn’t designed for such intensity.

The result is a growing imbalance between performance and the limitations of semiconductor manufacturing. Businesses must have broader thinking around energy consumption, heat management, power balance, and raw materials sourcing. Sustainability can no longer be treated as an unwarranted cost or compliance exercise; it’s becoming a new indicator of competitiveness, where energy-efficient, low-emission compute enables manufacturers to meet growing data reliance without exceeding environmental limits.

Businesses must take these challenges seriously, as the demand for compute will only escalate with Industry 5.0. AI will become more embedded, and the data it relies on will grow in scale and sophistication.

If manufacturing designers dismiss these issues, they run the risk of bottlenecking their productivity with poor efficiency and sustainability. This means that when chip designers optimize for Industry 5.0 applications, they should consider responsibility, efficiency, and longevity alongside performance and cost. The challenge is no longer just “can we build faster systems?” It’s now “can we build systems that endure environmentally, economically, and geopolitically?”

Innovation starts at the material level

The semiconductor revolution of Industry 5.0 won’t be defined solely by faster chips but by the science and sustainability embedded in how those chips are made. For decades, semiconductor progress has been measured in nanometers; the next leap forward will be measured in materials. Advances in compounds such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride are improving chip performance and transforming how the industry approaches sustainability, supply chain resilience, and sovereignty.

Advances in chip design, materials science, and process innovation are essential in the next wave of industrial development. (Source: Adobe Stock)

These materials allow for higher power efficiency and longer lifespans, reducing energy consumption across industrial systems. Combined with cleaner fabrication techniques such as ambient temperature processing and hydrogen-based chemistries, they mark a significant step toward sustainable compute. The result is a new paradigm where sustainability no longer comes at an artificial premium but is an inherent feature of technological progress.

Process innovations, such as ambient temperature fabrication and green hydrogen, offer new ways to reduce environmental footprint while improving yield and reliability. Beyond the technology itself and material innovations, more focus should be placed on decentralization and alternative sources of raw materials. This will empower businesses and the countries they operate in to navigate geopolitical and supply chain challenges.

Collaboration is the new competitive edge

The compute challenge that Industry 5.0 presents isn’t an isolated problem to solve. The demand and responsibility for change doesn’t lie with a single company, government or research body. It requires an ecosystem mindset, where collaboration is encouraged, replacing competition in key areas of innovation and infrastructure.

Collaboration between semiconductor manufacturers, industrial original equipment manufacturers, policymakers, and researchers is important to accelerate energy-efficient design and responsible sourcing. Interconnected and shared platforms within the semiconductor ecosystem de-risk tech investments. This ensures the collective benefits of sustainability and resilience benefit entire industrial innovation, not just individual players.

The next era of industrial progress will see the most competitive organizations collaborate and work together, with the goal of shared innovation and progress.

Powering compute in the Industry 5.0 transition

The evolution from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 is more than a technological upgrade; it represents a change in attitude around how digital transformation is approached in industrial settings. This new era will see new approaches to technological sustainability, sovereignty, and collaboration that prioritize productivity and speed. Compute will be the central driver of this transition. Materials, processes, and partnerships will determine whether the industrial sector can grow without outpacing its own energy and sustainability limits.

Industry 5.0 presents a vision of industrialization that gives back more than it takes, amplifying both productivity and possibility. The transition is already underway. Now, businesses need to ensure innovation, efficiency, and resilience evolve together to power a truly sustainable era of compute.

The post Compute: Powering the transition from Industry 4.0 to 5.0 appeared first on EDN.

As of this year, EDN has consecutively published my odes to holiday-excused consumerism for more than a half-decade straight (and intentionally ahead of Black Friday, if you hadn’t already deduced), now nearing ten editions in total. Here are the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 versions; I skipped a few years between 2014 and its successors.

As usual, I’ve included up-front links to prior-year versions of the Holiday Shopping Guide for Engineers because I’ve done my best here to not regurgitate any past recommendations; the stuff I’ve previously suggested largely remains valid, after all. That said, it gets increasingly difficult each year not to repeat myself! And as such, I’ve “thrown in the towel” this year, at least to some degree…you’ll find a few repeat categories this time, albeit with new product suggestions within them.

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

A Windows 11-compatible (or alternative O/S-based) computer

Microsoft’s general support for Windows 10 ended nearly a month ago (on October 14, to be exact) as I’m writing these words. For you Windows users out there, options exist for extending Windows 10 support updates (ESUs) for another year on consumer-licensed systems, both paid (spending $30 or redeeming 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, with both ESU options covering up to 10 devices) and free (after syncing your PC settings).

If you’re an IT admin, the corporate license ESU program specifics are different; see here. And, as I covered in hands-on detail a few months back, (unsanctioned) options also exist for upgrading officially unsupported systems to Windows 11, although I don’t recommend relying on them for long-term use (assuming the hardware-hack attempt is successful at all, that is). As I wrote back in June:

The bottom line: any particular system whose specifications aren’t fully encompassed by Microsoft’s Windows 11 requirements documentation is fair game for abrupt no-boot cutoff at any point in the future. At minimum, you’ll end up with a “stuck” system, incapable of being further upgraded to newer Windows 11 releases, therefore doomed to fall off the support list at some point in the future. And if you try to hack around the block, you’ll end up with a system that may no longer reliably function, if it even boots at all.

You could also convert your existing PC over to run a different O/S, such as ChromeOS Flex (originally Neverware’s CloudReady, then acquired and now maintained by Google) or a Linux distro of your preference. For that matter, you could also just “get a Mac”. That said, any of these options will likely also compel conversions to new apps for the new O/S foundation. The aggregate learning curve from all these software transitions can end up being a “bridge too far”.

Instead, I’d suggest you just “bite the bullet” and buy a new PC for yourself and/or others for the holidays, before CPUs, DRAM, SSDs, and other building block components become even more supply-constrained and tariff-encumbered than they are now, and to ease the inevitable eventual transition to Windows 11.

Then donate your old hardware to charity for someone else to O/S-convert and extend its useful life. That’s what I’ll be doing, for example, with my wife’s Dell Inspiron 5570, which, as it turns out, wasn’t Windows 11-upgradeable after all.

Between now and next October, when the Windows 10 ESU runs out (unless the deadline gets extended again), we’ll replace it with the Dell 16 Plus (formerly Inspiron 16 Plus) in the above photo.

An AI-enhanced mobile device

The new Dell laptop I just mentioned, which we’d bought earlier this summer (ironically just prior to Microsoft’s unveiling of the free Windows 10 ESU option), is compatible with Microsoft’s Copilot+ specifications for AI-enhanced PCs by virtue of the system’s Intel Core Ultra 7 256V CPU with an integrated 47 TOPS NPU.

That said, although its support for local (vs conventional cloud) AI inference is nice from a future-proofing standpoint, there’s not much evidence of compelling on-client AI benefits at this early stage, save perhaps for low-latency voice interface capabilities (not to mention broader uninterrupted AI-based functionality when broadband goes down).

The current situation is very different when it comes to fully mobile devices. Yes, I know, laptops also have built-in batteries, but they often still spend much of their operating life AC-tethered, and anyway, their battery packs are much beefier than the ones in the smartphones and tablets I’m talking about here.

Local AI processing is not only faster than to-and-back-from-cloud roundtrip delays (particularly lengthy over cellular networks), but it also doesn’t gobble up precious limited-monthly-allocation data. Then there’s the locally stored-and-processed data enhanced privacy factor to consider, along with the oft-substantial power saving accrued by not needing to constantly leverage the mobile device’s Wi-Fi and cellular data subsystems.

You may indeed believe (as, full disclosure, I do) that AI features are of limited-at-best benefit at the moment, at least for the masses. But I think we can also agree that ongoing widespread-and-expanding and intense industry attention on AI will sooner or later cultivate compelling capabilities.

Therefore, I’ve showcased mobile devices’ AI attributes in recent years’ announcement coverage (such as that of Google’s Pixel 10 series shown in the photo above) and why I recommend them, again from a future-proofing angle if nothing else, if you’re (and/or yours are) due for a gadget upgrade this year. Meanwhile, I’ll soldier on with my Pixel 7s…

Audio education resources

As regular readers likely already realize, audio has received particular showcase attention in my blog posts and teardowns this past year-plus (a trend which will admittedly also likely extend into at least next year). This provided, among other things, an opportunity for me to refresh and expand my intellectual understanding of the topic.

I kept coming across references to Bob Cordell, mentioning both his informative website and his classic tomes, Designing Audio Power Amplifiers (make sure you purchase the latest 2nd edition, published in 2019, whose front cover is shown above) and the newer Designing Audio Circuits and Systems, released just last year.

Fair warning: neither book is inexpensive, especially in hardback, but even in paperback, and neither is available in a lower-priced Kindle version, either. That said, per both reviews I’ve seen from others and my own impressions, they’re well worth the investments.

Another worthwhile read, this time complete with plenty of humor scattered throughout, is Schiit Happened: The Story of the World’s Most Improbable Start-Up, in this case available in both inexpensive paperback and even more cost-effective Kindle formats. Written by Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat, the founders of Schiit Audio, whom I’ve already mentioned several times this year, it’s also available for free on the Head-Fi Forum, where Jason has continued his writing. But c’mon, folks, drop $14.99 (or $4.99) to support a scrappy U.S. audio success story.

As far as audio-related magazines go, I first off highly recommend a subscription to audioXpress. Generalist electronics design publications like EDN are great, of course, but topic-focused coverage like that offered by audioXpress for audio design makes for an effective information companion.

On the other end of the product development chain, where gear is purchased and used by owners, there’s Stereophile, for which I’ve also been a faithful reader for more years than I care to remember. And as for the creation, capture, mastering, and duplication of the music played on those systems, I highly recommend subscriptions to Sound on Sound and, if your budget allows for a second publication, Recording. Consistently great stuff, all of it.

Finally, as an analogy to my earlier EDN-plus-audioXpress pairing, back in 2021 I recommended memberships to generalist ACM and/or IEEE professional societies. This time, I’ll supplement that suggestion with an audio-focused companion, the AES (Audio Engineering Society).

Back when I was a full-time press guy with EDN, I used to be able to snag complimentary admission to the twice-yearly AES conventions along with other organization events, which were always rich sources of information and networking connection cultivation.

To my dying day, I will always remember one particularly fascinating lecture, which correlated Ludwig van Beethoven’s progressive hearing degradation and its (presenter-presumed) emotional and psychological effects to the evolution of the music styles that he composed over time. Then there were the folks from Fraunhofer that I first-time met at an AES convention, kicking off a longstanding professional collaboration. And…

Audio gear

For a number of years, my Drop- (formerly Massdrop)-sourced combo of the x Grace Design Standard DAC and Objective 2 Headphone Amp Desktop Edition afforded me with a sonically enhanced alternative to my computer’s built-in DAC and amp for listening to music over plugged-in headphones and powered speakers:

As I’ve “teased” in a recent writeup, however, I recently upgraded this unbalanced-connection setup to a four-component Schiit stack, complete with a snazzy aluminum-and-acrylic rack:

Why?

Part of the reason is that I wanted to sonically experience a tube-based headphone amp for myself, both in an absolute sense and relative to solid-state Schiit amplifiers also in my possession.

Part of it is that all these Schiit-sourced amps also integrate preamp outputs for alternative-listening connection to an external power amp-plus-passive speaker set:

Another part of the reason is that I’ve now got a hardware equalizer as an alternative to software EQ, the latter (obviously) only relevant for computer-sourced audio. And relatedly, part of it is that I’ve also now got a hardware-based input switcher, enabling me to listen to audio coming not only from my PC but also from another external source. What source, you might ask?

Why, one of the several turntables that I also acquired and more broadly pressed into service this past year, of course!

I’ve really enjoyed reconnecting with vinyl and accumulating a LP collection (although my wallet has admittedly taken a beating in the process), and encourage you (and yours) to do the same. Stand by for a more detailed description of my expanded office audio setup, including its balanced “stack” counterpart, in an upcoming dedicated topic to be published shortly.

For sonically enhancing the rest of the house, where a computer isn’t the primary audio source, companies such as Bluesound and WiiM sell various all-in-one audio streamers, both power amplifier-inclusive (for use with traditional passive speakers) and amp-less (for pairing with powered speakers or intermediary connection to a standalone external amp).

A Bluesound Node N130, for example, has long resided at the “man cave” half of my office:

And the class D amplifier inside the “Pro” version of the WiiM Amp, which I plan to press into service soon in my living room, even supports the PFFB feature I recently discussed:

(Apple-reminiscent Space Gray shown and self-owned; Dark Gray and Silver also available)

More developer hardware

Here’s the other area where, as I alluded to in the intro, I’m going to overlap a bit with a past-year Holiday Shopping Guide. Two years ago, I recommended some developer kits from both the Raspberry Pi Foundation and NVIDIA, including the latter’s then-$499 Jetson Orin Nano:

It’s subsequently been “replaced”, as well as notably priced-decreased, by the Orin Nano Super Developer Kit at $249.

Why the quotes around “replaced”? That’s because, as good news for anyone who acted on my earlier recommendation, the hardware’s exactly the same as before: “Super” is solely reflective of an enhanced software suite delivering claimed generative AI performance gains of up to 1.7x, and freely available to existing Jetson Orin Nano owners.

More recently, last month, NVIDIA unveiled the diminutive $3,999 DGX Spark:

with compelling potential, both per company claims and initial hands-on experiences:

As a new class of computer, DGX Spark delivers a petaflop of AI performance and 128GB of unified memory in a compact desktop form factor, giving developers the power to run inference on AI models with up to 200 billion parameters and fine-tune models of up to 70 billion parameters locally. In addition, DGX Spark lets developers create AI agents and run advanced software stacks locally.

albeit along with, it should also be noted, an irregular development history and some troubling early reviews. The system was initially referred to as Project DIGITS when unveiled publicly at the January 2025 CES. Its application processor, originally referred to as the N1X, is now renamed the GB10. Co-developed by NVIDIA (who contributed the Grace Blackwell GPU subsystem) and MediaTek (who supplied the multi-core CPU cluster and reportedly also handled full SoC integration duties), it was originally intended for—and may eventually still show up in—Arm-based Windows PCs.

But repeated development hurdles have (reportedly) delayed the actualization of both SoC and system shipment aspirations, and lingering functional bugs preclude Windows compatibility (therefore explaining the DGX Spark’s Linux O/S foundation).

More generally, just a few days ago as I write these words, MAKE Magazine’s latest issue showed up in my mailbox, containing the most recent iteration of the publication’s yearly “Guide to Boards” insert. Check it out for more hardware ideas for your upcoming projects.

A smart ring

Regular readers have likely also noticed my recent series of writeups on smart rings, comprising both an initial overview and subsequent reviews based on fingers-on evaluations.

As I write these words in mid-November, Ultrahuman’s products have been pulled from the U.S. market due to patent-infringement rulings, although they’re still available elsewhere in the world. RingConn conversely concluded a last-minute licensing agreement, enabling ongoing sales of its devices worldwide, including in the United States.

And as for the instigator of the patent infringement actions, market leader Oura, my review of the company’s Gen3 smart ring will appear at EDN shortly after you read these words, with my eval of the latest-generation Ring 4 (shown above) to follow next month.

Smart rings’ Li-ion batteries, like those of any device with fully integrated cells, won’t last forever, so you need to go into your experience with one of them eyes-open to the reality that it’ll ultimately be disposable (or, in my case, transform into a teardown project).

That said, the technology is sufficiently mature at this point that I feel comfortable recommending them to the masses. They provide useful health insights, even though they tend to notably overstate step counts for those who use computer keyboards a lot. And unlike a smart watch or other wrist-based fitness tracker, you don’t need to worry (so much, at least) about color- and style-coordinating a smart ring with the rest of your outfit ensemble.

(Not yet a) pair of smart glasses

Conversely, alas, I still can’t yet recommend smart glasses to anyone but early adopters (like me; see above). Meta’s latest announced device suite, along with various products from numerous (and a growing list of) competitors, suggests that this product category is still relatively immature, therefore dynamic in its evolutionary nature. I’d hate to suggest something for you to buy for others that’ll be obsolete in short order. For power users like you, on the other hand…

Happy holidays!

And with that, having just passed through 2,500 words, I’ll close here. Upside: plenty of additional presents-to-others-and/or-self ideas are now littering the cutting-room floor, so I’ve already got no shortage of topics for next year’s edition! Until then, sound off in the comments, and happy holidays!

 —Brian Dipert is the Principal at Sierra Media and a former technical editor at EDN Magazine, where he still regularly contributes as a freelancer.

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