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Taiwan Semiconductor launches a new series of automotive-grade, low-loss diodes in three popular industry-standard packages. They provide an automotive-level performance upgrade in existing designs and low-power dissipation required for higher-power rectification applications.

(Source: Taiwan Semiconductor)

The 1,200-V PLA/PLD series, with ratings of 15 A, 30 A or 60 A, all feature low forward voltage (1.3 Vf max), low reverse leakage (<10 µA at 25°C), and high junction temperature (175°C Tj max). They are available in three packages—ThinDPAK, D2PAK-D, and TO-247BD—for design flexibility.

These 1,200-V diodes provide easy drop-in replacements using an industry-standard pinout to improve efficiency in existing designs, according to the company. They can be used in a variety of applications such as three-phase AC/DC converters, server and computing power (including AI power) systems, EV charging stations, on-board battery chargers, Vienna rectifiers, totem pole and bridgeless topologies, inverters and UPS systems, and general-purpose rectification in high-power systems.

The new PLA/PLD series is offered in six models manufactured to automotive-quality standards. Two of the models, the PLAD15QH (ThinDPAK) and PLDS30QH (D2PAK-D), are fully AEC-Q qualified for automotive applications. The other four models include the PLAD15Q (ThinDPAK), PLDS30Q (D2PAK-D), PLAH30Q (TO-247BD), and PLAH60Q (TO-247BD).

The PLA/PLD series are sampling now. They are in-stock at DigiKey and Mouser. Production lead times is 8-14 weeks ARO. Design resources include datasheets, spice models, Foster and Cauer thermal models, and CAD files (symbol, footprint, and 3D model).

The post 1,200-V diodes offer low loss, high efficiency appeared first on EDN.

Bourns Inc. launches its series of Riedon precision wirewound resistors. These passive devices meet application requirements for high accuracy and long-term stability. They offer a wide resistance range of up to 6 megohms (MΩ) with ultra-low resistance tolerances (as low as ±0.005 percent).

(Source: Bourns Inc.)

This rugged, high-precision resistor series is offered in multiple axial, radial, and square package sizes and in a variety of lead configurations for greater design flexibility. They feature non-inductive multi-Pi cores, protective encapsulation technology, and a low standard temperature coefficient of ±2 ppm/°C.

These features help minimize inductance and noise while maintaining stability and efficiency even under high heat and harsh electrical conditions, Bourns said.

The series is 100 percent acceptance tested and RoHS-compliant. Applications include measurement equipment, bridge circuits, load cells and strain gauges, imaging systems, current sensing equipment, and high-frequency circuit designs.

The Riedon wirewound resistors are available now. Custom solutions are also available to meet specific customer requirements.

Last year, Bourns expanded its Riedon power resistor family with the launch of 11 product series, including wirewound resistors and current-sense resistors. They feature high power ratings, low temperature coefficients (TCRs), a wide resistance range, and an extended temperature range.

These resistors are available in numerous packaging options, including wirewound through-hole and surface mount; surface-mount metal film; and bare/coated metal element resistors. They target a variety of applications, including battery energy storage systems, industrial power supplies, motor drives, smart meters, telecom 5G remote radio and baseband units, and current sensing.

The post Wirewound resistors operate in harsh environments appeared first on EDN.

Intelligent power and sensing technology firm onsemi of Scottsdale, AZ, USA has introduced vertical gallium nitride (vGaN) power semiconductors, which it claims sets a new benchmark for power density, efficiency and ruggedness for applications including AI data centers, electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and aerospace, defence & security, as well as other energy-intensive applications. The proprietary GaN-on-GaN technology conducts current vertically, enabling higher operating voltages and faster switching frequencies, leading to energy savings to deliver smaller and lighter systems...

According to Sony, the IMX828 CMOS image sensor is the industry’s first to integrate a MIPI A-PHY interface for connecting automotive cameras, sensors, and displays with their ECUs. The built-in serializer-deserializer physical layer removes the need for external serializer chips, enabling more compact, lower-power camera systems.

The IMX828 offers 8-Mpixel resolution (effective pixels) and a 150-dB high dynamic range. Its pixel structure achieves a high saturation level of 47 kcd/m², allowing accurate recognition of high-luminance objects such as red traffic signals and LED taillights.

A low-power parking-surveillance mode detects motion to help reduce theft and vandalism risk. Images are captured at low resolution and frame rate to keep power consumption under 100 mW. When motion is detected, the sensor alerts the ECU and switches to normal imaging mode.

Sony plans to obtain AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualification before mass production begins. The IMX828 meets ISO 26262 requirements, with hardware metrics conforming to ASIL-B and the development process to ASIL-D. Sample shipments are expected to start in November 2025. A datasheet was not available at the time of this announcement.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions 

The post Sony debuts image sensor with MIPI A-PHY link appeared first on EDN.

NXP’s battery management chipset integrates electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to enable lab-grade vehicle diagnostics. The system comprises three devices: the BMA7418 18-channel Li-Ion cell controller, BMA6402 communication gateway, and BMA8420 battery junction box monitor. Together, they deliver hardware-based synchronization of all cell measurements within a high-voltage battery pack with nanosecond precision.

By embedding EIS directly in hardware, the chipset supports real-time, high-frequency monitoring of battery health. Accurate impedance measurements, combined with in-chip discrete Fourier transformation, help OEMs manage faster and safer charging, detect early signs of degradation, and simplify overall system design.

EIS sends controlled excitation signals through the battery and analyzes frequency responses to reveal cell aging, temperature shifts, or micro shorts. NXP’s system uses an integrated excitation source with a pre-charge circuit, while DC link capacitors provide secondary energy storage for greater efficiency.

The complete BMS solution is expected to be available by the beginning of 2026, with enablement software running on NXP’s S32K358 automotive microcontroller. Read more about the chipset here.

NXP Semiconductors 

The post EIS-powered chipset improves EV battery monitoring appeared first on EDN.

Housed in a 6-pin, 2.0×1.6-mm LGA package, Mixed-Signal Devices’ MS1180 crystal oscillator conserves space in AI data center infrastructure. Factory-programmed to provide any frequency from 10 MHz to 1000 MHz with under 1-ppb resolution, it is well-suited for 1.6T and 3.2T optical modules, active optical cables, active electrical cables, and other size-constrained interconnect devices.

The MS1180 is optimized for key networking frequencies—156.25 MHz, 312.5 MHz, 491.52 MHz, and 625 MHz—and maintains low RMS phase jitter of 28.3 fs to 43.1 fs when integrated from 12 kHz to 20 MHz. It offers ±20-ppm frequency stability from –40 °C to +105 °C. Power-supply-induced phase noise is –114 dBc for 50-mV supply ripples at 312.5 MHz, with a supply-jitter sensitivity of 0.1 fs/mV (measured with 50-mVpp ripple from 50 kHz to 1 MHz on VDD pin).

Supporting multiple output formats (CML, LVDS, EXT LVDS, LVPECL, HCSL), the device runs from a single 1.8- V supply with an internal regulator.

The MS1180 crystal oscillator is sampling now to strategic partners and Tier 1 customers. Production volumes are expected to ramp in Q1 2026.

MS1180 product page   

Mixed-Signal Devices  

The post Compact oscillator fits tight AI interconnects appeared first on EDN.

A bit-level retimer from Diodes, the PI2DPT1021Q enables high-speed USB and DisplayPort (DP) connectivity in automotive smart cockpits and infotainment systems. The 10-Gbps bidirectional device supports USB 3.2 and DP 1.4 standards for various automotive USB Type-C applications.

The retimer has 4:4 channels, configurable via I²C for different modes: four-lane DP, two-lane DP with one-lane USB 3.2 Gen 2, or one- or two-lane USB 3.2 Gen 2. It is AEC-Q100 Grade 2 qualified and operates over a temperature range of -40° to +105 °C.

To maintain signal integrity, the PI2DPT1021Q offers receiver adaptive equalization that compensates for channel losses up to -23 dB at 5 GHz. It also provides low latency (<1 ns) from signal input to output, ensuring good interoperability between USB and DP devices. Additional features include jitter cleaning, an adaptive continuous-time linear equalizer (CTLE), and a 3-tap transmitter with selectable adjustment.

The PI2DPT1021Q retimer costs $1.65 each in lots of 5000 units.

PI2DPT1021Q product page 

Diodes

The post Retimer boosts USB 3.2 and DP in auto cockpits appeared first on EDN.

ST’s VIPerGaN50W houses a 700-V GaN power transistor, flyback controller, and gate driver in a compact 5×6-mm QFN package. The quasi-resonant offline converter delivers up to 75 W from high-line input (185–265 VAC) or 50 W across the full universal input range (85–265 VAC). It uses a proprietary technique that ensures chargers and power supplies operate silently at all load levels.

Along with zero voltage switching (ZVS), the VIPerGaN50W includes dynamic blanking time, which minimizes switching losses by limiting the frequency. It also offers adjustable valley synchronization delay to maximize efficiency at any input line and load condition. A valley-lock feature stabilizes skipped cycles to prevent audible switching noise.

At no load, the converter’s standby power drops below 30 mW thanks to adaptive burst mode, helping meet stringent ecodesign regulations. Advanced power-management features ensure the output-power capability and switching frequency remain stable, even when the supply voltage changes.

In production now, the VIPerGaN50W is priced from $1.09 each in lots of 1000 units.

VIPerGaN50W product page

STMicroelectronics

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The adoption of RISC-V with open standards in automotive applications continues to accelerate, leveraging its flexibility and scalability, particularly benefiting the automotive industry’s shift to software-defined vehicles. Several RISC-V IP core and development tool providers recently announced advances and partnerships to drive RISC-V adoption in automotive applications.

In July 2025, the first Automotive RISC-V Ecosystem Summit, hosted by Infineon Technologies AG, was held in Munich. Infineon believes cars will change in the next five years more than in the last 50 years, and as traditional architectures come to their limit, RISC-V will be a game-changer, enabling the collaboration between software and hardware.

(Source: Adobe Stock)

However, RISC-V adoption will require an ecosystem to deliver new technologies for the automotive industry. The summit showcased RISC-V solutions and technologies ready for automotive, particularly for SDVs, bringing together RISC-V players in areas such as compute IP, software, and development solutions.

Fast-forward to October with several RISC-V players expanding the enabling ecosystem for automotive with key collaborations ahead of the October 2025 RISC-V Summit. Quintauris, for example, announced several partnerships, including with Andes Technology Corp., Everspin Technologies, Tasking, and Lauterbach GmbH, all focused on advancing RISC-V for automotive and other safety-critical applications.

The Quintauris strategic partnership with Andes, a provider of RISC-V processor cores, brings Andes’s RISC-V processor IP into Quintauris’s RISC-V-based portfolio, consisting of profiles, reference architectures, and software components. The partnership will focus on automotive, industrial, and edge computing applications. It kicks off with the integration of the 32-bit ISO 26262–certified processor in the AndesCore processor series with Quintauris’s automotive real-time reference architecture.

Quintauris is also teaming up with Everspin to bring its advanced memory solutions—magnetoresistive RAM technologies—into Quintauris’s reference architectures and real-time platforms for automotive, industrial, and edge applications. This partnership addresses the need for memory subsystems to meet the high standards for performance and functional safety in automotive applications.

In the development tools space, Quintauris announced a new partnership with Tasking to bolster RISC-V development in the automotive industry. Delivering certifiable development tools for safety-critical embedded software, Quintauris will integrate Tasking’s RISC‑V compiler into its upcoming RISC‑V reference platform.

Addressing embedded systems debugging, the new Quintauris and Lauterbach collaboration focuses on safety-critical industries such as automotive. Under the partnership, Lauterbach’s TRACE32 toolset, including a debug and trace suite, for embedded systems will be integrated into the Quintauris RISC-V reference platform. The TRACE32 toolset provides debugging, traceability, and system analysis tools.

Lauterbach also announced in October that its TRACE32 development tools support Tenstorrent’s system-on-chips (SoCs) and chiplets for RISC-V and AI-based workloads in the automotive, client, and server sectors. Tenstorrent’s automotive and robotics base die SoC targets automotive applications in SDVs. The SoC implements at least eight 64-bit superscalar, out-of-order TT-Ascalon RISC-V cores with vector and hypervisor ISA extensions, along with RISC-V-based AI accelerators and additional RISC-V cores for system and communication management.

The TRACE32 development tools allow simultaneous debugging of the TT-Ascalon RISC-V processors and other cores implemented on the chip, from pre-silicon development to prototyping on silicon and in-field debugging on electronic control units.

Also helping to accelerate the global adoption of RISC-V, Tenstorrent and CoreLab Technology are collaborating on an open-architecture computing platform for automotive edge and robotics applications. The Atlantis computing platform addresses demanding AI computing requirements, delivering a scalable, safety-ready CPU IP portfolio. The platform will leverage Tenstorrent’s RISC-V CPU IP and CoreLab Technology’s energy-efficient IP and SoC solutions.

Designed to deliver on performance, power efficiency, low total cost of ownership, and customization, all RISC-V CPU cores in the platform support deep customization, enabling customers to tailor their compute resources for their applications, according to Tenstorrent.

The automotive industry demands that ecosystem players meet stringent functional safety and security standards. To meet these requirements, Codasip recently announced that two of its high-performance embedded processor cores, the Codasip L735 and Codasip L739, have received TÜV SÜD certification for functional safety.

The L735 is certified up to ASIL-B and the L739 is certified up to ASIL-D, defined by the ISO 26262 standard. Both products are also compliant with ISO/SAE 21434 for cybersecurity in automotive development. In addition, Codasip’s IP development process is certified to both ISO 26262 and ISO/SAE 21434.

The L735 and L739 cores are part of the Codasip 700 family. The L735 includes safety mechanisms such as error-correcting code on caches and tightly coupled memories, a memory protection unit, and support for RISC-V RERI to provide standardized error reporting. The L739 adds dual-core lockstep, enabling ASIL-D certification.

Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions (CHERI) variants are available for both products. CHERI security technology protects against memory safety vulnerabilities. Codasip is standardizing a CHERI extension for RISC-V in collaboration with other members of the CHERI Alliance.

The post RISC-V Summit spurs new round of automotive support appeared first on EDN.

A classic nonlinear analog function is the squaring circuit. It’s useful in power sensing, frequency multiplication, RMS computation, and many other odd jobs around the lab bench.

The version in Figure 1 is straightforward, fast, temperature-compensated, calibration-free, and if the transistors are well matched, accurate. The final output is as follows:

 Vout = R3 antilog(2log(Vin/R1) – log(Vgain/R2)) = R3 antilog(log((Vin/R1)2 /(Vgain/R2))
Vout = (R1-2 R2 R3)Vin2 /Vgain

Figure 1 The squaring amplifier that is fast, temperature-compensated, calibration-free, and accurate (if the transistors are well matched).

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

Its input can accept either voltage or current. It gains a bit of extra versatility from a separate gain factor control input, which can also accept voltage or current. Another boost in versatility comes from a similarly flexible output with both voltage and (inverted) current output mode. If the current mode is chosen, A3 and R3 can be omitted and a dual op-amp (OPA2228) used instead of the quad (OPA4228) illustrated.

 The series connection of Q1 and Q2 generates a signal proportional to 2log(Vin/R1) = (log(Vin/R1)2). This is applied to antilogger Q3 ,which subtracts log(Vgain/R2) from it to generate a current of:

-(antilog(log((Vin/R1)2 /(Vgain/R2))

This is inverted and scaled by R3 and A3 to yield the final:

Vout = (R1-2 R2 R3)Vin2 / Vgain

 Note that if the three resistors are equal and Vin = Vgain, then:

Vout = (R-2 R R)Vin2 / Vin = Vin

And, the squarer circuit will have unity gain.

Which is kind of a “square deal,” although I doubt it’s what Teddy Roosevelt had in mind when he made that phrase his 1904 campaign slogan.

An interesting application happens when the squarer is combined with a full-wave precision rectifier (like the one in “New full-wave precision rectifier has versatile current mode output”). See Figure 2.

Figure 2 The cascading full-wave rectifier (black) with squarer makes low distortion frequency doubler (red).

 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

• New full-wave precision rectifier has versatile current mode output
• Simple diff-amp extension creates a square-law characteristic
• Boost and modify square waves: More circuits
• Precision Full Wave Rectifier Circuit

The post Circuit makes square deal appeared first on EDN.

India’s electronics export sector continues its remarkable upward trajectory, recording a 41.9% jump to USD 22.2 billion during April–September 2025, compared to USD 15.6 billion in the same period last year. The surge was primarily driven by strong performance in the smartphone segment, which saw exports grow by 58%, reaching USD 13.38 billion, up from USD 8.47 billion a year ago.

Data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry indicate that this robust growth is the reflection of India’s strengthening position in the global electronics supply chain, bolstered by the policy support extended under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme and rising investments from global players such as Apple, Foxconn, and Samsung.

The total value of India’s electronic exports reached USD 38.6 billion during the fiscal year 2024-25, with a year-on-year increase of 32.6%. This indicates continuous growth, reinforcing the country’s position as an emerging major electronic manufacturing hub and the third-largest smartphone exporter globally, after China and Vietnam.

According to industry experts, this momentum is driven by a better manufacturing ecosystem, diversified supply chains, and recent government initiatives towards “Make in India, Make for the World.”

With rising foreign investments and expanding production capacity, India is well on track to become a USD 100-billion electronics export powerhouse over the coming years.

The post India’s Electronics Exports Jump 41.9%, Smartphones Lead appeared first on ELE Times.

IVWorks Co Ltd of Daejeon, South Korea – which was founded in 2011 and manufactures 100-200mm gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial wafers for RF & power electronics applications – claims to be first in the industry to develop and implement mass production of 8-inch gallium nitride (InGaN/GaN) nanowire epiwafers. This is expected to serve as a key foundation for further enhancing green hydrogen production efficiency through artificial photosynthesis...

In conjunction with announcing on 28 October that they have agreed to merge in a cash-and-stock transaction (valuing the combined firm at $22bn) that is expected to be finalized in early 2027, both Skyworks Solutions and Qorvo have reported preliminary September-quarter financial results exceeding their respective guidance...

"Промінь" Наталії Гмирі у Центрі культури та мистецтв Інформація КП ср, 10/29/2025 - 18:01

For the past couple of years, I’ve been using AI to assist in the design of my hardware and firmware projects. The experience has generally been good, even though the outcome isn’t always useful. So, I’m presenting a short summary of a few of the tasks I have attempted and providing my unscientific grade to the outcome. The grades will be averaged at the end. Note: I do not have any paid AI subscriptions—I only used free AI tools, mostly Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT (although I have tried a few others). These are just a few of my experiences using online AI.

Do you have a memorable experience solving an engineering problem at work or in your spare time? Tell us your Tale

Converting voltage to percent charge

Grade: A

I wanted to show the charge remaining in a lithium polymer battery used to power a design. This is not straightforward as the function to convert voltage to percent charge for a lithium polymer battery is not a linear function. I asked Copilot to make a table of 20 voltages from 3.2 V to 4.2 V and their respective charge percentages. Then I asked it to create a C function to do this conversion. It created this nicely, including linear interpolation.

Finding the median without sorting

Grade: D

A while back, I wrote a Design Idea (DI) article on non-linear filters. While doing this, I queried Copilot to create a C program that can find the median of 5 numbers and do this without sorting. (No sorting for a small number of points is useful for increasing speed.) It created a nice-looking program—nice formatting and good comments. It also compiled fine. The problem was that the program didn’t work—it found the wrong value for the median in some cases.

Initializing an ADC

Grade: C+

Another project required me to write code for the SAMD51 MCU to initialize the ADC for high-speed sampling. As I was trying to get maximum speed from the ADC, it was a somewhat complex setup, especially the clocking system. I tried creating the code in both Copilot and ChatGPT multiple times.

Some code would not compile due to things like bad register names, and some code would just not work, giving no ADC readings. After some back and forth, those issues were corrected. A few of the comments in code were misleading or just plain wrong as it applied to clock frequencies. As the code got close to a working function, I took over the code and reworked parts of it to make it work.

Graphic design

Grade: C+

I was doing some LCD graphics design for a project, and one part was a battery charge indicator. This symbol, for battery percent of charge, was to be displayed on an LCD with an ILI9321 controller. (This standard figure looks like an AA battery with a green interior representing the percent charge.)

I asked Copilot to write C code for this using the GFX graphics library. The length of the green fill worked well, but the battery figure looked nothing like a battery. It was a rectangle with two large circles on both ends. I had to rewrite portions of the code myself.

Grade: F

In the same project, I asked Copilot for a USB symbol written using the GFX graphics library, as above. This didn’t look like the trident-like, universal USB symbol. I was essentially three sticking out from a central point at various angles. It was unusable.

Enclosure design

Grade: D-

Next, I tried to have Copilot and ChatGPT design an enclosure that would work on a workbench, allowing the user to see the LCD and to easily connect BNC cables. All I got were images of rectangular boxes. No matter how I asked for a more unique shape, it never went much beyond a rectangular enclosure. Then, even the rectangular box could not be delivered as a usable 3D file “step”, “stl” file without using other programs.

Filter design

Grade: C-

I asked ChatGPT, “Can you design and display a circuit that takes in a signal, AC couples it to a gain stage of 5, and then filters it at 120 kHz before outputting it?” Instead of explaining the result, the image in Figure 1 will speak for itself.

Figure 1 ChatGPT’s output for a filter design that takes in a signal, AC couples it to a gain stage of 5, and then filters it at 120 kHz before outputting it.

It did include a nice explanation of how components were selected, but the schematic was mostly unreadable. Dedicated tools such as TI’s Webench filter design tool, Analog Devices’ Filter Wizard, and ST’s eDesign Suite are the right tools for filter circuit design and are actually easier to use.

Grade: Ungraded

I tried to create C code, in both Copilot and ChatGPT, for calculating coefficients for a digital Sallen-Key 2-pole high-pass, low-pass, band-pass, and band-stop filters. I tried many times and could not get a good working algorithm. The code was close, but the filters did not function correctly. Eventually, I found the code after an extensive Google search. It’s possible my testing may have been part of the problem—unsure.

Grade: B

Along the way, I tried lots of smaller queries, many of which were very helpful.

A lab notebook

I’m sure some of the issues are my skill in creating the AI prompts. This certainly made my attempts take longer as I had to add more detail in follow-up prompts. I actually found this conversational style more engaging than using search engines. It’s not like a Google search, where you can’t typically do follow-ups to your query—you have to re-enter your original query with a modification.

The AI systems work much more like a conversation with a colleague. You can tell it that the code it gave you did not compile, as it didn’t recognize a register name. Or you can ask it to give you faster code, or change a resistor value in a circuit, and recalculate the remaining components.

One thing I learned when writing this article is that both ChatGPT and Copilot keep a complete history of conversations we had. It’s sort of like a lab notebook, showing your path to a certain design—very helpful.

A C rating

Looking at the average grade, it comes in between a C and a C-. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and call it a C. The C rating matches my gut feel also. The interaction is fairly easy—it feels like interacting with a coworker. The conversation goes on, attempting to fine-tune the final answer. The interaction process is much better than doing a Google search and getting a list of things to pick from, without an easy way to refine the search.

Does it save time? That’s hard to judge as I’m still learning how to create better prompts. Sometimes I get a useful answer right away. On more complex queries, I’ve gotten pulled down a rabbit hole and wasted time while the solution diverged from what I was looking for. There have been times when it had me trying to finetune the result, and I turned to Google and got an answer much faster.

You can easily be lulled into the feeling that you’re conversing with a savant, but it may be more like AI-splaining. Every answer exudes confidence, but it could be the confidence of ignorance. Remember that these answers have not been checked or tested.

Will I continue to use it? Certainly… I’ll get better at using it, and the tools will continue to improve. What I would like to see is an AI tool focused specifically on electrical engineering (hardware, firmware, and system design). This may focus its skills on finding or creating circuits, and being able to dig down deep into data sheets, etc. It would also be nice if it could test its results through simulation or by executing the code in a series of tests. Maybe in the future.

All in all, it’s worth using and everyone should give it a try, just check the answer closely.

Damian Bonicatto is a consulting engineer with decades of experience in embedded hardware, firmware, and system design. He holds over 30 patents.

Phoenix Bonicatto is a freelance writer.

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The post How help are free AI tools for electronic design? appeared first on EDN.

Many industrial applications in the automotive, automation, appliance, or medical sectors require power supplies that comply with functional safety standards. If the input voltage of such a power supply is not within its specification, the system to which it is supplying power is potentially operating in an unsafe state. Monitoring input and output voltages for faults such as undervoltage, overvoltage, and overtemperature may require resetting and transitioning the system to a safe state.

Defining the protections needed to comply with functional safety standards depends on the safety level, which the design engineer must determine in cooperation with a safety inspection agency such as Technischer Überwachungsverein. The engineer must also work on a time-consuming risk assessment of failures that address both safe and dangerous failures as well as random and systematic failures.

Functional safety in power supplies

Safety standards such as IEC 61508 or ISO 13849A specify the maximum allowable probability of dangerous failures per hour.

The requirements for a safe power supply as specified in IEC 61508, which covers functional safety in industrial manufacturing, include overvoltage protection with safety shutoff, secondary-side voltage control with safety shutoff, and power-down with safety shutoff. These protections require significant additional external circuitry around the switched-mode power supply (SMPS).

A safe power supply must also fulfill random hardware fault requirements. Using an integrated PG pin as the safety mechanism to monitor failures can be insufficient, because this pin is typically not independent; it shares the same internal band gap with all safety and monitoring features. A drifting band gap will cause the PG pin to fail. This is known as a common-cause failure, which does not meet functional safety requirements.

As shown in Figure 1, detecting any fault will also require additional supply-voltage supervisors as well as a switch connected in series to the input; alternatively, the switch could connect to the output. This switch disconnects the system from the source or load in case of a failure. Redundant supply-voltage supervisors monitor the input and output voltages. Typically, an industrial power supply is limited to less than a 60-VDC input, even in the event of a fault, requiring an additional circuit with transient voltage suppression and a fuse, because not all devices are specified to 60 V.

Figure 1 An industrial safe power supply example block diagram. Source: Texas Instruments

The switch at the input, which is under the control of the monitor, can remove power in case of a failure. The input and output voltage are monitored continuously. As I mentioned earlier, to comply with functional safety standards, all parts must operate within a specified operating voltage. That is not an easy task, given the requirement to detect undervoltage and overvoltage events immediately.

Buck converter

Using a functional-safety-compliant buck converter with integrated safety features can greatly reduce the amount of external circuitry, as shown in Figure 2. An integrated redundant circuit, which replaces the external voltage supervisor, has a startup diagnostic check and can detect the failure of a FET. This implementation reduces the overall cost of designing a safe power supply.

Figure 2 Integrated functional safety features replace an external voltage supervisor, reducing circuit complexity. Source: Texas Instruments

The nFAULT pin in the converter is used for overvoltage protection and as a failure flag. Triggering the nFAULT pin disables a safety switch, which in this case is an ideal diode controller connected to the input. The Temp pin communicates the temperature to a microprocessor and forces a shutdown if the temperature is too high. The VSNS pin has feedback path failure detection, and there is another feedback divider for redundancy. During startup, the LM68645-Q1 buck converter checks the configuration on the RT, FB, and VSNS pins.

Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a universal board (configurable to meet different safety standards)—with an input voltage range of 19.2 V to 28.8 V and a maximum 60 V—for a safe power supply.

A synchronous buck converter generates a 5-V output with a maximum current of 3 A. Beside the buck converter is an ideal diode with back-to-back MOSFETs connected to the input. An ideal diode connects to the output. The nFAULT pin can control both switches. Two additional supervisors for redundant voltage monitoring on the input and output can disable both switches as well. The ideal diode controller has power-path control and overvoltage protection. The voltage supervisors also provide built-in self-test and overvoltage and undervoltage protection.

Figure 3 The TI Industrial 24 V to 5 V safe power supply reference design, where a number of redundant options on the board make it possible to comply with different functional safety standards. Source: Texas Instruments

A buck converter designed to help meet functional safety standards reduces the amount of necessary functional safety documentation, system cost, and time to market. Because all of the devices in the 24 V to 5 V safe power supply reference design are specified for ≥ 60 V, an input transient voltage suppressor or fuse is not necessary.

Upgrading a safe power supply

Although upgrading a safe power supply to a higher standard requires significant effort, it is possible to design a power supply that meets functional safety requirements but also decreases time to market and system cost. Using a buck converter with integrated safety features helps achieve systematic and random hardware metrics and reduces the needed external circuitry.

Florian Mueller, systems applications engineer, Texas Instruments

Related Content

• Attaining functional safety: Managing random failures
• Motor control for functional safety
• Enabling functional safety in automotive processors
• Designing power supplies for industrial functional safety, Part 1
• Approaches to functional safety in automotive design

 

 

The post Power Tips #146: Design functional safety power supplies with reduced complexity appeared first on EDN.

CEO Gervais Jacques to be appointed executive chairman in May, as Luc Bertrand becomes lead independent director...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany is launching EasyPACK C, the next generation of its EasyPACK package family, for industrial applications such as fast DC electric vehicle (EV) charging, megawatt charging, energy storage systems and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) operating under harsh conditions and fluctuating load profiles, which demand high efficiency, robust power cycling capability and long lifetime...

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