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Focusing on Smart Power and Smart Industrials for a sustainable future

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, will host the Industrial Summit 2024 on October 29 at the Futian Shangri-La Hotel, in Shenzhen, China.

Recognizing the significant challenges posed by climate change, ST has consistently demonstrated its unwavering commitment to sustainability. The Company is dedicated to improving power density and efficiency through its cutting-edge solutions, leading the way towards reduced carbon emissions and a sustainable future.

The Industrial Summit is a top-notch technology showcase that highlights the breadth and depth of ST’s industrial products and solutions. Into its 6th edition, this year’s event continues the overarching theme of “Powering Your Sustainable Innovation”, with a focus on Smart Power and Smart Industrials for a sustainable future.

Visitors will hear insightful keynotes and 28 technical presentations from ST, its customers and partners, and can explore over 150 demonstrations targeting three main market segments: Automation, Power & Energy, and Motor Control. Additionally, the event will feature 6 showstoppers developed in close collaboration with ST’s customers and partners, presenting innovative technologies, solutions, and products in the areas of growing demand from the end markets, including Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN), power supply for AI data center, High Power Thermal Management system, Automation Production Line, the Solar-Storage-Charging Integration demo, and various solutions from the Ecosystem Partners of ST.

Showstopper and demo highlights

ST’s 25+ Years of SiC Leadership: ST brings value to its customers through mastery of the full silicon carbide (SiC) value chain, from R&D, substrate, epitaxy, and wafer fabrication to assembly and packaging of power discretes and modules. At this year’s Industrial Summit, the SiC showstopper will demonstrate ST as a global SiC leader in market, innovation and manufacturing, with a broad portfolio of STPOWER MOSFETs and diodes adapted for key industrial and automotive applications. Visitors will get a comprehensive overview of the development and manufacturing of SiC devices, from powder to the end product.

ST’s cutting-edge SiC MOSFET and diode portfolio, complemented by STGAP galvanic isolated drivers, delivers high efficiency, reliability, and performance in different packages. It will be demonstrated at the Summit through various reference designs for energy storage and power supply for AI servers, as well as other high-power applications.

 Next-Generation Data Center Infrastructure from Megawatt to Gigawatt: The AI and data communications sectors, currently responsible for 4% of global carbon emissions, are projected to reach 14% of emissions by 2040. Adopting heat recovery, liquid cooling, HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current), high-efficiency PSUs (Power Supply Unit), and new power-semiconductor technologies can further reduce power consumption.

Rapid advancements in power technology, including through new semiconductor materials like SiC and GaN (Gallium Nitride) driven by STGAP galvanic isolation gate drivers, will help further moderate the growth in energy demand from data centers. Highlighting ST’s capabilities is a 5.5 kW power supply for AI data centers using SiC for greater efficiency and better power density. In addition, with STPOWER MDmesh M9/DM9 series super-junction power MOSFETs, ST sets a benchmark for the 600V/650V super-junction technology combining best-in-class performance with remarkable ease of use. Tailored for both hard- and soft-switching topologies, the MDmesh M9 and DM9 series are ideal for AI server data centers. Moreover, the STM32G4 microcontrollers bring intelligence and advanced control to our power solutions, allowing us to better manage power distribution and adapt to fluctuating loads in real-time.

In addition, transitioning to HVDC infrastructure can further enhance data-center efficiency by reducing transmission losses and energy consumption. ST’s SiC technology, paired with advanced packaging, enables HVDC systems to excel in high-temperature environments.

High-Power Thermal-Management Systems: The demand for high-power cooling solutions is rapidly increasing across various sectors, driven by significant growth in HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) systems, AI data centers infrastructure management, and grid-scale battery energy storage.

ST provides a comprehensive set of high-power cooling solutions to address differentiated power ranges and architectures. At this showstopper, ST will showcase its latest 10kW Commercial Compressor solution, which innovates using one single STM32G4 microcontroller (MCU) to control multiple functions, including three-phase PFC Vienna, FOC (Field Oriented Control) motor control, Nano Edge AI predictive maintenance, and KNX. This solution also delivers robust and reliable performance with ST’s 1200V IGBTs and SiC diodes, plus STGAP galvanically isolated gate drivers. Also, two other solutions will be featured at this showstopper­­: the 7kW triple FOC and interleaved PFC, and 4kW Dual FOC and Interleaved PFC. These solutions ensure efficient and reliable performance to meet different customer specifications for heat pumps and commercial air conditioning, based on ST’s SLLIMM Intelligent Power Modules, and Power Management and Analog ICs

Automated Assembly Line System: This groundbreaking automated assembly line system is the first of its kind at ST and represents the largest demonstration at the Industrial Summit 2024. An unprecedented factory-automation system underscores ST’s comprehensive ecosystem of partners and extensive system-level expertise in embedded systems. This demo features a complex automation system that integrates 3 robotic arms, which communicate precisely with an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) to transfer items running on an MTS (Maglev Track System) driven by 7 ST dual motor servo drive solutions. All these components are managed by an ST Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), navigating through a variety of standards such as Codesys, EtherCAT, Profinet, Sub-1G, IO-Link, and more. This demo is further enhanced in collaboration with Siemens automation solutions, enabling seamless integration like the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and HMI, which reflects accuracy, reliability and precision.

This impressive system demonstrates all major ST technologies for automation systems, including STM32 MCUs for HMI (Human Machine Interface), STM32MP1/2 Microprocessor Units (MPUs) for PLC processing, and a wide variety of analog products like IPS (intelligent power switches) for control. The system also covers different connectivity technologies for both wired (such as IO-link) and wireless, where the ST ultra-low power MCUs can bring added value in battery life.

Lastly, ST technologies include Industrial sensors (such as ToF proximity sensors, MEMS and IR sensors, IMUs, accelerometers, vibrometers, pressure sensors), ST25R for RFID read/write and Industrial actuators for the robotic arms, and the massive 14 PMSM linear motors are well covered by ST gate drivers and motion control ICs, wide LV and HV MOSFETS, IPS, Power management IC, and all this requires good protection devices for both input (CLTxx) and output (SMAJxx). In total, more than 500 ST devices are utilized across various HMIs, PLC controllers, drivers, RFID readers, gateways, connectivity devices, sensors, servo motors, and other components.

Solutions from Ecosystem Partners: To tackle the diverse challenges of the highly fragmented industrial market, ST is collaborating with technology leaders, key industrial customers, and ecosystem partners to accelerate growth and meet local market needs. Beyond the major highlights above, additional demos showcasing collaborations between ST and its ecosystem partners will be featured, including the Carbon Management solutions from ST’s customer Sungrow iCarbon, the Solar-Storage-Charging Integration Digital Energy Management solution from ST’s distributor WT Microelectronics, and multiple innovations from Joint Labs between ST and some leading Chinese universities.

The post STMicroelectronics hosts premier Industrial Summit in Shenzhen appeared first on ELE Times.

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Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA is previewing several breakthroughs in booth 129 (Hall C3) at electronica 2024 at Trade Fair Center Messe München, Munich, Germany (12-15 November)...

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Back in August 2021, I did a teardown of an Ubiquiti Networks power-over-Ethernet (PoE) injector, following up on the dissection of a TRENDnet PoE-supportive powerline networking adapter set from three years earlier. I did detailed PoE technology overviews in both of those, which I’m not going to substantially replicate here in the interest of brevity. Suffice it to say that:

• There are multiple variants of PoE technology, some multiplexing DC voltage on the same wires that carry AC data transitions and others (specifically for 10/100 Mbps Ethernet) leveraging otherwise-unused wires-and-pins for DC transmission. i.e.:

The means by which power is carried within a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet cable also varies: with so-called “Mode A,” the power delivery takes place over the same 1-2 and 3-6 pairs used for data, whereas “Mode B” uses “spare” pairs 4-5 and 7-8. With Gigabit Ethernet, which employs all four pairs of wires for data, merging data and DC power over the same wires is the only option.

• Even within a particular PoE implementation “flavor” a diversity of input (at source)-and-output (at “sink”) voltage combinations exist in the marketplace, making multi-vendor and (even within a common supplier’s product line) multi-product interoperability difficult at best and more likely a non-starter.

If your PoE injector (or PoE support-inclusive router or switch source device, for that matter) implements one mode and your PoE splitter (or PoE support-inclusive remote device) implements another, your only recourse is a frustrating return of one or both devices to your retailer. Voltage and current incompatibilities between source and destination can also result in a product return (not to mention, potentially “fried” gear).

And regarding network topology node naming, excerpting from that premiere 2018 writeup:

If power is added to the network connection at a PoE-cognizant router, switch, or adapter source, that particular power sourcing equipment (PSE) variant is referred to as an endspan or endpoint. Otherwise, if power is added in-between the router/switch and remote client, such as via an appropriately named PoE injector, that device is known as a midspan. A PoE-cognizant remote client is called a powered device (PD); a PoE splitter can alternatively provide separate power and data connections to a non-PoE-supportive LAN client.

For more background details, please see the earlier powerline-plus-PoE adapter and PoE injector writeups.

What we’re looking at today is another PoE injector, the TP-DCDC-2USB-48 from Tycon Systems:

Here’s the sticker on the baggie my unit came in (absent the USB cables shown in the earlier stock photos):

Why the seeming teardown-device redundancy? Part of the answer comes from the respective product names. The Ubiquiti Networks injector was specifically the model 24-24W-G-US:

As I’ve found is commonly the case with PoE products, the output voltage (for an injector, or alternately the input voltage for a splitter) is embedded within the product name. Specifically, in the Ubiquiti Networks 24-24W-G-US case:

Here’s the “decoder ring” for the product name: The first “24” indicates that it outputs 24 V over the Ethernet connection; the following “24W” means what it says—24 W, alternatively indicating that the unit outputs 1 A max current; “G” means that it supports GbE connections; and “US” means that the power cord has a US-compatible NEMA 5-15 wall outlet connection.

Note, too, that since this device supports GbE (whether it actually delivers GbE over powerline is a different matter), “With Gigabit Ethernet, which employs all four pairs of wires for data, merging data and DC power over the same wires is the only option” applies.

If I apply a “decoder ring” to the Tycon Systems TP-DCDC-2USB-48, conversely, what do I get? Honestly, skimming through the company’ injector (which it also refers to in various places as “inserter”) product line web pages, I can’t discern an obvious pattern. And unlike with Ubiquiti Networks, there isn’t explicit documentation to assist me with the code decipher.

That said, the “DCDC” portion might mean that we have an injector that not only outputs DC voltage but also inputs it (versus, say, an injector with an integrated AC-to-DC power supply, which would conceivably be an “ACDC” variant). Specifically, as you may have already noticed from the stock photos, it takes its input voltage from the dual 5V 1.4A (each) USB-A connectors on one side, presumably explaining the “2USB” portion of the product name. And, unlike the 24V/24W (1A)-output Ubiquiti Networks device, this Tycon Systems one outputs 48V (at 12W, therefore 0.25A) DC, therefore—duh—the “48” in the name. But that all said, both the Ubiquiti Networks and Tycon Systems devices are passive, not active, meaning that they provide a fixed output voltage; there is no upfront negotiation as to what the powered device on the other end of the Ethernet strand needs.

As another key rationale for revisiting the “PoE injector teardown” theme, I’ll in-advance share with you one of the product photos, that of the underside (as usual accompanied by a 0.75″/19.1 mm diameter U.S. penny for size comparison purposes):

Again, recall that the Ubiquiti Networks device was GbE-cognizant, therefore using all eight Ethernet wires for data, so DC voltage multiplexing was a necessity. The even earlier analyzed TRENDnet PoE-supportive powerline networking setup wasn’t GbE-capable, even in theory, so it theoretically had four spare wires available for DC voltage purposes (presumably generated by an AC/DC converter inside the adapter). Nevertheless, it also was a multiplexed data-and-DC device, in this case the earlier discussed 10/100 Mbit Ethernet “Mode A”. In contrast, from the photo you’ll note that this device is “Mode B”, completing the implementation option variety.

The final notable revisit rationale was fundamentally curiosity-fueled. I’d found the Tycon Systems TP-DCDC-2USB-48 for sale used at Lensrentals, a photo (mostly video) gear retailer that I’ve mentioned (and bought stuff from multiple times) before. The device’s listed price was only $22; at the time (November 2023) an additional 15%-off promotion made it even more economical ($18.70 plus tax). But what on earth was a PoE injector doing for sale at a photo equipment retailer’s website? This final TP-DCDC-2USB-48 stock photo provides a clue:

Even more telling, after a bit of revealing research, is the seemingly cryptic “VR – Orah PoE Injector” notation on the Lensrental website product page for the Tycon Systems TP-DCDC-2USB-48. It refers to the Orah 4i, a four-fisheye-camera plus multi-mic setup for live-streaming 360° spherical virtual reality:

The A/V capture module tethers to an Intel- and NVIDIA-based mini-PC “box” that stitches together the various sources’ A/V data before network broadcasting the result. And speaking of networks—specifically, Ethernet cables—some of you have probably already guessed how the mini-PC and cameras-plus-mics module connected…over PoE-augmented Ethernet, via the injector on the “stitching box” side and directly powering the capture module on the other end.

1,000 (hopefully educational) words in, let’s get to tearing down, shall we? You’ve already seen my device’s underside; here are views from other perspectives. Top-side block diagram first; gotta love that “Ethent” spelling variant of “Ethernet”, eh?

The two bare sides:

The input voltage-and-data end:

And the unified voltage-plus-data output end:

The seam along all four sides wasn’t glued down, but something else was still holding the two halves together:

I found it when I peeled away the underside sticker:

That’s better:

Note the sizeable ground plane and other thick traces on the PCB underside, similar to those encountered with the Ubiquiti Networks PoE injector three years back:

The PCB pops right out of the top with no additional screws to be removed first:

At the far right is the power LED, with the Ethernet connector above it and the dual USB power inputs below. Two inductors along the bottom, one of them toroidal. The PoE connector is on the left edge. Two more inductors in the upper left corner (one again toroidal), with two capacitors in-between them. At the top is a Linear Technology (now Analog Devices) LT1619 low voltage current mode PWM controller for DC/DC conversion purposes.

And what of that heat sink to the right of the PoE connector? Glad you asked:

It’s normally held in place by glue (to the PoE connector) to one side and a thermal pad underneath. And below it are two ICs: an On Semiconductor FDS86140 small signal MOSFET and, to one side (and therefore only partially attached to the thermal pad) a chip marked:

CSP
10S100S
citc

and a “D1” mark on the PCB alongside, which I’m guessing is a 3-lead Schottky diode (readers?).

In conclusion, here are some PCB side-view shots for your perusal:

That’s what I’ve got for today. I’m now going to try to meaningfully reattach the heat sink and otherwise return the TP-DCDC-2USB-48 to full functionality. Why? The spec sheet says it best:

This USB powered PoE injector is a must for any technician’s toolbox because it allows powering …Passive PoE products from a laptop’s USB port. The 48VDC passive PoE model is perfect for powering IP Phones, Cameras and other devices that use 48VDC PoE. This allows the technician to quickly test the device by direct connection to his laptop, saving him a lot of time. The TP-DCDC-2USB-xx can also be used in customer premise equipment to power external wireless gear from a customer’s computer USB ports, reducing wiring clutter at the PC and allowing the wireless gear to be powered down when the computer is powered down to conserve energy.

As always, I welcome reader thoughts in the comments!

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

Related Content

• Teardown of Ubiquiti’s 24-24W-G: A PoE adapter without (a) peer
• Teardown: Powerline networking plus PoE
• Will PoE++ be helpful, a headache, or both?
• Simple circuit design tutorial for PoE applications

The post A PoE injector with a “virtual” usage precursor appeared first on EDN.

Юрію Михайловичу Поплавку – 90! kpi пн, 10/28/2024 - 15:48

🕔 Дайджест актуальних подій та конкурсів від Відділу академічної мобільності kpi пн, 10/28/2024 - 14:45

Масштабний моніторинг якості питної води в Україні kpi пн, 10/28/2024 - 13:24

While battery life is crucial for a laptop, it’s even more so for laptops running artificial intelligence (AI) applications that tend to consume a lot more power. So, Renesas has teamed up with Intel to develop a custom power management solution for laptops based on the new Intel Core Ultra 200V series.

The custom power solution encompasses a power management IC (PMIC), a pre-regulator, and a battery charger. These three purpose-built power devices collectively facilitate a compact form factor optimized for low-power mobile computing applications.

PMIC is purpose-built for Intel processors serving AI-enabled laptops. Source: Renesas

Start with the RAA225019 PMIC, which is configurable for Lunar Lake applications and features fully integrated power MOSFETs and current sensing circuitry. The highly integrated PMIC supports high switching frequencies, making it well-suited for small form factor applications without compromising efficiency.

Next, the RAA489301 pre-regulator is a 3-level buck converter designed to provide an optimized voltage range for the RAA225019 PMIC. This pre-regulator’s architecture bolsters thermal performance compared to traditional 2-level buck designs, enabling it to support a broad input and output voltage range. That also facilitates superior efficiency in compact, high-power-density applications, making it highly suitable for demanding power solutions.

These power management solutions come alongside tested reference designs and application support.

This announcement shows how AI-enabled mobile solutions are unleashing a new wave of design innovation in the power management realm. PMICs are likely to be at the forefront of this shift in power management needs catalysed by powerful processors serving AI applications.

Related Content

• Power Consumption and Battery Life Analysis
• How PMICs operate in image sensor-based designs
• Overview of power supply design using online tools
• Designs from Automotive to Wearables Tap PMICs for Power Efficiency
• PMIC with Two Independent Sources Opens Up Energy-Harvesting Possibilities

The post How AI laptops are remaking power management designs appeared first on EDN.

🎥 КПІ ім. Ігоря Сікорського та ПАТ «Центренерго» готуватимуть спеціалістів для потреб теплоенергетики України! kpi пн, 10/28/2024 - 11:29

New best-of-both memory combines serial Flash speed and density with EEPROM byte-level flexibility

STMicroelectronics’ Page EEPROM combines the power efficiency and durability of an EEPROM with the capacity and speed of a Flash memory, creating a hybrid memory for applications that face extreme size and power constraints.

The new memories address growing demand for storage in embedded applications, needed to support increasingly sophisticated features and run data-hungry edge-AI algorithms. One example is behind-the-ear hearing aids, where Page EEPROM can reduce the bill of materials and help create products that are slimmer and more comfortable to wear.

In addition to wearables, Page EEPROM is ideal for applications such as healthcare devices, asset trackers, e-bikes, as well as other industrial and consumer products. “The intelligent edge has evolved quickly and is profoundly changing demands on embedded memory storage density, performance, and power consumption,” said Philippe Ganivet, STMicroelectronics EEPROM product line manager.  “Our new Page EEPROM is the perfect ultra-low-power memory to complement a microcontroller for remote IoT modules that operate on battery power.”

“ST’s Page EEPROM is the perfect non-volatile memory, a true best-of-both worlds solution that enabled us to achieve the ambitious targets we set when creating the latest generation of our flagship product family of GPS trackers, IoT devices, and all other designs where high performance, high reliability, small size, and low power are required,” said Patrick Kusbel, owner of BitFlip Engineering, one of the first customers to use the new memory ICs. “The M95P is up to 50 times faster yet consumes as little as one-tenth the power and delivers five times the reliability — at 500k writes compared to 100k writes — typical of other parts we used before. It’s a game changer.”

ST’s Page EEPROM family offers densities of 8Mbit, 16Mbit, and 32Mbit, greatly increasing storage over standard EEPROM devices. Embedded smart page-management allows byte-level write operations for processes like data logging, while also supporting page/sector/block erase and page-program up to 512 bytes for efficiently handling firmware over the air (OTA) updates. The devices also allow buffer loading, which can program several pages simultaneously to cut the time for loading software in production. The data-read speed of 320 Mbit/s is about 16 times faster than standard EEPROM, while write-cycle endurance of 500,000 cycles is several times higher than conventional serial Flash.

Also featuring a novel peak-current control, Page EEPROM minimizes power supply noise and prolongs the runtime of battery-operated equipment. The write current is below that of many conventional EEPROMs and there is also a deep power-down mode with fast wakeup that reduces the current to below 1µA.

Longevity is assured, with 100-year data retention. The devices are included in ST’s 10-years product longevity program that guarantees long-term product availability.

The X-NUCLEO-PGEEZ1 expansion board and X-CUBE-EEPRMA1 software package are available now, for users to learn how to interact with Page EEPROM and adopt the new devices in application designs. The software includes a demonstration application that shows how to test the memory’s hybrid architecture and quickly build a proof of concept.

The post STMicroelectronics reveals Page EEPROM two-in-one memory to boost smart-edge performance and efficiency appeared first on ELE Times.

In today’s tech-driven era, automotive electronics have become integral to modern vehicles, comprising an array of systems such as engine management, ignition, radio, carputers, telematics, in-car entertainment systems, among others. Over time, the importance of these electronic systems has been growing. Historically, electronics constituted about 10% of the total car cost till the 1980s, later, this share reached 35% by 2010, according to Statista. Keeping pace with the trend, in 2030, electronics are projected to make up around 50% of the cost of a new car. The main drivers of this rise are attributed to electronics usage in cars and the broader trends of connectivity and automation.

Considering this upsurge, technology is destined to lead the way for the automotive electronics sector in the foreseeable future. To speed fast its systems, telematics and the Internet of Things (IoT) can create welcome opportunities. Telematics, in particular, is capable of tracking the vehicle to transmit and store real-time data about its location, operation, and function. Subsequently, this data can be used to improve driver safety, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. Similarly, automotive IoT forms an essential component of connected car technology allowing vehicles to interact with external objects and road users such as other vehicles, people, or road infrastructure, and ensure greater road safety and traffic efficiency.

Let’s look at how telematics and IoT are evolving to aid automotive electronics:

• Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility: Telematics provides automotive makers with critical insights into their supply chains, allowing them to address gaps in deliveries and production timelines. Additionally, IoT apps ease fleet management with the help of integrated weight management, location tracking and advanced sensors.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Tracking devices powered by telematics collect and transmit data, such as GPS position, speed, and fuel consumption. The data is sent to a centralised server, where it can be analysed and optimised for user interfaces. Moreover, the increase in electronics has enhanced vehicles’ capabilities to monitor both internal and external conditions. Thus, connected cars are capable of sharing these kinds of information with other devices via a robust IoT ecosystem. Interestingly, it is projected that by 2025, there will be over 400 million connected cars in operation, up from some 237 million in 2021.
• Live Monitoring and Safety Enhancement: Telematics allows for real-time monitoring of vehicles, especially in semi-autonomous cars. It is put in place with GPS and onboard diagnostics to record and map the vehicle’s location, route, speed, and ensure the safety of people. Moreover, IoT-infused semi-autonomous cars make on-spot decisions while partly controlling the vehicle operations to avoid accidents and reduce the load from the driver. Along with different proximity sensors and cameras, cars are integrated with IoT systems to reduce human error and make driving more comfortable and safe.
• Predictive Analysis and Improved Efficiency: A sought-after feature of automotive electronics is predictive analytics. Telematics data helps businesses make insightful decisions to identify potential issues. These systems can proactively alert drivers if they swerve, and detect drowsiness using vision AI models. As for IoT, it aids in taking necessary actions to prevent car parts from sudden breakdowns.

Future Prospects

Looking ahead, as the field of telematics matures, smart cars will continue tapping into IoT sensors and devices that link vehicles in cities via smart traffic technologies. Automotive manufacturers will use telematics for a variety of testing and training purposes such as gaining deeper insights into onsite or remote testing, creating predictive models for vehicle integrity, training employees virtually, as well as running simulations to improve crash-test safety.

The sector is bound to integrate AI to analyse large amounts of data from vehicle sensors for autonomous driving capabilities. Future vehicles may even influence telematics to provide tailored experiences based on driver preferences and habits, including navigation, entertainment, and comfort settings. With the rise of electric vehicles, telematics will play a major role in managing battery health, optimising charging, and planning energy-efficient routes. Ultimately, these developments will certainly shape business opportunities and process refinements in automotive electronics that were previously unattainable.

Author: Pavan Puri, Founder & Managing Director, Greencore Electronics

The post The Evolution of Telematics and IoT in Automotive Electronics appeared first on ELE Times.

Complicated electronic systems found in modern trucks greatly ease the driver’s task and improve road safety. However, the question arises as to whether a future truck driver who is learning on go4cdl.com/ should understand this electronics. Is it worth investing time learning intricate control and diagnosis systems? We will examine the main “for” and “against” arguments in this post as well as learn what kind of information would be helpful to a future driver.

The part modern trucks’ electronics play

Modern trucks are high-tech vehicles in which electronic systems are rather important. Such technologies made it feasible to greatly raise vehicle safety and output. The following are some systems drivers must cope with:

1. Control system for engines. The engine and all of its parts are run under mostly this system. It guarantees best engine operation by regulating fuel supply, ignition and other parameters.

2. ABS, or anti-lock braking system. This system greatly increases controllability by keeping the wheels from locking during emergency braking, so lowering the risk of an accident.

3. System for electronic stabilization (ESP). It enables the driver to manage the trajectory, so avoiding skid and loss of control on challenging road conditions.
4. Navigation and telemetry systems. These systems help to plan the path, give control over the truck’s position, and send data to the dispatch center for vehicle operation analysis.

5. Diagnostic tools. Diagnostic systems included in modern trucks alert the driver about possible breakdowns and malfunction.

Reasons supporting the study of electronics

• Quick problem diagnosis. The driver will be able to spot and fix minor issues fast if he understands how the primary electronic systems operate. This will prevent expensive repairs and help to lower road downtime.

• Maintenance savings Electronics knowledge will enable the driver to avoid pointless car service visits. For some small issues, like changing a fuse or reseting a system error, you could fix them on your own.

• Enhanced protection. Should any system suddenly fail, an electronics-savvy driver can react fast and know what to do to guarantee traffic safety.

• Boosting the degree of professionalism. Businesses involved in transportation favor drivers with basic electronics knowledge more and more. This makes a specialist more worth on the employment scene.

Arguments against the necessity of thorough electronic knowledge

1. Complexity and ongoing technical innovation. Cars’ electronic systems are always changing, thus an average driver may find it challenging to keep up with all the developments. Technical details of a truck driver’s job are less important than their driving and controlling of a car.

2. Niche services. Professional car service centers with trained experts exist for complicated diagnostics and electronic repair. On his own, the driver can spend a lot of time and effort trying to grasp complicated electronic systems, which is not usually justified.

3. Availability of onboard information systems. Information systems included in modern trucks alert the driver about possible issues and the need of maintenance. The driver’s need for electronics knowledge is much lessened by this.

4. Managing the transportation is the primary responsibility of the driver. Safe product transportation is the primary responsibility of the driver. Excellent efforts should be focused on enhancing driving skills, traffic rule compliance, knowledge of the features of managing big-sized vehicles, and so on.

What knowledge in the field of electronics should one have?

Though a truck driver does not have specific knowledge in the field of electronics, there are fundamental skills and ideas that would be quite helpful:

• Knowing how onboard systems work. Knowing the workings of the engine control system, braking mechanism, and fundamental electronic components helps the driver. This will enable you to react to warnings and grasp the on-board computer signals more precisely.

• Techniques for spotting little problems. The driver has to be able to identify common mistakes that might happen while the car is running and know how to fix them without the assistance of the service.

• Understanding of the tire pressure regulating mechanism. Among the several systems directly influencing traffic safety is one The driver should be aware of how it operates and what to do should the warning be set off.

• Navigating systems: skills of operation. Complicated navigation systems found in modern trucks allow the driver to track time on the road and create routes.

In essence

A future truck driver ought to be rather familiar with the electronics of his vehicle. This will improve his professional skills in addition to helping him to rapidly address minor road problems. Though the primary responsibilities of servicing and repairing electronics are best left to experts, in-depth technical knowledge is not regarded as required. The primary concern of the driver is to concentrate on the safe and effective running of the vehicle by fully utilizing the features of contemporary systems.

The post Does a future truck driver need to understand the electronics of his car? appeared first on Electronics Lovers ~ Technology We Love.

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We’re all familiar with thermally activated fuses, where the conducting element self-heats due to current flow, melts at a defined current value, and breaks the flow path. They are simple in concept (although they have their own subtleties, of course), reliable, do one thing, do it well, and provide a first (or last) line of defense against overcurrent damage in a system.

They come in many variations including fast acting, time-delay, and slow-blow, to best-fit the needs of the application. Among the reasons their use is mandated by regulatory codes in so many installations is that they need no initialization, set-up, or software, and can’t be hacked or overridden, all of which adds to their credibility and confidence in their performance.

Current-handling ranges of fuses that most engineers encounter span a fraction of an amp to tens of amps. They come in myriad packages, ranging from the classic 3AG to larger cartridges, as well as blade style used in many cars, Figure 1.

Figure 1 Fuses are available with different current ratings, of course, but also countless packages, including the 3AG glass cylinder, ceramic cartridges of various sizes, and the automotive “blade” style. Sources: RS-Online; Automation Direct; and Harbor Freight Co.

But then I started to wonder: How do they make fuses for hundreds of amps? What’s their packaging? Do the fuses simply get proportionally larger as the current goes to those levels?

My “ignorance” is largely due to lack of exposure to the topic. Higher-power engineering was not a big thing at most engineering schools for many years. That specialty, which encompasses larger-scale power generation, storage, transmission, battery energy storage systems, and solar/wind installations, was considered a backwater niche and not as exciting as designing data networks, devising and coding algorithms, or building faster computers.

But that was then, and times have changed. Today, power engineering is a hot area with all the activity related to electrified vehicles (EVs and HEVs), renewable energy, powering data centers, backup power systems, and more. Look at it this way: an EV draws on the order of 100 A and more, so fusing capabilities must be ramped up to meet appropriate engineering and regulatory requirements. Clearly, this is not a place where electric fuses (e-fuses) alone are suitable.

Would such a fuse be ten times bigger than a standard 10-A fuse? Were there any design shifts of which I should be aware?

I looked into it, and I found there’s a large subclass of thermal fuses dubbed “high rupturing capacity” (HRC) fuses which may be bigger but otherwise look like regular fuses on the outside, yet have an invisible, inside twist: they are filled with sand (silica) or other material, Figure 2.

Figure 2 (left) The HRC fuse features a filler, usually sand; (right) the actual internal construction is more complicated, as shown by this one version (there are others, as well).  Sources: Electrical Maker and Swe-Check Pty Ltd

The main design elements that differentiate an HRC fuse from a lower-current conventional fuse—called a low breaking capacity (LBC) fuse—are:

• A heat-resistant, strong outer-fuse body, usually constructed from ceramic or fiberglass; LBC devices instead often have glass enclosures which are more likely to fragment when fusing action is initiated and the overload current is high.
• The cavity inside the fuse body is filled with fine silica sand or quartz to absorb the heat and energy of an over-current. In some cases, other materials such as powdered chalk, plaster of paris, or marble dust are used, but purified sand is most common.
• The metal caps or tags are solidly attached to the fuse body to create an air-tight seal to prevent any energy escaping in the event of an overload.

Why bother to do this? To my simplistic lower-current thinking, it seemed that once the fuse link overheats and opens, there’s not much to worry about.

But in the reality of the high-current world, that sort of simplistic thinking is misguided and even dangerous. The purpose of sand in the fuse is primarily to act as a heat-absorbing medium and to prevent the arc from continuing once the fuse element melts, Figure 3. That allows the fuse to safely interrupt very high fault currents (often several thousand amps) without causing damage to the fuse holder or surrounding equipment.

Figure 3 The current versus time characterization of the HRC fuse has some interesting transitions and jumps. Source: Electrical Maker

The sand or other filler in these fuses plays multiple roles:

• Cooling: When the fuse element melts due to excessive current, the sand absorbs heat, helping to cool the area and prevent fire or damage to surrounding components.
• Arc suppression: If a fuse blows, it can create an electrical arc. The sand helps to extinguish this arc by absorbing energy and providing a medium in which the arc can dissipate safely.
• Isolation: The sand can help to isolate the molten metal of the fuse element, preventing it from causing further short circuits or damage.
• Enhanced safety: By reducing the risk of arcing and overheating, sand contributes to the overall safety and reliability of the fuse.

In short: in an ordinary fuse—a length of exposed wire—the wire will melt and thus break the circuit; so far, so good. However, if a large current is flowing, the wire will also partially vaporize, and permit an arc to be formed. This arc may not be quenched even by the AC zero-volt crossing (and certainly won’t be for a DC circuit) but can continue for many cycles. The sand in the HRC fuse prevents the arc from forming, allowing the circuit to be opened safely and remain so.

There are two points here. First, it is not just a matter of “scaling up”. As with almost every other technical component, when you push the boundaries of capacity or size, things change and important enhancements to existing solutions are needed. While the laws of physics don’t change, their manifestations do. After all, in the electromagnetic spectrum, both gigahertz/terahertz waves and optical waves are defined by Maxwell’s equations, but their realities are very different. This is the case with high-current arcing across the open circuit presented by the blown fuse wire.

The second point nothing is as simple as it seems to be. When someone says, “what’s the big deal? It’s just a fuse” of similar, it really means they don’t know what’s involved. Even a simple function such as a fuse has its own design and fabrication issues that need to be understood and resolved.

Have you ever encountered a component which had unexpected design aspects due to its need to operate under harsh conditions or parameter extremes such as (but not limited to) voltage, current, temperature, or physical stress? Did you come to understand what had been done, and why?

Bill Schweber is an EE who has written three textbooks, hundreds of technical articles, opinion columns, and product features.

Related Content

• E-fuses: warming up to higher-current applications
• Goodbye 3AG fuse, we’ll miss you
• Is there anything silicon can’t do?
• Fuse failures
• An accurate resettable fuse

The post High rupture capacity fuses: same idea, different reality appeared first on EDN.

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