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Mordor Intelligence publishes its latest analysis of the semiconductor industry, highlighting sustained expansion driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure, electric vehicle adoption, advanced packaging technologies, and increasing investments in domestic chip manufacturing ecosystems.

According to the industry analysis, the semiconductor industry size stands at USD 0.74 trillion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 1.01 trillion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.42% during the forecast period. Market estimates indicate that rising demand for AI processors, high-bandwidth memory, automotive electronics, and edge-computing devices will continue to strengthen the global semiconductor market over the next five years.

According to reports, the growing integration of semiconductors across data centers, connected vehicles, industrial automation, consumer electronics, and telecommunications is creating new revenue streams. The evolving competitive landscape, supported by government-backed manufacturing initiatives and supply-chain diversification strategies, is expected to accelerate semiconductor industry growth while reshaping the global value chain. Semiconductor Industry Trends Reshaping Global Technology Markets

Vehicle Electrification Creating New Semiconductor Opportunities

The transition toward electric and software-defined vehicles is increasing the need for an advance semiconductor components across automotive systems. Modern vehicles rely on chips for power management, connectivity, safety features, and autonomous driving capabilities. As automakers continue integrating smarter technologies and over-the-air update capabilities, demand for automotive semiconductors is expected to remain a key growth driver for the industry.

Ashish Gautam, Senior Research Manager, Mordor Intelligence, says, “As the semiconductor industry continues to evolve alongside advances in artificial intelligence, automotive electronics, and high-performance computing, decision-makers require research that combines transparent sourcing with consistent market assessment. Mordor Intelligence applies a structured methodology designed to provide a balanced view of industry developments, competitive activity, and the factors influencing market growth.”

AI Infrastructure Driving Advanced Chip Demand

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence applications is creating strong demand for advanced processors, memory solutions, and specialized chips used in data centers. As cloud providers and technology companies continue investing in AI infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturers are benefiting from increased demand for high-performance computing components, supporting sustained growth across the industry.

The post Semiconductor Industry to Hit USD 1.01 Trillion by 2031 appeared first on ELE Times.

In the modern engineering landscape, the definition of a “complete lab” is undergoing a radical transformation. It’s no longer measured by the square footage of your workbench or the number of cooling fans humming in the background, but by the versatility of the gear in your bag.

As universal standards like USB bridge the gap between consumer tech and professional hardware, the barrier to high-performance analysis is collapsing. We are entering an era where ownership means having world-class diagnostic power available anywhere, at any time, redefining what it means to be a “ready” engineer.

Death of the benchtop monolith

Remember the days when an oscilloscope wasn’t just a tool, but a structural component of your lab bench? We called them “Boat Anchors” for a reason—those massive, whirring monoliths that required a two-person lift and a dedicated circuit breaker just to warm up the CRT. But the era of the benchtop titan is fading.

Today, the core premise has shifted: USB is no longer just a port; it’s a design philosophy. We are witnessing a fundamental migration where the “guts” of our test and measurement (T&M) gear are shrinking from heavy chassis directly into our pockets. This isn’t just a win for portability or cluttered desks; it’s a technical milestone where the fundamentals of high-speed data transfer and power delivery have finally caught up to the rigorous demands of precision engineering.

Figure 1 Tektronix 564B anchors the lab bench as a 1969 solid-state refinement of the classic tube-based 564 storage scope. Source: TekWiki

USB: More than just a connector

To understand why USB has successfully staged this takeover, we have to look past the plastic housing and into the silicon. At its core, the modern USB-C connector is a marvel of high-density engineering, packing 24 pins into a footprint smaller than a fingernail. Within that cramped space, it manages multiple high-speed differential pairs capable of gigabit-per-second throughput while maintaining strict signal integrity—a necessity for streaming raw, high-resolution waveform data to a host PC without lag.

But speed is only half the story; the real game changer is the evolution of USB Power Delivery (PD). We’ve come a long way from the meager 2.5-W limits of USB 2.0, which could barely keep a mouse alive. With the advent of USB PD 3.1, the interface can now negotiate up to 240 W of power. This massive overhead allows engineers to run high-performance FPGAs and sophisticated analog front-ends directly from the port, eliminating the need for bulky external power bricks.

However, with great power comes the “ownership” challenge. Designing for USB means the instrument must effectively “own” its power rail. In T&M, the primary enemy is a noisy laptop power supply. To prevent switching noise from leaking into the signal chain and ruining the noise floor of a sensitive 16-bit ADC, modern USB instruments must employ sophisticated internal isolation and filtering.

It’s a delicate balancing act: leveraging the convenience of a universal port while building a fortress around the precision electronics to ensure the data stays as clean as it would on a dedicated benchtop rig.

Figure 2 A compact power supply accepts both USB-PD and standard DC inputs, facilitating high-precision power delivery in both lab and field environments. Source: Fnirsi

Pocket T&M: The “software-defined” revolution

This shift in hardware is fueled by a fundamental change in architecture: the rise of software-defined instrumentation. In this new paradigm, the pocket-sized device serves primarily as a high-precision hardware front-end—responsible for signal conditioning and high-speed digitization—while the heavy lifting of signal processing, rendering, and complex analysis is offloaded to the host PC.

By leveraging the gigahertz-class processors and high-resolution displays, we already carry in our laptop bags, these instruments provide a user interface that is often more responsive and intuitive than the embedded systems of traditional benchtop gear.

The real turning point for this revolution was the leap in interface speed. While legacy ports like RS-232 or even USB 2.0 acted as frustrating bottlenecks, USB 3.x and USB4 changed the game. Bandwidth is king in T&M; if you can’t move the data fast enough, you can’t see the signal in real time.

A technical note: To put this in perspective, consider a 100 MHz real-time sample stream. At 8-bit resolution, you are looking at a raw data throughput of roughly 800 Mbps. Legacy USB 2.0, with its theoretical max of 480 Mbps (and much lower real-world performance), simply couldn’t keep up, forcing instruments to rely on expensive internal memory and “burst” captures. USB 3.0, providing 5 Gbps and beyond, handles that stream with room to spare, allowing for continuous, gapless data visualization.

So, why are engineers flocking to this setup? The analytics are clear: portability and seamless laptop integration have become the top priorities for the modern “on-the-go” engineer. Whether you are debugging a sensor array in a remote field, troubleshooting an automotive ECU in a cramped cabin, or simply moving between lab benches, the ability to have your entire diagnostic suite integrated directly into your primary workstation isn’t just a luxury, it’s the new standard for efficiency.

Figure 3 A PC-based USB oscilloscope, specifically designed for automotive diagnostics, uses the computer’s monitor and processing power to display and analyze waveforms. Source: Hantek

The benchtop perspective: USB as the “host”

While “portable” might be the buzzword of the decade, the heavy-duty benchtop gear isn’t going extinct—it’s evolving. Even the most robust, high-bandwidth oscilloscopes and analyzers have stopped treating USB as a mere port for firmware updates and thumb drives. Today, the benchtop instrument has effectively become a USB host, centralizing control over an increasingly modular desk.

The back panel of a modern benchtop unit now looks more like a high-end workstation, unlocking key use cases that are redefining workflow. We’ve moved past the era where every accessory needed its own bulky wall wart.

Manufacturers now offer high-performance current probes that pull both power and data directly from scope’s USB bus, simplifying the cable spaghetti that usually plagues complex setups. Furthermore, we are seeing the rise of LXI over USB, allowing instruments to maintain sophisticated triggering and synchronization while utilizing a ubiquitous physical connection.

The manual era is ending as direct-to-PC automation becomes the standard. Using Python and the VISA protocol, engineers can bridge the gap between a standalone box and a PC in seconds, allowing the benchtop unit to function as a high-speed data acquisition node that streams results directly into a script for real-time analysis.

This shift represents a strategic move in design ownership. Manufacturers are increasingly moving away from generic interfaces in favor of specialized, high-performance USB peripherals. By designing proprietary USB-based ecosystems—like specialized active probes or smart sensors—vendors are creating a locked-in environment.

While this can feel restrictive, the trade-off is significant: by controlling the entire signal path from the probe tip through the USB bus to the processor, they can guarantee a level of signal integrity and auto-calibration that generic components simply cannot match. In this new world, your benchtop gear isn’t just a tool; it’s the hub of a bespoke, high-speed digital network.

Challenges: “Fun” in the fundamentals

The transition to USB-centric instrumentation isn’t without its technical hurdles, often referred to by seasoned engineers as the “fun” part of the design process. The most notorious of these is the dreaded ground loop. When you connect a benchtop scope ground to a PC ground via a standard USB cable, you are often inadvertently tying two different power system references together.

This can create a low-impedance path for circulating currents, which at best introduces significant noise into your measurements and at worst leads to a “recipe for disaster” involving magic smoke and fried motherboards.

To combat these reference issues, galvanic isolation has become a cornerstone of high-quality USB T&M design. This process involves physically separating the input and output sections of the measurement circuit to ensure there is no direct conduction path, usually through the use of optoisolators or transformer-based coupling.

Without robust isolation, a USB instrument is essentially a bridge that can carry high-voltage transients from the device under test (DUT) directly into the heart of your laptop. Implementing this isolation while maintaining high data throughput is one of the most expensive and critical engineering feats in modern portable gear.

Figure 4 An ADuM4160 USB isolator module reflects the industry’s shift toward “hardened” portability by shielding sensitive PC-based instruments from high-voltage transients. Source: Author

Beyond grounding, maintaining signal integrity at the physical layer presents its own set of problems. As T&M gear pushes into the territory of USB 3.2 and beyond, we are dealing with multi-gigabit transfer rates that are incredibly sensitive to electromagnetic interference.

Maintaining a stable 10-Gbps link in a noisy lab environment—surrounded by high-frequency switching power supplies and RF emitters—requires meticulous shielding and advanced equalization techniques. If the physical link degrades, the “real-time” nature of the instrument vanishes, replaced by dropped packets and frustrating latency that can mask the very signal anomalies you are trying to find.

Engineer’s watchouts for USB T&M

The USB-centric test gear delivers impressive portability, but engineers must stay alert to practical hurdles. Real-world throughput rarely matches theoretical USB 3.x speeds, so designs should budget for only 70–80% of the rated bandwidth.

Galvanic isolation remains essential to prevent destructive ground loops, though it adds cost and complexity. Power delivery noise from laptop supplies can easily corrupt sensitive ADC measurements unless robust filtering and regulation are in place. At multi-gigabit rates, electromagnetic interference becomes a serious threat, demanding meticulous shielding and equalization to preserve real-time performance.

Finally, proprietary USB ecosystems may feel restrictive, yet they ensure calibration and signal-path integrity from probe tip to processor—something generic setups often struggle to guarantee.

The future is universal

The evolution of T&M has made one thing clear: to own the design of a tool in the modern era is to own its USB implementation. We have reached a point where the physical box is secondary to the interface that connects it to the user. By mastering the complexities of power delivery, isolation, and high-speed data transfer, manufacturers aren’t just making gear smaller; they are creating a seamless, software-defined ecosystem that lives in your pocket but performs on the bench.

If the fundamental goal of T&M is to measure the world, USB is the bridge that finally makes that world portable. It has transformed the industry from a collection of isolated, heavy machines into a fluid network of high-performance peripherals.

As we look forward, the distinction between “benchtop” and “mobile” will continue to blur until the only thing that matters is the integrity of the data and the speed at which we can see it. The universal port has lived up to its name, becoming the definitive backbone of the next generation of engineering discovery.

So, to the makers and engineers standing at the bench: the barrier to entry has never been thinner, but the complexity has never been higher. Don’t just be a consumer of these new portable ecosystems—challenge them. Use these high-speed interfaces to push your projects out of the basement and into the field; but stay sharp on the fundamentals of isolation and noise that the marketing glossies tend to skip over. The world is now your lab; go out and measure it.

T. K. Hareendran is a self-taught electronics enthusiast with a strong passion for innovative circuit design and hands-on technology. He develops both experimental and practical electronic projects, documenting and sharing his work to support fellow tinkerers and learners. Beyond the workbench, he dedicates time to technical writing and hardware evaluations to contribute meaningfully to the maker community.

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The post The USB takeover: Why modern T&M is moving to your pocket appeared first on EDN.

QS World University Rankings 2027 kpi сб, 06/20/2026 - 18:02

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A regular poster here exhorted us to reduce tantalum usage, especially now that X5U ceramic capacitors are so good. Here's link showing how some of that tantalum is mined, and the associated landslides: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/africa/2026/05/12/congos-coltan-belt-verifying-deadly-landslides-at-mines-under-m23-control/ submitted by /u/BigPurpleBlob [link] [comments]

Line scan cameras occupy a distinctive niche in machine vision: rather than freezing a full frame, they assemble an image one line at a time as the subject moves past the sensor. This scanning method makes them indispensable for inspecting continuous materials, fast conveyor flows, and wide surfaces where resolution and throughput must work in tandem.

In this post, we will offer a glimpse into how line-scan imaging turns motion into precision, sharing a few practical clues along the way.

Line scan camera imaging principles

An industrial line scan camera is a specialized imaging device that uses a single line of pixels instead of a two-dimensional sensor. Unlike conventional cameras, which capture an entire frame at once, a line scan camera records one line at a time in rapid succession. To build a two-dimensional image, the object must move relative to the camera—either conveyed past the sensor or kept stationary while the camera itself moves.

Operating at very high speeds (10–400 kHz), these cameras can scan moving objects without motion blur. Because of their extremely short exposure times, they require bright, uniform line illumination to ensure accurate imaging.

As with conventional 2D imaging, a line scan camera requires both a lens and dedicated line illumination to ensure accurate image capture. Several sensor configurations are available: a single sensor line is typically sufficient for producing monochrome images, while dual-line or quad-line sensors can capture the same image multiple times to increase brightness. This approach reduces the intensity of illumination required, making image acquisition more efficient.

So, in a nutshell, a line scan camera consists of a single row of pixels—or multiple rows in certain configurations—that captures one line of an image at a time. As the object moves past the camera or the camera scans across the object, the system constructs a complete image line by line.

This arrangement is particularly effective in conveyor-based or web inspection systems, where materials move continuously in a linear path. For precision inspection and high-speed applications, line scan cameras are indispensable in modern industrial imaging, delivering continuous, high-resolution images of fast-moving objects or large surfaces with remarkable accuracy.

Figure 1 Pencil sketch demonstrates a line scan camera capturing a flat object line by line to assemble a complete, high-resolution image during continuous motion. Source: Author

As a worthy aside, maintaining image proportions in line scan systems requires precise synchronization between the camera and the movement of the subject. This is typically managed by a rotary encoder, a mechanical sensor connected to the conveyor system that sends electrical pulses to the camera.

These pulses act as external triggers, ensuring that the camera captures each new line only when the object has travelled a specific, pre-defined distance. Without this hardware-level coordination, any fluctuations in the conveyor’s motor speed would cause the resulting image to appear vertically stretched or compressed.

Suitable applications for line scan cameras

Line scan cameras excel in scenarios where continuous movement and fine detail must be monitored with precision. In web inspection, they track paper, textiles, and films for defects across wide surfaces. In electronics manufacturing, they ensure accuracy in PCB production by detecting misalignments or flaws at high speed.

They are equally valuable in glass and surface evaluation, where even subtle scratches or irregularities must be identified. In food and beverage packaging, they verify labeling and seal integrity on fast conveyor lines.

Recycling and sorting operations also benefit, as line scan systems can distinguish materials in real time for efficient separation. Across these varied domains, technology delivers speed, reliability, and resolution that conventional imaging methods cannot match.

Line scan vs. area scan cameras

Choosing the right camera technology is a critical step in designing a machine vision system, and the decision often comes down to whether a line scan or an area scan camera is better suited to the task.

Line scan cameras capture images one line at a time, making them ideal for continuous inspection of fast-moving objects or large surfaces, such as materials on conveyor belts or webs of paper, textiles, and films. Their strength lies in producing seamless, high-resolution images without motion blur, even at very high speeds.

Area scan cameras, on the other hand, use a two-dimensional sensor to capture an entire frame in a single exposure. This makes them well suited for applications where objects are stationary or where the field of view is limited, such as component placement verification, barcode reading, or general object recognition.

In essence, line scan technology excels in continuous, high-speed imaging of extended surfaces, while area scan technology is more versatile for static or discrete object inspection. The choice depends on the nature of the material flow, the required resolution, and the inspection environment.

Figure 2 Line scan and area scan cameras drive machine vision efficiency by capturing high-fidelity visual data for real-time processing. Source: Author (composite); individual images belong to their respective producers

Power and I/O interfaces

Line scan cameras depend on robust power and data interfaces to ensure seamless integration with machine vision systems. Camera Link delivers deterministic, low-latency transmission for high-speed inspection tasks, while CoaXPress (CXP) combines ultra-fast data throughput with power delivery over coaxial cable.

GigE Vision, built on standard LAN/Ethernet infrastructure, is widely adopted because it supports cable runs up to 100 m, scales easily across factory networks, and leverages cost-effective switches and routers. HD-SDI enables real-time, uncompressed video transmission over coaxial lines, often used in broadcast or specialized imaging environments.

For simpler or lower-bandwidth setups, USB 3.0/3.1 provides plug-and-play connectivity with broad compatibility. The choice of interface depends on throughput, cable length, synchronization, and system architecture, with LAN-based GigE Vision standing out as a versatile option for PCB inspection and other industrial imaging applications.

Architecture of linear image sensors in line scan systems

Linear image sensors form the foundation of line scan cameras, capturing one row of pixels at a time to assemble seamless two-dimensional images of moving objects. Charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors shift accumulated charge through a common output register, preserving signal integrity and delivering high dynamic range—a valuable trait for detecting subtle defects on fast conveyor lines.

In contrast, CMOS sensors have become the dominant choice in modern industrial imaging. By converting charge to voltage directly at each pixel, CMOS sensors achieve faster readout speeds, lower power consumption, and greater integration flexibility, making them well suited for today’s extreme production line velocities. Note at this point that while CCDs remain a niche choice for specific scientific spectroscopy, CMOS has become the industry standard due to its superior speed, integration, and cost-efficiency.

For color imaging, line scan cameras often employ a trilinear architecture, consisting of three parallel rows of pixels filtered for red, green, and blue. As the target moves beneath the sensor, each row captures its respective color channel in sequence, and the system reconstructs a full-color line. Advanced designs may also use prism-based multi-sensor configurations to enhance color fidelity.

Figure 3 The S13774 CMOS linear image sensor enables high-speed industrial imaging for machine vision and inspection. Source: Hamamatsu

Because the final image is generated line by line, precise synchronization between the sensor’s line rate and the object’s motion is essential. Any mismatch can introduce spatial distortion, while perfect timing ensures distortion-free, high-resolution composite images. This architecture makes linear sensors indispensable for high-speed inspection tasks such as web monitoring, bare PCB analysis, print verification, and sorting, where continuous imaging of moving materials is required.

Evolution and role of contact image sensors

In modern industrial imaging, contact image sensor (CIS) has advanced from a basic document-scanning component into a high-performance alternative to traditional line scan cameras. Unlike reduction-type CCDs that rely on lenses to project a wide field of view onto a small chip, an industrial CIS functions as a 1:1 imaging system spanning the full width of the production line.

This compact design integrates a dense sensor array, gradient-index fiber lenses, and high-intensity LED lighting into a single housing. Because the sensor matches the width of the material being inspected, CIS modules eliminate edge distortion and uneven illumination often seen in conventional optics.

Over time, CIS technology has become the primary choice for web inspection—monitoring continuous materials such lithium-ion battery electrodes, solar wafers, and high-speed print rolls. Mounted just millimeters from the target, CIS units save valuable machine space while delivering uniform, high-resolution data across wide surfaces without the need for complex stitching software. Although they lack the depth of field offered by CCD-and-lens systems, their ability to provide distortion-free imaging over massive widths has made them the dominant standard for flat-surface industrial automation.

Repurposing surplus sensors for discovery

Whether you’re a seasoned tinkerer or just beginning to explore the world of line scan cameras, this session invites you to see electronic waste through a new lens. Hidden inside discarded flatbed scanners is a frontier of high-speed discovery: a high-resolution CCD, a precision-engineered slice of silicon that once mapped physical reality into the digital realm with sub-millimeter accuracy.

For makers, these surplus sensors aren’t leftovers—they’re the eyes of new projects. Repurposed linear arrays can power DIY Raman spectrometers to identify chemical substances, serve as “finish line” cameras for high-speed photography, even build experimental line scan cameras, or form the core of custom laser-based 3D scanners. It’s a chance to work directly with the physics of light, transforming a few dollars’ worth of surplus electronics into professional-grade instruments that reveal one thin, brilliant line at a time.

From my lab diary, I experimented some time ago with the CJMCU TSL1401CL module, along with discrete linear sensors such as the ILX555K, TCD1304AP, and KLI-8023. Those sessions helped me grasp the subtleties of line scan imaging—from timing control and signal conditioning to noise suppression and optical alignment.

Figure 4 The TCD1304AP CCD Linear Image Sensor upholds its legacy as a POS scanner workhorse by utilizing a precision electronic shutter to stabilize signal output against the unpredictability of ambient lighting. Source: Toshiba

Each component revealed its own quirks, turning datasheet specifications into hands-on lessons. That tinkering not only deepened my understanding of sensor behavior but also gave me the confidence to repurpose surplus parts into meaningful experiments, bridging theory with practical discovery.

This marks the end of the post. The journey through line scan cameras may also reveal a gateway to learning, invention, and the thrill of seeing light itself transformed into knowledge one line at a time.

T. K. Hareendran is a self-taught electronics enthusiast with a strong passion for innovative circuit design and hands-on technology. He develops both experimental and practical electronic projects, documenting and sharing his work to support fellow tinkerers and learners. Beyond the workbench, he dedicates time to technical writing and hardware evaluations to contribute meaningfully to the maker community.

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The post Line scan cameras: Fundamentals in focus appeared first on EDN.

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany says that the Munich District Court (Landgericht München I) has ruled in its favor in two further patent infringement cases – specifically one based on a patent and one based on a utility model – concerning gallium nitride (GaN) technology between Infineon and Innoscience...

Providing power via contact-closure circuits historically required a new third wire, but perhaps no longer.

Say the words “solid-state relay” (SSR) and most engineers also naturally think of two unspoken adjectives: “optical” and “isolation” (although the galvanic isolation can also be implemented using magnetic, capacitive, RF, or other techniques).

But that doesn’t have to be the case, as an SSR can also be non-isolated as well as non-optical. An example is a small IC introduced by Littelfuse, Inc. in late 2025: the CPC1601M, a 60 V, 2 A normally open (1-Form-A) solid-state latching relay targeting critical integration and power challenges in thermostat, HVAC, and building automation wiring (Figure 1).

Figure 1 The block diagram of the Littelfuse CPC1601M solid-state latching relay shows its basic input and output connections as well as internal function blocks. (Image source: Littlefuse)

What’s the problem here that needs solving? It’s largely a legacy issue and one that sounds simple enough – but it’s not.

Consider the classic two-wire thermostat still in use in millions of homes. It’s simple, reliable, and easy to troubleshoot. These thermostats provide a “dry” contact closure to call for heat when the sensed temperature drops below their setpoint. The heating system provides 24 VAC to this contact-closure loop via an AC-line transformer; when the circuit is closed, the 24 V energizes the coil of an electromechanical relay that turns on the 120 V/240V heating system.

Note: Dry contacts have a power source going through them that is independent of the power in the circuit they are controlling (often done by a relay). In a “wet” circuit, the controlling switch  or element is directly handling the full load current and voltage. A standard wall light switch is a wet circuit, as that switch handles the 120 VAC that goes to the light bulb. The terms “wet” and “dry” are holdovers from the pre-electronics days of electricity when wet electrochemical cells were used as higher-voltage batteries.

But there’s the problem with this elegantly simple two-wire dry scheme: when the homeowner wants to upgrade from the unpowered contact-closure unit to a better thermostat with digital readout or a smart Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat, that thermostat needs a power source. However, there is no power source in the open loop that thermostat controls: when the loop is open, there is no current flow.

In many such “upgrade” situations, the unpleasant solution is to run a new third wire for needed power, designated as the “common” or “C” wire. (Note that this “common” in unrelated to what electronic circuit designers called circuit common, as the HVAC industry has its own terms and designations.

Of course, running that third wire can be difficult, especially in a house with multiple floors and rooms. It often involves cutting openings in the walls to snake the wire around obstacles such as framing, fire stops, wiring conduits, and plumbing.

Littelfuse maintains that CPC1601M is the first PCB-mounted solid-state relay of its kind that combines load-powered operation with a latching architecture in a 3 × 3 mm DFN IC package. It can harvest operating power directly from the load or draw less than 1 μA from the system supply, thus enabling zero-power operation while dramatically extending battery life or eliminating the need for batteries altogether.

Solving missing-power challenge, CPC1601M relay can obtain operating power from the open-circuit load or system power supply. When power is supplied by the load, the relay opens periodically to obtain power via the open-circuit load voltage. In most applications this very short interruption is transparent to the load (Figure 2).

Figure 2 In basic load-powered mode, relay K1 is controlled by turning the CPC1601M relay on and off. (Image source: Littlefuse)

Its use is not limited to thermostats; it is also a viable solution to upgrading other contact-closure designs such as fire-control panels, security systems, and building automation subsystems.

What about the lack of galvanic isolation? That’s easy: it’s not needed here. The electromechanical relay that activates the heating system provides the needed isolation between the thermostat control loop and the 120/240 VAC heating system power (relays easily provide thousands of volts of isolation).

If you do need galvanic isolation – a requirement in dual-transformer HVAC systems where the transformer returns are separate and isolated from each other – it can be implemented with the addition of a few capacitors providing capacitive coupling of a PWM signal (Figure 3).

Figure 3 In the galvanically isolated configuration, the system microcontroller generates several multiple cycles of a PWM signal that is capacitively coupled by isolation capacitor C1. This PWM signal is filtered by R2 and C2 thus creating a DC signal that is used to trigger the SET input of the CPC1601M. (Image source: Littlefuse)

Additionally, the CPC1601M provides a power output pin that can supply external circuits with a maximum of 10 mW of power. The CPC1601M can sense whether it is powered by the load or by the system power supply automatically by monitoring the HVCC input pin. The load-powered mode of operation applies to an AC source, such as a 24 VAC transformer secondary voltage.

If all this seems confusing – and even simple circuits can be, depending on context – Littelfuse offers the LEB-0024 Evaluation Board with full documentation (Figure 4). The kit includes input and load-circuit terminal blocks along with switches for mode selection and manual relay operation.

Figure 4 The LEB-0024 Evaluation Board makes it easy to “play around” with the CPC1601M to better understand its functions in each application. (Image source: Littlefuse)

Have you ever had to deal with an upgrade issue where a conceptually simple requirement such as “just add another wire” had a ripple effect with respect to design-in, installation, bill of materials, or retrofit issues? How did you resolve these challenges?

References

• Worth HVAC Training, “What are ‘Dry Contacts“
• Control by Web, “Understanding Dry Contacts and How to Monitor Them”
• Electrical4U, “Dry Contacts: What is It?”
• High Performance HVAC, “How to Wire a Thermostat | HVAC Control”
• High Performance HVAC, “Running New Thermostat Wire | HVAC Heating and Cooling”
• High Performance HVAC, “Programmable Thermostat Wiring Diagrams | HVAC Control”

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

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The post A non-isolated SSR solves a not-so-simple “simple” power problem appeared first on EDN.

📰 Газета "Київський політехнік" № 23-24 за 2026 (.pdf) Інформація КП пт, 06/19/2026 - 15:00