Новини світу мікро- та наноелектроніки

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18 pair cable from a Toshiba CT scanners got cut... somehow... submitted by /u/antek_g_animations [link] [comments]

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has expanded its CoolGaN portfolio with the CoolGaN Drive HB 600V G5 product family. The four new devices – IGI60L1111B1M, IGI60L1414B1M, IGI60L2727B1M, and IGI60L5050B1M – integrate two 600V GaN switches in a half-bridge configuration together with integrated high- and low-side gate drivers and a bootstrap diode, delivering a compact, thermally optimized power stage that further reduces design complexity. By bringing key functions into one optimized package, the family lowers external component count, eases PCB layout challenges typically associated with fast-switching GaN, and helps designers to shorten development cycles while achieving the core advantages of GaN technology: higher switching frequencies, lower switching and conduction losses, and greater power density...

University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) electrical and computer engineering professor James Buckwalter has been inducted as a senior member of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI) for his work advancing the high-speed and high-frequency integrated circuit technologies that underpin modern wireless communication systems, citing his “remarkable achievements as an academic inventor and a rising leader in his field”...

I’ve recently been doing some detailed research and studying related to the USB Type-C connector and the associated USB Power Delivery (PD) specification. At first, both seemed like such a good idea, but now I am not so sure – especially about the USB PD part.

First, a little background. Like many people, I have a drawer full of AC/DC charger units I no longer use but can’t bear to toss, Figure 1. These units are often derisively called wall warts; many also function as power sources in addition to chargers, to be used with or without batteries in their target unit.

Figure 1 If you have used electronic devices, toys, or smartphones over the past decades, you likely have a drawer or box stuffed with chargers that are no longer needed, but you can’t bear to toss out. Source: Google

These chargers come in a wide range of voltage and current ratings, each specific to the product with which they came. They also have a wide range of frustratingly incompatible coaxial (barrel) connectors (“coaxial” in their physical structure, and unrelated to RF coaxial-cable connectors), and both polarity orientations, Figure 2.

Figure 2 Barrel connectors come in a wide range of inner and outer diameter pairings, presumably to key the connectors to their voltage and current, but actually a source of confusion and waste. Sources: Bid or Buy/South Africa; Same Sky

As a consequence, it is almost impossible to use one AC/DC unit as a replacement for a misplaced or defunct one. While I have resorted to repurposing one with the needed rating but wrong connector by swapping and soldering the correct connector from another unit, the average person can’t do this.

Now, USB-C and USB-PD

Then came smartphone charging and a drive towards more uniformity in USB-based charging, using either the Apple Lightning connector, a USB Type A connector, or others. “Hey,” I thought, “we’re making progress.”

Now, we have the USB Type-C connector, which is mandated by the European Union for all suitable products, including smartphones and, by extension, driving its adoption outside the EU, Figure 3. So it looks like barrel connectors are history, and other USB connectors are falling behind, as USB-C is the way to go. So far, so good.

Figure 3 The USB Type-C connector is poised to dominate due to its capabilities and the EU mandate to be used wherever technically feasible. Source: CNET

Then I started looking into the USB Power Delivery (PD) standard in more detail. It dramatically increases the available voltage, current, and power levels, Figure 4.

Figure 4 The progression of power-delivery capabilities offered by the various USB connectors is impressive. Source: Texas Instruments

USB-PD offers three power-delivery modes:

• Sink: a port, most often a device, that consumes power from VBUS when attached.
• Source: a port that provides power over VBUS when attached,
• Dual-role power (DRP): a port that can operate as either a sink or source, and may even alternate between these two states.

It gets messy

This makes it all sound so simple and effective, but USB PD is not like peeling an onion, where every layer you peel back reveals only one other one. Instead, it’s more like nuclear fission, where each action or state change can lead to multiple new ones.

I won’t try to describe all the ins and outs of USB PD. There are many good overviews as well as detailed dives into the standard (see References). To sum it all up: it’s very complicated, starting with a back-and-forth initialization-negotiation dialogue between the two sides of the connection to decide who can do what to whom, Figure 5. An added complication is that USB PD allows for multiple loads to be charged at the same time, each with different requirements.

Figure 5 Once the USB-C connector is connected, the two cable ends begin a sophisticated negotiation about what needs to be done and what can be done. Source: Acroname Inc.

USB PD has many cases, exceptions, state diagrams, timing diagrams, conditional rules…it’s a long list. With all this comes the need for a very smart embedded controller to implement it.

At first, I thought the entire USB-C/PD scenario was the best thing to happen. After all, what could be better than a “universal” charging setup? It promises to handle anything up to the specified maximum, with no action on the part of the user, and no incompatibilities. What’s not to like?

However, the more I looked into USB PD, the more concerned I became. In the attempt to be a solution to just about any charging situation (and let’s ignore the data-connection interface aspect), it tries to do an awful lot. Yet history shows that such overarching objectives, however laudable and well-intentioned, can become a swamp.

That’s where I started to worry. Who can actually grasp the totality and subtleties of USB PD, especially if there’s a problem? Can the controller really be tested to 100% certainty that it properly implements all the rules and cases correctly? Are there corner cases in the real world that will only show up months or years later, with frustrated users as the test subjects?

This isn’t the only example

Whatever happened to the engineering mandate to “keep it simple”? I’ll cite an automotive parallel. Volkswagen recently introduced the 2026 Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo, which uses a list of engineering approaches to squeeze 268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque out of a modest two-liter, four-cylinder engine.

To do this, they use forced induction turbocharging, where one turbine spins in the engine exhaust, with temperatures around 1,000 degrees, and its momentum is transferred to a paired turbine spinning at speeds above 150,000 rpm to pressurize the air-intake charge. It also employs variable inlet geometry that instantly and precisely meters boost, air charge, and bypass, reducing throttle latency and increasing efficiency. The super-high compression ratio of 10.5:1 relies on higher pressure in the direct fuel-injection system (from 350 to 500 bar) as well as a forged steel fuel rail to carry it.

But why stop there? In a classic example of inevitable follow-on consequences, the higher forces require thicker piston crowns, shortened connecting rods and thicker wrist pins. The need for cooling meant redesigning the combustion chamber itself, and incorporating a new air-to-water heat exchanger. The big turbo-edition comes with oil-cooled pistons and a nitrided crankshaft. Finally, the hydraulic intake cam adjuster replaces two pairs of cam pieces with double actuators and instead substitutes four separate cam pieces with eight adjusters.

 So I have to wonder: what will the reliability and maintenance of this engineered complexity and sophistication be in a mass-produced car?

In some ways, USB PD is the latest iteration of the belief that a universal solution is possible and that “this time, we’ll get it all right.” However, sometimes having just one more-tightly focused objective is a better idea long term, as there are fewer unexpected and unpleasant surprises.

Will I miss the cheap AC/DC charger that does one thing, with its proliferation of power ratings and barrel connectors? No, I won’t. Do I welcome the USB-C and PD standard and implementation? Let’s just say I am cautiously optimistic, as I recognize that it’s a complicated system and not merely an A-to-B power source. My personal jury is out on this question!

What are your thoughts on the complexity and ambitious reach of this power-delivery standard?

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

Related Content

• How does a USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) design work
• Power Tips #130: Migrating from a barrel jack to USB Type-C PD
• USB Type-C protection switch improves safety
• Controllers simplify USB-C dual-role power delivery

References

• USB-C, USB PD, and Coaxial Connectors
• USB Implementers Forum, “USB Power Delivery”
• Embedded, “USB Type-C and power delivery 101 – Power delivery protocol”
• Texas Instruments. “A Primer on USB Type-C and USB Power Delivery Applications and Requirements”
• Simplexity, “Build Better Devices: USB Power Delivery Explained”
• Same Sky (formerly CUI Devices), “How to Select a DC Power Connector”

EU and USB Type-C regulation

• The Verge, “EU proposes mandatory USB-C on all devices, including iPhones”
• NPR, “The European Union Wants A Universal Charger For Cell Phones And Other Devices”
• BBC, “EU rules to force USB-C chargers for all phones”
• Forbes, “EU Proposes Universal Charger—A Blow To Apple”
• Tech Crunch, “Europe will finally legislate for a common charger for mobiles”
• CNET, “USB-C power upgrade to 240W could banish some of your proprietary chargers”
• European Union, “EU common charger rules: Power all your devices with a single charger”

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Viasat and Rohde & Schwarz are set to collaborate to boost testing for Narrowband Non-terrestrial Networks (NB-NTN) IoT devices connecting via satellite. By thoroughly validating devices and confirming interoperability with Viasat’s network, the collaboration aims to help ensure uninterrupted connectivity for a wide range of satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Visitors to MWC Barcelona 2026 can experience the test plan in action.

The collaboration aims to ensure that chipsets, modules and devices interoperate seamlessly with Viasat’s satellite network and comply with 3GPP Release 17 standards.

Deploying advanced testing methodologies upholds the highest standards of quality, performance and reliability for Viasat’s connectivity services: delivering ubiquitous IoT applications in areas without terrestrial network coverage.

The certification test plan with Viasat entails protocol, performance and RF test scenarios. It is based on the CMX500 one-box signalling tester from Rohde & Schwarz, a versatile solution designed for testing various NTN technologies, including New Radio (NR-NTN) and NB-NTN. In a single instrument, the CMX500 covers R&D through certification and carrier acceptance tests, guaranteeing reliable and repeatable results. It empowers engineers to accelerate development, ensure quality and confidently deploy reliable NTN services, safeguarding that the whole ecosystem can achieve the highest levels of performance.

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Japan-based ROHM Semiconductor has decided to integrate its own development and manufacturing technologies for GaN power devices with the process technology of foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC), with which ROHM has an ongoing partnership, to establish an end-to-end production system within the ROHM Group. Licensing TSMC GaN technology will strengthen its supply capability to meet growing demand for GaN in applications such as AI servers and electric vehicles, ROHM reckons...

Keysight Technologies, Inc. will demonstrate lab-based validation of new radio non-terrestrial networks (NR-NTN) devices at Mobile World Congress 2026 in collaboration with Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business. The demo will showcase testing capabilities aligned with planned Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite deployments, including Starlink Direct to Cell.

As satellite connectivity becomes integral to 5G evolution and future 6G networks, chipset and device vendors must validate NR-NTN performance well in advance of large-scale deployment. Satellite systems in LEO introduce new challenges, including rapid motion, frequent handovers, dynamic link conditions, and stringent positioning requirements. Without access to live satellite networks during early development, organisations need accurate laboratory-based methods to assess mobility, service continuity, and throughput performance under realistic operating conditions in a laboratory.

Keysight’s NTN Network Emulator Solutions recreate LEO satellite characteristics in a controlled laboratory environment. The MWC demonstration integrates Keysight’s 5G Network Emulator with a Samsung NR-NTN modem to validate satellite and device mobility, service continuity, and higher-throughput Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) configurations under parameters aligned with Starlink deployment scenarios.

The demonstration also showcases Keysight’s positioning emulation capabilities, enhanced through its recent Spirent acquisition. PNT Xe enables accurate global navigation satellite system-based positioning as part of an end-to-end validation workflow.

Jungwon Lee, Executive Vice President of System LSI Modem Development Team at Samsung Electronics, said: “NR-NTN introduces new technical challenges for modem design, particularly around mobility, handover, and link adaptation in LEO environments. This demonstration with Keysight allows us to validate NR-NTN modem performance under representative satellite conditions, helping ensure readiness for future satellite-based 5G services.”

Peng Cao, Vice President and General Manager, Keysight’s Wireless Test Group, said: “Direct-to-device satellite connectivity is moving from concept to deployment, making early end-to-end NR-NTN validation essential. Our lab-based, live-application testing gives the ecosystem a repeatable way to prove interoperability and performance, cutting risk and time-to-market while keeping users connected beyond terrestrial coverage.”

The post Keysight to Demonstrate NR-NTN devices Mobility Testing at MWC 2026 in Collaboration with Samsung appeared first on ELE Times.

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Was at the Super Bowl (a bit drunk ngl) and the hole for the RF control was to the left of the actual LEDs, I can’t stop wondering if I could turn it back on if I had the right equipment. The LEDs also looked a bit strange, not like the normal ones I see. submitted by /u/scoobertsonville [link] [comments]

Keysight’s XR8 real-time oscilloscope accelerates high-speed interface debug and compliance validation with powerful parallel, multicore analysis. A newly designed frontend ASIC combined with an integrated 12-bit ADC and DSP engine preserves signal integrity, enhances timing accuracy, and delivers consistent, repeatable measurements across high-speed serial, memory, and mixed-signal designs.

Powered by Infiniium 2026 software, the XR8 streamlines workflows with flexible waveform windows and productivity tools including drag-and-drop functionality and an integrated SCPI recorder. Intrinsic jitter as low as 13 fs rms and noise below 130 µV at 8-GHz bandwidth maintain compliance margin for high-speed interfaces including USB4v2, DisplayPort 2.1, and DDR5. The integrated ADC/DSP engine increases acquisition, analysis, and reporting throughput by up to 3×, helping engineers complete high-speed interface validation faster and more efficiently.

The XR8’s redesigned mechanical architecture reduces power consumption, improves thermal efficiency, and minimizes acoustic noise in a compact footprint. This smaller, quieter platform can be deployed in space-constrained labs or positioned closer to the device under test for stable, low-noise operation.

For more information about the XR8 4-channel, 8-GHz to 33-GHz bandwidth oscilloscope, click the product page link below.

XR8 product page

Keysight Technologies 

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MasterGaN6 from ST integrates two 650-V enhancement-mode GaN transistors with typical RDS(on) of 140 mΩ in a half-bridge configuration, delivering a compact, efficient power stage. This power system-in-package also integrates a high-voltage gate driver and linear regulators for both high-side and low-side supplies to further reduce external components.

As the second generation of the MasterGaN half-bridge family, MasterGaN6 adds dedicated fault and standby pins to enable enhanced system monitoring and power management. Integrated LDOs and a bootstrap diode ensure reliable, optimized gate driving for improved efficiency and performance in high-density power applications.

MasterGaN6 handles output currents up to 10 A, with an overall driver propagation delay of 45 ns and a minimum pulse width of 35 ns. Its 3.3-V to 15-V logic-compatible inputs feature hysteresis and an integrated pull-down for robust noise immunity. A comprehensive protection set includes cross-conduction prevention, thermal shutdown, and undervoltage lockout to ensure safe and reliable operation.

Prices for the MasterGaN6 half-bridge in a 9×9-mm QFN package start at $4.14 in lots of 1000 units.

MasterGaN6 product page 

STMicroelectronics

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Kyocera AVX has expanded its 550/560 series of ultra-broadband MLCCs to support high-speed, high-bandwidth optical communication systems. The capacitors provide reliable, repeatable RF/microwave performance from 7 kHz to 110 GHz and exhibit low insertion loss and flat frequency response. Depending on case size and capacitance value, typical insertion loss remains below 0.5 dB through 40–70 GHz and below 1 dB through 70–110 GHz.

The four new devices are available in 0402-size cases with capacitance values of 1 nF, 10 nF, 25 nF, and 47 nF and maximum working voltage ratings from 16 V to 100 V. With these additions, the 550/560 series offers a total of 15 devices in 01005, 0201, and 0402 case sizes with capacitance values spanning 1 nF to 220 nF. All of the capacitors operate over a temperature range of -55°C to +125°C.

The 550/560 lineup features a rugged one-piece construction with tin- or gold-plated nickel barrier terminations compatible with reflow soldering. These terminations are designed to prevent base metallization from leaching into the solder and forming brittle intermetallic compounds, which could cause cracking and solderability issues.

Visit the 550/560 series product page to download the datasheet, which includes S-parameter data and S2P Touchstone files for RF and microwave simulation. The four new part numbers will be stocked this November and available for order at DigiKey and Mouser Electronics.

550/560 series product page

Kyocera AVX 

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The Iridium 9604 IoT module integrates satellite, LTE-M (Cat-M1), and multi-constellation GNSS into a compact 16×26×2.4-mm form factor. Built on the u-blox SARA-R5 platform, it integrates Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD), cellular connectivity, and GPS in a single device, enabling cost-effective dual-mode IoT deployments for industrial, infrastructure, and mobility applications.

The module supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, and operates across an industrial temperature range of −40°C to +85°C. Optimized sleep modes and a unified power architecture across all three subsystems support ultra-low-power IoT designs.

Independent control of the satellite, LTE-M, and GNSS radios allows application-defined, GNSS-informed connectivity decisions, from simple failover to advanced routing logic. A unified AT command set simplifies firmware development across all functions.

The 9604 features dual RF ports—one shared for Iridium SBD and GNSS and one dedicated for LTE-M—reducing board space and simplifying RF design. The beta program was oversubscribed, with participants reporting lower system cost and up to 60% PCB footprint reduction.

Commercial availability is scheduled for June 2026, with development kits available for evaluation. Reserve priority access on the product page linked below.

9604 product page 

Iridium Communications 

The post 3-in-1 IoT module cuts complexity appeared first on EDN.

Cavli’s CQM220 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) module provides power- and cost-optimized 5G connectivity for IoT applications. Compliant with 3GPP Release 17, it delivers downlink speeds up to 220 Mbps and uplink up to 120 Mbps, with LTE Cat 4 fallback for 4G compatibility.

The module features an Arm Cortex-A7 processor running up to 1.9 GHz, flexible memory configurations, and advanced power management options including eDRX/DRX modes. It comes with the OpenWrt-based OpenSDK for on-module application development, reducing external MCU dependency.

Integrated multi-constellation, dual-band GNSS with L1 and L5 support enables precise positioning using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, NavIC, QZSS, and SBAS in urban, industrial, and remote environments.

The CQM220 is available in a 28.0×25.5×2.7-mm LGA package for compact embedded designs and an M.2 form factor for routers, gateways, and CPE. It provides USB 2.0, PCIe Gen2, I2C, UART, SPI, SDIO, I2S, and ADC interfaces, along with main, diversity, and GNSS antenna connections.

Samples and evaluation kits can be ordered on the product page linked below.

CQM220 product page 

Cavli Wireless 

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The South Wales-based compound semiconductor cluster CSconnected has announced the fourth and final funding round of its £1m Supply Chain Development Programme, which is delivered in partnership with Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) to accelerate the expansion of the compound semiconductor supply chain, with the aim of driving job creation, stimulating economic growth, and strengthening the UK’s strategic position in advanced semiconductor manufacturing...

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A solar charging kit, inexpensive as-is and purchased after further promotional enticement, enables keeping a remotely located vehicle battery topped off.

One of the things I enjoy most about technology is watching a new approach (along with products based on it) hit its high-volume stride, typically driven by one or only a couple of early applications, and then just explode from there, both replacing precursor technologies and expanding into brand new applications and markets. This has certainly been the case, for example, with LEDs. See, for example, my recent teardown (where they replaced fluorescent tubes) for an example of the former, and an earlier teardown (where their low power consumption and DC voltage foundation enabled the development of a light bulb with integrated battery backup) for an example of the latter.

A solar revolution

Or take, as another technology case study, solar cells. Their combination of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, in combination with equally pervasive lithium battery technology, has enabled widespread replacement of predecessor SLA-based energy storage systems, both portable and whole-home permanent installations, while dramatically expanding the accessible market for such devices. At the same time, they’re helping create entirely new categories of products. Take, as a humble example, Renogy’s 10W solar trickle charger kit, two of which I purchased back in October 2024 and one of which I recently, belatedly, and finally pressed into service:

Right now, as I write this, they’re selling on Amazon for $25.17 each, brand new. A year-plus ago, during Amazon’s Prime Days sales, I got them off the Resale (formerly Warehouse) site in used, like-new condition for $17.74. I don’t think they’d even been opened by the prior purchaser(s) prior to getting returned. The intent at the time was to use them to keep the batteries in two of my vehicles, then outdoor-stored at a lot about a half hour drive away, trickle-charged up. But I could never figure out how to securely attach the solar cells to the vehicle covers, far from routing their outputs to the battery compartments. That said, I eventually figured that latter part out: SAE extension cables:

One of the vehicles, my 2001 Volkswagen Eurovan Camper, is now parked in my garage for critter-protection purposes. The other, a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, most recently mentioned last March when I discussed its then-drained battery state, is still down there (now with a permanently disconnected battery). A few months back, when I drove down and checked on it, my preparatory suspicion was confirmed; as happens every few years, the combination of persistent sun and still-frequent precipitation (rain, snow, hail…) exposure, along with also-frequent wind, had disintegrated the cover:

Successful experimentation

While waiting for the replacement cover to arrive, I had a bright idea; this’d be the perfect time to finally try out that solar cell kit! My original idea was to mount it to the now-exposed vehicle hood. But then I realized that I had an even better option available, inside the vehicle:

in combination with the 12V auxiliary power connector built into the console:

As you can see from the above image (which I snagged from an enthusiast forum thread post to save me an hour-long round-trip drive to the storage lot to take my own shot; that’s not actually my rig), there are two of them. One, the “cigarette lighter” located within the ashtray, is ignition-switched. It obviously won’t work for my purposes. The other, while (I think) still fused, otherwise routes directly to the battery; it’s always “hot”. That’s the one I needed and used:

And it works perfectly! My perhaps-obvious concern was two-fold:

• It’d either not work sufficiently (or at all), leaving me with an eventually-drained battery once again, or
• It’d work too well, not terminating the trickle charge when it sensed a “full” state, thereby also leading to the battery’s demise (along with who-knows-what other issues).

Two weeks later, when I went back and checked (in the process of installing the new vehicle cover), I happily discovered that all my worrying was for naught; it was working exactly as planned. Now I just need to figure out how to securely attach the solar cell to the outside of the new cover, and I’ll be set! Suggestions, along with more general thoughts, are as-always welcomed in the comments!

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

Related Content

• SLA batteries: More system form factors and lithium-based successors
• Perusing a LED-based gel nail polish UV lamp
• Dissecting a battery-backed LED light bulb
• Dead Lead-acid Batteries: Desulfation-resurrection opportunities?

 

The post Jumping the Jeep: An alternative cost-effective solar cell example app appeared first on EDN.