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Виконання бюджету за 2024 рік Інформація КП вт, 04/08/2025 - 08:56

Last September, I detailed why I’d decided to hold onto the first-gen DJI Mavic Air drone that I’d bought back in mid-2021 (and DJI had introduced in January 2018), a decision which then prompted me to both resurrect its long-drained batteries and acquire a Remote ID module to get it copacetic with current FAA usage regulations, as subsequently mentioned in October:

Within both blog posts, however, I intentionally alluded to (but didn’t delve into detail on) the newer drone that I’d also purchased to accompany it, aside from dropping hints that it offered (sneak peek: as-needed enabled) integrated Remote ID support and weighed (sneak peek: sometimes) less than 250 grams. That teasing wasn’t (just) to drive you nuts: to do the topic justice would necessitate a blog post all its own. That time is now, and that blog post is this one.

Behold DJI’s Mini 3 Pro, originally introduced in May 2022 and shown here with its baseline RC-N1 controller:

I bought mine (two of them, actually, as it turned out) roughly two years post-intro, in late June (from eBay) and early July (from Lensrentals) of last year. By that time, the Mini 4 Pro successor, unveiled in September 2023, had already been out for nearly a year. So, why did I pick its predecessor? The two drone generations look identical; they take the same batteries, propellers and other parts, and fit into the same cases. And as far as image capture goes, the sensors are identical as well: 48 Mpixel (effective) 1/1.3″ CMOS.

What’s connected to the image sensors, however, leads to one of several key differences between the two generations. The Mini 3 Pro captures video at up to 4K resolution at a 60-fps peak frame rate. The improved ISP (image signal processor) in the Mini 4 Pro, conversely, also captures video at 4K resolution, but this time up to a 100-fps frame rate. Dim-light image quality is also improved, along with the available capture-format options, now also encompassing both pre-processed HDR and post-processed D-LOG. And the camera now rotates a full 90° vertical for TikTok- and more general smartphone viewing-friendly portrait orientation video frames.

Speaking of cameras, what about the two drones’ collision avoidance systems? The DJI Mini 3 Pro has cameras both front and rear for collision avoidance purposes, along with another pointing downward to (for example) aid in landing. The Mini 4 Pro replaces them with four fisheye-lens cameras (at front, rear and both sides) for collision avoidance all around the drone as well as above it, further augmented by two downward facing cameras for stereo distance and a LiDAR sensor, the latter enhancing after-dark sensing and discerning distance-to-ground when the terrain is featureless. By the way, the rumored upcoming DJI Mini 5 Pro further bolsters the drone’s LiDAR facilities, if the leaked images are true and not just Photoshop-created fakes.

The final notable difference involves the contrasting wireless protocols used by both drones to communicate with and stream live video to the user’s controller and, if used, goggles. The Mini 3 Pro leverages DJI’s O3 transmission system, with an estimated range of 12 km while streaming live 1080p 30 fps video. With the Mini 4 Pro and its more advanced O4 system, conversely, the wirelessly connected range increases to an estimated 20 km. Two important notes here:

• The controllers for the Mini 3 Pro also support the longer-range (15 km) and higher frame rate (1080p 60 fps) O3+ protocol used by larger DJI drones such as the Mavic 3
• Unfortunately, however, the DJI Mini 4 is not backwards compatible with the O3 and O3+ protocols, so although I’ll be able to reuse my batteries and the like if I do a drone-generation upgrade in the future, I’ll need to purchase new controllers and goggles for it.

That all said, why did I still go with the Mini 3 Pro? The core reason was cost. In assessing the available inventory of used drone equipment, the bulk of the options I found were at both ends of the spectrum: either in like-new condition, or egregiously damaged by past accidents. But given that the Mini 3 Pro had been in the market nearly 1.5 years longer, its available used inventory was much more sizeable. I was able to find two pristine Mini 3 Pro examples for a combined price tag less than that of a single like-new (far from brand new) Mini 4 Pro. And the money saved also afforded me the ability to purchase two used upgraded integrated-display controllers, the mainstream RC and high-end RC Pro, the latter running full-blown Android.

Although enhancements such as higher quality video, more advanced object detection and longer range are nice, they’re not essential in my currently elementary use case, particularly counterbalanced against the fiscal savings I obtained by going prior-gen. The DJI Mini 4’s expanded-scope collision avoidance might be useful when flying the drone side-to-side for panning purposes, for example, or through a grove of trees, neither of which I see myself doing much if any of, at least for a while. And considering that after 12 km the drone will probably already be out of sight, combined with the alternative ability to record even higher quality video to local drone microSD storage, O4 transmission system support also isn’t a necessity for me.

Speaking of batteries (plenty of spares which I now also own, along with associated chargers, and refresh-charge them every two months to keep them viable) and range, let’s get to the drone’s earlier-alluded Remote ID facilities. The Mini 3 Pro (therefore also Mini 4 Pro) has two battery options: a standard 2453 mAh model that, as conveniently stamped right on it to answer enforcement agency inquiries, keeps the drone just below the 250-gram threshold:

and a “Plus” 3850 mAh model that weighs ~50% more (121 grams vs 80.5 grams). The DJI Mini 3 Pro has built-in Remote ID support, negating the need for an add-on module (which, if installed, would push total weight above 249 grams, even using a standard battery). But here’s the slick bit; when the drone detects that a standard battery is in use, it disables Remote ID transmission, both because the FAA doesn’t require it and to address user privacy concerns, given that scanning facilities are available to the masses, not just to regulatory and enforcement entities.

I’ve admittedly been too busy post-purchase to use the drone gear much yet, but I’m looking forward to harassing the neighbors (kidding!) with it in the future. I’ve also acquired a Goggles Integra set and a RC Motion 2 Controller, both gently used from Lensrentals:

to test out FPV (first-person view) flying, and even a LTE cellular dongle for remote-locale Internet access to the RC Pro controller (unfortunately, such dongles reportedly can’t also be used on the drone itself, at least in the US, for alternative long-range controller connectivity):

And finally, I’ve acquired used examples of the Googles Racing Edition Set (Adorama) and OcuSync Air System (eBay) for the Mavic Air, again for FPV testing purposes:

Stay tuned for more on all of this if (hopefully more accurately, when) I get time to actualize my drone gear testing aspirations. Until then, let me know your 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

• Diagnosing and resuscitating a set of DJI drone batteries
• Teardown: DJI Spark drone
• Oh little drone, how you have grown…
• Drone regulation and electronic augmentation
• Keep your drone flying high with the right circuit protection design

The post The (more) modern drone: Which one(s) do I now own? appeared first on EDN.

Кампанію декларування за 2024 рік завершено kpi пн, 04/07/2025 - 16:49

[проєкт] Колективний договiр Національного технічного університету України «Київський політехнічний інститут імені Ігоря Сікорського» на період з квітня 2025 р. по квітень 2030 р. kpi пн, 04/07/2025 - 13:30

Photonic chips industry accelerator PhotonDelta of Eindhoven, the Netherlands (which connects and collaborates with an ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations worldwide) has established a strategic collaboration with Silicon Catalyst, the world’s only incubator and accelerator focused on the global semiconductor industry. Over the last five years, PhotonDelta has raised nearly $1.5bn to accelerate the commercialization of the photonics industry...

Future-proof quality assurance for power electronics through sintering paste inspection with multi-line SPI

Higher operating temperatures, thinner interconnection layers, 10 times the longevity – the advantages of sintering pastes over solder pastes have long been recognized in the field of power electronics. Not least for this reason, sintering pastes are preferred in system-critical technologies such as “green energy” and e-mobility. Here, for example, IGBTs have become the central component in converters for all types of electric drives: wind turbines, solar power generation, battery charging – hardly any future technology would be conceivable without the “all-rounder” sintering paste. However, sintering is more prone to errors than soldering paste printing. Furthermore, defects are more difficult to detect and rectify – critical failures in the field are the result. To avoid this, GÖPEL electronic has now added an inspection system specifically for sintering paste to its Multi Line platform.

The Multi Line SPI is a cost-effective 3D inline system for automated inspection of sintering paste. Based on the Multi Line platform, it is a customized solution for small and medium-sized companies with high quality standards; it can also be used for solder pastes. The telecentric 3D camera module is used to inspect solder and sinter paste without shadows for shape, area, coplanarity, height, bridges, volume and X/Y offset. Equipped with two digital fringe projectors for shadow-free 3D image capturing, it has a resolution of 15µm/pixel, a height measurement accuracy of 1µm and a height resolution of 0.2 µm. This means that measurement values can be obtained precisely and repeatedly.

Generation of an inspection program for sinter paste inspection takes only a few minutes: CAD data or a reference layout is sufficient. Users who already use GÖPEL electronic software for programming SMD, THT or CCI systems can learn the additional sinter paste functions with little training. In addition, the data import, verification and statistics software are identical to the other inspection systems from GÖPEL electronic. This is where the platform concept of the Multi Line series really pays off: the uniform, powerful operating and evaluation software across all devices reduces training and programming effort, enabling flexible and optimized staff deployment planning.

The post Optical inspection system for a complete 3D sintering paste check appeared first on ELE Times.

• Collaboration brings together expertise and cutting-edge technology to drive innovation
• Provides essential 6G research infrastructure to bolster the ‘Made in India’ vision

Keysight Technologies, Inc. announces it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research, a premier R&D organisation under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India to drive healthcare and 6G innovation across India. As part of the collaboration, both Keysight and SAMEER have proposed to create a healthcare center of excellence along with a research lab to drive 6G communication research.

In order to scale-up the Indian presence in 6G and other critical areas such as medical electronics, there is an urgent need to build strong expertise and an ecosystem in India. Keysight and SAMEER, which is part of the government research institute under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology will work together to address this. Building on existing work, the collaboration will focus on several key technology areas to meet the growing demand for innovation in both the strategic and civilian applications.

Under the MoU, Keysight will enable SAMEER to develop and demonstrate fully functional labs that support 6G research and development across various India institutions. Plans also include establishing a center of excellence for healthcare focused on advancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies. Together, the two organizations will work on driving innovation and supporting the ‘Made in India’ initiative which is designed to generate local growth and development.

Dr P.Hanumantha Rao, Director General at SAMEER said: “We are leading 6G research in India after the successful demonstration of our end to end 5G stack along with IIT Madras. The proposed collaboration with Keysight will enhance this further and enable Indian research and academic institutions to get access to next generation technologies.”

SAMEER contributions in healthcare include fully indigenous Linear Accelerator for Cancer therapy and a fully functional affordable 1.5T MRI. The MoU will facilitate Keysight to leverage the products developed by SAMEER for democratization across India and continue research by complementing each other’s capabilities.

Sudhir Tangri, Vice President of Asia Pacific Sales and Country General Manager of India at Keysight said: “Establishing a center of excellence and building 6G research areas is a critical step towards driving innovation in India. Through this collaboration we are proud to provide the much-needed infrastructure and technology that will empower future research across healthcare and other sectors. SAMEER is a leader in its field, and we are excited to work together to accelerate our 6G and healthcare vision.”

The post Keysight and SAMEER Collaborate to Advance 6G and Healthcare Innovation in India appeared first on ELE Times.

Наш університет співпрацюватиме з литовською компанією Teltonika Networks kpi пн, 04/07/2025 - 12:44

КПІ ім. Ігоря Сікорського взяв участь у форумі Space for Ukraine kpi пн, 04/07/2025 - 12:40

Marktech Optoelectronics Inc of Latham, NY, USA, a vertically integrated designer and manufacturer of optoelectronics components and assemblies, has released a new series of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) LEDs in rugged, hermetically sealed TO-can packages, engineered to meet the rigorous demands of gas sensing and chemical analysis in industrial environments...

Marking a milestone in its strategic expansion into the defense sector, NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA — which was founded in 2015 and develops and manufactures high-power industrial blue lasers — has signed a joint pursuit agreement (JPA) with a defense-tech company. This follows completion of an initial 20% acquisition interest in a defense and security hub, announced on 12 March...

STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland and InnoScience (Suzhou) Technology Holding Co Ltd - which manufactures gallium nitride (GaN) power chips on 8” silicon wafers - have signed an agreement on GaN technology development and manufacturing, leveraging the strengths of each company to enhance GaN power solutions and supply chain resilience...

Trigger-based vision systems in embedded applications are used in various domains to automate responses based on visual input, typically in real-time. These systems detect specific conditions or events—for example, motion and object recognition or pattern detection—and trigger actions accordingly.

Key applications include:

• Surveillance and security: Detecting motion or unauthorized individuals to trigger alarms or recording.
• Robotics: Identifying and manipulating objects, triggering robotic actions like picking, or sorting based on visual cues.
• Traffic Monitoring: Triggering traffic light changes or fines when specific conditions like running a red light are detected.
• Forest monitoring: Trigger-based vision systems can be highly effective in forest environments for a range of applications, including wildlife monitoring, forest fire detection, illegal logging prevention, animal detection, trail camera, and more.
• Military and defense: Vision systems used in drones, surveillance systems, and military robots for threat detection and target identification.

These systems leverage camera technologies combined with environmental sensors and AI-based image processing to automate monitoring tasks, detect anomalies, and trigger timely responses. For instance, in wildlife monitoring, vision systems can identify animals in remote areas, while in forest fire detection, thermal and optical cameras can spot early signs of fire or smoke.

Low wakeup latency in trigger-based systems is crucial for ensuring fast and efficient responses to external events such as sensor activations, button presses, and equivalent events. These systems rely on triggers to initiate specific actions, and minimizing latency ensures that the system can respond instantly to these stimuli. This ability of a device to quickly wake up when triggered allows the device to remain in a low-power state for a longer time. The longer a device stays in a low-power state, the more efficiently it conserves energy.

In summary, low wakeup latency improves a system’s responsiveness, reliability, scalability and energy efficiency, making it indispensable in applications that depend on timely event handling and quick reactions to triggers.

Aikri platform developed by eInfochips validates this concept. The platform is based on Qualcomm’s QRB4210 chipset and runs OpenEmbedded-based Linux distribution software.

To simulate the real-life trigger scenario, Aikri platform is put to low-power state using a shell script and is woken up by a real time clock (RTC) alarm. The latency between wakeup interrupt and frame reception interrupt at dual data rate (DDR) has been measured around ~400 ms to ~500 ms. Subsequent sections discuss the measurement setup and approach at length.

Aikri platform: Setup details

1. Hardware setup

The Aikri platform is used to simulate the use case. The platform is based on Qualcomm’s QRB4210 chipset and demonstrates diverse interfaces for this chipset.

The current scope uses only a subset of interfaces available on the platform; refer to the following block diagram.

Figure 1 The block diagram shows hardware peripherals used in the module. Source: eInfochips

The QRB4210 system-on-module (SoM) contains Qualcomm’s QRB4210 application processor, which connects to DDR RAM, embedded multimedia card (eMMC) as storage, Wi-Fi, and power management integrated circuit (PMIC). The display serial interface (DSI)-based display panel is connected to the DSI connector available on the Aikri platform.

Similarly, the camera daughter board is connected to CSI0 port of the platform. The camera daughter card contains an IMX334 camera module. The camera sensor outputs 3864×2180 at 30 frames per second on four lanes of camera serial interface (CSI) port.

DSI panel is built around the OTM1901 LCD. This LCD panel supports 1920×1080 output resolution. Four lanes of the DSI port are used to transfer video data from the application processor to the LCD panel. PMIC available on QRB4210 SoM contains RTC hardware. While the application processor goes to the low-power mode, the RTC hardware inside the PMIC remains active with the help of a sleep clock.

2. Software setup

The QRB4210 application processor runs an OpenEmbedded-based Linux distribution using the 5.4.210 Linux kernel version. The default distribution is trimmed down to reduce wakeup latency while retaining necessary features. A bash script is used to simulate the low-power mode entry and wakeup scenario.

The Weston server generates display graphics and GStreamer captures frames from camera sensors. Wakeup latency is measured by taking timer readings from Linux kernel when relevant interrupt service routines are called.

Latency measurement: Procedure overview

To simulate the minimal latency wakeup use case, a shell-based script is run on the Aikri platform. The script automates the simulation of trigger-based low latency vision system on Aikri QRB4210 module.

Below is the flow for the script performed on QRB4210 platform, starting from device bootup to measuring latency.

Figure 2 Test script flow spans from device bootup to latency measurement. Source: eInfochips

The above diagram showcases the operational flow of the script, beginning with the device bootup, where the system initializes its hardware and software. After booting, the device enters the active state, signifying that it’s fully operational and ready for further tasks, such as keeping Wi-Fi configured in an inactive state and probing the camera to check its connection and readiness.

Additionally, it configures the GStreamer pipeline for 1280×960@30 FPS stream resolution. The camera sensor registers are also configured at this stage based on the best-match resolution mode. During this exercise, 3840×2160@30 FPS is the selected resolution for IMX334 camera sensor. Once the camera is confirmed as configured and functional, the device moves to the camera reconfigure step, where it adjusts the camera stream settings like stop/start.

The next step is to set the RTC wake alarm, followed by triggering a device to suspend mode. In this state, the device waits for the RTC alarm to wake it up. Once the alarm triggers, the device transitions to the wakeup state and starts the camera stream.

The device then waits for the first frame to arrive in DDR and measures the latency between capturing the frame and device wakeup Interrupt Request (IRQ). After measuring latency, the device returns to the active state, where it remains ready for further actions.

The process then loops back to the camera reconfigure step, repeating the sequence of actions until the script stops externally. This loop allows the device to continuously monitor the camera, measure latency, and conserve power during inactive periods, ensuring efficient operation.

Latency measurement strategy

While the device is in a suspended state and the RTC alarm triggers, the time between two key events is measured: the wakeup interruption and the reception of the first frame from the camera sensor into the DDR buffer. The latency data is measured in three different scenarios, as outlined below:

• When the camera is in the preview mode
• When recording the camera stream to eMMC
• When recording the camera stream to the SD card

Figure 3 Camera pipeline is shown in the preview mode. Source: eInfochips

Figure 4 Camera pipeline is shown in the recording mode. Source: eInfochips

As shown in the above figures, after the DDR receives the frame, it moves to the offline processing engine (OPE) before returning to the DDR. From there, the display subsystem previews the camera sensor data. In the recording use case, the data is transferred from DDR to the encoder and then stored in the storage. Once the frame is available in DDR, it ensures that it’s either stored in the storage or previewed on the display.

Depending on the processor CPU occupancy, it may take a few milliseconds to process the frame, based on the GStreamer pipeline and the selected use case. Therefore, while measuring latency, we consider the second polling point to be when the frame is available in the DDR, not when it’s stored or previewed.

Since capturing the trigger event is crucial, minimizing latency when capturing the first frame from the camera sensor is essential. The frame is considered available in the DDR when the thin front-end (TFE) completes processing the first frame from the camera.

Latency measurement methods

In the Linux kernel, there are several APIs available for pinpointing an event and time measurement, each offering varying levels of precision and specific use cases. These APIs enable tracking of time intervals, measuring elapsed time, and managing system events. Below is a detailed overview of the commonly used time measurement APIs in the Linux kernel:

• ktime_get_boottime: Provides the current “time since boot” in a ktime_t value, expressed in nanoseconds.
• get_jiffies: Returns the current jiffy count that represents the number of ticks since the system booted. Time must be calculated based on the system clock.

Jiffies don’t update during the suspend state, while ktime_t continues to run unaffected by interrupts even in sleep mode. Additionally, ktime_t offers time measurements in nanoseconds, making it highly precise compared to jiffies.

1. Usage of GPIO toggle method for latency measurement

To get a second level of surety, a GPIO toggle-based method is also employed in the measurement. It creates a positive or negative pulse when a GPIO is toggled between two reference events. The pulse width can be measured on an oscilloscope, signifying latency between the two events.

When the device wakes up at that point, the GPIO value is set to zero, and once the camera driver receives the frame in the DDR, the GPIO value is set to one. This way the GPIO signal creates a negative pulse. Measuring the pulse width using an oscilloscope provides latency between the wakeup interrupt and the frame available at interrupt.

2. Usage of RTC alarm as wakeup source

The RTC in a system keeps ticking while using a sleep clock even when the processor goes to the low-power mode, continuously maintains time, and triggers a wake alarm when it reaches a set time. This wakes the system or initiates a scheduled task that can be set in seconds from the Unix epoch or relative to the current time.

On Linux, tools like rtcwake and the /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm file are used for configuration. The system can wake from power-saving modes like suspend-to-RAM or hibernation for tasks like backups or updates. This feature is useful for automation but may require time zone adjustments as the RTC stores time in UTC.

• The RTC wake alarm is set by specifying a time in seconds in sysfs or using tools like rtcwake.
• It works even when the system is in a low-power state like suspension or hibernation.
• To clear the alarm, write a value of zero to the wake alarm file.

A typical trigger-based system receives triggers from external sources, such as an external co-processor or the external environment. When simulating the script, the RTC wakeup alarm is used as an external event, acting as a trigger for the QRB4210 application processor, which is equivalent to the external event.

Jigar Pandya—a solution engineer at eInfochips, an Arrow company—specializes in board bring-up, board support package porting, and optimization.

Priyank Modi—a hardware design engineer at eInfochips, an Arrow company—has worked on various Aikri projects to enhance technical capabilities.

Editor’s Note: The second part of this article series will further expand into wakeup latency and power consumption of this trigger-based vision system.

Related content

• The State of Machine Vision
• What Is Machine Vision All About?
• Processors, Sensors Drive Embedded Vision
• Shaping the Scene for Vision Standardization
• Embedded Vision: Giving Machines the Power of Sight

The post A design platform for swift vision response system – Part 1 appeared first on EDN.

Couple weeks ago I had one of the bigger oofs of my life, my crane remote fell of the back of my truck in deep sand, missed it during my walk around and I back over it with my 30,000lbs truck. Dang A new replacement from the IMT dealer would have been 2550$. The remote is an Omnex t150 made by Eaton, they made them in a variety of different configurations, as luck would have it I could not fined a used one set up like mine. Upon closer inspection the board and switch panel for the remote were intact. The housing, proportional control switch and the ESD were done though. I rigged a toggle switch to the ESD circuit and was able to connect the radio to my crane reciever and activate the crane functions(minus the proportional solenoid on the hydraulics because that switch was wrecked) I went on eBay and managed to find a t150 that was for a different machine than mine but the housing was the same. The board and the switch front plate were different. I figured I can switch it all over to the new remote and use the ESD that came with the remote. Hardest part was safely removing my board from the old housing. It was potted in there with exposu Using a heat gun, exacto knife, diagonal cutters on the housing and patience, I got the board out, plugged it into power supply and tested its connection with my crane reviver again before moving forward. I was less careful with the other board as I would not be using it. Got it right out. One thing that was a different was on my old remote the power from the battery pack on the housing came around from behind the board plugged into a connection on the top side of the PCB whilst the new remote had wires soldered to the back. I cut the pigtail connection out of the old remote and soldered it to the wires on new one and then checked to make I had proper battery voltage. I potted the new board in and replaced two bent toggle switches on the front panel with two good ones off the parts remote and made new gaskets for it all and assembled it all and tested it out! It works! And I have a fresh remote now. Only bummer was the ESD button on the new remote did not function properly, it's a open when depressed stitch, closed when pulled and when pulled the connection was intermittent, I modified the old one to work temporarily and I just ordered a new one of those. All in all I am glad I saved over 2000$ submitted by /u/BlackfootMechanical [link] [comments]

I am stumped by this potentiometer manufacturer. Internet searches reveal no information. This dual concentric stack has a manufacturers label on the back C.C.M. & Co. Ltd. There is a type CG. indicated. The middle wiper is switchable. The two two pots are 50K and 500K. submitted by /u/fanintheflats [link] [comments]

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Automated test solutions provider Teradyne Inc of North Reading, MA, USA has partnered with photonics assembly & test equipment provider ficonTEC Service GmbH of Achim, Germany to announce the availability of what is said to be the first high-volume, double-sided wafer probe test cell for silicon photonics. The solution is designed to meet the growing demand for high-throughput electro-optical testing of silicon photonic wafers driven by co-packaged optics (CPO) applications...

There’s been a lot of interesting conversation and DI teamwork lately devising circuits for ON/OFF power control using inexpensive momentary-contact switches (See “Related Content” below). 

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

Most of these designs have incorporated edge triggered flip/flops (e.g. the CD4013) but of course other possibilities exist. Figure 1 shows one of them.

Figure 1 Flip/flop-free debounced push ON push OFF toggling with power-on reset and low parts count.

Okay, I can (almost) hear your objection. It isn’t (technically) accurate to describe Figure 1 as flip/flop free because the two inverters, U1a and U1b, are connected as a bistable latch. That is to say, a flip/flop. It’s really how its state gets toggled by S1 that’s different. Here’s how that works.

While sitting in either ON or OFF with S1 un-pushed, U1a, being an inverter, charges C2 to the opposite state through R1. So, when S1 gets mashed, C2 yanks U1a’s input, thereby toggling the latch. The R1C2 time-constant of 100 ms is long enough to guarantee that if S1 bounces on make, as it most assuredly will, C2’s complementary charge will ride out the turbulence. 

Then, because R2 < R1, the positive feedback through R2 will overpower R1 and keep the same polarity charge on C2 for as long as S1 is held closed. This ensures that later, when S1 is released, if it bounces on break (as some switches are rumored to be evil enough to do), the new latch state won’t be lost. PFET Q1 now transfers power to the load (or doesn’t). Thus, can we confidently expect reliable flipping and flopping and ONing and OFFing. 

So, what’s the purpose of C1? Figure 2 explains.

Figure 2 Power up turn off where the rising edge of V+ at PFET a’s source with its gate held low by RCs turns it on.

If V+ has been at zero for awhile (because the battery was taken out or the wall wart unplugged), C1 and C2 will have discharged likewise to zero (or thereabouts). So, when V+ is restored, they will hold the inverter’s FET gates at ground. This will make the PFET’s gate negative relative to its (rising) source, turning it on, pulling its output high, and resetting the latch to OFF.

So why R3?

When the latch sits for a while with S1 unpushed, whether ON or OFF, C1 will charge to V+. Then, when S1 is depressed (note this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unhappy), C1 will be “quickly” discharged. Without R3, “quickly” might be too much of a good thing and involve a high enough instantaneous current through S1, and hence enough energy deposited on its contacts, to shorten its service life.

Thus, making us both unhappy!

Here’s a final thought about parts count. The 4069 is a hextuple part, this makes Figure 1’s use of only two of its six inverters look wasteful. We can hope the designer can find a place for the unused elements elsewhere in their application, but what if she can’t?

Then it might turn out that Figure 3 will work.

Figure 3 Do something useful with the other 2/3rds of U1, eliminate Q1 for loads of less than 10 mA, and gain short-circuit protection for free.

Ron for the 4069 is V+ dependent but can range as low as 200 Ω (typical) at V+ > 10 V. Therefore, if we connect all five of the available inverters in parallel as shown in Figure 3, we’d get a net Ron of 200/5 = 40 Ω from V+ to Vout. This might be adequate for a low power application, making Q1 redundant. As an added benefit, an accidental short to ground will promptly and automatically turn the latch and the shorted load OFF. U1 will therefore be that much less likely to catch fire, and us to be unhappy! Note it also works if the latch is OFF and the output gets shorted to V+.

Stephen Woodward’s relationship with EDN’s DI column goes back quite a long way. Over 100 submissions have been accepted since his first contribution back in 1974.

Related Content

• To press on or hold off? This does both.
• Flip ON flop OFF
• Latching D-type CMOS power switch: A “Flip ON Flop OFF” alternative
• To press ON or hold OFF? This does both for AC voltages

The post Flip ON flop OFF without a flip/flop appeared first on EDN.