Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, in smart phones, laptops, an array of other consumer electronics and the newest electric cars. Good as they are, they could be much better, especially when it comes to lowering the cost and extending the range of electric cars. To do that, batteries need to store a lot more energy.

PCB board design is often governed by established cost aspects. If a designer comes up with an EMC-proof design (in theory difficult, if not impossible to achieve without actually testing it as a product), they are likely to hear that it’s going to be expensive to lay it out according to their wishes.

If you work with high-speed serial links such as PCIe, USB, SATA, Infiniband or gigabit ethernet, you have encountered S-parameters. This method of describing the electrical properties of interconnects, standard in the microwave world for more than 60 years, is becoming the de facto standard in the high-speed digital world as well.

Power module packaging is driven by the ever-increasing demand for higher power densities, reliability improvements and further cost reductions.

The Belgian research centre imec, together with Plextronics and Solvay, has produced an organic polymer-based single junction solar cell with 6.9% performance in an inverted device stack.

The environments in which microwave cable assemblies are being used today are becoming more challenging with exposure to such conditions as extreme temperatures, chemicals, abrasion and flexing. Additional challenges include the need for smaller, lighter packaging for cable systems that last longer and cost less.

Electronics, to make businesses more efficient through organising sales and record keeping and to reduce the quality of paper used, has been the holy grail of organisations since computers were welcomed into the fold as a business tool. In this article, the author looks at some of the achievements, challenges and pitfalls that a dedicated eprocurement system can bring.

Common mode chokes filter common mode EMI currents without causing signal degradation and without derating under high currents. These components are applied to pairs of conductors - supply and return.

System power engineers have many choices in today’s power connector market and the list of options is growing as the industry diversifies to offer more specialised products. Here are some commonly asked questions:

The environments in which microwave cable assemblies are being used today are becoming more challenging with exposure to such conditions as extreme temperatures, chemicals, abrasion, and flexing. Additional challenges include the need for smaller, lighter packaging for cable systems that last longer and cost less.

Embedded software intended for aerospace and military applications must operate with the utmost concern for safety. To achieve reliability goals, software development teams strive for these applications to meet rigorous verification processes and the goal of zero defects.

According to Australian leading electronics solutions provider Benbro Electronics, electronic designers need to consider a number of factors to achieve power quality when designing a lighting system. This is more so with the advent of LEDS, compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), high intensity discharge (HID) lighting and other new technologies in lighting.

Such highly coveted technical capabilities as the observation of single catalytic processes in nanoreactors or the optical detection of low concentrations of biochemical agents and gases are an important step closer to fruition.

Of all of the specifications of a battery-powered device, the battery run time is key. Every user wants their device to run longer on a charge. Therefore, to know the run time of your device is important, not only to represent the device to the end user, but as a means of knowing if improvements in power management within the device are successful at increasing battery run time.

The consumer market for telephone headsets is noted for its innovative products and its fast pace. Companies produce products with new features almost weekly. In this environment, the market life of headsets is becoming very short; in fact, some products can have a life of only six months or so.