Power Electronics
Visualizing Electric Fields An electric field surrounds any electric charge or collection of charges. This field exerts an electric force on other charges placed inside it, causing them to accelerate. Visualizing and understanding electric fields is key to grasping many electromagnetism concepts. The electric field at any point is defined as the electric force per…
What is Voltage? Voltage is defined as the difference in electric potential between two points in a circuit. It measures the “push” or pressure driving electrons through a circuit. Voltage plays a vital role in electronics by powering components and overcoming resistance in circuits. More specifically, voltage refers to the potential energy per unit charge…
Keeping Your Electronics Safe from Voltage Issues Ensuring clean and stable voltage is critical for protecting sensitive electronic devices from damage. Fluctuations in voltage can stress components leading to premature failure. Proper voltage regulation provides a buffer against these harmful variations. Understanding Voltage Regulation Voltage regulation refers to maintaining the voltage supplied to a load…
The Problem of Voltage Drops When attempting to measure the voltage of a battery or other low voltage source that is powered from a higher voltage rail, issues with voltage drops can lead to inaccurate readings. Voltage drops occur due to the resistance present in wires, contacts, and other conductive elements between the power source…
Decoupling Capacitor Basics A decoupling capacitor, also known as bypass capacitor, is a capacitor used to decouple one part of an electrical network from another. Decoupling capacitors provide a low impedance path to ground for switching noise and transient currents generated by active devices like integrated circuits so that signal integrity and power distribution network…
Ripple current refers to the small unwanted alternating current present on the input or output of a voltage regulator. This ripple current can affect voltage regulator performance and stability. Excessive ripple current can cause overheating, voltage fluctuations, efficiency loss, and potential regulator failure. Ripple current originates from the switching action of the regulator. Input or…
Increased adoption of GFCI/AFCI breakers The increased adoption of ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) and arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) breakers in residential and commercial buildings has introduced new design challenges for switch mode power supply (SMPS) engineers. GFCI/AFCI breakers are intended to prevent electric shocks and arc faults, but can be prone to “nuisance…
Defining Leakage Currents Leakage currents refer to small uncontrolled currents that flow through insulation and over surfaces in electrical equipment. These currents occur due to capacitive and resistive paths in circuits and can pose safety hazards like electric shocks. Defining allowable limits for leakage currents is a key part of safety regulations and standards for…
Y capacitors serve a vital purpose in switch mode power supplies (SMPS). As filtering capacitors connected between the primary and secondary sides of an SMPS transformer, Y caps conduct high frequency noise to ground to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI). This section covers the function of Y caps in both isolated and non-isolated SMPS topologies. Purpose…
Precisely Controlling Current Improves Cooling Performance There is a direct relationship between the current flowing through a Peltier element and the rate at which it can pump heat. By precisely controlling the current with pulse-width modulation (PWM), the cooling performance can be optimized for the intended temperature differential across the Peltier device. Setting appropriate PWM…
