Welcome to the December Analog Dialogue
This month’s featured article “SoC It to Me! Supercharge with PMIC” delves into the critical considerations for designing robust and efficient power architectures for SoCs, highlighting how crucial it is for every embedded designer to master these requirements. It guides us through interpreting SoC data sheets and focuses on five key conditions—voltage, current, sequencing, timing, and power modes—that are essential for system stability and performance. Crucially, the piece underscores the significant role of power management ICs (PMICs) in simplifying this complex process, offering integrated solutions for programmable sequencing, dynamic voltage scaling, and fault protection. For anyone looking to optimize their SoC designs for reliability and scalability, this article offers invaluable guidance and practical insights.
The article “Improving Industrial Functional Safety Compliance with High Performance Supervisory Circuits—Part 4: Program Sequence Monitoring Using Watchdog Timers” explores the vital role of watchdog timers in safeguarding digital controller devices. This article provides a comprehensive look at how various types of watchdog timers—from simple to advanced challenge/response designs—are implemented to meet the diagnostic coverage requirements of the IEC 61508-2 standard. It highlights practical applications, including the use of Analog Devices’ supervisory circuits, to enhance program sequence monitoring and ensure robust safety in industrial systems.
The article “Simplicity Wins—Part 1: A Deeper Look into Active Balancing on BMS” is our next featured article. It dives into the critical world of active balancing within battery management systems (BMS). This article sheds light on how cell capacity and impedance mismatches can significantly impact battery pack performance, reducing usable capacity and overall efficiency. It then introduces a design prototype for a simple yet highly effective active balancing system, demonstrating how intelligent energy redistribution can improve battery life and ease thermal management, setting the stage for deeper discussions in upcoming parts. Stay tuned for Part 2, which will be featured next month!
This month’s RAQ, “Smart GaN Buck Controller Designs—Part 2: Configuration and Optimization,” focuses on practical techniques for fine-tuning gate drive and managing dead time to maximize efficiency, minimize losses, and protect GaN FETs. It emphasizes the importance of empirical data and precise measurement techniques over traditional approaches, showcasing how intelligent dead-time control can significantly enhance power density and thermal performance. This piece offers invaluable guidance for engineers looking to achieve first-pass success and shorten design cycles in high efficiency power applications.
In this month’s StudentZone article, “ADALM2000 Activity: An Ohm’s Law Experiment,” a practical introduction to Ohm’s law is presented using the ADALM2000 Active Learning Module. Through a simple LED circuit experiment, students learn the fundamental relationships between voltage, current, and resistance—transforming abstract electrical concepts into hands-on understanding. This accessible lab activity provides the perfect starting point for anyone beginning their journey in electrical engineering. Note: StudentZone will be placed on hiatus after December as we revamp the program.
And as we have for over 58 years, we invite you to be part of the dialogue in Analog Dialogue. You can get in touch through our blog, Facebook page, or email. Let us know how we’re doing and what you’d like to see from us in the coming months.