Welcome to the May Analog Dialogue.
Power supply designers are sometimes confused by the nonideal inductor current waveforms obtained from LTspice® simulation or bench test. With the proper coupled inductor model, the simulated inductor current waveforms match well with the bench result. This article, “How to Model Coupled Inductors in a SEPIC Converter,” discusses how to best model coupled inductors in a single-ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) topology.
Half-bridge topologies are popular for converting power for a variety of commercial and industrial applications. At the heart of this switch-mode arrangement is the gate driver IC, whose primary function is to use a pulse-width modulated signal to provide clean, level-shifted signals to the high-side and low-side MOSFET power switches. The article “Floating Ground Nonisolated Half-Bridge Gate Drivers” highlights the key criteria engineers should consider when selecting a gate driver IC for an application.
“Common Footprint Strategy: Improving Multiphase Buck Performance in the Same Footprint” is this month’s next feature. The common footprint strategy addresses requests from customers to have multiple sources for all parts in the BOM of voltage regulators, including controllers, power stages, and magnetics. However, rather than engaging in solely price-based competition as the distinguishing factor, Analog Devices has developed a coupled inductor IP that significantly enhances system performance, thereby providing customers with considerably higher system value.
This month’s RAQ, “Integrated SoC Shrinks the Size of the 4-20 mA Smart Transmitter,” introduces a 4-20 mA system, its evolution, and a chipset to shrink the size of the overall solution and improve reliability by minimizing the number of external components. The 4-20 mA current loop offers a common technique for transmitting sensor information such as temperature and pressure in industrial process-monitoring applications.
Dive into the world of the Clapp oscillator with our latest StudentZone article, “ADALM2000 Activity: The Clapp Oscillator.” In this laboratory, we will explore the Clapp configuration, which uses a tapped capacitor divider to provide the feedback path and a series LC resonator.
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.