Watch Demo: ADI´s next generation iso Power Device AduM5020

A highlight of the ADI stand was the first public presentation of the brand-new ADuM5020, a low-emission, 500mW, isolated DC/DC converter/digital isolator. This demonstration showed how the new device can facilitate easy and economical design of isolated power converters, readily achieving radiated emissions that are well within the limits set in the CISPR 22 standard, when constructed on a simple 2-layer PCB. A test set-up of shielded enclosure, spectrum analyzer and PC monitor allowed visitors to explore the performance of the example circuit under changing conditions.

Watch Demo: Gate Driver Power Module

Builders of high-power systems such as electric vehicles (EVs), motor drives and welders are considering the potential benefits of employing silicon carbide power devices. Engineers viewed a first-to-market evaluation board that will drove half-bridge SiC modules at 1200V and 50A, at switching frequencies up to 200 kHz. Visitors were able to see how the board could serve as a key building block in more complex configurations, and how it could save design teams time and cost in creating innovative power conversion and energy storage products.

Watch Demo: 30KW DC-DC Charger

The Analog Devices stand featured a high-power converter and charger configuration for Energy Storage Systems (ESS). The 1000V to 0V reference design employs silicon carbide power switches, is fully bi-directional – supporting power flows in both charging and power delivery – and features a number of ADI parts in control and power-device-driving functions. An implementation of the design by partner Stercom showed visitors a practical route to early deployment of high-power SiC-based converters.

Watch Demo: Battery Management System

Analog Devices is an early pioneer of battery management solutions implementing active and passive cell-to-cell balancing and charge/discharge control, enabling the maximum performance to be extracted from a battery pack. Visitors to the ADI stand at PCIM 2018 had the opportunity to see the latest generation of battery management devices, with demonstrations illustrating maximizing capacity at the same time as implementing safety features such as real-time diagnostics and fault management. A practical demonstrator built by ADI partner Stercom showed the management technology applied to a kW-scale energy storage system.

Virtual prototyping – exploring the characteristics of an early-stage design in simulation – can save development effort, time and expense. Employing a processor-in-the-loop simulation technique, and using a powerful digital signal processor (DSP) chip, ADI has built a simulation environment with MATLAB/Simulink software. Designers visiting the ADI stand observed simulations of power stages using an evaluation card that hosts the DSP chip. Alternate power-stage configurations, topologies and control algorithms can be explored without the need to build a new prototype for each variant.