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External Power Supply Efficiency Ratings Efficiency Standards and Ratings for External Power Supplies A power supply’s efficiency is simply the ratio between the energy it consumes and the energy it supplies. No device can be perfectly efficient; there will always be losses in heat or electromagnetic fields. The leading causes come from active component losses (MOSFET and diode switching losses) and, to a lesser extent, from passive component losses (resistors, capacitors, and inductor impedance losses). It moves towards utilizing higher Read Article
Serial Communications Protocols - Part Three: RS-232 Serial Communications Protocols - Part Three: RS-232 In this series of articles, we’re looking at some of the different types of Serial Communication Protocols available for transferring data between devices. The articles will cover a few of the more popular protocols and standards in use today, and at the end of this series, we will recap and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each. We hope this information will prove valuable next time you need to implement a serial communication bus in Read Article
Serial Communications Protocols - UART Serial Communications Protocols - Part Two: UART In this article, we will be looking at the popular UART device. It’s not a communication protocol but rather the physical circuit used in microcontrollers or stand-alone ICs to transmit and receive serial data. It supports the series of articles we’ve produced to look at some of the different types of Serial Communication Protocols available. Serial communications are the perfect mechanism for transmitting information between devices such as Read Article
Mass Production Mindset Mass Production and Manufacturing Mindset In true engineering spirit, let’s start by establishing the scope of this article. The intention isn’t to tell you exactly what to do if you need to mass-produce the device you’ve designed or show you what changes to make. This intention is to explore the mindset you need to adopt and the critical thinking you’ll need to do if you need to either design a device from scratch for the mass market or turn your one-off prototype into a format that Read Article
New Printed Circuit Engineering Course: PCE EDU New Printed Circuit Engineering Course: PCE EDU In this episode our guest Rick Hartley and Mike Creeden talks about the New Printed Circuit Engineering Course. Read Article
Serial Communications Protocols - Introduction Serial Communications Protocols - Introduction In this series of articles, we will be looking at some of the different types of Serial Communication Protocols available to transfer information between microcontrollers, data-producing and data-processing peripherals, and other smart devices. The articles that follow this introduction to serial communications will cover some of the more popular protocols in common usage. At the end of this series, we will summarize the advantages and Read Article
PCB tooling holes All About PCB Tooling Holes: What They Are and Where They Go Learn all about PCB tooling holes and mounting hole styles in your design and how they are used in the PCB manufacturing process. Read Article
Gerber file formats Your Guide to Gerber File Extensions in PCB Design Gerber files come with multiple extensions but in only two common file formats. You can learn more about Gerber file extensions in this article. Read Article
3 Key IPC Rules to Know 3 Key IPC Rules to Know, Follow and (Sometimes) Break Gerry Partida is joining us in this OnTrack Podcast episode. Watch it now or listen on the go! Read Article
Lightning Surge Protection for Electronics Lightning Surge Protection for Electronics Equipment On a clear fine day, the ground typically carries a slight negative charge with a corresponding positive charge in the upper atmosphere. This generates an average electric field strength around the globe in the order of 120 V/m. By comparison, just before it discharges through a lightning strike, a thunderstorm cloud generates an electric field strength in the order of 25 kV/m. This creates a potential difference between this cloud and the ground Read Article
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