Electronics-Lab.com Blog

In our portfolio you can also find a DIN rail socket for the ultra slim relay Finder 34 series. It enables to use various relays thus to simply adapt an interface module to a given application.

From nowadays offer of relay interface modules, it is already no problem to choose a type meeting requirements of a given application. But if you need to change a configuration of a device, it is often convenient to change only a relay type. Series 93.01 socket enables this easily, because the protection and indication circuit is designed for a wider range of input voltages. This enables to use a 5V, 12V and 24V Finder relays 34.51 series. A green indication diode indicates presence of a control voltage and the protection circuit protects relay against reverse voltage and suppresses voltage spikes appearing at its switching off. When using 93 series socket, it is even possible to use an AC voltage to supply a DC coil of a relay.

Finder 34 series relays are ultra slim 6A relays with a sensitive DC coil. High 6kV isolation provides a safe disjunction of relay coil from contacts. Finder 34.x can be mounted directly to a PCB, via a PCB socket or to a DIN rail by means of the above mentioned socket. In some applications can also be convenient relatively short switching times – 5/3 ms.

Create a relay interface module according to your needs - [Link]

The SMD Codebook is a comprehensive internet database of the two and three letter codes used to mark small surface mount parts. This is an indispensable resource for repairing and reverse engineering SMD circuits. [via]

SMD devices are, by their very nature, too small to carry conventional semiconductor type numbers. Instead, a somewhat arbitrary coding system has grown up, where the device package carries a simple two- or three-character ID code. Identifying the manufacturers’ type number of an SMD device from the package code can be a difficult task, involving combing through many different databooks. This HTML book is designed to provide an easy means of device identification. It lists over 3,500 device codes in alphabetical order, together with type numbers, device characteristics or equivalents and pinout information. Sometimes I’m asked to put IC information in the codebook. There is some information about ICs – but first and foremost the codebook is intended for discrete devices. Some ICs have been included, usually these are 3/4 pin devices or RF circuits I’m interested in.

Identify surface mount part codes online - [Link]

Microchip compares mechanical and digital potentiometers to digital. This app note explains the theory behind both versions, and their advantages and disadvantages. [via]

Mechanical potentiometers have advantages in terms of having a wide variety of values available and tighter specifications such as nominal resistance, tolerance, temperature coefficient, power rating and temperature range specifications. But in many applications the overriding
factors are related to environmental and reliability issues. These characteristics are not necessarily specified by the mechanical potentiometer vendor.

Digital potentiometers go hand in hand with the drive towards digital system control. This type of potentiometer is considerably more robust that its predecessor, the mechanical potentiometer, in terms of environmental exposure issues and longevity with repeated use of the wiper. But beyond the reliability issues, the digital potentiometer offers hands-off programmability. This programmability also allows the user to repeatedly and reliably return to the same wiper position.

Comparing digital and mechanical potentiometers - [Link]

Cymbet Corporation announced the availability of the EnerChip CC CBC3105 smart solid state battery. The CBC3105 combines the manufacturer’s EnerChip battery with integrated input power conversion, battery management and regulated output capabilities. The device is a smart rechargeable solid state battery Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) in a chip that provides power backup to microelectronic devices when main power fails. It provides power supply monitoring and switches over to the internal solid state backup battery when the supply drops below a set threshold. The components can provide anywhere from several hours to several weeks of backup time. [via]

An Uninterruptible Power Supply in a Chip - [Link]

The LT3791 is the latest in Linear Technology’s growing family of high power, high performance LED drivers designed to simplify power delivery to high brightness LEDs. The 4-switch buck-boost controller topology operates from input voltages above, below or equal to the output voltage while delivering constant currents from 1A up to tens of amps. The LT3791 also provides ±4% LED current accuracy and ±1.5% output voltage accuracy to ensure the highest performance LED solutions.

Features

• 4-Switch Single Inductor Architecture Allows VIN Above, Below or Equal to VOUT
• Wide VIN Range: 4.7V to 60V
• Wide VOUT Range: 0V to 60V (55V LED)
• ±2% Output Voltage Accuracy
• Synchronous Switching: Up to 98.5% Efficiency
• ±6% LED Current Accuracy: 0V ≤ VOUT < 60V

LT3791 – 60V 4-Switch Synchronous Buck-Boost LED Driver Controller - [Link]

X-chip USB series from FTDI brings even higher functionality on a chip, including battery charging detection. Speeds-up development, saves space and decreases power consumption.

USB solutions specialist Future Technology Devices International Limited – FTDI has supplemented its portfolio of USB to serial interface products with new X-Chip series. X-Chip series consisting of 13 chips (7 types in various package options) complements the existing FT-R and FT-H series. New series supports a broad selection of interface types, such as basic UART, full UART, FIFO and I2C, as well as FTDI’s proprietary FT1248 I/O (including enhanced SPI).

Through X-Chip, engineers are provided with a feature-rich USB 2.0 interface solution with a smaller size and a lower pin count. High level of integration, including integrated crystal and MTP (Multi-time programmable) memory for configuring and storing the device descriptors and an internal clock source, solves major board level concerns, such as better space utilization and reduced power consumption. Devices in the series are capable of data rates of up to 3.4 Mbits/s, while maintaining low power consumption, <8mA (typical) when fully active and <125 μA (typical) while in suspend mode

With recent amendments being made to the USB specification regarding more rapid charging of portable electronics devices, the X-Chip has built-in functionality to detect a charging port (battery charging detection – BCD, dedicated charging port – DCP) and cause a logic to switch from data transfer to charging mode. This feature means that detection does not have to be carried out by the system’s microcontroller, thereby allowing it to focus fully on its core activities. The end result is a simpler detection process and the capability to charge at a higher current level which shortens the time required for battery charging.

The devices in the X-Chip series are offered in compact SSOP, QFN and DFN packages. Each has an operational temperature range of -40 °C to +85 °C. X-chip series has an internal 3.3V converter and supports 1.8 to 3.3V I/O voltages. As all the necessary USB support and bridging intelligence has been integrated into these devices and pre-validated, the expense, time and engineering resource needed to bring Full Speed USB connectivity into system designs is markedly reduced. FTDI provides support and royalty-free downloads for a wide selection of OS: Windows, Android, Mac OS, and Linux.

Overview of all new types will provide you the attached table, X-chip brochure and X-chips overview. Available are 7 basic types – FT200XD, FT201X, FT220X, FT221X, FT230X, FT231X and FT240X. FT200XD is the smallest one, in a tiny 10-pin DFN package. All other types are available in SSOP and QFN packages. Detailed description will provide you FT200XD, FT201X, FT220X, FT221X, FT230X, FT231X and FT240X datasheets. An example of an easy to use I2C/USB slave converter illustrates the picture below. Further details about battery charging you can find in the AN_175 application note.

Together with these chips, FTDI has released a wide-selection of development modules. Also available are so-called breakout modules, providing the simplest method to connect to a USB host. You can choose from 4 types of breakout modules – UMFT200XD, UMFT201XB, UMFT220XB a UMFT230XB. Evaluation modules are larger than breakout modules, but provide access to all pins.

New X-chip series will connect you to USB even easier and faster! - [Link]

sii-ic.com writes:

The temperature switch IC inverts the output according to the detected temperature, enabling a simple circuit configuration ideal for reducing costs and space in a system.

In a temperature switch that is configured using a thermistor, a comparison circuit is required downstream. However, this circuit is not required in SII’s temperature switch IC because the IC inverts the output when the detected temperature reaches a preset value. This makes the IC ideal for reducing costs and saving space in the customer’s system.

In the temperature switch ICs, the output is inverted when the temperature exceeds the set value.

The following temperature switch ICs are available: a latch type that maintains an inverted state (latch) to prevent an unstable output at the detected temperature and a hysteresis type that releases the inverted state when the temperature decreases to the set value.

S-5840B / S-5841 – Temperature Switch ICs - [Link]

Double layer electrolytic capacitors already enable to replace backup batteries in many applications.

Modern high-capacity double layer capacitors (also known as supercapacitors) feature a very high energy/volume ratio, compared to usual electrolytic capacitors. Their capacity is so high, that they are able to replace backup batteries in many designs. On the market there are available miniature types as well as physically big types with capacities of tens to hundreds of Farads.

One of the biggest advantages of capacitors in comparison to batteries is their long lifetime, because their electrodes don´t undergo degradation neither after many thousands of cycles. On the other side, even modern batteries have a limited lifetime and a limited number of cycles, because energy storage in batteries is related to chemical changes of electrodes during charge/discharge (change from a solid to a liquid form, crystallization,…), what causes degradation of electrodes.
In our offer, you can find small “coin-type” double layer capacitors suitable for backup power supply of memories. For example a capacitor with a 1F (1000mF=1 000 000 uF) capacity charged at 5V can store energy of 12.5 Jouls (E=1/2*C*U²), what is 12.5 Wattseconds. This energy is in most cases sufficient to ensure a safe backup of memories at a voltage dropout. Such energy is also sufficient for a short time power supply of low power devices. This can be very useful for example for a safe write of data to EEPROM and a safe switch off of a device.

Supercapacitors instead of batteries? - [Link]

Do you know, that a relay can have a zero power consumption in a relaxed state? Latching (bistable) relays have these feature. In the era, when it is a general effort to decrease power requirements of devices, is the usage of these relays even more actual.

Electromagnetic relay, as a switching element, is one of the oldest electronic components. Inspite of a strong rival in the form of SSR (solid state relay), has an electromagnetic relay some convenient properties, for which is its usage more convenient in many cases. Let´s mention for example a high dielectric strength coil/contacts as well as between contacts, minimal power losses on contatcs and a linear transmision of small signals without a distortion. Inspite of, that the coil of the relay is always optimalized for a minimal power consumption, still it is not neglible, especially at relay arrays or at battery powered devices. a solution is to use a polarized latching (bistable) relay. As already a name says, a latching relay is designed so, that it has two relaxed states, i.e. it needs power supply only for a change of state, in a relaxed state (on or off) it has a zero power consumption.

Further detailed information are contained in the datasheet JSL. General application notes for usage of relays you can find in the Engineering reference. On the Fujitsu, website, you can also find replacements for the relays from other companies.

Polarized latching relay Fujitsu with a minimal power consumption - [Link]

Power^XR Programmable Power Solutions

A range of serial (I2C) programmable step-down regulators for complex systems with multiple supply voltages.

• 3 or 4 completely independent PWM channels.
• One 3.3/5 V selectable linear LDO regulator.
• Programmable output voltage from 0.9 to 5.1 V.
• Programmable switch frequencies from 0.3 to 1.5 MHz.
• Up to 6 configurable GPIO pins.
• PowerArchitect™ » Free development software.

PowerXR – Programmable switching regulator - [Link]