Electronics Design

EMC basics: I/O

EMC Basics #5: I/O as critical circuits article gives some useful tips on the EMC issues related to inputs and outputs. Digital inputs/outputs — The key concern for digital interfaces is ESD. A secondary concern is radiated emissions. Radiated susceptibility is rare with digital I/O, although possible at very high RF levels. The solutions for

Bumps in the road ahead for solid-state lighting

LED retrofit lamps have started to show up on retail shelves. Many players in the LED industry are giddy about the anticipated growth over the next few years. Nevertheless, the road to success for LED lighting will not be completely smooth, as there are a number of pitfalls to navigate. Bumps in the road ahead

Common DC voltage levels

DC voltage levels: 0.7V Nominal voltage drop on normal silicon diode or similar semiconductor junction 0.8V Voltages from 0V to 0.8V are considered to be logic 0 on TTL logic IC inputs 1.25V NiCd, NiMH battery cell nominal voltage 1.5V Carbon and alkaeline battery cell nominal voltage 1.6V The voltage you normally get from a

Write only memory

Write-only memory has been one of the best practical jokes on the electronics industry field. Write-only memory (WOM) is the antithesis of read-only memory (ROM). By definition, a WOM is a memory device which can be written but never read. The WOM concept is most often used as a joke or a euphemism for a

Cat 5 Cable Modeling

Category 5 (CAT5) cable is a multi-pair (usually 4 pair) cable that consists of twisted pair conductors, used mainly for data transmission. Basic CAT5 cable was designed for characteristics of up to 100 MHz. Newer CAT6 cable is designed form 250 MHz. Nowadays there are applications where those cables is used to carry higher frequencies.

Noise Reduction Techniques

Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems book except has some interesting reading on ground loops and inductive noise reduction. This is old but still very valid material from Henry Ott, the EMC, noise, and signal integrity guru. Read also Ground- A Path For Current Flow article which says: Consider ground as a low impedance path

Commonly used AC voltage levels

AC voltage levels: 0.316V The most common nominal level for consumer audio equipment is -10 dBV, 0.316 volts root mean square (VRMS). 0.7746V The reference voltage for the decibel unloaded (0 dBu) is the voltage required to produce 1 mW of power across a 600 ohms load (approximately 0.7746 VRMS) 1V  The reference voltage for

Electrolytic capacitor life

As we all know, a good LED could last very long up to 50,000 hours with with a good heat sink. But how is the LED driver electronics life? For common LED drivers there is at least one component is very weak. It’s the electrolytic capacitor. High Bay LED Lighting Driver Heat Dissipation Temperature Test