Filters are an important part of analog design. Even circuits that you don’t think of as filters are actually filters. For example, a simple amplifier will have a bandwidth and so above its upper 3dB point it is a low pass filter. Whole books have been written on filters and filter design, both analog and […]
Products
Transimpedance amplifier signal-to-noise
The use of opamps as a transimpedance amplifier is well known and a good analysis of the noise behavior of them is in the old Burr Brown Application Bulletin AB-076 from 1994. This is still available from Texas Instruments’ web site as sboa060 – simply search for that on their website. Improving the signal to […]
2kVAC Isolated 1.5W low noise μModule converters in 9mm x 11.25mm x 4.92mm BGA package are UL60950 recognized
Linear Technology Corporation introduces the LTM8057 and LTM8058, 1.5W output μModule® (micromodule) DC/DC converters with 2kVAC galvanic isolation (production tested to 3kVDC) in a 9mm x 11.25mm x 4.92mm BGA (ball grid array) package. The LTM8057 and LTM8058 include an isolated transformer, control circuitry, power switches and a modest amount of input and output capacitance. […]
What is a cascode amplifier?
I am not sure how “fashionable” discrete transistor design is nowadays, but anyone using discrete transistors, bipolar or otherwise, for high speed designs other than for switching probably knows about cascode designs. The purpose of a cascode amplifier (not to be confused with cascade which is a chain of two or more amplifiers) is to […]
LTC6990/1/2/3/4/5 TimerBlox
By Chris Francis I have used various programmable clock generator chips, such as the PLL based devices from IDT for generating high frequency clocks in mixed signal systems, such as pixel clocks for analog to digital converters in video systems. In those applications precision frequencies can be important and speed can be more than 100MHz. […]
AD9850 Direct Digital Synthesis Chip: How is it used?
By Chris Francis There are a number of DDS chips around. Taking Analog Devices as an example, they range from simple, low speed, low cost devices such as the AD9837 (5MHz or 16MHz clock) for around $2 to the AD9914 3.5Gs/s costing over $180. Some are aimed at function generators, some for test and measurement, […]
Xilinx and TSMC Reach Volume Production on all 28nm CoWoS™
Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) and TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) announced production release of the Virtex®-7 HT family, the industry’s first heterogeneous 3D ICs in production. With this milestone, all Xilinx 28nm 3D IC families are now in volume production. These 28nm devices were developed on TSMC’s Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS™) 3D IC process that produces significant […]
Toshiba Three-Phase Brushless Motor Driver IC
Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC), a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today launches a highly integrated, sine-wave driver IC (Part Number TB6585AFTG) for implementation in three-phase DC brushless motors used in fan motors of home appliances. The device enables quiet operation, low vibration, and low-power consumption for ventilation and […]
Texas Instruments Names Winner of TI Analog Design Contest
Texas Instruments awarded Adam Munich, a freshman from Rochester Institute of Technology, as the overall winner of the Engibous Prize in its sixth annual TI Analog Design Contest. This contest showcases the innovative projects and competitive spirit of today’s future engineers. Munich’s project focused on improving the original Tesla coil, which is used to produce high-voltage, low-current […]
1-Wire Thermocouple-to-Digital Converters
The MAX31850/MAX31851, cold-junction-compensated, 1-Wire thermocouple-to-digital converters were introduced today. The devices achieve ±2.0°C accuracy (not including sensor nonlinearity) while integrating all of the functions required for a complete (thermocouple-to-digital solution). Additionally, the MAX31850/MAX31851’s 1-Wire interface allows multiple sensor locations to communicate and draw power over a single data line, greatly simplifying wiring requirements. Designers can […]