Optocoupler is an electronic component that has a light source at its input side and a light detector or sensor in its output side. A light source is a LED while the detector or sensor is a phototransistor. It is also called as optoisolator, photocoupler or optical isolator. This device is considered as a current controlled current source. This is
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Rectifier is an electrical circuit that converts AC to DC. It is either half wave or full wave. A half wave rectifier consists of a single diode only. There are two types of full wave rectifier. One is the bridge type and the other one is the center tap type. Bridge rectifiers have four identical diodes connected in bridge. On
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In some applications especially those involving high current may need more than one diode in parallel. For DIY projects like for personal consumption or school projects, this could be acceptable. However, in talking with professional product development wherein the quality and reliability are the focus, parallelling diodes is highly discouraged. This article will discuss the 2 main reasons why it
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High side driver refers to an electronic switch that is configured to switch a supply voltage. It is commonly used in applications wherein the power source of a circuit is electronically controlled on and off by other circuits like a microcontroller. High side switch could be implemented by using BJT or MOSFET. IGBT could be an option as well but
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The importance of DFMEA in product development is cannot be underestimated. It is an analysis that is good for both product robustness and overall safety. However, this design tool is not adopted by all product developers. The main reason is that this tool is maybe time consuming and needs a highly experienced design engineer to do so. DFMEA Definition DFMEA
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Buck converter can be synchronous or non-synchronous type. The former uses a MOSFET (or BJT, IGBT) in place of the buck diode. Basically, there are two switches in synchronous type. On the other hand, the latter uses a switch and a diode combination. This is simpler and cheaper than the former since there is only a single MOSFET to control.
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A fuse is a component used to protect against short circuits. It is a safety feature thus needs to be selected correctly. Below are 8 key points on how to select a fuse. 1. How to Select a Fuse – Starts by Defining the Normal Operating Current The part used in this article is from Littelfuse. Littelfuse is offering very
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Circuit design is a combination of technical knowledge and understanding to each device parameters. Each device parameters are defined in the datasheet. Therefore, knowing how to read MOSFET datasheet is a must in circuits involving MOSFETs. In this another article, in order to explain the ideas clearly, let us use an actual MOSFET part from Infineon. The parts number is IGLR60R190D1XUMA1
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The transistor referred here is the bipolar junction transistor or BJT. Here is the complete guide on how to select a transistor. If you follow these, you can assure a rock solid design. 12 Key Items on How to Select a Transistor The transistor part used in this article is from Diodes Incorporated. They are offering great options for your
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Diode has many uses. It could be as a rectifier, a reverse blocking device, a component in a switching converter or in a switching power supply and so on. Regardless, what application it is, they are the same parameters to consider. These parameters are all given in the diode datasheet. If you are looking for guidance on how to select
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