Welcome to the December Analog Dialogue.
The digital age has changed how edge intelligence helps solve novel and complex challenges. Right at this edge sits the core of this technology—data acquisition (DAQ) systems. In the realm of data acquisition, precision and reliability are paramount. To ensure the highest level of accuracy and integrity, the implementation of an isolated precision signal chain has emerged as a critical component. In this month’s feature, “Preserving Accuracy and Enhancing Reliability in Data Acquisitions with Isolated Precision Signal Chains,” explore an isolated precision signal chain reference design solution and its profound impact on preserving accuracy and enhancing reliability in data acquisition applications.
Smart home applications involve many technical building blocks. Some of these need to be battery-powered because they are deployed in remote locations, without any cable connections. These include sensors, switches, meters, and portable remote controls. In order to build convenient, small form factor, reliable, and low cost systems, power management is key. The article “Using Nanopower in Smart Home Applications” introduces use cases and shows two circuit examples utilizing Analog Devices’ new MAX77837 and MAX18000 nanopower switching converters.
The article “Optimizing Efficiency: Exploring an Active Clamp Forward Converter’s Secondary Rectified Circuit Design and Duty Cycle Role” is this month’s next feature. The active clamp forward converter is a recognized high efficiency power topology utilizing a P-channel MOS for clamping. This design allows for feedback of stored inductance energy to the grid, enhancing overall converter efficiency. To further improve efficiency, a secondary circuit featuring a MOSFET-based self-rectified circuit is incorporated. This article delves into the design challenges of the secondary rectified circuit, highlighting the role of duty cycle optimization. It’s important to note that this is just one facet of the broader power technology employed in the active clamp forward converter.
As ADAS and other high current applications proliferate in automotive applications, the computing power of the related GPUs and ASICs continues to rise significantly. This puts additional pressure on the performance of voltage regulators for such demanding loads, where the currents increase, and transients become larger and faster. Efficiency expectations continue to grow at the same time, while the load voltages decrease below 1 V for better thermal management and to enable advanced semiconductor processes with faster clocks. In this month’s RAQ, “Enhancing Speed and Efficiency for High Transient Automotive Applications,” we address where patented ADI coupled inductors can support the fastest current slew rates, while simultaneously minimizing the current ripple and supporting high efficiency in a small solution size.
Dive into the world of variable gain amplifiers with our latest StudentZone article, “StudentZone— ADALM2000 Activity: Variable Gain Amplifiers.” In this laboratory, we continue our discussion on operational amplifiers (see the previous lab “ADALM2000 Simple Op Amps”), focusing on variable gain/voltage controlled amplifiers.
And as we have for over 58 years, we invite you to be part of the dialogue in Analog Dialogue. You can get in touch through our blog, Facebook page, or email. Let us know how we’re doing and what you’d like to see from us in the coming months.