Low power standby requirements are typically associatedwith battery-powered systems. Automotive systems,for example, commonly require power supplies tomaintain output voltage regulation even under no-loadconditions—while drawing minimal quiescent current topreserve battery life. Rising energy costs, however, haveextended the need for low current standby operation toline-powered systems, such as small plugged-in appliancesfor home and business.
Industrial remote monitoring systems and keep-alivecircuits spend most of their time in standby mode. Manyof these systems also depend on battery power, so powersupply effi ciency in standby state is very important tomaximize battery life. The LT®8410/-1 high effi ciencyboost converter is ideal for these systems, requiringonly 8.5μA of quiescent current in standby mode. Thedevice integrates high value (12.4M/0.4M) output feedbackresistors, signifi cantly reducing input current whenthe output is in regulation with no load. Other featuresinclude an integrated 40V switch and Schottky diode,output disconnect with current limit, built in soft-start,overvoltage protection and a wide input range, all in atiny 8-pin 2mm × 2mm DFN package.
Handheld electronic devices play a key role in our everydaylives. Because dependability is paramount, handhelds arecarefully engineered with lightweight power sources forreliable use under normal conditions. But no amount ofcareful engineering can prevent the mistreatment theywill undergo at the hands of humans. For example, whathappens when a factory worker drops a bar code scanner,causing the battery to pop out? Such events areelectronically unpredictable, and important data storedin volatile memory would be lost without some form ofsafety net—namely a short-term power holdup systemthat stores suffi cient energy to supply standby power untilthe battery can be replaced or the data can be stored inpermanent memory.
One of the fi rst lessons in a basic electronics coursecovers the symbols for resistors, capacitors, inductors,voltage sources and current sources. Althougheach symbol represents a functional component of areal-world circuit, only some of the symbols have directphysical counterparts. For instance, the three discretepassive devices—resistors, capacitors, inductors—canbe picked off a shelf and placed on a real board muchas their symbolic analogs appear in a basic schematic.Likewise, while voltage sources have no direct 2-terminalanalog, a voltage source can be easily built with an offthe-shelf linear regulator.
Notebook and palmtop systems need a multiplicity ofregulated voltages developed from a single battery. Smallsize, light weight, and high efficiency are mandatory forcompetitive solutions in this area. Small increases inefficiency extend battery life, making the final productmuch more usable with no increase in weight. Additionally,high efficiency minimizes the heat sinks needed onthe power regulating components, further reducing systemweight and size.
Linear Technology has a sabbatical program. Every fiveyears employees are granted sabbatical leave, which maylast up to six weeks. You have 18 months from each fiveyear employment anniversary to take the leave. Sabbaticalis fully company paid and has no restrictions. The time isyours to do with as you please.
This white paper raises some fundamental issues the design engineer should address before deciding upon a communication approach for a wireless network. As no universal wireless network solution exists, it should be custom tailored to suit the application demands. Defining your application communication characteristics is the key to ensure optimal communication reliability and resistance to interfering noise sources.
Digitemp Junior – An RS-232 Port-Powered Digital Thermometer
Digitemp Jr. is a device that is designed to measure
and report ambient temperature. When connected to
an RS-232 port on any PC, it will periodically measure
and report in ASCII form the ambient temperature in
degrees Celsius. These temperature readings can be
monitored with any terminal program. If the terminal
program supports capture to disk, the temperature
readings can be saved to disk for further analysis with
a spreadsheet program or other data analysis tool. The
simple ASCII output format of Digitemp Jr. makes it rel-
atively easy to write custom software for receiving,
recording, and analyzing ambient temperature data.
Best of all, Digitemp Jr. requires no external power sup-
plies or batteries. It is powered directly by the RS-232 port.
