Bench Talk

Nearly 4000 power professionals and knowledge-seekers converged at the Fort Worth Convention Center in March for the twenty-ninth annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC 2014). There was something for everyone it seemed, from hot topics such as high-density power supplies, wide bandgap semiconductors for power electronics applications, wireless charging for electric vehicles, advances in nanotechnology, energy harvesting and 3D packaging to standard subjects such as dc-dc converters, power factor correction, controls, and passive components.

A decade ago, back when Xilinx’s Virtex®-4 and Spartan™-3, and Altera’s Stratix®-II were new products, it was my job at Texas Instruments (TI) to partner with the leading FPGA manufacturers to produce power management solutions that benefited our joint customers. Multiple power rails, power-up sequencing, tight tolerances, transient response, system reliability, total solution cost, and size – these were all things we were concerned with even then.

The 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wrapped up with the usual plethora of product debuts and announcements. Here are some highlights and trends related to power supplies and power management products.

I am looking forward to sharing useful information with the power electronics community in short, uncomplicated blogs. There are lots of great power devices whether new and state of the art or tried and true -- to bring to your attention. I will also provide updates on emerging technologies that either enable advancements in power electronics such as wide bandgap semiconductors, or are enabled by new power electronics, such as wireless charging systems. As new resources become available, I want to highlight where to find them. I might also write about some of the great ways to connect with others for help with your power management questions or to network with like-minded folks. I also want to give you a heads-up on important industry events, such as the Applied Power Electronics Consortium (APEC).