50 Most-Read New Product Stories of 2014: 10 to 1

10: High-Performance 12-bit ADCs feature Five Analog Input Ranges

The DATEL Business Unit of Murata Power Solutions announces the introduction of the ADC-85 series of Analog-to-Digital converters, which are 12-bit, 8µs conversion time ADCs housed in a hermetically sealed 32-pin side-brazed DDIP or gull-wing SMT ceramic package. Each unit features guaranteed ½ LSB of linearity and is 100 percent tested for performance across one of three specified temperature ranges: 0 to +70 degrees C; -40 to +100 degrees C; and -55 to +125 degrees C. The ADC-85 has five analog input ranges and offers parallel and serial digital outputs. It can be short-cycled to give faster conversions in lower-resolution applications. more

9: 45W and 60W LED Driver featuring 3-in-1 Dimming

RECOM Lighting has introduced new series of 45W and 60W LED drivers for constant-current LED luminaires. The RACD45-A and RACD60-A series come with a 3-in-1 dimming function so that the modules can be controlled with analog (1-10V), PWM, or external resistor dimming. The series operate with input voltages between 90Vac and 305Vac and include 4 different models with current outputs ranging from 700mA to 1850mA (RACD45-A) and from 1050mA to 4200mA (RACD60-A). more

8: Growing Production Drives Prices Down for Solid-State Li-ion Batteries

Cymbet Corporation announced today that the entire family of EnerChipâ„¢ rechargeable solid-state batteries is now running at their high-volume manufacturing site in Lubbock, Texas. This high-volume manufacturing site, along with strategic supply chain improvements, have facilitated decreased costs that in turn allow Cymbet to lower the prices of all EnerChip devices an average of 25%. Prices on all Cymbet EnerChip devices have been decreased including; EnerChip battery packaged parts and bare die, EnerChip CC batteries with integrated charge control and power management, and the EnerChip RTC family that combines an ultra-low power Real Time Clock bare die with an EnerChip battery bare die and a Power Management IC in a tiny plastic package. more

7: 42V Synchronous Step-Down Delivers 6A from a 3mm x 6mm QFN

Linear Technology Corporation had added the LT8612, a 6A, 42V input capable synchronous step-down switching regulator. Synchronous rectification delivers efficiency as high as 95% while Burst Mode® operation keeps quiescent current under 3µA in no-load standby conditions. Its 3.4V to 42V input voltage range makes it suited for automotive and industrial applications. Its internal high efficiency switches deliver up to 6A of continuous output current to voltages as low as 0.97V. The LT8612's Burst Mode operation offers ultralow quiescent current, making it well suited for applications such as automotive "always-on" systems, which need to extend operating battery life. more

6: 750mA Regulator Delivers 94.6% Peak Efficiency in 30-mm-square Footprint

Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) today introduced the smallest 12-V, 750-mA dc-dc power regulator. The SIMPLE SWITCHER® regulator features high performance and tiny nano packaging to drive space-constrained and power dense applications in a variety of markets, including consumer, industrial and automotive. Packing a number of features into a 2.56-mm2 package, the nano power regulator makes it easier for engineers to design a power supply for their system, and along with TI's WEBENCH® online design tool, simplifies and speeds the process. more

5: Quarter Bricks Target Systems with 380Vdc Power Bus

TDK Corporation announces the introduction of the TDK-Lambda PH-A280 series of dc-dc power modules with high-voltage dc input. These quarter-brick modules operate from a wide range input of 200- to 425-Vdc, which is widely used in HVDC (High Voltage DC Current) and solar-cell related applications. The PH-A280 power modules are available in four output power levels of 50W, 75W, 100W and 150W. Nominal output voltages consist of 5-, 12-, 24- or 48-Vdc; adjustable by -20% to +10% (+/-20% for 5V output models). Efficiencies of up to 90% are achieved, an improvement of 5% over the prior series. more

4: 12:1 Input 60W DC-DC Converters Cover All Railway Bus Voltages

Gaia Converter introduces a new platform for ultra-wide-input voltage range dc-dc converters. The first introduction of this new technology platform is the 60W series, targeting railway, transportation and high-end industrial applications. Uniquely wide, the MGDDI-60 Series 12-160Vdc input voltage range is designed to cover all typical battery/bus voltages at once (24V, 28V, 48V, 72V, 96V, 110V) with the same device. This unique performance is achieved thanks to Gaia's proprietary switching techniques while also keeping efficiency over 90%. more

3: GaN Widens the Performance Gap with the Silicon MOSFETs

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announces the introduction of six new-generation power transistor products and corresponding development boards. Ranging from 30V to 200V, these products provide significant reduction in RDS(on) greatly increasing their output current capability in applications such as high power density dc-dc converters, Point-of-Load (POL) converters, synchronous rectification in dc-dc and ac-dc converters, motor drives, LED lighting, and industrial automation. more

2: 25-mOhm / 1700-V SiC Transistors

GeneSiC Semiconductor today announces the immediate availability of a family of low on-resistance 1700V and 1200V SiC Junction Transistors in TO-247 packages. The use of high-voltage, high-frequency, high-temperature and low on-resistance capable SiC Junction Transistors will increase conversion efficiency and reduce the size/weight/volume of power electronics applications requiring higher bus voltages. These devices are targeted for use in a wide variety of applications including dc microgrids, vehicle fast chargers, server, telecom and networking power supplies, uninterruptable power supplies, solar inverters, wind power systems, and industrial motor control systems. more

1: Sub-Dollar Floating-Point Digital Signal Controllers

STMicroelectronics, Inc. has announced that its new STM32F301/302/303 microcontrollers based on the ARM® Cortex®-M4 core with Floating-Point Unit (FPU) are in full production and now in stock at distributors, available immediately to deliver outstanding performance and system-on-chip integration for value-conscious advanced applications. The market-first sub-dollar Cortex-M4 devices with FPU in volume production, the new STM32F301 access product line brings 32KBytes to 64KBytes on-chip Flash and 16KByte of SRAM, offering an easy step into ARM Cortex -M4-core-based MCU development. The STM32F302 and STM32F303 offer extended Flash density from 32KBytes to 256KBytes. Additional STM32F3 devices with up to 512KBytes of Flash will be introduced later this year. more