The following are a listing (with links for the full story) of the most read stories on PowerPulse.Net for 2011, thus providing a window into the "pulse" of the trends and interests in the Power Electronics Industry. This is the first part of a series that will continue through Monday, culminating with the most read story of the year.
50: Hitachi Announces the Opening of Investment Discussions With Hi-Rel Electronics
Hitachi, Ltd. and Hi-Rel Electronics Pvt. Ltd. announced that they have agreed to open discussions regarding a business alliance, including Hitachi’s investment on Hi-Rel and creation of a new manufacturing facility. The aim of this move is to bolster both companies’ power electronics businesses in India. The two companies will hold discussions with a view to entering into a final agreement around the end of September 2011.
The full story can be found here.
49: Maxim H-Bridge Transformer Driver Enables Simple and Flexible Isolated DC-DC Designs
Maxim Integrated Products introduced the MAX13256, an H-bridge transformer driver with a wide input-voltage range for isolated power supplies. According to Maxim, using this simple solution, engineers can quickly design a highly efficient (up to 90%) isolated dc-dc converter. The MAX13256 drives a transformer’s primary coil with up to 300mA of current from an 8V to 36Vdc supply which can deliver up to 10W of isolated power. Users can choose their own transformer winding ratio which defines the output voltage, thus allowing the selection of virtually any isolated output voltage. This robust supply range eliminates external voltage regulation. Integrated protection features prevent system-level failures.
The full story can be found here.
48: Power-One Opens First North American Manufacturing Facility in Phoenix
Power-One, Inc. opened its first North American manufacturing facility in Phoenix that will eventually employ 350 people. Power-One’s Phoenix facility will produce its photovoltaic (PV) and wind inverters that convert renewable energy into a usable form of electricity for distribution on the utility grid.
The full story can be found here.
47: IBM Study: Electric Cars Stir Interest But Face Obstacles
According to IBM, many automobile industry executives believe that sales of traditional vehicles will peak before 2020 and are looking to electric-only vehicles (EVs) as one of the next hot products, but they will first have to address stringent consumer requirements about EV performance, recharging, and convenience, according to a new IBM survey of consumer attitudes and a recent study of auto industry executives.
The full story can be found here.
46: UNIPOWER Completes Acquisition of Power Solutions Inc.
UNIPOWER LLC announcesd the acquisition of Power Solutions, Inc., an established and respected name in the Power Supply Industry for over 20 years. This acquisition not only adds to the sales volume of UNIPOWER but also expands the product offering of the company into strategic markets.
The full story can be found here.
45: Johnson Controls Moves to Dissolve Advanced Battery Joint Venture With Saft
Johnson Controls, Inc. took legal action in the Delaware Chancery Court to dissolve the Johnson Controls-Saft (JCS) joint venture. The joint venture was formed in 2006 to develop and manufacture lithium-ion motive battery solutions.
The full story can be found here.
44: GE to Acquire Lineage Power
GE announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire privately-held Lineage Power Holdings, Inc., from The Gores Group, LLC. Lineage Power is a leading global provider of high-efficiency power conversion infrastructure technology and services for the telecommunications and datacenter industries. The deal will open the door for GE Energy technology to be deployed in the $20 billion per year power conversion space, where the demand for reliable, high-quality power is driven by the growth in cloud computing and mobile internet voice, video and data applications.
The full story can be found here.
43: President Obama Highlights Importance of Photonics Industry During Visit to Cree Headquarters
President Barak Obama traveled to Durham, North Carolina to meet with his Jobs and Competitiveness Council at the corporate and U.S. manufacturing headquarters of Cree Inc.. While at Cree, the President toured the company’s LED lighting product assembly facility, met with the Jobs Council and delivered remarks to Cree employees, Jobs Council members, local business owners and representatives from nearby engineering colleges and universities. President Obama highlighted the importance of the photonics industry for job creation and future economic prosperity.
The full story can be found here.
42: TI Introduces Fully Integrated Super Capacitor Manager
Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) introduced what it says is the industry’s first fully integrated Li-Ion battery management integrated circuit (IC) for super capacitor charge control. This single device provides comprehensive features for managing charge control; measuring capacitance and effective series resistance (ESR); and protecting either 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-series super capacitors with individual capacitor control, or up to 9-series capacitors with stack control.
The full story can be found here.
41: Ericsson Announces New Digital PoL Voltage Regulator
Ericsson Power Modules’ 3E series BMR463 is a second-generation, digital point-of-load regulator with unprecedented functionality. It enables systems architects to fully monitor and dynamically control the energy that is delivered to strategic components such as processors, FPGAs, ASICs and others, down to what the company says is a very low, highly economical level.
The full story can be found here.
