Industry Trends

Schottky diodes are small components, but they can have a surprisingly large effect on a power circuit.A device such as SS14 may be used for input reverse-polarity protection or a low-current DC-DC con…

Motor driver ICs often look similar on a purchasing list, but they are not necessarily interchangeable.ADRV8825is an integrated stepper motor controller with internal H-bridges and microstepping contro…

Industrial control equipment usually has one thing in common: the power supply is easy to overlook until it fails.A PLC cabinet may need a 24 V DIN-rail power supply for controllers, relays and sensors…

Operational amplifiers are easy to overlook because they are everywhere.A designer may select an LM358 for a low-cost control circuit, an OP07 for a precision measurement stage, an AD8605 for a small s…

When an Industrial IoT product reaches the sourcing stage, temperature and humidity sensors can become surprisingly difficult to replace. The original sensor may still work perfectly in the laboratory,…

A PCB can pass an electrical test and still have a thermal problem.A MOSFET may be running hotter than expected. A power IC may have poor heat transfer to the PCB. A connector can develop unusual resis…

A PCB can look completely normal and still have a thermal problem.A MOSFET may pass the electrical test. An LDO may produce the correct output voltage. A board may even pass final inspection. Put it un…

Resistors are usually one of the easiest parts to purchase.The value is clear. The package is familiar. In many applications, a standard thick film resistor does exactly what the circuit needs.The situ…

When people talk about AI hardware, the conversation almost always starts with GPUs. NVIDIA's AI accelerators remain in high demand, cloud providers continue expanding their data centers. It seems that…

When a CAN transceiver becomes difficult to source, engineers usually start with the package and pinout. That makes sense. Changing a CAN interface can mean a new PCB, new EMC testing, and another roun…

Finding a second source is easy. Approving it for production is not.A supplier may offer an IC with the same package, similar specifications, and a lower price. The real question is whether it will beh…

For most electronics engineers, a handheld multimeter is the first meter they buy.It is easy to carry, quick to use, and good enough for many jobs: checking a 12V rail, measuring a resistor, finding a …