Power matters
Power is the only staple in the electronics buffet. A product may not have logic, a display, buttons and switches, cables, or even an enclosure, but it will have to have power of some kind. This critical need in almost every device in existence today places an ongoing pressure on the industry (that goes beyond the current DOSA/POLA alliance buzz) to provide useful cross-platform form factors, communication protocols, and control and monitoring standards to ease the burden on today's engineer.
Customization can be cool, but keeping everyone on the same map helps to keep things from getting out of hand.
Among the many examples of this is the IEEE 1621 Working Group, which is spearheading the Power Control User Interface Standard for electronic devices in homes and businesses. Addressing the reality that more and more products have several basic power states, the standard covers symbols, terms, and indicator light colors and behaviors, but does not cover safety issues or internal terminology or protocols.
To set the stage for the manufacture of a new generation of batteries, IEEE 1625, a standard for rechargeable cells in mobile computers, was developed in conjunction with 19 of the world's major battery and computer companies. Recognizing that if the standard had its own brand, it would provide greater control over the certification process, including the licensing of any trademark or logo related to the standard, the IEEE brought in TippingSprung, a branding firm, to create the Livium name in a process that included international testing to ensure that a name is effective and nonoffensive around the world.
There are many other examples of this, from the existing groups working on standards from IEEE 1547 on distributed power interconnections and IEEE 519 on power quality, to newly formed groups working on developing standards such as IEEE 1662 on marine power electronics. These many groups are serving the industry by providing a common frame of reference to hardworking engineers who need to know that the part they are specifying is available in a configuration that allows easy device integration as well as reduced design and manufacturing costs.
There are some who say that standards force companies into creating “me too” products that keep innovation out of the product. I disagree. Standards exist in many industries, yet the resulting device compatibility does not prevent the manufacturers of things from tires to telephones from distinguishing themselves from the pack by the quality of their products.
Alix L. Paultre
Executive Editor
apaultre@hearst.com
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