New products roundup: IP&E and power

Here is this week’s roundup of new products, including a range of interconnect, passive, and electromechanical (IP&E) components. These include FPC-to-board connectors, metal film and tantalum capacitors, and multi-legend display pushbuttons. Listed in alphabetical order by company name, other new products highlighted include DDR4 SDRAMs, power modules, and power supplies. In other news, we cover new investments, partnerships, and collaborations.

Advanced Energy’s CSU2400AT series. Click for a larger image. (Source: Advanced Energy)

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has expanded its family of ultra-high-density front-end power supplies with the addition of the Artesyn 2400-watt (W) CSU2400AT series. The series features a common redundant power supply (CPRS) form factor with an 80PLUS Titanium efficiency certification. Aimed at compute, storage, and networking applications, the power supply offers up to 96% efficiency, delivering reduced energy consumption and improved space utilization, said the company. In addition, the standard CPRS 1U × 73.5 mm form factor allows these power supplies to be integrated into existing deployments. These hot-pluggable power supplies, with input voltages of 180 to 264 VAC and 180 to 336 VDC, feature active power factor correction (PFC), very low total harmonic current distortion to comply with EN 61000-3-2 limits even at light loads, active current sharing, and a ‘cold redundancy’ capability. Each power supply delivers a nominal output voltage of 12.2 V. The CSU2400AT series is compliant with EMI Class A, IEC 60950, and IEC/EN/UL 62368 standards as well as all relevant safety standards. They are PMBus-compliant.

Alliance Memory’s 4-Gb SDRAMs. Click for a larger image. (Source: Alliance Memory)

Alliance Memory has extended its portfolio of CMOS DDR4 SDRAMs with new “A” die versions of the 4-Gb AS4C256M16D4A and AS4C512M8D4 in the 96-ball and 78-ball FBGA packages, respectively. The new devices – AS4C256M16D4A-62BCN, AS4C256M16D4A-62BIN, AS4C256M16D4A-75BCN, AS4C256M16D4A-75BIN, AS4C512M8D4A-75BCN, and AS4C512M8D4A-75BIN – are built on a finer process than the original devices, delivering a smaller size, lower power consumption, higher speeds, and higher transfer rates at a lower cost, said the company. The devices offer fast clock speeds up to 1600 MHz and transfer rates up to 3200 Mbits/s and can increase battery life in portable electronics devices with a low operating voltage of 1.2 V (±0.06 V). The DDR4 memory devices are suited for applications such as 5G designs, computing, surveillance systems, smart meters, human-machine interfaces (HMI), digital signal controllers, and PNDs. They are offered in commercial (0°C to +95°C) and industrial (-40°C to 95°C) temperature ranges. Samples and production quantities of the new “A” versions are available now with lead times of eight to 12 weeks. Pricing for U.S. delivery starts at $4 each. The company also announced the addition of Micron Technology’s 16-Gb MT40A1G16KH-062E to its offering of DDR4 SDRAMs. The MT40A1G16KH-062E is available now from stock. Pricing for U.S. delivery starts at $10 each.

EAO’s Series 57. Click for a larger image. (Source: EAO)

EAO has introduced its new Series 57 multi-legend display pushbutton for visible status displays. It comes with up to 18 customizable symbols and a wide viewing angle. The pushbutton provides intuitive indicators that use symbols, which are easily identifiable and visible in all conditions, said EAO, and it meets all relevant public transportation standards. One application example cited is an easily identifiable alarm symbol in the event of a fire. The symbols can be shown with a resolution of up to 432 x 432 pixels and can be uploaded to the device via the Multi-Legend Display programming kit. Other key features include a three-inch thin film transistor (TFT) LCD display, an integrated sensor for adapting the display brightness, a variety of combinable display colors, and high display contrast. The brightness sensor offers visibility in all lighting conditions and extends the service life of the device by ensuring that the illumination is never brighter than it needs to be, said the company.

Exxelia’s mil/aero tantalum capacitors. Click for a larger image. (Source: Exxelia)

Exxelia has expanded its line of MIL-PRF-39006/22 and MIL-PRF-39006/25 gelled tantalum capacitors with reliability level R, in addition to existing level M and P versions, equivalent to the CLR79 and CLR81 series. Available in all package sizes (T1 to T4), the fully sealed capacitors offer a voltage range from 6 V to 125 V, capacitance values from 1.7 µF to 1200 µF, and an operating temperature range of -55°C to 125°C. They also can withstand harsh environments with very good shock and vibration resistance (option H is available), and deliver higher energy density, higher ripple currents, lower ESR, and lower DC leakage current, compared to solid tantalum capacitors, reported the company. They can be used in power supplies and converters as well as filtering units for the aerospace and defense industries. The MIL 39006/22 and MIL 39006/25 Level R capacitors are now available with a lead time of 14 weeks.

Hirose’s BK10 series. Click for a larger image. (Source: Hirose)

Hirose Electric USA has added an ultra-low-profile version to its hybrid flexible printed circuit (FPC) to board connector. The new BK10 series of FPC-to-board connectors offers 30 signal positions rated at 0.3 A and two power contacts rated at 5 A. Key specs include a rated voltage of 30 VAC/DC and an operating temperature of -55°C to 85°C. They provide a 0.5-mm stacking height and a 1.7-mm width for space savings in portable and wearable device applications. The connectors provide a fully armored housing, covered by a metal shell that is said to prevent housing damage due to misalignment when mating. Other features include multi-point soldering and a dimpled lock design on the contacts that provides a high extraction force. Both the power and signal contacts have a two-point contact design for high contact reliability. They also offer a wide self-alignment range of ±0.29 mm in the pitch direction and ±0.24 mm in the width direction.

Stackpole’s RMCS series. Click for a larger image. (Source: Stackpole Electronics)

Stackpole Electronics, Inc. recently upgraded the voltage rating on the RMCS0603 anti-sulfur thick-film chip resistor. It now offers a working voltage to 75 V, enabling the use in a wider range of application requirements. The RMCS series offers an anti-sulfur option with “excellent” anti-sulfur performance, supported by ASTMB-809-95 sulfur testing that shows a maximum shift of less than 0.5%. The operating temperature range is -55°C to 155°C. These devices find homes in industrial areas where electronics can be subjected to sulfur in oils, lubricants, gaskets, hoses, and atmospheric gasses. Pricing for the RMCS varies with size, resistance value, and tolerance. The chip resistors are RoHS and REACH compliant and halogen-free.

ST’s STPOWER power modules. Click for a larger image. (Source: STMicroelectronics)

STMicroelectronics has released two STPOWER power modules that simplify silicon-carbide (SiC) inverter designs. Each module consists of 1200-V SiC MOSFETs in popular configurations and uses ST’s ACEPACK 2 package technology for high power density and simplified assembly. The A2F12M12W2-F1 is a four-pack module that provides a full-bridge solution for circuits such as DC/DC converters, while the A2U12M12W2-F2 uses a three-level T-type topology to combine high conduction and switching efficiency. Both devices deliver 13 mΩ typical RDS(on) per die, enabling the use of both full-bridge and T-type topologies in high-power applications. It also delivers “excellent” energy efficiency with simplified thermal management due to low dissipation. The compact ACEPACK 2 package is said to deliver high power density, with an alumina substrate and direct bonded copper (DBC) die attachment with press fit pins that simplify assembly in harsh environments such as electric vehicles (EVs) and power conversion for charging stations, energy storage, and solar energy. Unit pricing is $235.20 for both the A2F12M12W2-F1 four-pack configuration and the A2U12M12W2-F2 three-level T-type inverter.

TDK’s B32354S series. Click for a larger image. (Source: TDK Corp.)

The B32354S* series is the latest release of TDK Corp.’s metalized EPCOS polypropylene (MKP) capacitors for filter applications. The AC film capacitors feature a 4-pin design and a pitch of 52.5 mm. Key specs include a VRMS of 275 V AC or 350 V AC, a capacitance range from 10 μF to 40 μF, and a maximum operating temperature of 85°C. With a high AC load capacity, the film capacitors offer high resistance to harsh operating conditions such as high humidity, supported by a THB test (Grade III Test B) according to IEC 60384-14:2013/AMD1:2016 with an operating temperature of 85°C and a relative humidity of 85 percent at an applied nominal voltage for 1,000 hours. The capacitors offer a life of at least 100,000 hours and a very low failure rate of less than 5 FIT. The series is certified to IEC 61071, meets a high safety level (10,000 AFC), and is UL 810 approved. They carry the CE mark, and the housing and potting material comply with UL 94 V-0. Key applications include filtering such as output filtering of frequency converters for drives, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and photovoltaic inverters.

News highlights from the week include the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) $10 million partnership with Intel Corporation, a partnership between Infineon and Teraki to improve automotive radar systems, and a collaboration between Lynred and Umicore on thermal sensing technology for automotive applications.

The U.S. NSF announced a $10 million partnership with Intel to train and build the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing workforce and advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education opportunities. This comes after the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act that will invest $50 billion to help fund new manufacturing capacity and create a National Semiconductor Technology Center. Most of the funding will support chipmakers like Intel and Micron that make leading-edge semiconductors. The NSF and Intel collaboration will focus on investments in engineering technology and advanced education and training for semiconductor manufacturing and design, including STEM education. This is part of a previously announced 10-year collaboration between NSF and Intel that will invest $100 million to address U.S. semiconductor design and manufacturing challenges and workforce shortages.

Teraki, a provider of edge sensor processing, announced its latest machine-learning (ML)-based radar detection software that identifies static and moving objects with increased accuracy and less computational power. Designed to increase the safety of autonomous driving (AD) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the real traffic solution runs on ASIL-D compliant AURIX TC4x microcontrollers from Infineon Technologies AG. The ML approach is said to solve challenges around the limitations of radar sensing technology, such as interference that can lower radar detection performance and high processing requirements, by using raw data and reducing noise. The ML-detection is reported to deliver more points per object for less false positives, which increases safety. In addition, with Infineon’s AURIX TC4x, the ML-based algorithm is reported to reduce radar signals after the first Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT), achieving up to 25 times lower error rates of missing objects at the same RAM/fps. “Compared to CFAR, classification is up to 20 percent higher in precision, and valid detections increase to 15 percent more,” said Infineon. This release delivers real-time processing performance on AURIX TC4x, consuming 4- or 5-bit bitrates instead of 8- or 32-bits without compromising the F1-scores, resulting in up to two times less memory required, said the company.

Lynred, a global provider of infrared (IR) detectors, and Umicore, a circular materials technology company, have co-developed a next-generation thermal sensing technology which is reported to “drastically improve the performance of pedestrian autonomous emergency raking (PAEB) in adverse lighting conditions at an affordable cost.” Thermal sensing can detect objects as far as 150 m to 300 m and can classify a living being (cyclist, deer, wild hog etc.) from a distance of 100 m to 200 m, depending on the sensor resolution (QVGA or VGA, respectively), according to the companies. This is in comparison to a visible camera with a low-beam headlight, which can detect at a distance of 20 m to 30 m. The thermal sensing technology is comprised of a new 8.5-µm pixel pitch microbolometer designed by Lynred and Umicore’s wafer-level lens technologies. The companies received funding to develop the technology under the European HELIAUS project. The companies, together with other HELIAUS partners, will demonstrate the capabilities of the new technology at the AutoSens conference, Brussels, Belgium, September 12-15. Lynred and Umicore previously collaborated on infrared technologies.