Back to Basics: The Fundamentals of Power

Figure 1: 45% of worldwide power
consumption fuels motors

Ask any number of engineers to define "power" and you'll get any number of answers, and none of them would necessarily be wrong. Sometimes it's just a matter of perspective.

Dynamic Range, Signal Integrity, and ESD Pulses

Figure 1: Use your oscilloscope's full vertical range to
take full advantage of the ADC's resolution

Having considered the impact of sampling rate on ESD pulse measurements, let's now turn our attention to dynamic range and signal integrity. No matter what oscilloscope you use, it's important to make the most of the instrument's full vertical range to achieve maximum accuracy.

How Does Sampling Rate Affect ESD Pulse Measurements?

Figure 1: Characterization of an ESD pulse's rise time
depends largely on the oscilloscope's sampling rate

In continuing our look at ESD/EMC pulse measurements, it would be useful to consider how sampling rate figures into the equation. What sort of sampling rate makes sense to use for capturing an ESD pulse? The answer to that question depends primarily on your pulse's rise time.

Why IEEE's Pulse Definitions and ESD Pulses Don't Mix

Figure 1: The IEEE's pulse definitions, which don't fit
the bill for measuring ESD pulses

The IEEE's pulse definitions, found in the organization's Std 181-2011 that covers transitions, pulses, and related waveforms, set the bar for how pulse measurements are determined. These definitions, which are in the DNA of all oscilloscopes, are just the thing for measuring repetitive pulses such as clock signals but not so much for ESD/EMC measurement requirements. In this post, we'll discuss why that is and what you should do differently for measuring ESD pulses.

Making EMC/ESD Pulse Measurements

Figure 1: Oscilloscopes are used for
testing in the green-shaded boxes

There are many circumstances in which electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electrostatic discharge (ESD) testing are a fact of life. Many countries have adopted IEC international standards that dictate certain levels of immunity, as have the automotive, medical, military, and aerospace industries. In this post, we'll begin looking at how oscilloscopes figure into tests for both radiated and conducted EMC/ESD immunity.

Are You Ready for Bluetooth 5?

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which is the body that oversees the protocol's specification, doesn't stand still but rather continues to develop and improve Bluetooth technology. With an eye toward building an accessible and interoperable Internet of Things (IoT), the next version of the Bluetooth specification—Bluetooth 5—is slated to appear by early in 2017 and as soon as this fall.

The Power Delivery 2.0 Protocol in Action

Figure 1: A high-level view of a PD 2.0 power
contract negotiation

The Power Delivery 2.0 protocol brings a boatload of intelligence to the process of establishing power relationships between partners in a USB Type-C link. In previous posts, we've examined the basics of the two standards, the workings of USB Type-C cable detection, how dual-role port devices are handled, and PD 2.0 messaging. Next, let's look at PD 2.0 in action by deconstructing the initialization of a Google Chromebook laptop, which was one of the first Power Delivery devices on the market.