Other news of interest
2012-1-23
January 19, 2012 - IMS Research’s recent study, “The World Market for UPS Service and Support,” forecasts that the service market in Asia for uninterruptible power supplies will grow 20% this year, to just over $820 million. Growth will largely come from India and China where the amount of installed equipment is growing rapidly and is also increasingly attracting service revenues.
The UPS service market includes service contracts, warranties, installation, battery replacements, and preventive maintenance on UPS hardware. Of these services, annual maintenance contracts account for the largest percent of revenues in Asia, despite a lower attach rate than the global average. Globally, 40% of three-phase UPS have a service contract; in Asia it is closer to 30%. Elizabeth Cruz, a UPS market analyst with IMS Research, says that “many customers in Asia have not, up to now, opted for service contracts. However, UPSs are now backing up a wider range of applications that require continued power, like sophisticated manufacturing equipment to assure product quality, and critical hospital and airport equipment. Service contracts are now perceived as more necessary.” This shift in thinking is driving the forecasted double-digit growth of maintenance contracts over the next four years in Asia.
While the increased likelihood of service contract sales is important, most of the growth in Asia’s service market is attributable to the hardware market, which grew more than 20% in 2010, mostly in the emerging regions. Backup power is required to support the developing infrastructure in regions like China and India, where power quality is currently unreliable. In contrast, the more developed regions of Japan and Australia are not seeing as rapid growth in their UPS installed base; yet these areas are good candidates for more advanced services like remote monitoring, as the required internet infrastructure is widely available.
The combined effect of increasing attach rates and a growing installed base means manufacturers should look to the emerging regions of Asia for increased service opportunities. Cruz notes that “currently Japan accounts for nearly 40% of all service revenues in Asia; however, by 2015 its share is forecast to be lower than 30%, as the Chinese and Indian markets grow faster.”
RAF Tabtronics announces attendance and presentation at APEC, the premier US Power Electronics Conference
2012-1-23
Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC), Orlando, FL February 5-9, 2012
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January 13, 2012 -- RAF Tabtronics LLC, the global leader in the development of advanced technologies for electromagnetic components, will be exhibiting at the twenty-seventh annual Applied Power Electronics Conference, February 5-9, 2012. This premier event in Applied Power Electronics will be located in Orlando, Florida and consist of more than 120 exhibitors and more than 200 technical presentations and special sessions. This year's APEC will be the biggest exposition ever, displaying the newest high-tech in today's Power Electronics Industry. The APEC program addresses a broad range of topics in the use, design, manufacturing, and marketing of all kinds of power electronics equipment in combination with Professional Seminars. Mr. Victor Quinn, RAF Tabtronics' Director of Engineering will present "Expert Design and Empirical Test Strategies for Practical Transformer Development" during an Industry Session to be held on February 8th from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM. RAF Tabtronics will exhibit at booth 923/1022 and is excited to attend the Applied Power Electronics Conference, supporting companies through advanced technologies in power electronics. For more information regarding the Applied Power Electronics Conference 2012, visit http://www.apec-conf.org For more information, please visit http://www.raftabtronics.com.
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Emerging Smart Gas Meter Markets in Europe and Asia Expected to Drive the Global Market to over $1 Billion by 2016
2012-1-23
January 11, 2012 - IMS Research predicts that by 2016 annual revenues from the smart gas meter market will reach over $1 billion, roughly four times the 2011 market estimate. This is a key finding from the recently published report, “The World Market for Gas Meters – 2011 Edition”. Growth is anticipated to be strong mainly due to the emergence of new markets for advanced gas meters in Europe and Asia.
In 2010, North America accounted for well over 90% of the global advanced (communicating) gas meter revenues, a figure IMS Research defines as the combined revenues from the sale of new smart gas meters and retrofit modules sold to the field. Comments report author Michael Markides, “Historically, the global market for advanced gas metering was solely the sale of retrofit communications modules onto existing gas meters in the field in North America. This amounted to a market worth just over $200 million in 2010. However, 2011 marked a significant change in the global market for advanced gas meter solutions as new projects in Europe began, notably in the Netherlands, the UK and Italy.”
While projects in Europe are beginning to contribute to the global market, by 2016 numerous projects across many Western European countries are expected to lift market revenues here to over $500 million. Adds Markides, “France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain are all expected to see a significant amount of smart gas meter (and retrofit communications) module shipments, starting in earnest in 2014 onwards. In Asia, trials are slated in Japan, South Korea and Australia, giving to a market forecast of over $100 million annually in 2016.”
Continued investment in IT and logistics by utilities, various regulatory changes and mandates, safety concerns, and the ability for gas metering communication technology to adapt to exiting electricity meter networks, are the prime drivers contributing to this anticipated strong market growth.
2011-12-29
December 19, 2011 - IMS Research’s recent study, “The World Market for UPS Service and Support,” estimates that 40% of all three-phase uninterruptible power supplies in the field have a service contract attached. The analyst firm forecasts that the number under contract will grow from roughly 280 thousand at the end of 2011, to just over 350 thousand at the end of 2015.
Much of this growth will come from Asia, where contract attach rates are growing faster than elsewhere. This forecasted growth of contracts is because UPS shipments are projected to increase by an average of 10% per year over the next four years; and attach rates are growing considerably. The market in Asia has traditionally opted to pay for time and materials rather than adopt service contracts; but with maturing economies and a movement to higher kVA ratings, contracts attach rates are increasing.
Globally, higher power UPS are more likely to have a service contract attached than low-power units. A service contract is an annual agreement which can include the provision of on-site labor, guaranteed response time, and preventive maintenance on a UPS; all important considerations when looking to ensure an application’s uptime. Elizabeth Cruz, a market analyst with IMS Research, who studies UPS services, says that “companies are more likely to make the additional investment in an annual contract on a high-kVA unit given that they tend to protect more critical equipment. So as emerging regions, like China and India, move to higher power UPS, the attach rates will increase.”
Penetration of service contracts is an important benchmark for UPS service providers, as contracts account for more than half of their total service revenues. Cruz concludes that “there is huge opportunity for increased service revenues, given that typically over half of a company’s own installed base is not under a service contract. Beyond this, there are also other opportunities for growth in services coming in the future. Professional services like energy assessments are forecast to grow rapidly over the next few years and will offer a new source of revenues for major service providers.”
2011-12-29
December 16, 2011 - The global power semiconductor market will grow by just 5.0% in 2012 to $32 billion, according to IMS Research which has cut its previous forecast of more than 8% due to global economic uncertainties and inventory being flushed from the supply chain. The market, which grew by 37% in 2010 is however forecast to return to double-digit growth in 2013.
Latest findings from IMS Research’s Power Management Quarterly Market Watch revealed that the power semiconductor market (including power discretes, power modules and power ICs) grew by just 3.7% in 2011, following its strong recovery in 2010. Whilst demand remained relatively robust in the first half of 2011, inventory corrections and major economic uncertainties surrounding the Euro-zone crisis resulted in declines in Q3’11 and Q4’11. Senior Research Director, Ash Sharma commented, “The effects of the economic uncertainty and reduced spending by consumers and businesses on the power semiconductor market are predicted to continue long in 2012 and industry revenues in 1H’12 will be flat year-on-year. However, the outlook varies considerably for each product and sector and some areas of the power component market will still enjoy double-digit growth”.
Power IC market growth was almost 3% lower than power discrete growth in 2011, though this trend is set to be reversed in 2012, with slightly higher growth predicted for power ICs. The power module market continued to outperform both power discretes and power ICs, showing sustained high double-digit growth in 2011, which is projected to remain in for the next four years, driven by demand for IGBT modules.
Whilst factors such as inventory correction resulted in a slowdown in demand in 2H’11, particularly for power discretes and power ICs, growth projections for 2012 are more directly linked to end-equipment demand. This demand, however, also differs largely by application.
Senior Analyst and report co-author, Ryan Sanderson, commented “Strong demand for smart phones is projected to continue throughout 2012, despite a slowdown in 4Q’11, driving the market for power ICs, in particular battery management ICs. Smart phone charger demand is also forecast to help drive growth of the AC-DC regulator market, switching controllers and MOSFETs. Automotive demand remained strong throughout 2011 and the increasing content of electronics within vehicles is projected to drive growth in all power semiconductor markets.”
The report also found that overall market growth will be limited by lower demand in certain applications. Consumer spending slowed in 2H’11 and is predicted to remain restrained throughout 1H’12 at least with slower sales of demand for many consumer applications such as TVs, portable and wired gaming and consumer appliances. Shipments of computing products are predicted to be heavily impacted in 1H’12 by the floods in Thailand and the availability of hard drives. Power supply demand for all of these applications is also predicted to be reduced as a result.
Despite a slight sequential decline in market share, Infineon Technologies remained the largest supplier of power semiconductors in 3Q’11 with 9.8% of the total market, largely due to its strength in the power discrete and module market. Texas Instruments completed its acquisition of National Semiconductor in late 3Q’11. Therefore, although it was ranked the fourth largest supplier for the first 3 quarters of 2011, it is likely to move to third position, ahead of STMicroelectronics, in 4Q’11, when both companies’ revenues are combined.
2011-12-21
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One of the recipients was B. Jayant Baliga, Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University. Jay received this prestigious award "For development and commercialization of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor and other power semiconductor devices that are extensively used in transportation, lighting, medicine, defense, and renewable energy generation systems". This is the highest honor one gets in the United States for technological achievement. Prof. Jay Baliga is a well known figure in the field of power electronics and often referred to as the "Father of the IGBT". He received this medal for his pioneering research at GE's Global Research lab in Schenectady, NY in the early 80s that led to the invention of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT). Jay's accomplishments and corresponding list of the awards are numerous, but this honor stands out because it has been given by the President of the Unites States and selected from the entire field of technology. Prof. Baliga is a Distinguished University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University and is also founding director of the Power Semiconductor Research Center. On a broader scale, this is a great honor not only for Prof. Jay Baliga, but also for the field of power electronics - which is usually in the shadow of the more popular ICs/semiconductors and computers/systems fields. Prof. Baliga's selection acknowledges the contribution of power electronics to the overall welfare of electronics in the context of science and technology. The invention of IGBT is even more important today as energy conservation has become one of the central issues of our time encompassing many social, cultural and technological boundaries. The invention and commercialization of IGBT technology has led to its extensive use in the consumer, industrial, lighting, transportation, medical, renewable energy, and many other sectors of the economy. It has enabled energy savings in countless ways resulting in huge cost savings to consumers, and reduction of world-wide carbon dioxide emissions. The National Medal of Technology was created in 1980 by the United States Congress under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act. It was a bipartisan effort to foster technological innovation and advance the technological competitiveness of the United States in the international arena. The first National Medals of Technology were awarded in 1985. To understand the total context and importance of this award, one has to look at some of its past recipients which include:
Prof. B. Jay Baliga is among these distinguished individuals and he is the only individual, so far, to receive the award in the field of power electronics or power semiconductors. Receiving the National Medal of Technology and Innovation is a unique event and I feel that Prof. Baliga should be honored and recognized for this achievement at the start of the Plenary Session at APEC 2012.
The views expressed in this article are solely of Mohan Mankikar. They do not represent the views of PSMA. Mohan Mankikar has been a part of the power supply industry for over twenty five years. An active member of the PSMA since its founding, he had been a board member of the PSMA and currently serves on the Advisory Council.
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n September, 2011, The White House announced its annual list of recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for the calendar year 2010:
2011-12-21
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Their Renewable Energy Group is at the forefront of the growth and development of the worldwide renewable energy industry. Whether through acquisition, divestiture, capital raising, or strategic investment, Lincoln’s industry expertise and global reach provide a valuable resource to companies seeking to implement their renewable energy initiatives. Areas of focus include biofuels, fuel cells / batteries, geothermal, hydroelectric, smart-grid technologies, solar and wind energies.
The Solar Energy Stock Index Report, published by their Renewable Energy team each quarter, provides you with information on the following:
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2011-12-21
incoln International™ is pleased to present you with the Q3 2011 EMS Stock Index from their global Electronics industry group. This report will provide you with:
- Quarterly performance of the EMS Stock Index versus the S&P Index
- Relative market valuations of each EMS Tier
- Current financial data for each company in the index
 ems_stock_index_intro_3q11.pdf (75k pdf) |
This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office. |
2011-12-21
incoln International is pleased to present you with the latest DealReader from their Global Electronics Industry Group. This will provide you with:
- Q3 2011 deal volume comparison by total transactions, deal type, geography and size
- Recent EMS transaction announcements
- Analysis of growth trends affecting the EMS industry
ems_dealreader_intro_3q11.pdf (70k pdf) |
This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office. |
2011-12-15
December 14, 2011 - According to the analyst firm IMS Research, ABB’s acquisition of Newave points to more consolidation in a market where the top 10 suppliers control 72% of industry revenues. It is a smart acquisition, given that the $7Bn market is projected to grow by an average of 7% per year over the next five years.
A year and a half after it was by outbid by Emerson for the purchase of Chloride, Switzerland-based ABB has returned to the data center-power area, this time looking closer to home. The recent announcement of acquisition of Newave SA, a fellow Swiss company specializing in Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems, continues the trend of large multinational organizations purchasing UPS manufacturers. IMS Research believes this most recent example could present a challenge to established players in the coming years.
Jason dePreaux, a Research Manager who studies the UPS market, maintains that the impact of ABB’s acquisition of Newave will be felt more in the future, as opposed to instantly. “When Schneider bought APC, and when Emerson acquired Chloride, each entity was already deeply involved in the UPS market. So, each time, it was a case of making a big UPS company even bigger. In contrast, ABB is not currently a major UPS player and Newave’s footprint is mainly in Europe. So, the effect of the acquisition will not be immediate on the market.”
Currently, over half the UPS market is held by the top three players - Schneider, Emerson, and Eaton. Over the past five years, each of these companies purchased other UPS vendors to enhance geographic coverage and expand product portfolios.
Depending on how aggressively ABB moves to expand Newave’s business, it could challenge the supremacy of the “big three." dePreaux continues, “The reach of ABB is enormous and could accelerate the growth of Newave’s business. Today, Newave is the 7th ranked vendor in Western Europe, but much of the future market growth will be found in developing areas like Asia and Latin America. ABB’s resources could really kick-start Newave’s expansion in these regions.”
The trend is for vendors to expand beyond UPS and provide a full range of products and services centered on data center markets. dePreaux concludes, “I think this is a long term play for ABB. UPS is a critical part of data center infrastructure and services. When the deal closes, it won’t radically reshape the market but, over time, ABB could develop its position in to the point where we may need to redub the market leaders as ‘the big four.’”
2011-12-15
Nov. 18, 2011 - Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) revenues grew 24% in 2010, with a spectacular 58% surge for three-phase UPS greater than 100 kVA, according to a recent study on the market from IMS Research. In 2010, high power three-phase UPS, which are typically associated with data centers, picked up nearly 3 points share of Latin America’s UPS market thanks to the staggering growth in Brazil and Mexico. Latin America’s three-phase growth is forecast to continue with the help of government and infrastructure investments particularly in Brazil and Mexico.
Much of Latin America’s growth in 2010 can be attributed to the expanding IT market. The three-phase segment is forecast to continue seeing substantial gains as capital spending is going towards data center projects across all industries. Furthermore, single-phase UPS growth is slowing as compared to three-phase UPS growth since voltage regulators and laptop computers, which eliminate the need for an UPS, are becoming more widely used in Latin America.
“Brazil presents the best opportunity for three-phase UPS growth” says IMS Research Market Analyst Lori Lewis. “With an economically healthier middle class, more individuals are able to take advantage of modern day information technology and mobile computing devices resulting in exponentially growing computing and data storage needs. Three-phase UPS going into data centers will have to grow just as fast in order to keep up with all of this increased demand.”
Mexico is also experiencing a lot of activity, with large data center builds going into medium and large businesses, banking and infrastructure advances. Mexico, in fact, boasts significant advantages for foreign investors over Brazil due to fewer import taxes, fewer local competitors, fewer barriers to entry into the market and an overall more sustainable growth. Columbia has come under the radar as a promising investment with a well-educated population. The corruption, guerilla warfare and drug trafficking that scared investors away in the past has slowly subsided, allowing the country to develop properly.
With a good mix of established and fast-growing developing economies, Latin America is seen as secure and profitable for UPS suppliers looking to enter the market or enhance their presence in the region. Since Schneider Electric’s acquisition of local manufacturer Microsol, and Legrand’s recent acquisition of the large single-phase supplier SMS Technologia, the region continues to pick up global attention and stirs up the question of who will be next.
2011-12-15
November 21, 2011 - The advanced water metering market, estimated at about 5.5 million global shipments in 2010, and anticipated to be roughly 10 million shipments annually in 2016, continues to increase its product share, particularly in North America. These findings come from IMS Research’s recently published The World Market for Water Meters – 2011.
Global advanced water meter shipments accounted for over $500 million in revenue in 2010, with over 70% of this seen in the North American market. According to Nicole Juarez, the author of the report, “North America already has a high penetration of advanced metering. While one-way meters continue to have higher unit shipments than two-way meters currently, in North America, higher growth is forecast for two-way meters over the next five years. The price of two-way meters are gradually becoming comparable to traditional mobile read meters, and when reviewed against possible labor cost savings; utilities are increasingly realizing that purchasing two-way meters (even ahead of fixed network infrastructure) is currently justifiable. These meters will likely be used initially in a direct or mobile read solution, until sufficient installed base exists within a manageable metering family to upgrade to a fixed network.”
The majority of advanced water meter growth is being driven by North America, with the highest estimated advanced water meter shipments in 2010, accounting for over 55% of this region’s total annual water meter shipments. Specifically, two-way meters are forecast to have significant growth in North America, increasing from a small fraction of the market in 2010, to an anticipated third of the overall market in 2016. This is by far the highest percentage of two-way meters of any region currently, and forecast.
It should be noted, however, that globally, advanced water meter shipments remain a small percentage of total water meter shipments. This is because the largest water meter market, Asia, predominantly consists of basic water meters. Of global water meter unit shipments in 2010, 6% were advanced water meters, estimated to grow to over 8% by 2016.
For more information, please visit www.imsresearch.com.
2011-11-11
November 3, 2011. Wireless power transmitters which enable wire-free power transfer to consumer devices, are projected to account for 75% of combined transmitter/ receiver revenues by 2016, according to a new study on the wireless power industry from IMS Research.
Wireless power transmitters are more complicated than receivers due to multiple power conversion stages and additional components, meaning a higher price. While the cost for a wireless power receiver may eventually fall into the $1-2 dollar range (if built into products), IMS Research believes the transmitter cost will remain well above this amount. Current retail prices of transmitters range from $50 to $100. These prices are projected to fall as volumes ramp up and the supply chain matures. How fast this happens will be a critical factor in the maturity of the wireless power industry.
Jason dePreaux, a research manager with IMS Research, explains. “Cost is certainly a barrier to wireless power adoption. A popular saying in the industry is that ‘if it were free, we’d see it everywhere’. Obviously that’s not realistic, but with the transmitter there’s only so low you can go.”
Wireless power transmitters can range from basic single-zone designs to more advanced implementations which can charge multiple devices. dePreaux adds, “Future transmitter offerings will be more efficient and flexible in terms of device placement. But the availability of low-cost, basic transmitters is just as important in creating an sizable installed base. It would really kick-start the market if a wireless charger were bundled together with a new mobile phone.”
Though the wireless power market is still in its infancy, it offers massive potential, especially in mobile phone applications. Currently, wireless power is available as an optional feature, requiring the consumer to purchase both the transmitter and receiver separately from the device. Future plans call for wireless power receivers be built into a host of consumer products and for transmitters to be placed into homes, offices, and automobiles. IMS Research projects that the annual market for wireless power will reach $4.5 billion by 2016.
“I still think it is a couple of years away from taking off,” comments dePreaux. “There is a lot of R&D going on at the moment on putting wireless power transmitters into automobiles. Yet there are specific considerations, like coil-to-coil distances and transmission frequencies, that will require current wireless power technologies to evolve to meet particular use cases like this. The encouraging sign is that there is a strong dialog among the parties and genuine interest in making it happen.”
2011-11-3
October 27th, 2011 - In the upcoming edition of IMS Research’s World Market for Water Meters – 2011, to be published next week, a rapid uptake is reported for static and advanced water metering technologies in key markets around the world.
Static water meters, which are marketed on their durability and variable-flow accuracy strengths, are experiencing increased adoption not only in the established commercial/industrial metering role, but in the emergent, and potentially far larger, domestic metering sector. While domestic static water meters have been available for several years, only in 2010 have significant unit shipments been first reported in the market, predominantly in North America. Static water metering has grown in this region first due to worsening water scarcity, favorable utility standards allowing for long meter service life, and the availability of capital for advanced metering projects, all of which justify adoption of higher value metering systems.
This emergence of static metering has followed on the heels of several years of steady growth in advanced (communicating) water meter shipments in North America as well as the rest of the world, and it is likely that the increasing prevalence of advanced metering has opened the door for utilities to begin considering other new, high-value water metering options.
2011-10-26
October 26, 2011 - Power Sources Manufacturers Association announces to the power sources industry the availability of an advanced e-learning tutorial that covers the latest advances in the science, research and applications of nanotechnology. The target audiences for the tutorial are technical and marketing people involved in the power sources industry who wish to increase their understanding of nanotechnology leading to a better appreciation of the technology and possible applications for their company.
The advanced e-learning tutorial, entitled PSMA Nano 200, is offered for free through the PSMA website to any PSMA member company employee. PSMA Nano 200 includes a review of nanotechnology basic concepts introduced in the recently updated PSMA Nano 100 together with a succinct presentation of the chemistry, material sciences and quantum physics needed to better understand nanotechnology. PSMA Nano 200 also explores recent nanotechnology research and provides a cross section of companies offering nanotechnology products. Additionally, the tutorial highlights safety, ethical and societal issues and concerns associated with nanoscale. Individuals who successfully complete the tutorial will receive a “Certificate of Completion” for three Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s).
Gerald Castellucci, Program Manager, Technology Innovation Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) commented, “PSMA is to be congratulated for its foresight in keeping its members abreast of a disruptive technology that will impact its member companies and permit them to be competitive in a world market.”
Anthony F. Laviano, Ph.D., founder of NANOWorld® and Executive Vice President of Northrop Rice Advanced Institute of Technology (NRAIT) provided the content for this advanced tutorial while J. Michael Rice, President of Aerolearn , an e-learning provider, provided the application program. According to Dr. Laviano, “It was an exciting challenge that the PSMA Executive Committee thrust on us to develop an online advanced tutorial encompassing all the pertinent nanotechnology issues. The tutorial had to alert, inform and educate its members to design and integrated nanoscale technology into their products. PSMA required in-depth content while stimulating enthusiasm for application and I believe we met the challenge.”
2011-10-18
Advanced electricity meters with integrated cellular communication modules are forecast to increase from 2.6 million shipments in 2010 to 9.5 million shipments annually in 2016. This is one conclusion in the upcoming study, “The World Market for Smart Electricity Meters – 2011” which is publishing in October 2011.
According to Rolando Campos, the author of the report, “The US and UK are forecast to experience the largest volumes of cellular shipments through 2016 for distinct reasons. In the US, telecoms have reduced the cost of data plans for meters significantly to about $1 (or less) per meter, per month. Utilities that wish to reduce up front capital expenditures by over 40% and reduce operating expenses are finally realizing the benefits of using public cellular providers.” Operating costs are lowered by reducing or eliminating the networking and maintenance staff needed to maintain a metering network. In the US, a larger percentage of the opportunity for new smart meter installations (i.e. endpoints not under contract) will likely come from smaller utilities that have spread-out populations in diverse geographies. Smaller utilities have less capital and often do not enjoy the tax write-offs that come with large fixed-capital intensive projects. Campos adds, “as telecoms providers lower the total cost of ownership for a cellular-based smart metering solution, not only will small utilities in the US switch to a cellular option but larger utilities in the US and throughout the world may begin to seek ways to collaborate with local telecoms to make cellular a more viable option.”
The UK is forecast to have the largest cumulative volume of cellular smart meters in the world from 2010 to 2016. Cellular solutions are key in the UK due to the general structure of the utilities and grid operators, whereas a meter change-out may happen piecewise, making cellular M2M devices the likely solution. There are already plans for some suppliers to ship cellular meters next year and as telecoms in the UK begin to see the business opportunity in the US mature, telecoms providers in the region are likely to follow suit and make pricing per meter more competitive.
If you would like an interview with an expert in this area, please contact Rolando Campos, Analyst, at Rolando.Campos@imsresearch-usa.com or +1 512 302 1977.
For more information, please visit www.imsresearch.com.
2011-9-2
September 1, 2011 - US PV module supplier, Solyndra, announced yesterday that it had shut its manufacturing facility and will file for bankruptcy, the third to do so in a month. The seemingly overnight decision, and the failure of the business, should really come as no surprise and is a warning to all other PV module start-ups according to IMS Research.
Solyndra began commercially shipping its innovative PV module solution, featuring cylindrical modules mounted in frames, in 2008, The product offered a unique solution and some compelling advantages, but ultimately PV is an investment and the price has to be right. “Despite Solyndra operating its 110MW facility close to full capacity in recent months, we estimate that its manufacturing costs still far exceeded the price at which it had to sell its modules at.in order to make an investment case for its customers,” commented Senior Research Analyst, Sam Wilkinson. “It was losing money fast, and for that reason the closure really comes as no surprise. Whether further capacity expansion, increased production and a few more years of technical advancements could have changed the situation is debatable, but now we will never know,” added Wilkinson.
IMS Research recently announced that its latest round of quarterly research reveals that Chinese module suppliers have strengthened their position in the market, that the market is showing signs of consolidation, and that competition is only going to get more intense. The PV module industry has recently suffered from a huge oversupply, which has led to fierce price competition with average prices dropping by around 20% in a single quarter. Of course, this will not have helped Solyndra in its bid to compete, and was cited as one of the reasons for its closure.
The company’s failure will come as a warning to the vast number of other thin film startups that have recently emerged. “Whilst Solyndra’s product was different so that it cannot be simply considered alongside other CIGS modules, it demonstrates the need for smaller companies to reach scale and volume quickly in order to compete,” added Sam Wilkinson. “All PV module manufacturing, and CIGS in particular, relies on scale to reach attractive cost levels, and any supplier currently producing in relatively small volumes is at an instant disadvantage compared to the GW-scale manufacturers that are currently dominating the market,” continued Wilkinson.
This was highlighted in fellow thin film innovator, Uni-Solar’s recent announcement that its manufacturing cost more than doubled to $3.40/W in Q2’11, when it temporarily reduced production of its flexible modules by almost 80%. This cost is most likely more than double its average selling price for the quarter according to IMS Research.
Whilst Solyndra’s failure will shock some in the PV industry, it will certainly have political consequences. The company had been awarded a US Department of Energy loan guarantee amounting to over half a billion dollars, which was already considered controversial after it closed its first fab and cut jobs in 2010, provoking some investigation into the loan approval process. This sum can now be added to the US government’s huge debt.
2011-8-29
 SMA membership provides many benefits for you and your company. It gives you personally the opportunity to meet, network and interact with your counterparts in other companies on an ongoing basis. It also provides an opportunity to be involved with the planning and managing of APEC, as well as giving you and your colleagues a discount on registration fees for attending APEC.
Your company gets a listing on the PSMA web site with a hyperlink directly to your company web site. In addition, your company has an invitation to provide a Spotlight Banner to showcase its latest product on the PSMA Home Page Your company also receives free or discounted copies of PSMA publications and reports, An important membership benefit is the opportunity to join and participate in one or more of the PSMA Technical Committees. Participating in one or more committees is the best way to increase the benefits from your company and your personal PSMA membership. People involved in PSMA Technical Committees all agree that their investment returns multiple benefits that surpass the time spent participating – both for their company and for their own careers. Just ask someone who is a committee member. The committee provides the opportunity to network with knowledgeable people who are influencing the power sources industry. You are encouraged to join a committee and get involved in their activities. Most committees meet about once a month for about one hour by teleconference. You are welcome to attend a committee meeting before making a decision to join the group. If you are interested in attending one of the meetings, please contact the Association Office for call-in information.
This is an open invitation to participate in or join any committee. Bring your experience, interest and enthusiasm. Currently PSMA has the following committees:
Your participation will contribute added value to the subject and enhance your own knowledge. It’s a great way to network with your colleagues. For more information describing the committees and the dates for the next meetings, please view the PSMA web site or contact the PSMA office at power@psma.com. |
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2011-8-29
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ornell Dubilier's vision is to be the global leader in the design and manufacture of capacitors for power electronics by providing superior technology, exceptional service, an entrepreneurial driven culture, and outstanding value. CDE is principally a designer and manufacturer of large-can aluminum electrolytics, DC and AC power film capacitors, and mica capacitors that are supplied to power conversion customers worldwide. CDE has over 700 direct OEM customers and a total of 25,000 POS customers worldwide. The company has earned a leadership position by focusing on satisfying customers’ capacitor needs through the delivery of technological solutions. Throughout the company's 100 years it has established long-standing business relationships that are the foundation of its achievements.
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Cornell Dubilier has three major facilities. Its original plant in New Bedford, Massachusetts has 37,000 square meters of floor space and is the distribution warehouse and AC-DC film capacitor technical center. The newest facility in Liberty, South Carolina has 15,000 square meters of floor space and manufactures principally aluminum electrolytic capacitors, polypropylene film capacitors, and high-voltage mica capacitors. It is the largest aluminum electrolytic screw terminal capacitor supplier in the US.
The third facility in Mexicali, Mexico has 11,000 square meters and makes AC power film capacitors, IGBT snubber film modules, dipped mica capacitors, and solenoids. It is the largest mica capacitor supplier in the world. CDE has a sales liaison office in Shenzhen, China.
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Dollar sales are about 60% aluminum electrolytics, 19 % film capacitors and 14% mica capacitors. Sales are divided about 60% OEM and 40% distribution. About 50% of CDE's capacitor sales are in applications that include power inverters.
These are the leading new products: In power-film capacitors it is the 947C Power Film series for high ripple current power inverters. Applications include inverters for renewable energy (wind and solar), motor drives, RF generators; drive systems, and traction drive. Another leading product is the high-value SLP/SLPX 3000-hour snap-in aluminum electrolytic series offered up to 450 volts. The 944U Hockey Puck style power film capacitor is for DC input and output filtering requiring high ripple current. The CX, SX Aluminum Polymer Capacitor, molded case is ROHS compliant and has a higher temperature profile.
These are the leading new capacitors for AC voltage applications: 3-Phase Power Factor correction and AC Output harmonic filtering capacitors for industrial and renewable energy applications; MPP AC-DC rated power Film capacitors for SCR commutation and power conversion; high-voltage 600–4000 VAC capacitors are available for ferroresonant power supplies. And the new ACF series is available as a dry, wrap-and-fill AC filter capacitor.
CDE is a leader in quality systems. It is ISO 9001: 2008 and AS9100:2004 Rev. B certified and ISO 14001:2004 certified. It has one of the largest capacitor test labs in the world with over 10,000 capacitors on test at all times. It has a MIL certified lab performing MIL STD 202 and 690 test procedures and MIL STD 790 (DOD standard practices). Test capability includes 500 g shock - Vibration (random and sine), high temp/low temp thermal cycling, humidity test, and 400 Hz 120 amp ripple current test capability.
The business is well managed with these key features: In-house designs provide mechanical and electrical solutions to the customer’s end products. It has EDI, demand pull and Kanban programs to support the supply chain process. It has excellent sales territory coverage through manufacturer’s representatives who understand power electronics applications and the associated selling process. It has Technical Papers and Application Tools available on its website, www.cde.com. Its new logo boasts “Capacitor Solutions for Power Electronics,” the new focus of the company.
Provided by Laird Macomber, Technology Manager, Cornell Dubilier
ayton Planar Magnetics
Payton America, a subsidiary of the Payton Group International, is located in Deerfield Beach, South Florida. The objective of Payton America is to provide engineering, marketing/sales and manufacturing services for North and South America as well as Canada. All the designs and manufacturing for our US and European military customers is done here.
In addition, Payton America provides the necessary customer support functions for our high volume customers, where the manufacturing is done in the Far East or Israel.
Planar Magnetics
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Many of the active power components for the electronics are available and are being designed in. The passive power components are another story. The power magnetic components must be small, lightweight, and meet the environmental requirements. Magnetic components are made of wire or are wire-free. Planar Magnetic components have advantages compared to wired magnetic components, and designers should note these advantages when evaluating the technology for future designs.
Planar Magnetics utilize copper stampings and multilayer boards in a serial or parallel combination to achieve the required turns and power density. Multiple outputs and 1000Amps in a single output are possible.
Planar Transformers and Inductors from Payton
will provide solutions to:
- Unparalleled working frequency range from 50khz to 3Mhz
- Dramatically reduced size and weight. (approx. 5g per 100W)
- High Efficiency, typically 97 to 99.5%
- Unmatched parameter Consistency
- Low Leakage Inductance. (less than .2% for ungapped cores)
- Cost Effective Prices
- Minimum Electromagnetic Interference
- Operating temperature Range from -55C to +130C
- 5W to 20,000W range in one unit
- 4kV primary to secondary dielectric isolation when needed
- 6-16mm creepage and clearance distance between primary and secondary windings
- Solutions for ALL SMPS topologies
- Lower noise than a conventional magnetic (Slighter higher winding capacitance butbetter winding shielding and much lower leakage inductance) ‏
What are the design requirements an Engineer looks for?
First is efficiency.
Power planar magnetics are 99.0% efficient at converting the input energy to the output energy. In comparison, wired magnetic components have a conversion efficiency of 90%. The high efficiency with the combination of conduction cooling reduces the internal temperature of the power box, dramatically improving the MTBF of the system.
Second is size.
Unlike wired magnetic components that are usually restricted to sizes - particularly the height - power planar magnetics can be “squashed” to reduce their height with an increase of their base area, for optimum cooling, so the magnetics fits into a minimum space.
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Third is temperature.
Power Planar magnetics operate in the temperature range from -55 degC to + 150 degC. In addition the conduction cooling offered by the inherent mechanical characteristics of the planar construction can offer thermal impedance as low as 0.5°/W.
Fourth is weight:
Power Planar Magnetics can reach a weigh of approximately 10g per 100W.
Fifth is power.
Power Planar Magnetics supply 5W to 20,000W in one unit. Payton has the technology and the know how to provide a typical hybrid power transformer for a full bridge ZVT application, at 100khz and 7KW output power, in a 2.2”x2.2”x.62” package at less than 200 grams. The same type of transformer using a conventional wired type will take 9 times the volume and 5 times the weight.
Sixth is repeatability.
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With pre-tooled windings and well defined geometry, electrical parameters are predictable and repeatable. An engineer does not have to be concerned any more if the leakage inductance or the winding capacitance will change with time or if it will vary significantly from lot to lot. Experience with wired magnetic components has shown that many of the parasitic characteristics change from lot to lot and with time, and these changes will have an effect on the common mode noise and EMI.
With these characteristics and advantages, more designers are looking to power planar magnetics for their designs. Payton is committed to helping designers use power planar magnetics to achieve these improvements.
One example of a custom design is a 36kVA power Planar application with 600Amps rms primary current and 230Amps secondary current in a 140mm(L)x90mm(W)x40mm(H) thermal package with 0.66ºC/W thermal impedance designed specifically for a cool plate high vibration environment. With 120watts of dissipation this design has an efficiency of 99.67%. The switching frequency is 60khz and the topology is push-pull.
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This is an example of a Filter Planar Inductor using flat magnet wire, ferrite planar cores and an aluminum clasp for mechanical mounting and best thermal performance.
Provided by Jim Marinos, Executive VP Engineering & Marketing for Payton Planar Magnetics. Jim has been designing power supplies and involved in the magnetics business since 1982. Jim has worked in power supply design with CEAG, ILC, Superior and Novatronic and was the Director of Engineering for Lambda Novatronics. Jim is a senior member of IEEE, a Director with PSMA and has written many technical papers. He holds a BSEE from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn NY.
2011-8-28
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In this issue we would like you to meet Carl Blake, who was elected to his first term at APEC 2009.
In 1991, he moved from aerospace to the semiconductor industry bringing customer knowledge system understanding to the new power semiconductor product definition process. During the following years, Mr. Blake held numerous positions at the Director and Vice President level in strategic marketing, business management, and technical marketing. Carl has given over fifty technical presentations, seminars and published articles at various conferences throughout the world over his thirty plus year career in the field of power electronics; including being invited twice as Plenary Speaker at APEC 2004 and 2009. He continues to be an active participant in the Power Sources Manufacturers Association since the mid 1990’s holding positions of President, member of the Board of Directors as well as previous Co-Chair of the Technology Roadmap committee which publishes a five year roadmap for the power supply industry every two years, most recently in 2011. Provided by Carl Blake, Vice President Marketing, Transphorm Inc |
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our members of the PSMA Board of Directors are elected at the Annual Meeting held every year during the APEC conference. Each Director serves a three year term and is eligible to be reelected for one additional term.
2011-6-29
The Power Sources Manufacturers Association has drafted a power electronics timeline and a "corporate" genealogy chart for the industry to review. As we get inputs, we will be updating these files on a periodic basis. Consequently these files are subject to change until we hear from all affected parties or until enough time has transpired at which time the files will be finalized.
If you have any inputs to share, please contact ada@adaclock.com or the PSMA office.
2011-5-8
| SMA released its latest Power Technology Roadmap (PTR) report during APEC 2011. Since beginning in 1994, this seventh version has evolved with time and technology, and includes an applications segment in addition to the power conversion technologies and components. The roadmap refers to this trifecta as "The PTR Cube" that consists of the following specific sub segments:
In addition to the above mentioned products/technology, the 2011 Roadmap also includes presentations and commentaries on the HVDC (high voltage DC) distribution architecture, smart grid, and PV (photovoltaic) solar inverters. Alternative energy and emerging technologies are expected to become integral parts of the future Power Technology Roadmaps. A power supply is a multi-dimensional product; so the PTR also addresses various trends in a multi-dimensional fashion. Power supply users demand multiple parameters or features, such as high power density, efficiency or fast transient response with a lower price and smaller dimensions. Then it is up to the power supply manufacturers to develop technologies and assemble components suitable for specific applications with their own environmental and pricing constraints to develop products that provide these parameters and features. Though in many instances, it is a reactive response to the customers' need, many power supply companies can perceive these requirements and proactively incorporate them in their products. The 2011 Power Technology Roadmap captures these expected technology trends of the future and projects them in the future, till 2015. Originally started in 1994 with a modest agenda and a three year interval, the Roadmap has evolved into an extensive presentation and document that provides an in-depth analysis of all the aspects of the power supplies. As mentioned before, these include power conversion technologies, components and the newly added applications' trends. The report is not designed to replace traditional market research reports, but rather is designed as an additional supplemental document that provides insight and a better understanding of the future technology trends. Importantly, all the presentations, analysis and conclusions were drawn from the combined effort of about 60 individuals who are well known participants in the industry. This was a team effort that provided a unique insight into the technology trends in a comprehensive way. Further information about the Power Technology Roadmap can be obtained by visiting: www.psma.com. About PSMA PSMA is an active organization consisting of power supply manufacturers, users, power component suppliers, academics, and consultants, interested in furthering the cause of the power supply industry. It is a non-profit, democratic, and participative organization, whose main and common goal is to enhance the stature of the power supply industry and provide education and information about this unique industry through published reports, educational seminars, technical workshops, and conference exhibits. PSMA provides leadership to the industry through its members, which include most major power supply companies. Web site: www.psma.com.
The views expressed in this article are solely of Mohan Mankikar. They do not represent the views of PSMA. Mohan Mankikar has been a part of the power supply industry for over twenty five years. An active member of the PSMA since its founding, he had been a board member of the PSMA and currently serves on the Advisory Council.
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2010-12-22
December 20,2010 The European Power Supply Manufacturers Association has just released an updated version of its popular guide to PFC legislation in Europe. This updated document can be downloaded free of charge at www.epsma.org. The new document brings the guidance completely up to date, reflecting changes made in EN6100-3-2: 2006 and subsequently. These changes include: * Addition of medical equipment and the partial inclusion of lighting applications. * Minor changes and clarification of requirements for the measurement of harmonics and the application of limits. * Applicability to all electrical and electronic equipment that are connected to the public low voltage AC distribution network. * Introduction of four classes, which have to fulfil different harmonic current conditions. * The removal of the lower power limit for discharge lighting equipment; for other lighting equipment the lower power limit of 75W has been lowered to 25W. Commenting on the document’s release, Lars Thorsell, who heads up the EPSMA Technical Committee, said: “Over the last few years, the PFC guide has provided many thousands of engineers across Europe with a valuable overview of the legislative requirements in this complex area. This updated version of the guide will ensure that the EPSMA continues to serve its power supply customers well in understanding the legislation in this important area”. About the EPSMA The European Power Supply Manufacturers Association (EPSMA) was formed in 1995 to represent the specialised needs of the switched-mode and linear power supply industry in Europe. The association currently has around 25 members from 13 countries, employing over 8,000 people, and with combined annual power supply sales exceeding three billion Euros. For more information, please visit www.epsma.org.
2008-4-3
The PSMA Marketing Committee has prepared this presentation describing PSMA. You can use this presentation to inform your colleagues about the benefits of PSMA membership. You can also show this presentation at meetings you are attending on behalf of PSMA.
2008-1-5
The Handbook of Standardized Terminology For The Power Sources Industry-Third Edition - has been made available as a download on the Members Only area of the PSMA website. Revised and expanded, this unique publication includes definitions for more than 1200 terms related to power electronics which were especially selected for the power electronics professional. The Third Edition also contains illustrations and four new appendices, including a listing of EMI specifications, excerpts from international standards of units and symbols, along with guides for authors of technical papers. Many new magnetic terms are described in this new 126-page third edition that are of particular interest to the practicing designer and marketer of power supplies and related products. Valuable information regarding worldwide power sources, standards agencies, and military specifications has been retained, updated and expanded from the previous edition. Titles of the appendices are: Testing and Standards Agencies; Designer's Reference; World Voltages and Frequencies; Military Specifications; EMI Specifications; Writing Technical Papers for Archival Publications; Units, Symbols and Style Guide; A Brief Writing Guide. These added resources provide concise, easy-to-use references for engineeers involved in technical writing and presentations. If your company is a member of PSMA, you may register for the "Members Only" area using your email address. The registration form requires you to enter your company PSMA member number. You may contact the Association Office if you do not know the member number.
2005-9-28
A letter to the Membership from Chuck Mullett, PSMA Chairman March 18, 2003
In a recent monthly teleconference of our Membership Committee we had a lively discussion about how we are serving our membership, what projects we are doing, and how we might communicate better with you, our member companies. Realizing that communication is always a key ingredient, I volunteered to write to you and give you a personal snapshot of what’s going on.
Mission: To integrate the resources of the power sources industry to more effectively and profitably serve the needs of the power sources users, providers and PSMA members.
As it is with many trade organizations, membership can be a spectator sport. The organization appreciates your support in the form of dues, because there’s always overhead that must be paid. But, what good is an organization that simply collects dues, pays the phone bills and mailing costs, and tries to survive until the next wave of dues submittals? Clearly, this would be a waste of time. In organizations like PSMA, the worth of the group is directly and totally a result of the efforts of its members. This is not a new concept. Service organizations around the world have always operated in just this way. Think about Rotary International, comprised of business leaders who volunteer their time in an environment of fellowship to help each other succeed in their businesses and help students with scholarships, etc. They take on meaningful projects in their communities, help their communities, and have fun doing it. It is possible to maintain membership in Rotary by simply paying dues and attending meetings. But---it is clear that those who get the most out of their membership are the ones who get involved in the projects. They get to know the other members, gaining friendships and insight into their own businesses. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, they have a lot of fun. When people ask us about PSMA, we usually recite a couple of sentences about the organization, its membership and mission, and then we’re bragging joyfully about the projects recently completed and the ones in process. For me, personally, the projects are exciting, as they give me valuable insight It has become a tradition over the past few years to make use of the Saturday preceding APEC (usually in late February or early March) to hold a major workshop, taking advantage of the presence of the leaders of the power electronics industry. Two years ago Lou Pechi culminated the work of his Low Voltage Workshop team in an all-day meeting that resulted in the book that’s probably on you bookshelf. Leaders from several end users and power supply manufacturing companies spent countless hours preparing papers and presentations, and then more volunteers transcribed the workshop and edited the final report. If you’re involved in the move toward lower voltage power delivery, I hope you’ve had a chance to use it. Last year that pre-APEC Saturday was spent in PSMA’s Integration Workshop, organized by Arnold Alderman. We hope this project saved many of our member companies tens of thousands of dollars trying to figure out how to advance their power supply technology by the use of semi-custom or fully-custom ICs. The question, “Should I go into the silicon design business, joint venture with a semiconductor manufacturer or simply wait for the next wave of ICs” can be difficult to answer. Your Association decided that tackling this question rigorously and publishing the answers would be of considerable value to the membership. We enlisted the help of our colleagues in Ireland, PEI Technologies, after a bidding process involving several candidate organizations. Both volumes of this report have been sent to PSMA Regular and Associate member companies as a benefit of membership. This study cost under $35,000, because of the hundreds of volunteer hours spent by several PSMA members. Prior to this, we had spent well over a year and around $40,000 on the Status of Power Electronics Packaging (StatPEP) project, also using the crew in Ireland to analyze ten dc-dc converters and ten 500-watt ac-dc power supplies. They dissected these units after a battery of electrical measurements, took countless photos and x-rays, and reported the findings in the now-famous “StatPEP Report” that we hope is in your possession and has been of benefit to your company. Again, hundreds of hours were spent by PSMA volunteers overseeing the PEI work, writing papers, presenting them at the workshop and also presenting a half-day summary seminar at APEC 2000. We have now held the fourth Power Technology Roadmap Workshop, which took place on the Saturday preceding APEC 2003 in February. Don Staffiere started this triennial study in 1994 and faithfully repeated it in 1997 and 2000. It involves heavy effort of over 20 volunteers, not only from PSMA but also from other companies. The final product will be a comprehensive publication containing trending of all aspects of power electronics technology---design, manufacturing, components technology, marketing, sales and in-depth information from the users about their needs over the next five years. This exercise will be done without any outside contracts, except the printing of the reports. So---what else has PSMA done for me? Well, let me introduce you to the PSMA Web site! It’s hard to believe, but it consistently receives over 16,000 hits per month! If you supplied the requested information, there’s a link to your Web site, and your company name scrolls by continuously on the home page. Please, if you haven’t done so, drop by and give your mouse a little exercise---you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Be sure to look at the quarterly newsletter, UPDATE. The current edition goes on for 18 pages; including many APEC 2003 pictures and scenes of your PSMA team at work (Joe Horzepa has one of those wonderful digital cameras with the cheap film!) What MORE can PSMA do for me? Plenty! We’re strong, eager and capable. Over half of the sales revenue of the power supply manufacturers in the US is represented in PSMA’s membership. Membership from the components community is also very strong, and so is our membership from academia and leading consultants. As one of the three sponsors of APEC, we share in the financial outcome of the conference, and it’s been very positive over the past few years. Our financial net worth is over $70,000. As a non-profit organization, we simply return our revenues from APEC, member dues and publication sales, to our membership as efficiently and effectively as we can. In addition to the present system of value exchange here’s how you can “milk” much more out of your membership. I thought I would make a list, but as the thoughts rolled around in my head, I realized they all comprised a single theme. It’s extremely simple. “Get involved.” I can tell you, and so can my colleagues, that the benefits from being truly active in an organization like PSMA far outstrip all of the many publications that attempt to summarize its activities. There’s much more in store for you than simply hearing what goes on in our committee meetings, workshops and research projects. What happens in these activities is (and I’ll be the first to admit it doesn’t happen all the time) almost magical. After many years of sticking my neck out and getting involved in these activities I’ve come to some revelations. As I wrote in my paper for APEC 2000 about “Defining your own excellence,” these volunteer organizations have an unusually high population density of effective people. It’s partly because the volunteer aspect acts as an input filter---everyone had to exercise some initiative to be there in the first place. 1. They had to “show up” (it’s been written that this is 80% of success). 2. They had to say, “I’ll do that,” when the discussion rolled around to figuring out how to organize the project. 3. They had to deliver. The level of performance is extremely high, because the people are “turned on” about what they’re doing. Some valuable friendships are formed while working together on these projects. As many of them involve research about power supply technology, components, reliability, marketing and sales, this work may uncover valuable information that you might otherwise not find. More important than the content of the work, in my opinion, is the interaction with exciting colleagues who are really enjoying their careers. I can’t tell you how many times my life has been enriched by these experiences. One of the reasons I’m taking the time to write this is to share this with you. I hope you’ll accept my invitation to get involved yourself. I hope, even more, that you will pick one or two of your co-workers to get involved with us. Please pick up your phone and call me at my office in California, 805 933-4607, or drop an email to me at chuck.mullett@onsemi.com. We can chat further about how your membership in PSMA can become much more valuable to you and your company. Sincerely, Chuck Mullett Chairman, PSMA
2005-8-23
Years ago we had to surround ourselves with printed reference material to provide the data on components used in our designs and applications papers to help in their use. Many of these were free, but some others cost over $100 each and became obsolete almost as fast as we obtained them. Today, the picture has changed dramatically. Most of this information is available at no cost through the Internet; the amount of information is so huge that the new challenge is sorting it out. When the semiconductor committee of PSMA began to study the problem of helping engineers find the information needed, the change in the way we do our jobs became blatantly obvious. Even this task has been made easier, because of help from the Internet.
Here is our conclusion: Google is perhaps the most advanced search engine in the world at this time. Surprisingly, it’s not just for lay people who are looking for new recipes or ways to remodel their bedrooms. Its capability to provide us with the sophisticated technical help we need is astounding. It has the capacity to improve its performance, on its own, as it is used. Our job in helping our members and others in the industry has been reduced from one of searching, rating and cataloging materials to one of simply providing a few hints about using Google. We suggest you try it for yourself, get familiar with its capability, and use it the next time you need information. Here are some examples for you to try:
1. Go to Google.com and type in power factor correction. Our result was that 2,190,000 references were retrieved in 0.23 seconds. Now, type in “power factor correction” and see the difference. We got 155,000 references in about the same amount of time. What is even more amazing is that the references were valid! Even in the first case---we looked through the first 120 on the list, and didn’t find even one irrelevant citing.
2. Try “mag amp” and retrieve 8,870 references. All were valid until we got down to the 29th one on the list, which referred to a slow-release garden fertilizer. 28 out of 29 is a validity score of 96.6%---not bad for software!!!
In Example 1 we saw the difference of enclosing the phrase in quotation marks. Doing so causes the search engine to look for precisely that phrase. Without this, the search engine will find hits on each of the words individually, inviting irrelevant references.
To the right of the search window on the home page you will find “Advanced Search.” Clicking on it will produce a page full of easy-to-use tricks to improve the search, including “Advanced Search Tips” on the top line of the page. This gives even more useful information to produce more effective results. Google is so easy that if you’ll spend only 5 minutes with it, you’ll be producing better results than you can find in a world-class library, without leaving your desk. Try it first, then try other search engines. We did this, and found a plethora of irrelevant “hits.” We invite your comments.
2003-1-24
A discussion of criteria to consider when deciding whether you should make or buy power supplies when creating equipment.
2003-1-24
The following documents are provided to assist you in your technical writing. Please note that if you would like a hard copy of the Units, Symbols & Styles Guide in a handy one-page format, you may purchase copies in the Publications Section.
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