tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227892082024-03-13T13:12:49.532-04:00Power Supplies, Energy Efficiency, Generatorssmps power supplies, electric generators, energy and other related topicsLazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-39918447999370879802023-12-18T02:16:00.000-05:002023-12-18T02:16:21.618-05:00Engineers Salaries 2023<p> Electronics Design magazine published its annual salary and career survey. About 70% of the engineers said that engineering is still a secure career, and is as promising a career path as it used to be. And what good for the engineers, is the engineering shortage remains: it is difficult to hire people for new positions, with most companies seeking at least 3-5 years of experience for new hires. According to a report from Oxford Economics, around 1.4 million engineering jobs will remain open by 2030 in the US. What not so good is 52% companies are already evaluating use of artificial intelligence for the designs. Which means very soon some jobs may be replaced by AI.</p><p>What professions are the most wanted? The survey says software and system engineers are the two most often-mentioned jobs needed, but generally there are needs for engineers in all design areas. All electronic systems obviously need power. Not surprisingly, among all technologies, power management has the main design impact. </p><p>How much engineers are making? 66% of engineers said they had direct compensation $100,000 or more. At this, 53% are making between $100,000 and $200,000. Not bad? In addition to the base salary, 72% of engineers got some kind of bonus. Especially for smaller manufacturers, profit sharing can be a big part of compensation package.</p><p>The bottom line is, if you are technically inclined, becoming an engineer can be a right way for you to go.</p>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-75156306656749411182022-12-23T06:30:00.003-05:002022-12-23T08:33:34.571-05:00Message Could Not be Displayed WLM Encountered an Unexpected Problem While Displaying this Message: How To Fix<span style="font-size: medium;">After upgrading Windows, Windows Live mail app may stop showing the content of the messages. When you try opening an email it will display this error message: <i><b>"Message could not be displayed. WLM encountered an unexpected problem while displaying this message. Check your computer for low memory or low disk space and try again."</b></i> </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is what you may do to fix it (it worked for me when I upgraded to Windows 11). In short, you need to add these three DWORD entries into the registry: </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">RecreateFolderIndex 1 </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">RecreateStreamIndex 1 </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">RecreateUIDLIndex 1 </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll show you step by step how to do it. But first, I want to remind you that <b>if you modify the registry incorrectly the system may become unstable.</b> Therefore, to be on a safe side backup the registry before you modify it. You can then restore it if you did it wrong. Here is a link on how to <u><a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-back-up-and-restore-the-registry-in-windows-855140ad-e318-2a13-2829-d428a2ab0692" target="_blank"><b>backup registry</b></a></u> . The best thing is to let a computer pro do it for you. Otherwise, <b><span style="color: red;">you do it at your own risk: see my <u><a href="https://www.smps.us/Disclaimer.html" target="_blank">Disclaimer</a></u></span></b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">1. To edit registry open search box from START menu and type RUN. In the RUN dialogue type “regedit” and hit OK (you may need administrative rights to open regedit).</span></div><div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMF7WYAEjJCry9A1qbXbA0hC4K7hRfFJEtYaqz0dYaD23-UbsRl28AechFOu0V_XNzFP5pxvpfWfvJ6UnUVOgO394ZnpJm6aPWEwFZsSAnqolV3sXunQr-b__LcClEzD26_vH-BKdjYjIbw7IRRAnrzKMfJcJAQcnloT6JeHucUxBO5Z3FQ/s564/regedit.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="564" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMF7WYAEjJCry9A1qbXbA0hC4K7hRfFJEtYaqz0dYaD23-UbsRl28AechFOu0V_XNzFP5pxvpfWfvJ6UnUVOgO394ZnpJm6aPWEwFZsSAnqolV3sXunQr-b__LcClEzD26_vH-BKdjYjIbw7IRRAnrzKMfJcJAQcnloT6JeHucUxBO5Z3FQ/s320/regedit.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><br /></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Once you opened the registry navigate to the following folder and click on it:</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Select EDIT>NEW>32 Bit DWORD</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">4. Name the newly created key: <b>RecreateFolderIndex</b> . </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">5. Right click on this key and select MODIFY.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">6. In the open dialog "Value Data" change from 0 to 1.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">7. Repeat steps 3-6 for RecreateStreamIndex and RecreateUIDLIndex </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">8. Close REGEDIT.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">8. Close Windows Live Mail and re-open.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Note. If your registry already have the above three keys, you just need to modify their value from 0 to 1.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The content of the emails should now appear (you may also need to restart the computer).</span></div><div><br /></div></div>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-91340754241376072052022-08-07T10:55:00.001-04:002022-08-18T04:57:30.079-04:00How Power Over Ethernet (PoE) Works<div><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">Knowing how annoying it can be
to watch long videos when all you want is a quick explanation, I put up a How
PoE Works video, in which <b>basic principles of PoE operation</b> are explained in less than two minutes. Learn how power can be superimposed onto data pairs in ethernet cables.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div></div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/OQuCpiSIA24" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OQuCpiSIA24/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-6226298703754256802022-07-31T03:22:00.004-04:002023-12-18T03:50:50.481-05:00What is Power Over Ethernet (poe)<div>If you have ever wondered about Power Over Ethernet (PoE), here is a <a href="https://youtu.be/PYIQMae0RGg">quick technical explanation</a>. If you want to calculate the PoE system, get this <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.poe.calculator">app</a>.</div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/PYIQMae0RGg" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/edpiAChVRNM/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-46271974769785664522022-03-27T09:50:00.000-04:002022-03-27T09:50:40.442-04:00Intel ATX 3.0 PC Power Supply Specification<p>19 years after publishing ATX2 power supply standard (a.k.a ATX12V2), Intel has released new ATX 3.0 Multi Rail Desktop Platform Power Supply specification. The main innovation in ATX 3.0 is new auxiliary 12VHPWR connector intended for next generation hardware, such as PCIe 5.0 desktop graphics cards. This connector can provide up to 600W on 12V bus directly to a graphic card. In addition, auxiliary "sideband" pins can communicate to the card the available power of PSU, and can also provide some communication back from the card to the PSU. </p><p>For the details of the new spec, pinout of 12VHPWR connector and designation of the sideband control signals, see our review of <a href="https://www.smpspowersupply.com/atx3connectors.html">ATX 3.0 Connectors and Pinout</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IILGdXPgaXbF0Yax9fHq7HVD_KjZcvefiVWuT1S_kZRY95oSiT__3mkTf7DOcarCS9BiSa41S-o8yiA-t7PSuJz062N98df4N4i2iCTRSQrbPjZsIk23lC-gbi_2uL5pOFKDshcBGbzqdNeVCcSwVOWNZqBz9pRKkEFrgGVvgrrI6ev0EA/s430/12vhpwr-pinout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="430" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IILGdXPgaXbF0Yax9fHq7HVD_KjZcvefiVWuT1S_kZRY95oSiT__3mkTf7DOcarCS9BiSa41S-o8yiA-t7PSuJz062N98df4N4i2iCTRSQrbPjZsIk23lC-gbi_2uL5pOFKDshcBGbzqdNeVCcSwVOWNZqBz9pRKkEFrgGVvgrrI6ev0EA/s320/12vhpwr-pinout.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">12VHPWR connector</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-86086905204346355212020-11-14T21:00:00.000-05:002020-11-14T21:00:18.805-05:00Engineering Salaries 2020<p> If you wonder if your compensation is competitive, Electronic Design magazine has published its annual 2020 <a href="https://www.electronicdesign.com/tools/learning-resources/article/21145111/2020-salary-career-report-engineering-salaries" target="_blank">Engineering Salaries</a> report. </p><p>Median compensation for engineers in 2020 was in the range between $100,000 and $125,000 (21%). </p><p>37% was making $125,000 and over. </p><p>2% was making less than $30,000 (I can't imagine an engineer would accept such a position).</p><p>36% did not get any raise in 2020, and 26% got just 1-3% raise. At the same time 22% actually got some paycut, likely because of business decline due to covid-19.</p><p>Hopefully, next year will better, especially because he vaccine is already in the pipeline.</p>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-60170464698867496802020-07-05T12:15:00.002-04:002020-10-22T09:06:35.998-04:00Single Rail PC Power Supply ATXVOBack in 2006 Google proposed single rail PC PSU approach in their <b><a href="http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/services.google.com/en//blog_resources/PSU_white_paper.pdf" target="_blank">white paper</a></b>. It took 14 years for Intel to practically implement this approach in their ATX12VO Single 12V Rail power supply <b><a href="https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/guides/single-rail-power-supply-platform-atx12vo-design-guide.pdf" target="_blank">design guide</a></b>. However, this is not the end of the road for PC efficiency improvement. Thirteen years ago, in <a href="https://blog.smps.us/2007/05/power-supply-efficiency-increase.html"><b>this post</b></a> I wrote how single-rail 12V power supply efficiency can be further boosted on the system level by updating computer hardware to allow 12V bus to drop to 8-9V. Hopefully, Intel will eventually figure it out. Meantime, here is a detailed description and connector pinouts of <b><a href="https://www.smps.us/atx12vo-connectors.html">ATX12VO power supply</a></b>.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-71714435987514895662019-12-14T19:04:00.001-05:002019-12-14T19:04:12.990-05:00Airbus to Produce Hybrid-Electric JetAirbus has just <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/airbus-says-hybrid-electric-jet-start-production-2035-2877340" target="_blank">revealed its plans</a> for production of hybrid-electric jet aircraft by 2035.
It is supposed to be a low-emission jet, which is good. They also say that such aircraft will be much lighter and safer than traditional aircraft.<br />
<br />
Well, lighter, may be, but safer? Hybrid electric means they will have a lot of batteries. Remember, the introduction of Boeing 787 Dreamliner? At least four of these aircrafts suffered from electrical system problems when lithium-ion batteries overheated and started a fire. And what was the solution? The FAA decided in 2013 to allow Dreamliners to return to service after changes were made to their battery systems to better contain battery fires. Not to prevent fires, but to "better contain fires"! Well, I personally will be reluctant to fly on any electric hybrid jet. Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-84901014050074973162019-08-26T23:00:00.000-04:002019-08-26T23:00:05.210-04:00Electrical Generator AnimationFor many years I had an electrical generator animation in my webpage <a href="http://www.generatorguide.net/howgeneratorworks.html"><b>http://www.generatorguide.net/howgeneratorworks.html</b></a> , which explains how generator works. That animation was courtesy of Joe Wolfe at Physclips Project at UNSW. The problem is, it was in swf format which requires Flash player. As we know, Adobe will stop supporting Flash after 2020. As the result, then most if not all web browsers will no longer display Flash videos. You already see this message when you open Chrome. So, I've converted the Flash animation into mp4 video. There are many generator animations on the web, but this one will work beyond 2020.<br />
<br />Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-29101039250930684762017-11-11T20:16:00.002-05:002017-11-11T20:16:59.578-05:00Electronic Engineers Salary Report 2017Electronic Design magazine has published its annual <a href="http://www.electronicdesign.com/community-home/2017-electronic-design-salary-career-report" target="_blank">Salary & Career Report</a>. You can download full report if you register there. This year according to their poll, average base salary for electrical engineers was $104,996- a bit less than it was in 2016, but higher than in 2015. What's interesting is that 70% of electronic design engineers are over 50-year old. This suggests that young people are not choosing engineering. In my personal observation, intellectually inclined young guys are choosing computer science over "boring" engineering. Among young engineers I see mostly guys from India and Far East.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-77914244479840187672016-12-23T13:07:00.004-05:002018-08-02T12:11:02.853-04:00TI Power Supply Design Seminar 2016This year TI power supply design seminar (formerly Unitrode) includes the following topics:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Design of a high-frequency series capacitor buck converter- presented 2-channel buck in which one channel has a series capacitor;</li>
<li>Flyback transformer design considerations for efficiency and EMI- a new funny way of constructing flyback transformer that supposedly minimizes energy losses due to proximity effect and leakage inductance;</li>
<li>Switch-mode power converter compensation- a step-by-step process that engineers can follow to compensate a power converter;</li>
<li>Bidirectional DC/DC converter topology comparison and design- automotive 48-V/12-V bidirectional converter;</li>
<li>SiC and GaN applied to high-frequency power- examines wide bandgap (WBG) silicon (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power devices;</li>
<li>Under the hood of a noninverting buck-boost converter- various non-inverting topologies;</li>
<li>Design review of a 2-kW parallelable power-supply module- CCM PFC front end followed by current mode-controlled isolated DC/DC resonant ZVT phase-shifted full-bridge converter with synchronous rectification.</li>
</ul>
<div>
This year for the first time TI did not publish a complete seminar book like they used to do before, but provided only short slides. The texts of the presentations is not on their website yet- usually they do if after they finish the entire seminar series. Some of the the past seminar topics you can find <a href="https://www.smps.us/Unitrode.html"><b><span style="color: blue;">here</span></b></a>.</div>
Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-44395308493054176322016-09-05T15:25:00.002-04:002019-11-12T18:03:00.907-05:00How to Insert Chapter-Based Right-Aligned Equation Numbers In MS Word 2010 If you write an article for a journal, a diploma project or a dissertation you may wonder how to insert automatically updated right-aligned equation numbers based on chapters. In other words, for example, math equations in chapter 1 should be referenced to as (1.1), (1.2), etc., and these captions should be on the right edge of a page. Microsoft geniuses somehow used not to think about a built-in method of numbering equations until Office 2016. Having searched the web, I found a cool table-based method provided by Dr.Franklin in this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM57WvO20KA" target="_blank">video</a>. However, this video described only a basic numbering, which does not say how to include the chapter number. I’ll show you below how to easily expand this method into a chapter-based numbering.<br />
<br />
Most steps are just per the video. First insert table with one raw and 2 columns, and adjust the width of the right column like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RdzmqVjdJsQ/V83EV879ZMI/AAAAAAAAFuA/hRb9-LkJcRk8OAOovswbqeY7mKutbZP6QCLcB/s1600/table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="32" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RdzmqVjdJsQ/V83EV879ZMI/AAAAAAAAFuA/hRb9-LkJcRk8OAOovswbqeY7mKutbZP6QCLcB/s400/table.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
If you want formulas to be exactly centered on the page, you can optionally insert 3rd column on the left with the same width as the right column. Type parenthesis in the right column and click inside them. Then click Insert--->Quick Parts --->Field. Scroll down to StyleRef. You will get a menu like you see below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; width:100%;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zd5e-6kESRs/V83EiZ1lq0I/AAAAAAAAFuE/SNDWPuK5yAIoCnWAbn1EMV4M-F8bJddgQCLcB/s1600/insert_chapter_number.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="border: none; max-height: 420px; width: 100%; max-width: 640px;" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zd5e-6kESRs/V83EiZ1lq0I/AAAAAAAAFuE/SNDWPuK5yAIoCnWAbn1EMV4M-F8bJddgQCLcB/s640/insert_chapter_number.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<p>Check 'Insert paragraph number' in the Field options, and under Style name select the section which you want to be the base of the numbering. If, for example, your chapters are based on Heading 1, select it in Style name. When you hit OK, it will print the number of the current "Heading 1" chapter. Then type period (dot) and click again Insert--->Quick Parts --->Field. This time scroll down to Seq (which is sequence field). Add a name to this sequence, for example Seq eq.</p>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UMrUUsAih4Y/V83E-8Y4g8I/AAAAAAAAFuI/p9Npw6Qhqbs-n9wcAPyu4VAn3dG1ZnhqwCLcB/s1600/numbering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="border: none; max-height: 417px; width: 100%; max-width: 640px;" rel="insert chapter-based equation number in MS Word" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UMrUUsAih4Y/V83E-8Y4g8I/AAAAAAAAFuI/p9Npw6Qhqbs-n9wcAPyu4VAn3dG1ZnhqwCLcB/s640/numbering.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
When you hit OK it will print the number 1. In our example, if you do it in the Chapter 1, the result in right column will look like (1.1). Every time you repeat this procedure the numbers will automatically update sequentially. Optionally, you can click in the main column and then click Insert--->Equation. This will place an equation placeholder there. Finally, select the entire table and get rid of borders.<br />
<br />
To simplify the process so that you won’t have to repeat it manually every time you insert a math formula, you can save all this as an auto text. Select entire table and click Quick Parts--->Auto text--->Save the selection in auto text gallery. When you will need to place the next formula, you will just go Quick Parts--->Auto text and select your saved auto text. This method will likely work in Word 2013 as well, although I did not try it.<br />
<br />
By the way, Equation Editor is an optional component of MS Word. You need to select it when you first install Word.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-13564752863870523222015-12-06T14:51:00.000-05:002015-12-06T14:53:28.068-05:00Drone Package Deliveries I like an idea of getting a package by a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drones-alphabet-idUSKCN0SR20520151103#4x28QSeVsA1MOfgg.97" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>dron</b></span></a>. Google recently has filed a <a href="http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220150317597%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20150317597&RS=DN/20150317597" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>patent application</b></span></a> on the method of dron delivery. Basically, you will need to print a barcode and display it in a “landing pad”. The article claims the delivery may start in 2017.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-82840627442332464712015-01-24T20:11:00.000-05:002018-08-02T12:11:47.519-04:002015 Home Generator Review and Buying GuideNeedless to say, the winter is here. During the past decade the number of power outages including weather related ones kept rising across the entire country. In 2014 alone there were more than 200 power disturbances in U.S. affecting over 16 million people. Since most electrical lines in U.S. still use overhead wires, and because of aging infrastructure of our power grid, this trend will likely continue. A lengthy power interruption is more than spoiled food or just an annoyance. It is a potential life-threatening situation. My online guide to <a href="https://www.smps.us/home-generators.html">home generators</a> provides the basics of backup power. For complete information with step-by-step instructions on selection, sizing and connecting standby and portable models see my new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Home-Generator-Selecting-Connecting-Complete-ebook/dp/B00S481VOE/">generator review and buying guide</a>. It will save you hours of research and potentially save you money too.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-55717164128589461262014-09-11T13:50:00.003-04:002014-09-11T13:52:02.910-04:00Charging Electric Car from Portable GeneratorThis <a href="http://www.gadgetreview.com/2014/09/watch-bmws-i3-electric-car-charge-from-a-home-depot-gas-powered-generator.html" target="_blank">video</a> of course is cool, but if I had a BMW I would not risk charging it from a portable generator, even from a sinewave inverter-generator like Honda. And I would never run a gas generator inside a car even with an exhaust hose.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-34534088399407425812014-09-09T13:11:00.003-04:002014-09-09T13:13:18.401-04:00Never Refuel a Portable Generator While It Is RunningIf you need to refuel a portable generator, you need to turn it off, wait until its case cools down and only then add the fuel. Refueling a generator while it is operating presents serious fire and burn hazards as one can see from this news <a href="http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140906_Man_suffers_serious_burns_in_Hauula_farm_generator_fire.html?id=274251161" target="_blank">report</a>.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-63720211467953030382014-08-26T15:34:00.001-04:002014-08-26T15:35:07.697-04:00HP Recalls Notebook AC Power Cords Due to Fire and Burn HazardsAccording to CPSC.gov, HP <a href="http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Hewlett-Packard-Recalls-Notebook-Computer-AC-Power-Cords/" target="_blank">recalls</a> more than 5 million power cords for HP and Compaq notebooks due to fire and burn hazards. I can understand how a sloppy designed power supply can overheat. But a power cord? Could not HP genius figure our proper wire rating?Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-39536099216876142622014-05-26T13:37:00.005-04:002014-05-26T13:39:05.455-04:00One Million Dollar Prize for Next Generation of Power InvertersGoogle recently announced their so-called Little Box Challenge, a $1 million prize to develop the next generation of power inverters. If you want to know what power inverter is, <a href="http://www.smps.us/power-inverter.html">here</a> is the basics. Unfortunately, they did not provide any technical details on what exactly they are looking for. The referred website <a href="http://www.littleboxchallenge.com/" target="_blank">http://www.littleboxchallenge.com/</a> as of today provides zero useful info either. Hopefully, they will clarify the competition shortly.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-23276295000534035702014-05-23T16:44:00.001-04:002014-05-23T16:51:43.557-04:00Another Portable Generator StolenHere is another reason to look for a permanently installed standby generator- a portable one can easily be stolen. Here is a video on how two guys took a 300-lb device. By the way, in Louisiana, flashlights, batteries, portable generators and other emergency supplies are exempt from the state sales tax this weekend. They give Louisiana residents a chance to get ready for storm season before the Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="330" scrolling="no" src="http://eplayer.clipsyndicate.com/embed/iframe?aspect_ratio=16x9&auto_next=0&auto_start=0&page_count=4&pf_id=1297&pl_id=13616&rel=3&show_title=0&tags=default&va_id=5127327&volume=8&windows=1" width="425"></iframe>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-70207582506829663532014-01-30T12:37:00.001-05:002018-08-02T12:13:36.744-04:00Power Supply Seminar 2012/13 Textbooks OnlineThose who missed Texas Instruments latest 2012-2013 power supply design seminar can now download all the materials <a href="http://www.ti.com/ww/en/power-training/login.shtml" target="_blank">here</a>. This time they archived online both the manuals and the presentations, which are quite handy. Unfortunately, TI is doing a pretty good job making it very hard to find these files in their website. If you want to read past TI (formerly Unitrode) seminar manuals beginning 1983, I listed them all <a href="https://www.smps.us/Unitrode.html">here</a>. I kept maintaining and updating these links for over a decade now. Originally I got the list of their topics (which at that time was much shorter) from one of TI application engineers who interviewed me for a job. I did not get the job back then, but I got a list of the links. It was a good deal. (-:Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-10381467190247921792013-12-10T21:12:00.001-05:002013-12-10T21:12:34.650-05:00Thieves Stealing 200-lb Portable Generator One of the disadvantages of a portable generator is it can be easily stolen. This video footage shows how three suspects stolen a 200-pound generator in 52 seconds.<br>
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Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-29507656621925881702013-07-25T21:15:00.000-04:002014-01-31T12:36:25.907-05:00Subaru Portable Generators Recalled Due to Fire HazardRobin America recalled more than 4,500 Subaru portable gasoline generators because of possible fuel leak. The recalled models are SGX3500, SGX5000 and SGX7500 . These units were made in China for Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., of Tokyo. Read more and find affected serial numbers <a href="http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2013/Subaru-Portable-Gasoline-Generators-Recalled-By-Robin-America/" target="_blank">here</a>.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-34266816461820082972013-05-19T18:06:00.003-04:002014-01-31T12:36:44.997-05:00Back-Up Power for Gas Stations in NY Governor Cuomo proposed <a href="http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/02202013gas-shortage-legislation" target="_blank">new legislation</a> according to which all gas stations within a half-mile of highway exits and hurricane evacuation routes will be required to have a transfer switch installed by March 1, 2014 and deploy a generator within 24 hours of a blackout. This requirement would apply to about one-third of all NYS gas stations. <br />
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In addition, the chains with 10 or more stations will be required to install a transfer switch for an additional 50% of their stations by March 1, 2016, and must activate a generator within 48 hours of losing power during an emergency. This requirement applies to an additional 15% of NY gas stations.<br />
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Finally, as of March 1, 2014, all newly constructed gas stations or the stations that have major renovations will be required to have a transfer switch or back-up generator installed.<br />
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Cuomo said “New York State must learn the lessons from Superstorm Sandy so that we are better prepared for the future”. Really? I wonder if governor followed the news during Sandy. The main problem was lack of gasoline rather than loss of power by gas stations. How would the stations located out of town and not connected to natural gas system fuel their generators when they had neither gasoline or diesel? Of course they could use propane generators, but again, the stations located far away from cities and towns will have hard time refilling their propane tanks during a major disaster. If the proposed bill will pass, we will pay more at the pump because the stations will pass down onto us the cost of implementing the new regulation. As usual, our governor is trying to gain cheap popularity. Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-9341286302314534622013-05-02T20:43:00.000-04:002013-05-02T20:43:15.345-04:00Top Paying Engineering Majors in 2013According to a recent survey, college graduates with major in Petroleum Engineering have the highest average starting salary of $93,500.<br />
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Here are the ten top majors by starting salary:<br />
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Petroleum Engineering: $93,500<br />Computer Engineering: $71,700<br />Chemical Engineering: $67,600<br />Computer Science: $64,800<br />Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering: $64,400<br />Mechanical Engineering: $64,000<br />Electrical/Electronics and Communications Engineering: $63,400<br />Management Information Systems/Business: $63,100<br />Engineering Technology: $62,200<br />Finance: $57,400<br />
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Source: <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/04/29/and-the-highest-paid-college-majors-are/" target="_blank">WSJ</a>Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22789208.post-18296394102493741012013-01-06T11:30:00.001-05:002013-01-06T11:30:23.753-05:00Higher Distribution Voltage for Server Efficiency IncreaseSeveral years ago Google suggested an <a href="http://smps-power.blogspot.com/2007/05/power-supply-efficiency-increase.html">open standard</a> for desktop PC power supplies with a single 12V rail instead of multiple rails. The point was the higher buss voltage the higher overall PC PSU efficiency. <br />
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This year Google power designers are going to present at <a href="http://www.designcon.com/santaclara/conference/tracks.php?session_id=186" target="_blank">DesignCon 2013</a> their strategies for reducing energy losses in servers, including DC-DC regulator architectures as well as higher voltage distribution. Google apparently is going to make a case that higher distribution voltage levels improve overall conversion efficiency. Obviously, raising the buss voltage will lower conduction losses. On the other hand, switching losses in downstream DC-DC regulators will increase. In addition to this, you will need to use higher voltage MOSFETs whose characteristics generally degrade with their rated voltage. That's why it will be interesting to see their experimental results and conclusions on optimal distribution level.Lazar Rozenblathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499328460632123587noreply@blogger.com0