The Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) is a power engineer’s dream – everyone in the industry attended and the blend of new technologies, new research and new connections created an electric energy. Last year, APEC had over 5,000 attendees making it one of the largest power conferences in the world. TI is proud to be a part of it – we hosted five industry sessions, four poster sessions and three technical lectures; we’re excited to recap the experience with you!
Here is all you need to know about TI’s involvement in the 2019 APEC conference, even if you couldn't make it to APEC this year, relive it with us below!
Check out the technical presentations (PDF) we hosted this year!
Smart AC/DC linear regulator that saves you space
Made in partnership with Kilby Labs, the TPS7A78’s architecture solves common design challenges in Internet of Things and automation applications by reducing standby power to just a few tens of milliwatts in one-fourth the space. Using the switched-capacitor topology, this smart linear regulator eliminates external inductors/transformers for a tamper-resistant design while helping linear regulators evolve into AC/DC power designs. This is a simple approach to improving efficiency for nonmagnetic AC/DC conversion.
±10-A isolated driver with fast protection and integrated sensor
Watch live switching of an 800-V/200-A insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power module with overcurrent detection and safe module shutdown displayed on a scope. The IGBT module is driven by our latest ±10-A isolated gate driver, the UCC21750, which features integrated, fast short-circuit protection; safe shutdown capability; and an integrated, isolated sensor to measure the IGBT die temperature live and in action. A static printed circuit board will demonstrate how overall system and board size can be reduced to drive high-power solutions.
Automotive mild hybrid 48-V/12-V power supply reference design
The development of AEC-Q100 switching power supplies with wider input voltage ranges and battery-friendly features is being catalyzed by the increasing prevalence of hybrid electric vehicles. TI’s design eliminates intermediate power rail risks with co-existing 12-V and 48-V battery power systems, showcasing the wide input voltage capabilities of the LM5164-Q1 100-V, 1-A synchronous buck converter and the LM5180-Q1 65-V primary-side-regulated flyback converter.
High CMTI, opto-emulated isolated gate driver
Upgrade your device with this drop-in replacement to optocoupler gate drivers. This video showcases a three-phase inverter reference design for 200-480 VAC drives with the new UCC23513 opto-emulated gate driver. Also see a live demo of a low-voltage half-bridge driver using the UCC23513 to drive insulated gate bipolar transistors, including key waveforms and features. The demonstration highlights the benefits of capacitive isolation when using this opto-emulated isolated gate driver over traditional optocoupler gate drivers.
Demos highlights:
Weren't able to attend this year? Recap the event below!
This was a record breaking year for APEC, it was largest one in history with over 6,000 people in attendance! There was a palpable excitement and desire to engage, and it seemed like every session overflowed with people. One session I attended was a popular seminar on hybrid and resonant power converters by Prof. Robert Pilawa from UC Berkeley. Attendees were so dedicated that some had to stand in the back for the entire 3.5 hour long session. Another standout was a technical session by Dr. Gab-Su Seo; he demonstrated solar inverters that use dispatchable virtual oscillator control to form an AC grid in a decentralized manner. The learnings from this session could really help as more solar panels are connected to the power grid. This whole experience reminded me how exciting the future of power electronics is.
At TI, we focus our efforts on solving the industry's toughest power design challenges. These could be maintaining power density, or could be reaching 99% efficiency levels, or maybe it's simply keeping a short BOM - no matter what you're facing, we will work with you to solve it. But this all starts with identifying what's important to you. That's why we decided to ask APEC attendees a simple question: "What are your biggest design challenges?". The responses we got were varied, difficult problems, but we're confident that we can work towards a solution. After all, we can only reach innovation through adversity and these challenges might just lead to next big thing in APEC 2020!
I look forward to seeing you all in New Orleans next year!