Author Topic: Components you wish existed.  (Read 60448 times)

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Offline mariush

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #50 on: May 12, 2017, 12:02:35 am »
I'd like to see more switching regulators available with built in inductors and diodes and ceramic capacitors.. in DIP or soic or something like that. Basically just add input and output capacitors and you're done.  Linear has a bunch of them but they're mostly BGA or similar packages and cost a lot (15$+). Don't see why it would be so hard to make cheap ones with just vin , vout and maybe adjusting output voltage using a resistor.

Do you know about these?

https://www.altera.com/products/power/devices.html#powersoc-converters

Interesting, wasn't aware of those. Still, the first one I checked is again, expensive.. 11$ for EN2340QI : https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/altera/EN2340QI/544-2845-2-ND/4430952

Here's what I was looking for at while ago, the basic scenario ..  make a fan controller that can accept 2 pin to 4 pin fans ... detect if fan is plugged in by rpm sensor or by measuring current pulled by fan when it starts,  if there's 4 pin fan detected, use pwm to adjust speed otherwise control fan by adjusting the voltage from the dc-dc converter (could use pwm on the actual power sent to the fan but that could mess up the rpm wire) .
So basically the ideal dc-dc converter for this would be 14v max input, 5v to 12v output, at least 0.5A but capable of 1A or a bit more for a second or so while the fan starts up , protection against short circuit (if dumb user blocks fan with fingers or something else happens that would short the output.. at least for a few seconds until the microcontroller or some circuit reacts and turns off the converter with its enable pin). Would be nice to have more than 0.5A but wouldn't be required.
Even better if such a dc-dc converter could be configured through i2c or spi to simply set the output voltage.

All those Altera seem to be either 6v in , less voltage out , or 14 v in , max 5v out .. wouldn't work for this scenario.

Microchip has some fan controller ICs that can control multiple fans but they seem to work mostly with 4 wire fans , not with plain 2wire or 3 wire fans. They're nice ICs controllable through i2c but not perfect.
 

Offline DBecker

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #51 on: May 12, 2017, 12:04:52 am »
I would like a 'perfect' active-synchronous bridge rectifier.  Like four IR11672, but without the external components, in a standard bridge rectifier footprint.

And a similar part for low voltage, perhaps integrated with a switching buck/boost regulator.  That would allow using any power brick up to 24VAC with small gadgets.

A symmetric VIPER chip, that takes 120+120VAC referenced to neutral/ground and draws equally from each leg.  It probably needs a  ground continuity test feature and a fault LED output.  This should be able to safely power the control circuitry of 240VAC appliances that have grounded control panels, without using X or Y capacitors.

 

Offline Neomys Sapiens

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #52 on: May 12, 2017, 12:38:43 am »
And also, a little thing that transports heat ELSEWHERE by quantum linkage. Sort of an infinity heatpipe.
 

Offline karoru

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #53 on: May 12, 2017, 12:47:33 am »
I'd like to get modern equivalent of XR2206. Many hobbyists want to build their own function gen and they end up buying NOS XR2206 for price comparable to serious FPGA, because that "add few switches, passives and buffer" construction is so tempting.
 

Offline Circlotron

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #54 on: May 12, 2017, 12:52:27 am »
And also, a little thing that transports heat ELSEWHERE by quantum linkage. Sort of an infinity heatpipe.
I would use one of those to build an air conditioner with one end in a hot climate and the other in a cold climate. Users at both ends get the benefit. The ultimate win/win machine.
 

Offline Circlotron

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #55 on: May 12, 2017, 01:02:50 am »
An ultraviolet LED that was the right wavelength to erase EPROMs.
 

Offline BrianHG

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #56 on: May 12, 2017, 02:29:39 am »
An ultraviolet LED that was the right wavelength to erase EPROMs.
A xenon strobe light with a few flashes does it in around 5 secs.  A really bright UV Led will still take a good 5-10 min.
 

Offline BrianHG

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #57 on: May 12, 2017, 02:35:46 am »
A solar cell which converts all of the visible light spectrum + near IR, to electricity with over 75% efficiency, cheap and large and high voltage in a single cell.
 

Offline Conrad Hoffman

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #58 on: May 12, 2017, 03:37:04 am »
I'd like to get modern equivalent of XR2206. Many hobbyists want to build their own function gen and they end up buying NOS XR2206 for price comparable to serious FPGA, because that "add few switches, passives and buffer" construction is so tempting.

The available 2206 parts I've tried are not the same as the original 2206. They only meet spec, sweep in particular, over a narrow voltage range. IMO, the only good solution for function generators today is discrete, like the circuits used in various Waveteks, or DDS chips.
 

Online radar_macgyver

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #59 on: May 12, 2017, 04:31:26 am »
Something like a 74HC138 or HC595 with P-channel MOSFET outputs that can source a couple of amps.

It is over 1A technically, so would the NXP MC33879A count? Otherwise, the ST L9848 can handle 0.8A. Others can be found under "PMIC - Power Distribution Switches, Load Drivers" at Digi-key.
 

Online Mechatrommer

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #60 on: May 12, 2017, 04:32:26 am »
VCCap = voltage controlled capacitance
VCInd = voltage controlled inductance
VCRes = voltage controlled resistance
analog version, not some stair stepped digital trick. various size smd, TH, various C and L range, various power rating. i know there is digital VCRes or somesort of control, but i'm not aware of VCCap and VCInd even in digital trick.
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Offline james_s

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #61 on: May 12, 2017, 04:39:59 am »
I suppose a saturable reactor could be considered a voltage (or current) controlled inductor.
 

Offline jonovid

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #62 on: May 12, 2017, 04:44:18 am »
artificial silent running muscle for robots. no more mechanical linear actuators,  the use or invention of a type of dynamic filaments producing contraction by say electrical currents, not by buzzing mechanical drives.
Hobbyist with a basic knowledge of electronics
 

Offline BrianHG

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #63 on: May 12, 2017, 04:55:22 am »
VCCap = voltage controlled capacitance
This exists, it's called a tuning diode.
Also known as varactor diodes.
Also, higher voltage zener diodes also can be used as tuning diodes.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2017, 04:59:08 am by BrianHG »
 
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Offline sleemanj

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #64 on: May 12, 2017, 05:43:38 am »
A true ideal diode, two pin, some sensible SMD diode-sized package, drop it in, job done.

Logic level mosfet without body diode.
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Offline Roeland_R

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #65 on: May 12, 2017, 05:58:51 am »
Fluxcapacitor

But where are you gonna get the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity?!

From a Duracell ofcourse.
 

Offline TJ232

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #66 on: May 12, 2017, 06:11:48 am »
CR2030 or 2025, for standard housing applications, half a gig lasting for at least 10 years (leakage current, you know...) might be enough for me.
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Offline jbb

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #67 on: May 12, 2017, 06:18:11 am »
FPGA co-packaged with large DRAM.

(This won't happen because FPGA customers demand long term (>10yr) availability os the same part and DRAM chip manufacturers only offer a given die for a few (maybe 5) years.)
 

Offline AndyC_772

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #68 on: May 12, 2017, 06:28:42 am »
Interesting, wasn't aware of those. Still, the first one I checked is again, expensive.. 11$ for EN2340QI

Most of the range is designed to do 5V in, low voltage out, which is absolutely ideal if you're designing a logic board with lots of devices all requiring different supplies. These parts are my go-to solution to power microcontrollers, FPGAs, DRAM, and any other kind of logic device requiring a low voltage supply. They're compact, efficient, and have that superb, intangible "just work" quality.

For example: EP5357HUI will do 5V in, 3.3V @ 600mA out for $2 in 100+ quantity, and it's just 2.5 x 2.25mm. Amazing.

Offline Circlotron

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #69 on: May 12, 2017, 07:18:24 am »
Decent capacity 5 volt parallel flash memory.
 

Offline GeorgeOfTheJungle

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #70 on: May 12, 2017, 07:38:07 am »
Actually, if you only need to hold that wattage for a second, then it's not that bad.  If you need to dish out that total power in one second, then you got some real problems.

That's 336 kWh of energy
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Offline richard.cs

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #71 on: May 12, 2017, 08:13:16 am »
That's 336 kWh of energy
About the energy in a large sack (about 40 kg) of coal.

Even in 1955 a couple of GW peak power could have been achieved by driving into HV electricity distribution cables.
 

Offline Kjelt

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #72 on: May 12, 2017, 08:43:20 am »
Even in 1955 a couple of GW peak power could have been achieved by driving into HV electricity distribution cables.
It would have made the BTF movie quite boring if they just had to plug it in.
 

Offline Sredni

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #73 on: May 12, 2017, 08:50:47 am »
Untanglable cables.

Also, the word "untanglable".
All instruments lie. Usually on the bench.
 

Offline Codebird

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Re: Components you wish existed.
« Reply #74 on: May 12, 2017, 09:15:35 am »
The Space-Folding antenna: DC-to-daylight bandwidth and 100% efficiency in a handy 5cm package. No more wires longer than your garden to work the HF bands.
 


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