About Robert Stowe

Bob Stowe provides Power Electronics, Power Conversion, and Power Supply Design, Consulting, and Contracting services to small and medium sized businesses.

Letter to My Friends and Fellow Americans

10/9/2016 Dear Friends and Fellow Americans, I am not prone to writing public letters. However the current state of affairs in our country has moved me to write. I will be direct and to the point. Problem In the Bible, at 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, God says, “13When I shut up the heavens so that there […]

Specifying Power Supplies for a System: Load Characterization

Source Characterization for Power Supply Specification Last month we introduced this series with the article titled, “Specifying Electronic Power Supplies from a System Point of View: Introduction”.  In this article we explore importance of load characteristics when specifying a power supply. The figure 1 shows a power supply in simplified form, connected to a generalized […]

Specifying Power Supplies for a System: Introduction

Power Supplies Serve to Match Load to Source There are many commonly available sources of electrical power as well as endless types of sources yet to be discovered or developed. We also have countless applications for this power. However, most applications can not take power directly from the source. There must be a matching process […]

The Isolated Power Supply — A Tutorial

This tutorial installment is: The Isolated Power Supply. This topic answers the following questions: What is power supply isolation? What are the main purposes of power supply isolation? What are the methods of power supply isolation? What are power supply isolation parasitics? How is power supply isolation measured? To view a different topic, go to […]

Tutorial: The Achille’s Heel of Electronics Products

This tutorial installment is: The Achille’s Heel of Electronics Products. The power supply often becomes the Achille’s heel of electronic product design. Why? This topic answers the following questions about power supplies: What are the pitfalls of their implementation? Why are they the system weak link? When is the best time to develop system power […]

Tutorial: Power Supply Conduction Modes

This tutorial installment is: Power Supply Conduction Modes. This topic answers the following questions: What are power supply conduction modes? What are the effects of conduction modes on power supply performance? To view a different topic, go to the Power Supply Tutorial table of contents. Last topic: Power Semiconductor Switches, MOSFETs and Schottky Diodes Next […]

Tutorial: Semiconductor Switches | Power MOSFETs and Schottky Diodes

This tutorial installment is: Power Semiconductor Switches | Power MOSFETs and Schottky Diodes. This topic answers the following questions: What are the majority carrier power semiconductor switches used today? What are the typical applications for these switches? To view a different topic, go to the Power Supply Tutorial table of contents. Last topic: Power Semiconductor […]

Tutorial: Semiconductor Switches | PIN Diode, BJT, IGBT, Thyristor

This tutorial installment is: Power Semiconductor Switches | PIN Diode, BJT, IGBT, Thyristor. This topic answers the following questions: What are the minority carrier power semiconductor switches used today? What are the typical applications for these switches? To view a different topic, go to the Power Supply Tutorial table of contents. Last topic: Power Semiconductor […]

Tutorial: Classes of Power Semiconductor Switches

This tutorial installment is: Power Semiconductor Switches, Classification. This topic answers the following questions: What are the main power semiconductor switch classifications? What are the important properties of the main classifications? To view a different topic, go to the Power Supply Tutorial table of contents. Last topic: Power Semiconductor Switches, Ideal Switches Next topic: Power […]

Tutorial: Power Semiconductor Switches | Ideal Switches

This tutorial installment is: Power Semiconductor Switches, Ideal Switches. This topic answers the following questions: What is the basic function of a power semiconductor switch in a switching supply? What are the most basic properties of a power semiconductor switch? To view a different topic, go to the Power Supply Tutorial table of contents. Last […]