OnTrack · 2 Sept 2026 · 36m · Episode 352
Sidney Chan, product marketing director at Renesas, explains how Power GreenPAK allows engineers to configure custom power chips with integrated DC-DC converters, LDOs, and load switches at their desk. He demonstrates the SLG51002, an 8-channel high-PSRR LDO, showing how clean power rails prevent visible banding and artifacts on CMOS image sensors in smartphones and automotive systems. Chan also outlines the broader GreenPAK family, including AnalogPAK, HVPAK, and the new ForgeFPGA line, emphasizing system-level efficiency and rapid prototyping over traditional ASIC development.
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Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the technical merits of synchronous DC-DC converters, referencing a build by Great Scott, and analyze the power consumption of the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. They also debate the practicality of modular hardware design, citing the Framework laptop and SparkFun's MicroMod, before issuing a security warning about a malicious clone of the KiCad website.
Evo Morocco, Senior Director at Renesas, discusses the company's expanded power management portfolio, driven by recent acquisitions like Transphorm and Altium, and its focus on turnkey solutions for automotive and industrial sectors. He details specific innovations including an 'x-in-one' traction inverter system for xEVs that consolidates multiple functions into a single MCU, and a modular platform for portable power stations supporting USB-C EPR. The conversation highlights Renesas' strategy to accelerate prototyping and time-to-market through comprehensive reference designs and hardware/software packages.
Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics and Dave Jones of EEVblog discuss a variety of hardware topics, including Gammell's new cellular development platform using a QuickTel EG91 module and Jones's five-part tutorial series on programming the Padauk three-cent microcontroller. They also review low-cost components like the SSP 6206 voltage regulator and the NCP 115 in an XDFN package, while debating the practicality of such tiny parts versus standard options. The conversation shifts to workshop tools, comparing microscope setups and fume extraction systems, before concluding with a discussion on e-waste recycling practices demonstrated by YouTuber E-waste Ben.
Carmen Parisi, a Senior Applications Engineer at Texas Instruments and co-host of The Engineering Commons podcast, explains the transition from linear regulators to switching regulators (switchers) for power management. He details the efficiency benefits of buck and boost converters, the role of PMBus for digital control, and the increasing complexity of modern power ICs. Parisi also shares career advice for embedded engineers, emphasizing the importance of reading application notes, understanding component trade-offs, and learning from failures during validation.
Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the recent merger of Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor, analyzing the challenges engineers face when replacing legacy op-amps with TI equivalents due to subtle performance differences. They review new Microchip PIC microcontrollers featuring integrated reconfigurable logic and power management peripherals, and debate the practical viability of printable organic electronics versus standard silicon components. The episode also covers the Linear Technology LT1512 buck-boost battery charger, open-source logic analyzer projects, and the history of radar.
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