Category Archives: Automotive

January 31, 2012

Join us at the APEC 2012 Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida

Posted by Around the Circuit Blog Team

Come visit TE Circuit Protection at booths 810 and 812 at the APEC 2012 conference and expo to learn how our circuit protection products can help make your devices safer and more reliable. The show will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort. The expo will be from February 6th-8th and the conference will continue to the 9th. We will be unveiling several new circuit protection technologies at the show so it is definitely an event you don’t want to miss. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , , | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment
January 5, 2012

A Year (and a Name) to Remember

Posted by Around the Circuit Blog Team

2011 was certainly a momentous year for TE Circuit Protection. Here are just some of the highlights:

  • New name-In March, our parent company became TE Connectivity.
  • New website- TE Circuit Protection launched an updated website in May, www.circuitprotection.com, that is dedicated to circuit protection solutions.
  • New products take off- Introduced in late 2010, by 2011 our RTP (reflowable thermal protector) device and the MHP (metal hybrid PPTC) rapidly gained popularity as people learned about their unique benefits. Product of the year win– In December we were notified that the MHP device won a prestigious 2011 “Product of the Year” award from Electronic Products magazine.

Continue reading →

Also posted in , , , , , | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
October 18, 2011

Charging Standards Will Help Pave the Way for EVs

Posted by Huw Muncer

In the electronics industry products are constantly evolving and presenting new challenges for design engineers, my customers. For instance, little did I expect when I began my career as a salesman more than 20 years ago that we’d be designing circuit protection devices for electric vehicles (EVs). Continue reading →

Also posted in , , | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
October 6, 2011

The Black Swans of Circuit Protection

Posted by Genaro Maldonado

Reading Nicholas Taleb’s “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable” (Random House 2007), the definition of a Black Swan caught my attention.

“…an event with the following three attributes. First it is an outlier, as it lies outside the realm of regular expectations, because nothing in the past can convincingly point to its possibility. Second, it carries an extreme impact. Third, in spite of its outliers status, human nature makes us concoct explanations for its occurrence after the fact, making it explainable and predictable.”
Could this description be relevant to circuit protection designs? I suggest that it can, based on these observations. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , , , , | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
September 20, 2011

The Circuit Protection Evolution – It’s All About Power

Posted by Faraz Hasan

Power electronic devices are modules which transform and control electric energy into the rated current and voltage as required. Although every modern electronic application takes into account power management and control, this post will focus on consumer electronics and automotive applications. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
September 16, 2011

Circuit Protection FAQ: Can I use a PolySwitch device for overtemperature control?

Posted by Around the Circuit Blog Team

Although primarily intended as an overcurrent protection device, the PolySwitch device can also be caused to trip by thermally linking it to a component or equipment that needs to be protected against overtemperature conditions – such as a motor. If the equipment temperature reaches the PolySwitch device’s switching temperature it will transition to its high impedance state, regardless of the current flowing through it. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , , , , | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
July 20, 2011

Wired For Speed – the New Face of the Electronics Salesman

Posted by Huw Muncer

I have been a salesperson for the electronics industry for more than 20 years. During that time I’ve observed that not only has the industry itself been turned on its head, but that the manner of selling components has also changed dramatically. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , , , , | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment
May 24, 2011

Determining PPTC Resistance in Your Application

Posted by Barry Brents

As a circuit protection field application engineer, one of the most common questions I am asked is, “What is the resistance of a PPTC when it is tripped?” The short answer is, “That depends.” PPTCs (polymer positive temperature coefficient devices) are constant power devices in the tripped condition. In other words, in the “untripped” condition, the resistance is constant. But in the tripped condition, the resistance will vary as the voltage varies in order to maintain constant power dissipation, as shown along the curve in Figure 1. Each PPTC device has a power dissipation (Pd) specification. Keep in mind that this is a typical number, not a minimum or maximum. Our customers normally see a lot of variation in the device’s power dissipation, depending on things that may act as a heat sink: e.g. circuit board thickness, trace thickness, etc. There are so many variables in the field that we do not specify an absolute minimum or maximum. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , , , , | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
March 30, 2011

Tyco Electronics is now TE Connectivity

Posted by Around the Circuit Blog Team

As you can see by the new logo at the top of the page, we are now TE Connectivity! The idea behind the name change is that TE connects and protects the flow of power and data in millions of products.

Many of you came to know and love our circuit protection products when they were first offered by Raychem, then Tyco International and then Tyco Electronics. You can continue to expect the same high-quality solutions when solving your most demanding design challenges. The only difference is that now we have a new face — TE Circuit Protection. Our blog, around the circuit, will also continue to highlight new trends in the electronics industry in general — and circuit protection in particular. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , , , , | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
February 28, 2011

Motor, Drive and Automation Systems Conference 2011

Posted by Matt Williams

Greetings readers I have just touched down in San Antonio, Texas for the Motor, Drive and Automation Systems conference tomorrow. During the flight I just put the finishing touches on my presentation for Wednesday’s conference. So stop on by if you would like to learn about the latest circuit protection solutions for motors and motor control systems. My presentation will be on Wednesday March 2nd at 11:10am. Continue reading →

Also posted in , , | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments