Circuit Protection

Motor vehicles have gone through much progress since their inception. Modern cars include autonomous and semi-autonomous driving, anti-lock braking systems, electric power steering, forward and rear collision warning, lane assistant, autonomous parking assistant, and automatic emergency braking. Advanced features such as GPS navigation, interior mood lighting, surround-view camera, advanced infotainment system, active antenna are standard in most modern vehicles.

Over the past nine years since I have been with Semtech, Transmission Line Pulse (TLP) basics have always been one of the most important training topics for our new hires and customers. We have received many questions on why we emphasize and extensively rely on TLP analysis to provide the best solution to our customers. TLP testing doesn’t deliver the exact same waveforms as specified by industry standards like IEC 61000-4-2 or ESDA/JEDEC JS-001. It doesn’t guarantee that the IC or the system will pass testing for immunity to required electrostatic discharge (ESD) test levels. It is always recommended to verify all the results with the ESD generator after the TLP test is completed. So, why don’t we just simply test everything with our ESD generator, which is more familiar to most engineers and universally accepted? To answer that, I think it’s important to understand that TLP is not a replacement or an upgrade to the IEC tests, but it is complimentary to the ESD gun tests as an analysis tool. ESD gun test tells us YES or NO, but TLP can help us to understand WHY and HOW.

When designing an electronic system, the often overlooked and underestimated subject of protection must be considered. In some cases, the designer may be working to meet a certain standard such as IEC 61000-4-2 for electrostatic discharge (ESD) immunity. Equipment which is installed in harsh operating environments, such as remote meters, robotics and telecommunications systems, will require higher levels of lightning protection. These are somewhat obvious requirements. Other protection concerns include short circuits, voltage spikes, dirty power, cable discharge events, and so on. With all these transient threats, a designer may become overwhelmed and ask: how much protection is enough to ensure a reliable system?

A spectacular light show using 3,051 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, went viral in September 2020, breaking the world record for the most simultaneous airborne UAVs. Not only are drones providing dramatic light shows, but drones are emerging in many useful applications. Industrial manufacturing inspection, agricultural crop inspection, construction site inspection, search and rescue operation, real estate photography, and forest fire management are some examples where drones are utilized and provide invaluable services to humanity.

During the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic when we are mostly confined to our homes, we are spending an increased amount of time in front of screens. This includes attending online meetings, taking video calls, playing video games, watching television, and also working longer hours on our computers. A high quality audiovisual (AV) experience is a must these days and thanks to the high definition digital displays and high definition multimedia interfaces (HDMI), we are able to experience high speed, high resolution AV with higher pixel depths and greater aspect ratios.

Two decades ago, communication between a host computer and other devices was a complex and difficult task. The Universal Serial Bus (USB) was developed by a group of companies in 1994 to replace the multiple slow buses with a single bus that could exchange data between the host system and the peripherals. Following its release, USB quickly became very popular due to its ease of use and fast data transfer rate. Fast forward a little over two decades, all consumer electronic devices now come with integrated USB interfaces. The USB interface has evolved a lot to support modern demands of very high speed communication with host devices and their innovative features. Since its introduction, the USB specification has progressed as USB1.1, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1, USB 3.2 (Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 2x2), USB Type-C supporting Thunderbolt, HDMI and DisplayPort via special modes, and finally, towards USB 4.

Imagine this common scenario: not having a spare Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on your computer. All your personal devices are connected. On most days, I carry a mobile phone, smart watch, wireless headset, and a Wi-Fi adapter – all of which can only be charged via a USB port. When I need to back up files on my computer, I often use a USB flash drive. When charging devices in the car, I use standard USB ports. USB is everywhere! It is so ingrained into our daily lives that it is a part of our every digital experience.

Often I hear an analogy made about transient voltage suppressor (TVS) protection components that goes something along the lines of this: “TVS components are a great insurance policy,” or, “think of using electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection diodes as an insurance against ESD damage,” or, “you may not need it, but if you want a little additional insurance, consider adding a TVS array on this circuit.” The idea is that when design engineers invest in using TVS components for circuit protection it is like a “hedge” or added “insurance” against some unforeseen ESD or transient damage that might occur in the future.

Just a few short weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) collegiate section at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO). Having been an active SWE member for five years and the 2019-2020 Section President for the San Buenaventura professional section, I was beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to represent Semtech at an event for SWE. This was able to take place thanks to a company culture of community building and enthusiastic support from Semtech leadership. Semtech’s CEO has spoken previously, such as in a recent interview with Authority Magazine, on the importance of diversity, setting the tone for Semtech’s commitment to a diverse workforce. Diversity meets inclusion when each member of the team takes the Semtech Core Value of treating all with dignity and respect, and applies that to supporting a global team and a commitment to recruiting with diversity in mind.

This is the second blog in a two-part series about ESD protection of OBD-II ports. Read the first part here.