Category: Electronics

Edge computing is a concept related to making data storage closer to the location where it is required.

Nowadays, we are seeing more of the opposite of this; our data, files, photos, etc., are being saved in cloud storage, which is located at a distant location. There is a latency in retrieving the data because of the distant location. Cloud storage has its advantages, as it is very cheap compared to local storage capacity. Second, you can also scale your storage capacity according to the requirement.

But some negative points are also there, which are important to think about, like what about the security? If someone hacks the cloud storage center, what will happen to my data? The second delay is in retrieving data from storage centers.

To solve these types of problems in important areas, the concept of edge computing is used, where real-time data processing, IoT devices, robotics, vehicle robots, etc.

Advantages of edge computing

• Real-time processing of data
• Efficient processing of data
• Faster processing
• Privacy protection

Disadvantages of edge computing

• Can be costly
• Insufficient storage
• Low processing power
• Local area coverage

Flexible electronics nowadays are becoming more and more popular.

It is a technology in which electronic circuits are made on flexible plastic substrates. These materials are polyimide, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).

Flexible electronics can be made with photolithography. These circuits have the same design as PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). Copper strips are made for conductive media.

Flexible electronics have sensors, ICs, antennas, displays, etc., which are normally made in PCBs.

Even flexible electronics could be planted on the skin of human beings. But it is suited for wearable, which could be used for sensing different parameters like heart rate, steps, breathing patterns, etc., and making a report.

It has a market of around 40 billion dollars. The electronics market is 2 trillion dollars worldwide. Wearable electronics are 2% of that market.

Major advantages of flexible electronics

• Flexibility

Most important is their flexibility, which is not possible in conventional PCBs.

• Cost

Costing will also be less because of the small structure and nanotechnology.

• Lightweight

Carrying flexible electronics is way easier than conventional PCB-based electronics.

• Nature friendly

Less material is used, even if it’s not biodegradable, and paper-like material substance use (which is biodegradable) makes it nature-friendly.

Major Disadvantages of Flexible Electronics

• Durability

Durability could be less due to damage that could be done to the circuit by anything.

• Limited power

Power limitation is there, which would limit the use of flexible electronics in many things.

• Lower integration density

Because of the thin design, it has very little space to pack a lot of circuit components.

Renewable energy sources are those that can renew/ replenish/come back and do not harm the environment. A few examples are

• Wind
• Solar
• Geothermal
• Hydroelectric
• Tidal

Since electronics are being used everywhere, renewable energy source stations also use this circuitry.

Mostly, power electronics is used in power plants, which are set up to generate electrical energy.

These electrical energy generation plants transmit this energy, so it is first converted to high voltage because it will cause low losses during transmission.

Power electronics circuits are efficient enough to convert the storage energy.

Suppose we have a wind. In the power plant, as we know, there is a wind turbine that rotates with the flow of wind, which causes the gear train to move at high speed and generate AC electrical energy. Here, we will use an AC-to-AC converter, which will change it to an efficient transmission frequency, and a transformer for voltage upgradation.

On the other hand, solar power plants that use photovoltaic cells convert solar energy to DC electrical energy and store it in batteries

Here we have two options:

• First, we can use this DC power and produce hydrogen through the electrolysis process, which will later on be used in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles or other applications.
• Second, we can convert DC to AC and then use a power electronics circuit like a cycloconverter for a particular frequency. And use a transformer for voltage conversion to high voltage.

Power electronics is a branch of electronics that studies the high-voltage and high-current processing

Some of the most famous power electronic devices are as follows

• Power diodes
• Power MOSFETs, IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor)
• Thyristors (SCRs)

Power electronics came into existence in the year 1902 when Peter Hewitt invented the mercury rectifier.

Power electronics are used for high voltage/ current transmission, conversions, and regulation.

• Lighting
• Electric vehicles
• Renewable energy
• Motor drives
• Industrial equipment

If we take important parameters of power electronics, then important components are the electronic converter, feedback circuit, and controller unit.

Power electronics circuits are used in AC/ DC or DC/AC conversion circuits as per the application.

There are a few power electronics present.

• DC to AC converter, which is called an inverter
• AC to AC converter, which is called a cycloconverter (frequency changer)
• DC to DC converter, which is called a chopper (Fixed DC to variable DC)
• AC to DC converter (Rectifier)

Smart sensors consist of a sensor, a microprocessor/ microcontroller (for computing), and wireless communication technology embedded in it.

Smart sensors are the backbone of embedded systems/electronic gadgets, and without them, it is very difficult to develop a product.

• Sensors: They convert one form of energy into an electrical signal, which is used by the processor in the next stage.
• Microprocessor/ Microcontroller: The Electrical signal received from the sensor is used by the processor to convert and compute it into meaningful data
• Wireless communication: It is used to communicate with a main device and transfer information from the processor.

Ok, let’s take an example of a smartwatch using the sensor for step count.

In this, the accelerometer is used as a primary sensor that measures the acceleration forces acting

After getting this data, the processor works on it to convert it to meaningful data. In computing, the processor also uses technology like DSP (Digital Signal Processing), which reduces the noise coming into the data and eliminates it.

The communication circuit transmits it to the other device when required.