Texas Instruments and Avnet are to present a webcast for designers entitled “New Design Concepts in a Power Stage for solar- or Fuel-cell Applications” on wednesday, April 11 at 1800 hours CET.

The intention is to highlight options for generating operating voltage supplies from very low-voltage sources. During the webcast, TI analogue expert Bill Klein and eLab panelists Toshiyuki Zaitsu of TI and Angela Suen of Avnet will discuss circuit design and how the latest generation of synchronous boost converters can be implemented.

Engineers are invited to register for the one-hour session.

TI has recently introduced a family of DC-DC boost converters that operate at input voltages lower than 0.3V which can be used in applications powered by single-cell solar or micro-fuel cells. One example that will be highlighted during the webcast is a built-in solar-powered cell phone charger that provides exceptional standby time.

According to TI, this single-cell solar design eliminates the need for multiple-solar cells in series and the required protection circuitry. Another benefit of designing with extremely low input operating voltage can be the elimination of many of the problems encountered when operating from single-cell alkaline, NiCd or MiNh batteries that are commonly used to power anything from toys to portable medical devices.

During the lab session, the panelists will demonstrate how the boost converter’s unique features enable low-voltage operation to extend battery life.