Sam Davis, who is presently a Contributing Editor for Electronic Design, has 18 years of experience in the electronics trade press covering both analog and digital technology—from computer design to power-supply design.
His articles have appeared in PCIM, Real Time Computing, COTS Journal, Computer Design, EDN, and Electronic Design. He is also a recipient of the Jesse Neal Award for trade press editorial excellence.
His engineering experience includes circuit and system design for Litton Systems, Bunker-Ramo, Rocketdyne, and Clevite Corporation. Design tasks included analog circuits, display systems, power supplies, underwater ordnance systems, and test systems. He also served as a program manager for a Litton Systems Navy program. He has one patent for naval ship construction that simplifies electronic system integration.
Davis, who holds a BSEE from Case-Western Reserve University, did graduate work there and at UCLA.
76 results found for Sam Davis, displaying items 1 - 20
March 13, 2008[Engineering Feature] High Efficiency Challenges Power-Management Design
The semiconductor industry has always forced the power-supply industry to follow its trendsetting lead. For the last decade, that trend has been to cram more transistors into a single package, particularly microprocessors. This led to microprocessors with smaller feature sizes and tighter spacing between internal components. To be operational, smaller feature sizes forced the processors to operate at a lower voltage. This, in turn, required lowervoltage power...
December 3, 2007[Technology Report] Handheld Multimedia ICs Hold The Key To Energy-Efficient Video
Energy efficiency is a key design consideration in a National Semiconductor line of ICs intended for batterypowered phone and video systems. Minimizing power consumption is the common thread in these circuits, which convert digital data into real-world video playback subsystems (see the figure). This involves efficient power sources plus digital techniques that minimize power dissipation using analog, digital,...
November 5, 2007[Technology Report] Next-Generation Multifunction Power ICs Help Shrink Mobile Systems
With mobile equipment manufacturers demanding ever smaller and lighter handheld systems, the trend is to create smaller ICs that offer greater functionality. However, meeting those functionality, size, and weight requirements becomes a more difficult proposition in power-oriented applications. For instance, switching regulators must be very efficient, particularly when multiple switchers are integrated into an IC. Battery- charger circuits must be...
September 27, 2007[Engineering Essentials] Shrewd Thermal Management Helps Defeat The Heat
Despite great strides made by electronic system designers in developing products that perform sophisticated tasks, engineers may encounter performance-limiting factors beyond electronic circuitry - like thermal management. Even if good design practices and reliable components are in place, system reliability can suffer if appropriate temperature controls are not implemented. That's why circuit designers should have a basic understanding of how to manage operating...
August 2, 2007[Technology Report] Patent Law: Who Knows What's Obvious?
According to Jay Sandvos, a partner with Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, a Boston law firm focusing on intellectual property and business litigation, the recent Supreme Court decision makes it much easier for the Patent Office to reject claims as obvious just by adding together pieces of different prior-art references to resemble the claims. In the past, this had to be supported by an analysis. Such analysis would have to demonstrate that someone in the same field...
August 2, 2007[Technology Report] The History Of PMBus Products
PMBus products first hit the market in 2005, and since then, we've seen a steady stream of releases. September 2005: Artesyn Technologies announced its first digital point-of-load (POL) converter. The DPL20C is a non-isolated POL converter in the new family of PMBus-compliant dc-dc converters. The DPL20C is a 20-A output converter that features an extensive set of digital configuration, monitoring, and diagnostic facilities accessible via the PMBus interface. This...
August 2, 2007[Technology Report] The Patents In Question
Power-One's patents cover digital power management and control incorporated in its Z-One system architecture, which controls distributed point-of-load (POL) regulators from a single digital power manager. One of the patents (6,949,916, issued September 27, 2005) is "System and method for controlling a point-of-load regulator." It describes the use of serial bus control (either passively or actively) for a point-of-load (POL) regulator. Here, the...
August 2, 2007[Technology Report] It's Z-One Vs. PMBus In Digital Power Management
Sure, designers of embedded computer systems know digital techniques. But they may not be intimately familiar with the digital management of the power supplies used by their systems. Two methods reign when it comes to implementing digital power management. Yet it's not clear which method will win the favor of system designers—or the favor of the courts. Power-One's proprietary Z-One system was the first method to arrive. Then came the open-standard Power...
June 29, 2007[Design FAQs] Low-Dropout (LDO) Linear Regulators
Sponsored by Analog Devices Inc. What are the typical applications for a low-dropout (LDO) linear regulator? LDO linear regulators usually are employed in systems that require a low-noise power source instead of a switching regulator that might upset the system. LDOs also find use in applications where the regulator must maintain regulation with small differences between the input supply voltage and output load...
March 14, 2007
[Electronic Design UPDATE] Electronic Design UPDATE: March 14 2007
Monolithic ICs fill most roles in electronic systems, but multichip modules are beginning to make inroads where board space and performance are critical. Sam Davis takes a look at companies keeping up with Intel's DrMOS specification.
March 1, 2007[Design FAQs] High-Power Class D Power Stage Sponsored by: INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER
What is a Class D amplifier? A Class D amplifier converts an audio signal to pulse-width modulation (PWM). Its power stage efficiently amplifies the PWM signal and filters it to drive the speakers. The Class D designation means that the power stage biases and operates its output devices as switches. How do half-bridge and full-bridge Class D amplifiers differ? A half-bridge power stage uses a pair of switches in a totem-pole arrangement (...
March 1, 2007[Engineering Essentials] Applications Dictate Power-Management Subsystem Design
Designing power-management subsystems, which supply and control dc power in electronic systems, is much more complicated now than it was five years ago. These days, designers must cope with ICs that operate below 1 V, may consume over 100 A, and employ gigahertz clock rates. In addition, such subsystems involve more than just power-supply design. They also include system-oriented functions that require application-specific ICs. A system viewpoint is necessary to set the...
February 14, 2007
[Electronic Design UPDATE] Electronic Design UPDATE: February 14, 2007
In what is touted as one of the biggest advances in fundamental transistor design, Intel is now using dramatically new materials to make 45-nm devices that allow faster processor speeds and enhanced PC performance. However, this technological breakthrough will require a reconfiguration of the microprocessor power supply.
January 17, 2007
[Design FAQs] Voltage Regulator ICs Sponsored by: ANALOG DEVICES
What is the function of a voltage regulator IC? A voltage regulator generates a fixed output voltage of a preset magnitude that remains constant regardless of changes to its input voltage or load conditions. There are two types of voltage regulators: linear and switching. What is a linear voltage regulator? A linear regulator employs an active (bipolar junction transistor (BJT) or MOSFET) pass device...
January 11, 2007[Technology Report] Energy Star Mandates Power-Efficient PCs
In reaction to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently announced Energy Star 4.0 guidelines, power efficiency has become the dominant issue within powermanagement design. Hewlett-Packard will offer 80% efficient power supplies as an option for the recently introduced HP Compaq dc7700, dc5700, and dc5750 series desktop business PCs this month. Not only that, the optional supplies let HP meet the Energy Star guidelines six months before they take effect. The most...
Sam Davis, who is presently a Contributing Editor for Electronic Design, has 18 years of experience in the electronics trade press covering both analog and digital technology—from computer design to power-supply design.
His articles have appeared in PCIM, Real Time Computing, COTS Journal, Computer Design, EDN, and Electronic Design. He is also a recipient of the Jesse Neal Award for trade press editorial excellence.
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