Some analysts say the acquisition of Duracell by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway could have implications in the areas of wireless power
and electric vehicles.

For example, wireless charging is one technology that could see a boost. The new investment may accelerate Duracell’s plans to place PowerMatcharging devices in Starbucks coffee shops, which number more than 21,000 worldwide. Another area of speculation revolves around Berkshire Hathaway’s investment in the Chinese electric car maker BYDand the possibility that this deal could be a way for Duracell to expand into batteries for vehicles and the power grid.

In other product news this week, Texas Instruments introduced a 10W wireless power solution that charges one- and two-cell battery-powered applications and supports any Qi-compatible 5-W system. The bq51025receiver supports a programmable output voltage of 4.5 V to 10 V and achieves up to 84% charging efficiency, while the bq500215is a dedicated, fixed-frequency 10W wireless power digital controller transmitter.

Torex Semiconductor announced a 1A micro DC/DC converter that it calls the industry’s smallest. Measuring 2.5 x 2.0 x 1.0 mm and featuring an integrated coil, the XCL219/XCL220series has been designed for EMI-sensitive wearable and mobile applications.

IXYS expanded its high-accuracy low-dropout linear regulators with devices available in ultra-small packages. Examples include the IXD1201, the IXD1233, the IXD1601, IXD1701, and the IXD4902, with input voltages ranging from 0.5 V to 28 V and output voltages from 0.5 V to 23 V.

Witricity announced a development kit for building Rezence-certified wireless charging systems. The WiT-5000C3includes sample Power Transfer Units (PTU) and Power Receive Units (PRU) devices, evaluation tools, and all design documents needed to design, evaluate, and demonstrate Rezence-ready wireless charging products.

New synchronous buck converters from Diodes Inc. feature adaptive constant on-time control to ensure high DC output accuracy, high efficiency, and fast transient response for low-voltage power regulation in high-density, fast-changing POL system architectures. The AP65450, AP65452, and AP65552operate at up to 92% efficiency and have an input operating range of 4.5 V to 18 V.

New automotive-qualified 650V SiC diodes from STMicroelectronics are suited for advanced onboard battery chargers (OBCs) in electric vehicles and solar chargers. The 10A STPSC10H065DYand 12A STPSC12H065DYare available in TO-220AC packages, while the STPSC20H065CTYand STPSC20H065CWY2 x 10A dual-diode devices are available in a TO-220AB package and a TO-247 package, respectively.

AVX Corp. has released a new version of its SMPS capacitor simulation software. SpiCalci 9.0features enhanced part selection and includes almost all the new SMPS devices that the company has introduced over the past two years.

Parker Chomerics has extended the heat conductivity of its thermal management solutions. The company’s line of THERM-A-GAPthermally conductive dispensing gels now offers thermal conductivity up to 6 W/m-k.

Finally, TDK Corp. has announced a series of high-current chokes specifically designed for buck-boost converters in 48V automotive power systems. Measuring 27.5 x 29.5 x 14.5 mm, the EPCOS BCEM seriesSMD inductors offer values of 3 µH to 11 µH and are designed for saturation currents up to 50 A and operating temperatures between -40°C and +150°C.