EPA releases Energy Star guidelines for servers
The agency has laid the groundwork for later establishment of power-supply efficiency, power- and temperature-measurement, and power-management and -virtualization requirements. more..

Boost efficiency for low-cost flyback converters
Many devices employ flyback converters because of their simplicity and low cost—not their stellar efficiency. But don't too quickly eliminate flybacks from your list of options. With a few little-known tricks, you can improve power loss by nearly 10%. more..

Honest energy: The danger low-power-factor loads pose for the energy grid
As typical household products become more sophisticated, the power factor of the load they represent decays—a trend that is exacerbating a growing stress on our electric-power infrastructure. more..

POE controller gears up for new physical layer
Anticipating the new 802.3at version of POE (power over Ethernet), Akros Silicon has introduced its AS1135 PD (powered-device)-controller IC, which the company claims is the first IC to implement the two-event PHY (physical-layer) classification of the IEEE 802.3at standard Draft 2.0. more..

Push for power efficiency forces changes in server-center hardware and software
Industry initiatives, such as The Green Grid and Climate Savers, have set the ambitious goal of halving data-center energy usage by 2011. To achieve this objective, the industry must shift to the use of digital-power control and management at the ac/dc- and dc/dc-power-supply level. A shift to dc-bus-power distribution within the data-center infrastructure also shows promise. more..

Retriggerable monostable multivibrator quickly discharges power-supply capacitor
A simple circuit consisting of a one-shot and a power MOSFET discharges the filter capacitor of a mains-powered power supply. more..