Wasn't sure where to post this as it's not my wheelhouse, but it seems Hillcrest may have solved ringing and losses with regard to inverters. What-if any- are the implications of this algorithm in the audio realm?
Zero Voltage Switching
Inverter breakthrough
Zero Voltage Switching
Inverter breakthrough
The first link looks aimed at investors. Didn't watch the video.
"Hillcrest Energy Technologies focuses on innovative power conversion solutions to meet modern energy demands. Listed on multiple stock exchanges, Hillcrest’s proprietary Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) technology delivers unprecedented efficiency, reaching up to 99.7%. This versatile technology benefits various applications, from electric vehicles to utility-scale solar farms, offering significant financial and sustainability advantages. Hillcrest is driving the future of electrification."
It might be applicable to Class D, though I don't see much of an advantage of 99.7% efficiency vs. 90 or 95. At the much higher power level applications it mentions, efficiency is more important.
"Hillcrest Energy Technologies focuses on innovative power conversion solutions to meet modern energy demands. Listed on multiple stock exchanges, Hillcrest’s proprietary Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) technology delivers unprecedented efficiency, reaching up to 99.7%. This versatile technology benefits various applications, from electric vehicles to utility-scale solar farms, offering significant financial and sustainability advantages. Hillcrest is driving the future of electrification."
It might be applicable to Class D, though I don't see much of an advantage of 99.7% efficiency vs. 90 or 95. At the much higher power level applications it mentions, efficiency is more important.
So the reduction of overshoot, ringing and EMI mentioned around the 6 minute mark in the video does not apply to ringing in DSP, PWM, etc? Appreciate the input gentlemen.
Regards, Jason
Regards, Jason
Aha, the concept of a "resonant" power (switching) converter rings a bell. The links here under "References" tell the story:This is not at all new, and has been around for decades. Maybe this is just a small software tweak.
Attached is a report from TI on ZVS from 2001, which also references earlier work from the 1980s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonant_converter
This points out important differences in the applications. Power conversion doesn't necessarily need different frequencies or pulse widths, and I think of DSP as mainly in the digital domain, having to do with computers and programming (also ADC and DAC, but they're peripheral to DSP). The hardware (inductors and capacitors) being able to be "tuned" to a fixed frequency is a large part of how it achieves such high efficiency. Audio, on the other hand, is wide bandwidth, and other considerations such as flat frequency response and low distortion are more important than high efficiency.So the reduction of overshoot, ringing and EMI mentioned around the 6 minute mark in the video does not apply to ringing in DSP, PWM, etc?
I had no clue what it was about from a first reading, and seeing "Hillcrest’s proprietary Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) technology" suggested to me they won't tell about the innards. It's true they don't want to tell, but with a little reading and finding the keywords it can be figured out.
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- Audio applications for Hillcrest zero voltage switching technology?