Posted by Tom Skopal, Design Engineer on February 23, 2010 | In : Power Supplies
Time is often wasted before a blown fuse is detected and replaced. This is particularly true in prototype debugging, since the engineer may feel that his unproved design, rather than an accidentally blown fuse, is causing the problem. In unattended equipment such as component life-test racks and process-control systems, a positive means of quickly alerting personnel to a blown fuse is of great value. Fuse holders with neon indicators, though useful, do not adequately satisfy this need, since their signal may not be observed quickly enough.
An audible alarm wired across all system fuses, as shown in the figure, will be activated whenever a fuse blows. The alarm can be one of the small panel-mounting piezoelectric units available through electronic distributors. Diodes are required for isolation when more than one fuse is being monitored, but they also permit the use of alarms that require DC for proper operation.
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Posted by Alex Karapetian on January 18, 2010 | In : Power Supplies
Acopian manufactures a wide range of linear, unregulated, programmable, high voltage, redundant and custom power supplies, but that wasn’t always the case. In 1957, Acopian Technical Company would have sold you a solar powered radio.
As we launch our new blog to discuss “all things power supply,” we feel compelled to give a nod to the early innovations that helped define the company we’ve become. The solar powered radio applied applied modern science and engineering accomplishments to develop a unique product that was ahead of its time. Here’s a snippet from the original product instruction sheet:
"The day will soon arrive when a great variety of your household appliances will be efficiently and economically powered by that eternal source of energy… the sun. Meanwhile, you can be proud to be among the first to enjoy the benefits of solar energy while in its very infancy."
Solar power has yet to live up to its potential in the decades since Sarkis Acopian and Thomas A. Workman developed, manufactured, and sold the first ever solar powered radio. The Acopian Technical Company, however, continues to engineer innovative products on the shoulders of giants.
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P.S. If you still have a working solar powered radio from Acopian Technical Company, let us know the comments!
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