Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit having a digital portion to receive a digital value and an analog portion to generate an analog voltage based on the digital value; and a refresh circuit coupled to the DAC circuit to clock gate provision of a first clock signal to the DAC circuit when the digital portion is inactive.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit having a digital portion to receive a digital value and an analog portion to generate an analog voltage based on the digital value; and a refresh circuit coupled to the DAC circuit to clock gate provision of a first clock signal to the DAC circuit when the digital portion is inactive.

Abstract: The present technology is directed generally to phase change materials for cooling enclosed electronic components, including for solar energy collection, and associated systems and methods. In particular embodiments, a system directs warm air through an airflow path in thermal communication with a phase change material to liquefy the phase change material and cool the air. The system also directs the cool air into thermal communication with electronic components to cool the electronic components via conduction and/or convection.

Abstract: The present technology is directed generally to phase change materials for cooling enclosed electronic components, including for solar energy collection, and associated systems and methods. In particular embodiments, a system directs warm air through an airflow path in thermal communication with a phase change material to liquefy the phase change material and cool the air. The system also directs the cool air into thermal communication with electronic components to cool the electronic components via conduction and/or convection.

Abstract: The present technology is directed generally to phase change materials for cooling enclosed electronic components, including for solar energy collection, and associated systems and methods. In particular embodiments, a system directs warm air through an airflow path in thermal communication with a phase change material to liquefy the phase change material and cool the air. The system also directs the cool air into thermal communication with electronic components to cool the electronic components via conduction and/or convection.

Abstract: A capacitive touch switch display control system includes multiple capacitive touch switches and respective LED displays that light to indicate the status of the system. A microcontroller unit (MCU) interface includes a shared function pin for each touch switch-LED pair. The MCU configures the shared function pin as an analog pin for very brief first time periods during which the MCU disables the LED displays and conducts capacitive sensing of the touch switches connected thereto to determine their status. After the first time period, the MCU enables the LED displays for potential lighting during a second time period. During the second time period, the MCU configures the shared function pin as a digital I/O LED control pin to either light or not light the LED display to indicate the status of the system. The first time period during which the MCU conducts capacitive sensing of the touch switches is sufficiently brief that it does not interfere with LED lighting function.

Abstract: A device is provided wherein a traditional EEPROM device is emulated by using two or more pages of block-erasable memory and mapping each traditional EEPROM write instruction to an incremented active data sector in a first page of the block-erasable memory while a second page of the block-erasable memory is being partially or fully erased. Then, when the first page of block-erasable memory has had its plurality of data sectors written, changing the active page to the second block-erasable memory and mapping traditional EEPROM writes to incremented data sectors therein while the previously written block-erasable memory is being partially or fully erased.

Abstract: A microcontroller unit includes a processor for generating a first control signal to start a comatose mode of operation for the microcontroller unit. Control logic responsive to the first control signal generates an enable signal at a first level and the control logic is further responsive to a second control signal for generating the enable signal at a second level. A voltage regulator generates regulated voltage from an input voltage. The voltage regulator shuts down to provide a zero volt regulated voltage responsive to the enable signal at the first level and powers up to provide a regulated voltage at an operating level responsive to the enable signal at the second level.

Abstract: A magnetic stripe card reader for reading a magnetic stripe on a card having at least one track of magnetically stored information stored thereon as a stream of encoded discrete data bits separated by bit times is disclosed. Aa magnetic head is provided for reading the magnetic pulses as the magnetic stripe is passed thereby to output a time varying analog signal. A data converter incorporated on an integrated circuit is then operable for converting the analog signal to a digital time series of digital values. A processor incorporated on the integrated circuit can ten process the digital output of the data converter and is operable to first determine potential bit boundaries and then recover timing information from the digital time series to discriminate the bit times between data bits. The value of each data bit is then determined during each bit time to provide a stream of extracted data bits.