Inspiring the Evolution of Embedded Design

April 22, 2025


Under the Hood

Keysight Introduces Next-Generation Embedded Security Testbench

The new testbench leverages a high-speed PXIe architecture designed to address the complexities of modern security testing needs. This robust architecture enables the Next-Generation Embedded Security Testbench to deliver up to 10 times more effective results in side-channel analysis (SCA) and fault injection (FI) testing, crucial techniques for identifying and mitigating hardware-based vulnerabilities. The Embedded Security Testbench is a modular solution that meets varying test needs. Integrating essential components such as oscilloscopes, interfacing equipment, amplifiers, and trigger generators into a single PXIe chassis significantly reduces the need for extensive cabling and enhances communication speed between modules.

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NOVOSENSE Introduces Highly Integrated SoC for Automotive Lighting Systems

At the heart of the NSUC1500-Q1 is a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 core with 32 KB Flash, 2 KB EEPROM, 15K ROM, and dedicated memory for runtime operations. The SoC incorporates four LED driver channels capable of delivering up to 64 mA each, controlled through enhanced 16-bit independent PWM outputs. A 12-bit ADC, in combination with an integrated temperature sensor and voltage monitoring, enables automatic compensation for LED color shift due to temperature changes or aging. The integrated LIN transceiver and controller support LIN 2.x and SAE J2602 communication standards, with features such as auto-addressing to simplify network setup. The NSUC1500-Q1 also supports software updates via the ROM-based UDS bootloader without occupying Flash memory.

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Navitas Announces Automotive Qualification of High-Power GaNSafe™ ICs

Navitas high-power GaNSafe 4th gen family integrates control, drive, sensing, and critical protection features that enable unprecedented reliability and robustness in high-power applications. It is the world’s safest GaN with short-circuit protection (350ns max latency), 2kV ESD protection on all pins, elimination of negative gate drive, and programmable slew rate control. All these features are controlled with 4-pins, allowing the package to be treated like a discrete GaN FET, requiring no VCC pin. GaNFast-enabled single-stage BDS converters achieve up to 10% cost savings, 20% energy savings, and up to 50% size reductions.

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Editor's Desk by Kirsten Campbell



🧠 The Invisible Safety Net: Why 350ns Short-Circuit Protection in GaN is the New Benchmark ⚡

Imagine you're on a racetrack—200 mph, hairpin turn ahead. Now imagine your brakes work… most of the time. Not comforting, right?

That’s exactly the gamble some engineers take when using power devices without fast, reliable short-circuit protection. And in high-power applications, the difference between safe shutdown and a fried PCB can be measured in nanoseconds. Literally. Welcome to the age of GaNSafe.


Speed Saves

Short-circuit protection is your power system's last line of defense. If too much current flows unexpectedly, SCP acts fast to shut things down before something melts, ignites, or explodes. The faster your protection reacts, the more damage you avoid.


⏱ 350ns: The New Gold Standard

Navitas' GaNSafe devices trigger SCP in 350 nanoseconds or less. To put that in perspective: That’s about 10x faster than many traditional solutions. It’s 50x faster than the blink of an eye.


It’s enough to keep your system from going thermal-nuclear when a fault hits.

When you’re dealing with kW-level power in EVs, motor drives, solar inverters, or data center converters, every nanosecond counts.


Safety Without Compromise

What makes this protection even more impressive is how it’s delivered. GaNSafe doesn’t rely on clunky external fault detection circuits or complex watchdog logic. Instead, it integrates control, drive, sensing, and protection logic into a single device—so the response is not only fast, but autonomous. There’s no Vcc pin, no complicated gate driver arrangement, and no external current sensors. With just four pins, it installs like a standard discrete FET, but it behaves like a mini power brain.


Of course, GaNSafe does more than just shut things down quickly. It comes with a full suite of modern features that engineers will appreciate. For starters, ESD protection is baked into every pin, rated at 2kV. That means fewer worries during handling, assembly, or in electrically noisy environments. It also features programmable slew rate control, giving you the flexibility to tune switching behavior for EMI performance or efficiency. And critically, it eliminates the need for negative gate drive, reducing system complexity and potential failure points.


What does this mean in the real world?


It means smaller power supplies, fewer components, lower thermal stress, and better reliability. GaNFast-enabled BDS (bridgeless totem-pole) converters using GaNSafe are already achieving up to 10% cost savings, 20% energy savings, and 50% size reductions compared to conventional silicon-based solutions. That's the kind of performance engineers dream about—and the kind of ROI project managers actually notice.


Power That Thinks for Itself

In a world where power density continues to rise and system margins shrink, designers need more than brute-force hardware—they need intelligence at the device level. That’s exactly what GaNSafe delivers. It’s not just fast protection. It’s smart, reliable, and engineered for the real-world demands of modern electronics.


So the next time you’re selecting a GaN FET and see “350ns SCP latency,” take a moment. That number might just be the reason your system survives its worst day.


🤔 Have you ever had a design fail due to slow or missing short-circuit protection? 🔌


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