EDN

Off-line flyback uses HV transistor in common-base configuration

OK, so I get a press release (pdf) from those wonderful folks at CamSemi, AKA Cambridge Semiconductor. It talks about their C2163 off-line switcher chip (pdf). The press release says: “…the BOM cost ...
Hackaday

Biasing That Transistor: The Common Base Amplifier

We’ve previously remarked upon a generation lucky enough to be well-versed in microcontrollers and computersised electronics through being brought up on the Arduino or the Raspberry Pi but unlucky ...
EDN

In praise of the common-base: Bench quickie

The common-base configuration is so little used, it doesn’t even register on many engineers’ radar. So, as a self-professed analog guy, I’m embarrassed to say that, while it’s on my radar, I don’t ...
Electronic Design

What’s All This Common-Base Stuff, Anyway?

In 2007, a power-conversion startup company was promoting a wall-wart schematic that had an external FET driving an external high-voltage transistor (Fig. 1). I note the startup company has been ...