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The disposal of e-waste, or electronic waste, is an issue with which the modern world has slowly come to terms. The Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP) – an organization that collects and collates worldwide statistics on e-waste – calculated that in 2019 the United States generated about 6.92 million metric tons (approximately 7.63 million standard… Read more »

Electronic components can be classified as passive or active, depending on their function. Electronic components that inject power into circuits, controlling and amplifying the electrical current as it flows through them, are considered active, while those that do not are passive. Further, passive electronic components neither store nor consume energy, while active components do. One simple… Read more »

Counterfeiting is malicious activity. It corrupts our financial systems, technology-driven sectors, and even the spine of modern human productivity: the electronics industry. Counterfeit electronic components remain a significant threat to the electronics industry and cost manufacturers billions yearly.  According to a research article by NC State University, counterfeiting has turned into a full-fledged industry. The… Read more »

One of the leading manufacturers of optoelectronic components, SunLED serves industries from high-volume manufacturers to startups. SunLED supports production from design to delivery, providing global LED solutions to manufacturers. Committed to service and quality, the company and SunLED distributors continue supplying the world with tomorrow’s electronic innovations.

A necessary part of any electronic system, thermal control continues to be a growing challenge, particularly in industry systems with complex designs and compact footprints. Bergquist Distributors is one of the most trusted global brands when it comes to thermal management. 

Though there is no one integrated circuit inventor, the idea for this technology occurred concurrently among several different scientists and engineers involved in developing computing technology since the early 1900s. In the first half of the 20th century, vacuum tubes dominated electronic devices. The first giant computers commissioned by the US government in the 1940s… Read more »

A diode is a two-terminal electronic component that has high electrical resistance on one end and low electrical resistance on the other end. As a result, this widely used electronic component conducts electricity in one direction.  Early diodes have two electrodes: cathode and anode. The cathode is a negatively charged electrode, while the anode is… Read more »

Supply chains faced pressure early on as many governments globally shut down nonessential manufacturing in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Many manufacturers scrambled to find new suppliers who weren’t yet affected. This temporary move away from trusted suppliers created a situation where counterfeiters could more easily pass their wares, bringing on… Read more »

Counterfeit products have long plagued the electronics industry. Consumer electronics – including microchips, iPhones, other electronic devices and their components – represent 10% of fake products seized. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) found that counterfeiting in the US electronic components market cost the industry $7.5 billion in annual revenue and over 11,000 jobs. The FBI… Read more »

This blog is Part Two of our two-part series highlighting integrated circuit design types, functions, and advantages. [Follow the links for Part One here.] Although each type of integrated circuit functions in specific ways that perform specialized tasks, innumerable modern electronic devices depend upon them and would not work without them. Below, we highlight some… Read more »

This blog is Part One of our two-part series highlighting integrated circuit types, functions, and advantages. Arguably the most important invention of the 20th century, an integrated circuit functions as a timer, microprocessor, amplifier, oscillator, or even as computer memory. It’s essential to modern computers, and the basis for the vast majority of electronic equipment… Read more »

Most people don’t understand the important role distributors play in the supply chain, and particularly when it comes to electronic components. Most buyers just look at the price charged by manufacturers and see the generally lower price of goods direct from manufacturers as reason enough to bypass suppliers. Yet many end-users fail to understand that… Read more »

A rectifier is a device that converts currents, specifically an alternating current into a direct one, by allowing the current to flow through it in one direction. This allows electronic devices to function properly – in fact, without a rectifier, most electronics simply wouldn’t work. Rectifiers are used across a wide variety of devices and… Read more »

Thyristors are solid-state semiconductor devices that share certain similarities with diodes, resistors and transistors. Despite being a small device, a thyristor can reliably conduct a lot of electricity and tolerate extremely high power levels. If you’re not familiar with thyristors or are wondering how to tell the difference between thyristors and other semiconductor devices, Solid… Read more »

Transistors are semiconductor devices that allow for the existence of electronics that you use regularly, such as cell phones, radios, calculators and computers. There are several types of transistors to consider for different applications, so it’s crucial to understand the basic principles of how a transistor operates.

A zener diode is a type of rectifying semiconductor diode that is used to regulate voltage in a circuit, working in a reverse-bias mode to avoid failure. Semiconductor diodes allow a current to flow in only one direction, but zener diodes allow the current to also flow in the opposite direction when exposed to enough… Read more »