Page 39 - EngineerIT February 2022 UPDATED

INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTS AND INNOVATION

TV DIGITAL MIGRATION ANOTHER STEP CLOSER

n 8 February the Minister of Communications and Digital Services, Khumbudzo
Ntshavheni, switched off the last SABC analogue transmitter in Limpopo Province,
Omaking Limpopo the fifth province to be switched off.
To ensure that 80% of the population have access to the internet by 2024, freeing of
spectrum currently occupied by broadcasters for allocation to telcos is critical. The broadcast
digital migration and analogue switch-off programme is an important step to drive down
the cost of communication and ensure that most South African citizens enjoy the benefits of
affordable internet.
By migrating from analogue to digital television, South Africa will have fulfilled its
international obligation, as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) expects all
countries to efficiently use spectrum as a scarce national resource. Migration will further Cyril Ramaphosa in his 2021 State of
ensure improved media quality of service and unleash developmental opportunities. the Nation Address. To date, five of the
The digital TV migration programme has been over a decade in coming, with continuous country’s nine provinces have been
delays due to political and commercial interference. switched off. These are Free State,
The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies is in the process of switching Northern Cape, North-West, Mpumalanga,
off all analogue transmitters in the country by end of March 2022, as directed by President and now also Limpopo.

Space-grade power converters now include

28 V-input radiation-tolerant options

pace system designers cannot easily support non-standard voltages or add functions alternative off-the-shelf, space-grade
with traditional hybrid-style power converters. Microchip Technology has eliminated power converters, a single SA50-28
Sthe cost, complexity and customisation challenges of these hybrid solutions by device with customised parameters,
offering a discrete component-based, space-grade DC-DC power converter family that now eliminates the volume, weight and
includes 28V-input, 50-watt (W) radiation-tolerant options. complexity problems of using hybrid
“Our latest 28V-input SA50-28 products greatly simplify and accelerate system solutions with their multiple devices and
development,” said Leon Gross, vice president of Microchip’s discrete product business surrounding circuitry.
unit. “They are easier to customise than alternative space-grade power converters so Microchip’s comprehensive SA50-
they can meet specific voltage, current and other needs. Customers gain flexibility while 28 product line is a 20V- to 40V-input,
reducing the size, cost and complexity of their space system designs.” 50W family with nine standard outputs
Microchip’s SA50-28 family is the industry’s only off-the-shelf, 28V-input, radiation- of 3.3V, 5V, 12V, 15V and 28V in single
tolerant power converter offering that is based on discrete components with surface- and triple output configurations. The
mount construction and non-hybrid assembly processes. Delivering more capabilities than devices can be tailored to a system’s
exacting power needs in a relatively short
time, with minimal additional costs as
compared to hybrid style power converter
products. Other features include high
efficiency, low output noise, output inhibit
control, overcurrent protection, external
synchronisation and full rated power
operation through −55°C to +85°C with
linear derating to +125°C.
The SA50-28 family is part of
Microchip’s growing line of standard
non-hybrid, space-grade power
converters that enable designers to use
commercially available, off-the-shelf
components whose circuitry has a proven
space flight heritage.

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