RF Cafe visitor Victor T. sent me a link to
this video produced by NXT to demonstrate the ruggedness of their LDMOS power
transistor. Per NXP: "Tired of replacing tired, dead power transistors? Check out
NXP's Unbreakable BLF578XR LDMOS RF Power Transistor in this video - and find out
just how rugged eXtremely Rugged is! Would you dare to treat your transistor like
this?" The transistor is shown surviving arcing, short circuits, open circuits,
and extreme VSWR values. Having personally blown power transistors on the bench
because of forgetting to hook up the load, I can appreciate the idiot-proofness
of such a device. Of course the purpose of the design is mostly to facilitate survival
in the field where transmission line damage or improper installation might otherwise
destroy the device. One thing I noticed about the video is that none of the technicians/engineers
doing the testing wore ESD protection straps. Maybe they had good mats and shoes,
but I don't think so.
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