For those of you who cannot think of anything better to do over the Xmas period why not check out the Power Management Design Line Europe's Top 10 'How To' Design Articles from 2008.

These are the articles most accessed during 2008. Be warned the most read article is a bit of a surprise but more about that later.

So in reverse order, here goes:

10) Safe and fast battery charging between portable devices: By Shadi Hawawini and George Paparrizos, Summit Microelectronics

The challenge to find practical technique to charge the wide variety of portable devices calls for safe charging methods that allow portable devices with higher energy storage (smart-phones, laptops, etc.) to charge portable devices with lower power requirements.

9) Replacing chemical battery storage with supercapacitors into your embedded design: by Keith Curtis, Microchip Technology Inc

Super-capacitors are emerging as a possible alternative to batteries for energy-storage in some applications. However, the major advantages that super-capacitors offer must be balanced against some significant disadvantages.

8) Making audio sound louder: Techniques for portable audio designers:by Sachin Ranganathan, Texas Instruments

A variety of factors drive the need for increased loudness from speakers in portable applications. The article shows how using a boost converter and AGC/DRC is effective in increasing the output power delivered to the speaker to provide louder audio.

7) Choosing the right low power processor for your embedded design:by John Dixon, Texas Instruments

Describing the key selection criteria that show where various low power processors best fit.

6) A bypass-capacitor dialogue peels back the layers, Part 3: Continuing the discussion on layout considerations:by David Ritter and Tamara Schmitz, Intersil Corp

The article looks at the low-glamour but extremely vital subject of bypass capacitors, grounding, and decoupling.

5) Capturing and communicating power-efficient design knowledge:by Neil Hand, Cadence Design Systems

The article describes how to use a kit-based approach as part of a complete power-efficient design solution.

4) How to safely supply and charge devices through the USB:by Bernard Remaury, ON Semiconductor

While the infrastructure for plugging portable devices into the universal serial bus (USB) for datacom-with-power applications is fairly universal today, using the USB as a power source for direct powering or charging a battery isn't necessarily foolproof. You'll generally need over-voltage protection circuitry and this article outlined what to consider in designing your discrete or IC-based circuit.

3) Understanding Class-D amplifier power supply requirements:by John Widder and Marco Brugora, STMicroelectronics

The article was the last in a three-part series on Class-D amplifiers and reviewed the steps necessary to determine the power supply requirements for a Class-D audio amplifier.

2) Design Tutorial: Power-supply optocoupler basics:by Yeo Siok Been, Avago Technologies

An optocoupler-isolated power supply is often the safest and most practical way to go when it comes to performance and protection. This article decribes today's LED/photodetector isolators and what you need to know to apply them to your system.

... and, finally the most popular 'How To' article on Power Management Design Line Europe in 2008 is... actually an old favourite from 2007 but it seems you all wanted to read it again in 2008. Now that's what I call a page turner.

1) Standby and uninterruptible power supply tutorial - Part 2:by Michael A. Stout, Falcon Electric, Inc A description with examples of what power factor is and why it is important to understand.

Now where's that turkey sandwich?