EDN Asia articles from December 2005

EDN Asia archives from December 2005

IP vs EDA.(ednasia comment)
December 1, 2005... Last month we discussed in this column how IP implementation was becoming more complex for designers. Here we discuss some more IP-related issues. What is now the key factor in design economies: IPs or EDA tools? The 2003 ITRS roadmap says...

DA7xx DSPs provide 50% more performance than previous gen devices.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... Texas Instruments has introduced the next generation in its Aureus family of high-performance audio digital signal processors (DSPs) for applications requiring multi-channel decoding, including audio/video (A/V) and DVD receivers,...

Small microwave analyzer for mobile use and production up to 43GHz.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... With the U3771 (31.8GHz) and U3772 (43GHz) spectrum analyzers from Advantest, Rohde & Schwarz is presenting two other models of the U37xx family. Both spectrum analyzers are portable and ideal for installing and maintaining microwave link...

Multiphase PWM controllers include high-current MOSFET drivers.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... The two-phase ISL6310 and three-phase ISL6308 PWM controllers from Intersil provide high-current MOSFET drivers to reduce component count and increase overall control precision. Factors such as voltage droop are pin-programmable, to meet the...

STMicro's ST7Lite MCUs include enhanced timer and interface peripherals.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... STMicroelectronics has announced a series of 8-bit Flash microcontrollers within its low-cost ST7Lite family. The ST7FLITE3 MCUs introduce an enhanced 12-bit auto-reload timer and a master/slave LINSCI asynchronous interface into the 20-pin...

Micronas intros small, high performing COFDM demodulator.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Micronas has launched its next generation COFDM demodulator IC. The fifth-generation DRX 3977D increases performance and integration while reducing size and power requirements. The device exceeds, with several dB of margin, the NorDig-Unified...

Low profile Mini memory modules.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Micron Technology has announced its PC2-5300 and PC26400 double data rate 2 (DDR2) very low profile (VLP) registered and unbuffered mini dual-inline memory modules (Mini-DIMMs) for the growing networking and communications equipment markets....

Logic analyzers feature higher speed and bigger screens and squeak to No. 1 in market share.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Tektronix is crowing that, after years of battling, its logic analyzers have finally squeaked past those of Agilent Technologies (www. agilent.com) to achieve the No. 1 market share in 2004, according to a Prime Data (www.prime-data.com) study....

Improved Hall-effect switches add packaging options, better specs.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... The A110x family of unipolar Hall-effect switches from Allegro Microsystems takes the vendor's existing A312x and A314x families and adds better performance and features. The lead-free units are BiCMOS devices with fast power-on and low-noise...

White LEDs get hotter in intensity.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center have come up with a way to achieve a development priority: extracting more light from white LEDs. With their scattered-photon-extraction approach, they move the phosphor...

PIC microcontrollers allow easy migration.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... Microchip Technology's four Flash 8-bit PIC microcontrollers offer a cost-effective and code-compatible migration path from existing 8- and 14-pin package options to 20-pin microcontrollers with a richer set of peripherals. These...

Triple-input video switch IC handles high-definition video.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... The FSAV433 three-port 3:1 video switch from Fairchild Semiconductor is designed for LCD displays that need to switch among multiple signal sources. It handles RGB or YPbPR signals with 550MHz 3dB bandwidth; differential gain error of 0.2%;...

"Plastics" return to original meaning, but with light.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2005... The word "plastic" originally characterized only the material's qualities: It is malleable, pliable, and deformable. Now, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed plastics that change shape when the...

Nanograss provides effective thermal-transfer surface.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Cooling is a constant design challenge. To meet that challenge, researchers at Bell Labs/Lucent are experimenting with a nanostructured surface that reduces viscous drag on cooling fluid. The intention is in use billions of silicon posts to aid...

Energy-efficiency standards play a role in external-power-supply design.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)
December 1, 2005... Energy-conservation oganizations issue energy-efficiency standards that can make a difference in external-power-supply design, according to industry executives and energy-conservation organizations. Such organizations include the United States...

Indian semiconductor companies upgrade engineering skills.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)
December 1, 2005... Experienced chip designers are becoming an increasingly scarce commodity, as vendors outsource more work to the Indian semiconductor industry. "There is a dearth of design engineers with a combination of electronic-design skills and an adequate...

Contactless traveling: electronic passports embed contactless chip technology to streamline passage through customs and significantly hinder counterfeiters.(prying eyes)
December 1, 2005... Much has been written over the past year about the transition to electronic passports. Reasonably minded privacy advocates attack potential security loopholes in the technology, and the lunatic fringe makes absurd claims about a grand...

Charting your course: follow the silicon-bread-crumb trail in this directory to find the perfect device for your project.(2005 Microprocessor Directory)(Directory)(Cover Story)
December 1, 2005... Welcome to EDN Asia's 2005 Microprocessor/Micro- controller Directory. The number of companies and devices the directory lists continues to grow, and, once again, we've expanded the company roster anti table of devices by at least 10%. This...

Thermal integrity: a must low-power-IC digital design: this year's Design Automation Conference had no shortage of established vendors and start-ups introducing power tools purporting to give digital-IC designers a better way to estimate power.(design feature)
December 1, 2005... Over the last three years, IC-power management has moved from a third-order to a first-order concern for chip designers, especially those designing ASICs and SOCs (systems on chips) for portable-system applications. Accordingly, many power...

The right way to use instrumentation amplifiers: avoid common application problems when connecting real-world signals to instrumentation amplifiers.(design feature)
December 1, 2005... Instrumentation amplifiers find wide use in real-world data acquisition. However, designers often incorrectly apply them. Specifically, although modern in amps have excellent CMR (common-mode rejection), designers must limit the total...

Crossword puzzler.
December 1, 2005... Take a break from your daily routine and test your power supply design knowledge by trying your hand at the crossword puzzle below. Then check your answers at www.powerint.com/puzzler9 and enter for a chance to win a new Apple iPod Nano. ...

"There is a lot of activity these days in VoIP".(Interview)
December 1, 2005... EDN Asia spoke with Infineon Technologies, North America, Vice President of Communication Business Group, Jean-Baptiste Loire, on his views on the communications market. Excerpts. Currently, there is not enough high-speed broadband...

Faster and more flexible embedded systems: programmable platform FPGA devices and intelligent tools combine to create higher performance processing solutions.(special report)
December 1, 2005... Are there any real-time computing requirements that don't mandate that your new systems be faster and more flexible than your previous designs? Ever-changing industry standards dictate that tomorrow's embedded system designs accommodate a new...

[I.sup.2]C data converters: high performance analog solutions from Linear Technology.(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Data converters, both analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs), are increasingly in demand for applications that digitally monitor and control system performance. Precision requirements are continuously...

Wide-range regulator delivers 12V, 3A output from 16 to 100V source.(design ideas)
December 1, 2005... Synchronous buck regulators offer high efficiency and are popular in applications in which available input voltages are 12V or less. However, as input voltage approaches 100V, wide-range-regulator design becomes more difficult, and the choice...

Ultra-low-noise low-dropout regulator achieves 6nV/[square root of (Hz)] noise floor.(design ideas)
December 1, 2005... Many, low-dropout-voltage regulators see service in electronic systems, but relatively few are designed for low-noise operation. (For example, Maxim's MAX8887 achieves a noise voltage of approximately 42[micro]V rms. However, certain...

Buffer amplifier and LED improve PWM power controller's low-load operation.(design ideas)
December 1, 2005... Texas Instruments' UCC3895 offers a good base for building a high-efficiency, pulse-width-modulated, switched-mode power supply that suits either current- or voltage-mode control. Designed for driving a full-bridge power inverter using two sets...

True SoC ZigBee solution.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Chipcon's CC2430 family is a one-chip ZigBee solution that provides on-chip programmable Flash memory as well as a certified Zigbee software stack on a single silicon die. The CC2430 is a key part of Chipcon's SmartRF 03 product family, and is...

Improved image quality for mobile phones and DSCs.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Micron Technology's 5-megapixel and 3.1-megapixel CMOS image sensors bring high resolution and high quality images into mainstream image capture applications. The high-resolution CMOS image sensors are equipped with low-noise, high-sensitivity...

Remote management processor with features for server OEMs.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Agilent has introduced a remote management processor (RMP) to combine keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) over LAN with remote server management. Targeted at servers and plug-in cards, the feature-rich N2533A is the company's fourth-generation,...

TMS320F28X controllers with 64 times greater PWM resolution.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Targeted at cost-effective embedded control applications like digital power conversion, motor control and advanced sensing, Texas Instruments' TMS320F2801, TMS320F2806 and TMS320F2808 are 32-bit digital signal controllers that feature a highly...

Multiphase core controller with thermal monitoring and over-current protection.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Intersil Corporation has expanded its broad PWM (pulse width modulation) controller portfolio with the introduction of the ISL6316, a high-performance CPU multiphase core controller for Intel based VRD (voltage regulator down) 10.X and EVRD...

Microcontroller offers good resistance to security attack.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Atmel's AT90SC12836RCT, with Common Criteria certification EAL4+ augmented to AVA_VLA.4, boasts top resistance against any security attack. The AT90SC12836RCT features 36Kbytes of EEPROM, 128Kbytes of ROM program memory and 5Kbytes of RAM. It...

Overvoltage protection circuits.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Maxim has launched the MAX6495-MAX6499 overvoltage protection circuits that operate as a switch controller to either disconnect or limit the output voltage to a load during an overvoltage condition. The circuits turn off an external n-channel...

Hi-Speed USB 2.0 switch in MicroPak chip scale package.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Fairchild Semiconductor's FSUSB23 is a small single-port USB 2.0 "Hi-Speed" (480Mbps) analog switch in a MicroPak chip scale package (CSP). Its compact packaging, combined with low power consumption (720MHz) operation, make it an ideal...

Surface-mount, single-piece nonvolatile SRAM module with integrated RTC.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Dallas Semiconductor has launched single-piece, surface mountable nonvolatile SRAM (NVSRAM) modules with integrated real-time clock (RTC). The DS3030/DS3045/DS3050/DS3065 augment the Company's existing NVSRAM module family (static RAM plus a NV...

Dual output DC/DC converters save space and reduce component count.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... C&D Technologies has expanded its range of board mounted isolated DC/DC converters with q series of dual output, 3W devices in miniature SIP packaging. As well as a much smaller form factor than other 3W dual output parts, the new NDH series...

Fixed voltage options for 500mA VLDO.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Linear Technology Corporation has announced fixed low-output voltage options for the LT3021, a 500mA VLDO (very low dropout regulator). It features input voltage capability as low as 1.4V for fixed output voltages down to 1.2V. Fixed 1.5 and...

Network controller with high-speed transmission.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2005... Seiko Epson Corporation has extended its S1S60000 series of network controllers with its recently developed $1S60020. This product features high-speed transmission and open source firmware. Apart from offering easy networking, the S1S60020 is...

12.1-inch LCD gives vivid colors even in bright sunlight.(DISPLAYS)
December 1, 2005... NEC LCD Technologies has announced that it will begin shipping samples of its new 12.1-inch (31-centimeters-diagonal) super video graphics array (SVGA), amorphous silicon, thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) module, part...

OPTEK's SMT packs high power IR LED in 0805 chip.(DISPLAYS)
December 1, 2005... The OP200 LEDs are GaA1As infrared LEDs (880nm wavelength), packaged in a 0805 chip with a flat molded lens which provides a wide beam angle and an evenly distributed emission pattern. Electrical performance of the OP200 is characterized at 30V...

LED-backlight LCD desktop display.(DISPLAYS)
December 1, 2005... NEC Display Solutions has announced the NEC SpectraView LCD2180WG LED monitor. Using a combination of red, green and blue LEDs to produce the white-light backlight source for the display, this monitor produces a broad color gamut without loss...

Smart indicator light.(DISPLAYS)
December 1, 2005... Banner Engineering's EZ-Light smart indicator lights are water- and oil-tight sealed units that have colored lights--either solid or flashing--to indicate the status of a machine or process. Developed to replace panel indicators and post and...

Custom LCD backlight assemblies.(DISPLAYS)
December 1, 2005... JKL Components Corporation has full service capability in its design and production of miniature lamp assemblies. The company provides simple assemblies of single or multi-output lamps with matching power inverters and special high voltage...

Electrical/optical and optical/electrical converters.(DISPLAYS)
December 1, 2005... Highland Technology announced its Model J720/J730 Electrical/Optical and Optical/Electrical Converters. This pair of compact devices converts logic levels to fiber optic media for long distance transport. The model J720 is a compact...

USB micro hard drive with "padlock" design.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
December 1, 2005... Imation's micro hard drive has a 2GB capacity. At 1.61x0.66x3.3 inches, the micro hard drive weighs only one ounce and provides a read speed of 5MB per second and a write speed of 3.2MB per second with the built-in flexible USB 2.0 connector,...

3W power LED module features 90-lumen brightness.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
December 1, 2005... Bivar's 3W LED module is a good solution for lighting and backlighting applications, from portable lighting, flashlights and backlighting LCD computer monitors and television screens, to signaling, architectural, landscaping and...

Extension module and curved covers for DIN rail enclosures.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
December 1, 2005... Camden Electronics has introduced an extended height module and curved cover options for its range of DIN rail mounting enclosures. This module adds 15mm to the height of the original enclosure and enables two additional PCBs to be mounted...

Ethernet media converter.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
December 1, 2005... Advantech's latest extension to its family of Ethernet media converters, ADAM-6521S, works as an industrial converter with one single mode fiber port for long distance transmissions up to 15km. It also works as a switch with its four...

SBC for industrial applications.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
December 1, 2005... Arista Corporation's ATX-807 Single Board Computer is specifically designed for industrial applications swith a Mini ITX Form Factor for compact chassis. It features a Pentium 4 Prescott (90nm) CPU with 400/533/800M FSB selectable speed, and it...

PMC card graphics controllers.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
December 1, 2005... Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing has introduced a series of dual channel, high resolution PMC graphics controllers for VME, CompactPCI and PCI systems. The AtlasPMC/1D is based on ATI Technologies' RADEON Mobility 9000 (M9) mobile...

India emerging global design hub.(EDITORIAL)
December 1, 2005... When Texas Instruments became the first multinational company to set up operations in India in 1985, it was heralding an era that was to catapult India to a place in the sun in the global design industry. Initially TI India developed EDA...

India: an emerging powerhouse for chip design.(india SUPPLEMENT)
December 1, 2005... A tectonic shift is underway in the high-technology world. Chip manufacturing activities moved out of US markets around 10 years ago in form of Asian foundries, and now the back end, verification and design services have also begun their...

Design hub challenges before India.(india SUPPLEMENT)
December 1, 2005... In looking at the major challenges facing India's technology industry on its path toward becoming a design hub, it should be noted that the country has the ability and experienced people to overcome these challenges, says Srini Rajam, chairman...

Customized EDA tools: new business model for EDA.(india SUPPLEMENT)
December 1, 2005... Current commercial EDA vendors comprise a mix of a large number of small to mid-sized point tool providers and a small number of large full RTL to GDSII (and beyond) tool suite providers. While these vendors differ in the scope of solutions...

Emerging trends in communications test.(india SUPPLEMENT)
December 1, 2005... Communications technologies and the devices incorporating them are developing at a frantic pace. There is a range of competing standards in every area of application, be it cellular telephony, wireless networking, or short range personal...

Designing products to meet international regulatory requirements.(Web features)
December 1, 2005... As Indian product houses gear up to design and manufacture products for international markets, a key requirement that product designers need to be aware of are the regulatory standards that the products need to comply with for them to legally...

IPTV: ready to takeoff.(Internet Protocol Television)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Ten years after the initial hype of TV services over broadband networks, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is poised to takeoff in a big way. Forecasts show that more than 20 million households will subscribe to IPTV services by 2007-08. How...

Power: key to IC design success.(Web features)
December 1, 2005... As the sophistication of the IC design community in India grows, so too do the challenges it faces. Chief among these is power, particularly in devices built for use in portable or other power-sensitive applications. Power is the top issue for...

CAD for chip and package co-design.(Web features)(Computer aided design)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... In the modern electronics world, there is an ever-increasing demand for high speed, compact and low cost systems. Shrinking feature sizes in silicon process technologies can address the above requirements only to a certain extent, and in...

Off-shoring EDA software development: opportunities and challenges.(Web features)
December 1, 2005... Off-shoring of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software development is still largely an unexplored opportunity for EDA companies and EDA groups within semiconductor companies worldwide. While several other IT/ software domains have seen...

SoC design in India.(Web features)
December 1, 2005... Advances in VLSI manufacturing have enabled designers to place tens of millions of gates on a single die at a reasonable cost and create Systems-on-Chip (SOCs). An SOC, which can make use of reusable cores, is a reasonably complete, functional...