EDN Asia articles from December 2008

EDN Asia archives from December 2008

Design landmarks of 2008.(edn asia comment)
December 1, 2008... I shall sum up the year by recalling some developments during 2008 that will impact designs. IBM and HP especially have come out with products and technologies that will change the nature of designs by putting into the hands of designers new...

TI unveils next-generation 3A DDR termination regulator.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Texas Instruments Incorporated has introduced a sink/source double data rate (DDR) termination regulator that supports all power management requirements for DDR, DDR2, DDR3 and DDR4 low-power memory termination. The easy-to-use regulator...

Technology gives windows a solar edge.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Massachusetts Institute of Technology develops solar cell technology)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a technology that transforms a pane of glass into a solar concentrator that can gather light over its entire surface and conduct that light to...

Voltage translator for [I.sup.2]C applications.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Fairchild Semiconductor's FXM2IC102's I2C interface and open drain output offers designers a simple way to interface with Bluetooth and display screens in cellphones, notebooks and other applications. With the I2C interface, only two lines...

AMD launches "world's fastest" graphics card.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... AMD has launched what it says is the world's fastest graphics card, the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, advancing visual computing ever closer to eye-definition computing gaming and cinematic experiences, and delivering 2.4 teraFLOPS of processing...

Digital isolators reach 2Mbps, pack in four channels.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(NVE Corp.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Using optocouplers is a common, inexpensive method of signal isolation, but your application may be unable to tolerate optocouplers' tendency to degrade with age and temperature. Targeting that problem, NVE has introduced the IsoLoop IL500...

10Gbps links span 30m in copper.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Phyworks)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... According to fabless-telecom-chip-maker Phyworks, more than 80% of high-speed-data-center interconnections span less than 30m, and optical links over those distances have a heavy overhead in cost, space, and power. The company has taken the...

Development kit for building high-performance embedded processing systems.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Xilinx has developed a powerful kit for building embedded processing systems based on PowerPC 440 and MicroBlaze processors. Built around the Virtex-5 FXT FPGA system integration platform, the kit enables both hardware and software designers to...

Top voltage performance for portable devices.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Intersil Corporation's ISL88001/2/3 low power family of three-lead voltage supervisors consume less power (160nA at 1.8V supply current) than competing three-lead voltage supervisors with a comparable supply voltage range. Their low current...

Mini photocoupler has high-speed switching.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Toshiba Electronics Europe has launched the TLP117 miniature photocoupler for applications requiring a combination of isolation, high-speed data transfer, and low-power operation. It integrates a high-speed gallium-aluminum-arsenide infrared...

Thin film chip resistor combines high and advanced power rating.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Vishay Intertechnology has released an automotive thin film chip resistor in the 0603 case size to combine a high operating temperature to +175[degrees]C (1000 hours) and an advanced level of rated power. While most thin film chip resistors...

FPGA IP completes wireless-backhaul method.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Wintegra's third-generation UFE3 (universal-front-end-3) IP (intellectual-property) core for high-channel-density, wireless-backhaul designs provides an upgrade path for designers migrating voice-centric cellular systems to high-capacity...

"World's smallest" high-performance diplexer.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Radio Frequency Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) has launched what's said to be the world's smallest, cost-effective diplexer range--the RFS FD9R6004 wideband diplexer series. Its electrical performance and installation flexibility, coupled with its compact size,...

Thermocouple power sensors offer wide dynamic range for power measurements.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Agilent Technologies' thermocouple power sensors are said to offer a dynamic range in average-power measurements. As an enhanced replacement for the Agilent 8480 Series, the sensors cover a power range of -35 to +20dBm and span a frequency...

Embedded computer offers multicore performance.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... Targeting embedded-system applications, such as industrial automation, multimedia kiosks, gaming, and medical devices, Ampro Computers recently announced the ReadyBoard 830 single-board computer, which the company based on the EPIC...

PCI Express switches with integrated DMA.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
December 1, 2008... PLX Technology has announced three powerful PCIe switch devices with an architecture that features an integrated direct memory access (DMA) engine. Each switch provides four DMA channels to support the high data rates required in storage...

Prying apart a portable audio player.(prying eyes)
December 1, 2008... Free after $65 rebate with free shipping. That's the deal that routed a refurbished Sandisk Sansa M250 from Newegg to my front door last summer. I suspected it would make a fine Prying Eyes patient, and, as it turns out, I was right. Let's see...

DisplayPort versus HDMI: do we really need two digital-display-interface standards? DisplayPort silicon is beginning to appear in PCs, LCD monitors, and graphics cards. But it will probably be at least five years before prices fall and volumes ramp enough to challenge HDMI in consumer electronics.(Cover story)
December 1, 2008... DisplayPort proponents bill this digital-video-I/O standard as a noroyalties, scalable, extensible, open-standard interface that reduces connector footprint and cable clutter, lowers power consumption and cost, eliminates the need for some...

Silicon germanium: fast, quiet, and powerful: SiGe processes can give analog-circuit designers fast, high-voltage transistors with low noise, whereas BiCMOS SiGe fits into CMOS process flows.(design feature)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CMOS (complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor) processes have consistently surprised the semiconductor industry. CMOS prices decreased and CMOS speeds increased, a scenario that primarily benefits digital-IC...

"EDA development is a worldwide endeavor".(Interview)
December 1, 2008... EDN Asia and Walden C. Rhines, Chairman & CEO of Mentor Graphics Corporation discuss the challenges faced by EDA companies as they move toward 65nm and 45nm designs. Excerpts: What special challenges do designers face as they move toward...

SystemVerilog assertions in SoC environment.(special report)
December 1, 2008... Verification tools and methodologies have both evolved and undergone revolutionary changes, and both are equally as important to stay abreast of Moore's law. Complex SoC designs can be implemented by acquiring third-party intellectual property...

A stable multivibrator lights LED from a single cell.(design ideas)
December 1, 2008... Lighting LEDs from a single 1.5V cell poses a problem because their forward voltages are higher than the cell's. The simplest way to light the LED is to use a step-up dc/dc converter. This Design Idea offers a simple and reliable alternative...

IC provides versatile toggle functions.(design ideas)
December 1, 2008... The circuit in Figure 1 offers not only as many as six channels in a single IC package, but also a high level of additional flexibility. The configuration of Output 1 is a "plain-vanilla" toggle. A resistive divider comprising [R.sub.1] and...

Advancements in power-efficient DSPs and applications processors.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... Designers can now easily bring portability to applications requiring high-precision floating-point processor capabilities with Texas Instruments' low power floating-point DSPs. These devices enable longer battery life, while allowing customers...

12-, 10-, and 8-bit DACs include internal reference in SOT-23 packages.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... The LTC2631 is a family of pin- and software-compatible 12-, 10- and 8-bit DACs in a tiny TSOT-23 package, making it what's said to be the smallest I2C DAC family with an internal reference on the market today. It has been released alongside an...

5x7 SMD true sinewave SAW-based VCO.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... Crystek Corporation has released its Model CVS575S-500--a 500MHz voltage controlled SAW (surface acoustic wave) oscillator, or VCSO. This lead-free, RoHS-compliant device is offered in a 5x7.5x2.5mm SMD package. Phase noise is excellent at...

Voltage translator simplifies design in SD card apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The FXL2SD106 has a built-in automatic direction control allowing the device to sense and control the direction the data should flow, without a direction control pin. This automatic direction control feature reduces...

Higher power supply efficiency for laptops.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... The RJK0383DPA is a dual-type power MOSFET for synchronous rectification DC/DC converters for memory or ASICs in products such as laptop PCs and communication devices. Its power reduction reduces the chip mounting area to about half that of a...

250A power MOSFET for higher motor-drive efficiency.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... This 250A surface-mount power MOSFET has low on-resistance to minimize energy conversion losses and enable higher performance. The STV250N55F3 combines the company's PowerSO-10 package with ribbon bonding to achieve ultra-low die-free package...

Tiny audio subsystem provides high output power.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Maxim Integrated Products Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The MAX9877 is said to be the industry's smallest audio subsystem. It combines a high-efficiency, high-power, mono Class D speaker amplifier; a DirectDrive, stereo headphone amplifier; and a low-noise, bypass analog switch. In addition to this...

Eight-channel ESD solution for HDMI and DisplayPort.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Texas Instruments Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Texas Instruments has introduced a robust electrostatic discharge (ESD) solution that provides system-level ESD protection for eight high-speed differential lines, designed specifically for high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) and...

Dual output COTS DC/DC converter for military apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... The MTC15 and MTC30 dual output are part of the MTC series of fully encapsulated commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) 4-35W DC/DC converters. Suitable for military and avionic platforms with a nominal 28VDC input, the 15 and 30W units are available...

Low input voltage dual LDOs for high efficiency apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Micrel Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The MIC5313/4/5/6 is a family of low input voltage capable, low dropout regulators. It integrates two LDOs capable of operating from an input voltage as low as 1.7V, while consuming only 37uA total quiescent current. The combination of low...

Accurate quad-/hex-/octal-voltage MCU supervisory circuits.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Maxim Integrated Products Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MAX16060/MAX16061/MAX16062 are 1% accurate, quad-/hex-/octal-voltage microprocessor supervisors. Offering accurate monitoring, these devices maximize system reliability. To achieve this accuracy, they integrate a...

1W warm white high-power LED lighting apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... This 1W warm white moonstone power LED emitter can be used in a variety of architectural, commercial, spotlight, task, backlighting, and decorative lighting applications. The ASMTMY09 LED features a low profile design and delivers high flux...

USB/AC load-sharing Li-Ion/ Li-Polymer battery charger.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Microchip Technology's MCP73871 is a charge-management controller--a Li-Ion/Li-Polymer charger with an intelligent charge management feature that enables simultaneous ACDC-adapter or USB-port charging and powering of...

2 channel voltage detector.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The XCM410 series is a multi-chip module IC that has two highly precise, low power consumption voltage detectors in one package (1 x XC6108 + 1 x XC6109). The IC is operated from a supply voltage within a range of...

Pendulum-style detection switch uses top and side actuation.(PASSIVES)(C and K Components Inc. )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The SDT microminiature surface-mount detect-switch series has a pendulum-style construction allowing the switch to actuate from the top or the side. The switch provides a 30g maximum-actuation force, and the recommended stroke to actuate the...

Terminal-block relay has plug-in SPDT contacts.(PASSIVES)(Phoenix Contact Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Providing plug-in SPDT contacts, the PLC-Relay high-current terminal-block relay aims at applications requiring a 10A nominal-current rating or devices requiring an improved electrical life of the contacts. For shorter installation time, the...

USB/104 I/O solid-state relay-output module provides hot-plug functions.(PASSIVES)
December 1, 2008... The USB-IDIO16 USB/104 I/O module has 16 individually optically-isolated inputs. The optically-isolated inputs include channel-to-channel and channel-to-ground inputs. Compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports, the module provides hot-plug...

Female DIN connectors diminish stress on PCB.(PASSIVES)
December 1, 2008... ERNI Electronics has redesigned its right angle female DIN connectors for daughter card applications. The fresh design approach delivers a number of key benefits relating to reliability and efficient assembly. The DIN 41612 connectors are...

Secure lock ZIF connector.(PASSIVES)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This series of secure lock zero insertion force (ZIF) connectors provide enhanced robustness for applications that require high reliability. The 6288 Series features a shaped cable construction that guarantees...

Orthogonal connectors expand Z-PACK family.(PASSIVES)
December 1, 2008... Tyco Electronics has expanded its ZPACK TinMan product family with the introduction of the new Z-PACK TinMan orthogonal connector system. This system offers two modules including a 6x6 (36 differential pairs) module and a 6x12 (72 differential...

Durable RF connectors with all-metal construction.(PASSIVES)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The KCC (Killer Compression Connectors) Series of all-metal connectors are engineered to provide OEMs and system integrators with highly durable connections. The all-metal construction protects the internal...

5/10W single output, universal AC-DC power supplies.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(RECOM Power)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Complementing the existing RAC-SA series, the small 5 and 10W RAC-SB series is available in either encapsulated PCB mount or panel mount (screw terminal) formats. Both converters share the same pin out, leaving an easy upgrade path from 5 to...

2x4" Power supply offers 100W--convection cooled.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(PowerGate LLC)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The TRACOPOWER TOP-100 Series of ultra-compact open-frame power supplies offers 100W of power in the industry standard 2x4" footprint with a low profile of 1.25". Convection cooled operation make these supplies ideal...

Linear AC-DC & AC-AC power supplies/transformers.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
December 1, 2008... These linear power supplies/ transformers are low cost wall plug-in designs that can provide DC or AC outputs up to 20W/VA. Standard features: output may vary from 50mA to max. load specified, in 50mA increments; output voltage [+ or -] 5%...

External power supply meets energy-efficiency standards.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
December 1, 2008... This 40W external power supply family meets both the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Level IV criteria and Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requirements. The single output Ault PW153KB series is suited for a...

SDN-C compact DIN rail series.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The SDN-C DIN rail power supplies are the next generation devices of the SDN series. These models combine high efficiency and compact size with visual diagnostic LEDs to offer the most performance available from Sola/Hevi-Duty. Essential...

120W medical power adapter meets EISA requirements.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... This family of 120W external adapters for medical applications complies with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Level IV and Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requirements. The Ault MW155RA is a single output...

SDU DIN rail DC UPS series.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
December 1, 2008... The SDU DIN Rail DC UPS is an advanced 24VDC uninterruptible power system that combines design with wide operational temperature range and improved installation options. The SDU DC UPS is a powerful, microprocessor controlled UPS that provides...

Compact industrial power supply for rugged environments.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(Absopulse Electronics Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Absopulse Electronics' HBC 5KC Series AC-DC power supply delivers 5kW output power from a compact 291x57 x457mm vented enclosure. Designed for operation in heavy-duty industrial environments, this unit is heavily ruggedized and conformal coated...

Tektronix accelerates arbitrary waveform generators.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(Tektronix Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Tektronix has launched its AWG7000B and AWG5000B Series of Arbitrary Waveform Generators (AWG). The series provides a 20% performance boost over many of the prior AWG instruments and is designed to meet the test needs for high-speed serial data...

PrecisionWoRx VX4 extends capabilities of test, analysis.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
December 1, 2008... Rudolph Technologies' PrecisionWoRx VX4 is the next generation of its probe card test and analysis tools. Designed to replace PrecisionPoint VX3, VX4 adds configurable channels, higher loading forces, a user interface and software architecture...

Signal analyzer improves mid-range performance.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The R&S FSV is said to be the fastest and most accurate mid-range signal analyzer in the market, with virtually all of its performance characteristics exceeding those offered by other instruments in its class. It...

Improved radio test, alignment speed and accuracy.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Auto-Test II Motorola Test and Alignment support for the Motorola XTS-5000 radios allows users of the 3900 Series to automatically test and align radios with minimum user intervention. Available for all 3900...

National Instruments intros 1GHz bandwidth PXI digitizer.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(National Instruments Corp.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... National Instruments has announced a bandwidth increase in its digitizer offering with the introduction of the NI PXI-5154 digitizer/PC-based oscilloscope, expanding the family of more than 20 high-speed, high-resolution and high-channel-count...

Instrument series for precision synchronized measurement instruments.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
December 1, 2008... EX1000A Series integrates signal conditioning, digitization and software for a complete data acquisition solution for precision temperature and voltage measurements. It is said to be the industry's first measurement system, designed to the LXI...

LitePoint targets MIMO, WiMedia and GPS.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LitePoint Corporation has launched three systems for testing four wireless standards: The IQnxnplus system offers true multi-steam signal capabilities for WiFi and WiMAX MIMO development; IQultra--said to be the...

Worldwide product innovation despite varying standards: global companies with products headed to the international stage face complex, confusing, and sometimes-conflicting regulations.
December 1, 2008... For a multinational electronics manufacturer, selling products to countries all over the world means contending with an array of conformance standards that can vary dramatically from one country to the next. Even within a single country, the...