EDN Asia articles from February 2006

EDN Asia archives from February 2006

DFM acquires new dimensions.(designing for marketing)(Column)
February 1, 2006... I recently came across a familiar phrase with an unfamiliar twist to its meaning, which shows the rock & roll the design industry is passing through, not behaving in the way it used to. This is in line with the transistor not behaving in the...

Level-shifting difference amplifier for data acquisition and test equipment.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... The level-shifting difference amplifier from Texas Instruments features a gain of 0.2. The INA159 is designed to interface [+ or -] IOV signals to single supply analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), especially those with 4.096 or 5V references....

42.98GHz spectrum analyzer.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... Agilent Technologies' 42.98-GHz spectrum analyzer has resolution bandwidths up to 8MHz. The latest in Agilent's PSA Series of spectrum analyzers, the E4447A offers high-performance analysis for designers and production engineers of microwave...

Brighter, simpler, cheaper, more robust touch screens.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... Quantum Research Group's latest technology called Qfield uses the company's charge-transfer sensing techniques to enable the design of capacitive touch screens with a single conductive layer of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), rather than the two layers...

100-hour battery life for portable DAB digital radios.(pulse)
February 1, 2006... Frontier Silicon's Venice 4.0 FS2024 DAB/FM/RDS module consumes one-quarter of the battery power used by competing modules and enables battery-powered radios to operate in DAB mode for over 100 hours using standard alkaline batteries. The...

Solution for next-gen PC/server motherboard voltage regulation.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... STMicroelectronics' L6713 and L6714 provide voltage-regulator control for advanced Intel and AMD processors which are fully compatible with both 6-bit VID AMD specification and VR11 Intel specification for next-generation CPUs. They are a...

High-capacitance capacitors with ESL half that of conventional products.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... Panasonic Electronic Devices' SP-Cap L series of functional polymer aluminum electrolytic capacitors feature low equivalent series inductance (ESL) of 600pH at a frequency of 500MHz, which is 1/2 that of conventional products. Capacitance...

RF connector links boards, minus the cable.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... Tyco Electronics' Compression Coax Board-to-Board Blindmate product eliminates the need for multiple connectors by offering a single connector assembly with spring-loaded contact. One side of the connector is soldered on the base circuit...

Fast, compact analyzer for measurements in microwave range.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... The R&S ZVB20 from Rohde & Schwarz is a vector network analyzer for the microwave range up to 20GHz. Available as a two-port and tour-port model, the analyzer is suitable for universal measurements on multiports as well as for measurements on...

"World's smallest" protection thyristor.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... Littelfuse, Inc.'s Teccor Q2L series SIDACtor device, claimed to be the world's smallest protection thyristor, is designed for dense board telecom applications and CPE (customer premises equipment). The Q2L series offers a 54% reduction in PCB...

Philips intros "industry's first" [I.sup.2]C/SPI to UART bridge.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... Royal Philips Electronics has launched what the company claims is the industry's first [I.sup.2]C/SPI to UART bridge chip. Part of a new family of low-power bridge ICs that will simplify the design of connected devices, the SC16IS75x/76x...

EPIC SBC for extreme temperatures.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... VersaLogic Corp. has released a new version of its "Gecko" EPIC format single board computer designed for extreme temperature conditions. Qualified for operation from -40[degrees] to +85[degreees]C, it is ideal for space-constrained...

Combo white LED driver and OLED/TFT boost regulator reduces space.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2006... Linear Technology's LT3466-1 dual step-up DC/DC converter is a white LED driver and boost converter in a low profile 3x3mm DFN package. The LED driver channel can drive up to 10 white LEDs from a single cell Li-Ion input at up to 83%...

Low-cost handsets gain traction in India.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)
February 1, 2006... Burgeoning demand from mobile-service operators for ultralow-cost handsets to service price-sensitive emerging markets, such as India, is motivating semiconductor vendors to develop single-chip-handset offerings. For example, Texas Instruments...

Japanese-automotive software goes horizontal.(pulse)
February 1, 2006... Toyota Motors is moving to a horizontal and cooperative model for software development to meet the increasing demand for more sophisticated and widespread automotive electronics. Traditionally, Japanese designers in the automotive industry have...

Driverless vehicles take on the desert.(usage of light-detecting-and-ranging devices)
February 1, 2006... The Darpa Grand Challenge--not since the fabled transcontinental races of a century ago have so many engineers, professors, students, corporate teams, and garage tinkerers been drawn to so daunting a task. On the surface, it seems, well......

Portable connection: can USB work over a network? USB is a successful interface for point-to-point connections. But implementing USB over IP presents challenges.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... This year's USBOIP (Universal Serial Bus over Internet Protocol) hands-on project explores what is necessary to enable USB devices to operate over a network. The project attempts to spark interest and consideration about the emerging methods to...

Riding the sine wave: broadband data hitches a ride with an unlikely carrier.(design feature)
February 1, 2006... Proponents of BPL (broadband-over-power-line) technology insist that the best wires for the last mile were strung and connected long ago. But BPL still faces technical hurdles, a potentially nasty standards fight, and angry amateur-radio...

ASIC prototyping make versus buy: as digital-IC designs have become more complex, so too, has the task of verifying their functions. Over the years, EDA vendors have done little to reduce the gap between the number of gates you can design and the number you can verify in a reasonable amount of time.(application-specific integrated circuits, Economic Development Administration)
February 1, 2006... IC designers often spend as much as 60 to 80% of their time simply verifying designs, and that percentage is growing. To get a leg up on verification, many design groups have turned to hardware-assisted verification to prototype their designs....

Power supply control solutions ... at the touch of a button: high performance analog solutions from linear technology.(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Portable devices need to draw minimal current when off--ideally zero--to maximize battery life. Implementing push-button on/off control disconnects everything from the battery except the push-button control circuitry. Providing graceful...

"Our 90nm yield is much ahead of competition".(Interview)
February 1, 2006... EDN Asia recently spoke to John P. Daane, Chairman, President and CEO, Altera. Excerpts: What is the biggest challenge facing designers today, and how can Altera help designers overcome this challenge? A The one factor that is...

DaVinci technology for digital video: state of the art technology provides the foundation for the upcoming digital video revolution by enabling digital video, audio, voice and speech technology into platforms that integrates elements required for its successful implementation: processors, development tools, software and systems expertise.(special report)
February 1, 2006... Digital video technology promises no less than to reshape the electronics industry. Certainly, digital video is already beginning to significantly change how we perceive, distribute and interact with video. It has made its way into our cars,...

Use a system's real-time clock to "hide" a code sequence.(design ideas)
February 1, 2006... Although the concept of a totally accessible system represents an ideal situation for users, designers now must limit access to--and conceal code sequences for--software routines for calibration, diagnostics, memory erasure, system reset, and...

Shunt regulator eases power-supply-start-up woes.(design ideas)
February 1, 2006... The popular and multiply sourced TL431 three-terminal shunt regulator offers designers considerable versatility in its applications. Figure 1a illustrates the TL431's internal circuitry, which comprises a precision voltage reference, an...

Complete power supply system supports next-gen mobile processors.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... The ISL6260B multiphase regulator uses external drivers and can be programmed as 1-, 2-, or 3-phase. Combined with the 15L6208 gate driver, the ISL6260B forms the basis for a portable power supply system to power Intel's latest CPU (central...

USB peripheral controller with 26MHz SPI interface.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... The MAX3420E 12Mbps USB peripheral controller with SPI interface integrates digital logic and analog circuitry to implement a full-speed USB peripheral compliant to USB specification 2.0. Functions include a [+ or -] 15kV ESD-protected USB...

Post amplifier for telecom digital applications.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Micrel's SY88903ALKG is a 1.25Gbps limiting post smplifier that features 3.3V operation with better than 5mV sensitivity. Designed to work at Gigabit and fiber channel data rates, it comes in a small form factor package and is targeted at...

Hot-programmable clock multiplier for consumer applications.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Texas Instruments programmable clock multiplier with low jitter of 60psec and in-system spread spectrum adjustment improves performance, simplifies development and saves cost in consumer applications. Designers can hot program the device's...

Precision, low-voltage amplifiers based on advanced BiCMOS process.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Six operational amplifiers built on National Semiconductors VIP50 process technology, feature improvements in accuracy, low-power consumption and voltage noise for industrial, medical and automotive applications. These improvements. combined...

Hot-swap controller minimizes power dissipation.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... The SMH4814 device can monitor and control two independent -48V feeds, allowing for redundant power supply control. It also eliminates the need for passive OR'ing diodes, which are bulky and significantly contribute to system power dissipation....

RF car access ICs for increased security.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Full duplex RF transceiver ICs ATA5824 and ATA5823 are optimized for automotive keyless entry/passive entry go (PEG) and tire pressure monitoring (TPMS) systems. They can also be used for remote control, alarm, telemetering, energy metering and...

0.4ps phase jitter performance all purpose clocks.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... With up to 640MHz frequency with less than 0.4ps RMS phase jitter for all supported frequencies, the PhaseLink PhasorV is the newest member of PhaseLink's XO and VCXO Timing Source ICs. It produces less than 0.4ps of phase jitter, offers a wide...

Capacitorless twin-transistor RAM for SoC devices.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... This high-density capacitorless twin-transistor RAM (TTRAM) achieves high-speed operation and low power consumption. The memory design allows fast, high-density storage to be embedded in power-efficient SoC devices built with 65nm generation...

Soft ARM7 family processor optimized for FPGAs.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Actel has optimized the 32-bit ARM7 to maximize the speed and minimize the size of the processor for use with its FPGA devices. Operating at up to 25MHz, CoreMP7 suited for use in applications such as digital cameras, kitchen appliances,...

MicroPower synchronous step-up regulators.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Linear Technology's LTC3525-3.3 and LTC3525-5 400mA synchronous step-up DC/DC converters with true output disconnect and inrush current limiting in SC70 packages operate from an input voltage range of 1 to 4.5V, making them ideal for single and...

Fast ARM7-based microcontroller.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Royal Philips Electronics' LPC2000 microcontroller (MCU) family: LPC2101, LPC2102 and LPC2103, based on the ARM7 TDMI-S architecture, can operate at speeds up to 70Mhz (63 MIPs), 10Mhz faster than the current fastest ARM7MCUs on the market....

Millimeter-wave amplifiers for radio and satellite applications.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2006... Agilent's millimeter-wave (mmW) ICs now include low-cost, surface-mount amplifiers operating in the 20 to 40 GHz frequency range. These packaged parts allow manufacturers to transfer production to lower-cost, surface-mount techniques. They...

Test modules support WLAN and WiMax RFIC testing.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
February 1, 2006... The Aeroflex PXI 3025 6GHz digital signal generator and the Aeroflex 3035 6GHz wideband RF digitizer address the need for high speed testing of RFICs and other devices designed for WLAN and WiMax applications. The 3035 is complementary to tile...

Advanced ASIC prototyping platform.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
February 1, 2006... The HAPS 34 helps both ASIC and ASSP designers verify their designs quickly and accurately. It uses four Xilinx Virtex-4 XC4VLX100/160/200 devices in large pin count package, offering 3,000 user l/Os and a signaling rate of 1Gbps (LVDS) or...

10.4-inch LCD modules boast fastest response time.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
February 1, 2006... NEC LCD Technologies' 10.4-inch (26cm diagonal), amorphous silicon TFT liquid crystal display (LCD) modules have fast motion picture response time (MPRT), a standard promoted by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). XGA TFT LCD is...

Pentium M 915GM Mini-ITX SBC.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
February 1, 2006... The EMB-9680 is the Mini-ITX mother board based on Mobile Intel 915GM Express chipset and Intel ICH6M. Accommodating up to 2GB of DDR system memory, it is validated with the Intel Pentium M and Intel Celeron M processors at 533MHz and 2MB L2...

Eight-port RS-485 PC/104 module.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
February 1, 2006... Targeting serial intensive embedded applications, Sealevel Systems' SIO-104+8.485 is an eight-port PC/104 RS-485 module designed to meet tile core needs of PC/104 applications requiring high reliability, small size, and long term availability....

CompactFlash cards for extended temp applications.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
February 1, 2006... Smart Modular Technologies' industrial-grade CompactFlash and PC carol products for telecommunications, military, aviation and automotive applications can withstand an industrial temperature range of -40[degrees] to +85[degrees]C. Card density...

High-temp edgecards for daughtercards with termination options.(BOARDS, CARDS & MODULES)
February 1, 2006... Sullins Electronics edgecard series now include staggered clip solder, and card extender/SMT parts as well as right angle bend terminations. The RoHS-compliant series, featuring 1.00mm (.039") contact centers, facilitates durable board-to-board...

Xilinx expands signal processing portfolio.(EDA)
February 1, 2006... The System Generator for DSP v7.1 development software and XtremeDSP Virtex-4 SX35 Development Kit for digital communication system design enable system and DSP designers to implement high sample rate or multichannel signal processing designs...

Enhanced model-based design tool suite.(EDA)
February 1, 2006... With the 2005.3 version of AccelChip DSP Synthesis and AccelWare intellectual property (IP) toolkits for model-based design of digital signal processing applications, engineers can now quickly evaluate multiple design options by testing and...

Nanometer IC power reduction software.(EDA)
February 1, 2006... Power Optimize Gold reduces power at many stages in the physical design flow. It works with placement and clock tree synthesis to reduce power consumption in the critical clock network. WiresFirst (a patent-pending optimization technology)...

Microwave Office 2006 design suite.(EDA)
February 1, 2006... The robust, feature-packed 2006 version of the Microwave Office design suite is built on the AWR high-frequency platform with its open design environment and unified data model. It enables integration with tools for each part of the design...

Configurator software.(EDA)
February 1, 2006... Watlow's Configurator edition of WATVIEW is available for free download and unlimited use. It allows users to set up and monitor Watlow controllers, and is capable of connecting one or more Watlow controllers, equipped with serial...

Design tool for mobile chips offers good power savings.(EDA)
February 1, 2006... The ProPower optimization software reduces leakage power by an average of 20% on designs that have already been optimized using standard place and route tools. Mobile devices using chips optimized with ProPower will offer greater battery life...

Companies partner to provide standards-based DDS platform.(EDA)
February 1, 2006... Real Time Innovations (RTI) and Green Hills Software have developed a standards-based data distribution platform for embedded applications demanding total reliability and at)solute security required by programs such as the Joint Strike Fighter...

ERmet ZD connectors compliant to new PICMG EXP.0 standard.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... ERmet ZD connectors are offered in 25mm modules as straight male connectors for backplanes and right-angled female connectors for daughter cards in the following configurations: a 4-row version (4 x 10 pairs) with 40 differential signal pairs...

Video-class USB device for connected consumers.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... The ISP1585 high-speed USB peripheral device is fully compliant with the USB Implementers Forum (IF) videoclass specifications (Revision 1.1) for point-to-point video streaming. It provides a dedicated connection to a system's codec, which...

Teradyne introduces GbX_E-Series connector.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... The GbX E-Series connector is an upgrade to Teradyne's GbX plat form, with a reduction in crosstalk and scaleable data rates greater than 10Gb/s. The GbX and GbX E-Series connectors include 2, 3, 4, and 5-pair versions with densities from 27.5...

RoHS-compliant low profile SMT test point series.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... Components Corp's 100% RoHS-compliant TP-108 Series of ultra-low profile test points saves space in high-density PCBs, especially those engineered for mounting high pin count packages. With a 0.060" profile, and a 0.070"X0.135" pad size, the...

Enhanced surface mount ferrite bead series.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... Murata Electronics' enhanced 0201 surface mount ferrite bead is designed to meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) electro-magnetic interference (EMI) regulations and Ininimize attenuation in high speed signals. Suitable for Bluetooth and...

RF capacitor.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... The porcelain and ceramic dielectric multilayer capacitor (MLC) from AVX Corp. offers high Q, low ESR, and high self-resonance in an 0603 package with voltages up to 250V DC. Designated the SQCS Series and offering what is said to be the best...

Axial molded precision wirewound resistor.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... Ohmite Manufacturing's P Series molded precision wirewound resistors is designed to meet the requirements of Military Specification MILR-93. These resistors offer tolerances as accurate as [+ or -]0.005% and TCR as low as [+ or -]2...

Chip resistor line MIL-PRF-38534.(PASSIVES)
February 1, 2006... State of the Art (SOTA), Inc. has introduced a chip resistor line that meets the visual inspection requirements of Mil-PRF-38534 and is suited for use in hybrid applications requiring the exclusive characteristics. The resistors range in size...