EDN Asia articles from February 2008

EDN Asia archives from February 2008

Intel, AMD war shifts from price to design front.(ednasia comment)
February 1, 2008... I think the unending warfare between Intel and AMD will now be fought more on the design front than on the price front. For years the two companies have been chasing each other out in price catch-me-if-you-can game. But now they seem to have...

Audio codecs with digital microphone support for portable consumer devices.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2008... Texas Instruments has introduced three audio codecs featuring low power consumption and noise filtering capabilities to maximize battery life and enhance performance in portable consumer applications, such as wireless handsets, personal...

Motorcycle engine control with Infineon's MCUs.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... Infineon Technologies has launched a family of microcontrollers targeting the growing worldwide market for motorcycle engine control. The XC2700 family of microcontrollers with 32-bit performance allows system makers to build cost-effective...

Intersil's tiny single transmitter offers top internal ESD protection.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... Intersil Corporation's ISL329xE series of 3.3V-powered RS485/RS-422 single transmitters are designed with excellent [+ or -] 16.5kV ESD protection and ultra-low supply current requirement. These devices come in small TDFN and SOT23 packages...

Nanotechnology milestone for quadrupling terabyte hard drive.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... Hitachi, Ltd and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (GST) have developed the smallest read-head technology for hard disk drives, which is expected to quadruple current storage capacity limits to four terabytes (TB) on a desktop hard drive, and...

Femto cell offers reliable mobile network service.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... ZTE Corporation has launched what's said to be the world's first WCDMA commercial Home NodeB, also known as femto cell, ZXWR H8901. The ZXWR H8901 supports communication of up to four users online, with user data transmission frequency up...

High performance DSP development platform.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... The XtremeDSP developed by Xilinx is a low-cost development platform for implementing DSP designs using the Spartan-3A DSP family of low-cost FPGAs. Ideal for engineers developing DSP applications that require the performance and price...

Altera and Synopsys collaborate to make Nios II processor core available for ASIC designs.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... Altera Corporation and Synopsys have announced that Altera's Nios II processor core will be available for licensing through Synopsys' DesignWare Star IP Program. Expanding on Altera's existing FPGA and HardCopy structured ASIC product...

Single-chip 45nm multi-mode solutions for smartphones.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... Qualcomm has introduced three 45nm single-chip solutions designed to enable mass-market smartphones with a range of high-performance capabilities. The QSC7230 for HSPA+ devices, QSC7830 for CDMA2000 lxEV-DO Rev. B devices, and multi-mode...

NI intros PXI express system timing controller.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... National Instruments has made additions to its timing tools including its first PXI Express timing and synchronization controller; and a PXI module that synchronizes PXI systems over GPS, Inter-Range Instrumentation Group (IRIG) and IEEE 1588....

High-current gate driver offers 50% space savings.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... Fairchild Semiconductor's high voltage gate driver IC (HVIC) with 4A current driving capability ensures system reliability and space benefits in consumer and industrial applications. Featuring a wide high-side driver operation with negative VS...

Ramtron qualifies 4-kilobit F-RAM memory device to +125[degrees]C for powertrain apps.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... Ramtron's FM25L04-GA is a 4Kb nonvolatile RAM with an industry-standard SPI that enhances the high-speed write capability of F-RAM technology. The device is a direct hardware replacement for equivalent EEPROMs, yet superior because of its fast...

Automotive navigation processor with embedded GPS.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Cartesio is an automotive-grade application processor with embedded GPS for navigation and telematics. Developed by STMicroelectronics, it couples perfectly with ST's GPS RF chip (STA5620), creating an offering...

RF module targets 802.11n Wi-Fi products.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SiGe Semiconductor's highly integrated RF front-end module for Wi-Fi products is designed to comply with the IEEE 802.11n specification. The SE2593A provides a complete 2.4 and 5GHz WLAN multiple input, multiple...

Test transmitter for broadcast production offers price advantage.(pulse)
February 1, 2008... The R&S SFE100 test transmitter from Rohde & Schwarz targets production test applications for set-top boxes, TV sets, and other broadcast terminal units and modules. This signal source's compact design makes it easy to install--especially in...

Perusing a universal remote.(prying eyes)
February 1, 2008... During the 1950s, Zenith Radio Corp. introduced the First remote control for television. The Lazy Bones device used wires between the remote and the TV. Wireless remote controls appeared shortly thereafter, and the industry has been evolving...

Traffic management: a growing nightmare for SOC designers.(Cover story)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The SOC (system-on-chip) began life in the image of the board-level computers that preceded it: as a central processor that a CPU bus connected to local memory and peripheral controllers. That CPU-centric,...

Homeland security: monitoring and manipulating remote residences: interested in controlling a computer down the street or halfway around the world? How about switching an appliance's power, dimming the lights, or adjusting ambient temperature, along with attaining some audiovisual feedback on a property's status? It's all possible, albeit not without glitches.(design feature)
February 1, 2008... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Ubiquitous network protocols, such as IP (Internet Protocol), TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), and UDP (User Datagram Protocol), in combination with the increased availability and decreased cost of robust...

Handheld oscilloscopes offer varied features: our hands-on evaluation of four models shows a wide array of performance, features, and price.(design feature)
February 1, 2008... Handheld oscilloscopes, once thought of as baby cousins to bench models, now offer performance levels that rival those of their larger cousins while adding battery-powered operation and a portability not available in the bench instruments. To...

"The only way to be really competitive is to be innovative.".(dialogue with Willem Roelandts at Xilinx Inc.)(Interview)
February 1, 2008... Xilinx Chairman of the Board, Willem "Wim" Roelandts, recently spoke with EDN Asia on the challenges the company faces as it moves toward the 45nm node. He also offered insights into applications which were earlier using ASICs but have now...

HardCopy: the shortcut to ASICs.(special report)
February 1, 2008... Any user who has experience in using programmable logic devices (PLDs) should have heard of Altera's MAX series or FPGAs. Like most semiconductor companies, Altera is continuously developing and providing high performance, low cost PLDs....

Use a TL431 shunt regulator to limit high ac input voltage.(design ideas)
February 1, 2008... Most isolated, offline SMPSs (switched-mode power supplies), including flyback, forward, and resonant, must operate at input voltages of 90 to 260V rms. Some cases even use line-to-line voltages of 400V rms [+ or -] 10%, leading to increased...

Autozeroed amplifier with halved noise needs few components.(design ideas)
February 1, 2008... The Analog Devices (www. analog.com) AD8553 autozeroed instrumentation amplifier has a unique architecture in that its two gain-setting resistors have no common junction (Reference 1). The first stage of the IC is a precise voltage-to-current...

Routines directly measure microcontroller-bus clock.(design ideas)
February 1, 2008... The Freescale HC08 and newer HCS08 microcontroller families have versatile peripheral modules. Their clock generators are no exceptions. They range from the internal clock, which frees I/O pins, to external crystals or oscillators. Once you...

RF SOC solutions for low power wireless apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... The CC2510 and CCl110 are a pair of RF, SoC solutions designed for low-power and low-voltage wireless applications used in the 2.4GHz and sub-IGHz frequency bands. Both combine TI's RF transceivers with an industry-standard enhanced 8051...

Advanced MMICs with broad bandwidth support for T&M.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... These MMICs are ideal for test and measurement applications where highly accurate instrumentation and signal processing support for high-end frequencies are required. The AMMC6380 is a DC-80GHz traveling wave amplifier ideal for high gain and...

45V, 16-channel buck mode LED driver.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... The LT3595 is a 45V 2MHz DC/ DC buck mode converter designed to operate as a 16-channel constant current LED driver. Each channel of the LT3595 can drive up to 10 50mA LEDs in series, enabling it to drive up to 160 50mA LEDs while delivering...

Flash LED drivers for high-end cellphones.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The AAT1270 is the first in a family of Flash LED products capable of driving either two LEDs up to 500mA, or a single LED up to 1A. Designed to be used with newer-generation, high-current/high-brightness flash LEDs...

Free Linux BSP for AT91SAM9 MCUs.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... Atmel and TimeSys have announced a free Linux Board Support Package (BSP) for Atmel's ARM9-based AT91SAM9 microcontrollers. Supporting the entire range of SAM9 products, this BSP includes Atmel's Linux kernel and drivers, BusyBox utilities for...

Nonvolatile SRAM controller with tamper detection.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... The DS3605 [I.sup.2]C-compatible, secure, nonvolatile (NV) SRAM controller with tamper detection is designed for applications in which the security of encryption keys is critical. This NV SRAM controller allows users to specify their own...

600V high-voltage ICs with protection features.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... This IRS212x family of 600V single-channel gate drivers is suitable for motor control applications at low-, mid-and high-voltage levels; and in a variety of circuit topologies including three-phase inverter, H-bridge, and other topologies...

Low-power series voltage reference family in tiny SC70-3 package.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... This family of low-power (5uA), series voltage references feature high accuracy ([+ or -]0.15% max.) and low temperature drift (30ppm/C max.) in a SC70-3 package -40% smaller than a SOT23. The combination of micro-size packaging and low current...

Rail-to-rail and current feedback op amps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Further expanding its high-fidelity operational amplifier family, National Semiconductor has introduced a 5V rail-to-rail input and output (RRIO) amplifier, and a 36V current feedback operational amplifier (op amp)....

Microchip adds 12-bit ADC to USB, LCD and 8-bit PIC MCU families.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... Microchip has launched 12 high-performance, 8-bit Flash MCUs, including the company's first USB and LCD MCU families to include an on-chip, high-speed 12-bit ADC peripheral. The PIC18F8723 high-memory, general-purpose family offers a rich...

Broadband MMIC amplifier products.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... This family of Broadband MMIC amplifiers--the FMA3007, FMA3008, FMA3009, and FMA3058--are high performance 2-20GHz Gallium Arsenide monolithic traveling wave amplifiers, suitable for use in broadband communications, instrumentation and EW...

P-channel TrenchFET MOSFETs offer low on-resistance.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Built on TrenchFET silicon technology, the Vishay Siliconix devices offer maximum on-resistance ratings of 29 milliohms in the PowerPAK SC70 package (2.05 x 2.05mm) and of 80 milliohms in the standard SC-70 (2.0 x...

Low noise switching regulators for mobile devices.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... This family of switching regulators is designed for low-noise operation. Based on a patent-pending architecture, the AAT2120 and AAT2158 synchronous step-down converters deliver lower spectral noise and output ripple than competing switching...

Wide input 15W DC/DC converter in a 2" X 1" package.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... The JTH15 series of 15W DC/DC converters come in a metal cased compact 2 X l-inch (50.8 X 25.4mm) footprint, and are suited to low power, board mounted designs. They accommodate a wide 4:1 range of input voltages, from 9 - 36VDC, or 18 - 72V...

C Synthesis accelerated libraries for high performance DSP hardware in FPGA.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... Mentor Graphics and Altera have developed a design flow that enables users to implement complex DSP algorithms in high-performance FPGAs directly from industry standard ANSI C++. The design flow, based on Altera's Accelerated Libraries for...

Thermal analysis for TSMC reference flow 8.0.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... Optimal has developed an IC package thermal analysis for TSMC's Reference Flow 8.0. TSMC's latest reference flow addresses 45nm designs, and features statistical timing analysis for intra-die variation, automated DFM hot-spot fixing and dynamic...

TestKompress Xpress for manufacturing test.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... Mentor Graphics' TestKompress automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) product addresses the industry's increasing demand for scan test compression. By providing compression levels exceeding 100X, the Xpress technology allows IC manufacturers...

PCB-tool includes constraint-driven-design feature.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... Adding features for constraint-driven design, the Allegro PCB (printed-circuit-board)-design-tool upgrade provides the technology for improving collaboration among design teams in the IC, package, and board domains. The tool's System Architect...

Robust physical verification and DFM solution for 65nm.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... Magma Design Automation and UMC have announced a broad physical verification and design for manufacturability (DFM) solution for 65nm designs. The two companies completed joint qualification of Magma's Quartz DRC, Quartz LVS and Quartz DFM for...

Multimode simulation platform for custom design.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... The Virtuoso MMsim (multimode-simulation) platform Version 6.2 provides custom-designed simulators with a common kernel and database of netlists and models, assisting designers in effectively simulating analog, RF, memory, or mixed-signal...

Static analysis tools.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2008... The Amber Analyzer is an integrated suite of static analysis tools for high-performance, cell-based designs. It analyzes timing and signal integrity, and combines this with power calculations. All of these analyses can be done using fixed...

Programmable multiple output power supplies meet medical/ITE apps.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... The UF-400AX series delivers up to 111W of continuous output power, and has 5 regulated outputs: +5VDC @ 10A, +5VDC @ 1.5A, -5V @ .75A, 130VDC @ .15A (externally programmable), and +12VDC @ 2.5A. It features: optional aluminum U-channel chassis...

Pure sine inverter with battery charger and UPS.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The REX Series of feature packed, pure sine wave inverters have power ratings of 1500 or 3000W, which can be paralleled for up to a total of 45kVA of clean, utility grade power suitable for worldwide use in...

160W, 3" X 5" AC-DC power supply with ATX output.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... The XL160 Series of ultra small, highly efficient AC-DC power supplies pack 160W of power into a 3" X 5" X 1.25" package. It features a universal 90264VAC input with active PFC. Nine models provide single or multiple outputs (single output...

4-port PoE midspan with full power of 60W per port.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... Designated the Ultra PoE POE480U, this low-cost midspan provides total full power of 480W and requires no power management. This device is ideal for remotely powering applications such as high-power radios, wireless access points and computer...

Compact desktop AC-DC power supplies.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... The PUP150 Series of desktop AC-DC power supplies has 150W of power in a compact 6.73" X 2.85" X 1.57" package. The Series has a power factor corrected, 90-264VAC input, and offers fully regulated, single output models ranging from 12 to 24VDC....

Three-phase power for harsh environments.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... The GN3 utilizes the latest technology for superior thermal efficiency, noise immunity, and reliability. Furthermore, the EMC compliant design (level 3) and built-in transient protection provide an additional level of reliability in harsh...

100W medical switcher in 4.5" X 2.5" X 1.20" package.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... The APS100MI Series of medical approved switching power supplies in the 4.5" X 2.5" X 1.20" package is a high density power supply that offers 1~3 output voltages for both medical and ITE applications. The series offers 18 output models with...

20W CEC-compliant adapter with interchangeable plugs.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
February 1, 2008... Designated the PSC20R Series, the 20W adapter is available with four interchangeable clip adapter plugs for use in virtually any power outlet around the world. The worldwide compatibility allows a single part number to be used, simplifying...

Fast-switching microwave signal generator with 100[micro]sec switching speed.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MG37020A fast-switching microwave signal generator utilizes an advanced VCO-based hardware architecture to achieve frequency switching speed of 100[micro]sec per point. The fast switching speed, and a number of...

802.11n certification test suite.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2008... The AzCert Wi-Fi 802.11n Certification Test Suite is a fully automated implementation of the Wi-Fi Alliance 802.11n draft 2.0 certification test plan. Product vendors, device manufacturers and semiconductor vendors can use this automation...

Simulator doubles as product demo tool.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2008... An upgraded version of the uC/Probe has been introduced for embedded developers to monitor all their embedded systems designs in a live environment. By providing simulation on a Windows platform, users can test a good portion of their embedded...

Picketing intros 60-760 HF maxtrix.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 60-760 is a dual 24 x 8 switching matrix specifically designed to switch HF 50[ohm] signals to 50MHz, and is usable to 100MHz. The 60-760 can also be configured via software to operate as a single expanded matrix...

Four channel l00Ms/s oscilloscope card.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The UF2e-2031 oscilloscope PCI Express card has four 100MS/s 8-bit ADCs that are able to operate in an interpolated mode to acquire two channels at 200MS/s for increased versatility. Drivers for Microsoft Windows...

13GHz test solution for nextgen serial data standards.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2008... This test solution for next generation serial data standards comprises SDA13000 Serial Data Analyzer, D13000PS Active Differential Probe, and a suite of debug and analysis tools. With a bandwidth of 13GHz, a sample rate of 40GS/s, and 100Mpts/...

All-in-one solution accelerates network analysis.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The R&S ZVA-Z110mm-wave converters add the frequency range from 75 to 110GHz (W band) to the high-end network analyzers from Rohde & Schwarz. This covers important frequency bands such as vehicle distance radar...