EDN Asia articles from February 2009

EDN Asia archives from February 2009

Coping with recession.(ednasia comment)(Column)
February 1, 2009... As we face 2009, the year that is said to be one of he most challenging, e need to remember that the world has almost always consumed more silicon in any year than it did in the previous year. In terms of revenues, both semicon and equipment...

Handheld ultrasound systems AFEs support medical demands.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Texas Instruments' integrated analog front ends (AFEs) for handheld ultrasound systems are said to be the industry's first 16-channel AFE5851 and 8-channel AFE5801 to offer high power efficiency and smaller footprint...

Slimmer light guide heralds ultrathin-LCD panels.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2009... Philips Research recently displayed a prototype of a 32in. LCD television that measures only 8mm thick--about 20% as thick as the slimmest commercially available panels. The key to the skinny design is a 1mm-thick light-guide plate that uses...

More affordable high power stereo sound.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
February 1, 2009... NXP Semiconductors has launched a highly integrated stereo class-D amplifier suitable for single layer PCB use. The TDA8950 delivers bigger, better sound on slim-line audio systems. The device, a 2 x 150W to 170W class-D amplifier, has been...

"World's first" handheld digital multimeter with OLED display.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... Agilent Technologies' U1253A handheld digital multimeter (DMM) is said to be the first DMM to use an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. For on-the-go and benchtop applications, the OLED readout provides a 2000:1 contrast ratio, a...

Quad hot-swap controller with monitoring features.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... The MAX5961 has been introduced as "the industry's highest-integration, quad hot-swap controller for 0 to 16V backplanes". Developed by Maxim Integrated Poducts, this device allows line cards to be safely inserted and removed from a live...

MOSFET selection tool simplifies designs.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... The PowerWise SIMPLE SWITCHER controller family includes four synchronous buck controllers well-suited for communications and industrial systems. The LM3150 features an adjustable switching frequency and output voltage, and the LM3151, LM3152...

FlexRay active star device with embedded bit-reshaping functionality.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... austriamicrosystems has introduced the AS8224 FlexRay active star device with embedded bit-reshaper, described as the solution for the most limiting FlexRay system parameter. The embedded bit-reshaper reduces the asymmetric delay either...

In-circuit debugger for 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC MCUs.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... MicrochipTechnology has launched a cost-effective, high-speed development tool that supports in-circuit programming and debugging of Microchip's Flash-based 8-bit PIC microcontrollers (MCUs), and its entire line of 16- and 32-bit MCUs and...

Accurate position detection for automotive apps.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... Infineon's linear Hall sensors, the TLE4997 and TLE4998 sensors, both feature EEPROM-programmable parameters including offset, bandwidth, polarity, output clamping, coefficients for compensation of a magnet's temperature drifts and memory lock....

Transient performance in 4- and 6-phase PWM controllers.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Intersil Corporation has expanded its family of VR11.1-compliant PWM controllers with new 4- and 6-phase PWM controllers that feature high light load efficiency and very fast transient performance. The ISL6334...

Codecs for high-performance portable audio electronics.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... Analog Devices' ADAU1361 and ADAU1761 24-bit audio codecs are suited for wireless handsets, portable media players, portable navigation devices, digital still cameras and other mobile audio and telephony applications. The ADAU1361 achieves...

Actel's nanoPOWER and nanoSIZE FPGAs.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... Actel Corporation has introduced nano versions of its IGLOO and ProASIC3 FPGAs, targeted at the high volume, portable consumer market. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With power consumption as low as 2[micro]W, IGLOO nano FPGAs range in size...

Anritsu introduces Bluetooth low energy test solution.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... Anritsu Company has introduced its first integrated test set to measure Bluetooth low-energy products, as well as a solution to support the Enhanced Power Control (EPC) feature. These options, for the MT8852B Bluetooth test set, allow engineers...

Test mobile accelerates LTE infrastructure development.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... Aeroflex has launched an LTE version of its TM500 multi-handset (multi-UE) test mobile to allow infrastructure equipment vendors to accelerate the pace of their LTE development projects. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The TM500 LTE Multi-UE...

Next generation access control system.(pulse)
February 1, 2009... BioStar is an advanced distributed access control system software that targets small to medium sized enterprise customers. Developed by Suprema Inc., the software enables installers or system integrators to easily build an access control system...

Studying the second-generation Apple iPod Touch.(prying eyes)
February 1, 2009... A partnership with iFixit bears abundant fruit: high-resolution images of the innards of Apple's latest high-end iPod product. What sustenance, seeds, and worms does an intensive inspection reveal? The connector in the upper left corner...

RFID in embedded designs: your move: with a built-in RFID reader, embedded systems can exchange data with tagged items to create a new category of applications in tune with their surroundings.(Cover story)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RFID (radio-frequency-identification) technology has the potential to become a common and important element in embedded-system design. In addition to the traditional role of the technology in inventory management,...

3G wireless data: about to break? Although the definitions of 3 and 4G wireless data networks, services, and terminals have been moving targets, some long-promised 3G capabilities are starting to appear. Meanwhile, 4G deployments have been delayed even further.(design feature)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The rollout of 3G (third-generation) wireless data networks began in Japan as early as 2001, but the first 3G network didn't appear in the United States until 2002. Major rollouts began here a few years later. With...

Power SOCs: a "crazy" idea that just might work: for power-management ICs, fitting an entire power supply, including switching, control, and passive components, onto one chip enables greater power efficiency and lower heat dissipation. Sophisticated power-supply topologies, miniaturized magnetics, and faster switching devices may combine to make the power supply on a chip a reality.(design feature)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Imagine a cellphone battery that could supply unlimited power and still fit into its current form factor: the perfect solution to the biggest drawback in today's portable electronics, right? Wrong. Even with this...

"Energy aware" appliance platform: A new approach to home energy control.(special report)
February 1, 2009... Fears of global climate changes and limited resources have increased energy awareness and conservation by both consumers and utilities. This trend will have a dramatic impact on consumer products as homeowners search for electrical appliances...

Use an LM317 as 0 to 3V adjustable regulator.(design ideas)
February 1, 2009... Most engineers know that they can use an inexpensive, three-terminal adjustable regulator, such as Fairchild Semiconductor's (www. fairchildsemi.com) LM317, as an adjustable regulator to only some necessary value of voltage, such as 36 or 3V....

Alarm monitors rotational speed of dc motor.(design ideas)
February 1, 2009... This Design Idea monitors the rotating speed of a dc fan motor, sounding an alarm and powering down if the motor stalls. You can use the circuit in Figure 1 to monitor the rotating speed of a dc fan motor and sound an alarm if the motor...

Greater energy efficiency for cost-sensitive applications.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2009... This series of 32-bit TMS320F2802x/ F2803x MCUs feature architectural advancements and enhanced peripherals in package sizes starting at 38-pins to bring the benefits of 32-bit real-time control to applications typically unable to justify the...

Amplifier with integrated high rejection FBAR filter.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2009... The ALM-1612 is a high-gain GPS low noise amplifier (LNA) with integrated filter. Under typical operating conditions of 2.7V and 6mA, this highly integrated LNA/ filter module delivers top performance levels, including a 0.9dB noise figure,...

IF tuner eliminates need for manual alignment.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2009... The TEF660x series FM/AM tuner incorporates all critical RF components on a single chip and eliminates the need for manual alignment. It integrates all critical RF components--including VCO, ceramic filters, IF transformer coils, LNA and AGC...

Sensor in ultra-thin UDFN package for DDR3 apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Catalyst Semiconductor has unveiled the first device in its line of temperature sensors. The CAT6095 is a 12-bit digital output temperature sensor available in an ultra-thin, 0.55mm height UDFN package for DDR3...

Dual buck converter with high, low power functions.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2009... The AAT2789 is a dual buck converter for mobile consumer and wireless applications. It integrates both a high current 1.7A buck converter with a low current 800mA buck converter, consolidating power management functions for a variety of WLAN...

4-channel power unit with real time clock.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2009... Atmel Corporation has released its AT73C224 Analog Companion Power Management Unit designed for a wide range of applications based on 32-bit MCUs. The AT73C224 supplies the required voltages and currents to the main sections of generic 32-bit...

DC-DC boost converter delivers 42V from low voltage input.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
February 1, 2009... The AS1343 delivers 40mA at 24V from two AA cells or 30mA at 12V from a single AA cell, and can provide adjustable output voltages in the range of 5.5 to 42V. It operates from a single 0.9 to 3.6V supply. The 1MHz fixed switching frequency...

Signal generator delivers pure analog signals.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2009... Although it is the smallest instrument in its class, the R&S SMC100A still generates signals of extremely high spectral purity. All-important functions such as AM/FM/M and pulse modulation are integrated, so no additional options are required....

ATEasy reduces development time and integration costs.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2009... Geotest-Marvin Test Systems' ATEasy 7.0 is designed specifically for the development and deployment of test and measurement applications. It features enhancements to the test development, run-time and test executive environments, including the...

S-CORE for chipset and user equipment developers.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Targeted at chipset and user equipment (UE) developers designing the LTE physical layer (PHY) and protocol stack, the setcom wireless S-CORE test system follows the complete UE development lifecycle. S-CORE offers a...

USB-GPIB controller for Macs.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2009... National Instruments has introduced the first Mac-compatible USB-GPIB controller as well as a low-profile PCI Express GPIB controller. With the NI USB-GPIB-HS, Mac users now can control their stand-alone instruments from Mac laptops and...

Next generation serial data analysis.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
February 1, 2009... The SDA 7 Zi Oscilloscope with SDA II introduces five debugging methodologies that visually predict bit error rate directly on the eye; provide dual methods of decomposing jitter that are presented both numerically and with insightful displays;...