EDN Asia articles from January 2005

EDN Asia archives from January 2005

Ringing in Moore's Law, and the New Year.(ednasia.comment)
January 1, 2005... At the begining of 2004, doubts were raised whether Moore's Law could survive. At the beginning of 2005, such doubts seem receding. Intel and TI have announced they will introduce 65nm products this year. A test chip--70megabit SRAM--has...

Accurate measurement of battery performance.(leading edge)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Texas Instruments' bq20z8x gas gauge calculates remaining capacity in lithium-based battery packs with up to 99% accuracy throughout the battery's entire life. The new Impedance Track technology, which precisely gauges changes in impedance or...

Small display with white or blue backlight.(leading edge)(Densitron Corporation)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The latest version of Densitron's DV4900 display now features a white or blue LED backlight. The unit, suitable for small instruments, equipment readouts, and other small-form-factor devices, features 100 x 33 pixel resolution driven by a...

Low-power ADC family offers high speed.(leading edge)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Linear Technology claims that its family of high-speed ADCs combines "outstanding ac performance with extremely low power." The LTC2220 family includes ADCs ranging from 10Msps up to 170Msps at 12-bit and 10-bit resolutions, as well as 14-bit...

Bright lights, white LEDs.(leading edge)(Micrel Incorporated)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The availability and performance of the latest-generation of white LEDs makes them very attractive for display backlighting as well as camera photoflash illumination, and vendors are working to make white LED drive much easier. For example, the...

Optical proximity sensor for mobile appliances.(leading edge)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies' miniature, low-cost optical proximity sensor enables a variety of applications in compact mobile devices. In mobile phones, for example, it enables an automatic change from loudspeaker to earpiece mode when the phone is...

Automotive TrenchMOS MOSFETs in LFPAK.(leading edge; loss-free packaging )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Philips has launched its high performance automotive (HPA) TrenchMOS MOSFETs in loss-free packaging (LFPAK). Featuring enhanced thermal performance in compact packaging, the MOSFETs are ideal for demanding applications such as engine management...

IGBT modules for low power loss in industrial applications.(leading edge)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Fairchild Semiconductor's two 1200V, 50A- and 75A-rated IGBT modules have optimized on-state loss (VCE(sat)) versus turn-off switching loss ([E.sub.off]). The FMG2G50US 120 and FMG2G75US 120 provide low overall power loss in welding machines,...

Signal processing IC has "industry's lowest" power consumption.(leading edge)(Renesas Technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... These days TV tuners are being included in notebook PCs, and have even started to appear as a built-in feature in mobile phones. The major concern in incorporating a TV tuner in such battery-powered mobile devices is how to reduce power...

Single channel DDR/DDR2 chipset.(leading edge)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) Northbridge for Intel Pentium 4 CPU, the SiS649, is designed for the latest DDR and DDR2 memory standards and PCIe 16x. Utilizing SiS' HyperStreaming technology, the SiS649 offers advanced data processing...

Industrial power meter SoC.(leading edge)(TDK Semiconductor)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... TDK Semiconductor's system-on-chip (SoC) for industrial poly-phase power meters, TDK 71M6513H, integrates a 21-bit delta-sigma-delta converter, 32-bit compute engine, MCU, RTC, LCD driver, and ultra-precision voltage reference. Said to provide...

Samsung's 256KB EEPROM built-in smart card.(leading edge)(Samsung Electronics's S3CC9EF )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Samsung Electronics says it has completed a full lineup of high performance, high-capacity smart card products with the 256KB EEPROM embedded smart card. The company claims that its S3CC9EF is the world's highest-capacity smart card IC. Ideal...

Ultra-wideband 1394 module introduced.(leading edge)(Universal Scientific Industrial)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Universal Scientific Industrial (USI) announced its collaboration with Freescale Semiconductor in creating an ultra-wideband-enabled 1394 module which allows users to leverage wireless benefits of ultra-wideband for various video and data...

Reading between the lines: RFIDs confront the venerable bar code: security and supply-chain-management concerns are amplifying the RFID hype. Conflicting standards, privacy concerns, and the threat of legislative oversight, though, threaten to mute the volume. Listen in.(radiofrequency identification)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... AT A GLANCE * Everything old is new again: RFID is many decades old in concept, but implementations have rapidly ramped in recent years. * Frequencies, modulation schemes, power techniques, and other incompatibilities hinder widespread...

Dealing with 130nm crosstalk delay: prevention, analysis, and repair techniques yield successful SOC designs.(design feature)(system-on-chip)
January 1, 2005... In today's deep-submicron designs, signal-integrity effects, such as crosstalk delay, can cause numerous violations, negatively impacting timing closure. You can meet this challenge, however, through a methodology for crosstalk-delay...

Hand in hand with manufacturing: high speed, low power, and diminishing feature sizes make it impossible for designers to maintain a wall between development and manufacturing.(design feature)
January 1, 2005... AT A GLANCE * Designers are struggling to keep pace with manufacturing capabilities. * PC boards must provide more functions in less space. * IC processes using subwavelength techniques complicate the tasks of designers. *...

Increasing storage for portable consumer electronics: with digital putting new capabilities into the hands of home video euthusiasts, music lovers and people on the go, hard disk drives need to store massive amounts of data economically and have close-to-instant access.(special report)
January 1, 2005... The digital world is putting new capabilities into the hands of home video enthusiasts, electronic garners, photographers, music lovers and people on the go. Devices such as digital video recorders, high-capacity portable music players and...

"Virtual instrumentation is a constant in changing times".(Interview)
January 1, 2005... National Instruments has recently introduced products and technologies to enhance the user-friendliness and scalability of VI. Chandran Nair, Managing Director, NI ASEAN, discusses how VI has been changing instrumentation for two decades....

Outstanding AC performance with extremely low power.(Universal amplifiers: high performance analog solutions from linear technology)(Alternating Current)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... Ever wished to simplify inventory by using a single chip to perform multiple functions? How about an integrated yet simple, flexible device that minimizes your bill of materials, board space, and development time... while increasing analog...

Diode compensates distortion in amplifier stage.(design ideas)
January 1, 2005... The voltage amplifier in Figure 1 exhibits smaller nonlinear distortion than does the conventional amplifier in Figure 2. Diode [D.sub.1] compensates for the distortion inherent in the npn transistor. The voltage gain of a common-emitter...

Transistors offer overload delay.(design ideas)
January 1, 2005... Although an SMPS (switch-mode power supply) can protect itself against permanent short circuits, it sometimes has problems when dealing with transient overloads. Transient overloads are not short circuits but can push the power supply above its...

LED driver provides oscillator for microcontroller.(design ideas)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The major building blocks for a white-LED driver are an oscillator, a charge pump, and a regulated current source. National Semiconductor (www.national.com) produces a device that contains all these building blocks in the highly integrated...

Use op-amp injection for Bode analysis.(design ideas)
January 1, 2005... Bode analysis is an excellent way to measure small-signal stability and loop response in power-supply designs. Bode analysis monitors gain and phase of a control loop. It performs this monitoring by breaking the feedback loop and injecting a...

Next-gen video decoder runs 3D comb filtering.(ICs, SoCs, & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Supports major worldwide broadcasting standards including Phase Alternation Line (PAL) and National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) * Allows manufacturers to utilize features such as noise reduction and time base correction...

Processor liberates embedded systems.(ICs, SoCs, & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * 32-bit RISC core available in Verilog RTL * Can be fabricated in under 50,000 gates in variety of ASIC and FPGA technologies * Instruction set optimized to exploit code-efficient features of C compiler technology, reducing memory...

Global UHF device minus complex adaptations.(ICs, SoCs, & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Serves spectrum of long-range RF Identification applications * Can be used in frequency range of 800MHz to 1GHz * Flexibility and low power consumption enable read/write performance with extended distances up to 10 meters *...

PCI express fiber channel controller.(ICs, SoCs, & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Implements 8-lane PCI Express system bus, which can support 4 times the handwidth of prior PCI and PCI-X systems, up to 4GB/s * Provides high performance for RAID disk arrays, storage subsystems, virtualization devices, storage routers,...

Low power Flash [micro]C.(ICs, SoCs, & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Five AVR Hash [micro]C expand MegaAVR product family * Designed to decrease power consumption * Provides various power management techniques including multiple sleep modes, C-code density, fast starting high-precision internal RC...

iChip eases device migration to 3G networks.(ICs, SoCs, & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Communication peripheral chip mediates connection between host device and Internet * Works with any host processor, operating system and cellular modem that supports AT Command Set from makers like Siemens. Wavecom and SonyEricsson ...

High-speed amplifier for portable video applications.(ICs, SoCs, & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Texas Instruments' high-speed video amplifier features 6dB gain, two-pole DAC reconstruction filter and a shutdown function. Targeted at composite video output in 3V portable applications such as digital cameras, camera phones, set-top boxes,...

Audio processors integrate DSP-power.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Family of single-chip audio processors * Contain two series: MAP 440xA with analog outputs, and MAP 460xA with digital pulse width modulation outputs * Designed to reduce system cost of modern consumer audio applications like home...

Mini light sensor with 570nm sensitivity.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Miniature silicon NPN planar phototransistor * Can be used as daylight sensor for backlight dimming in mobile phones, notebook computers, PDAs, cameras, video cameras, dashboards, and plasma televisions * 4.0 x 2.0mm footprint *...

XOSM surface-mount clock oscillators.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Extension of XOSM family of surface-mount oscillators * Low-voltage devices in packages measuring 5.0x3.2mm with 1.3mm height profile * Provide space and energy savings in portable computing and telecommunications devices *...

PDIC for super multi drives.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * 130MHz bandwidth * 11 selectable gain settings * 1mA sleep mode current * 10ns output settling time * * Differential outputs with 2.7v output swing * * -73dBm output noise * 16 pin clear OPLGA packaging,...

Low power RFIC for GPS applications.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(RFDomus Inc.)(Radion Frequency Integrated Circuits)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * 12mW power consumption * Designed for integration of GPS in cellular handsets, mobile computing and portable consumer electronics devices to support location-based and emergency services; automotive and consumer navigation; and, emerging...

Charge-management controllers.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Single-cell and dual cell fully-integrated, charge-management controllers * Feature charge-safety timer and temperature monitor * Overall system accuracy of [+ or -] 0.5% * Maximize system runtime between charges and ensure...

D-Major audio controller for MP3 players.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Addition to D-Major STMP35xx family * Offers extensive feature set including support for MP3 and WMA decode, FM tuner support, USB 2.0 full speed interface, LCD/LED interface, and voice record capability * Supports SLC and MLC NAND...

SuperH features high-speed operation.(ICs, SoCs & IP Cores)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Incorporates 32-bit SH-2 CPU core * Processing performance over current SH7144 Series, with 1.6-fold increase in operating frequency from 50 to 80MHz (max) * Available with 512Kbytes (max) of on-chip Flash memory, double current...

"Ultra low" [R.sub.(ON)] analog switch.(Components)
January 1, 2005... * Break-before-make Quad (DPDT) switch * 1.8V logic compatible when operated from 3.3V supply * Single-supply voltage range of 1.65 to 3.6V * ESD greater than 9kV HBM withstand voltage rating * Low [R.sub.(ON)] over full input...

Thin film resistor chips.(Components)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * E/H MIL-qualified resistor chips in three sizes--0402, 0603, and 0502 cases * Meet MIL-PRF-55342 specifications * Standard package sizes with ratings from 100[ohm] to 160k[ohm] * Reliability failure rate of 0.01% per 1000 hours...

Microwave ceramics in smaller sizes.(Components)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... B69812N1577B302 and B69812N1577D302 * 35% smaller space requirement * Signal-to-noise ratio of up to 50dB for various mobile radio frequencies B69969N2047A760 * Takes up 25% less space than its predecessor * Reduced...

Silicon-based, surface RF capacitor.(Components)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Available in 0603 case size * SRF values as high as 13GHz over capacitance range from 3.3 to 560pF * Stable operation over range of frequencies from 1MHz to several GHz * Parasitic inductance is low 0.046nH * High Q factors...

Thin film FC chip resistors.(Components)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Avoid roll-off even at frequencies over 100MHz * Available in standard case sizes, including compact 0402 * Precision tolerances down to 0.1% * Resistance values ranges from 10 to 1000[ohm] * Low TCR values down to...

High-res X-ray linear array detectors.(Components)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * 0.2mm pixel pitch enables users to acquire detailed images * Housed in aluminum frame, optimized for required sensitive length * Scanning speed 40m/min (131ft/min), which translates into 0.3ms minimum line integration time * Can...

Ultra-bright LEDs.(Components)(Light Emitting Diodes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * 6 colors in small SMD form factor * Dimensions of 1.6x0.8mm and height profile of 0.6mm * Luminous intensity ranging from 13 to 80mcd * Footprint compatible with industry-standard 0603 * Low power consumption and ESD...

SAW filters: quartz miniatures.(Components)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In SAW components for radio remote controls, Epcos is miniaturizing all product families on the basis of quartz. Narrowband filters have also been available in the smaller QCC8B package with a footprint of 3.8x 3.8mm. In a subsequent phase,...

Design platform increases PCB engineering.(EDA Tools & Design Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Designed to shorten PCB design cycle and provide productivity gains * Addresses evolving design challenges of integrated chip (IC) packaging and multi-gigahertz (MGH) signals * Introduces collaborative design and library data...

On-chip debugging emulator for 20-pin microcomputers.(EDA Tools & Design Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Renesas Technology's low-priced on-chip debugging emulator, E8 Emulator, is a development tool for the R8C/14, R8C/15, R8C/16, and R8C/17 20-pin version Groups in the R8C/Tiny Series of small, low-pin-count 16-bit microcomputers. Features of...

Integrated power conversion IC.(Power Components, Supplies & Devices)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * 90% and higher efficiency at 14A continuous output current * Input voltage range of 3 to 4V * Output voltage adjustable down to 0.9V with 1% accuracy * Two integrated 18A peak MOSFETs * Fixed or programmable switching...

Digital control for analog power.(Power Components, Supplies & Devices)
January 1, 2005... * Power supply-pulse width modulation (PWM) controller with current sense-to-output delay of 12ns * Precision control, digital communication and programmability for initial settings or an "on-the-fly" adjustment or calibration *...

Programmable precision controllers.(Power Components, Supplies & Devices)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Intelligent power management controllers * Manage power to add-in cards for network communications, storage, server and other host system applications * Choice of industry-standard I2C bus or MicroWire bus standard * Programmable...

Low power supervisory circuits.(Power Components, Supplies & Devices)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... * Current consumption of 150nA (typ) * Monitor supply voltage of digital systems and microprocessors * Initiate reset if voltage decreases below certain threshold * State of reset active for predefined time after supply voltage has...

Data protection for portable electronics.(Power Components, Supplies & Devices)
January 1, 2005... * ESD protection diode series for space-critical applications * SOD523 (SC79) package measures 0.8 x 1.6 x 0.6mm * One-line transient protection of 15kV (air) and 8kV (contact) as per IEC 61000-4-2 * Choice of five working voltage...

PWM controller and driver IC for POL buck converters.(Power Components, Supplies & Devices)(pulse width modulated)(point-of-load)(Integrated Circuit )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... International Rectifier's IRU3146 pulse width modulated (PWM) dual synchronous buck controller and driver IC for point-of-load (POL) buck converters features 1800 out-of-phase operation, which reduces input and output filter requirements...