EDN Asia articles from July 2008

EDN Asia archives from July 2008

Interface design challenges.(ednasia comment)
July 1, 2008... Bridging the gap through appropriate interfaces between digital abstraction and the real analog world is becoming an important design issue as digitalization enters more areas of life. The interface design requirements have many facets, such...

High-performance, dual-mode DisplayPort switches and HDMI/DVI level translators.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Texas Instruments Inc.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Texas Instruments has introduced three compact DisplayPort devices that provide connectivity between personal computers and video displays. The low-power devices support data signaling rates up to 2.7Gbps to accommodate DisplayPort and...

Development of SFI-5 applications.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Xilinx Inc.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Xilinx has announced the availability of a free hardware-verified reference design and 3rd party IP for the optical internetworking forum (OIF) SERDES framer interface level 5 (SFI-5) standard. The SFI-5 interface enables communication between...

24Vac, 12Vdc or PoE triple input power supply.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Silver Telecom)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Aimed specifically at security equipment developers, Silver Telecom has launched its first triple input power supply module capable of accepting 24Vac, 12Vdc or PoE (IEEE802.3af). For engineers designing IP cameras, door entry systems or...

Georgia Tech studies off-chip-interconnect issues.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... As chips get faster, off-chip interconnect increasingly looks like a bottleneck to high-frequency signals. This scenario occurs when the signals must traverse not only relatively long distances across a board, but also short hops from the...

Collaboration to develop 22nm process node.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing has extended its joint development collaboration with IBM to include 22-nanometer (nm) bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The extension to 22nm builds on the original...

High performing x86 triple-core processors.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... The AMD Phenom X3 8000 series triple-core processors provide digital media enthusiasts with top performance at mainstream price points. These processors improve multi-threaded application performance over dual-core processors at the same clock...

Stanford tries nanotubes for on-chip interconnect.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... A recent paper in Nano Letters illustrates both why researchers are so interested in carbon nanotubes as an interconnect medium and why making the nanomaterials a useful reality is such a hurdle. Researchers at Stanford University, working with...

"World's lowest power" large-memory 16-bit USB MCU family.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... Microchip Technology has announced its 12-member PIC24FJ256GB1 microcontroller (MCU) family, which is said to be the lowest power (100nA standby current), large-memory (up to 256KB Flash and 16KB RAM), 16-bit USB microcontroller family in the...

Customizable CPU platform combines DSP, FPGA.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... Critical Link recently announced the MityDSP-Pro customizable processing platform, which targets data- and processing-intensive applications, including embedded radar control and signal processing, high-data-rate real-time data acquisition,...

Using a buck converter in an inverting buck-boost topology.(DESIGN BRIEF)
July 1, 2008... Introduction To power some applications, generating a negative voltage from a positive input voltage source may be required. In such instances it is possible to configure the buck converter into an inverting buck-boost topology, where the...

High-definition LCD controller tackles harsh environments.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Targeting manufacturers developing rugged panel-display systems with high resolution and high definition, Digital View recently introduced the HE-1920 COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) LCD controller. The fully...

OSRAM Opto achieves high levels of efficiency and lifetime of OLED.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has achieved record values in the laboratory for organic light emitting diodes in warm white after two years of development. With an efficiency of 461m/W the organic light emitting diodes for lighting applications...

10G EPON reference designs for FTTH deployments.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... PMC-Sierra has developed complete reference designs for 10Gbit/s IEEE 802.3av EPON Optical Line Terminals (OLT) and Optical Network Units (ONU). The PAS8001 reference design for 10G OLTs, and the PAS9001 reference design for 10G ONUs, integrate...

Analog-output module extends embedded I/O.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... Targeting applications such as process control, data monitoring and collection, security and medical-equipment design, VersaLogic's new VCM-DAS-3 PC/104 analog-output module is a convenient and cost-effective method for adding I/O functions I...

4Mb F-RAM memory.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
July 1, 2008... Ramtron International Corporation's FM22L16 is said to be semiconductor industry's first 4Mb nonvolatile F-RAM memory. This 3V parallel nonvolatile RAM in a 44-pin thin small outline plastic (TSOP) package, features fast access, virtually...

You can punch out and manufacture this cellphone reference design.(prying eyes)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Providing a reference design for ultra-low-cost handsets to OEMs in Asia means a lot more than sending them a development board and a data sheet. In many cases, these companies want a fully functioning end product in the right form factor,...

Embedded technology: designers choose from the latest fabrics: embedded-system designers are using the latest switched-fabric technology to not only boost data rates, but also dynamically optimize performance, bypass failed subsystems, and coexist with legacy components.(Cover story)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As high-performance embedded systems stretch the limits of technology, board-level interconnection strategies require constant updating to match soaring data-transfer requirements. Designers can choose from a series...

Boost efficiency for low-cost flyback converters: many devices employ flyback converters because of their simplicity and low cost--not their stellar efficiency. But don't too quickly eliminate flybacks from your list of options. With a few little-known tricks, you can improve power loss by nearly 10%.(design feature)
July 1, 2008... In a conventional diode-rectified flyback converter, the output diode rectifier is a substantial power-loss contributor. The average current in the output diode is equal to the dc output current, and the peak current can be several times...

Heads and tails: design RF amplifiers for linearity and efficiency: base stations and handsets need RF amplifiers with high linearity and efficiency. With some clever techniques, designers can align these mutually exclusive goals.(design feature)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cellphones use modern modulation schemes that require linear amplification of the RF signal. A typical way to achieve this linearity is to burn more power in the output stage. This approach reduces efficiency, even...

A healthy option for test.(special report)
July 1, 2008... In the modern world, the need for accurate testing and measurement is paramount, and is more important than ever where the items under test have an application in a medical environment. The lists of approvals and compliances are immense and...

Chop the noise gain to measure an op amp's real-time offset voltage.(design ideas)
July 1, 2008... One of the most important specifications of an op amp is its input-offset voltage. You can null out this voltage on many op amps, but the problem with determining the input-offset voltage is that the offset voltage varies with temperature,...

Simple analog circuit provides voltage clipping and dc shifting for Flash ADC.(design ideas)
July 1, 2008... Many Flash ADCs, such as National Semiconductor's (www.national.com) ADCl175, have a recommended operating input-voltage range of 0.6 to 2.6V (Reference 1). However, in some applications, you must convert a symmetrical analog-input signal. The...

Compact laser-diode driver provides protection for precision-instrument use.(design ideas)
July 1, 2008... Continuous-wave laser diodes in precision-instrument applications require constant-current sources to drive them. Proper design of such a driver must involve careful tackling of robustness, stability, noise, and other issues and is consequently...

Dual flip-flop forms simple delayed-pulse generator.(design ideas)
July 1, 2008... Some applications require clock-timing adjustments, i such as generating precision clocks for time-interleaved ADCs, or delay adjustments in a variety of precision-timing and pulse-delay applications. This Design Idea describes a delayed-pulse...

Synchronous switch-mode Li-Ion charge management IC with integrated power FETs.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... The bq2412x series are highly integrated, synchronous, switch-mode charge management devices for single- or two-cell Li-Ion and Li-Pol battery packs. The device charges the battery in three phases: conditioning, constant current and constant...

600mA synchronous boost & 400mA regulator in 3x3mm QFN package.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... The LTC3523/-2 is a combination of a 600mA (ISW) synchronous boost and a 400mA (IOUT) synchronous buck regulator in a 3x3mm QFN16 package. Both boost and buck regulators switch at 2.4MHz in the LTC3523-2 (1.2MHz for the LTC3523), and use...

Controller disconnects during wall-adapter overvoltage.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... Suiting USB charge protection in portable and consumer devices, the NCP361 overvoltage-protection controller uses an internal P-channel FET requiring no external devices. In the event of overvoltage from a wall adapter causing the input voltage...

DC-DC boost converter delivers 50V from single Li-Ion cell.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... The AS1340 delivers 50mA at 24V or 30mA at 36V from a single Li-Ion cell, and can provide adjustable output voltages in the range of 2.7 to 50V. The AS1340 operates from a single 2.7 to 5.5V supply. Additionally, the supply of the AS1340 can be...

Improved power amps for next-gen cellular networks.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... Avago has added the MGA-30116/ -30216/-30316 family of half-watt base station power amplifiers, and the ALM-42316 low voltage power amplifier for mobile handset and fixed terminals to its product offerings. Supporting cellular (GSM, CDMA,...

Duplex Vocoder IC added to RALCWI family.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CML Microcircuits has added a RALCWI (Robust Advanced Low Complexity Waveform Interpolation) IC to its Vocoder family. The CMX638, is a flexible, highly integrated, high performance duplex vocoder, utilizing RALCWI...

Mapping device transports Ethernet up to 16 T1/E1.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... The DS33X162 is a highly integrated Ethernet-over-PDH (EoPDH) mapping device that enables delivery of new Carrier Ethernet services over the existing PDH telecommunications infrastructure. The device's configuration is flexible for ease of...

Complete analog front ends for ultrasound systems.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... Texas Instruments has launched a family of fully integrated analog front ends (AFEs) for portable to high-end ultrasound diagnostic equipment. TI's AFE58xx family will allow the design of better ultrasound systems with superior image quality...

Field Stop Trench IGBTs increase efficiency in induction heating apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... Fairchild Semiconductor's series of 1200V Field Stop Trench IGBTs, the FGA20N120FTD and FGA15N120FTD, provide system designers of induction heating applications with a highly efficient solution. Using both Field Stop structure and...

NXP Semiconductors intros four 32-bit ARM9 MCUs.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... NXP Semiconductors has expanded the ARM7 and ARM9 microcontroller space with the introduction of the LPC3200 family. Based on the ARM926EJ processor, it targets consumer, industrial, medical and automotive applications providing designers with...

Inertial sensors for harsh environment.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... The MS9000 family of inertial accelerometers is specifically designed for harsh environment and safety critical applications. It comes in a LCC20 (8.9X8.9mm) ceramic package, some three times smaller than current sensors and in a variety of g...

Chip scale packaging for converters saves space.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chip Scale Packages (CSPs) are now available for the AAT1149 and AAT1171 DC/DC converters affording space savings. The AAT1149 was originally introduced in a 2x2.1mm 8-pin SC70JW package. At 1.235x0.91mm, the CSP...

Low power loss with low EMI in 40% smaller package.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... The iP2005A is a fully optimized power stage solution for high current synchronous buck multi-phase converters used in gaming, computing and communications applications. It is 40% smaller in size compared to previous generation devices while...

Low-capacitance diode-array family targets handhelds.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
July 1, 2008... Aiming at portable, handheld systems, this family of low-capacitance diode-array devices provides ESD (electrostatic-discharge) and clamping protection. The devices use the vendor's TVS2 (transient-voltage-protection using...

Questa Platform expanded with codelink for processor-driven tests.(EDA)
July 1, 2008... Mentor Graphics' Questa Codelink is an integrated, source-level debug environment targeting processor driven tests. Use of sign-off accurate, RTL processor models to drive cycles into multi-core SoC designs is a common practice among hardware...

DesignWare IP simplifies transition to PCI Express.(EDA)
July 1, 2008... Synopsys' DesignWare LE IP for PCI Express (PCIe) is optimized for ASIC and FPGA designs that utilize a single lane (xl) PCI Express endpoint interface. This cost-effective solution provides ease-of-use features to simplify the complexities of...

Magma launches interconnect and transistor extractor.(EDA)
July 1, 2008... Magma Design's QuickCap TLx adds advanced transistor-level extraction support to its 3D capacitance extractor. Tightly integrated into the company's Titan mixed-signal design platform, QuickCap TLx enables designers to simulate their design...

Extraction product delivers 2X performance boost with dual-core support.(EDA)
July 1, 2008... The Star-RCXT parasitic extraction product offers customers a near 2X performance boost over the previous release with dual-core support as part of the company's comprehensive multi-core initiative. The product works seamlessly with commercial...

A step further with Altium Designer 6.9.(EDA)
July 1, 2008... Altium has released the Altium Designer 6.9, taking the Altium Designer 6.8 one step further, building on features such as real-time 3D PCB visualization, and introducing other features such as programmable technology support and system...

Incisive Palladium II Accelerator/Emulator for full system verification.(EDA)
July 1, 2008... The Cadence Incisive Palladium II Accelerator/Emulator serves advanced system-level verification needs. It provides the industry's highest throughput for verification and validation of complex hardware, software and full systems in the...

Design compiler graphical cuts design time.(EDA)
July 1, 2008... Synopsys' Design Compiler Graphical synthesis product shortens implementation time for SoC devices by helping RTL designers avoid wire-routing congestion problems that typically occur during detailed route. This is said to be the industry's...

Protection devices meet IEC standards.(PASSIVES)
July 1, 2008... Adding to the vendor's RailClamp solid-state protection-device family, the RClamp0524J 5V protection device aims at DisplayPort and other high-speed applications. Providing a 0.3pF capacitance, the protection device meets IEC 61000-4-0...

Protection diode features 1.5-pF capacitance.(PASSIVES)
July 1, 2008... The VBUS051BD-HD1 ESD (electrostatic-discharge) single-line protection diode provides a 1.5pF capacitance. The device provides a 0.1[micro]A maximum-leakage current at 5V, a 15V maximum-clamping voltage at 3A, and 7.9V typical- and 8.7V...

Dissolvable spacers for uniform spacing between components.(PASSIVES)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Wash-Away dissolvable spacers are designed to provide consistent spacing between printed circuit boards and PCB components. These organic polymer spacers locate PCB components during soldering operations. After...

PolyZen devices help protect infotainment peripherals.(PASSIVES)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tyco Electronics has added two more devices to its line of PolyZen polymer enhanced, precision Zener diode micro-assemblies. The devices feature a higher hold current (2.3A) and are designed to help protect circuits...

VCO targets wireless apps.(PASSIVES)
July 1, 2008... Crystek's CVCO55CC-2425-2440 VCO operates from 2425 to 2440MHz with a control voltage range of 0.3~4.7V. It features a typical phase noise of -113dBc/Hz @ 10KHz offset, and has excellent linearity. Packaged in a 0.5x0.5in. SMD package, it has...

Sealed snap action switch for multiple apps.(PASSIVES)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The ZMS Series are single pole, double throw snap action switches that come with a variety of actuators and terminal styles, including PC, solder and potted leads. Ideal for use in a wide range of applications and...

Easy connection between PCB and IDC.(PASSIVES)
July 1, 2008... This connector enables connection between the PCB and an IDC flat cable to be established using only one connector, and allows assembly of the flat cable to be easily and quickly performed without the need for customized tools. The connector is...

R&S expands ATC radio family to military applications.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The R&S Series 4200 is now available as a UHF model, which extends the radio family from Rohde & Schwarz to include ground-to-air communications in military air traffic control (ATC). Equipped with an external...

LeCroy's UWBTracer/Trainer verification system enhanced.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
July 1, 2008... LeCroy Corporation has released a major software upgrade to the UWBTracer/Trainer protocol verification system for WiMedia Ultra-wideband. Designed to help users improve work flow and isolate problems faster, this release adds spool-to-disk...

3Gb/s SDI support for Tektronix waveform monitors.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
July 1, 2008... Tektronix has made significant upgrades to its WFM and WVR series of waveform monitors and rasterizers including the addition of 3Gb/s Single Link Serial-Digital-Interface (SDI) support to the WFM7020 and WFM7120 Waveform Monitors. This...

High accuracy multifunction data acquisition devices with USE connectivity.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
July 1, 2008... The NI USB-6281 and USB-6289 feature an 18-bit ADC, which provides a 4X increase in resolution over traditional 16-bit devices, equivalent to more than 5 1/2 digits of resolution for DC measurements. These devices also offer enhanced analog...

AOI platform fully qualified for all SMT line inspection.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
July 1, 2008... This Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) platform is fully qualified for all areas of surface mount technology (SMT) line inspection, including post-, pre- and 2-D capabilities. Developed to tackle today's complex and shrinking...

M-Type oscilloscopes equipped for comprehensive debug, validation.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
July 1, 2008... LeCroy has expanded its M-Type oscilloscope lineup to include six new models ranging from 200MHz to 2GHz. Each comes standard with a full set of analysis tools including WaveScan, an advanced search & analysis feature; WaveStream, a fast...

Evaluation of FlexRay applications made easy.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
July 1, 2008... The Flex-XCKIT is suited for evaluation and verification of FlexRay applications based on Infineon's powerful XC2000 microcontroller family. Featured by extensive peripherals this 16-bit architecture is especially focused on complex gateway...