EDN Asia articles from June 2007

EDN Asia archives from June 2007

Lingering uncertainties at 65.(ednasia comment)
June 1, 2007... Some time ago a panel meet on 65nm technology for mixed-signal designs was attractively titled "Life begins at 65--especially for mixed signals." The theme of this title contrasts with an idea making the rounds in the industry: that 65nm CMOS...

Enabling affordable WLAN, Bluetooth, and FM for mainstream handsets.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... Texas Instruments has launched two devices built on the company's DRP single-chip technology designed to drive affordable WLAN, Bluetooth, and FM technologies into mass-market handsets. The first product is WiLink 6.0, a single chip that is the...

Altera intros low-cost, transceiver-based FPGAs.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... Altera Corporation has introduced a risk-free, 90nm low-cost transceiver-based FPGA family that supports the three mainstream protocols at 1.25 and 2.5Gbps: PCI Express (x1 and x4), Gigabit Ethernet, and Serial RapidIO (1x and 4x). The Arria GX...

"World's first" global digital radio module.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... Frontier Silicon has launched what's claimed to be the world's first "four-in-one" module capable or receiving Internet radio, DAB, FM, and music streamed from a PC. The Venice 6 integrates a WiFi, DAB, and FM front-end, together with an...

Highly flexible bi-directional 70V current sense amplifier.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... The LTC6104 from Linear Technology is a high-side current sense amplifier that's composed of two complete amplifiers with a combined single bipolar output. The dual amplifier topology is ideal for bi-directional operation, and provides...

Tiny SAW duplexer with built-in matching circuit.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Mobile handsets now require numerous functions and high performance, including slim design, compact body, camera, high-resolution and large LCD, high-speed data transmission, and multiple bands. The electronic components being mounted in...

Tiny fully integrated 700mA flash LED driver.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... Austriamicrosystems'AS3685 is an ultra-small, safe, simple and fully integrated 700mA charge-pump-based flash LED driver. Said to be the world's smallest fully integrated flash LED driver offering 700mA flash current, it is targeted at camera...

Oscilloscopes and probes form nucleus of next generation test bench.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Tektronix Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Tektronix has introduced a line of DSA70000 real-time digital serial analyzers (DSA) and P7500 probes, both providing fast performance for the next generation of high-speed serial data applications such as PCI-Express 2.0, HDMI 1.3 and SATA...

E-Band Tx/Rx modules allow for multi-gigabit data transmission.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... Endwave Corporation has released a transmit-receive module pair that operates over the E-band frequency spectrum from 71.0 to 86.0GHz. These modules enable broadband point-to-point radios to carry voice and data traffic at multi-gigabit per...

Constant output Class D audio amplifier.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(National Semiconductor Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... National Semi-conductor has introduced the first product in its latest line of Boomer Class D audio amplifiers with integrated converter technology that eliminates the need for an external boost converter. The LM48510 enables manufacturers to...

National Instruments simplifies measurements with LabVIEW SignalExpress.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... National Instruments has announced the extension of its LabVIEW graphical system design platform with the release of LabVIEW SignalExpress, interactive measurement software which simplifies data logging, instrument control, and academic...

Convection cooled 150W power supply offers 6.9W per cubic inch power density.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(XP Power)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... XP Power's SDS150 is a compact, high density, convection cooled power supply that is ideally suited to IT and industrial applications where space is at a premium and there are no internal fans. Both open frame and U channel models can be used...

Ferrites: mew materials for power applications.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2007... EPCOS has developed two ferrite materials whose improved properties make them suitable for the power range typical of SMPS and current meters. N95 is distinguished by a high flux density of 525mT at 25[degrees]C, and 410mT at 100[degrees]C. A...

Instruments and software let you use a logic analyzer to debug serial bus.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)
June 1, 2007... When you first hear about the new, 312Mbps DigRF Version 3 bus, you might think, "What? Another new high-speed serial bus--and not even a very fast one, at that!" However, the bus has several important reasons for its existence. The bus targets...

Printer cartridge enables organic electronic R&D.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Much of the excitement about organic semiconductors and circuits centers around their polymer materials and their advantages: flexibility, low power, low cost, and low environmental impact However, just as important to the development of this...

Rummage through a Roomba.(prying eyes)
June 1, 2007... The Roomba from iRobot (www.irobot.com) is an autonomous vacuuming robot for use in consumers' homes. The unit is a circular robot that measures less than 14in. in diameter and less than 3in. in height. The Roomba can clean hardwood floors and...

Power this: testing audio Ics: SoCs for set-top boxes, television monitors, disk players, and mobile media players have or soon will have HD capability. But another aspect of this evolution--one that could prove even more challenging to SoC designers and test engineers--is that, along with HD video comes a significant increase in the quality of the accompanying audio.(Cover story)
June 1, 2007... It is a well-publicized trend that HDTV (high-definition TV) is sweeping through the next generation of SoC (system-on-chip) platforms. SoCs for set-top boxes, television monitors, disk players, and--in the near future-mobile media players will...

Imaging beyond pixels: enhancing the elementary picture: with per-sensor pixel growth slowing, how else can digital-still-camera manufacturers differentiate from each other? How does this differentiation bring them into greater competition with videocameras? To what degree will camera phones supplant them both? And where will sensor suppliers turn to continue filling their fabs?(design feature)(Company overview)
June 1, 2007... A 2004 EDN cover story made the then-somewhat-controversial claim that image sensors' pixel-count growth rate would soon slow and that sensor implementers would subsequently need to distinguish their system designs using other measures of image...

Handling weak energy sources: as portable devices get smaller, battery sizes need to be reduced for smaller available spaces. Average power demand also needs to be lowered through power-saving modes of operation.(design feature)
June 1, 2007... Convenient use of portable equipment implies having short maintenance periods. This means the time period when the portable device needs to be connected to service stations for doing any kind of configuration work or up and downloading data....

"Programmable revenue will grow 25-30% CAGR during 2008-2012".(Interview)
June 1, 2007... Chairman, President, and CEO of Xilinx, Wim Roelandts, recently spoke to EDN Asia on FPGA-related issues and Xilinx's Asia plans. Excerpts: What is changing on the FPGA front, and how is Xilinx responding to these changes? A Moving...

Airbag and future functional safety.(special report)
June 1, 2007... The airbag is now for virtually all of us a familiar technology in our vehicles, from the smallest run-around to the largest and most expensive executive supercomputers on wheels. All airbag systems have two things in common. When they are...

PSoC microcontroller and LVDT measure position.(design ideas)
June 1, 2007... Connecting an LVDT (linear-variable differential transformer) to a microcontroller can prove challenging because an LVDT requires ac-input excitation and measurement of ac outputs to determine its movable core's position (Reference 1). ...

Analog divider uses few components.(design ideas)
June 1, 2007... Although microprocessors may offer more precise calculations, there's still room for analog-computation techniques in a designer's circuit collection. As a case in point, the analog-divider circuit in Figure 1 offers reasonably good accuracy...

Gain-of-two instrumentation amplifier uses no external resistors.(design ideas)
June 1, 2007... An instrumentation amplifier offers precise gain without feedback resistors, and, at any value of gain, it provides high input impedances at its noninverting and inverting inputs. In a typical IC instrumentation amplifier, a single resistor...

Low jitter S/PDIF receiver simplifies audio design.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Texas Instruments Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... This 24-bit, 96kHz digital audio interface receiver provides best jitter performance as low as 50ps RMS, which is four times better than the nearest standalone receiver. The DIR9001 reduces the number of external components required, and...

Microchip expands high performance 8-bit MCU line.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... Microchip expands its 3V PIC18F Jseries of 8-bit microcontrollers to address cost-sensitive markets requiring high performance. The 12-member PIC18F87J11 general-purpose, high-performance 8-bit microcontroller family offers up to 20% greater...

16-channel LED drivers with improved diagnostics.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... The AS1110 16-channel constant current LED driver features 16 regulated ports that provide constant current for driving LEDs within a wide range of forward voltage variations. Its output ports can endure a maximum voltage of 15V. Through an...

Easy-to-use cable extender chipset.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... This low power cable extender chipset boosts the reach of 0.15 to 1.5Gbps LVDS, LVPECL, and CML signals up to 400 meters over copper cable with only 360mW power consumption. National built this easy-to-use chipset with its proprietary...

Auto-shutdown LED driver addresses energy-saving programs.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... The STP16CPS05 allows manufacturers to meet the high power-efficiency requirements of industrial lighting, signage and transport applications by guaranteeing savings of 80% compared to existing solutions. The driver enables individual ICs to go...

Practical-use high-efficiency amplifier for mobile WiMAX.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... KDDI Corporation, Fujitsu Ltd, and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd have developed a high-efficiency amplifier for mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e-2005), a next-generation wireless broadband communications protocol, which offers top levels of power...

RS485 transceivers include switchable termination.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... The LTC2854/LTC2855 are RS485 transceivers with switchable, integrated termination, while the LTC2850/ LTC2851/LTC2852 offer industry standard pinouts and support a maximum data rate of 20Mbps. The LTC2850 operates in half-duplex mode, and the...

Chip enables interactive set-top boxes.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... This low-cost front-end solution for cable TV STBs supports the DOCSIS (data over cable service interface specification) 2.0 standard, and is fully compatible with the DOCSIS 3.0 channel-bonding scheme, which delivers a good downstream...

ORing controllers protect telecom power systems.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... This family of ORing power controllers with advanced features and high performance improves power distribution in 12V blade servers, N+1 telecom systems and redundant low-voltage processor power supplies. The integrated circuits provide a...

Tiny half-duplex RS-485 transceivers in microDFN.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... The small footprint of the MAX13485E/ MAX13486E half-duplex RS-485 transceivers makes them ideal for space-constrained applications such as motor control and mobile sensors. Measuring 2x2mm, the they save over 50% board space compared to...

LED lighting driver increases power density.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... The ZXLD1360 LED driver provides an adjustable output current of 1A from a SOT23 package. It offers higher power density than alternative and much larger SO8 devices. A buck regulator device, it operates over a supply range of 7 to 30V, and is...

3W power LED emitter for lighting apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... This low-profile, 3W high power white SMT light emitting diode emitter is designed for use in a wide range of solid-state lighting applications. The ASMT-MW20 power LED emitter is capable of being driven at high currents to deliver up to 160...

150mA LDOs with reverse battery protection.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2007... The AS1353 and the AS1356 ICs are optimized to deliver improved operating times in battery-powered portable equipment such as PDAs, digital cameras, Bluetooth and GPS modules as a result of their extremely low dropout voltage. The AS1353...

DAB module offers long battery life.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)
June 1, 2007... Venice 5 is a low cost DAB module which offers one week's worth of battery life. Measuring 52x40mm and based on its recently launched Kino 2 baseband processor, Venice 5 is designed for next-generation DAB home audio products such as kitchen...

AWG PCI cards with 4 GigaSamples memory.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)(Strategic Test)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The UF2-6110 is an 8-bit resolution Arbitrary Waveform Generator card with up to 4 GigaSamples onboard memory. It has two synchronous 125MS/s output channels. The UF26111 offers four channels on a single PCI card. Both cards are supplied with...

Extended temperature Pentium in single board computer with DIO.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)
June 1, 2007... The EBC-855-G is a highly integrated, single board computer (SBC) designed for rugged, performance driven applications. It operates over a temperature range of -40[degrees] to +70[degrees]C without a fan and is designed for applications...

DAP board has simultaneous sampling on many channels.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)
June 1, 2007... Powered by an Intel Pentium 233MHz processor, the midrange DAP (data-acquisition processor) 5380a/526 board features 16 analog inputs and acquires 14-bit data at 800k samples/sec/channel. The device samples 8 channels simultaneously at 625k...

Four-slot chassis features bottom-to-top cooling.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)(Elma Electronic Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Available in a 19-in. rack-mount or desktop style with the cards horizontally mounted, the 4U-tall chassis features a four-slot 3U backplane, 3x75 CFM bottom-to-top cooling, and advanced EMC shielding meeting CE, FCC, and NEBS standards. The...

System-on-glass LCD modules.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)
June 1, 2007... NEC LCD Technologies recently announced the successful development of four new system-on-glass (SOG) liquid crystal display (LCD) modules, suitable for personal digital assistants (PDAs) and portable GPS terminals. The modules consist of a...

Single-board computers use two dual core processors.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)
June 1, 2007... These single-board-computers incorporate two ultra-low-voltage dual core Intel Xeon processors on a 6U, single-slot module. These devices provide four times the processing density per module than the single-core Xeon-processor-based boards. The...

RoHS-compliant module features eight channels.(BOARDS, CARDS, AND MODULES)
June 1, 2007... The PCM-COM8 is an 8-channel PC/104-compatible serial module. It is suited for embedded applications requiring a large number of serial I/O ports. Each channel supports RS-232, RS-485, and RS-422 electrical levels to interface to a wide variety...

Tektronix RSA6100A real-time spectrum analyzer.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2007... The RSA6100A Series real-time spectrum analyzers provide a combination of real-time performance, capture bandwidth, and dynamic range to meet the needs of a broad range of digital RF applications. DPX waveform image processor technology...

ACE 3G protocol analysis test system.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2007... The W-CDMA ACE 3G protocol analysis test system, a powerful, yet affordably priced, network emulator is designed specifically to meet the needs of design teams focusing on integration and regression testing of W-CDMA mobile devices. The system...

LeCroy intros Eye Doctor instrumentation for next-gen serial data analysis.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Eye Doctor is a digital oscilloscope (DSO)-based instrumentation and co-simulation system that addresses the challenges of analyzing serial data created by the increase of systems' symbol rates and adoption of receiver equalization. Designed...

Dual-core PXI Express embedded controller.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(National Instruments Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... This family of PXI, PXI Express and PXI real-time embedded controllers are based on the 2.16GHz dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7400. The NI PXI-8106 and NI PXIe-8106 controllers deliver a performance improvement of more than 100%...

Color-coded PCB test point series.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2007... The RoHS-compliant TP-104 Series of color-coded PCB mountable test points are targeted at fabricators of high-density PCBs. These through-hole parts are engineered for use on 0.062" thick boards for applications in the consumer, medical and...

High speed fiberoptic interface.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2007... The DNA-FPPC Series of 100BASEFX based data acquisition and control cubes extends the maximum distance between a PowerDNA I/O Cube and its host computer from the 100 meter Ethernet/100BASE-T limitation to 2km. This limitation reflects the use...

Test interface targets manufacturing test apps.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(Innocor)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Innocor has announced the addition of 40/43Gbps test capabilities to its TestPoint product line. The 40Gbps Module is the said to be industry's first OC-768/STM-256 and OTU3 test interface specifically designed for manufacturing and system test...

Detection of RS-485 signal loss.
June 1, 2007... Introduction Fault isolation and safety shutdown protocols are critical in many industrial, telecommunication, automotive, and data processing systems. While built-in test routines can provide fault isolation when the system is offline,...