EDN Asia articles from June 2008

EDN Asia archives from June 2008

Multi-core provides user-friendly design opportunities.(ednasia comment)
June 1, 2008... While chip design moves deeper into multi-core, I see two trends that should provide the user with an altogether different experience in getting more from the chip than before. Hitherto the CPU design inhibited the user from getting the best...

Laptop-like performance at handheld power levels in a single chip.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Consumers are demanding products with more intuitive user interfaces, advanced graphics and the ability to connect any and all devices to the Internet. To empower designers to address these needs, Texas Instruments...

Highly accurate full-featured real time clocks.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... Intersil Corporation has introduced what's said to be the world's first full-featured, AC-driven real time clock (RTC) devices. The ICs will be designed into a wide range of industrial and consumer products, from power meters and security...

3.3V, ZIF tuner for UHF-band MMDS applications.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... The MAX2117 zero-IF (ZIF) tuner for UHF-band MMDS applications receives QPSK signals in the 470 to 1000MHz range, and downconverts them to baseband for demodulation. Specifically designed for China's UHF-band MMDS systems, the MAX2117,...

Cool-curing polymer simplifies IC fabrication.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... RensselaerPolytechnic Institute and Polyset have developed an inexpensive, quick-drying polymer that promises to cut costs for current IC-packaging processes by simplifying the construction of redistribution layers. Meanwhile, the material also...

One box serial data receiver test solution.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... Tektronix's SerialXpress is an advanced software package that performs direct synthesis of waveforms for high-speed serial data receiver testing; ideal for testing SATA, SAS, PCI-Express, HDMI, and DisplayPort serial data standards, as well as...

Network-media player drives multiple displays.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Video displays showing advertising-laden content are popping up in strategic locations where you might have a few idle moments, such as gas stations, supermarkets, fast-food dining areas, and airport waiting areas....

Logic analyzer-based instruments debug, validate MIPI physical layer.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... Agilent Technologies believes that verifying, debugging, and establishing D-PHY (500-Mbps-physical-layer)-based products' specification conformance and interoperability requires specialized tools and that the logic analyzer is the correct...

"World's first" programmable receiver with jam avoidance.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... Featuring what's said to be the world's first programmable receiver featuring jam avoidance, Micrel's MICRF218, which is part of Micrel's QwikRadio family, is targeted at garage door openers and tire pressure monitoring systems. This integrated...

Keyboard backlight requires less power, fewer LEDs.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... Global Lighting Technologies has introduced a thinner, LED-based backlight for use with desktop or notebook PC keyboards that provides excellent brightness and uniformity, along with the opportunity to utilize fewer LEDs, reducing the cost of...

Fiber-based energy harvester potentially turns garments into generators.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a textile-based generator that could enable garments to convert the wearer's movement into electricity to power personal electronic devices. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

Holographic display has a refresh rate of minutes.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... Scientists at the University of Arizona have developed what they claim is the first updatable, 3-D holographic display. Viewable without special eyewear, the 4x4in. prototype features a photorefractive polymer between two pieces of...

Low power ARM7-based MCU series with 100nA power-down mode.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Atmel has launched a series of high-performance, ultra-low power ARM7TDMI-based microcontrollers, the AT91SAM7L series, embedding power switches controlling multiple power islands and programmable voltage regulators...

Xilinx intros two XtremeDSP development platforms.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
June 1, 2008... XXilinx has launched two XtremeDSP development platforms: XtremeDSP Video Starter Kit for low cost video development, and XtremeDSP Starter Kit for DSP systems development with Spartan-3A DSP FPGAs; both are based on Spartan-3A DSP FPGA. ...

SanDisk V-Mate video-memory-card recorder.(prying eyes)
June 1, 2008... SanDisk's V-Mate video Flash-memory-card recorder records video to Flash cards from TV, cable, and satellite set-top boxes, and DVD or VCR players, to play back on mobile phones, PDAs, handheld game consoles, and video/music players. A...

Consumer ICs: designing for reliability: consumers want the latest electronics but only if they'll last longer than the time it takes to take them out of their packages. IC vendors must tackle reliability issues so that their devices will find use in reliable, long-lasting products.(Cover story)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you've purchased a Microsoft Xbox 360 or a Sony Playstation 3, the person who sold you the system most likely recommended adding a cooling fan to go along with the game system. Chances are good that you...

Designing with QDRII+ and QDRII in one system: although the latest QDRII+-SRAM devices offer speeds as much as 50% higher than QDRII products, a properly designed board can support either architecture.(design feature)
June 1, 2008... Memory devices are evolving to match the needs of applications that are in continuous demand, such as high-performance communications, networking, and DSP systems. Specialized memory products that optimize some architectures' memory bandwidth...

Push for power efficiency forces changes in server-center hardware and software.(design feature)
June 1, 2008... Industry initiatives, such as The Green Grid and Climate Savers, have set the ambitious goal of halving data-center energy usage by 2011. To achieve this objective, the industry must shift to the use of digital-power control and management at...

Interfacing analog signals with FPGAs.(special report)
June 1, 2008... Modern FPGAs are playing an important role in small processor based systems, which are mostly used in communications, data processing, and networking applications. One of most important tasks in such systems is the interface with analog...

Audio equalizer features transimpedance Q-enhancement topology.(design ideas)
June 1, 2008... In general, audio equalizers need second-order bandpass filters. Such cells require an easy and independent tuning of their parameters: the natural or central frequency, [[omega].sub.0]; the quality factor, Q; and the maximum bandpass gain, k....

AMI-to-NRZI-direct-conversion circuit tolerates unequalized pulse tails.(design ideas)(alternate-mark inversion)(non-return-to-zero-inverted)
June 1, 2008... AMI (alternate-mark inversion) is a three-level--positive, zero, negative--copper-cable transmission code with the useful property of having no dc component for ease of ac coupling using capacitors or line-coupling transformers and a spectral...

TI's 2.4GHz RF transceiver for ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... Texas Instruments has introduced the company's second-generation ZigBee/ IEEE 802.15.4 radio-frequency (RF) transceiver designed for the 2.4GHz unlicensed ISM (industrial, scientific, medical) frequency band. Featuring good...

Power MOSFETs have low figure of merit.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Suiting dc/dc converters, the STD60N3LH5 and STD85N3LH5 StripFET V Power MOSFET devices claim a superior performance and efficiency due to low on-resistance and lower total gate charge. The 30V devices have an 8.8nC...

SOT883 MOSFETs take up 14% less PCB space.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... Taking up 14% of the PCB (printed-circuit-board) space, the SOT883-packaged MOSFETs claim a comparable power dissipation and performance to that of SOT23-packaged devices. Available in a 1x0.6x0.5mm footprint, the MOSFET provides 0.65[ohm]...

900V superjunction MOSFET has low on-resistance.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... The 900V superjunction CoolMOS power MOSFET family suits SMPS (switched-mode-power-supply), industrial, and renewable-energy applications. The devices provide a figure of merit--mutiplying the on-state resistance by the gate charge--of 34V nC,...

600V IGBTs reduce power dissipation.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Targeting use with devices having 20kHz switching and low short-circuit requirements, the 600V IRGB4059 IGBT (insulated-gate-bipolar-transistor) family reduces power dissipation by as much as 30%, according to the...

WLED driver with Class D amp noise immunity, high efficiency.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... The MAX8821 is said to be the only white-LED (WLED) driver to combine a highly efficient, negative charge pump with a fully differential, bridged audio amplifier and two low-noise, low-dropout (LDO) current regulators. To maximize efficiency,...

8-bit digital potentiometer with high performance EEPROM.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... The AS1507, the successor of the AS1506, is a 256-tap SPI-inter-faced non-volatile dual digital potentiometer available with 10, 50 and 100k[ohm] resistance. Ideal for usage in low power environments, using a maximum of 500nA during standby and...

Precision power op amp for high-voltage apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... This precision power operational amplifier (op amp) operates on supplies up to 100V, and delivers a high output current of [+ or -]50mA with a 150mA short circuit limit. Targeted at a wide range of precision op amp applications, including...

Power MOSFET has low on-resistance.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... An advanced architecture and package design allow the NP180N04TUG power MOSFET a 1.5m[ohm] maximum on-resistance, and operates at a 40V drain-to-source voltage and 180A. Rated for single- and repetitive-avalanche energy, the power MOSFET...

Audio DAC features playback-time-extender technology.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... Requiring no voltage regulator, the 24-bit STw5210 audio DAC directly connects to the battery. Providing playback-time-extender technology, the device has a 103dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio). The converter features line and headset outputs...

Synchronous step-down DC/DC converter in military plastic.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... Linear Technology's Military Plastic grade (MP-grade) version of the LTC3404 is a high efficiency, 1.4MHz synchronous buck regulator that uses a constant frequency, current mode architecture. It delivers up to 600mA of continuous output current...

AVR MCUs with USB, battery charging, analog features.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These AVR microcontrollers combine USB controller and high performance analog features. The ATmega16U4 and ATmega32U4 reduce system cost in battery powered devices such as gaming accessories. The analog to digital...

Enhanced small form factor optical mouse sensor.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... The ADNS-5050 is an enhanced mainstream small form factor optical mouse sensor that is optimized for light emitting diode (LED)-based corded mouse applications. It comes in what's said to be one of the industry's smallest packages, and includes...

MOSBD devices integrate MOSFET, Schottky diodes.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... The TPCA8A02-H and TPCA8A03-H MOSBD (MOSFET/Schottky-barrier-diode) devices eliminate external wiring between the MOSFET and the diodes for increased power efficiency, and reduce wiring resistance and inductance. The TPCA8A02-H features a 30V...

Platinum SMD flat chip temperature sensors in standard sizes.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
June 1, 2008... The PTS 0603, PTS 0805, and PTS 1206 platinum SMD flat chip temperature sensors offer advanced thin film technology in three standard chip sizes --0603, 0805, and 1206. All feature short reaction times of [less than or equal to] 5s (in air) and...

Calibre nmOPC on Cell/B.E. platform qualified for production at IBM.(EDA)
June 1, 2008... Mentor Graphics's Calibre nmOPC and OPCverify computational lithography tools accelerated with Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.) processor technology have been qualified for production at IBM for 45nm and smaller process nodes. This was done to...

Magma Volcano supports TSMC 45- and 65-nm IC implementation.(EDA)
June 1, 2008... Magma Volcano databases and Quartz RC tech files are now available for download along with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) cell libraries. With these files and a single command in the Talus IC implementation system, designers...

Fast, accurate tapeout of low-power production design.(EDA)
June 1, 2008... Accent has successfully taped out a low-power RFID application design using the Common Power Format (CPF)-based Cadence Low-Power Solution. The complex power strategy was captured in CPF, which was used both in the front-end and back-end...

Enhanced 90nm reference flow reduces IC design, test costs.(EDA)
June 1, 2008... This enhanced 90nm hierarchical, multi-voltage RTL-to-GDSII reference design flow benefits from advanced synthesis, design-for-test (DFT) and design-for-manufacturing (DFM) capabilities. Key features of the reference flow include topographical...

Full-chip, mixed-signal design, analysis and verification.(EDA)
June 1, 2008... Titan is said to be the first full-chip mixed-signal design, analysis and verification platform. It tightly integrates mixed-signal implementation with digital implementation, circuit simulation, transistor-level extraction and...

Concurrent hierarchical design system with latest IC compiler.(EDA)
June 1, 2008... As designers migrate to smaller geometries, on-chip integration increases and design sizes mushroom, making hierarchical design almost mandatory. Current-generation design tools rely on a "plan-then-implement" flow, which begins to break down...

Cadence and Mentor enhance open verification methodology.(EDA)
June 1, 2008... Cadence Design Systems and Mentor Graphics announced an enhanced release of the source-code library and user documentation for the Open Verification Methodology (OVM), the industry's first open, interoperable SystemVerilog verification...

ESA-approved high reliability connectors.(PASSIVES)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This complete range of high reliability rectangular connectors includes the MDM Series micro-D connectors, MTB1 Series single in-line microminiature connectors, and D-subminiature connectors. In addition to aerospace...

Temperature-compensated resistor for APD biasing in fiber optic modules.(PASSIVES)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The DS1841 temperature-compensated resistor is optimized for avalanche photodiode (APD) voltage control. This [I.sup.2]C-controlled, 128-position digital resistor utilizes a logarithmic scale specifically designed to...

Cost effective solution for high-density performance.(PASSIVES)
June 1, 2008... The Z-PACK TinMan backplane connector is a cost-effective solution for system designers searching for a high-density, high-performance backplane interconnect system capable of operating at 10 to 12.5Gb/s. It has successfully demonstrated 10...

ERmet ZD plus family for high-speed designs.(PASSIVES)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ERNI Electronics has developed a high-speed, differential, board-to-backplane electrical connector system. The product is an enhancement of the ERmet ZD family which has high market acceptance in the...

Power Metal Strip resistors offer low resistance values.(PASSIVES)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These high-temperature, surface-mount Power Metal Strip resistors are said to be the industry's first devices in the 3921 and 5931 case sizes to offer an operating temperature range of 65[degrees] to +275[degrees]C....

Ultra-miniature, half pitch, side-actuated DIP switch.(PASSIVES)
June 1, 2008... The TDP Series is one of the first ultra-miniature, surface mount, half pitch, side-actuated DIP switches available in the industry. Its high reliability, low profile and mounting options make it ideal for a number of applications, including...

Complete support for W-CDMA A-GPS conformance testing.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Aeroflex 6401 AIME A-GPS supports industry-standard TTCN A-GPS protocol test cases, as well as the minimum performance tests and the OMA (Open Mobile Alliance) SUPL V1.0 (Secure User Plane Location) conformance...

250kHz 16-bit data acquisition cards for PCI Express.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The UF2e-4721 data acquisition card has 16 analog inputs, and the UF2e-4020 has 8 channels. Developed for PCI Express, features include options for dual-timebase sampling, synchronous digital inputs, asynchronous...

MIMO precoding and channel coding added to 3GPP LTE signal generators.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2008... Rohde & Schwarz has added channel coding and MIMO precoding for up to four transmit antennas to its signal generators for 3GPP LTE (uplink and downlink). Targeted at mobile equipment manufacturers looking for a all-in-one solution for 2x2 MIMO...

FlexRay physical layer test tool for automotive.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2008... The FlexRay physical layer test package provides eye diagram mask testing and physical layer measurement parameters. These capabilities combine with the company's existing FlexRay protocol trigger and decode tools to make the WaveRunner Xi...

Accurate fault detection in optical submarine cables.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2008... The MW90010A measuring instrument locates faults in optical submarine cables used for international communications. It supports fault location with 10m resolution and collects 1.2 million data points for a 12,000km optical submarine cable...

"World's fastest" probe.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2008... At 20GHz, the P7520 probe allows customers to debug and validate the 3rd harmonic of 10Gbit/s signals, and do compliance testing to the 5th harmonic on signals up to 8Gbit/s including PCI-Express 3, SATA Gen3, and HDMI 1.3. When used with the...

Wideband AMR Support added to base station protocol test system.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 1, 2008... Aeroflex has added Wideband AMR (Adaptive Multi-Rate) support to its 6113 AIME (Air Interface Monitor Emulation) base station protocol test system. The Wideband AMR codecs (TCH/WFS12.65, TCH/WFS8.85, TCH/WFS6.60) build on existing narrowband...