EDN Asia articles from October 2005

EDN Asia archives from October 2005

Kilby lives on to invent the future.(comment)(Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments Inc.)
October 1, 2005... Jack Kilby lives on by changing the present and the future with the speed of Moore's Law. He changed the past while the world was waiting to be changed. When he joined TI in 1958, the transistor was supplanting the vacuum tube. TI had made...

DSP improves floating-point performance.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2005... Texas Instruments has introduced its latest floating-point DSPs, the TMS320C6722, TMS320C6726, and TMS320C6727, which include architectural enhancements to better meet the needs of high-quality-audio applications. According to Gerard Andrews,...

LabVIEW module programs embedded DSPs.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2005... The new DSP Module extends National Instruments' popular LabVIEW graphical development environment to embedded-signal-processing applications, such its communications, custom-control algorithms, digital and least-mean-square filtering, and...

Low offset 18MHz CMOS amplifiers with good low noise.(pulse)
October 1, 2005... Linear Technology Corporation has launched a new class of CMOS amplifiers with voltage noise like bipolar amplifiers. Generally known for their low input bias current, CMOS amplifiers are inherently noisier than bipolar designs. The LTC6241...

Energy metering applications simplified with smart power technology.(pulse)(STPM01 of STMicroelectronics N.V.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... STMicroelectronics' STPM01 addresses a wide range of electricity metering requirements, operating as a standalone power meter in the simplest low-end equipment or as a peripheral in sophisticated microprocessor-based meters that support...

Sample-and-infinite-hold voltage reference.(pulse)(DS4303 of Dallas Semiconductor Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Dallas Semiconductor's DS4303 is claimed to be the world's first sample-and-infinite-hold voltage reference. It replaces a standard voltage reference plus discrete resistor or potentiometer in embedded systems requiring voltage adjustment...

Reference design supports multiple video, audio formats.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)
October 1, 2005... Ittiam Systems Ltd's PMPR (portable media player and recorder), also known as MuV-PaMPR, is a form-factor reference design with near-production-ready hardware and software. Ittiam claims that these features reduce time to market from 18 months...

Bluetooth continues to gain traction in China.(pulse)
October 1, 2005... Since the Chinese government declared in March that it wits considering a formal adoption of Bluetooth-enabled technology, the consensus has been building that it will have a positive effect on OEMs and design houses nationwide. According to...

Which interface will get traction? Fibre Channel rules in the SAN world, and InfiniBand is progressing in computer clusters, but a faster flavor of the venerable Ethernet looms as a potential jack-of-all-trades.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Typical enterprise IT departments now support three networks. Ethernet links PCs and servers. FC (Fibre Channel) connects SANs (storage-area networks) that connect servers to storage arrays. And proprietary interconnects, Myrinet, or emerging...

2012 X5R 47[micro]F MLCC now available.
October 1, 2005... Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Samsung) has completed development of an MLCC with the highest capacitance, 47[micro]F in a 2012 case size with an X5R dielectric (-55 [degrees] C to 85 [degrees] C, capacitance change [+ or -] 15%). The device...

Chip inductor now in 0603 size.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2005... Samsung Electro Mechanics (Samsung) has come out chip inductor in a 0603 case size with a quality factor at least 6.5% better than that for competing devices when operating in frequencies of 100MHz or higher. The new device measures 0.6mm long...

Multi-layer BPF and Balun in 1608 Size.
October 1, 2005... Bluetooth and wireless LAN modules are being installed in mobile products to enable wireless and users are requiring ever-better performance module components that are smaller and smaller. At least 50% of all new mobile are expected to be...

CAT5 tracks: audio goes the distance, reliably and on time: do you want to route high-bit-rate digital audio over long expanses with minimal latency and "five-nines" reliability? Find out whether a conventional Ethernet scheme will meet your needs or whether you need an audio-optimized variant.(design feature)
October 1, 2005... The next time you're at a music concert, take a look at the cabling that connects on-stage gear to the mixing board in the middle of the audience. Odds arc good that you'll see one or several thick "snakes" containing bundles of wire, with each...

Stable Modes and Bodes.(POWER puzzler #7)
October 1, 2005... sponsored by POWER INTEGRATIONS Take a break from your daily routine and test your power supply design knowledge by trying your hand at answering the three questions below regarding stability of switched mode power supplies. Then check...

Structured ASICs deserve serious attention at 90nm: the cost of 90nm--not to mention 65nm--silicon is outrageous. Users should take a long, hard look at structured ASICs when considering which fabric to use their next logic design.(design feature)
October 1, 2005... Four years after ASIC vendors introduced their first structured-ASIC devices in response to FPGA vendors eating up their market share, the structured-ASIC market has yet to become a popular choice for logic designs. But analysts say that...

"Freescale is doubling its patent filing in the next two years".(Interview)
October 1, 2005... EDN Asia recently spoke to Sumit Sadana, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Freescale Semconductor, Inc., which was spun out of Motorola two years ago and is charting out its independent path. Sadana talks about major...

SoC designs: driver for the next wave of consumer electronics: there is increasing pressure on designers to deliver small but high performing products that consume little power.(special report)
October 1, 2005... The race is on to meet the demands of the consumer electronics market. Global competition in consumer markets has placed increasing pressure on product designers to achieve exceptional high performance while continuing to shrink the...

Silicon oscillators: high performance analog solutions from linear technology.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2005... When was the last time you considered replacing a crystal oscillator with another clock device? In all likelihood, the answer is "never," and for good reason. After all, what performs like a crystal? The answer may surprise you. At the...

Stable, 18MHz oscillator features automatic level control, clean-sine-wave output.(design: ideas)
October 1, 2005... A recent Design Idea described a method for designing simple, high-frequency LC oscillators with few passive components (Reference 1). However, for best results, practical hardware design of a stable oscillator requires more parts and greater...

13-bit, 210MSPS ADC.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2005... Texas Instruments Incorporated recently announced a 13-bit, 210MSPS analog-to-digital converter (ADC) featuring 68dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 79dB spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR), at the maximum sample rate of 210MSPS and an input...

Real time clock with tamper detect and battery saver technology.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2005... Intersil Corporation's ISL1209 Real Time Clock (RTC) combines high-precision, low-power for a wide variety of applications which require very accurate clock and calendar functions with Event Detect. Applications for this device are varied, such...

Micrel's 2.5 x 2.5mm dual 150mA LDO regulator.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2005... Micrel's MIC5264 is a dual LDO regulator that's offered in a miniature 2.5x2.5mm MLF package. The device offers a 30% size reduction from previous generation products. It is designed to provide 150mA on each independently controllable output...

Integrated XGATE co-processor for interrupt-intensive applications.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2005... Freescale Semiconductor's HCS12X family of 16-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) features what's said to be "an industry first"--the XGATE module. This versatile, efficient co-processor is designed specifically to handle interrupt events without...

Synchronous buck converter rated for 40A continuous output.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2005... The iPOWIR iP2003A is a fully-optimized power "building block" solution for high current, multiphase synchronous buck converters with a 3 to 13.2V input voltage range. Designed specifically for low voltage power rails in servers, desktops and...

CMOS LDO regulators with 300mA output current and low dropout voltage.(POWER)
October 1, 2005... Rohm's BHxxMA3W Series of efficient CMOS LDO regulators offer a low dropout voltage (0.06V), a high ripple rejection ratio (60dB at 1kHz) and an output voltage accuracy of [+ or -] 1% for portable applications/designs. The series includes...

Low-cost 75W open-frame power supply.(POWER)
October 1, 2005... The PSA075 Series power supplies are available in 3x5" footprint and are said to be ideal for applications such as tape/disk drive systems, POS terminals, internet servers, peripherals, routers and networking. With a 1U height and weighing 7.76...

Plug-in power module.(POWER)
October 1, 2005... Artesyn Technologies' plug-in processor power module is designed for use wtih AMD's high performance 64-bit Opteron server processors. Fully compliant with the latest AMD64 processor specification, the VRM64-8012-U module has a continuous...

Charging capacity of mobile phone fuel cells tripled.(POWER)
October 1, 2005... Fujitsu Laboratories and NTT DoCoMo have co-developed a prototype high-capacity micro fuel cell and an external recharger for FOMA handsets. For the prototype micro fuel cell device, the concentration of the methanol fuel used was raised from...

Isolated, single-output DC/DC converters.(POWER)
October 1, 2005... Beta Dyne has introduced the EA75 Series of 75W (max.) isolated, single-output DC/DC converters. Thirty-five models are offered with nominal input voltages of 5, 12, 24, 48 and 100V DC-and output voltages of 2.5, 3.3, 5, 12, 15, 18 and 24V DC....

Conventional system solutions in one box.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2005... The Integrated Measurement System R&S IMS from Rohde & Schwarz complements the company's EMS test systems with a compact instrument that handles measurement tasks ranging from development to certification. It includes important features such as...

X-ray navigator gives accurate images for PCB inspection.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2005... The X-ray inspection systems of the MXR-series are now supported by an X-ray Navigator additionally to the approved optical navigation tool. This technology automatically provides lay out-similar overviews for each board size. The MXR-series...

Racal Instruments launches base station test system for 3G networks.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2005... Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions has released 6413A, 3G base station test system to help test networks prior to roll-out. The 6413A's lub control allows carrying out receiver and transmitter testing. Operators that conduct transmitter only,...

Acterna adds MPEG-4 real time analysis to digital broadcast test platform.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2005... Acterna has added real time MPEG-4 analysis capability to its digital broadcast test and troubleshooting platforms. For equipment validation and acceptance testing, the DTS-330 and DTS-200 verify system performance by pinpointing and...

Handheld vibration meter.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2005... Columbia Research Labs has introduced its Model VM-300 Vibration Meter, a general-purpose vibration measuring instrument for periodic routing vibration checks of industrial machinery and general field use where portability and ease of use are...