EDN Asia articles from October 2006

EDN Asia archives from October 2006

Designing in the third dimension.(endasia comment)
October 1, 2006... Reducing congestion in ICs by stacking chip layers is not a new idea. It has been around for at least three decades. However, the idea is catching on fast now as traditional scaling routines of shrinking transistor dimensions to achieve higher...

TI's 45nm manufacturing process doubles output.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Texas Instruments' 45nanometer (nm) semiconductor-manufacturing process leverages a "wet" lithography process to double the number of chips produced on each silicon wafer, increase processing performance, and reduce power consumption....

[micro]Cool power MOSFETs for portable apps.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Recognizing the industry's need for smaller, thinner, faster, cooler running and more reliable MOSFET devices for portable applications, ON Semiconductor introduced [micro]Cool--a family of power MOSFETs that deliver high performance and design...

Real-time MPEG-4 video encoder in single FPGA.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Xilinx and ATEME have announced an FPGA-based H.264/AVC realtime Standard Definition at Main Profile video encoder. The MPEG4 encoder leverages the performance of the Xilinx Virtex-4 family of FPGAs and ATEME's experience in video encoding to...

Small optical encoders for consumer, office, industrial, and automotive apps.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... This small reflective incremental optical encoder from Avago Technologies is offered in a surface-mount package with dimensions of 3.00 (length) x 3.28 (width) x 1.262 (height) mm. The Avago AEDR-8400 encoder combines small size with 254 lines...

Renesas releases lead-free glass encapsulated diodes.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Renesas Technology's glass encapsulated diodes ("glass diodes") use lead-free glass in the glass packages encapsulating the diodes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Glass diodes are employed as switching diodes, Zener diodes, and so forth, and...

National Semiconductor intros ultra-high-speed ADC.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... This 8-bit, ultra-high-speed ADC family from National Semiconductor comes with a sampling speed of 6 giga-sample per second (GSPS) data capture at 3.6W. The ADC-083000 ADC operates at 3GSPS and can be interleaved in a pair for 6GSPS data...

The first member of a family of ARM9-based flash microcontrollers.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... The AT91SAM9260 is the first member of Atmel's pincompatible ARM9-based microcontroller family that shares the same programming model as ARM7-based devices, allowing direct migration between devices based on different ARM cores. This...

FRAM-enhanced 8051 MCU.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Ramtron International has launched the VRS51L3074, an 8051-based microcontroller with nonvolatile FRAM memory. Offering a nonvolatile data storage and processing system that only a FRAM-enhanced MCU can provide, the device combines 8KB of FRAM...

STMicro's 90nm SoC capability for hard disk drives.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... The T90 Read Channel IP, developed by STMicroelectronics, supports data rates ranging from 300Mbit/s up to 1.7Gbit/s, and along with the SATA performance, confirms the positioning of this design as an optimized solution for the 2.5- and...

High-performance, simplified solution for inverter motor designs up to 7.5kW.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Fairchild Semiconductor's 50A- and 75A-rated Motion-SPM devices target 5 to 7.5kW commercial and industrial inverter motor designs. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The FSAM50SM60A (600V/ 50A) and FSAM75SM60A (600V/ 75A) modules in 60x31mm dual...

Single-chip home gateway reduces system chip count up to 60%.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Infineon Technologies has launched a single-chip solution for ADSL2+ broadband IAD (integrated access device) and home gateway applications enabling services such as VoIP, video-conferencing and IPTV. Featuring a high level of integration, the...

Surface mount temperature compensated Zener diode in SOT-363 package.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
October 1, 2006... Central Semiconductor has released the CMKTC825A temperature compensated Zener diode packaged in a space saving mini SOT-363 surface mount case. Claimed to be the world's first TC Zener in a plastic surface mount package, the device provides a...

Module simplifies data acquisition with USB.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)
October 1, 2006... National Instruments has introduced a data-acquisition system based on the connectivity of USB. The basic Compact DAQ hardware unit's eight-slot chassis accepts a range of hot-swappable, autodetected instrumentation modules. Although the unit...

Code verifies AHB designs.(GLOBAL DESIGNER)
October 1, 2006... Advanced verification specialist EVE has selected silicon- and product-design-services company eInfochips to expand and complement the internally developed synthesizable transactor library for EVE's ZeBu emulation platform. The AMBA-AHB...

MP3 disassembly: tech for thrifty tune-toters.(prying eyes)
October 1, 2006... After I bought a laser-printer-toner cartridge, a "free-with-$75-purchase" coupon also brought an OD-128-MP3, also known as the MP3-818, portable digital-audio player to my door. The price was music to my ears, especially considering that...

100Mbps broadband: how, why, when, and where? a triple play of voice, video, and data moves the bandwidth target as consumers adopt HDTV and DVR technologies and demand more content choices.(Cover story)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Long the Holy Grail for telecom companies and MSOs (multiple-service operators), or cable companies, the triple play succinctly means serving consumers' voice, video, and data needs over a converged network. And without question, some telecom...

Low-volume handheld designs: not for the faint of heart; designers of handheld devices confront more technological issues than do designers of many products a thousand times the size. When the devices are specialized and the expected unit volumes and revenues are modest, the design challenges get even tougher.(design feature)
October 1, 2006... Not every handheld electronic device is a cellphone, a PDA, or even a DMM (digital multimeter). Such devices are made in quantities of 100,000 to tens of millions. Many handheld devices for inventory control, medicine, environmental monitoring,...

Beyond ROHS: the greening of global markets.(design feature)
October 1, 2006... US and Asian governments are about to impose their own versions of the EU'S ROHS directive. Rather than targeting each region's regulations, manufacturers may standardize on the most stringent "green" directive. This move will affect even...

"The greatest change is the sophistication of criminals".(Interview)
October 1, 2006... EDN Asia recently met Ed Eliff, Director, Asia-Pacific Security Services, VeriSign, and discussed security issues. Excerpts: What do you think are the main issues in network security environment today, and how is VeriSign addressing them?...

Easy WiMAX designs with FPGAs.(special report)
October 1, 2006... An FPGA-developed WiMAX system, using the new IEEE 802.16e standard, can provide mobility to the end user while meeting the manufacturer's speed, flexibility, integration, and time-to-market challenges. The explosive Internet growth...

Error compensation improves bipolar-current sinks.(design ideas)
October 1, 2006... You can improve a current sink's accuracy by at least two orders of magnitude by adding two standard 1%-tolerance resistors. As a bonus, you also compensate for errors that a low-current-gain pass transistor's base current introduces. To do so,...

Phase-sequence indicator uses few passive components.(design ideas)
October 1, 2006... In a three-phase ac system, a power source with three wires delivers ac potentials of equal frequency and amplitudes with respect to a zero-potential wire, each shifted in phase by 120 [degrees] from one wire to the next. Two possibilities...

Microcontroller's single I/O-port line drives a bar-graph display.(design ideas)
October 1, 2006... Instrument designs featuring a digital display may benefit from a secondary display that provides an analog version of the displayed parameter. A bar-graph display provides an easily interpreted graphical indicator that allows comparison with...

Capacitor-free LDO family with 1% accuracy.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2006... This series of 1.5 and 3A LDOs features 1% voltage regulation accuracy rate over line, load and temperature. The easy-to-use LDOs meet the sequencing requirements for high-current applications such as telecom, notebooks and servers that use...

Flexible, single-chip SONET/SDH timing-card IC.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2006... The DS3100 is a 'timing-card-on-a-chip' solution for SONET/SDH synchronization. With two digital PLLs (DPLLs), four APLLs, 14 inputs, 11 outputs, and two complete DS1/E1 transceivers, the chip incorporates all the functions required in a...

LED driver offers 3000: 1 true color PWM dimming.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2006... The LT3475 is a dual 36V, up to 2MHz step-down dc/dc converter that operates as a two-channel constant-current LED driver. Each channel has an internal sense resistor and dimming control, making it ideal for driving LEDs requiring up to 1.5A of...

Low-power RF gain blocks for satellite TV, ISM bands.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2006... The ISL550xx family is designed for use in satellite receivers and ISM (industry, scientific and medical) band applications that have integrated ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection up to 3kV. All of the devices are self-biased and...

Single chip simplifies audio/video synchronization.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2006... The TPA5050 digital audio delay with IIC control is designed for high definition and flat panel TV applications. It provides cost-effective synchronization of audio and video in a single integrated package that conserves board space and...

Image processors for portable video apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2006... The SSD1921 and SSD1922 support up to 480RGBx272 resolution video displays for camera phones, 3G phones, car AVs, game consoles and digital photo frames. These imaging ICs fulfill market needs of colorful JPEG photo displays, fancy multimedia...

ADC offers 1.1 GHz full-power bandwidth.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
October 1, 2006... The 14-bit, ADC14155 allows digitization of very high frequency signals, enabling high IF architectures in wireless communication applications. Its ability to digitize the first IF eliminates the need for the second IF stage. This helps reduce...

Rugged Flash disk card in XMC and PMC formats.(BOARDS & MODULES)
October 1, 2006... Suiting applications in harsh environments dealing with extreme temperature, shock, or vibrations and making use of mechanical hard disk drives impractical, the PBOD Flask disk PMC or XMC card provides 64Gbytes of high-speed storage. Features...

Evaluation platform supports vendor's 8051 MCU.(BOARDS & MODULES)
October 1, 2006... The VersaKit-20xx evaluation platform provides support for the VRS51L2070 Versa 8051 microcontroller. Allowing system prototyping and design development, the kit includes a development board, a Versa-JTAG programming/debugging interface, a DB25...

AdvancedTCA backplane uses dual-star, mesh configurations.(BOARDS & MODULES)
October 1, 2006... This 14-slot AdvancedTCA full-mesh backplane features an 18-layer stripline design with a pluggable fan tray, a shelf manager and power-entry connectors. Dual-star or mesh configuration options allow engineers to increase design flexibility....

500Gbyte hard drive for 1.2 million-hour MTBF.(BOARDS & MODULES)
October 1, 2006... Available in a 500Gbyte capacity, the enterprise-class WD RE2 (RAID Edition) SATA hard drive features a 3Gbps data transfer rate. The device includes 1.2 million hours MTBF at a 100% duty cycle. Additional features include an NCQ...

Hybrid board with four DSP processing cluster.(BOARDS & MODULES)
October 1, 2006... The first of a new line of hybrid embedded boards, the GT3U (GT-3U-cPCI) features an Altera Stratix II GX FPGA, a four-DSP-TS201S-TigerSharc processor cluster, and 1Gbyte of DDR2 SDRAM. These processing clusters provide 14.4 GFLOPS of...

Serial-port module has eight software-configurable ports.(BOARDS & MODULES)
October 1, 2006... The Emerald-MM-8P serial-port module offers eight multiprotocol serial ports on a PC/104 module with complete software configurability. Targeting PC/104-expandable embedded computer systems running Linux, Windows, QnX, VxWorks and DOS, the...

Accelerator cards for network and storage apps.(BOARDS & MODULES)
October 1, 2006... The OCTEON XL accelerator cards are targeted at secure network services and compression acceleration in appliances and storage systems. The standard PCI/PCI-X form-factor cards, which are offered in a range of four-port Gigabit Ethernet NIC...

Ceramic multianode chip capacitors have low ESR.(PASSIVES)
October 1, 2006... The CoreCAP NPV series of niobiumoxide ceramic multianode chip capacitors for power-management decoupling and dc/dc-converter filtering feature low ESR (equivalent series resistance), high ripple-current absorption, and high reliability....

Power wirewound resistors have 60W power ratings.(PASSIVES)
October 1, 2006... Capable of handling overload conditions, the high-powered, flameproof PW and PWR series power wirewound resistive come in high-temperature ceramic shells, in 60W power ratings. The devices target industrial, automotive, and appliance...

Electrically programmable resistors come in dual configuration.(PASSIVES)
October 1, 2006... The Rejustors target analog compensation problems in the analog domain. Available in an SOIC-8 configuration, these electrically programmable resistors are user-programmable to a fixed resistance with high precision and stability. You can...

Thick-film chip-resistor dividers in versatile packaging.(PASSIVES)
October 1, 2006... A small 2512 case and a choice of top-only or wraparound terminations make the CDHV thick-film chip-resistor dividers appropriate for high-voltage power supplies, power-switching equipment, and inverter controls. Features include less than...

Single-row cable connector system.(PASSIVES)
October 1, 2006... This single-row cable connector system has a pitch of 1.27mm (0.050 inches). Aimed at space-saving and flexible board-to-cable connections the MiniBridge connectors are suited for diverse sensor, actuator, power-supply, and data applications in...

Inductors: new transformers for VDSL2.(PASSIVES)
October 1, 2006... This series of SMT transformers meet the requirements of Deutsche Telekom's new VDSL2 network. They operate with very low distortions and small losses. The transformers are specifically impedance-matched to the VDSL2 chip set, which carry the...

Flip-top BGA socket for 1 mm pitch devices.(PASSIVES)
October 1, 2006... The Flip-top BGA socket is designed for development, test and validation of 1mm pitch BGA and LGA devices at speeds up to 2.6GHz (single-ended). The compact design requires no soldering of the IC and needs no external hold-downs or tooling...

Debugging device ports from Linux using USB 2.0.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2006... Using the usb2Demon and debugging interface, users can port the OC-Demon on-chip debugging technology to a Linux platform. A user can debug, test, and program hardware and software in Linux, and then port a USB 2.0 connection to the target...

Spectrum analyzers span 3Hz to 26.5GHz.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2006... The 3280 series line of 3Hz to 26.5GHz spectrum analyzers has a high level of accuracy, as well as other performance features such as excellent local oscillator (LO) phase noise, and +18dBm third order intermodulation performance. Its internal...

TrueChannel emulator for wireless systems testing.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2006... The True-Channel Emulator reproduces accurate multipath environments for testing up to 4X4 multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) or single input/ single output (SISO) wireless solutions. It works with wireless integrated circuit and board-level...

Tester for optical, thermal LED measurements.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2006... The TERALED tester for thermal and radiometric characterization of LEDs can be used as a standalone for optical measurements, or combined with MicReD's T3Ster for a complete thermal and radiometric measurement. A 300mm diameter integrating...

Analysis of brominated flame retardants.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2006... Here's a complete GC/MS solution capable of performing precise analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). It combines high-resolution double focusing magnetic sector (DFS) GC/MS system, TRACE GC Ultra gas chromatograph and TriPlus...

Analyzing digital and analog TV signals.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2006... The R&S FSH3-TV is a handheld TV analyzer that is suitable for all digital cable standards, the digital terrestrial ATSC/8VSB standard as well as for analog TV standards. Its compact size makes the analyzer ideal for mobile applications. It...

Measurement platform comes in a variety of bundles.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 1, 2006... Measuring semiconductor wafers, ICs, pc boards, MEMS, and bioscience devices, the M150 measurement platform allows users to switch between devices in minutes. Interchangeable standard parts make this 150mm measuring device...

Device spacing on RS-485 buses.
October 1, 2006... Introduction The RS-485 bus is a distributed parameter circuit whose electrical characteristics and responses are primarily defined by the distributed inductance and capacitance (*) along the physical media. The media is defined here as...