EDN Asia articles from September 2007

EDN Asia archives from September 2007

New growth path for transistors.(ednasia comment)
September 1, 2007... Early this year both Intel and IBM announced perhaps the most significant transistor overhaul technology in the last 50 years. The two companies separately declared that they had found a way to reduce energy loss in microchip transistors...

Energy-saving, single-chip PFC for 80W consumer apps.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... Texas Instruments has introduced the industry's first single-chip, interleaved, transition-mode power factor correction (PFC) control circuit that helps lower power system cost and save energy in consumer applications such as digital TVs,...

USB 2.0 multiplexer improves cradle functionality.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... Intersil Corporation's ISL54200 USB 2.0 high/ full speed multiplexer has a wider supply voltage range, higher bandwidth, and better insertion loss characteristics. It provides the most flexible high performance solution for interfacing USB and...

R&S adds signal analysis to multipurpose instrument.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... Launched in 2006, the R&S FSUP from Rohde & Schwarz is said to be the only instrument that combines a spectrum analyzer and a phase noise tester. This instrument has been expanded to include signal analysis functionality for mobile...

Small, multi-purpose RFID ICs with longest reading range.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... EM Microelectronic's low-frequency RFID ICs are designed to fulfill the specific needs of animal identification, waste management, industrial logistics, and access control applications. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These ISO 11784/11785...

Accurate RTC combines FRAM storage and crystal in 300-mil SO package.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(ferroelectric random access memory)(Dallas Semiconductor Corp.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Dallas Semiconductor has added a nonvolatile FRAM memory to its real-time clock (RTC) product line with the DS32B35 (2k x 8 bits) and DS32C35 (8k x 8 bits), said to be the industry's most accurate RTCs. The tuning-fork crystal typically used as...

Atmel's customizable microcontroller-based SoC platform.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The CAP microcontroller-based SoC platform is targeted at complex applications that require fast time-to-market. Developed by Atmel, the device features high-speed local memory, a wide range of industry-standard peripherals and interfaces, and...

Low power, high-speed comparator family with sub-nanosecond propagation delay.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... National Semiconductor's LMH7322 is a dual comparator that provides the industry's lowest power (21 mA typical) with sub-nanosecond (700ps) propagation delay. The LMH7322 joins the LMH7220 single comparator as part of a family of single, dual,...

[micro]SerDes for portable electronics with integrated cameras.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Fairchild Semiconductor's FIN212AC is said to be the first [micro]SerDes device specifically designed for serializing high-speed signals in multimegapixel-resolution CMOS and CCD image sensors commonly found in portable products such as...

Single-package DAA modem solution.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)(Teridian Semiconductor Corporation)(direct access arrangement )(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Teridian Semiconductor's 73M1822 and 73M1922 MicroDAA chipsets are solutions that incorporate direct access arrangement (DAA) technology for data/fax modem and voice applications, and provide the necessary functionality and protection required...

32-bit Flash MCUs powered by ARM Cortex-M3 core.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... STMicroelectronics has launched a family of 32-bit Flash Microcontrollers based on the ARM Cortex-M3 core--a core with features specifically designed for embedded applications requiring a combination of high performance (1.25 Dhrystone...

XPhase chipset reduces external part count, shrinks powertrain footprint.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... International Rectifier has expanded its XPhase family of scalable multiphase converter chipsets with the introduction of the IR3500 Control IC and IR3505 Phase IC. The XPhase chipset now provides a full-featured and flexible way to...

Intel and Micron sample multi-level cell NAND Flash memory.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... Intel Corporation and Micron Technology are sampling 50-nanometer multi-level cell (MLC) NAND Flash memory manufactured by their NAND Flash memory joint venture, IM Flash Technologies. The MLC NAND Flash memory components feature a die and...

Xilinx simplifies memory interface designs with complete FPGA solutions.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... Xilinx has announced the immediate availability of its low cost Spartan-3A FPGA development kit for DDR2 SDRAM interfaces, the Virtex-5 FPGA development platform (ML-561) for multiple high-performance memory interfaces (I/Fs), and the memory...

Avago extends its 850nm VCSEL technology to 10Gb/s.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... Avago Technologies has completed full Telcordia GR468-CORE qualification of its next-generation 850nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL). These VCSELs are currently in volume production for use in its higher speed fiber optic...

Pico-ITX form factor, a tiny x86 mainboard.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... The VIA VT6047 Pico-ITX form factor reference design from VIA Technologies is said to be the smallest full-featured x86 mainboard in the industry designed for ultra compact embedded PC systems and appliances. The reference design is the...

PCI-Express external cabling solution.(INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS)
September 1, 2007... Most standard PC platforms do not have a socket for PCI-Express external cables, although PCI-Express External Cabling Specification Version 1.0 is available. The solution developed by Dynalith Systems consists of two boards: the ExpressAdaptor...

Breaking up: diagnosing a dropped phone.(prying eyes)
September 1, 2007... About to hang up from a conference call, I accidentally dropped my Plantronics (www.plantronics.com) CT12 portable phone. It just happened to hit the floor right on its headphone plug, breaking its solder joints. I guess the fall did more...

Hop, jump, and spread: wireless machine to machine interfaces: inexpensive wireless links and embedded processors combine to sustain the computer revolution. These devices can't do everything at once, though. Radio and system design is always an analog discipline.(Cover story)
September 1, 2007... Wireless machine-to-machine interfaces represent the third wave of computers. The first wave was business computers, expensive mainframe and supercomputers affordable only to the largest businesses. This phase appeared and grew during the 1960s...

Squeezing a low-cost multiprocessor platform out of 130nm: LSI's Zevio project shows that success in consumer electronics does not always mean implementing the fastest SoC in the latest and greatest process technology.(design feature)
September 1, 2007... Sometimes designing an SoC (system on chip) on the latest and greatest process technology is not what it takes to make an impact on the cost-conscious consumer-electronics market. That's a lesson LSI Logic engineers took to heart in designing...

External components improve: SAR-ADC accuracy: directly driving the input of a capacitive SAR ADC with an op-amp output can produce transients that degrade the converter's performance. Interposing an RC network can solve the problem--provided that you know what values to use.(design feature)
September 1, 2007... It is tempting to use an op amp to directly drive the input of a SAR (successive-approximation-register) ADC. Unfortunately, this configuration can limit circuit performance. An external RC (resistor-capacitor) network better isolates the...

"It may be more advantageous to focus on design and remain fabless".(Interview)
September 1, 2007... Giving his views on the impact of having foundries in India, Mahendra Jain, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qualcore Logic, spoke to EDN Asia on challenges the country faces in moving to such a direction. Excepts: SemIndia is...

Ramp discharge fall time control, or how to set maximum duty cycle.(special report)
September 1, 2007... The design of a pulse width modulator (PWM) converter fall time control circuit is described for one of the more common types of controllers that utilize a ramp where the ramp down slope is used to limit the maximum on time. The calculations...

Simple fixture determines leakage of capacitors and semiconductor switches.(design ideas)
September 1, 2007... The circuit in Figure 1a comprises a voltage follower, [IC.sub.1], and the reference-voltage source of [IC.sub.2]. [IC.sub.1] is an Analog Devices (www.analog.com) AD8661 op amp, which has a guaranteed input-bias current of no more than 1pA and...

Recycle precision potentiometers as useful voltage sources.(design ideas)
September 1, 2007... An analog- or a mixed-signal lab cannot have too many voltage sources. A simple, reasonably high-precision voltage source can set bias points in an op-amp circuit, tweak the feedback node of a power supply through a large resistor, or run a...

Paralleling decreases autozero-amplifier noise by a factor of two.(design ideas)
September 1, 2007... Autozero amplifiers have almost zero drift and input-offset values of 1 to 20[micro]V. You can compensate for the initial voltage offset of an auto-zero amp in sensitive circuits, such as dc amplifiers and integrators, requiring the processing...

MCUs reduce component count for multi-phase metering.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Texas Instruments Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The 16MHz MSP430F47x4 ultra-low power microcontrollers (MCU) for one-and multi-phase metering integrates up to four individual 16-bit sigma delta ADCs, a 32x32-bit hardware multiplier, a 160 segment LCD driver with contrast control, up to 60KB...

35W PoE PD controller enables emerging PoE+ apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
September 1, 2007... The LTC4264 is a Power over Ethernet (POE) interface controller designed for high-power Powered Device (PD) applications. It allows users to develop power-hungry applications beyond the IEEE 802.3afmandated 12.95W limit, while still maintaining...

High resolution encoder for office and industrial apps.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Avago)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... With dimensions of 3mm length by 3.28mm width by 1.26mm height, the AEDR-8400-14x reflective surface mount optical encoders are robust, and operate over a wide temperature range making them an ideal choice for use in a variety of office and...

Single phase, anti-tamper LCD energy metering IC.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
September 1, 2007... The AS8268 offers an integrated system-on-chip solution for LCD metres, and provides for secure program and data through its on-chip high-performance Flash memory. It incorporates all the required functional blocks for single-phase metering...

High-efficiency, wide-voltage integrated boost converter in ultra-thin MLP.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
September 1, 2007... The FAN5336 high-frequency integrated boost converter allows designers to achieve an 87% system efficiency, low EMI, and board space savings in a range of small LCD bias supply and white LED backlight designs. This 1.5MHz switching boost...

Low power, high speed CMOS op amp/comparators.(SEMICONDUCTORS)
September 1, 2007... These CMOS op-amp/comparators allow operation from 1.8V, ensuring compatibility with the latest low-voltage CPU and DSP power supplies. They handle all signals from GND to the power supply voltage, even at a low supply voltage level (rail to...

Microphone amplifier integrates AGC to minimize audio signal losses.(SEMICONDUCTORS)(Maxim Integrated Products Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The MAX9814 is a low-cost, high-quality microphone amplifier with automatic gain control (AGC) and low-noise microphone bias. The integrated AGC circuitry allows the designer to define hold and release times, as well as the output threshold...

CEC/Green power compliant 90W desktop supply.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The KSAFK Series of CEC/Green power compliant 90W desktop switching power supply features universal ac input with active power factor correction, and 11 output models with single outputs ranging from 12 to 24V DC. It consumes 1W of input power...

480W DIN rail power supply phase input.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
September 1, 2007... The DNR480 is a single output 480W model that offers universal input, accepting voltages in the range 90 to 264V AC single phase without the need for switch selection, or 340 to 575V ac three phase, depending on model. Both 24 and 48V DC output...

Safe charging of nickel metal hydride batteries.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
September 1, 2007... The NC Series of battery chargers are designed specifically for nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. It shares a common platform with the company's LC Series chargers for Lithium-based battery chemistries, and is available in a 12 or 24W...

125W isolated dual output power supplies.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(SunPower Corp.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... RID-125-1205 & RID-125-2405 are acdc switching power supplies that can provide 125W by only free air convection. Consisting features of other products within this series, all the electrolytic capacitors in these two models are rated at...

350W power supply comes in small U-bracket package.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(XP Power)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Delivering 364W across a 90 to 264V AC input range, the MFA350 power supply has a ll.2W/[in.sup.3] power density. Measuring 3.2x6.8x1.5 inches, in a U-bracket package, the family has a 1x2U profile allowing for vertical or horizontal...

High power lithium for military and aerospace applications.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)
September 1, 2007... The TLM-1550HP is a high voltage/ high rate AA-sized lithium battery that has 2W of energy, an open circuit voltage of 4.0V, and the ability to handle pulses of up to 15A, with 5A maximum continuous load at above 3.0V. Specifically designed for...

Battery charger for lithium-based battery cells.(POWER SOURCES & CONDITIONING DEVICES)(Nexergy)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The LC Series of battery chargers are designed for Lithium-ion (Li-ion) and Lithium-polymer (Li-polymer) batteries. They feature the ability to be tailored to the charging requirements of each application. The series is available in a 12 or 24W...

NI MATRIXx 8.0 enhances simulation.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
September 1, 2007... The MATRIXx 8.0 is an industry-proven software suite for model-based design, simulation, and embedded code generation. In addition to a revamped user interface, MATRIXx 8.0 introduces a project-based development environment to help engineers,...

MPEG-2 measurement platform expanded.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(Rohde & Schwarz)(digital video measurement system)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... More functions have been added to the R&S DVM family. Now featuring ATSC/8VSB and J.83/B, the DVM family is able to support further RF standards. The IPTV functionality for the high-end R&S DVM400 has also been significantly expanded, allowing...

Picture quality analyzer predicts viewer response.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
September 1, 2007... The PQA500 Picture Quality Analyzer is a new generation picture quality analysis (PQA) tool. Said to be the most complete suite of measurement and diagnostic tools for picture quality analysis including full support of high definition (HD)...

Test solution validates Alcatel-Lucent triple play service delivery architecture.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
September 1, 2007... The N2X multiservices test solution from Agilent was used by Isocore Corp. to validate the performance of the Alcatel-Lucent triple play service delivery architecture (TPSDA). The test was the first in the industry to validate an entire...

Faster, accurate wafer-level RF measurement.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(Cascade Microtech Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The proliferation of wireless consumer electronics devices with complex, multi-port RF architecture has pushed engineers to perform much more difficult and complex RF measurements on their wafer-level RF devices. To ease the process, the...

Test support for ZigBee 802.15.4 enabled devices.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
September 1, 2007... The LitePoint ZigBee Software Package is used with existing LitePoint IQview and IQflexTest Solutions. Production test programs for the manufacturing floor can now be developed that allow ZigBee products to be tested by one-box test instruments...

Dual time base mode for PCI waveform digitizers.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)(Strategic Test)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The ABA Mode is a dual time base option for UltraFast Oscilloscope/ Digitizer PCI cards. It allows the cards to be configured for slow continuous recording, similar to a data logger, switch to high-speed sampling on detection of the trigger...