Electronic Design articles from August 2005

Electronic Design archives from August 2005

2005 Engineering Hall of Fame.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
August 4, 2005... The members of Electronic Design's Engineering Hall of Fame are those men and women whose accomplishments have shaped the electronics industry and, by extension, our world. It's time to vote for the 2005 slate of inductees. Browse through our...

"Sound off".(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
August 4, 2005... "The motivation behind offshoring is COST--which depends on the cost of living, not skills. The cost of living in India and China won't catch up to that of the U.S. for perhaps 30 years or more. If the present trends continue, no high-school...

Polling.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
August 4, 2005... Polling If you're an amateur radio operator, which best describes you? I design and build my station equipment 21% I'm an avid kit builder 48% I scratch-build gear from books or magazines 24% I'm an...

Debugging is job one.(EIED Online)
August 4, 2005... According to recent surveys, most programmers name debugging as their top concern. So what has changed in the last 20 years? A common gripe is that debugging tools are still in the dark ages. Embedded/Systems/Software Editor Bill Wong takes a...

Archived showcast: what to see at DAC.(WHAT'S UP?)
August 4, 2005... Even if you weren't able to attend the Design Automation Conference, it's not too late to "see" the show. Electronic Design's DAC Showcast is available as a free archive for you to view at any time. Find out which products made the "What to...

What's cool.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
August 4, 2005... From The Top 20 Articles On ED Online: 1 The Internet's Next Evolution Beckons ED Online 10599 2 Read 16 Digital Inputs Using A PC's Serial Port ED Online 6404 3 Time Is Ticking...

Differential, high-speed op amps.(Featured Products)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
August 4, 2005... The LMH6550 and LMH6551 allows are high-performance voltage feedback differential amplifiers. The fully differential topology allows balanced inputs to the ADCs and can be used as single-ended-to-differential or used as...

Low-power, high-performance quad 12-bit A/D converter with serialized LVDS outputs.(DESIGN/idea)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
August 4, 2005... The ADC12QS065 is a low-power, high-performance, 4-channel analog-to-digital converter with serialized LVDS outputs. This A/D converter digitizes signals to 12-bit resolution at sampling rates up to 65 MSPS while consuming a typical 187.5 mW...

Data converter serial LVDS interface improves board routing.(DESIGN / idea)(Advertisement)
August 4, 2005... Systems often require signaling where common-mode signals are not welcome or difficult to handle. Some designs turn single-ended signals from the output of transducers to fully differential signals, then send this signal to a differential-input...

High-performance, low-power, dual 8-bit, 500 MSPS A/D converter.(Featured Products)(Advertisement)
August 4, 2005... The ADC08D500 is the industry's lowest power dual 8-bit 500 MSPS analog-to-digital converter. It digitizes two signals to 8-bit resolution at sampling rates up to 800 MSPS or one signal at sampling rates up to 1.6 GSPS. Consuming a typical 1.4...

Dual 12-bit, 65 MSPS, 3.3V, 360 mW A/D converter.(Featured Products)(Advertisement)
August 4, 2005... The ADC12DL065 is a dual, low-power CMOS analog-to-digital converter capable of converting analog input signals into 12-bit digital words at 65 MSPS. This converter uses a differential, pipeline architecture with digital error correction and an...

Electronics can protect subways against terrorism.(EDITORIAL)
August 4, 2005... Last month's London Underground bombings are a grim reminder of why the global market for homeland-security electronics is rapidly expanding. The tragedy also reminds us that more can be done to use advanced electronics to protect our citizens...

What's all this typing stuff, anyhow?(PEACE PORRIDGE)
August 4, 2005... In the old days, it was so easy to try to type "3M" to get 3 M[ohm] in a Spice program, and of course you got 3 m[ohm]. A typo error can really waste a lot of time! Typing was a large part of our job as a means of communicating to a computer....

Defining next-generation microcontrollers.(POV: POINT OF VIEW)
August 4, 2005... Historically, microcontrollers were designed as general-purpose integrated circuits with a relatively standard set of purely digital peripherals such as serial ports and timers. The microcontroller interfaced to several external analog and...

Advanced processors and media engines crank up the heat at Hot Chips 17.(TechView)
August 4, 2005... It's the dog days of summer, and the 17th Annual IEEE Hot Chips Conference will spotlight some sizzling technologies. Scheduled for August 15 and 16 at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., the conference will examine specialized processors,...

Industry barometer.(TREND)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
August 4, 2005... INDUSTRY BAROMETER What is your personal outlook for design projects in the next quarter? December 2004: March 2005: June 2005: Q4 2004 Q1 2005 Q2 2005 ...

Analog chipmakers stalk CAT5 and KVM video applications.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
August 4, 2005... Many new homes and office buildings come prewired with more CAT5 wiring (Ethernet cable containing four unshielded twisted pairs) than present tenants need. Architects and planners have been asking: Why not use this infrastructure to distribute...

Buck-converter building block integrates everything but the PWM in 9 by 11 mm.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
August 4, 2005... The iP2003A from International Rectifier suits low-voltage power rails in servers, desktops, and data-communication systems. This 40-A (continuous up to 100[degrees]C case temperature) building block for multiphase, synchronous buck converters...

Traffic manager for Ethernet accelerates triple-play delivery.(TechView: COMMUNICATIONS)
August 4, 2005... If you think your morning commute is bad, imagine the backups on your company's Ethernet once triple-play services get in full swing. Or maybe not. Sandburst's TME-2000 traffic-management chip uses hardware-based quality of service (QoS) to...

Chip solves TCP/IP bottleneck problem in high-speed Ethernet.(TechView: COMMUNICATIONS)
August 4, 2005... Ethernet local-area networks have romped up in speed--significantly. Most run at 1 Gbit/s, and some new systems run at 10 Gbits/s. These high rotes are overwhelming computers as more data flows through the networks, leading to bottlenecks with...

Programmable analog coming soon to flash-based FPGAs.(TechView: DIGITAL)
August 4, 2005... Today's megagate FPGA densities permit full digital system implementations. Still, many of these systems also require a reasonable amount of analog capability to complete the full system solution. These systems typically need a handful of...

Audio-optimized DSP subsystem cuts system design time.(TechView: DIGITAL)
August 4, 2005... Setting its Sights on audio and voice applications, the second-generation TeakLite-II DSP care and audio subsystem clocks at speeds of up to 200 MHz. It's based on the TeakLite DSP core, which contains a mix of DSP and control Instructions. ...

Timing-signoff tool accounts for power, signal-integrity effects.(TechView: EDA)
August 4, 2005... For system-on-a-chip designs at 90 and 65 nm, dynamic noise greatly exacerbates the challenge of timing signoff. To accurately examine noise effects, designers need tools that provide an accurate transistor-level view of the playing field....

Physical synthesis and routing technology.(EDA ROUNDUP)
August 4, 2005... PHYSICAL SYNTHESIS AND ROUTING TECHNOLOGY from IBM has been licensed by Magma Design Automation. The IBM technology was developed through IBM's long-term relationship with the Research Institute of Discrete Mathematics at the University of...

Simulation of Matlab algorithms.(EDA ROUNDUP)
August 4, 2005... SIMULATION OF MATLAB ALGORITHMS has never been easier than with Catalytic RMS, a tool tailored for algorithms targeted to an RTL-based implementation. Catalytic RMS works seamlessly with the Mathworks' Matlab to provide fast floating-point...

Free RF design tool includes planar EM analysis.(TechView: EDA)
August 4, 2005... The old adage "you get what you pay for" is usually meant to warn one away from deals that look too good to be true. But Ansoft's downloadable version of Ansoft Designer belies that assertion. The microwave and RF design tool keeps adding...

Faster logic analyzer mainframes, new software speed debugging.(TechView: TEST & MEASUREMENT)
August 4, 2005... Designers working with today's very fast, multilane serial buses and second-generation double-data-rate memories need the fastest, most accurate debugging tools they can get. A pair of logic analyzer mainframes aims to satisfy that need with a...

Upgraded tools embed test functions in nanometer designs.(TechView: TEST & MEASUREMENT)
August 4, 2005... The move to nanometer-scale designs brings trickier defect mechanisms and process-design interactions that raise performance and quality issues. A next-generation embedded test solution, LogicVision's LV2005, incorporates new test and...

Insulation testing goes compact.(TechView: TEST & MEASUREMENT)
August 4, 2005... Insulation testers used to be bulky, heavy and difficult to lug around. Yet Fluke's 1587 and 1577 insulation multimeters combine a 1-kV digital insulation tester with a full-featured true-RMS digital multimeter in a DMM-size (digital...

Simple DSP interface for ADS784x/834x ADCs.(Digital signal processors)
August 4, 2005... The 12-bit ADS7841 and 16-bit ADS8341/3 are pin-compatible, 4-channel analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with a synchronous serial interface. Typical power dissipation is 2 mW at a 200-kHz throughput rate on the ADS7841 and 8 mW at 100 kHz on...

Bipolar process puts the squeeze on die size, noise; a new fab process for 36-V bipolar chips aligns analog densities more closely with Moore's Law for logic.(LEAPFROG: FIRST LOOK: PUTTING NEW TECHNOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE)
August 4, 2005... In industrial-control applications, many sensors and actuators must operate at tens of volts, while control-logic voltages have continued to shrink in step with successive generations of digital process geometries. For engineers who design...

Versatile ExpressModule invigorates servers: the hot-swapping, PCI Express module standard targets server expansion.(LEAPFROG: FIRST LOOK: PUTTING NEW TECHNOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE)
August 4, 2005... What will your next server look like? It might have an ExpressModule or two in it. ExpressModules are about the same size as a CompactPCI 3U board. However, ExpressModule uses a less expensive edge connector that sports an x8 PCI Express...

Nano's success depends on a rock solid foundation: building a strong infrastructure and using selected silicon methods helps bridge the gap to the mass manufacture of nano devices.(ENGINEERING FEATURE: NANOTECHNOLOGY)(Cover Story)
August 4, 2005... Nanotechnology is at a nexus in its evolution: It needs a viable infrastructure to support the high-rate manufacture of nano-scale devices, particularly devices grown atom by atom and molecule by molecule, as envisioned by the technology's...

Platforms strive for virtual security: with partitioning and virtualization, platforms can run multiple environments securely.
August 4, 2005... Running multiple operating systems on a single platform continues to be a mainstay in server environments. But now this ability is migrating to embedded environments for various reasons, ranging from legacy operating-system (OS) support to...

Replace ORing diodes with MOSFETs to reduce heat and save space--design note 363.(DESIGN NOTES)(Advertisement)
August 4, 2005... Introduction High availability telecom systems employ redundant power supplies or battery feeds to enhance system reliability. Discrete diodes are commonly used to combine these power sources at the point of load. The disadvantage of this...

Linux is dull! Long live Linux.(EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
August 4, 2005... Heard any news about embedded Linux lately? If so, it was probably more of the same--a bit dull. This is actually a good thing. Such is the case when a technology becomes so good and ubiquitous, nobody gives it a second thought. It's there. It...

Peripheral-rich SBC tackles PC/104 Plus.(EMBEDDED NEWS)
August 4, 2005... The Micro/Sys SBC0489 single-board computer (SBC) packs a litany of devices in its 5- by 5-in. area. The PC/lO4-Plus-compatible motherboard can be stacked on top or below expansion cards. It runs a 133-MHz STMicroelectronics STPC Atlas...

ARM7 MCU packs full-speed USB 2.0 interface.(EMBEDDED NEWS)
August 4, 2005... Philips Semiconductor packs a 12-Mbit/s, full-speed USB 2.0 host interface into its latest ARM7 microcontrollers. The LPC214x series of ARM7TDMI-S microcontrollers provides USB Good Link LED output and Soft Connect programmable resistor...

GX-Linux powers multimedia kit.(NEWS: EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
August 4, 2005... Freescale, Microcross, and Cogent Computer Systems have joined forces to create a low-cost, Linux-based multimedia development kit based on Freescale's Arm-based i.MX21 microcontroller. The i.MX Lite kit incorporates a 1.75- by 2.5-in. module...

IDE goes multicore.(NEWS: EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
August 4, 2005... In just one package, the latest Code Composer Studio (CCStudio) from Texas Instruments tackles all TI platforms, including multicore systems like OMAP. CCStudio adds a number of features like the CodeWright editor, Component Manager (to handle...

Four PTMC expansion sites populate AdvancedTCA Blade.(NEWS: EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
August 4, 2005... The KatanaQp AdvancedTCA Blade server hosts a pair of MPC7448 processors in addition to four PTMC expansion sites. The PmP-PC7448 processor mezzanine card plugs into Artesyn's KatanaQp. The blade features two 1.7-GHz MPC7448 processors, while...

Simulation mismatches can foul up test-pattern verification.
August 4, 2005... Design for testability (DFT) works to make a circuit more testable to ensure that it was manufactured correctly. The primary purpose of DFT is to increase testability of a given netlist by increasing controllability and observability. A...

Integrate high-performance analog/mixed-signal circuits.(ifd: Powerful Ideas For Design)
August 4, 2005... Interactive gaming consoles, digital TVs, and digital video recorders (DVRs), among other multimedia systems, benefit from higher levels of silicon integration. They achieve greater functionality, lower cost, better performance, and lower power...

Unconventional PLL uses BTSC pilot to generate master clock.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)
August 4, 2005... Multichannel television sound (MTS), better known as Broadcast Television System Committee (BTSC) encoding, is used in many analog cable set-top boxes for TV. The BTSC pilot is at the same frequency (15.734 kHz) as the horizontal video sync....

New 1200V and 600V drivers with sophisticated functions shrink IGBT and MOSFET circuits in half.(Product Alert)
August 4, 2005... International Rectifier's newest HVICs include protection functions in half the footprint compared to discrete opto-coupler- or transformer-based solutions. The ICs increase efficiency and simplify general-purpose motor/inverter circuits, SMPS...

ISI Lead Free Interposers for DDR2 BGAs.(Product Alert)
August 4, 2005... ISI Lead Free Interposers allow OEMs to use standard eutectic (leaded) SMT assembly processes, even when BGAs are only available in lead-free packaging. DDR2 memory chips are one common application, although ISI supplies interposers for a...

New ARIES center probe RF test socket.(Product Alert)
August 4, 2005... Aries Electronics, an international manufacturer of standard, programmed and custom interconnection products, now offers a new high frequency test socket for devices from 14 to 27 [mm.sup.2] wide. The new socket is ideal for manual testing of...

The ultimate PCB layout and routing Ultiboard 8 and Ultiroute 8.(Product Alert)
August 4, 2005... Rounding out the Electronics Workbench Series 8 Design Suite Ultiboard 8 and Ultiroute 8 allows users to seamlessly take projects from concept through capture and simulation to final layout. Tight integration permits component nudging with...

Megatrends: where are we going?
August 18, 2005... Put your design plans in perspective by taking a look at the big picture. Our annual State of the Industry issue focuses on the megatrends driving both the apprehensions and the opportunities in the electronic design marketplace. Insightful...

"Sound off".(Letter to the Editor)
August 18, 2005... "I'm not too worried about a decline in the hobbyist ranks. After all, how many other professional occupations start off as hobbies?... Do young lawyers prepare briefs before they argue with their parents? As I see it, electronics technology...

EiED online: getting on the network: fast.(NetBurner MOD5270)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 18, 2005... If your goal is to get a design out the door quickly, definitely check out NetBurner's network development kits. The company's Coldfire-based MOD5270 product cuts initial network development time down from days to mere hours....

What's up?(WHAT'S HAPPENING@elecdesign.com: keeping the EE community connected)
August 18, 2005... 2005 Engineering Hall of Fame Today's design engineers stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before: Marconi, Tesla, Edison, and others. The members of Electronic Design's Engineering Hall of Fame are those men and women whose...

Polling.(battery technology)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2005... IN THE NEAR TERM, WHICH APPROACH WILL MOST DESIGNERS EXPLOIT TO EXTEND BATTERY LIFE IN PORTABLE DEVICES? Further refinements in Li-ion 30% battery technology Direct methanol fuel cells 32% PMBus point-of-load...

What's cool.(WHAT'S HAPPENING@elecdesign.com: keeping the EE community connected)
August 18, 2005... From The Top 20 Articles On ED Online: 1 I Design: Wayne Burdick ED Online 10751 2 Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Propel Us Toward An 80-MPG Future ED Online 4330 3 High-Speed Interfaces Supercharge Micros ED Online 10728 4 Wireless...

Marconi's legacy lives on: digital radio comes of age: a week at the beach might seem the ideal time for a bit of a respite from technology. But when I ended up at Marconi Station on Cape Cod, my surfside relaxation turned into both a historic and a philosophical reflection on the communications revolution.(Guglielmo Marconi)(Editorial)
August 18, 2005... In January 1903, radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first two-way transatlantic communication from this beach in South Wellfleet, Mass. Marconi had convinced President Theodore Roosevelt and England's King Edward VII to participate...

Bob's mailbox.(PEASE PORRIDGE)(electronic design tips)
August 18, 2005... Dear Bob: This is a general question about TO-220 packages. I am finding MOSFETs available in TO-220AB packages that claim to have continuous ratings of 120 A. I can believe the die can take it if heatsinked well. But can those skinny 0.044-in....

GP OSs add security issues to embedded systems.(POV: POINT OF VIEW)(general-purpose operating systems)
August 18, 2005... For decades, embedded systems consisted of special-purpose hardware running special-purpose software. Field upgrades involved changing pin settings, replacing EPROMs, etc. But the commoditization of hardware, software, and programmers has added...

New materials and processes promise faster, denser ICs--atom by atom.(TechView)
August 18, 2005... Advances in dielectric materials, wafer cleaning, metrology, lithography, and other IC manufacturing technologies took the spotlight last month at Semicon West in San Francisco. Tens of thousands of manufacturing and materials specialists...

Designed in the USA: influencing the semiconductor supply chain.(TechView)
August 18, 2005... While electronics manufacturing has largely migrated to Asia, the United States remains the center of global electronics design activity. This gives the U.S. enormous influence over the global semiconductor supply chain. Design of...

Momentum wins North American Solar Challenge.(Scope: Electronics at Work and at Play)
August 18, 2005... It took 52 hours, 59 minutes, and 43 seconds. But the University of Michigan triumphed in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge as Momentum, its solar car, crossed the finish line last month. The course of the 10-day race took competitors...

9.6-V buses gain popularity in IBA designs.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
August 18, 2005... Barely a year ago, most intermediate-bus architecture (IBA) implementations distributed power to point-of-load converters (POLs) at 12 V. There was some talk of using lower intermediate-bus voltages because load voltages had been shrinking, and...

CAN transceiver finds uses outside automotive buses.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
August 18, 2005... AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS looking for a controller-area network (CAN) transceiver can hitch a ride with AMI Semiconductor's AMIS-42700. This low cost, low-component-count device provides an interface between two physical CAN lines for in-vehicle...

Universal input-range supplies dive into harsh environments.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
August 18, 2005... Applications subject to dirt, dust, and moisture in harsh environments can take refuge with the PSAQC60 series of 60-W power supplies. Designed by Wall Industries, these board-mounted, dual front-end devices accept input voltages from 90 to 264...

Timing processor delivers six independent clock sources.(TechView: DIGITAL)
August 18, 2005... Based on a patented digital timing technology, the TLC28x0 timing processor chip offers designers six independent high-resolution clock synthesizers--more than any other available clock synthesizer chip. Developed by TimeLab Corp., it targets...

PCI Express chip packs 8/16-bit pipe host system port.(TechView: DIGITAL)
August 18, 2005... The GL9711 GigaCourier from Genesys Logic provides a 125-MHz 16-bit or 250-MHz 8-bit PIPE (PHY interface for PCI Express) interface to tie into the host system logic. This chip also offers a single-lane, 2.5-Gbit/s PCI Express serial port. With...

Bus buffers for [I.sup.2]C and SMBus provide stuck-bus recovery.(TechView: DIGITAL)(Linear Technology Corp-product information.)(Brief Article)
August 18, 2005... The LTC4303 and LTC4304 two-wire bus buffers from Linear Technology solve the common problem of a stuck [I.sup.2]C/SMBus bus by isolating all of the bus connections on the upstream side, while restoring the downstream bus. If the serial...

Microcontroller's [I.sup.2]C interface handles multiple addresses.(TechView: EMBEDDED)
August 18, 2005... Look out, CAN. Microchip's 8-bit PIC16F690 now includes a Synch Serial Port (SSP) with an address mask. The SSP can handle multiple [I.sup.2]C packet addresses in hardware, much like controller-area network (CAN) controllers in other...

System speeds Java deployment.(TechView: EMBEDDED)
August 18, 2005... Developing and deploying Java-based applications just got easier with IGoLogic's JBox. This compact system (2.5 by 11.5 by 10.5 in.) is based on Via's mini-ITX motherboards, running a 1-GHz C3 processor. It has a 40-Gbyte hard disk and handles...

DVD writer handles double-layer disks.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 18, 2005... Toshiba's optical drives come with the LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling technology, which supports DVD+R double-layer write capability. The drives include the 6X SD-R5372V DVD-W writer and the slim- line SD-C2732 DVD-ROM for portables and...

PCI-X processor board sports Pentium M.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 18, 2005... The PCA-6189 from Advantech plugs into 64-bit PCI-X backplanes. It 2.1-GHz Pentium M processor with up to 2 Gbytes of double-data-rate (DDR) error-correcting-code (ECC) memory. The board has dual VGA display support, dual Ethernet, SCSI, IDE,...

RTLinuxFree runs atop Linux 2.6.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 18, 2005... RTLinuxFree is a free, open-source implementation of FSM Labs' real-time RTLinuxPro, which now supports the Linux 2.6 kernel. RTLinux is a split operating system with a real-time and a conventional Linux component. Real-time applications run...

Foundry's DFM toolkits turn process data into yield.(TechView: EDA)
August 18, 2005... Design for manufacturability (DFM) is a hot topic for designers contemplating a move to advanced silicon processes. Fortunately, the foundries are a step ahead of them. TSMC has rolled out two comprehensive DFM toolkits that are based on...

Support for the latest spice models.(EDA ROUNDUP)
August 18, 2005... > SUPPORT FOR THE LATEST SPICE MODELS has been added to Tanner EDA's T-Spice analog simulation platform. Version 11 of T-Spice now supports the latest Berkeley BSIM models up to the v4.4.0 release. These models enable users to accurately...

A graphical design entry environment.(EDA ROUNDUP)
August 18, 2005... > A GRAPHICAL DESIGN ENTRY ENVIRONMENT for ASIC and FPGA designers provides a fast, accurate means of performing design entry, modification, and maintenance. HDL Works' EASE design-entry tool has been optimized for use with Actel's Libero IDE...

System-interconnect design platform improves constraint-driven flow and ease of use.(TechView: EDA)
August 18, 2005... SHORTENING DESIGN TIME by enabling collaboration throughout the flow, the latest revision of Cadence's Allegro pc-board design platform offers enhancements from design entry through pc-board design. A number of productivity and ease-of-use...

Single-chip TV tuner replaces standard canned units in any TV or set-top-box.(TechView: WIRELESS)
August 18, 2005... Television tuners come in metal cans, right? They still do, but that's changing. TV and set-top-box manufacturers can trade in older, bulkier, and expensive tuner cans for a single 7-by 7-mm chip (see the figure). Xceive's XC2028 and XC3028...

Wi-Fi front-end/power-amp ICs target new market segments.(TechView: WIRELESS)
August 18, 2005... WI-FI 802.11 TECHNOLOGY IS NEARLY UBIQUITOUS. Yet new market segments are emerging, like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in Wi-Fi cell phones and hot-spot access points and PC cards for laptops. Each application has its own requirements....

IR transceivers boost speed and range.(TechView: WIRELESS)
August 18, 2005... Whenever we think of wireless, we automatically think of radio. But not all wireless is radio. Infrared's range is typically shorter than a radio transceiver, and line of sight is essential. Yet IR still has its place, most commonly in remote...

Design FAQs: frequently asked questions: high-speed ADCs.(Advertisement)
August 18, 2005... How fast is the current crop of high-speed analog-to-digital converters (ACDs)? The pipeline architecture and silicon-bipolar and CMOS process technologies dominate commercial high-speed converters below 300 Msamples/s. Typical resolutions...

Signal-conditioning IC: a low-cost ASIC alternative: looking to penetrate high-volume applications, this standard part offers smart-sensor and multisensor compatibility.(LEAPFROG: INDUSTRY FIRST: AN ELECTRONIC DESIGN EXCLUSIVE)(Sensory Platforms Inc. SSP 1492 universal signal-conditioning IC)
August 18, 2005... Sensors are ubiquitous, providing the signals that feed our computer-centric world. The outputs for these sensors, though, must be signal-conditioned for computer use. This depends not only on the application involved, but also on the type of...

Get up close and personal with silicon foundries: to battle escalating chip design costs, designers forge deeper relationships with manufacturing partners to ensure "right first time" success.(ENGINEERING FEATURE: SILICON FOUNDRIES)(Cover Story)
August 18, 2005... IC DESIGNERS AND WAFER FOUNDRIES are becoming more intimate these days. Due to soaring design and manufacturing costs, the two camps find themselves working together earlier in the design cycle. This gives chip designers the wherewithal to...

Synthesis attacks the abstract: interest is growing in design at levels of abstraction above RTL, and synthesis tools seem to be meeting the challenge.(TECHNOLOGY REPORT: SYNTHESIS TOOLS)(resistor transistor logic)
August 18, 2005... HARDWARE DESIGN is a process of refining an idea from a highly abstract form to a concrete, physical implementation. Along the way, a design is continually transformed from a given state of abstraction to another less abstract...

Power-management ICs are ideal for DDR-SDRAM memories: switching-type voltage regulation is the way to go, but don't forget to consider static, transient, and standby operating modes.(DESIGN SOLUTION Power)
August 18, 2005... Double-data-rate, single-data random access memory (DDR-SDRAM) has become popular in desktop and portable computing. The reason is its superior performance, low power dissipation, and competitive cost compared to other memory technologies. (1)...

First-come, first-serve circuit chooses winners.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)
August 18, 2005... This circuit is a first-come, first-serve selector (see the figure). Its genesis comes from a teacher who asked me to create a "Jeopardy" style quiz show apparatus that offers a fun way to test students. Three contestants each have a...