Electronic Design articles from August 2008

Electronic Design archives from August 2008

Industry view.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
August 14, 2008... ED Online 19399: The Power Of The Portfolio Can Maximize Software Development Most companies target the needs of their prospective customers by creating a product line rather than a single product. Yet developing software for the multiple...

Scope.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
August 14, 2008... ED Online 19394: Tesla Roadster Gets Ready To Hit The Road In California Next time you're behind the wheel, don't be surprised if the 100% electric Tesla Roadster pulls up next to you. Production models are arriving in California, with a...

Medical design & manufacturing east.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
August 14, 2008... Even in today's economy, medical technology is a hot market. Components Editor Mat Dirjish was on hand at Medical Design & Manufacturing East in New York City in June with more than 1000 exhibitors from every area of the healthcare industry....

Technology in the news.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
August 14, 2008... ED Online 19396: iPhone Drops The BOM ED Online 19400: iPhone Adds 3G Functionality, Drops Cost Despite some early activation glitches, Apple's iPhone continues to dominate the consumer market with its latest model. So what goes into the...

Free webinar.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
August 14, 2008... Read Pacing A new feature called Read Pacing is now available on Gen 2 PCI Express switches. This technology opens up new avenues for enhancing performance in systems with multiple I/O streams. To learn the basics as well as get ideas for...

New product showcase.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
August 14, 2008... New PulSAR ADCs Wayne Talley, product marketing for precision ADCs at Analog Devices, discusses the ADC7626 and AD7625 converters, the newest additions to the PulSAR family of ADCs, in this exclusive video from the Electronic Design...

FPGA-based engine control system.(WWW.ENGINEERINGTV.com)
August 14, 2008... The challenge--build a full-authority, FPGA-based engine control system for a high-performance motorcycle engine. The solution--using the National Intruments CompactRIO and LabVIEW environment to focus directly on the engine control software...

Wireless everywhere still needs to work out the kinks.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
August 14, 2008... If you've ever seen the Dead Zone commercials from Verizon Wireless, you realize that there is some truth to the statement that wireless everywhere is still working out the kinks. My favorite is the one where a young couple is purchasing the...

The challenge: handling 1000 cores wirelessly.(LABBENCH)
August 14, 2008... Intel and other companies are forecasting a single chip with 1000 cores. Programming these chips will be a challenge, but there is another arena with similar challenges. Cores are proliferating in the wireless sensor and control arena, with...

Wireless security gets a new sheriff and Deputy-802.1x and EAP.(POINTOFVIEW)
August 14, 2008... Wireless technologies continue to grow with no sign of slowing down. Today, companies need to understand the advances in wireless security standards so they can easily integrate wireless infrastructure products (access points and clients) while...

Big, black, and bold oscilloscope breaks performance barriers.(TECHVIEW)
August 14, 2008... The WavePro 7 Zi series from LeCroy revolutionizes oscilloscope design and functionality (Fig. 1). While the 15.3-in. WXGA LCD touchscreen can display all sorts of useful data at the same time, the real breakthrough is what's inside, as its...

Online poll.(TECHVIEW)
August 14, 2008... According to the American Radio Relay League, there are about 680,000 hams in the U.S. What does the future hold for the hobby? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Developments like SDR will make it better than ever. 47% The shift to...

RF/IF VGA chip does it all.(TECHVIEW)
August 14, 2008... According to Maxim Integrated Products, the MAX2065 fully programmable, multistate, analog and digital IF/RF variable-gain amplifier (VGA) aims to solve a number of automatic gain control (AGC) design problems in GSM/EDGE, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE, and...

Set-top tuner simplifies design and assembly.(TECHVIEW)
August 14, 2008... Tuners for set-top boxes, DVRs, PC TV-tuner cards, and the like keep getting simpler to design in and less demanding to assemble into end products. Anadigics' AIT1032 1-GHz double-conversion tuner implements upconverter, downconverter,...

RF power MOSFETs top previous PAE standards.(TECHVIEW)
August 14, 2008... Power-added efficiency (PAE) is the ratio of the difference of the power gain of an RF power amp to the dc power that amp consumes. In commercial wireless systems at 175 and 500 MHz in cell phones at 800 and 900 MHz, it's customary to use two...

Model extractor for CMOS sports improved RF/DC parameters.(TECHVIEW)
August 14, 2008... It's very difficult to create accurate device-simulation models for advanced CMOS digital processes. Why? Because hard-to-model effects like gate accumulation and tunneling, trap-assisted tunneling, and halo effects have become so prevalent at...

Updated signal-generation software uses click-and-drag GUI.(TECHVIEW)
August 14, 2008... Keithley Instruments has launched the 2.0 version of its SignalMeister Waveform Creation Software. Introduced last year, the original version of the software tool lets engineers create highly complex signals needed to test modern RF and...

SDR transforms amateur radio: software is changing the way hams operate, catapulting a classic hobby into the 21st century.(ENGINEERING FEATURE)
August 14, 2008... Like almost everything else in electronics, radios are becoming processors with software that communicate via a small amount of RF I/O circuitry. Surely, then, the rise of software-defined radio (SDR) should come as no surprise. Digital...

Good times for ham radio.(ENGINEERING FEATURE)
August 14, 2008... I recently spoke with David Sumner (K1ZZ), the CEO of the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), at the Dayton Hamvention, the big ham conference held every year in Dayton, Ohio. If you're a ham, you know about the ARRL, which supports and promotes...

Myriad infrastructure options bombard femtocell design: wireless communications continue to grow exponentially, but so do the architecture variations and related signaling protocol alternatives.(TECHNOLOGYREPORT)
August 14, 2008... Cell phones are everywhere, and femtocells may follow. Designed for homes and small businesses, these desktop cell-phone base-stations connect to the cell-phone network via an existing high-speed Internet connection using a DSL or cable TV...

Welcome to antennas 101: with a little help from this introductory guide, even non-RF engineers can take advantage of wireless technology.(ENGINEERINGESSENTIALS)(Interview)
August 14, 2008... Antennas are much more than simple devices connected to every radio. They're the transducers that convert the voltage from a transmitter into a radio signal. And they pick radio signals out of the air and convert them into a voltage for...

Wireless Python key to mobile Robot.(EMBEDDEDINED)
August 14, 2008... Programming wireless devices can be a chore, but the use of scripting languages like Python can turn rapid frustration into rapid development. I tested this theory with the Synapse Wireless EK2500 development kit, which I combined with iRobot's...

Rugged gateway links ZigBee and cellular.(NEWS)
August 14, 2008... Digi International's ConnectPort X4 NEMA provides a rugged link between a cellular and ZigBee network. The gateway features Python programming support in addition to serial, Ethernet, and USB interfaces. The unit is designed to be a gateway to...

Fanless Mini-ITX motherboard stays cool.(NEWS)
August 14, 2008... ITOX's G5G100-L10C Mini-ITX motherboard sports heatsinks to keep its 1-GHz Celeron M Ultra Low Voltage 373 processor cool. The chip has a 512-kbyte cache and a 400-MHz front-side bus. The system uses less than 17 W. The board utilizes the...

Multicore for WANs.(EMBEDDEDINED)
August 14, 2008... Packet processing needs processing power. That's what GE Fanuc delivers with its WANic 5434 Packet Processor (see the figure). The PCI Express-based board can handle wire speeds up to 4 Gbits/s. It also can handle packet inspection for layers 2...

Constructing tiered wireless sensor networks.(EMBEDDEDINED)
August 14, 2008... The University of Southern California is the home of Tenet, a tiered wireless Xsensor network project. The architectures combine PC-class network masters with a horde of wireless micro motes that are typically 802.15.4 nodes. Generally, these...

ZigBee chip goes 32 bits.(EMBEDDEDINED)
August 14, 2008... Jennic's JN5139 brings 32-bit computing to ZigBee Pro. It's built around a 32-bit, 16 MIPS RISC core, 96 kbytes of RAM, and 192 kbytes of ROM. Developers can use the JenNet stack, 6LoWAPAN IP, or ZigBee Pro protocol stack. Peripherals include...

Rugged displays get wide.(EMBEDDEDINED)
August 14, 2008... Stealth Computer's SV-2400 wraps a steel enclosure around a widescreen, 24-in. LCD. The system features an optional USB-based, capacitive touchscreen interface designed for rugged environments. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The NEMA 4/IP56...

Linux L2/L3 middleware targets multicore solutions.(EMBEDDEDINED)
August 14, 2008... 6WINDGate EDS and SDS software from 6WIND addresses telecom applications such as wireless infrastructure. The EDS version enables Fast Path implementation as a Linux kernel module between the Linux networking stack and the interface drivers....

Design FAQs: Automated Test Summit 2008.(FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)(Interview)
August 14, 2008... What is the Automated Test Summit? The Automated Test Summit is an annual virtual industry event for test and design engineers hosted by National Instruments. It includes a virtual trade show floor with exhibits, interactive Q&A, live...

Build a debug and trace system for multicore SoCs: savvy cost/functionality tradeoff decisions can lead to effective and efficient debug and trace for complex, multicore SoCs.(DESIGNSOLUTION)
August 14, 2008... Embedded designers put microprocessors in everyday products like cars, phones, cameras, TVs, music players, and printers, as well as the communications infrastructure, which the general public doesn't get to see. They know how important it is...

Protect storage solutions against sophisticated attacks: technology-based security solutions that include physical-layer security are needed to ensure the survivability of key standards like HDMI, Blu-ray, and WiMAX.(DESIGNSOLUTION)
August 14, 2008... With the trend toward greater global competition, companies are increasingly setting up manufacturing facilities in countries with historically weak legal protections for intellectual property (IP). Thus, there's a growing demand among system...

Driver offers proportional solenoid control without PLC, microcontroller.(IDEASFORDESIGN)
August 14, 2008... The proportional-control solenoids used in some industrial hydraulic systems are usually driven by microcontrollers or programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Such complex drivers typically require several different supply voltages for logic and...

Some basic math creates a low-cost nonlinear thermocouple interface.(IDEASFORDESIGN)
August 14, 2008... Measurement and process control loops often use 8-bit microcontrollers. The devices are inexpensive and widely available, and they can be programmed in many popular high-level languages--like C and Basic. However, if the loop requires a...

What's all this output impedance stuff, anyhow? (part 1).(PEASEPORRIDGE)
August 14, 2008... A few engineers were having a debate. According to all the books, some of them said, op amps are supposed to have zero output impedance, or very low. That means the output voltage won't change, just in case the output current changes. Some...

Editor's view.(Editorial)
August 28, 2008... ED Online 19467: Ham Radio's Rejuvenation [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Don Tuite, Analog/Power Editor Hypothesis: Doing away with the code requirement last March has completed a rejuvenation of ham radio that was triggered by the World...

Industry view.
August 28, 2008... ED Online 19484: Visual Embedded Design Tools + ANSI C = New Challenges Oliver H. Bailey, Timelines Industries Here's a real gotcha you may encounter while updating a visual design tool. The update includes support for a new compiler...

Techview online.(Brief article)
August 28, 2008... ED Online 19465: Handheld Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers Nail Interfering Wireless Signals Fast [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Louis E. Frenzel, Communications/Test Editor The Tektronix SA2600 real-time spectrum analyzer has a frequency...

New product showcase.
August 28, 2008... TI's Multi-Architecture Roadmap [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John Dixon, product manager for low-power processors at Texas Instruments, talks about TI's multi-architecture roadmap for 2009 in this exclusive video from the Electronic Design...

NIWeek08.
August 28, 2008... Hosted by National Instruments, this year's show brought together more than 3000 engineers, scientists, educators, and NI developers for three full days of interactive technical sessions, hands-on workshops, case-study presentations, and...

Lithium-ion battery measurement.(ENGINEERING TV)
August 28, 2008... Electric vehicles rely on high-power batteries to store the massive amounts of electricity needed to drive many miles on a single charge. These batteries comprise hundreds or even thousands of individual cells stacked together at voltages...

For consumer electronics, the holiday season starts in July.(editorial)
August 28, 2008... As an editor with a major electronics magazine, I'm invited to industry events all the time. Come July, though, I start receiving invitations from public relations folks for events that are really outside the magazine's coverage--events that...

MILS, MSL, MLS: figuring out all those secure acronyms.(the lab bench)
August 28, 2008... Few embedded designs are isolated these days. Still, most users and quite a few developers only think of names and passwords when it comes to security. Yet there's much more, and it really needs to be incorporated throughout the design process....

Using delta-sigma can be as easy as ADC (part 2).(analog/mixed-signal design)
August 28, 2008... In my previous column, I took a historical approach to delta-sigma modulation with the single-slope converter (May 8, p. 18, ED Online 18747). Jim Williams of Linear Tech responded, and he sent me a copy of a 1949 article by D.H. Wilkinson on...

45-nm via-programmable ASICs add high-speed I/O transceivers to feature mix.(techview)
August 28, 2008... ASIC design starts have plummeted in recent years, and there are many good reasons why. Designs at ultra-deep-submicron process nodes are awfully expensive and getting more so daily as mask costs rise, software content proliferates, and...

Cold, dense, and gratis MCU core targets FPGAs.(techview)
August 28, 2008... Did you know that at 5515 kg/[m.sup.3], Earth is the densest planet in our solar system? Most of that density is made up in the Earth's core, which became so dense during the early stages of the Earth's 4.5 billion-year life in a process called...

Chips help supercaps flash white LEDs brighter for higher-res photos.(techview)
August 28, 2008... As digital-camera and phone-camera resolution increases, high-resolution image sensors require more light. First-generation low-res camera phones provided barely adequate flash intensity for taking closeups of friends at parties. Even...

IC power amp targets mobile WiMAX apps.(techview)
August 28, 2008... The mobile version of the WiMAX broadband wireless technology is beginning to roll out as laptop manufacturers add it to their PCs and as other companies make wireless access points for the home and office. Now, all of these designers have...

ZigBee wireless module sports 32-Bit ARM processor.(techview)
August 28, 2008... Lots of companies make IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee wireless modules, but only California Eastern Laboratories (CEL) offers one with an internal 32-bit ARM processor. The FreeStar Pro is a complete radio module that's ready to go as a node in...

Portable craze redefines the dashboard: drivers and passengers take their information and entertainment centers on the road thanks to advanced automotive-infotainment (AI) systems.(feature)
August 28, 2008... Text, blog, or twitter hands-free while driving. Access your car's iPod media player to change tracks and adjust the volume without lifting a finger. Even host a three-way telephone call via a Blue-tooth device without your hands leaving the...

Dev kits help alleviate those FPGA design woes: the latest crop of FPGA kits brings novice FPGA designers up to speed much more quickly.(feature)
August 28, 2008... Design at the logic level for board-level products is rare. If it can't be done with a microcontroller or two, then what's a designer to do? FPGAs have been the answer for years, but FPGA tools required a steep learning curve. Likewise, FPGAs...

Modern DSP chips serve up variations on a theme: today's digital signal processors may have one or more cores under the hood and may even have a microcontroller partner to help perform specific tasks.(engineering essentials)
August 28, 2008... Digital signal processors (DSPs) earn their living by doing certain analog jobs better than analog circuitry. In some cases, where analog circuits can't even be considered for a task due to cost or complexity reasons, DSPs are still a viable...

Eye-diagram analysis speeds DDR SDRAM validation: to meet JEDEC compliance, form-fit the best eye-diagram method to your device using the latest oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.(design solution)
August 28, 2008... Double-data-rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM) physical-layer testing is a crucial step in making sure devices comply with the JEDEC specification. The ultimate goal is to guarantee interoperability when different memory...

Simple PWM modulator allows DC control signal to drive LEDs.(ideas for design)
August 28, 2008... LED-driver circuits can be dimmed by applying a variable duty cycle (pulse-width modulation, or PWM) to the LED. PWM exploits LED behavior: At higher current levels, the LED's light output is higher for a given level of power dissipation...

Narrow-shift digital discriminator detects differential GPS corrections.(ideas for design)
August 28, 2008... The U.S. Coast Guard transmits differential corrections to GPS signals (DGPS) via low-frequency (285- to 325-kHz) beacons. Transmission data rates are 100 or 200 bits/s. The modulation is minimum-shift keying (MSK), resulting in a pseudo...

Use inexpensive components to create an infrared close-object alert circuit.(ideas for design)
August 28, 2008... Many robotic applications require a sensor to detect close or very close obstacles. Typically, reflective-type infrared sensors are used for this task. But the circuit in the figure shows an infrared close-object alert system built around two...

Engineer seeks cure for common wall warts.(in electronic design)
August 28, 2008... With the mass proliferation of mobile devices and various computer and home-entertainment peripherals, most of us suffer from a bad case of wall warts. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Doug Palmer, a principal development engineer at the San...

White LEDs clear another brightness bar.(in electronic design)
August 28, 2008... It seems there's another breakthrough in LED lighting every week. Most recently, Osram Opto Semiconductors claims to have set a world record in the lab for brightness and efficacy of white LEDs. The company has fabricated a white-LED...

Create stable, reliable, and efficient tantalum capacitors.(in electronic design)
August 28, 2008... Ceramic capacitors are rapidly increasing in capacitance and volumetric efficiency (CV/cc) due to higher dielectric constants and smaller dielectric thickness as well as higher layer counts. To compete with ceramic capacitors and meet demands...

25-W supplies measure 3 by 1.4 in.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... Measuring 3 by 1.4 by 1.1 in. (76.2 by 35.6 by 26.7 mm) in PCB-mount (printed-circuit board) format, the ECL25 series single-output ac-dc power supplies deliver up to 25 W of output power and are available in chassis, PCB, or encapsulated...

Ac-dc supply pumps out 25 kW AT 48 V.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... The PM37223-10P, a power-factor corrected, water-cooled ac-dc power supply, delivers up to 25 kW of output power in a 2U 19-in. rack configuration. Specifying an efficiency greater than 91% at 80% of load, it provides an output of 48 V at 520...

28-V input attenuator enables MIL-STD compatibility.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... In addition to providing electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering and transient protection, the 28V-in M-FIAM9 military filter input attenuator module enables designers using the Maxi, Mini, and Micro Series 24-V and Maxi Series 28-V dc-dc...

30-W dc-dc converters sport 1-by 2-in. footprint.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... Supporting 9to 36-V dc and 18- to 75-V dc input ranges, the TEN-30WIN series 30-W dc-dc converters feature a 1- by 2- by 0.4-in. footprint and single-, dual-, and triple-output models with output voltages ranging from 1.5 to 15 V dc. They...

Power source adds flexibility to 28-V military vehicles.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... The Power Accessory Distribution System (PADS) is a rugged, ready-to-use, drop-in power source that delivers 110 V ac, 12 V dc, and 5 V dc in military vehicles using a standard 28-V dc power system. As such, PADS allows soldiers to power many...

Dc-dc converter delivers higher power in eighth-brick format.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... The eighth-brick size PKB-NG dc-dc converter provides an output power of 300 W at 42 A, enabling users to achieve higher power in a standard eighth-brick format when upgrading boards for higher performance. Available in through-hole and...

Ac-dc supplies carry IEC601 medical approvals.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... Sporting IEC601 medical approvals, the MFA160 series ac-dc open-frame power supplies measure 51 by 102 by 27 mm and deliver up to 160 W of output power. The supplies are available with four different output voltages of 5, 12, 24, or 48 and an...

Class II power supplies drive LED lighting/signage designs.(POWER SOURCES)
August 28, 2008... Designed for outdoor LED lighting and sign applications, the LED-240 series switching power supplies deliver 240 W of output power and come in 4.84- by 6.54- by 2.22-in. aluminum enclosures with an IP65 rating. The supplies provide four...

L-band VCO features low second-harmonic and phase noise.(PASSIVE & TIMING COMPONENTS)
August 28, 2008... Operating in the L-band from 1560 to 1580 MHz, the CLV1570B-LF voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is well-suited for microwave radio applications that require superior second-harmonic suppression and very low phase noise. The device's tuning...

VCO spans 950 MHz to 2.050 GHz.(PASSIVE & TIMING COMPONENTS)
August 28, 2008... The CVCO55BES-0950-2050 voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) operates from 950 MHz to 2050 MHz with a control voltage range of 0 to 15 V. It specifies a typical phase noise of -99 dBc/Hz at a 10-kHz offset and comes in an industry-standard...

Power inductor line adds 2.8-mm profile and higher current members.(PASSIVE & TIMING COMPONENTS)
August 28, 2008... Expanding the company's wire-wound power inductor offerings, the NR6028 series inductors measure 6 by 6 by 2.8 mm and target dc-dc converter choke coil applications in LCD/plasma TVs and other flat-panel displays. Hosting 13 models, the series...

Tubular wire-wound resistor series expands.(PASSIVE & TIMING COMPONENTS)
August 28, 2008... The SWT (silicone coated) and EWT (vitreous enamel coated) series of high-power tubular wire-wound resistors have been expanded to include the industry's most common wattages and hardware. Both series include power ratings from 12 to 1300 W in...

Thin-film common-mode filter first for DisplayPort.(PASSIVE & TIMING COMPONENTS)
August 28, 2008... According to TDK USA, the TCM1210U-500-2P is the industry's first wide-band thin-film common-mode filter for electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression on DisplayPort interfaces. Measuring 1.25 by 1 by 0.6 mm, the filter specifies a cutoff...

Varistor quashes fire concerns.(PASSIVE & TIMING COMPONENTS)
August 28, 2008... To eliminate the risk of fire or explosion resulting from over-voltages or excessive leakage currents, the SFS14K385E2 varistor's special plastic coating also prevents smoke from developing. In the event of a fault, components in the immediate...

Wet electrolytic tantalum cap enables high-CV designs.(PASSIVE & TIMING COMPONENTS)
August 28, 2008... A wet electrolytic tantalum capacitor, the TWA features a patented high-capacitance-cathode system that enables high-capacitance-voltage (CV) designs, reportedly beyond the values specified in the Mil-PRF-39006 drawing. Manufactured and tested...

Enclosures resist fire and shock.(CABINETS & ENCLOSURES)
August 28, 2008... In emergency situations and for general protection, Altech's enclosures protect electrical systems against fire and shock. Depending on the model, the terminal boxes can sustain flame protection up to 90 minutes in accordance with DIN 4102 Part...

Enclosure/backplane speeds VPX system development.(CABINETS & ENCLOSURES)
August 28, 2008... The VPX/VXS five-slot VPX and VXS portable tower enclosure and backplane promises to accelerate and simplify both VPX system integration and development. The backplane's design enables full exploitation of the company's FPE650 quad-FPGA and...

Rack cases house wide range of equipment.(CABINETS & ENCLOSURES)
August 28, 2008... Groomed for versatility, the RM family of 19-in. aluminum rack cases includes 1U, 2U, and 3U heights and depths of 203, 330, and 457 mm. They support a wide range of equipment, mounting in a 19-in. rack or performing as a desktop enclosure. The...

Server chassis go green.(CABINETS & ENCLOSURES)
August 28, 2008... Environmentally friendly via efficient use of power, the G-Series SAS/SATA storage server chassis includes a high-efficiency power supply. It also features an SPGC pre-plated steel chassis design with minimal paint and tool-less ball-bearing...

Polycarbonate enclosure family adds new members.(CABINETS & ENCLOSURES)
August 28, 2008... Joining Altech's line of polycarbonate enclosures are standard UL-listed enclosures for control and measuring equipment deployed in the harshest operating environments. According to the company, the family provides the widest selection of...

Boards baffle air while filling empty MTCA slots.(CABINETS & ENCLOSURES)
August 28, 2008... The AMC filler boards act as an air baffle and filler panel for empty slots in MicroTCA chassis. They plug into unused slots in the chassis to redirect or contain airflow, helping to keep cool air within the critical areas of the enclosure and...

What's all this output impedance stuff, anyhow? (part 2).(pease porridge)
August 28, 2008... When I present seminars, I often ask the members of the audience to hold up their hands if they think bipolar op amps have better gain and linearity than CMOS. I get a good majority of hands. But neither is bad! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...