Electronic Design articles from February 2003

Electronic Design archives from February 2003

Volunteering goes beyond emergencies and holidays. (Editorial).(Ham radio operators provide communications in emergency situations )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... People volunteer for many reasons, but tragedies such as the destruction of the World Trade Center and storms like tornadoes and hurricanes bring out the best in us. We cannot say enough about the rescuers who exhaust themselves pulling...

What's all this K2-W stuff, anyhow? (Part 2). (Pease Porridge).(Column)
February 3, 2003... Here are some additional comments on the K2-W that did not fit in last month's column (ELECTRONIC DESIGN, Jan. 6, p. 20). The K2-W had adequate gain and dc stability, and it was fast enough for many analog computing schemes--100 times faster...

Several paths lead to passive integration. (Pov: Point of View).
February 3, 2003... A quiet revolution is occurring in passive component integration. The advanced electronic systems being designed and built today require greater component density for increased functionality. They also demand lower equivalent series inductance...

90-nm flows readied: Cadence and Synopsys link with a pure-play foundry to validate standard-cell and I/O libraries for 90-nm processes. (EDA News).(Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Pure-play silicon foundries are joining hands with EDA vendors to offer libraries that are verified in silicon and validated on tools. In this way, foundries can ease their customers' path into system-on-a-chip (SoC) design at geometries of 150...

Headphone amp bridges low power and distortion. (Consumer Electronics).(Fairchild Semiconductor FAN7005 )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... AS MULTIMEDIA BECOMES UBIQUITOUS, personal electronic devices now require a driver for audio outputs. Fairchild Semiconductor has introduced the FAN7005 headphone amplifier to fill the conflicting requirements for high fidelity and low power...

Code\lab for .Net. (Embedded News).(Mentor Graphics ships code\lab Embedded Development Environment 2.0)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net (www.microsoft.com) gained additional support with the integration of the code\lab Embedded Development Environment (EDE) from Accelerated Technology, Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics. The EDE is...

Light sensor sees like we do: with a spectral response matched to the eye, this sensor improves power management by dimming LCD backlights more precisely. (TechView: Analog & Power).(Microsemi LX1970)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Light sensors are important in power management, as they control the dimming of display backlights. Yet typical semiconductor-based light sensors are too sensitive to infrared energy, causing them to trigger dimming circuits inaccurately....

Family of RF ICs drops power yet maintains speed: the high-end chip consumes under 200 mW when operating at 400 Msamples/s. (Mixed-Signal News).(Analog Devices AD995x)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... THE ADVENT OF zero-intermediate-frequency transmitter architectures is limited by the choice of digital-to-analog converters available. Current parts consume up to 2 W to achieve a few hundred megahertz operation in direct digital synthesis...

Low-power delta-sigma ADC embedded systems. (Product News).(Texas Instruments ADS1244)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... LOW-POWER DELTA-SIGMA ADC EMBEDDED systems requiring low-power analog functions can turn to the low-power ADS1244 24-bit, delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Developed by Texas Instruments' Burr-Brown division in Tucson, Ariz., this...

10-Gbit Ethernet over copper: it had to happen; twin efforts are under way to develop 10-Gbit/s capability for unshielded twisted pair and for dual coax cable. (TechView: Communications).
February 3, 2003... We should have seen it coming. Once we got 1-G bit Ethernet over copper, it was obvious someone would want to do 10 Gbits/s over copper also, even though we have a perfectly good 10-Gbit Ethernet (10GE) fiber standard with many suppliers. But...

Cable modem gets DOCSIS 2.0 okay. (Breaking News).(Texas Instruments DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem passes Cable Televsion Labs' waves tests )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Cable Television Laboratories (www.CableLabs.com) has certified Texas Instruments' DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem. Called waves, the tests ensure modems meet Data Over Cable Service Interface Standard (DOCSIS) 2.0. Dennis Rauschmeyer, director of...

IPsec on the motherboard: as prices drop, security ICs will join modems and network chips as standard features. (Network Security).(ABIT Computer uses Cavium Networks CN1005 Nitrox Lite processor in new motherboard)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... With network security becoming more critical and companies demanding faster an easier security solutions, security chips are emerging on PC motherboards. Crypto chip manufacturer Cavium Networks and motherboard maker ABIT Computer haw announced...

A multi-band GSM/GPRS power amplifier controller: application brief 122.(National Semiconductor LMV243)
February 3, 2003... Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is the most popular cellular phone system in the world. In a GSM cellular phone or DCS/PCS phone network, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) scheme is used in the same cell to provide duplex...

Signal source delivers strong price/performance: this 20-MHz function and arbitrary waveform generator with variable-edge pulses and PWM targets a wide range of bench applications. (TechView: Components & Test).(Agilent Technologies 33220A waveform generator)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The first 20-MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator with variable-edge pulses and pulse-width modulation (PWM)-at a cost of $1850-comes by way of Agilent Technologies. The 33220A's pulse and PWM capability, combined with its 50-Msample/s,...

Digital I/O card shaves cost off mixed-signal IC testing. (Hot Product).(E-T-A Circuit Breakers ESS2O)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... THE LCDIO CARD FROM THIRD MILLENNIUM TEST SOLUTIONS (3MTS) cost-effectively tests the digital portion of mixed-signal ICs. This open-architecture, reconfigurable automatic-test-equipment (ATE) card plugs into slots 3 through 10 of the company's...

Electronic circuit breaker limits downtime. (Component News).(E-T-A Circuit Breakers ESS2O)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... In factory-automation settings where 24-V switching supplies power multiple loads, the fault on a single load circuit can shut down the power supply, disabling all loads. The ESS2O electronic circuit breaker combines active electronic current...

Assertions stand guard over SoC clock domains. (Leapfrog: First Look).
February 3, 2003... Assertion-based verification joins hands with formal technology to squash clock-domain crossing bugs that can elude simulation. In the simulation and verification world, particularly with regard to system-on-a-chip (SoC) design closure,...

The TiVo box redefines television viewing...as it creates a new TV viewer lifestyle. (Cover Feature: Success Story).
February 3, 2003... THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY CHANGED FOREVER BACK IN JANUARY 1999 WHEN A NEW HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEVICE DEBUTED AT THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW IN LAS VEGAS. Presented by TiVo Inc., this technology gave TV viewers recording capabilities far...

To compile or !(to compile) assembly is the question. (Special Editorial Feature: Embedded in Electronic Design).(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... C is the language of choice for embedded development, but assembler still ranks high. This is especially true for 8-bit MCUs. But is assembler really the best choice for optimal code size and execution efficiency? For 32- and 64-bit...

PC/104+ SBC packs Pentium. (Special Editorial Feature: Embedded in Electronic Design).(Versalogic Jaguar)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Joining an 850-MHz Pentium Ill to a PC/104Plus system actually takes two boards, so placing it at the top of a PC/104Plus stack makes the most sense. The Jaguar sports a Socket 370 that handles Celeron and Pentium III processors, starting with...

Software test tool eases migration to TTCN-3. (New Products: Software).(Telelogic Tau/Tester 2.0)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Based on the standardized test language Test and Testing Control Notation-3 (TTCN-3), Tau/Tester 2.0 suits rigorous software testing in the telecommunications, military/aerospace, and automotive industries. By adding TTCN-3 to the existing...

Eight-slot PXI chassis yields precise timing, synchronization. (Test & Measurement).(National Instruments NI 1042 )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Targeting real-time automated test and data-acquisition applications, the NI PXI-1042 eight-slot PCI Extensions for Instrumentation (PXI) chassis delivers high performance with a low-Jitter internal reference clock. The unit's external clock...

We need safe end-of-life disposal plans to save our environment. (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
February 17, 2003... Designers craft many fantastic products with most, if not all, of their attention focused on delivering goods that meet specs and cost budgets. However, designers often give little regard to what happens when the product reaches its end of...

Bob's mailbox. (Pease Porridge).(Letter to the Editor)(Column)
February 17, 2003... Dear Bob: They say doctors make the worst patients, but all my doctors say engineers are the worst. I guess we ask too many questions. I always feel better if I know what's going on. I even like listening to the air-traffic controller, if I...

Taking chip-scale packaging to new heights. (POV: Point of View).
February 17, 2003... Chip-scale packages were introduced to the semiconductor industry in the early 1990s to address the need for reduced size and weight in consumer products, like camcorders, cameras, and cell phones. Japanese OEMs, such as Sony and Sharp, first...

DC motor controller targets robot apps: dual-channel microcomputer-based module delivers up to 120 A and 40 V on each channel. (Components News).(Roboteq AX2500)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Robotics designers can now take advantage of the AX2500. This microcomputer-based dual-channel dc motor controller module drives up to 120 A on each of two independent channels, at up to 40 V. Applications include automatic guided vehicles...

T&M hot product. (TechView: The Industry).(RockyLogic Ant8500-Msample/s logic analyzer)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... The Ant8500-Msample/s, USB-powered logic analyzer is about the size of a matchbox and needs no external power supply, yet it costs a low $166. It includes pattern and edge triggers, plus occurrence counting and maximum and minimum-duration...

Advanced TCA hyped at Bus and Board Show: by corralling together several interconnect types, designers can mix and match to meet their needs. (Embedded Update).(Telecom Computing Architecture)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... THE LINES OF VENDORS formed behind the Advanced TCA (Telecom Computing Architecture) specifications booth at the 2003 Bus and Board Show in Long Beach, Calif., replete with chassis and demonstration boards. These vendors are poised to deliver...

Workshop guides designers toward silicon integration: A new report addresses technical and business issues surrounding the development of ICs for power conversion. (TechView: Analog & Power).(Power supply workshop report)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Results from an industry workshop on silicon integration for power electronics come via a recent report by the Power Supply Manufacturers Association (PSMA). The Workshop Report is the second of two volumes documenting the findings of the...

In the merchant power-supply market, design and manufacturing are typically closely linked. (Breaking News).(Ireland's Commergy focuses on dc-dc converters)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... IN THE MERCHANT POWER-SUPPLY MARKET, design and manufacturing are typically closely linked. Yet a Dublin, Ireland-based power-supply design house known as Commergy seeks to untie these binds. The company is developing high-efficiency dc-dc...

Datel's UHE-Q 25- to 30-W DC-DC converters offer 4-to-1 input voltage ranges. (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... DATEL'S UHE-Q 25-TO 30-W DC-DC CONVERTERS offer 4-to-1 input voltage ranges--twice that of standard bricks. Units offer either a 9-to 36-V or 18-to 75-V input range. Datel Inc. www.datel.com

Surface-mount 15-A point-of-load converters (SMT15E series) claim 95% efficiency. (Breaking News).(Artesyn Technologies SMT15E)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... SURFACE-MOUNT 15-A POINT-OF-LOAD CONVERTERS (SMT15E series) claim 95% efficiency and greater than 222-W/[in.sup.3] power density. Artesyn www.artesyn.com

Synqor raised its standard for process control beyond full routing control and unit level traceability. (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... SYNQOR raised its standard for process control beyond full routing control and unit level traceability. Its enhanced Manufacturing Process Management System now provides component-level traceability. So for a given serialized dc-dc converter,...

The AD8027 rail-to-rail operational amplifier from Analog Devices. (Hot Product).(Analog Devices )(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... THE AD8027 RAIL-TO-RAIL OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER from Analog Devices offers a "selectable crossover" feature that minimizes distortion. Like other op amps with rail-to-rail inputs and outputs, this one features an input stage that switches from...

Audio: The next step in home networking; A new ASIC eliminates the speaker wiring in surroundsound installations. (TechView: Communications).(Phonex Broadband ReadyWire)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... So far, the growth of home networking has focused on the sharing of a single high-speed Internet connection with multiple PCs. But that's about to change as developers and users look for smart audio-networking solutions. Phonex Broadband's...

Have your cake and eat it too with Bluetooth +802.11b in a Mini-PCI Card. (Hot Product).(SMART Modular Technologies Mini-PCI Card)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO with Bluetooth +802.11b in a Mini-PCI Card. Coupled with explosion wireless technology boom is the burgeoning need for multiple wireless technologies working together or operating concurrently. The IEEE 802.11b...

Don't forget! Wireless Systems Design Conference & Expo. (TechView: Communications).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... WIRELESS IS THE HOTFEST communications technology. If you're designing wireless products and systems, don't miss the Wireless Systems Design Conference & Expo (www.wsdexpo.com), February 24-27 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose,...

Leadframe memory cards slash packaging cost: these lidded and nonlidded leadframe memory cards will find use with memory die for digital storage and I/O cards. (TechView: Components & Test).(Amkor Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Aimed at memory die for digital storage and I/O applications, leadframe-based memory cards cut packaging costs by as much as 50% over conventional laminate-based solutions. Proprietary processes developed at Amkor Inc. brought the cards to...

Filter connectors come in pressfit or PC tail. (Hot Product).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... AVAILABLE IN PLUG or socket form, users have the option of the 5W5 combo D-Sub filter in either a pressfit or PC tail configuration. Both configurations can be installed in multilayer pc boards using flat-rock tooling or directly soldered using...

MEMGen Corp. has launched its 3D MEMS Design Challenge. (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... MEMGen CORP. has launched its 3D MEMS Design Challenge, a contest made possible by the company's EFAB micromanufacturing technology. With EFAB, engineers can design microdevices with commonly available 3D CAD software tools and fabricate them...

Chip trio packs all line-card and switch-fabric logic: streamlining the design of 10-Gbit/s line cards and switches, a three-chip set can process packets, manage traffic, and switch data at wire speed. (TechView: Digital).(Internet Machines IMpower chip set)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... To create what's considered the highest-integration chip set for packet processing and switching, Internet Machines reduced the basic building blocks for 10-Gbit line cards to just two chips and the switch fabric to one chip. Protocol...

When implementing logic functions, designers usually must trade off speed to attain low power consumption. (Hot Product).(Lattice Semiconductor ispMACH4000Z)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... WHEN IMPLEMENTING LOGIC FUNCTIONS, designers usually must trade off speed to attain low power consumption. With Lattice Semiconductor's ispMACH4000Z series of programmable logic devices (PLDs), designers can get high-speed PLDs that drop static...

As systems start switching over to the higher operating speeds of PCI-X 2.0 and PCI Express interfaces, these interfaces turn into standard building blocks. (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... As systems start switching over to the higher operating speeds of PCI-X 2.0 and PCI Express interfaces, these interfaces turn into standard building blocks. Companies such as LSI Logic Corp. now offer these blocks as part of their...

"Circuit engine" soups up op-amp synthesis: this engine plug-in spits out synthesizable, fully customized op amps that come in 10 different topologies or architectures. (TechView: EDA).(Barcelona Design's Prado synthesis platform)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Analog synthesis, promised for some time but still not yet fully delivered, is at least making strides. Analog designers sorely need the productivity they'd gain from a full-scale synthesis capability. Most analog design flows lack automation...

Cadence, Synopsys beef up the back end. (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... CADENCE, SYNOPSYS BEEF UP THE BACK END. Through strategic acquisitions, Cadence and Synopsys continue to strengthen their physical-IC design-tool divisions. Synopsys struck first by acquiring Numerical Technologies Inc., giving Synopsys a...

Shrinking portable products taking on more functionality pose stiffer challenges to system designers. (Hot Product).(Zuken's Cadstar 3D 4.2 )(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... SHRINKING PORTABLE PRODUCTS TAKING ON MORE FUNCTIONALITY pose stiffer challenges to system designers. It's more important than ever for EDA tools to bring 3D visualization capabilities to the table. Zuken's Cadstar 3D 4.2 is an upgraded version...

Software integration makes life easier: A number of companies now offer integrated software solutions, giving designers various options to meet time-to-market goals. (TechView: Embedded).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Bundling integrated software packages is becoming more prevalent as developers try to cut corners to reduce time-to- market. The trend is apparent in micro-controllers with the combination of Cygnal Integrated Products' (www.cygnal.com)...

Eight-port 4X infiniband switch fits in a 1U rack-mount slot. (Hot Products).(SBS Technologies' EIS-4008-CU)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... EIGHT-PORT 4X INFINIBAND SWITCH fits in a 1U rack-mount slot. The nonblocking switch supports cut-through and store and forward algorithms and has dual hot-swappable fans and power supplies. The aggregate switch bandwidth is 160 Gbits/s. The...

RTOS targets TMS320 DSPs from Texas Instruments. (Hot Products).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... RTOS TARGETS TMS320 DSPs from Texas Instruments. EWA Technologies' BlackHawk division recently released its Talon OS Suite, which is designed for fast, out-of-the-box development. The POSIX-compliant real-time operating system (RTOS) integrates...

Fixed-point code generation is now supported by MatLab, cSimulink, Stateflow, and the Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder products from The MathWorks. (Hot Products).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... FIXED-POINT CODE GENERATION is now supported by MatLab, cSimulink, Stateflow, and the Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder products from The MathWorks. Embedded targets include the Motorola MPC555 and the TI C6000. The Mathworks, www.mathworks.com...

Chip cuts networking costs by requiring only memory and an external 10/100-Mbit/s Ethernet physical layer. (Hot Products).(NetSilicon's NS7520 )(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... CHIP CUTS NETWORKING COSTS by requiring only memory and an external 10/100-Mbit/s Ethernet physical layer. NetSilicon's new 177-pin, 13- by 13-mm, 33-MHz NS7520 is only $7.95 in quantity. Both 46-MHz (-40[degrees]C to 85[degrees]C) and 55-MHz...

Eclipse for Linux. (TechView: Embedded).(TimeStorm from TimeSys)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... TIMESTORM FROM TIMESYS (www.timesys.com) is another system integrated development environment (IDE) based on the open-source Eclipse project. It joins QNX's (www.qnx.com) Momentics as one of the full-blown environments handling real-time...

RapidIO shines at Bus & Board Show. (TechView: Embedded).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... RAPIDIO ADOPTION GOT A LEG UP with the release of new RapidIO mechanical standards through the VMEbus International Trade Association (www.vita.com) and the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (www.picmg.org). This means serial and...

Fast-turnaround: ASIC platforms speed complex chips to market. (Leapfrog: First Look).
February 17, 2003... By using preselected market-segment-specific blocks of IP, a new class of ASICs helps accelerate product development and trim development costs. One of the biggest challenges in ASIC design is reducing the design time from concept of...

Management chips empower portable designs: improved charging ICs and fuel gauges maximize Li-ion runtimes. (Cover Feature: Technology Report).
February 17, 2003... Handheld devices like cell phones and PDAs rely on a variety of components to perform power management. Maximizing the efficiency of these components, both individually and as a whole, is becoming increasingly important as power consumption...

Ultraprecise instrumentation amplifier makes robust thermocouple interface -- Design Note 302. (Advertisement: Design Notes).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Introduction The versatile and precise LTC[R]2053 instrumentation amplifier provides an excellent platform for robust, low power instrumentation products--as exemplified below by the battery-powered thermocouple amplifier circuit. The...

Boost Internet-based applications with embedded device gateways. (Design View: Embedded Systems).
February 17, 2003... The chaos of diverse physical systems can be transformed into an orderly and uniform set of software interfaces that bridge to high-speed networks. * Internet-based applications benefit from access to real-world status and control information...

Voltage-to-current converter works from a single-supply rail. (Innovative Designs from Readers).
February 17, 2003... Voltage-to-current converters feeding to grounded loads often find their way into industrial measurements and control applications. The conventional textbook circuit needs both positive and negative-supply rails (Fig. 1). In this circuit: ...

Get low-impedance scaled voltages with everyday parts. (Innovative Designs from Readers).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... The precise combination of common, inexpensive components can yield a scaled regulated voltage with a very low output impedance and high current output capability. It's especially useful when the output is scaled to one-half of the input value...

Digital pots leverage reliability and hands-off programmability: from optical networks to telecom, digital pots are enhancing settability and cycle life. (Comparing and Contrasting Products).(digital potentiometers )
February 17, 2003... For decades, mechanical (or trimmer) potentiometers within a voltage-divider configuration have tackled such tasks as gain or offset adjustment. Digital pots, in which the wiper position is digitally programmed with a microcontroller, offer a...

Latest-gen low-profile relay cuts power consumption by half. (New Products: Components).(Fujitsu FTR-K1)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The FTR-K1 low-profile, high-power relay consumes 42% to 52% less power than the company's previous-generation VSB relay. Measuring only 29 by 12.7 by 15.7 mm, the part targets home appliances, audio-visual equipment, office automation, and...

SMD inductor boasts low-profile design. (New Products: Components).(Datatronic Distribution Inc's DR349-1 )(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The DR349-1 series surface-mount device (SMD) inductor features low seated profiles from 2.4 mm to 5.3 mm maximum above the circuit board. Operating from - 20[degrees]C to 80[degrees]C, the series offers an inductance range of 10 to 220...

Permanent magnet sensors keep processes in line. (New Products: Components).(Tyco Electronics Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * A new family of permanent magnet linear displacement (PLCD) sensors is based on the electromagnetic induction principle, which places a primary winding around a soft magnetic core. As a result, these sensors can help keep various processes in...

Single-pole, triple-throw switch replaces two SPDTs. (New Products: Components).(Fairchild Semiconductor FSA3357)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * Handheld devices, mobile phones, MP3 players, PDAs, notebooks, and other portables can now take advantage of the FSA3357 singlepole, triple-throw (SP3T) CMOS analog switch. The single 3:1 multiplexer part replaces two single-pole,...

Ultra-miniature switches ensure crisp actuation. (New Products: Components).(NKK Switches Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * Designed for use in low-voltage, low-current logic-level circuits, the G series washable toggle and rocker switches measure only 7 by 7 by 4.5 mm and weigh 0.25 g The company's patented Sliding Twin Crossbar (STC) contact mechanism ensures...

Motion control chip features 6.5-Mpulse/s output. (New Products: Components).(Nippon Pulse PCL6025)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The PCL6025 motion control chip targets use with stepper motors or with pulse/direction digital input servomotors. Available in a 128-pin QFP, the chip supports two-axis motion controls using independent control or coordination control...

SPXOs squeeze [+ or -]20-ppm stability into 7- by 5-mm package. (New Products: Components).(C-MAC MicroTechnology CFPS-74 (simple-packaged crystal oscillators))(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * Bringing reliability to the forefront, the CFPS-74 simple-packaged crystal oscillators (SPXOs) offer a 15-year all-causes stability of [+ or -]20 ppm. Packaged in the industry-standard 7- by 5-mm ceramic surface-mount format, the part can be...

Jitter analysis unit boasts deeper memory, faster speeds. (New Products: Test & Measurment).(Yokogawa TA720 Time Interval Analyzer)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * Homing in on the optical disk market is the TA720 Time Interval Analyzer, the newest release in a line of jitter analysis instruments. The TA720 features a larger memory capacity and faster speeds than its predecessors, the TA520 and TA320....

Portable ratchet-action meter applies pull-type force. (New Products: Test & Measurement).(MidTel Technologies MPT-100 Crimp Pull Test Instrument)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The MPT-100 Crimp Pull Test Instrument is a portable tool for measuring ratchet-action destructive pull-type force on crimp-on coax connectors in terminated cable samples. Up to 200-lb force is provided. The unit's digital readout displays...

USB-based Test Pod brings test capabilities to the PC. (New Products: Test & Measurement).(CWAV US Bee LX Digital Test Pod)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The US Bee LX Digital Test Pod provides a variety of functions, including logic analyzer, signal generator, data logger frequency counter, and remote controller functions, all in one compact USB-based pod. The USBee LX Tool Builder software...

75-W DC-DC converters mix high efficiency, small size. (New Products: Power).(Beta Dyne Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * A new series of 75-W single-output dc-dc converters features industry-standard pinout in a package smaller than a 1/4 brick. Measuring just 1.0 by 2.3 by 0,4 in., the units achieve high efficiency up to 93%. Thanks to patented designs for...

Very low output with [+ or -]1% accuracy earmarks step-down DC-DC controller. (New Products: Power).(Linear Technology LTC3832)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The LTC3832 high-efficiency step-down dc-dc controller converts input supplies ranging from 3 to 8 V to an output voltage as low as 0.6 Vat up to 15 A. The device provides a very low output voltage with [+ or -]1% accuracy to power the newest...

Performance-packed MOSFET driver IC handles fast switching. (New Products: Power).(Intersil Endura ISL6605)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * Offering a high degree of integration and performance in a small package, the Endura ISL6605 synchronous-rectified buck converter IC saves board space and lowers parts count. Target applications include core power for both Intel and AMD...

150-W power supply elevates designs to CE requirements. (New Products: Power).(Kepco's RKW)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The 150-W single-output RKW series power supply offers output voltages from 3.3 to 48 V dc. All models conform to EN 60950 for the low-voltage directive and meet EN 55001-B and EN 55022-B standards for conducted and radiated emissions. Thanks...

2-W dual-output power converters feature 5.5-mm profile. (New Products: Power).(C&D Technologies Inc's NTH)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * Aimed at rack-mounted industrial and telecommunications designs where height is restricted, the NTH series 2-W, dual-isolated-output dc-dc converters measure just 5.5 mm high. The low-profile converters also minimize board space thanks to a...

Op amps squeeze more life out of battery-powered systems. (New Products: Power).(Microchip Technology Inc's MCP614X)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * Typically consuming less than 1 [micro]W at the quiescent state with a 1.4-V supply, the MCP614X family of operational amplifiers cost-effectively improves performance and increases the operational life of high-performance battery-powered...

SMT planar power transformers take on 1500-V DC isolation. (New Products: Power).(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * A new line of 100- to 140-W surface-mount planar transformers targets high-density isolated dc-to-dc modules and discrete power supplies for use in telecom, datacom, and industrial control applications. The series is designed to meet either...

Scalable PCI/ISA SBC targets applied computing apps. (New Products: Embedded, Software).(Diversified Technology Inc's LBC9216)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The scalable LBC9216 single-board computer (SBC) features an Intel Pentium 4 or socket-478 Celeron processor with 512- or 128-kbyte full core speed L2 cache. The PICMG 1.0 Rev. 2.2-compliant passive backplane SBC also incorporates the Intel...

Eight-port serial I/O board supports potpourri of protocols. (New Products: Embedded, Software).(Thales Computers' PLX PC19030)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * An octal serial I/O PCI mezzanine card (PMC), the PMC-SIO, features eight ports supporting a number of synchronous and asynchronous protocols. The unit's eight ports have a well-balanced mix of a quad enhanced serial communication controller...

Conduction-cooled SBC steps up with 600-kgate FPGA. (New Products: Embedded, Software).(PPC G4D COTS from Vista Controls)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * The latest-generation G4 Motorola 7455 series PowerPC with AltiVec RISC microprocessors--the PPC G4D COTS single-board computer (SBC)--features processor speeds exceeding 1 GHz and a 600-kgate user-programmable FPGA. Over 1.6 GFLOPS of...

Software automatically generates efficient code for ECUs. (New Products: Embedded, Software).(TargetLink 2.0 from dSpace Inc)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... * TargetLink 2.0, a new version of software that automatically generates highly efficient production code for electronic control units (ECUs), delivers optimized C code directly from Matlab/Simulink/Stateflow. The software reduces controller...