Electronic Design articles from July 2008

Electronic Design archives from July 2008

Industry view.(Brief article)
July 10, 2008... Cars Tap Wireless, Memory Technologies For Improved Safety Gaurav K. Agrawal, Spansion The automobile has come a long way since its inception in the 1700s, from steam-powered carriages to today's mobile communications hubs. And in the...

2008 Sensors Expo & Conference.(Brief article)
July 10, 2008... Held June 9-11 in Rosemont, Ill., this year's Sensors Expo & Conference offered a rich technical program and a floor of fascinating exhibits. Contributing Editor Roger Allan was on hand to investigate on the latest technologies. Check out...

Techview online.
July 10, 2008... Communications/Test Editor Louis E. Frenzel takes a look at the hottest wireless developments in his latest exclusive online reports. Bluetooth, Low-Power Bluetooth, GPS, And FM Radios Fit On One Chip [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Programmable wireless baseband chip handles any OFDM standard.
July 10, 2008... The Wavesat Odyssey 8500 multimode 4G broadband chip works with several available RF front ends to form a complete handset, portable device, or CPE solution. Its eight embedded DSPs provide internal memory that handles OFDM and related...

2008 Design Automation Conference.(Conference news)
July 10, 2008... EDA Editor David Maliniak has been to 12 consecutive Design Automation Conferences, and he says that last month's show in Anaheim was the most interesting and different of the bunch. Check out his reports from the floor, including exclusive...

Show videos take center stage on electronicdesign.com.(Editorial)
July 10, 2008... Most of you have probably noticed the influx of videos to electronicdesign.com over the past year or so. For the most part, these videos were shot at trade shows. Typically, a staff member at the show who knows something about video cameras...

DSP pumps up the performance in high-end stereo speakers.(the lab bench)
July 10, 2008... Even in this age of tiny earbud music players, audiophiles want high-end stereo systems that provide perfect acoustics and fidelity--and technology is making these systems less expensive than ever. In fact, I recently received a letter from a...

Protect yourself from the dangers of knockoff battery packs.(power design)
July 10, 2008... In recent years, the news of individual battery incidents such as cell-phone and laptop fires has been eclipsed by factory fires and large recalls of lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells. Several large, well-known Li-ion cell suppliers have been...

SIMT architecture delivers double-precision teraflops.(techview)
July 10, 2008... NVidia's T10 architecture brings double-precision floating point to the company's massively parallel computing platform. This graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture also is used in NVidia's consumer graphics boards. Both are supported by...

CPLD technology scores a big green zero.(techview)
July 10, 2008... Perhaps one of the greater debates among the ancient Greeks involved the status of the number zero. The fundamental question was how something could be nothing, leading to great philosophical and religious debates. One can only fathom a guess...

Hardware/software co-design comes of age: the concurrent design and verification of hardware and software has become a reality thanks to a plethora of resources in ESL flows, emulation, modeling and standards, and more.(feature)(Cover story)
July 10, 2008... There once was a time when system design was completely serial. Entire hardware platforms were designed, prototyped, debugged, and virtually completed before any software development began. Of course, such methodologies corresponded to the days...

MEMS the word ... in consumer electronics: a maturing technology with a multitude of low-cost functions pushes MEMS into a growing number of electronic products.(feature)
July 10, 2008... Demand for devices that can sense motion, orientation, and location is surging, and it runs the gamut from the hottest video games to critical medical technology. With accelerometers and gyroscopes based on microelectro-mechanical systems...

Without thermal analysis, you might get burned: thermal analysis used to be an afterthought, but now many designers must consider it up front.(engineering essentials)
July 10, 2008... Remember when thermal analysis meant getting your prototype back and deciding if you might need to throw in a couple of heatsinks and a fan for good measure? Try that approach now and you may find yourself in deep and without a paddle. After...

Make or buy: module mania.(embedded in ed)(Product/service evaluation)
July 10, 2008... Make it small. Make it cheap. Make it low-power. Buying off-the-shelf parts to meet these criteria is still a challenge, but the latest crop of modules makes the job easier. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Modules let designers develop custom...

Module targets rugged spec.(NEWS)(Brief article)
July 10, 2008... Men Micro's ESMexpress-based XM50 targets the pending VITA 59, RSE Rugged System-On-Module Express standard. The 1.5-GHz PowerQUICC III MPC8548 processor has access to 2 Gbytes of ECC DDR2 SDRAM memory in addition to nonvolatile SRAM and FRAM....

Tiny carrier and SBC keep cool.(NEWS)
July 10, 2008... Take one SpaceSaver-II. Attach one GMS P70x. Start developing on one slick platform with Mini-PCI Express and a 2.16-GHz Core 2 Duo processor. The 4- by 4-in. SpaceSaver-II provides these connectors: three video (NTSC, RGB, DVI), audio with...

Core hits 2 GHz with PCI Express connectivity.(embedded in ed)(Marvell )(Brief article)
July 10, 2008... Marvell took its ARM license and cranked out the 32-bit Shiva core, which hits 2 GHz and delivers PCI Express connectivity. It's compatible with ARM's 16-and 32-bit instruction sets even though it isn't part of ARM's Cortex push. This lets...

Multicore and more.(embedded in ed)
July 10, 2008... Freescale's QorIQ series builds on the venerable PowerQUICC lines. PowerQUICC will remain, but the QorIQ is where the power is. The P4 series starts with the eight-core P4080, which uses Freescale's CoreNET on-chip interconnect to deliver high...

Com express targets rugged video applications.(NEWS)
July 10, 2008... The COM Express-based COM680 from Ampro combines a 1.66-MHz dual-core Core2 Duo 7500 processor with high-resolution video, including on-board video encoding for HDTV, component, and S-video outputs. The board handles resolutions up to 2048 by...

Chip ties USB to Ethernet.(NEWS)
July 10, 2008... The LAN9500 USB-to-Ethernet bridge is one of a number of new Ethernet offerings from SMSC. It incorporates a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 controller and physical layer (PHY) with a 10/100 Ethernet interface that includes an auto-MDIX PHY. The LAN9420 PCI...

USB spans 8-to 32-bit MCUs.(NEWS)
July 10, 2008... Microchip's latest microcontrollers, from its 8-bit PICs to 32-bit MIPS-based chips, now sport USB. At the low end is the small-footprint PIC18F1XK50 family. The 16-bit PIC24F family now adds USB OTG (On the Go) support, as does the low-cost,...

VPX SBC blends FPGAs and dual-core PowerPC processors.(embedded in ed)
July 10, 2008... High-speed Aurora or Serial FPDP links feed dual Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs via a pair of FPGA mezzanine card (FMC/VITA 57) slots on VMetro's latest VPX single-board computer (SBC). The HPE640 also includes two Freescale MPC8641D dual e600 PowerPC...

Platform completes AdvancedTCA system.(embedded in ed)(Brief article)
July 10, 2008... The Element/Accelerator Platform delivers full software support of AdvancedTCA systems that typically include DSP farms to handle multimedia chores. Enea's high-availability platform addresses fault tolerance from the ground up, including...

Distributed computing augments math tool.(embedded in ed)(Parallel Computing Toolbox and Distributed Computing Server)(Brief article)
July 10, 2008... The Parallel Computing Toolbox and matching Distributed Computing Server augment the MathWorks' Matlab 2008a with parallel computing support that will be a boon to number-crunching developers. New features include parallel for (parfor)...

Protect your FPGA against piracy: a cost-effective authentication scheme provides protection of IP in SRAM-based FPGA designs.(design soloution)
July 10, 2008... Over the past two decades, the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) has transitioned from a prototyping tool to a flexible production solution in both consumer and industrial applications. With FPGA logic complexity increasing from a few...

Create a 250-MHz bandwidth digital potentiometer for video level control.(ideas for design)
July 10, 2008... A circuit used to control the level of a video signal should have a 3-dB cutoff frequency of greater than 5 MHz for a television application or 100 MHz for a monitor application. CMOS-based digital potentiometers typically cannot be used as...

VHDL code offloads LED blinking task to a CPLD.(ideas for design)
July 10, 2008... An earlier Idea For Design ("Hardware-Based LED Blinking Control Eliminates Software Overhead," Sept. 27, 2007, p. 52) described a very interesting way to offload the software overhead required for a microcontroller to drive LEDs that indicate...

What's all this sudoku stuff, anyhow?(pease porridge)
July 10, 2008... Isuspect most of you have seen these "logical" puzzles in many newspapers (not to mention little books). They consist of putting numbers into squares so each big square of nine squares has every number, one through nine. Likewise, so does every...

Analog/mixed-signal design.
July 24, 2008... Squeeze 10-Bit Performance From An 8-Bit DAC, Part 3: Self-Dithering ADCs [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designers can construct a triangular additive dither that only requires two pulse-width modulators and an XOR gate. However, it may be...

Design solution.
July 24, 2008... Correct-By-Construction Layout Generation And Modification [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Physical design verification software typically identifies faults in physical layouts by finding design-rule-check violations and layout-versus-schematic...

EiED online.
July 24, 2008... ZigBee Kits 5 Getting started with ZigBee continues to get easier. Embedded/Systems/Software Editor Bill Wong takes a look Digi's $499 Drop-in-Networking Starter Kit, which fits right into existing environments with a minimal amount of...

Scope.
July 24, 2008... "Friend" Your Picture Frame We're barely keeping up with the social networking technology that Web 2.0 applications require. Yet already, designers and marketers alike are buzzing about Web 3.0. Most experts predict high-speed,...

International Microwave Symposium 2008/MTT-S.
July 24, 2008... The IEEE's International Microwave Symposium, held last month in Atlanta, is more relevant than ever. While microwave radio once was relegated to radar, electronic warfare, long-distance telephone relays, and satellites, it's now a mainstream...

New products showcase.
July 24, 2008... UPC Manager Michael Orr, sales manager for Pacific Power Source, talks about UPC Manager, the latest feature of Pacific's UPC Studio software, in this exclusive online video interview conducted at Electronic Design's studio....

SmartBAT fixed-wing UAV.(ENGINEERING TV)
July 24, 2008... The Berkeley Aerobotics group has created a fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform, the SmartBAT--Single Man Aerial Reconnaissance Technology-Battlefield Assesment Telewing. It has an 11-lb payload capacity for sensors,...

CEA gives downtown Manhattan a digital boost.(editorial)
July 24, 2008... In the first installment of what promises to be a yearly commitment to New York City's downtown area, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) kicked off Digital Downtown for press and analysts. Digital Downtown was conceived as a three-day...

What will you do with 1 TFLOP of double-precision power?(the lab bench)
July 24, 2008... Don't look now, but you may have a supercomputer on your desk. It's hiding in your video card. While it won't make your word processor faster, it may improve the transcoding speed when you're moving movies to your mobile Internet device. ...

Consumer video chat: hype or reality?(point of view)
July 24, 2008... How can electronics designers capture the hearts and minds of the average consumer with video chat products? The concept of combining video and voice in two-way consumer communications devices is nothing new. For decades, there have been...

Smart as a brick--a new approach rejuvenates IBA.(techview)
July 24, 2008... By moving digital feedback and PMBus control upstream from point-of-load (POL) dc-dc converters in intermediate-bus-architecture (IBA) power-distribution schemes, Ericsson Power Modules may have sidestepped a patent problem that has all but...

Online poll.(techview)
July 24, 2008... Speedo and Ansys used computer modeling software to develop a new record-breaking swimsuit. What effect will this and other technology have on the upcoming Olympics? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Technology gives too large an 27%...

Cut cost, power while delivering 10-Gbit/s Ethernet over 30 m of copper.(techview)
July 24, 2008... Designers can deliver up to 10 Gbits/s of Ethernet over 30 m of copper cable thanks to a pair of developments from Phyworks Ltd. The 24 AWG twin-ax cable is terminated in SFP+ connector assemblies that employ the company's PHY2060 active...

GPIO expander takes a bite out of power.(techview)
July 24, 2008... The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Indians were known for attempting to recreate the "Midas touch," whereby they would practice alchemy in their ongoing quest to find the perfect catalyst to turn lead to gold. Yet they forgot one important...

Powerline modem uses OFDM to overpower noise and transmit data reliably.(techview)
July 24, 2008... Powerline communications (PLC) has been available for many years, but it hasn't always lived up to its expectations. Electrical utilities regularly use the technology to monitor and control ac power lines. Some companies have even tried...

Five-port Ethernet switch targets cost-sensitive low-port apps.(techview)
July 24, 2008... The KSZ8995FQ five-port Ethernet switch from Micrel targets applications with low port counts like industrial Ethernet, managed media converters, and fiber to the premises (FTTP) customer premise equipment (CPE) where low bill of materials...

Design FAQs: digital potentiometers.(FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)(Interview)
July 24, 2008... What are digital potentiometers, and how are they used? Digital potentiometers are integrated circuits that implement a resistive ladder and a digital means of addressing a particular tap on the ladder that corresponds to the wiper position...

The 2008 TechnOlympics; new modeling software, better timing, precise GPS systems, larger IT support, and other improvements should help athletes and viewers alike. But does it cross the line competition-wise?(feature)(Cover story)
July 24, 2008... Everyone expects a good political demonstration or two at next month's Olympic Games in Beijing. Maybe even a drug or doping scandal. There may also be complaints about the environment. And, you can count on some controversy surrounding all the...

Shrinking ICs need high density in a package deal: wafer-level, SiP, and PoP methodologies combined with TSV interconnections help overcome IC miniaturization challenges.(technology report)
July 24, 2008... The push is on for IC packages in smaller form factors, not only length- and width-wise, but also height-wise. Hence, the term "3D ICs." Smaller form factors require greater density, and that means stacking chips and boards on top of each...

MEMS and 3D packaging.(technology report)
July 24, 2008... As microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) ICs satisfy more functions and proliferate, packaging them into high-density form factors like 3D becomes more of a challenge than conventional ICs. To suppress costs and make them more competitive in...

Beyond the $10 million light bulb: How many EEs does it take to screw in a light bulb? Maybe we should ask why EEs should care--and why they should consider the growing role of LEDs in illumination applications.(engineering essentials)
July 24, 2008... Signed into law in January, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 directs the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish the "Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes" (L Prize) competition. This contest is designed to spur the development...

Designing multichannel HBLED systems.(engineering essentials)
July 24, 2008... High-brightness LEDs (HBLEDs) are increasingly becoming the light source of choice in both general and specialty lighting applications. Advances in LED technology have led to higher lumens per watt. Improvements are also being made in package...

Floorplanning a power delivery network with Spice: take a system-level approach to planning, analyzing, and implementing a PDN layout to meet a target impedance.(design soloution)
July 24, 2008... Greater system complexity and ever-higher clock speeds continue to push IC power consumption to the limit. And though every generation escalates the demand on IC current, voltage levels drop due to steadily declining feature sizes on the...

Smart optics push camera phones out of the "dark" ages: new techniques enable low-light resolution that's comporable to commercial digital still cameras.(design solution)
July 24, 2008... The camera modules used in mobile phones can be considered triumphs of miniaturization. However, they're frequently unable to match the performance of a digital still camera (DSC) of similar resolution. One of the most noticeable deficiencies...

Use a boost converter to create an auto-dimmable LED flashlight.(ideas for design)
July 24, 2008... Due to their light output and long life, high-brightness LEDs are well-suited for use in flashlights. Typically, the LEDs are driven with a constant current. So when the battery voltage drops, the flashlight just stops working. In some...

Nanophosphate batteries create high-energy, rechargeable source.(ideas for design)
July 24, 2008... This design shows how we combined four 36-V DeWalt DC9360 nanophosphate battery packs in a series-parallel configuration to create a robust, high-energy power source. Originally intended for the prototype Neodymics Cyclemotor electric bicycle...

Add on-board power measurement capability to telecom equipment.(ideas for design)
July 24, 2008... This idea shows how to monitor input voltage and current consumption for telecommunications equipment powered by two independent feeds: -48 V (A) and -48 V (B). Each feed supplies at least -42.5 V to -56.5 V, and for redundancy the feeds are...

Projects and partners move OLEDs closer to the spotlight.(in electronic design)
July 24, 2008... Developments in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology are accelerating. Delivering its "final milestone," the Organic LEDs for ICT and Lighting Applications (OLLA) organization has unveiled what it is calling Europe's most efficient...

Early warning is in the air for effective thermal management.(in electronic design)
July 24, 2008... For today's makers of high-reliability equipment, increased performance requirements have meant packing more and more hardware onto boards and stuffing higher-density boards into shrinking chassis. As a result, the power density (power...

SPDT switch covers DC to 26.5 GHz.(SWITCHES, KEYPADS, & RELAYS)
July 24, 2008... The Model SEM124 single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) electromechanical switch operates from dc to 26.5 GHz with low insertion loss, high isolation, and a low voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR). It features a failsafe mechanism and an integrated...

ROHS-compliant pushbuttons provide IP-67 reliability.(SWITCHES, KEYPADS, & RELAYS)
July 24, 2008... Expanding Apem Components' line of IPP sealed pushbutton switches, a flattop plunger switch series allows for customization to match the switch to unique applications. Customization options include user-specific markings, backlit legends,...

Illuminated pushbuttons add white led option.(SWITCHES, KEYPADS, & RELAYS)
July 24, 2008... The NL series ultra-subminiature, bi-color illuminated pushbutton switches containing two independent LEDs now include a white-LED version, along with existing color combinations of red, green, yellow, and blue. The components measure 2 mm in...

DIP switch sports 0.1-in. pitch.(SWITCHES, KEYPADS, & RELAYS)
July 24, 2008... Featuring a 0.1-in. pin pitch, the KJ series dual-inline package (DIP) switch is available with extended and recessed actuators. With two to 12 positions, the switch is compatible with surface-mount (SMT) assembly and infrared reflow and vapor...

Rocker switch fends off the elements.(SWITCHES, KEYPADS, & RELAYS)
July 24, 2008... Impervious to dust and weather, the KND2 series power rocker switch snaps into an industry-standard panel cutout size of 22 by 30 mm. Its unique internal design is responsible for providing reliable protection against dust and water up to IP55...

Mini joystick handles industrial rigors.(SWITCHES, KEYPADS, & RELAYS)
July 24, 2008... Suitable for a variety of industrial applications, the J1 miniature joystick is operable via thumb or fingertip actuation and integrates into a larger, manual joystick for secondary tasks or into a control panel with limited space. Typical...

Tactile switch rides low in the saddle.(SWITCHES, KEYPADS, & RELAYS)
July 24, 2008... Sporting a near wafer-thin profile, the TL3315 surface-mount tactile switch stands 0.55 mm high and offers multiple operating-force options to suit unique designs. Target markets include consumer electronics, audio/visual, medical, testing and...

Brush DC servos minimize magnetic cogging.(MOTORS & MOTION CONTROL)
July 24, 2008... The Pittman Series 14000 brush-commutated dc servomotors employ 11-slot skewed armatures to minimize magnetic cogging, also known as reluctance torque. The components suit a range of power applications for computer peripherals, medical and...

Hybrid linear actuator sports compact profile.(MOTORS & MOTION CONTROL)
July 24, 2008... Offering a compact option for linear-motion applications, the 28000 series Size 11, double-stack non-captive hybrid linear actuator packs numerous patent-pending technologies that promise high performance and endurance in a small package. The...

XYZ-axis stage family adds 40 members.(MOTORS & MOTION CONTROL)
July 24, 2008... Expanding Misumi USA's existing line of XYZ-axis stages are 40 additions, many of which offer a precise linear ball guide system that creates a gothic arch groove ball guide on both the upper and lower side of the stage body. All additions...

BLDC motors simplify installations.(MOTORS & MOTION CONTROL)
July 24, 2008... To ease the installation process while promoting smooth, quiet, and efficient operation over a wide speed range, the MCG brand MA34000 series brushless dc (BLDC) motors feature an integral drive, which also eliminates external motor cabling....

Single-axis actuator family offers 2600+ versions.(MOTORS & MOTION CONTROL)
July 24, 2008... Now hosting more than 2600 configurable versions, the LX series Model LX30 single-axis actuators are now available with or without a motor bracket and with one or two short blocks or one or two long blocks. All configurations are available in a...

0.05-in. headers widen signal density.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... Engineered for higher signal density in space-constrained applications, the latest male and female 0.05-in. (1.27 mm) board-to-board connectors from Sullins Electronics are available in single- and dual-row configurations and in plated...

Silicone cables enhance motion-control systems.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... For high-performance motion-control applications, the Motion Series PLUS (MS+) flat power/signal cables from Cicoil Corp. integrate six power conductors and 20 signal wires in a flat cable measuring 0.8 by 0.2 in. The cables feature...

Insulated 9-V battery straps offer series or parallel connection.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... Designed to connect most 9-V batteries in series or in parallel, Keystone Electronics' insulated battery straps employ molded polyethylene or rigid fiber materials with integrated insulators and phosphor bronze or spring steel, nickel-plated...

Adapters thwart IC obsolescence.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... Addressing IC obsolescence issues for products with long life cycles, the FlexFrame adapters from Interconnect Systems consist of phosphor bronze pins loaded into an FR4 carrier and bent into shapes that emulate gullwing or j-leads on the IC...

Mini RF couplers enable precise energy monitoring.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... For deployment in military and telecom designs, Microphase's Miniature 3 Port 50-[ohm] and 75-[ohm] Directional RF couplers promise precision monitoring of incident or reflected power within their small package designs. The Directional RF...

Connector system handles power-distribution chores.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... The HCI power-distribution connector system anticipates increasing system power demands that are driving the need for greater power density. A single HCI power contact accommodates more than 82 A of current based on a 30[degrees]C temperature...

Circular connectors withstand industrial-level abuse.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... Fashioned for rugged, industrial terrains, the XRC circular connectors consist of sealed plugs and receptacles with a standard 18-size shell, making them viable for heavy-duty applications such as trucks, buses, and agricultural markets....

M12-style connector line adds panel-mount versions.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... Enhancing the Smartclick M12-type connector family, the XS5M panel-mount plugs and XS5P panel-mount sockets from Omron Electronic Components come in front-panel-mount and rear-panel-mount versions. The IP67-rated circular industrial connectors...

Sockets support 0.8-mm pitch SDRAM.(INTERCONNECTS)
July 24, 2008... Described by Ironwood Electronics as high-performance ball-grid array (BGA) sockets for 0.8-mm pitch SDRAM, the SG-BGA-6252 hosts a 9- by 11-mm, 0.8-mm pitch 60-pin BGA package, and the SG-BGA-6253 socket handles 9- by 13-mm, 0.8-mm pitch...

Mailbag.(pease porridge)(Letter to the editor)
July 24, 2008... HI BOB, I am trying to build a test circuit that will produce a pulse current from a capacitor. My target is around 200 A at 100 ms. Is this possible? We have an instrument called a PVI that does the same only at lower current and at...