Electronic Design articles from June 2005

Electronic Design archives from June 2005

It's not easy being green.(e Book)
June 9, 2005... Are you up to speed on the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive? Educate yourself about this emerging "green" standard at Electronic Design's RoHs Reference Center, which features articles, links, and our new free eBook,...

"Sound off".(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
June 9, 2005... "How can you energize the younger generation about engineering when working engineers are not energized? I have been battling boredom my entire career. Nobody will let you design anymore. If you need a circuit, look for somebody who has an...

Polling.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
June 9, 2005... Do you listen to podcasts on your iPod or other MP3 player? Often 6% Sometimes 7% Never 17% I don't own an iPod or MP3 player 70% Express yourself through our new online poll: Do you think RFID...

EiED online.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
June 9, 2005... Soft MCU Goes Graphical PSoC is Cypress Semiconductor's mixed-signal controller that's surrounded with analog and digital blocks that can be configured in the same manner as an FPGA. The company's newest tool, PSoC Express, is designed to...

What's up?(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
June 9, 2005... Free Showcast: What to See at DAC Friday, June 10 at 2 pm ET It's a highly coveted honor to be on the "What to See at DAC" list compiled for each year's Design Automation Conference by Gartner Dataquest's Gary Smith. The list will make its...

What's cool.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
June 9, 2005... From the Top 20 Articles on ED Online: 1. Tag It! ED Online 10270 2. Use The PC's UART With 9-Bit Protocols ED Online 6245 3. Advantages Give LEDs/OLEDs That Extra Twinkle ED...

Cutting-edge DSP designs give new life to old markets.(EDITORIAL)
June 9, 2005... Designs incorporating DSPs are among the hottest areas you readers are working on today. There are so many new DSP applications that it comes as no surprise that Forward Concepts research shows DSPs growing faster than any other semiconductor...

What's all this doctoring stuff, anyhow? (Part 4).(PEASE PORRIDGE)
June 9, 2005... Usually, I write my own columns. But recently I received a letter that was just too good to include in a "Bob's Mailbox." So I decided to make it the latest installment in my series on self-doctoring. Thank you, Mr. Kraus, for taking the time...

Challenges grow, but it's all in a day's work.(POV: POINT OF VIEW)
June 9, 2005... The relentless pace of change in electronics design means an increasing number of challenges for product designers, along with shorter development cycles and tighter budgets. One involves a general trend in the electronics industry away from...

DoD ready to close military technology centers.(TechView)
June 9, 2005... The Pentagon has recommended closing 33 U.S. military installations and realigning 29 others, including a number of military R&D centers. While the Pentagon says the base closings are necessary to "increase efficiency through consolidation,"...

Wireless system brings captioning to public venues.(Scope: Electronics at Work and at Play)
June 9, 2005... Despite the 28 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing, many public venues lack captioning. But a system from the Georgia Tech Research institute and Peacock Communications uses wireless technology to provide captioning to an entire...

Gigabit Ethernet PoE midspans manage four data pairs.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
June 9, 2005... The proportion of Ethernet switches shipping with Gigabit ports should reach 25% this year and pass 50% in 2007, according to industry analysts IDC. Seizing the opportunity, PowerDsine offers the industry's first Power over Gigabit Ethernet...

ICs tackle industrial apps with advanced trench technology.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
June 9, 2005... The first throe products based on Analog Devices' 36-V iPolar trench-isolation process technology are now available. The iPolar process replaces the diffusion layers of traditional bipolar processes with trench isolation, improving performance...

Ethernet router offers carrier-class features.(TechView: COMMUNICATIONS)
June 9, 2005... Many designers still see Ethernet as an enterprise local-area network (LAN). But as it gets faster and new features are added, it's becoming the next medium for implementing forthcoming Internet Protocol (IP) applications like video. ...

One-time programmable memory delivers smallest, lowest-cost chip.(TechView: DIGITAL)
June 9, 2005... By stacking layers of storage on top of each other, Matrix Semit-conductor has developed a family of one-time programmable (OTP) memories that deliver the industry's smallest and lowest-cost chips. The largest member in the Trinity family, a...

Network processors and software trim system development time and cost.(TechView: DIGITAL)
June 9, 2005... The TrueAdvantage portfolio from Agere Systems includes two network processor chips for wireline and wireless service providers. The portfolio also includes robust software development tools, integrated hardware development systems, proven...

Goodbye wireload models, hello timing correlation.(TechView: EDA)
June 9, 2005... Since its inception in the late 1980s, RTL synthesis has seen a parade of innovations intended to match the pace of silicon integration. Now Synopsys, which launched RTL synthesis with Design Compiler, has upgraded its flagship tool to...

PC-board design suite nudges competition aside.(TechView: EDA)
June 9, 2005... With the Ultiboard 8 pcb layout tool and Ultiroute 8 pcb router, Electronics Workbench completes its Series 8 Design Suite. The suite can take a pc-board design from initial concept through final layout. Integration between the layout tool...

Support for Ethernet, USB and serial ATA verification.(EDA ROUNDUP)
June 9, 2005... SUPPORT FOR ETHERNET, USB, AND SERIAL ATA VERIFICATION is now offered in Denali's PureSpec line of verification intellectual property. PureSpec-Ethernet has all you need to verify the compliance and compatibility of Ethernet designs, while...

Support for enterprise-wide PC-board design.(EDA ROUNDUP)
June 9, 2005... SUPPORT FOR ENTERPRISE-WIDE PC-BOARD DESIGN grows deeper and wider in the latest revision of Zuken's CR-5000 design suite. The constraints-driven suite targets designers of highly complex boards using techniques such as embedded passives, flex...

Analyzer aims at fast serial data applications.(TechView: TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 9, 2005... Serial data rates are getting faster all the time, with speeds running to 6.25 Gbits/s (XAUI X2) and beyond. So, designers need tools to accurately look at and analyze these very fast signals. LeCroy's four-channel SDA 11000 DSO-based serial...

10-bit digitizers boast 3-GHz bandwidths, sampling to 8 Gsamples/s.(TechView: TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 9, 2005... A family of PXI/CompactPCI-compliant digitizers from Acqiris USA offers a choice of front-end mezzanine cards delivering up to 3-GHz input bandwidth or switchable high-impedance input coupling. The 6U modules provide 10-bit sampling at up to 8...

Hark the arrival of advanced switching: The Merlin advanced switching chip builds high-speed fabrics using PCI Express technology.(LEAPFROG: FIRST LOOK: PUTTING NEW TECHNOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 9, 2005... Enter the critical component for Advanced Switching Interconnect (ASI): The Merlin switch chip forms the centerpiece for StarGen's AXSys family. ASI is based on the PCI Express hardware standard, so the technology will be familiar to designers...

ZigBee-in-a-chip: a new wireless era: a ZigBee transceiver combines with an MCU for low-power wireless command and control.(LEAPFROG: FIRST LOOK: PUTTING NEW TECHNOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE)
June 9, 2005... Single-chip solutions have been the holy grail of ZigBee developers. Well, that grail has arrived. Ember's EM250 combines a 16-bit microcontroller (MCU) with the company's 2.4-GHz ZigBee transceiver into a single, low-power chip that fits in a...

Do your homework when outsourcing design services: long-lasting relationships are the ones that pay off.(ENGINEERING FEATURE: DESIGN SERVICES)
June 9, 2005... THERE WAS A TIME when you developed your product from scratch. You designed the packaging and circuits, developed the board using off-the-shelf components, and programmed it in-house--and you were still competitive. Today, whether you're...

PCI: taking the express or local.(EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
June 9, 2005... PCI Express is the latest technology to capture the hearts and minds of designers, but there are advantages and perils to any choice. "PCI Express Design: A Lesson In Techno-Shock" (ED Online 10174) addresses some of the issues that board...

Frame grabber rides on PCI Express.(EMBEDDED NEWS)
June 9, 2005... Video applications take bandwidth. Enter PCI Express, which has what it takes to handle the PC_EYE/ASYNC frame grabber from American Eltec. It can manage four independent (nonsynchronized) monochrome camera signals in an industrial setting. The...

RTOS supports MCU with trio of PCI Express links.(EMBEDDED NEWS)
June 9, 2005... AMCC's PowerPC 440SPe can get a leg up on development when using Express Logic's Threadx real-time operating system (RTOS). The 166-MHz PowerPC 440SPe has three PCI Express links: one x8 upstream interface and two x4 downstream interfaces. It...

PCI Express chip set ups bandwidth.(NEWS: EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
June 9, 2005... AMD's dual-core Opteron needs a hot chip set like Via Technologies' VIA K8 series to take advantage of the processor's higher performance. The VIA K8T890 North Bridge uses VIA Hyper8 technology that supports the 16-bit/1-GHz HyperTransport...

ARM MCUs gain compact RTOS and protocol stacks.(NEWS: EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
June 9, 2005... ARM processors are the quarry of CMX's latest operating-system and protocol-stack versions, including CMX-RTX and CMXTiny+ operating systems. Protocol stacks like CMX-Micronet and CMX TCP/IP can fit into as little as 3.5 kbytes of flash. The...

Dev kit throws it in the CAN.(NEWS: EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
June 9, 2005... Softec Micro's SK-S12XDP512-A kit boasts a Freescale MC9S12XDP512 microcontroller. The 25-MHz HCS12X MCU features the XGate parallel processing interface and an MXCAN module. There are five controller-area-network (CAN) connectors and...

Power blade packs a Pentium pair.(NEWS: EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)
June 9, 2005... Continuous Computing's LINUXblade PM2118 features a pair of 1.8 GHz Pentium M processors and complies with PICMG 2.16. It uses the same rear transition board as the single Pentium M processor LINUXblade PM1118. The LINUXblade PM2118 costs...

Whose Linux is it, anyway? Regardless of whether you're using a proprietary or fully open solution--or opting for any real-time extensions--it's still "your" Linux!(DESIGN VIEW: Embedded)
June 9, 2005... One of the most difficult decisions faced by embedded developers after choosing their microprocessor hardware involves selecting the GNU/Linux distribution. The scariest thing about getting started with Linux is me sheer volume of information...

Serialize your HD44780 liquid crystal display.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)
June 9, 2005... Most LCD character displays connect to the outside world via a controller IC, such as the HD44780 (Hitachi) or equivalent. However, that interface has serious drawbacks. It uses a large number of the microcontroller's general-purpose I/O (GPIO)...

Sense small inductance changes over a wide range.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2005... Small inductance changes on the order of 0.01% can easily be sensed over a wide range with a simple circuit connected to a serial port (see the figure). Using a classic Colpitts oscillator interfaced to an eight-pin Atmel ATtiny12-8...

New Ultiboard 8 and Ultiroute 8 for PCB layout and routing.(Product Alert)
June 9, 2005... Electronics Workbench rounds out its Series 8 Design Suite with Ultiboard 8 and Ultiroute 8. Some innovative features include: * Super-tight integration permits the user to nudge components even after copper is connected by automatically...

Tiny footprint GHz bandwidth spring (Pogo) pin sockets for BGA.(Product Alert)
June 9, 2005... Ironwood Electronics offers new spring-pin BGA sockets in pitches from 0.5 to 1.27mm, plus features including heatsinking, industry's smallest footprint, and a lifetime of 500,000 insertions. For our newly released CD catalog or to download our...

Multivoltage supervisor shuts down supply and monitors faults.(shorts)
June 9, 2005... reliable system operation often depends on the quality of the power supplied. Supply voltage that are too low can cause faulty operation as the microcontroller, FPGA, or ASIC begin to send bad data to memories or peripheral devices. Too high a...

Programmable analog current source uses switched capacitors.(shorts)
June 9, 2005... Switched-capacitor blocks are easily configured to be integrators. When configured as an integrator, a switch-capacitor block can function as an op amp. Closed-loop stability is achieved by parametrizing the capacitor values and sample...

Thousands of circuits at your fingertips.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com)
June 23, 2005... Electronic Design's partnership with Discover Circuits has linked two of the electronic industry's best engineering resources. Discover Circuits offers more than 11,000 schematics cross-referenced into over 500 categories, including circuits...

"Sound off".(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com)(Brief Article)
June 23, 2005... "Imagine that in our world the women, due to subjugating the men, have been the dominant intellectual force for a millennium. Science and engineering has evolved around the unique thinking processes of women. And men have entered the world of...

Polling.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com)(Brief Article)
June 23, 2005... What is your preferred tool for engineering calculations? Specialized math software 21% Spreadsheet 26% Your old HP RPN calculator 36% Slide rule 2% Pencil and paper ...

Something red, something blue.(EiED Online)(Bluetooth; IrDA)(Brief Article)
June 23, 2005... IrDA and Bluetooth have gotten a bad rap over the years. Embedded/Systems/Software Editor William Wong checks out two development kits that might change your mind. One utilizes Zilog's eight-pin MCU with IrDA support. The other incorporates...

Archived webcast: capturing and characterizing high-frequency signals.(WHAT'S UP?)
June 23, 2005... Recent advances in sampling technology, memory usage, and other fields allow for much faster and more accurate measurements of fast pulses and high-speed serial data signals. This LeCroy technical seminar, featuring Dr. Michael Lauterbach,...

What's cool.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com)
June 23, 2005... From The Top 20 Articles on ED Online: 1 Measure Current On Positive-Grounded Systems ED Online 10294 2 Java Sounds The Death Knell For C++ ED Online 10274 3 High-Voltage Adjustable Shunt Regulator ED Online 6371 4 An Accurate...

Spying has come a long way since deep throat's heyday.(EDITORIAL)
June 23, 2005... With the revelation earlier this month that one-time FBI official Mark Felt was the "Deep Throat" source to Washington Post reporters during the Watergate investigation, I got to thinking about the electronic designers who work behind locked...

Bob's mailbox.(PEASE PORRIDGE)
June 23, 2005... Hi Bob: Does anyone breadboard circuits anymore? In the good old days, just a few years ago, you used to draw circuit diagrams in your articles that looked like something a college professor would put up on a white board. We design engineers...

Trends tip the scales in favor of SiP versus SoC.(POV: POINT OF VIEW)
June 23, 2005... The pro and con arguments regarding SoCs versus SiPs are familiar. This discussion is becoming increasingly germane as the electronics industry struggles to meet cost and time-to-market demands for highly miniaturized and complex electronics....

Digital AM joins FM in receiver.(TechView)
June 23, 2005... Digital audio broadcast (DAB) receivers are growing in popularity around the world, enabling listeners to enjoy digital fidelity along with a host of add-on data features. This technology may get another boost from digital long-wave (LW),...

Everybody loves NED, but they'll have to wait.(TechView)(Motorola)(Brief Article)
June 23, 2005... Motorola's newly unveiled NanoEmissive Display (NED) technology apparently has it all--high brightness, wide viewing angle, excellent color, and fast speed--wrapped up in a thin package that's scalable to large screen sizes. NED incorporates...

Zero-threshold FET devices run unbiased, consume microwatts.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
June 23, 2005... What can designers do with a small-signal FET device that doesn't require input-signal biasing? In other words, what can they do with a device in which the gate-source threshold voltage is zero, rather than around 0.7 V? (Zero is the typical...

Free prototyping tools cover signal chain and power design.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
June 23, 2005... Enhancing its Web-based tools that help engineers design with its products, National Semiconductor has stitched together its power and analog Webench tools into a more or less seamless design environment. The existing Webench switching...

CCFL controllers slash BOMs.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
June 23, 2005... The eight-channel DS3988 and four-channel DS3984 cold-cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) controllers use a new push-pull architecture that reduces total bill-of-materials (BOM) cost by 20%. Developed by Maxim, this nonresonant architecture halves...

IDE lays SystemC designs bare for easier debugging.(TechView: EDA)
June 23, 2005... Sometimes design abstraction is a help, and sometimes it's a hindrance. Verification of system-on-a-chip designs with SystemC has a demonstrated ability to significantly speed up simulation runs. However, analysis and debugging at abstraction...

Simulator adds assertion IP and native SystemVerilog support.(TechView: EDA)
June 23, 2005... The latest release of the VCS verification environment sports new capabilities that help users find more bugs more quickly, with up to a fivefold increase in verification speed (see the figure). Key new features include a new assertion IP...

Engine determines IC's economic feasibility.(TechView: EDA)
June 23, 2005... Estimating the economic viability of an IC design early in the design cycle is a challenge. As an aid, Giga Scale IC's comprehensive IC economic-analysis engine lets designers transform a high-level design specification into a complete IC...

Try budding engineers for testing embedded applications.(TechView: EMBEDDED)(Brief Article)
June 23, 2005... While winging my way last month to Phoenix for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, I pondered a pair of dilemmas. One is finding ways to employ emerging science and engineering talent before these students receive their...

16-bit MCU handles DSP chores.(TechView: EMBEDDED)
June 23, 2005... The 56F8000 targets a range of motor control and system control applications. Developed by Freescale, this chip keeps monetary and power costs low while delivering advanced peripheral control. The pulse-width modulators (PWMs) operate at...

Platform expedites Wi-Fi product engineering.(TechView: WIRELESS)
June 23, 2005... Silicon vendors have made it extremely easy to build wireless products like access points, gateways, routers, and radio modems. But they effectively leave the software efforts to designers. Some semiconductor companies supply drivers and other...

Designing high-voltage input power converters.(POWERDESIGN FAQs Frequently Asked Questions)
June 23, 2005... How do you define "high-voltage" input for power converter ICs? For most power-management subsystem ICs, "high-voltage" input is 30 up to 100 V. The 100-V maximum input rating ensures reliable and safe operation of 48-V bus...

LM5032/LM5034--high-voltage dual interleaved current-mode controllers.(Products Q&As)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)(Advertisement)
June 23, 2005... The LM5032 is a dual current-mode pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, capable of controlling two independent dc-dc converters or a single high-current converter consisting of two interleaved power stages. The two controller channels...

LM5021--AC-DC current-mode PWM controller.(Products Q & As)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)(Advertisement)
June 23, 2005... The LM5021 offline controller can control an efficient single-ended flyback or forward power converter using current-mode control. The LM5021 features include 25-[micro]A startup current, which minimizes power losses in the high-voltage startup...

Power-integrity flow cuts out the guesswork: thanks to a healthy dose of physical awareness, a power-integrity implementation and optimization tool attacks many facets concurrently.(LEAPFROG: INDUSTRY FIRST: AN ELECTRONIC DESIGN EXCLUSIVE)
June 23, 2005... In many ways, power-integrity closure can be viewed along the same lines as timing closure or signal-integrity (SI) closure. Getting to the point where you're satisfied that your system-on-a-chip (SoC) design meets power requirements can be...

Wanted robotics: frameworks and COTS hardware make it easier to create robots for practical applications.(ENGINEERING FEATURE: ROBOTICS)(Cover Story)
June 23, 2005... Don't look now, but robots are more than an academic curiosity. They're mowing the lawn, vacuuming the room, acting as hall monitors, and standing in harm's way. They've helped build cars for decades. Their senses and cognitive skills continue...

WiMAX for the masses.(Quick Facts: a quick at a practical broadband wireless solution)
June 23, 2005... The Technical Standards The finalization of the broad band wireless standard, IEEE 802.16-2004, means brand-new silicon from several vendors. Also, a powerful industry consortium called the WiMAX Forum means we're about to see how good...

Audio codecs--the entertainment-DSP connection.(TECHNOLOGY REPORT: AUDIO CODECS)
June 23, 2005... THERE ARE AUDIO CODEC ICs THAT COMPRISE AN analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) around some processing hardware, but they are the tip of the proverbial iceberg. These days, most engineers think of audio...

SoC designers: learn the what, why, and how of transactions.(DESIGN VIEW: Digital)
June 23, 2005... System-on-a-chip (SoC) platforms are heterogeneous entities. They typically contain at least one processing element, such as a microprocessor or DSP, along with peripherals, random logic, embedded memory, communication infrastructure, and...

Handy circuit converts RS-232 to an 8-bit discrete output.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)
June 23, 2005... This simple serial RS-232-to-discrete-out-put application and driver, based on Texas Instruments' 74LV8153, requires only a minimum of parts. The single-wire, RS-232 bit-compatible 74LV8153 supports an internal clock, auto-baud function, and...

Wide input-voltage SEPIC drives high-power white LEDs.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)
June 23, 2005... Recently, white LEDs have made sizable performance gains by squeezing extreme luminous density into ultra-compact packages. The latest white LEDs hold numerous advantages over more conventional lighting, including improved spectral...

Small-outline DIMMs leverage latest DDR2 SDRAMs to trim power.(DIGITAL ICs/DSP)
June 23, 2005... * The EBE52UD6AFSA series of 512-Mbyte small-outline dual-inline memory modules (SO-DIMMs) is based on the latest-generation DDR2 SDRAMs to deliver the lowest power drain. The DDR2 memories reduce IDDO current (110 mA versus 155 mA) by 30%...

USB-2.0 I/0 device has 24 protected digital lines.(TEST & MEASUREMENT)
June 23, 2005... * The USB-6501 is a full-speed, USB 2.0-based device that features 24 digital I/0 lines and a 32-bit counter. The module can be used to interface with LEDs, switches, relays, and other digital I/O devices. Each digital signal is protected...

See SignalExpress in action.(ELECTRONIC DESIGN Catalogue Literature Review)
June 23, 2005... National Instruments I SignalExpress is interactive software for quickly acquiring, comparing, automating, and storing electronic measurements. SignalExpress simplifies your exploratory and automated measurement tasks with a drag-and-drop,...

New Aries Shortform.(ELECTRONIC DESIGN Catalogue Literature Review)
June 23, 2005... Aries' new Shortform Catalog covers broad range of interconnection and packaging products, including side-stackable PinBall BGA Sockets; Correct-A-Chip[TM] adapters, for converting virtually any package type or footprint to any other without...

New low cost USB DAQ from NI--starting at $145.(ELECTRONIC DESIGN Catalogue Literature Review)
June 23, 2005... Free Data Logging Software Included Acquire and log data in minutes with new USB DAQ devices from National Instruments. With ready-to-run data logging software and driver software for LabVIEW included, taking measurements is simple. The...

Expanded Delphi Series of super wide range DC/DC converters.(Product Alert)
June 23, 2005... Delta Electronics launches the L36SA into the Delphi Series of board-mounted isolated DC/DC converters. Featuring a 2" x 1.6" industry-standard footprint and pinout, single output, 4:1 wide input range, the L36SA outputs up to 20A of current or...

Cost-effective SMUs for multichannel applications.(Product Alert)
June 23, 2005... Series 2600 System SourceMeter[R] Instruments are scalable solutions for cost-effective systems for precision DC, pulse, and low frequency AC tests. An embedded Test Script Processor (TSP[TM]) allows programming and executing high speed test...

Compact CON series of containers from Caplugs.(Product Alert)
June 23, 2005... (Buffalo, N.Y.) -- Caplugs' containers can be used for anything and everything. Originally developed to hold tiny electronic parts, the CON series is now used for fishing lures, eyeglass repair kits, and a variety of other items that require...

When global winds blow set the course for tomorrow.(MEGATRENDS: ISSUE OVERVIEW)(Editorial)(Cover Story)
June 30, 2005... On an issue-to-issue basis, Electronic Design aims to help you stay focused at the micro level. We're typically writing to an audience that's head-down at the workbench or eyes-glued to the computer screen, intently contemplating solutions for...

Megatrends: where are we going?(MEGATRENDS: THE BIG PICTURE)
June 30, 2005... Yogi Berra, the erstwhile N.Y. Yankee catcher, is reputed to have said, "the future ain't what it used to be." Sure, we laughed, but deep down inside we knew what he meant. He was talking about changes. Certainly in the last five years, our...

Battelle's top 10 strategic technologies for 2020.(INSIDE THE INDUSTRY)
June 30, 2005... With our industry still trying to recoup from the dot-com detonation amidst the rush to offshore outsourcing, the China/India impact, and the U.S. engineering graduate falloff, one can't help but wonder what the future holds. Such...

The pulse of our industry.(MEGATRENDS: TODAY'S HOT MARKETS WHAT'S HOT)(electronics industry forecasts)
June 30, 2005... Virtually every key sector within our industry seems to be running strong and true. And forecasts indicate those bubbling-hot markets won't cool off any time soon. One of the strongest industries in terms of actual growth and the ability...

Digital potentiometers.(DESIGN FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions)
June 30, 2005... Q. What is a digital potentiometer? A. A conventional potentiometer or "pot" is an analog device used to vary, or control, the amount of current that flows through an electronic circuit. It's a mechanical device with a wiper that's used to...

Analog devices' digital potentiometers deliver industry-leading performance, functionality, and reliability.(PRODUCT Q&As)(Advertisement)
June 30, 2005... Now you can choose digital potentiometers from the industry's broadest portfolio and get the best resolution for the best value. Analog Devices' proven technology meets the demands of the toughest environments, including applications for the...

Drinking from the firehose: broadband opens the floodgates.(MEGATRENDS: TODAY'S HOT MARKETS LIQUID MEDIA)
June 30, 2005... We take the ability to pour water into a cup for granted. Similarly, we're taking images, music, and video for granted. We treat this content like a liquid, pouring it around our homes via wired and wireless networks. We're tapping the...