Electronic Design articles from March 2003

Electronic Design archives from March 2003

The Columbia tragedy must not deter mankind from exploring our universe. (Editorial).(Editorial)
March 3, 2003... Just a month ago, seven fantastic careers and lives were lost when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry after a nearly flawless 16-day mission. It is a terrible loss to not only the families of the astronauts, but to all the...

What's all this recipe engineering stuff, anyhow? (Part 2). (Pease Porridge).
March 3, 2003... Several people have asked me, "What the heck is 'Pease Porridge?' Is it a kind of oatmeal?" Not at all. Oats have nothing to do with it. Every general cookbook has a recipe or two for pea soup with ham. Here is a delightful recipe for a Pease...

How to design your next bestseller in systematic fashion. (Point of View).(system-level design approach for system-on-a-chip design )
March 3, 2003... Authors of bestselling literature don't just tap out their latest novel on a laptop while sipping a martini. They research the subject matter to give the narrative a voice of authority. Next they carefully outline the plot, then fill in the...

Ultra-small server Web-enables any system: providing access to a LAN or the Internet, a Web server squeezed in an RJ45 connector shroud packs a full TCP/IP stack and OS. (Digital News).(Lantronix DSTni-XPort )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... As companies trim labor overheads, they're looking to fill the void with remote diagnostics, maintenance, and data collection. One method is to Web-enable more sys tems to use the Internet and World Wide Web to collect data and diagnose or...

New database powers IC design suite. (EDA Update).(Synopsys' Milkyway design database )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... BY OPENING UP its Milkyway design database and building its new Galaxy design platform around it, Synopsys has accomplished two critical goals. For one, it has cut the risks in nanometer design by bringing consistency in timing and delay...

3D electric-field imager yields new sensing apps: developed for automotive safety systems, this chip also offers contactless sensing for appliances, machine tools, and touch-panel products. (TechView: Analog & Power).(Motorola's MC33794)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Motorola's MC33794, an electric-field imaging IC, combines with an external micro-controller and simple electrodes to implement occupant sensing systems. Such systems help to deploy automobile airbags intelligently. Yet with its high level of...

Lattice Semiconductor's ispPAC Power Manager. (Product News).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Lattice Semiconductor's ispPAC Power Manager integrates power-supply sequencing and monitoring functions into a single IC that lets designers program parameters such as sequencing delay and ramp rate (see the figure). The first device in this...

Multimode WLAN chip set hits the streets: new laptops can now support 802.11a/b/g standards. (TechView: Communications).(Atheros Communications AR5001X)
March 3, 2003... The fastest growing segment of wireless these days is the IEEE 802.11b 11-Mbit/s wireless-LAN-enabled products that operate in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz band. With this standard, laptops can access nearby enterprise local-area networks (LANs),...

Digital broadcast radio ready to take the airwaves: DSP chip implements new HD Radio technology. (TechView: Communications).(iBiquity Digital's technology)
March 3, 2003... CD-QUALITY AUDIO for AM and FM broadcasts is on its way. The formal implementation of iBiquity Digital's HD Radio technology is set to launch. Approximately 100 stations covering 40 major U.S. radio markets are expected to adopt iBiquity's new...

Analyzer accelerates multichannel monitoring: this Fibre Channel device enables independent triggering and recording on 1-, 2-, or 8-Mbit/s ports, each at a different rate. (TechView: Components & Test).(Computer Access Technology's FCTracer)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Sophisticated triggering, high-level decoding, and expert analysis for Fibre Channel networks and devices are all possible with the FCTracer from Computer Access Technology. Storage equipment developers and engineers can use it to quickly and...

Digital liquid-level sensors get LCD interface terminal. (Hot Product).(MTS Sensors' CL01 LCD terminal)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... A NEW LCD OPERATOR interface terminal for Level Plus Digital (MG) liquid-level sensors provides at-a-glance level, temperature, and interface measurements simultaneously from both the MTS DDA or the Modbus RTU interface. Devised by the MTS...

Fluke Corp. (Breaking News).(MET/CAL Plus V calibration software for Tektronix oscilloscopes)
March 3, 2003... NEW AUTOMATED CALIBRATION PROCEDURES from Fluke Corp. for three Tektronix oscilloscopes--the TDS 5000, TDS 6000, and TDS 7000 series-substantially reduce downtime. Performance-verification time is cut to about 60 minutes or less. MET/CAL Plus...

EDA tool unwraps mystery of SoC voltage drops. (Leapfrog: Industry First).(Sequence Design's CoolTime)
March 3, 2003... Voltage-drop effects across an SoC weave a tangled web that impacts design closure. The key to unraveling it is instantaneous, dynamic voltage-drop analysis. * One of the most pressing challenges of SoC design is power-grid design and analysis....

Industry--aligning standards boost sensor networking: the IEEE 1451 Committee steps forward to join conflicting sensor user and manufacturer demands by adopting compatible interface standards. (Technology Report: Components).
March 3, 2003... Editor's Note: The words transducer and sensor are used interchangeably in this article. While a sensor can be a transducer, the reverse is not always true. A transducer is basically a device that converts energy from one domain into another....

Photoflash capacitor charger has fast efficient charging and low-battery drain. (Design Notes: Advertisement).(Linear Technology's LT3420 charger circuits)
March 3, 2003... Design Note 303 Introduction The LT[R] 420 is designed to charge large-valued capacitors--such as those used for the strobe flashes of digital and film cameras--to high voltages. These photoflash, or strobe, capacitors range in value...

Location, location, location. (Special Editorial Feature: Embedded in Electronic Design).(interconnect standards)(Editorial)
March 3, 2003... It's true for real estate. It's true for processors and devices, too. That's right. In system design, location dictates the kind of interconnect that will be required, and no single solution works in all circumstances. This is why so many new...

8-bit MCU packs 9-bit UART and Ethernet MAC. (Special Editorial Feature: Embedded in Electronic Design).(Zilog's eZ80Acclaiml )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... A 50-MHZ processor and 256 kbytes of flash make Zilog's eZ80Acclaim! an ideal platform for networked devices. The F91 splits its 16 kbytes of SRAM between the CPU and 10/100 Ethernet adapter. Dual 9-bit UARTs are specifically designed to...

4-port Serial ATA chips ship. (Special Editorial Feature: Embedded in Electronic Design).(Vitesse's VSC7174, VSC42O and VSC425)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... The SerIal ATA onslaught has begun. Vitesses new four-channel VSC7174 host bus controller (HBC) and two-enclosure management controllers (VSC42O and VSC425) are now available. They conform to the serial ATA 1.0 and Serial ATA II, Phase I...

PCI Express: the undisputed king; PCI Express Advanced Switching brings a switch fabric to the party. (Interconnect Series: Embedded in Electronic Design).
March 3, 2003... The roadmap is clear, even though travel won't start for a while. PCI Express Base hardware will emerge near the end of the year, with switch-fabric shipments not expected until 2004. The Advanced Switching Standard is being incorporated into a...

Advanced TCA: the new comm platform. (News).(PICMG's Telecom Computing Architecture)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... PICMG's (www.picmg.org) Advanced TCA (Telecom Computing Architecture) is a massive new specification that targets next-generation carrier-grade equipment. While proprietary hardware dominates this market, the move to standards-based platforms...

VME packs I/O and Mezzanine options. (News).(Pentek's Model 4205 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Pentek's Model 4205 incorporates a 600-MHz MPC7455 processor and two Xilinx Virtex-II Series XCV1000 FPGAs. The board supports Ethernet, VME64, dual RACE++ channels, and one or two Gigabit Fibre Channels. Mezzanine module combinations include...

Dual PowerPC drives dual RACE++ links. (News).(Mercury Computer System's VantageRT FCN )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Mercury Computer System's PCI-64-based VantageRT FCN links two 267-Mbyte/s RACE++ channels with a pair of G4 7410 PowerPC processors and a Xilinx Virtex II FPGA. The FPGA supports 8- or 12-Mbyte SRAM and 256-Mbyte DRAM. Each processor has a...

VME SBC draws a mere 14 W. (News).(Thales Computers' PowerEngine7 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... A total of 14W is not much power for a VME board with dual 733-MHz Power PC processors. Ideal for harsh environments that require convection cooling, the PowerEngine7 from Thales Computers can handle up to 512-Mbyte SDRAM and 128-Mbyte flash....

Dual Pentium IIIs Power CompactPCI. (News).(Concurrent Technologies' PP 120/01x )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Using two 933-MHz, low-voltage Pentium Ills, Concurrent Technologies' PP 120/01x handles up to four Gigabit Ethernet channels. It supports the PICMG 2.16 (dual Gigabit Ethernet), PICMG 2.1 (IPMI), and PICMG 2.0 standards. There's space for an...

Versatile multimedia SBC plugs into cPCI. (News).(General Micro Systems' C161 Aurora )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... The CompactPCI-based C161 Aurora from General Micro Systems uses a dual-mode Asiliant 69030 video controller with RGB and DVI outputs supporting resolutions to 1600 by 1200. The single-board computer (SBC) is powered by a 1-GHz Pentium III with...

DOS-based controller. (News Clips).(JK Microsystems Flashlite 186 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... The Flashlite 186 controller developed by JK Microsystems costs only $69. It has a 33-MHz, 186-compatible processor with 512 Mbytes of DRAM, flash memory, and support for M-System's DiskOnChip. www.jkmicro.com

SIMD RISC camera controller. (News Clips).(ChipWright's CW4511)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... ChipWright's CW4511 SoC targets high-performance image applications. It incorporates 128 kbytes of SRAM plus a range of peripherals, including USB, LCD, and serial ports. It runs $20 in OEM quantities. www.chipwrights.com

Linux gets new features. (News Clips).(Monta Vista's Linux Professional Edition 3.0)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Monta Vista's Linux Professional Edition 3.0 includes a wide range of new features and tools. This includes improved low-memory condition-handling, IPv6 support, and the XFS journaling file system. It now supports XScale, MIPS; ARM, and SH...

NPU tool adds C support. (News Clips).(Teja NP 3.0)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... The Teja NP 3.0 tacks on a C development environment to Teja's GUI model-based network processor design tool. The new C environment makes legacy-code use easier to incorporate into IXP2xxx designs. teja.com

Code morphing does security. (News Clips).(in Transmeta's Crusoe processors )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Transmeta's existing and future Crusoe processors will support Transmeta Security Extensions (TSX). The approach allows encryption, authentication, and secure key storage to be incorporated directly in the processor. www.transmeta.com

Military Gbit switch. (News).(Radstone Technology's GBX8 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Radstone Technology's new GBX8 eight-port 1000BaseT switch with an on-board PowerPC is designed for rugged environments. Two ports can handle optical connections. Available in air- and conduction-cooled formats, the GBX8 temperature ranges from...

2x(Xeon +Gb Enet). (News).(Adlink Technology's NuPRO-900 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Adlink Technology's new NuPRO-900 packs dual, low-voltage 2.4-GHz Xeon, a pair of 64-bit Gbit Ethernet adapters, and 8-Gbyte DDR266 RAM on a PICMG 1.2-compliant ePCI-X board. It comes equipped with a miniPCI socket, USB, and VGA. ...

CompactPCI SMP PPC handles Linux. (News).(Force Computers CHAMP AV)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Force Computers CHAMP AV (Common Heterogeneous Architecture for Multi-Processing server blade with AtliVec technology) lets Linux drive an MPC8240 and quad MPC7410 Power PC processors. It can be partitioned into two dual MPC7410 systems with...

Advanced TCA rack. (News).(Pentair Electronics Schroff 12U 14-slot development system)
March 3, 2003... Developers that need to get started with Advanced TCA can look to Pentair Electronics Schroff 12U 14-slot development system. It supports the PICMG 3.0 standard with a full mesh backplane. The shelf manager is based on the Intel ZT7102 chassis...

Protect code distribution for flash-based microcontrollers. (Design View: Software).
March 3, 2003... Code Protection There are many ways to protect software from unauthorized copying, but vulnerability exists with the Internet. For firmware, protecting the IP is most critical. Simple Ciphers A rolling-code generator consists of...

Setup bypasses the problems of boot-strap/bias-supply circuits. (Design-Briefs: Innovative Designs from Readers).
March 3, 2003... In some power-supply applications, the pulse-width-modulator (PWM) controller is powered up from an auxiliary winding tapped off the power stages transformer (Fig. 1). This technique reduces power loss and keeps overall efficiency high. ...

Check digital or linear circuits with the flick of a switch. (Design Briefs: Innovative Designs from Readers).(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... A simple logic probe in concert with a signal source can be used to check digital as well as linear circuits. With the flick of a switch, the probe can inject a test signal or check the logic state of a digital signal. Comprising just one CMOS...

High-CMR instrumentation amp half the size of an SOIC. (Power).(Analog Devices AD8221)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * The AD8221 instrumentation amplifier provides a high common-mode rejection (CMR) over frequency in an MSOP package, which measures half the size of a traditional SOIC package. This part provides CMR performance of 90 dB (at G = 1) to 10 kHz....

System ensures long battery life in easy-to-install rack. (Power).(EnerSys' PowerSafe DDm )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Combining an enhanced cell design with an integral racking system, the PowerSafe DDm battery system provides long service life for a variety of applications that require large-capacity valve-regulated batteries. Suitable applications include...

Converter with built-in EMI filter outputs 65 W. (Power).(Power Add USA PPS40/65 series)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Equipped with a built-in electromagnetic-interference (EMI) filter, the PPS40/65 series converter features 40-W convection, 65 W with 15-CFM forced air. The device has a universal input range of 90 to 264 V ac (47 to 63 Hz). EMI is FCC, CISPR...

500-mA CMOS LDO regulator features 150-mV dropout voltage. (Power).(Vishay Sillconix's Si9185)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Dropout measuring just 150 mV at 500 mA--that's what the Si9185 50-mA CMOS low-dropout regulator offers. Housed in a compact, thermally enhanced MLP33 PowerPAK package, the device's 3- by 3-mm footprint is 70% smaller than the...

Power-management chip set meets Intel VRM 9.0 guidelines. (Power).(International Rectifier's IRUK3055CQ01)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * IR's new power-management chip set, which helps simplify the design of low-voltage, high-current multiphase synchronous dc-dc converters, complies with Intel VRM 9.0 design guidelines. This solution also helps cut logistics costs in...

Powering portable devices: alternatives to linear regulators in step-down conversion. (Advertisement).(National Semiconductor's LM2788 buck mode switched capacitor converter )
March 3, 2003... Application Brief 123 In portable products such as PDAs and laptop computers--powering the microprocessor from a Li-Ion battery generally means choosing a small and power-efficient step-down DC-DC converter, In terms of efficiency, a...

Built-in translator gives A boost to stepper-motor driver IC. (Power).(Allegro MicroSystems' SLA7051M)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * The SLA7051M constant-current, two-phase unipolar driver IC, which has a built-in translator, can output currents of [+ or-]2 A. The translator/driver combines low-power CMOS logic with high-current and high-voltage power FET outputs. In...

Benchtop troubleshooting system offers up low-voltage test ranges. (Test & Measurement).(Huntron Tracker 2700 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * The benchtop Tracker 2700 with SigAssist gives test engineers and service technicians manual benchtop access to many testing capabilities of the company's ProTrack 1 Model 20 Tracker troubleshooting system. The 2700 features a color LCD for...

32-channel scope-like tool boasts real-time math. (Test & Measurement).(Yokogawa Corporation of America's DL750 ScopeCorder)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Backed by recorder-like measurement capabilities, the DL750 ScopeCorder provides the triggering and analysis capabilities of a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO). The system consists of a mainframe and interchangeable modules. It also accepts...

Dedicated waveform digitizers simplify data conversion. (Test & Measurement).(Acqiris USA)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Making data conversion less complex, less time consuming, and less expensive is the bailiwick of a new line of off-the-shelf waveform digitizer cards. These cards take advantage of the latest proprietary waveform digitizer chips for...

FEA software unlocks door to low-cost license flexibility. (Test & Measurement).(Abaqus Version 6.3 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Engineers seeking an advanced solution for finite element analysis can look to Abaqus/Foundation. The software tool provides full access to the linear static and dynamic analysis functionality of Abaqus/Standard, the company's flagship...

Low-profile pc-board fuse clips feature easy-to-mount design. (Internconnects).(Keystone Electronics )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * A new line of "snap-in" or "press-in" 2 AG, 3 AG, and 5-mm pc-board-mounted fuse clips is rated for 6.3- to 15-A operation. The low-profile clips are available with or without orientation tabs and end stops to ensure safety and design...

Installation tool family offers the right part for every job. (Interconnects).(from RF Industries' RF Connecrors Division)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * An expanded line of installation tools includes cutters, strippers, and crimpers. Available cutters range from smaller wire and coax through tools to cut aluminum and copper cable up to 2 AWG. Tools are also available to cut copper and...

Miniature BNC jack delivers carrier class reliability. (Interconnects).(Trompeter Electronics' UCBJR250-N baby-n-connector)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Designed to reduce the size and improve the density of OEM equipment, the UCBJR250-N pc-board-mounted right-angle bulkhead baby-n-connector (BNC) jack can increase connector density up to 40%. The miniature connector suits high-reliability...

Ergonomic installation tool controls tension, cutoff of cable ties. (Interconnects).(Panduit GTH)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * The GTH ergonomic installation tool is designed for use with standard to heavy cable ties. This tool controls tension and cutoff of the cable tie during installation. The GTH is lightweight and comfortable to use, It exceeds industry...

CompactPCI card suppresses power with low-voltage Pentium IIIs. (Embedded).(Concurrent Technologies PP 120/01x )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Packing a pair of 933-MHz low-voltage Pentium Ill processors, the PP 120/01x CompactPCI CPU card delivers a high-throughput, general-purpose computing platform. Each on-board processor sports a 133-MHz front-side bus with 512 kbytes of level...

A triple play: three CPUs give 3X throughput on one blade card. (Embedded).(Artesyn Technologies' Katana 3750 )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * Delivering triple the processing power of conventional blade CPU cards, the Katana 3750 CompactPCI card packs three independent 800-MHz PowerPC CPU complexes based on the 750FX CPUs. It fully complies with the PICMG 2.16 cPSB specification...

Multifunction PMC serves up high-speed I/O. (Embedded).(Thales Computers PMC-DAADIO )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * High-speed digital and analog I/O supplied by the PMC-DAADIO multifunction PCI mezzanine card (PMC) makes it possible to control and monitor a wide range of external functions. By integrating a Motorola DSP56F807 DSR the card can manage a...

Functionality the name of the game for VME card. (Embedded).(North Atlantic Industries 64C1)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... * With the 64C1 multifunction VME card, designers will get high performance, high functional density, and enhanced diagnostics to support embedded and test and measurement applications. Able to mix and match a wide range of functions, the card...

Cyberterrorism must never gain a foothold anywhere. (Editorial).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... In these uncertain times, we must look both outside and inside our borders for potential sources of terrorism. However, even greater vigilance is needed regarding our computer and communication networks. These networks have no borders that we...

Bob's mailbox. (Pease Porridge).(Letter to the Editor)(Column)
March 17, 2003... Dear Bob: When scanning the index (ELECTRONIC DESIGN, Jan. 6, p. 20), I saw "K2-W" and put on the brakes. Hey, I bet that's Philbrick's stuff. Yes, it is! I looked in my junk box because a couple of K2s were once in there. No, tossed out --...

A move to advanced packaging for glue logic. (PoV: Point of View).
March 17, 2003... Advanced packaging technology for logic functions has been ahead of demand for the past five years or so. For much of this period, customers seeking smaller packages for their logic gates have been limited to leaded package styles. These...

UMTS-based chip set gives 3G big boost: targeting handsets and basestations, the chip set makes implementation easier and less costly than ever before. (The Industry).(Texas Instruments TCS4105)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Adoption of 3G cell phones hasn't set any speed records, especially in the U.S. But 3G is on its way. Notably, Texas Instruments (TI) has invested substantially in the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 3G standard that uses...

EDA rides the PCI Express: a spate of IP rollouts takes PCI Express from the theoretical to the practical. (Tech View).
March 17, 2003... Acceptance of a new standard is a chicken-and-egg affair. Which comes first, acceptance or the wherewithal to accept it? In the case of the emerging PCI Express high-speed interconnect standard for next-generation system design, the EDA and...

Eighth brick vies for POL packaging standard: 25-A nonisolated dc-dc converters employ industry-standard footprint but novel pinout. (Tech View: Analog & Power).(Datel LEN)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The LEN series of non isolated dc-dc converters will now appear in the eighth-brick package, a format normally associated with isolated converters. By introducing point-of-load (POL) dc-dc converters as eighth bricks, Datel Inc. presents...

Cree now samples silicon-carbide (SIC). (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Cree now samples silicon-carbide (SIC) Schottky diodes with 1200-V breakdown voltages. The high-voltage rating on these devices makes them suitable as anti-parallel diodes for high-frequency Inverters, snubber diodes for high-current IGBT...

International Rectifier's WARP2 600-V. (Breaking News).(International Rectifier WARP2 600-V)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... International Rectifier's WARP2 600-V, non-punchthrough IGBTs feature faster turnoff, enabling them to replace power MOSFETs in power-factor correction and zero-voltage switched applications. Short tail current permits the IGBTs to operate...

Texas Instruments plans to introduce ICs for power-over-Ethernet in April of this year. (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Texas Instruments plans to introduce ICs for power-over-Ethernet in April of this year. The chips will target power-over-LAN and power-over-MDI devices as well as voice-over-IP phones and other applications. Also in the first half of this year,...

Cost-cutting instrument amp delivers high accuracy. (Hot Products).(Linear Technology LTC6800 3-V)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The LTC6800 3-V instrumentation amplifier guarantees an offset voltage below 100 [mu]V with an offset drift of just 0.25 [mu]V/[degrees]C. This value of offset drift is nearly an order of magnitude better than some comparably priced instrument...

Speedy ADC chips away at power, price, and size. (Hot Products).(Analog Devices ADa9245)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The AD9245 analog-to-digital converter (ADO) from Analog Devices offers the 14-bit, 80-Msample/s performance of the AD6645 at a lower cost and lower power dissipation in a smaller package. Introduced two years ago, the AD6645 is a 5-V device...

MEMS-based instrument for optical signal processing: optical spectrum processor translates optical signals into the wavelength domain for filtering or other processing. (Tech View: Communications).(Micro Electro Mechancal Systems; Newport LambdaCommander Optical Spectrum Processor )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The LambdaCommander Optical Spectrum Processor offers designers a new method for processing optical signals for design or analysis. Applications include fiber-optic sensing, optical telecommunications, and life/health science equipment...

Reconfigurable logic makes software-defined radio practical... at last. (Industry Report).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... A SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO (SDR) is any collection of hardware and software that enables a single radio to be quickly and easily reconfigured to a desired standard. Until now, software-defined radios (SDRs) were reconfigured by installing new...

SiGe power amp extends range of 802.11B/G and Bluetooth radios. (Breaking News).(SiGe Semiconductor RangeCharger SE2529L)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) equipment implementing 802.11g is rapidly emerging to take advantage of the higher 54-Mbit/s data rate and 802.11b compatibility. SiGe Semiconductor's RangeCharger SE2529L power amplifier is making the design...

Advanced ferrite materials target high-power designs: available in a wide range of core shapes and sizes, these materials combine low power loss with high performance. (Tech View: Components & Test).(AVX Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Designers of high-power ferrite circuits that require low power loss can now avail themselves of advanced ferrite materials specifically designed for their applications. The P1 and P2 series of materials from AVX Corp. come in a wide range of...

Passives market up, crystal oscillator prices down. (Tech View: Components & Test).(ISuppli's Jan 27, 2002 Market Watch)(Industry Overview)
March 17, 2003... CHINA HOLDS THE KEY to passive component market growth, says ISuppli's Jan. 27 Market Watch. Analyst Shawn Woods believes a shortage of passive components may be on the horizon, caused by the good Inventory controls most passive component...

Low-cost MEMS accelerometers open up cadre of new apps. (Tech View: Components & Test).(Analog Devices' ADXL311 )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The dual-axis [+ or -]2-g (at full-scale) ADXL311 MEMS accelerometer brings affordability to cost-sensitive markets. With this kind of accessibility, it also will create a host of new applications. Analog Devices lever aged its high-volume MEMS...

Bus repeaters expand use of popular inter-IC bus: rather than accept that it has reached the end of its life, the venerable [I.sup.2]C bus has regained momentum as bus repeaters extend its capabilities. (Tech View: Digital).(Philips Semiconductors' PCA9515, 9516 and 9518 repeater chips )
March 17, 2003... Continued interest in the decades-old serial inter-IC bus (120) prompted its creator, Royal Philips Electronics, to develop a family of bus repeaters that can double the number of devices able to reside on the same bus system (from 20 to 30...

Intel's latest Itanium2 processor (Madison) delivers 30% to 50% more throughput than the current version (McKinley). (Breaking News).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... NEXT-GENERATION ITANIUM CPU DELIVERS 30% TO 50% HIGHER THROUGHPUT THAN ITS PREDECESSOR With 6 Mbytes of cache and a clock speed jump of 50% to 1.5 GHz, Intel's latest Itanium2 processor (Madison) delivers 30% to 50% more throughput than the...

Low-cost ARM-based microcontrollers maintain powerful edge. (Hot Product).(OKI Semiconductor's ML674001, MLQ674002, and MLQ674003)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The small-sized 32-bit ARM CPU core, coupled with a suite of on-chip peripherals and flash memory, has let OKI craft a new family of low-cost, general-purpose microcontrollers. Priced competitively with some high-end 8-and 16-bit MCUs, the...

Unified verification flow takes higher ground: Cadence's new verification platform provides native support for high-level languages and transaction-level virtual prototypes. (Tech View: EDA).(Incisive verification platform)
March 17, 2003... Verification of systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) is hard and getting harder. Not only are today's verification flows fragmented, but the flows are cumbersome. With more than 70% of silicon re-spins containing functional errors these clays, verification...

RET tool paces processes. (Tech View: EDA).(Mentor Graphics' Calibre suite of resolution enhancement technology tools )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... * IC manufacturers are struggling mightily with subwavelength feature sizes as silicon processes descend further into the nanometer realm. To combat the problem, Mentor Graphics tweaked its Calibre suite of resolution enhancement technology...

Silicon Metrics' SiliconSmart SI tool. (Hot Product).(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Achieving signal integrity becomes increasingly difficult as silicon processes shrink. Analysis tools can find many signal-integrity problems, but it is accurate models that, can help turn the tide. Silicon Metrics' SiliconSmart SI tool...

Chip stacks JVM, SRAM, flash: Java processor chip includes a memory interface that shares stacked SRAM and flash memory chips with a host CPU. (Tech View: Embedded).(Nanoamp's Smart-Combo MOCA-J)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Java-enabled cell phones with a small footprint require packages like Nanoamp's Smart-Combo multichip carrier (MCP) solution, which combines a Java virtual machine (JVM), SRAM/PSRAM, and flash memory into a single, compact package. The logical...

Tool suite smoothes Linux, VPN gateway integration. (Hot Products).(Cybernet Systems NetMax Professional Suite and VPN Server 4.01)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Building an embedded Linux server or VPN gateway is a snap using the NetMax Professional Suite and VPN Server 4.01 from Cybernet Systems. The servers are managed via a Web Interface. The Professional Suite features all major services, like DNS,...

1-GHz CPUs consume under 10 W. (Hot Products).(Motorola's MPC7457 and MPC7447 G4 PowerPC processors)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... The latest G4 PowerPC processors, namely the MPC7457 and MPC7447, require less than 10 W of power when running at 1 GHz. Minimizing power usage is important in blade-server and embedded environments. The MPC7457 can run up to 1.3 GHz. The...

Fast simulation makes analysis practical. (Software Development).(Texas Instruments' Code Composer Studio DSP development suite)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... AN ARRAY OF NEW, HIGH-PERFORMANCE simulation tools for Texas Instruments' Code Composer Studio (CCS) DSP development suite makes it practical to test applications for the TMS320C5000 and TMS320C6000 without having hardware in hand. Program...

Adjusting the A/D voltage reference to provide gain. (Analog Applications Journal).
March 17, 2003... The purpose of providing gain in the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is to boost the signal and thereby improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Even in ADCs that have internal programmable gain amplifiers (PGAs), some noise also gets...