Electronic Design articles from May 2007

Electronic Design archives from May 2007

Into the nano frontier--closer than you might think.(NanoBusiness Alliance conference)(nanotechnology)(Editorial)
May 10, 2007... Getting ready for the annual NanoBusiness Alliance conference, I finished shaving and slathered my skin with nanoparticle-enhanced sunscreen. I pulled on some nanofiber-coated pants, finished getting dressed, and headed out to my car, which...

Bob's mailbox.(Letter to the editor)
May 10, 2007... Hello Bob: I'm designing wideband photodiode amplifiers and using Jerald Graeme's excellent book (Photodiode Amplifiers--Op Amp Solutions) as a reference. In the case of a composite transimpedance amplifier (TIA) discussed in Chapter 6, do you...

Change is the only constant in electronic components.(Viewpoint essay)
May 10, 2007... Electronic components (ECs) are so widely distributed that the EC industry feels every economic shift, twitch, and tremor. That's especially true for small to medium-sized EC companies. Whether it's a change in consumer spending habits,...

Next-generation lithography takes UV light to the extreme.(ultraviolet)
May 10, 2007... As semiconductor processes head below 65 nm, scientists are scrambling to find a light source that will let fabs manufacture next-generation chips. Martin Richardson, an optics professor and director of the University of Central Florida's laser...

Power management can save the world.(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... Former Vice President Al Gore calls it an inconvenient truth. But global warming represents an attractive opportunity for the power-management industry, which can employ its expertise in reducing energy usage to benefit consumers around the...

Meet and greet your peers at EDS 2007.(TechVIEW)
May 10, 2007... Pack your golf clubs and order some fresh business cards. It's time to head for Las Vegas and this year's Electronic Distribution Show (EDS), scheduled for May 14-17 at the Paris and Bally's hotels. During the event, manufacturers of electronic...

Low-power 24-bit stereo ADCs boast 124-dB SNR.(TechView: Analog & Power)(Texas Instruments Inc.'s PCM4220 and PCM4222 analog to digital converters)(signal to noise ratio)
May 10, 2007... For professional digital audio recording and processing, Texas Instruments' PCM4220 and PCM4222 24-bit, 216-kHz delta-sigma analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) provide up to 124-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). While sampling at 48 kHz, these...

Transceiver chips simplify EIA-485 implementation.(TechView: Analog & Power)
May 10, 2007... EIA-485 (RS-485) may seem a little retro. But the standard is still the simplest way to drive digital data over long distances (i.e., 4000 feet) with multidrop capability. Recognizing this, Maxim Integrated Products' has come up with a pair of...

Give your robot a fresh set of eyes.(ABB Robotics's new industrial robots)
May 10, 2007... Robots have it tough, performing tasks ad nauseam to please us humans. Most of them deal with subpar working conditions, with no bathroom breaks and total blindness. When most of us humans either naturally or by some corrective means have...

Overcome the challenges of 45-nm design.(design tip)
May 10, 2007... The industry is moving to the 45-nm process technology node. As with the 65-nm node, this migration will be pioneered by foundries partnering with first-tier movers such as large fabless companies and integrated device manufacturers (IDMs). The...

Device-native FPGA verification helps speed development cycles.(field programmable gate array)
May 10, 2007... There are a lot more FPGA design starts these days than ASIC design starts. But with FPGAs approaching the size and complexity of ASICs, they bring along many of the same verification issues. For many FPGA designers, simulation is just too slow...

Place-and-route tool improves runtimes and capacity.(TechView: EDA)(IC Compiler 2007.03 from Synopsys Inc.)(electronic design automation)(Brief article)
May 10, 2007... In the 2007.03 release of IC Compiler, Synopsys' flagship place-and-route tool, designers can look for faster runtimes, higher capacity, smarter multicorner/multimode (MCMM) optimizations, and improved predictability compared to earlier...

Single-chip ZigBee radio kicks up the data rate while boosting battery life.(TechView: Wireless)(Freescale Semiconductor MC1322x )
May 10, 2007... More and more, designers are using the ZigBee short-range wireless technology to monitor remote sensors and transmit simple control messages in their industrial, building automation, and home applications. Freescale Semiconductor's MC1322x...

Single-chip receiver brings analog and digital TV to cell phones.(TechView: Wireless)(Telegent Systems' TLG1100 and TLG1130)
May 10, 2007... Do people really want TV on their cell phones? The demand might not be there yet, but manufacturers and carriers are working hard on delivering TV to handsets despite the small screen. Telegent Systems' TLG1100 and TLG1130 single-chip TV...

Architecture maps DSP flow to parallel processing platform: this divide-and-conquer parallel processing approach whips up a Storm.(Stream Processors's digital signal processors)
May 10, 2007... Programming parallel processors isn't easy, especially when the number of processing elements is large. No single technique applies to all situations. But in its Storm-1 architecture, Stream Processors narrows the focus to make parallel...

Top 100 employers in electronic design: which U.S. companies create the most engineering opportunities? our Top 100 lead the way based on design influence, hiring patterns, rich patent and IP portfolios, and substantial R & D budgets.
May 10, 2007... Lists are wildly popular throughout the publishing world. Take the Fortune 500, which is highly influential in business. Others have a real impact on our daily lives--Money's Best Places to Live, U.S. News' Best Colleges list, and Consumer...

GPS takes a global position in the portable market: manufacturers are embedding navigation and location awareness into cell phones-and just about every other handheld device.(Global Positioning System)
May 10, 2007... Wherever You Go, There You Are. That just happens to be the title of Jon Kabat-Zinn's 1994 book on Buddhist meditation. However, you could also apply that description to the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System (GPS). This technology...

Flexible displays set to go mainstream: substrate and materials advances are creating the desired flexibility for long-awaited display applications.
May 10, 2007... After two decades of intensive study and testing, flexible displays are just about ready to take off. Researchers have strived to find the right combination of flexible glass, polymer, and metal-foil substrates along with thin-film-transistor...

MCUs provide power control and intelligence for lighting applications.(microcontroller)
May 10, 2007... The word is officially out--inefficient light sources aren't cool. Pardon the pun, but we're rapidly becoming aware of the impact our energy consumption has on the environment. Lighting applications consume a large portion of our overall energy...

Germanium dual-boost starts at 260 mV.(INNOVATIVE DESIGNS FROM READERS)(inductive dc-dc boost circuit)
May 10, 2007... No matter what portable power source you use, the lower the starting voltage your circuitry operates at, the better. A lower startup voltage also maximizes runtime. Furthermore, to completely discharge the power source, circuitry must run on...

ISI Lead Free Interposers for DDR2 BGAs.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 10, 2007... ISI Lead Free Interposers allow OEMs to use standard eutectic (leaded) SMT assembly processes, even when BGAs are only available in lead-free packaging. DDR2 memory chips are one common application, although ISI supplies interposers for a...

Precision high voltage DC/DC.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 10, 2007... The "A" Family of DC/DC converters are enclosed in 1"x2"x0.4" metal cases. They are capable of producing up to 200Vdc with voltage accuracy greater than 1%, load regulation greater than 0.2%, and are available in 5, 10, and 15 Watt models, with...

RF glossary from Keithley.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 10, 2007... The furious pace of innovation in the semiconductor and wireless communication industries means the vocabulary of these industries is growing rapidly. Keithley Instruments' RF glossary, Speaking RF: Wireless Communication Terminology, can help...

International rectifier introduces QPL-Certified Schottky rectifiers for high-reliability power systems.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 10, 2007... International Rectifier introduces a series of QPL, Schottky rectifiers, featuring a +45V to +100V reverse-voltage range, 0.69V to 1.3V forward-voltage range, and 10A to 35A current rating, for high-reliability applications in SMPS, satellite...

Caplugs offers complete line of connector protectors.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 10, 2007... (Buffalo, N.Y.)--Caplugs now offers fiber-optic caps specially designed to protect ST, FC, SC, and SMA style connectors. Caplugs understands that damage to fiberoptic connectors can be costly so we have designed an inexpensive solution for your...

Tell the sound man to crank it--electronic earplugs are ready.(Editorial)
May 24, 2007... I recently saw Prince in concert at 3121, the Las Vegas club customized for his show. Having seen a couple of his arena shows, I already knew that Prince was one of the best live performers out there. The opportunity to see him up close was...

What's all this dream stuff, anyhow?(Editorial)
May 24, 2007... It's 3:50 a.m. And as I've said before, if I can't get back to sleep after lying there helpless for 45 minutes, I might as well get up. In this case, I had a dream that was even worth typing. I have about two Safeway bags full of handwritten...

Die stacking solves the mobile device memory crunch.(dynamic random access memory design)
May 24, 2007... The rapid adoption of media-rich applications in portable consumer products is requiring progressively higher memory speeds and capacities, especially for volatile memory that stores data during operation, as in DRAM. The economics of...

Catch a wave at the ultimate wireless (and vacation) event.(TechView)
May 24, 2007... Hawaii is the hot spot for wireless conferences this summer, with five events spanning June and July. But if you can only afford one of these conferences, this year's IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) conference should be it....

Analog heritage saved from flood.(TechView: Analog & Power)(David Sarnoff Library)
May 24, 2007... The floods that hit the Northeast U.S. in April nearly wiped out one of the motherlodes of analog history. Thanks to heroic work, most of the documents at the David Sarnoff Library in Princeton were saved. But it took a major effort and...

ADC arrays for beam-forming applications.(FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)(analog-to-digital converters)(Editorial)
May 24, 2007... What kinds of applications use large arrays of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs)? Phased-array radar systems and medical imaging are two major application areas. Many of these applications place common demands on the ADCs and the analog...

I wish my memory were as dynamic as the All-in-OneMemory.(TechView: Digital)(Silicon Storage Technology Inc.)
May 24, 2007... If only I could organize my thoughts as easily as Silicon Storage Technology's All-in-OneMemory organizes its code and data. This device combines the benefits of NOR and NAND flash, RAM, and built-in controllers, so all your memory needs can...

Acceleration/emulators speed verification and debugging.(TechView: EDA)(Mentor Graphics Veloce)(electronic design automation)
May 24, 2007... There's really no getting around it. The complexity of today's chip designs will eventually force you to adopt hardware-assisted verification in some form. Software simulation alone is too slow. Meanwhile, functional verification remains Public...

Clock multipliers supply any-rate frequency synthesis.(TechView: Communications)(Silicon Laboratories Si53xx)(Brief article)
May 24, 2007... The wide range of oddball frequencies required by communications equipment these days makes it tough for one IC to deliver even a few of them. Yet Silicon Laboratories has figured out a way to generate almost any desired output frequency for...

Unified graphical system design environments boost design success rates.(basics of Design)(Editorial)
May 24, 2007... Why do so many embedded system designs fail to meet their goals? A survey published in 2003 by market research company Embedded Market Forecasters reports that over 6000 design projects out of 45,000 surveyed were cancelled--a 13% failure...

You can see clearly now with compact P-OLED microdisplay: this high-resolution, full-color device brings moving, TV-quality, large virtual displays to portable applications.(LeapFrog)(polymer organic light-emitting diode)(MicroEmissive Displays ME3204)
May 24, 2007... I guess you could call it eye candy. Say hello to what's claimed as the first--and only--polymer organic light-emitting diode (POLED) microdisplay. Developed by Scotland-based MicroEmissive Displays (MED), the "eyescreen" ME3204 is a...

DAC gets wild and Crazy: some of the Design Automation Conference's party spirit makes its way into the technical program at this year's show.(EngineeringFeature)
May 24, 2007... Like many niches in the electronics industry, EDA has a bit of a split personality. By day, it's typically all about algorithms, languages, standards, and myriad other aspects of putting together cohesive design and verification flows. But EDA...

Ultra-mobile PCs become a 'hotspot' in portable electronics: computing, connectivity, and keyboards form the foundation of the burgeoning UMPC consumer market.(TechnologyReport)(Editorial)
May 24, 2007... It's no secret that compact, lightweight laptops have seen meteoric rises in popularity and functionality. The same can be said for portable computing platforms like the RIM Blackberry and the Treo 700w (see "Powerful Portables" at...

So, what was that memory technology again? With such an array of technologies to choose from, one could suffer from memory lapse.(EngineeringESSENTIALS)(Editorial)
May 24, 2007... Fast-forward to the year 2017. You turn on your tablet PC and, like a Palm Pilot, it's instantly up and running right where you called it quits on your last search. There are no buzzing hard drives or fans, and all of the data is written to and...

NVM integration ensures a successful experience.(EngineeringESSENTIALS)(nonvolatile memory)
May 24, 2007... Moving from external nonvolatile memory (NVM) to an internal embedded approach provides many benefits in system-on-a-chip (SoC) design: increased design accuracy, lower board costs, decreased board complexity, greater testability, better...

COTS going custom.(Embedded)(commercial-off-the-shelf)
May 24, 2007... The commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) market is showing quite a bit of growth. The European Union's Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) have had a significant impact on new designs due to the need to find new sources. Purchasing COTS...

Design transfers between two USB storage devices.(Embedded News)
May 24, 2007... Future Technology Devices International Limited's $35 VF2F2 module is a reference design utilizing the company's Vinculum VNC1L embedded USB host controller. It can transfer files between a pair of USB disks. The commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)...

Module on module.(Embedded News)
May 24, 2007... MEN Micro's Universal Submodule (USM) can plug into PMC or M-Modules mezzanine boards that plug into standard carrier boards. This allows the standard mezzanine cards to hold FPGAs or compute platforms while interface circuitry is housed on the...

Debug probe pushes data over 10 Mbits/s.(Embedded News)
May 24, 2007... Green Hills Software's Probe V3 can download data at rates in excess of 10 Mbits/s with sustained JTAG TCK rates over 100 MHz. It has Gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0 interfaces. A Web-based Python scripting interface allows the creation of...

Enhanced video, lower pricetag.(EmbeddedInElectronicDesign)(Atmel AVR32, Texas Instruments Inc.'s DaVinci TMS320, DM647 and DM648)
May 24, 2007... Camera prices are falling. So are DSP prices, leading to a massive rise in multichannel video capture applications from video-based security to machine vision. Texas Instruments' DaVinci TMS320 720-MHz DM647 and 900-MHz DM648 DSPs target...

More modules.(EmbeddedInElectronicDesign)
May 24, 2007... Building with off-the-shelf parts continues to deliver the fastest time-to-market. The trick, of course, is to find the right boards or modules to get there. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ampro's COM 830 and 840 are based on the COM Express...

Leverage AdvancedTCA to optimize IMS: move from proprietary to commercial-off-the-shelf components to build next-generation IP networks.(DesignSolution)(telecommunications architectures)(Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem)
May 24, 2007... Until recently, telecommunications equipment manufacturers (TEMs) kept major platform design "close to home" via in-house development of proprietary system components. Later, TEMs started to grapple with the proprietary "make versus buy"...

Interconnects fit tight, rugged environments.(ComponentView)
May 24, 2007... The Autoheader right-angle interconnects suit applications that require solder-free, lead-free assembly in space-restricted, rugged environments, like stacked printed-circuit boards (PCBs), junction-box assemblies, and automotive connector...

The thin-substrate chip-scale package (tsCSP) from Amkor.(Packaging)
May 24, 2007... The Thin-Substrate Chip-Scale Package (tsCSP) from Amkor Technology is a land-grid-array, multi-row package (up to three rows) compatible with established CSP mounting techniques. The near chip-size standard outlines of the tsCSP offer a broad...

A slide-motion button on the second-generation ATCA handle.(Packaging)
May 24, 2007... A slide-motion button on the second-generation ATCA handle from Elma Electronic latches the handle shut and activates an optional micro-switch. Closed, the handle is flush against the panel to prevent inadvertent opening prior to micro-switch...

Corwil Technology Corp. is providing additional services for its.(Packaging)(Brief article)
May 24, 2007... Corwil Technology Corp. is providing additional services for its system-in-package (SIP) and multi-component packaging (MCP) module customers. The company has teamed with substrate design and fabrication sources to deliver complete, turnkey SIP...

Focus on interconnects.(ComponentView)(Buyers guide)(Table)
May 24, 2007... Focus on Interconnects Company Model/Type Description Pricing FCI AirMax VS New ball-grid-array Contact the www.fciconnect.com connector termination option company...

Innovative designs from readers: eight-pin microcontroller handles two-digit display with multiple LEDs.(IdeasForDesign)(charlieplexing)(light emitting diodes)
May 24, 2007... Eight-pin microcontrollers offer numerous peripheral features. However, the maximum number of I/O pins available is often limited to six, since two pins would be required for the chip's power supply. So, it can be challenging to design systems...

Simple circuit indicates whether a signal is logic high or low.(IdeasForDesign)(Brief article)
May 24, 2007... The circuit presented here provides users with an indication of a high or low logic state. When the input is a logic 1 (high), the common-cathode display indicates "H." When the input is a logic 0 (low), the display indicates "L." ...

High performance sockets & adapters.(Catalog Literature Review)
May 24, 2007... Includes GHz bandwidth sockets for BGA and QFN, only slightly larger than IC with integral heatsink for medium power and optional heatsinking to over 100 watts. Up to 500k insertions. Adapters for prototype, test, and more. Quick turn volume...

LabVIEW state diagram toolkit.(Catalog Literature Review)
May 24, 2007... Create state machines that reflect complex decision-making logic while simultaneously auto-generating the necessary implementation code with the National Instruments LabVIEW State Diagram Toolkit. Automatically generate state diagrams, add...

Free 2007 national instruments measurement and automation catalog.(Catalog Literature Review)(Brief article)
May 24, 2007... Featuring new product information, comparison charts, key specifications, and information on: * NI LabVIEW 8.20 Twentieth Anniversary Edition Graphical System Design Software [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Isolated M Series, PXI Express...

PB-BGA60C-DDRRAM-RIGID-01 logic analyzer adapter.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 24, 2007... Ironwood Electronics' PB-BGA60C-DDRRAM-RIGID-01 Logic Analyzer Adapter allows high-speed operation simultaneous with memory device analysis using Agilent 16XXX Logic Analyzer System. Ironwood Electronics is the leader in developing high-speed...

New series of low-cost PC/104 digital boards provides 48 isolated digital inputs.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 24, 2007... ACCES I/O Products Inc., is pleased to release its newest series of PC/104 isolated digital I/O boards, the 104-IDI-48 Series. These 48-channel PC/104 utility boards feature 48 individually optically isolated digital inputs. The boards are...

Spray down protection for less than the cost of drip.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 24, 2007... Bud Industries announced its SN Series NEMA-rated sheet-metal Boxes--the newest addition to Bud's complete line of environmentally sealed enclosures. Because of economies in manufacturing, now engineers can get an SN Series steel box rated for...

IR's new versatile PWM control IC.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 24, 2007... Addresses Synchronous Buck Applications with Wide Input Voltage Range from 12V to 75V and Boosts Efficiency The IR3651 is a synchronous PWM control IC for synchronous DC-DC buck applications with an input voltage range up to 75V. With...

B3 Series Hi-Brite Block solid state lighting.(PRODUCT ALERT)
May 24, 2007... Bivar's innovative new lighting solutions are meeting requirements in applications across a broad spectrum of industrial markets. The B3 Series Hi-Brite Block design features optional configurations for power, light, and mounting styles in a...