Electronic Design articles from November 2008

Electronic Design archives from November 2008

Editor's view.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)(Editorial)
November 7, 2008... ED Online 19840: ESL Platform Looks To Solidify Baseband PHY Design Flow David Maliniak, EDA Editor [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When it comes to the design of the physical layers of communications systems, to get started on baseband...

Mark David's roadmap.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
November 7, 2008... ED Online 19879: Video: Under The Hood Of The Tesla Roadster Mark David, Group Editorial Director [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] J.B. Straubel, CTO of Tesla Motors, sat down with Mark during MIT's annual Emerging Technology Conference to...

New products showcase.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
November 7, 2008... Henry Komrij, R&D manager for Agilent Technologies' Component Test Division, speaks with EDA Editor David Maliniak about the company's N9912A FieldFox RF Analyzer. To see the video, go to...

Techscope.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
November 7, 2008... ED Online 19904: As Robots Get Smaller, Potential Applications Get Bigger John Edwards, Contributing Editor An emerging generation of microbots promises to explore new frontiers in medicine, security, and other fields. But designers...

Embedded Techview.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
November 7, 2008... ED Online 19896: Smart Camera Runs Graphical Applications [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bill Wong, Embedded/Systems/Software Editor The National Instruments Smart Camera line now has three new family members--the NI 1744, NI 1762, and NI...

Designed in.(what's happening @ electronicdesign.com)
November 7, 2008... ED Online 19892: Video: Multicore Processors And Virtual Development Editor-in-Chief Joe Desposito speaks with Stephen Turnbull, portfolio manager for networking systems at Freescale Semiconductor, and Michel Genard, vice president of...

DARwIn IIIx soccer playing robot.(WWW.ENGINEERINGTV.COM)
November 7, 2008... DARwIn is a fully autonomous humanoid robot capable of bipedal walking and performing human-like motions. Developed at the Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) at Virginia Tech, DARwIn is a research platform for studying robot locomotion...

Parting with old electronics can be hazardous to someone's health.(editorial)
November 7, 2008... I just recently emptied out a storage unit I had been renting for many years. As a consequence, my garage took over the job of storing all kinds of different electronic equipment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Part of my original storage plan...

Come next February, your TV may be junk.(the lab bench)
November 7, 2008... If you haven't seen the commercials about the upcoming conversion to over-the-air, high-definition TV, then you probably don't watch much television anyway--not even on an old black-and-white TV like the one I still have sitting on my shelf...

Using delta-sigma can be as easy as ADC (part 3).(analog/mixed-signal design)(analog to digital converters)
November 7, 2008... Part 2 of this series showed how a dual-slope integrator could fix the major limitations of a single slope converter, and I received several e-mails in response (August 28, p. 18, ED Online 19512). For example, Harry Bissel of WTC questioned my...

1.5-GHz FPGA takes clock gating to the max.(techview)
November 7, 2008... Flexibility is key to FPGA success, but speed is equally important. Achronix almost triples the throughput of the system by taking clock gating to the extreme. The Achronix Speedster FPGAs use a unique pipeline architecture but completely hide...

Lunar robot takes working vacation in Hawaii.(techview)
November 7, 2008... The fall is a wonderful time to visit Hawaii--even if you're a robot, and especially if you're training to go to the moon. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, NASA, and other organizations are now testing their...

Online poll.(techview)
November 7, 2008... Laptops and smart phones are just the beginning. Mobile Internet devices, specifically designed for Web connectivity, are on their way. Will you be getting one? Yes! I can't wait to surf anytime. 0% If the right device...

Test the DigRF interface on mobile Internet devices.(techview)
November 7, 2008... Cell phones and other mobile Internet devices (MIDs) typically use two primary chips--the RF section or radio transceiver and the baseband (BB) section, which handles the digital processing associated with modulation and demodulation and other...

DigRF FAQs.(techview)(Interview)
November 7, 2008... Q: What is DigRF? A: DigRF is a digital interface standard defined and supported by the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Alliance (www.mipi.org). MIPI also has interface standards for both LCDs and cameras used in cell phones....

Compact module taps COM Express atoms for mobile video.(techview)
November 7, 2008... Congatec's latest COM Express module, the conga-CA945, is based on Intel's 1.6-GHz, two-thread N270 Atom processor and 945GSE Express chip set (see the figure). The module can handle up to a 2-Gbyte DDR2 small-outline dual-inline memory module...

Try multithreaded multicore chip for $99.(techview)
November 7, 2008... XMOS wants you to try making lots of threads with its $99 XC-1 development system, which is home to a four-core XS1-G processor (see "Multicore And Soft Peripherals Target Multimedia Applications" at www.electronicdesign.com, ED Online 16231)....

The processor wars: the long-heralded convergence of computing, communications, and entertainment is here, instigating a three-way battle for Internet device designs.(feature)(Cover story)
November 7, 2008... Just when you thought all was quiet on the personal computer (PC) front, with entrenched competitors grimly holding onto their market share, a new battle has broken out. Due to the rise of the mobile Internet device (MID), traditional computer...

electronica 2008: the industry's tech extravaganza; Nearly 3000 electronics companies will congregate at the Munich International Trade Fair, Nov. 11-14, to participate in the 23rd electronica exhibition and conference.(technology report)(Conference news)
November 7, 2008... Every two years, the world's electronics industry flocks to the Bavarian city of Munich (Fig. 1). This year's electronica 2008, a festival of electronics technology, provides a rich source of news and views as well as hard technical data on new...

Electronica 2008 survival tips.(technology report)
November 7, 2008... The Bavarians are very good at making fantastically refreshing high-quality lager beers. They're pretty good at drinking it, too. And this year in Munich, the Bavarian population has the perfect reason for doing both--celebrating the city's...

Synthetic instrumentation no longer a test case: designers can now get their hands on the next evolution of test and measurement equipment, which delivers flexibility, speed, and cost benefits.(engineering essentials)
November 7, 2008... Synthetic instrumentation (SI) offers a different approach to test and measurement. It uses a collection of basic hardware and software building blocks in a flexible, open, and modular architecture to synthesize the stimulus and measurement...

The Internet comes home.(embedded in ed)
November 7, 2008... The Widget Channel, initially presented by Yahoo! and Intel at the Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco in August, marks a trend to open interfaces that will be on connected TVs around the world. These widgets are small icons and...

Are you migrating to massive multicore yet?(embedded in ed)
November 7, 2008... Multicore is the name of the game for performance, and three new offerings push the boundaries. Each takes a different architectural approach designed to suit its target application space. Tilera delivers 336 cores, while Ambric tries to fit...

DSP delivers low-cost floating point.(NEWS)
November 7, 2008... Texas Instruments has added a trio of low-cost, 300-MHz, floating-point DSPs to its portfolio. The dual-core OMAP-L137 combines an ARM9 with a C674x floating-point DSP core. The single-core $10.41 C6745 incorporates an 8/16-bit NAND/SDRAM...

Fixed-point DSP provides performance and connectivity.(NEWS)
November 7, 2008... Analog Devices is targeting low-power, high-performance applications with the BF51x low-end additions to the Blackfin family. Targeted at signal-processing chores for multimedia products, the 400-MHz BF51x devices have a standby power...

Bulletproof your system timing with programmable clocks: by validating and then ensuring timing margin during development and production, programmable clocks help reduce system cost and optimize performance.(design solution)
November 7, 2008... Ever wondered how much timing margin your system really has? You've probably asked some questions along these lines, such as: Does my crystal really need 20 parts-per-million (ppm) accuracy? What if noise couples to my timing clock edge? Will...

Design a low-cost 4- to 20-mA receiver circuit for control loops.(ideas for design)
November 7, 2008... Current-mode control loops (particularly the popular 4- to 20-mA controls) are used in many industrial applications because of their immunity to induced EMI from motors, contactors, relays, and other sources. Off-the-shelf process controllers...

10-GHz divide-by-100 prescaler connects to 100-MHz counter.(ideas for design)
November 7, 2008... The prescaler described here connects to the front end of a 100-MHz frequency counter to extend its coverage range to 10 GHz. The circuit is a far less expensive way to measure frequencies above 100 MHz than buying a 1- or 10-GHz frequency...

Simple battery monitor works with higher battery voltages.(ideas for design)
November 7, 2008... Battery-operated equipment often requires a low-voltage monitor to warn the user when the battery voltage is too low or to perform other functions, such as power-source switching or device shutdown. Many specialized ICs are available to satisfy...

What's all this floobydust stuff, anyhow? (Part 5B).(pease porridge)(Letter to the editor)
November 7, 2008... People keep asking me when they will get to see my latest Dead Car List, where I keep track of all the disabled and abandoned cars I see on the road. Alas, while I have a couple of grocery bags of raw data on dead cars, I have not been able to...

Scope.(Chevy Volt)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... ED Online 20029: Chevy Volt Takes Charge [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In New York City Richard Gawel, Managing Editor Scheduled to roll off the production lines in November 2010, the Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle...

Editor's view.(Editorial)
November 17, 2008... ED Online 19974: IBM And Mentor Graphics Team Up On 22-nm Computational Lithography [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] David Maliniak, EDA Editor As part of IBM's computation scaling initiative to create the industry's first computationally...

Techview online.
November 17, 2008... ED Online 19977: Faster AWG Tackles High-Speed Serial Data And Wideband Digital RF Designs [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Louis E. Frenzel, Communications/Test Editor When designing new products based on faster high-speed serial buses, a...

Green design.
November 17, 2008... ED Online 19985: GAO Study: EPA Needs To Better Control Harmful E-Waste Ron Schneiderman, Contributing Editor Hazardous waste regulations in the U.S. have not deterred exports of potentially hazardous used electronics, largely because...

Embedded in ED Online.
November 17, 2008... ED Online 19976: Are You Migrating To Massive Multicore Yet? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] William Wong, Embedded/Systems/Software Editor Multicore is the name of the game for performance, and three new offerings from Tilera, Ambric, and...

New products showcase.
November 17, 2008... Nigel Burgess, product line manager, and Peter Frith, chief technical officer, at Wolfson Microelectronics talk about the TrueMic family of MEMS microphones with EDA Editor David Maliniak. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Testing the Wii with PXI (parts 1 and 2).(ENGINEERING TV)
November 17, 2008... At NI Week 2008, Baron Stone and Chetan Kapoor used the Nintendo Wii to demonstrate how National Instruments technology can be used to comprehensively test electronic systems. During this demonstration, they tear down the Wii to explore its...

The very old and very new converge at Belgium's IMEC.(editorial)
November 17, 2008... Though I'm interested in both history and technology, it's unusual for both of those interests to be served side by side. But upon arriving in Leuven, Belgium, recently for the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre's (IMEC's) annual...

Are designers making multicore more complicated? Or less?(the lab bench)
November 17, 2008... Multicore is the wave of the future, with more cores in our designs as time goes on. Some push the limits, while others creep up to a half-dozen very large cores. And then there's the problem of programming these things. [ILLUSTRATION...

PACs address increasing green monitoring requirements.(point of view)
November 17, 2008... With the world's escalating focus on climate change, ever-evolving environmental regulations, and the birth of new markets such as carbon trading, there has been a significant and rapid increase in the demands for environmental monitoring tools...

Stack monitor chips: without isolation concerns to give your electric car some.(techview)
November 17, 2008... Okay, you want to design an electric car. Whatever kind of motor you decide on, you're going to want to run it at a pretty high voltage. That means stacking many batteries in series to get to that voltage, which introduces interesting...

Online poll.(techview)
November 17, 2008... Major economic downturns often lead to significant innovations. If history repeats itself, where will the next breakthrough come from? Communications 6% Computing 6% Medical electronics 23% Military electronics...

Custom sources light way to 22-nm IC lithography.(techview)
November 17, 2008... Concern is rising about the ability of today's microlithography equipment to scale below 45-nm design rules and still print with acceptable fidelity. There are different schools of thought on how best to meet this challenge--some more...

Fast ADC sips power, simplifies design-in.(techview)(Analog to digital converters)
November 17, 2008... For portable applications as diverse as medical imaging units, professional video cameras, battery-powered software-defined radios, and industrial test and measurement designs, the 14-bit, 125-Msample/s LTC2261 analog-to-digital converter (ADC)...

design FAQs: Multiservice router clock circuit design challenges: frequently asked questions.(Interview)
November 17, 2008... What's a multiservice router/switch? Multiservice routers and switches are network devices that support multiple switching and routing protocols, typically adding Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)...

PACs become task masters: faster speeds and greater memory make it easier to integrate many functions in one system using programmable automation controllers.(feature)(programmable automation controllers )
November 17, 2008... As global pressures squeeze manufacturers, many feel the urgency to optimize equipment in their plants. Existing controls are being tossed out and replaced with modern programmable automation controllers (PACs) that deliver more processing...

Working without wires.(feature)
November 17, 2008... Plant managers are adding a powerful tool in their efforts to gather more data and keep equipment running smoothly--wireless networking. It lets them locate sensors anywhere, move equipment without routing wires, and perform tasks that would...

Ultracapacitors branch out into wider markets: known for their muscle, these devices are scaling back in size but not in power to provide juice for a broader range of devices--including portables.(technology report.)
November 17, 2008... Once the staple of brute-force power supplies and large industrial and consumer power applications, ultracapacitors are now finding their way into products of all sizes, particularly portables. Also called supercapacitors, these components are...

Challenges lie ahead at the physical layer: high-speed serial data has all but replaced parallel buses, but it's getting tougher to ramp up the throughput.(engineering essentials)
November 17, 2008... The physical layer (PHY) of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model conveys the bit stream--electrical impulse, light, or radio signal--through a network. In the context of the OSI model, the PHY embraces the physical as well as the signaling...

Get started on your LXI-compliant instrument design: whether the device falls into class A, B, or C compliancy, a number of decisions must be made before the design process begins.(design solution)
November 17, 2008... The LXI Standard is an exciting communications protocol development for the test-and-measurement industry. Unfortunately, members of the Consortium have been the primary writers associated with the information published regarding the LXI...

Using copper traces as ballast resistors ensures balance.(ideas for design)
November 17, 2008... The data sheet for the LT3080 linear voltage regulator suggests using printed-circuit-board (PCB) traces for ballast resistors. Although the LT3080's low offset voltage suits it well for this technique, it can be used for other ballast...

Superior JFET biasing improves amplifier performance.(ideas for design)
November 17, 2008... An N-channel JFET has a low bias current when its gate is biased negative to the source. However, this requires either that the gate voltage be biased negative with respect to the source voltage or that source voltage be biased positive with...

Rotating LED array emulates marquee-type display.(ideas for design)
November 17, 2008... I use this display circuit to expose students to the concepts and characteristics of scanning displays. Basically, a message is delivered to the CPU (a Microchip PIC16F76) over an RS-232 interface. The message is displayed on a vertical array...

Hairy gecko peds hold key to powerful dry adhesives.(in electronic design)
November 17, 2008... Imagine a dry compound that can conductively bind components to a printed-circuit board without the high heat associated with various soldering processes. Or, how about an adhesive that never dries out in a vacuum--a common problem in aerospace...

Select the right circuit protection for switch-mode power supplies.(in electronic design)
November 17, 2008... Switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) continue to replace linear-regulator types in a host of applications. As the need for more efficient electronics accelerates and as a result of their size, weight, and energy-saving advantages, SMPS are being...

Surge protector meets European test requirements.(CIRCUIT PROTECTION)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Promising robust and durable modem protection, the Bourns TISP4310T3BJR-S surge protector exceeds current-protection requirements and meets the more stringent European ITU-T K.21 enhanced standards without damaging the modem chip set, according...

Chip provides protection/cell balancing for Li-ion battery packs.(COMPONENTS)
November 17, 2008... According to the company, the Maxim Integrated Products DS2726 is the industry's most comprehensive standalone protection IC with integrated cell balancing for five- to 10-cell lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery packs, combining voltage and current...

ESD protection arrays keep a low profile.(COMPONENTS)(electrostatic discharge)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Targeting portable designs, On Semiconductor's NUP4016 and the ESD11L5.0D ESD-protection (electrostatic discharge) arrays provide a 20% lower profile than the company's previous devices and specify a typical capacitance of 0.5 pF and low...

D-sub interface modules eye motion-control APPS.(INTERCONNECTS)
November 17, 2008... The 51013375 26-pin, male D-sub interface modules for motion-control applications pair with the 737-109 triple-deck terminal strips to provide reliable control-level connections for electromechanical devices. Integration is straightforward with...

USB connector family adds mini receptacles.(COMPONENTS)
November 17, 2008... Enlarging Mill-Max Manufacturing's USB connector family, two mini USB receptacles offer more options when smaller solutions are necessary. Groomed for surface-mount applications, they are smaller and lighter than existing USB connectors for...

Modular system safely simplifies electrical wiring.(COMPONENTS)
November 17, 2008... Allowing users to wire more in less time, the 890 series Winsta Mini brings push wire terminations to modular electrical wiring. The series consists of two- and three-pole versions that fit through 5/8-in. and 7/8-in. knockouts, respectively....

EMI filtered terminal block handles up to 30 A.(COMPONENTS)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... Enlarging Spectrum Control's line of standard barrier strip terminal blocks is a component featuring a higher 30-A current rating. According to the company, the block delivers the higher rating without incurring the expense of a true...

SFP+ assembly provides alternative to fiber-optic modules.(COMPONENTS)
November 17, 2008... Groomed for high-performance computing, enterprise networking, and network storage markets, the SFP+ copper-cable assemblies from W.L. Gore & Associates promise a more reliable, efficient, and economical alternative to fiber-optic modules for...

Type a cordsets meet Fieldbus specs.(COMPONENTS)(Brief article)
November 17, 2008... The 0.875-in., MINI SAC cordsets debut as the first connectorized cables to receive official compliance registration in accordance with the Fieldbus Foundation's FF-844 requirements for H1 Type A cable. The Type A, over-molded cordset for H1...

PCB connector boosts density and reliability.(COMPONENTS)
November 17, 2008... Groomed for SEM Form E factor modules, Amphenol's Smash printed-circuit connector boasts high density with unique levels of reliability and the best performance levels on the market in terms of admissible current per signal contact, according...

High-power connector integrates two-way splitter.(COMPONENTS)
November 17, 2008... A recent addition to the Power Pak series high-power connectors, the Powerpole T-Pak features a two-way electrical splitter for one incoming circuit and two outgoing circuits, making it viable for both industrial and commercial applications....

Mailbag.(pease porridge)(Letter to the editor)
November 17, 2008... BOB, I've once again bumped into the limit of an op amp. A single op amp can provide gain or level shifting but not both at once. (I tend to disagree. A single op amp can do a lot of things. It can pat its tummy and rub its head and hop up...