Electronic Design articles from October 2005

Electronic Design archives from October 2005

The hot spot for wireless design.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
October 13, 2005... From the classroom to the boardroom, everybody's going wireless. Electronic Design is an excellent resource for designers working with wireless technology. Sign up for our e-mail newsletter and let Communications/Networking Editor Louis E....

"Sound off".(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
October 13, 2005... Although I am not actively involved in ham radio now, I still have my license and once received a public service award for helping the Red Cross when a tornado devastated Topeka, Kansas. As you state, sometimes old, simple technology can prove...

EiED online.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
October 13, 2005... CAN 201: CAN Controllers Embedded/Systems/Software Editor Bill Wong's previous column, "CAN 101: CAN Can Where Ethernet Does Not" (ED Online 9131), introduced you to controller-area networks. Now it's time to take a close look at the...

What's up?(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
October 13, 2005... Technology In The News Electronic Design has a new online feature, "Technology in the News," Read our latest story about the recent announcements from Apple Computer. Take an in-depth look at the technology behind the new iTunes cell phone...

Polling.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)(Brief Article)
October 13, 2005... Polling Which project should take top priority in NASA's future plans? INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 20% MANNED FLIGHTS TO THE MOON 11% MANNED FLIGHT TO MARS 24% UNMANNED SPACE EXPLORATION 40% NONE OF THE...

What's cool.(WHAT'S HAPPENING @ elecdesign.com: Keeping the EE community connected)
October 13, 2005... From The Top 20 Articles on ED Online: 1 Low-Cost Audio Delay Line Uses 1-Bit ADC ED Online 8056 2 In Katrina's Wake, Ham Radio Triumphs ED Online 11136 3 Take A Peek Inside Today's Spectrum Analyzers ED Online 11027 4...

Arrl's role in rescue offers lessons for future.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
October 13, 2005... Investigations into the communications breakdowns in our national emergency response systems continue. Yet I'm struck by the contrast between the hue and cry for upgraded infrastructure solutions and the much quieter revelation that old-school...

What's all this marketing stuff, anyhow?(PEASE PORRIDGE)(Column)
October 13, 2005... Okay, marketing is a dirty and nasty job, but somebody has to do it. Sometimes I put on my "marketing hat" and try to do some of it myself. But the best insight into that is the quote I have paraded before a couple thousand attendees at my...

WiMAX advances broadband wireless dramatically.(POV: POINT OF VIEW)
October 13, 2005... Broadband wireless access is on the verge of a significant breakthrough that will change the way users access voice, data, and video-the "triple play"--through the broadband pipe. For the past decade, different broadband wireless solutions have...

Where the homeland security dollars are.(TechView)
October 13, 2005... You might think that the market for homeland security (HLS) devices in the U.S. is very large. And you'd be right. But to increase your chances of success in this arena, you have to think globally. The U.S., at $23.9 billion, will make up 52%...

Radiation detectors protect first responders.(Scope)
October 13, 2005... It's the ultimate nightmare--nuclear contamination. First responders need to know the level of contamination before they venture into potential catastrophes. As they investigate radiation leaks or terrorist threats, these officials can rely on...

Fresh design ideas benefit ac-dc supplies.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
October 13, 2005... Is it possible to say anything new about designing ac-dc supplies? Frank Rene, president of global product development at XP Power, sent along a list of five incremental enhancements that added up for his company. First, solder power...

EDA vendor sets its sights on the automotive market.(TechView: EDA)
October 13, 2005... According to some estimates, the electronics content in automobiles will represent 40% of their end price by 2010. Today's vehicles have as many as 22 separate systems with significant electronic content. That translates into quite a bit of...

Tool automates generation of SystemVerilog testbenches.(TechView: EDA)
October 13, 2005... THE SYSTEMVERILOG INFRASTRUCTURE is built out further with Synopsys' introduction of Pioneer-NTB. This testbench-automation tool delivers native SystemVerilog testbench generation to users of third-party simulators. As a result, verification...

NSA certifies software-defined military radio.(TechView: WIRELESS)
October 13, 2005... Military battlefield operations require encrypted communication--even at the handheld level. The Falcon III tactical handheld transceiver from Harris Corp. uses software-defined radio (SDR) techniques to achieve secure multiband, multi-emission...

Very linear power amplifier covers 2.4- and 5-GHz WLAN bands.(TechView: WIRELESS)
October 13, 2005... Today's portables need more power if they're going to take advantage of wireless local-area networks (WLANs). Developed by SST Communications, the dual-band SST13LP02 fits laptops, plug-in cards, and WLAN router/gateway/access points using...

Preconfigured compute optimized "supercell" reduces time-to-market.(TechView: DIGITAL)
October 13, 2005... Time-to-market drives many design decisions in the ASIC arena. By precombining and verifying a collection of key blocks of circuit intellectual property (IP), designers at Kawasaki Microelectronics America (K-Micro) hope to further accelerate...

10GBE MAC streamlines multiprotocol traffic: by combining key building blocks, this media access controller simplifies 10-Gbit line-card designs.(LEAPFROG: FIRST LOOK: PUTTING NEW TECHNOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE)
October 13, 2005... ALLITERATIVE MANTRA FOR THE DAY: CUTTING COMPONENT count curbs cost. Nowhere is this statement more true than with 10-Gbit/s line cards. Taking that alliteration to heart is the A2122 Redhawk 10-Gbit/s Ethernet (10GbE) media access...

Magnetoresistive RAM and rad-hard MCU go to the extreme: this outer-space-capable RAM/MCU combo handles radiation levels of the highest degree.(LEAPFROG: FIRST LOOK: PUTTING NEW TECHNOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 13, 2005... CONTROL APPLICATIONS IN SPACE-BASED SYSTEMS RANGING from low-earth orbit to deep-space exploration need microcontrollers that can withstand extreme levels of radiation and temperature. To meet those requirements, Silicon Laude leveraged Actel's...

Weapons of mass protection: homeland security looks to technology companies for innovative ways to combat potential terrorist strikes.(ENGINEERING FEATURE: HOMELAND SECURITY)
October 13, 2005... Uniformed security officers, bomb-sniffing dogs, and video cameras hanging off light poles may always be constant fixtures of homeland security. But the demand for new and innovative technologies has turned into big business--and it may grow...

Packaging rides the Z axis into the third dimension: demands for lower-cost, higher-density, and smaller-footprint ICs aimed at portable electronics make 3D-packaging designers sweat.(TECHNOLOGY REPORT: 3D PACKAGING)
October 13, 2005... The push for 3D packaging of semiconductor ICs directly results from market demands for smaller and lower-profile, lighter, and lower-cost packaged ICs that consume less power. With such market forces at play, package designers are feeling the...

It's true. No, false. Wait, it's 2.6 volts.(EMBEDDED IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 13, 2005... Analog microcontrollers certainly aren't new. But they've advanced dramatically by getting smaller, more powerful, and less expensive. And their applications are far-ranging, from process and motor control to interfacing with the latest...

Tiny modem module simplifies communication.(EMBEDDED NEWS)
October 13, 2005... If your embedded design requires a modem, Radicom Research offers a potential solution with its Half-Inch Modem. Actually, the module is a 1- by 1- by 0.3-in. board, but that's still tiny enough. The modem uses an AT command set. It also...

Compact 8-bit MCU module is Ethernet-friendly.(EMBEDDED NEWS)
October 13, 2005... The RCM3750 from Rabbit Semiconductor combines a 22-MHz Rabbit 3000 MCU with a 10/100BaseT interface. The small module (2.95 by 1.20 by 0.89 in.) features an RJ-45 jack and a 40-pin header. The header exposes the module's four serial ports and...

One 16-bit architecture to bind them all.(PROCESSOR SERIES)
October 13, 2005... Processor architectures tend to follow one track or another. But that's not the case with Microchip's latest 16-bit product line. The company removed a few pieces from its 16-bit digital signal controller (DSC) and cranked out a general-purpose...

MicroTCA reaches fruition.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 13, 2005... Artesyn Technologies is one vendor at the forefront of MicroTCA. This standard uses the 2U (half height) and 4U (full height) AdvancedTCA mezzanine cards (AMC) as its main board, offering a more compact solution suitable for a range of...

Small SBC sports Pentium M.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 13, 2005... Win Enterprises' IP-06058 is a compact (5.7 by 4 in.) single-board computer (SBC) that features a low-power Pentium M processor with up to 1 Gbyte of RAM and a 512-kbyte flash BIOS. The board also possesses a 10/100 Ethernet port, three USB...

8-bit MCU controls sensorless, brushless induction motors.(NEWS)
October 13, 2005... Motor-control applications are the targets eyed by the Z8 Encore! MCU family. Included is support for sensorless brushless dc (BLDC) and ac induction motors, as well as firmware, development tools, and turnkey solutions. The on-chip...

PGA dev kit speeds design.(NEWS)
October 13, 2005... Xilinx's PowerPC and MicroBlaze Development Kit, Virtex-4 FX12 Edition, comes with everything you need to check out sophisticated FPGA applications. It includes a development board with 1-Gbit Ethernet and serial interfaces, Platform Studio,...

VMM mixes Linux and DSP/BIOS.(NEWS)
October 13, 2005... Jaluna's virtual-machine manager (VMM) OSware, Linux Edition for Texas Instruments' TMS320C6000 DSP v1.2 supports Linux in a virtual-machine environment plus TI's real-time DSP/BIOS in another. The combination enables low-level services to use...

Serial RapidIO backplane base suits rugged VME COTS system.(NEWS)
October 13, 2005... The PowerMP4-60 is designed for rugged, high-bandwidth embedded applications. Thales Computers' system starts with a 19-in. 7U rack with eight VME64x slots connected to a Serial RapidIO backplane. It can handle Intel and the 1-GHz PowerPC G4...

Carefully weigh the tradeoffs of cell-based vs. structured ASICs.(DESIGN VIEW: Digital)
October 13, 2005... With the emergence of 90-nm process technology, ASIC designers get to explore uncharted levels of performance and density. However, it has additionally unleashed a slew of challenging design-integrity issues, from crosstalk and noise to IR drop...

One-Wire serial bus carries isolated power and data.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)
October 13, 2005... Medical and industrial applications often require galvanic isolation of 2500 V ac or higher for the safety of patients and equipment operators. The isolation barrier conveys not only power to the sensing element, but also data to or from that...

Smart solenoid driver reduces power loss.(DESIGN BRIEFS: Innovative Designs from Readers)
October 13, 2005... Solenoids and relays used in electronic control applications consume lots of power. The current required for activation is typically three to 10 times higher than the minimum needed to hold the relay or solenoid in the ON position. Thus,...

Delta's new Delphi Series IPM24s integrated POL DC-DC power converters.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... Delta Electronics introduces the IPM24S, a non-isolated, fully integrated, extremely cost-effective and very convenient to use Point-of-Load (POL) power module into their Delphi Series of Board Mounted DC-DC power converters. The Delphi Series...

ISI Lead Free Interposers for DDR2 BGAs.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... 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...

International rectifier PFC design kit and online design tool streamlines PFC circuit development.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... The IRAC1150-D2 PFC control design kit is a 1.1-inch-square, fully-assembled PFC control circuit that engineers can drop into an existing power supply. The IR1150 enables 0.999 PF with only 4% total harmonic distortion, conforming to...

Order Newark in one's new catalog 123.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... You'll find more in one source. * Broadest electronics selection * 440+ top manufacturers * 20,500 new products * RollS-compliant solutions * 2,472 pages Order your FREE copy today at www.newarkinone.com Your #1...

Low-profile, conduction cooled inverter delivers 500VA sine wave voltage in harsh environments.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... Designed for railway, heavy-industry and other rugged environments, Absopulse's RSI500 inverter delivers 115Vrms or 230Vrms continuous sinusoidal voltage at 50Hz, 60Hz or 400Hz from a nominal 110Vdc input (77-154Vdc range). It is ruggedized and...

Keithley instruments has published interactive test & measurement troubleshooting.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... Guide: How to Avoid Common Measurement Errors. The CD lets users explore the symptoms and causes of errors associated with low voltage, low current, low resistance, high resistance, and voltage from a high resistance source measurements....

New +105[degrees]C organic semiconductor solid aluminium electrolytic capacitors.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... New AFX radial-leaded Organic Semiconductor Solid Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors offer high performance from -55[degrees]C to +105[degrees]C. Especially well suited for compact high-frequency switching power supplies and other demanding...

Long range wireless RS-232 via bluetooth.(Product Alert)
October 13, 2005... LEMOS/INITIUM have developed a reliable easy to install, low cost, long range Bfuetooth wireless serial communication link for the industrial, medical, commercial and consumer markets. The Promi-SD Class 1 allows long range of up to 1,200...

It's your (changing) world, and welcome to it ... Learning to thrive in the era of time- and place-shifting, your influence as the North American design community is strong. But where are the new EEs?(Issue Overview)(Editorial)
October 20, 2005... Welcome to our third annual edition of "Your Important Issue of the Year," in which we step back from technology to focus on you and on the career issues surrounding EEs. This issue offers a look at how the profession is doing and how your...

Our annual look at EEs in the workplace.(Survey Overview)
October 20, 2005... Rising political tensions. Dropping interest rates. Near total globalization of markets. Regulators cranking out a dizzying array of rules. With so much change happening all around us, it's natural to want to get some perspective. Electronic...

The shifting design cycle: the Internet dissolves international boundaries, creating a global village of time- and place-shifting design and engineering.
October 20, 2005... The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village," wrote Marshall McLuhan in 1962. In the late 1960s, this University of Toronto media professor predicted that electronic communications would radically...

Frequently Asked Questions: temperature sensors.(DESIGN FAQs)
October 20, 2005... What are the major types of temperature sensors? There are four major types: thermocouples, thermistors, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), and IC types (see the table). The IC types include sensors with analog and digital outputs....

Analog and digital temp sensors deliver unparalleled accuracy, reliability, and value.(PRODUCT Q&As: ANALOG DEVICES)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 20, 2005... ADI offers one of the broadest portfolios of digital and analog temperature-sensor ICs in the industry. From basic-function analog temp sensors to highly integrated digital temp sensors with multichannel ADCs, DACs, and on-board references, ADI...

Are you earning what you're worth? We crunched the numbers to find out who's making what so you can see how you stack up against your peers.(Salary Survey)
October 20, 2005... As a whole, the engineering profession in the U.S. remains in a state of flux as globalization continues to move jobs offshore. For some, that means loss of work and flat wages. For others, it means new opportunities and higher income. ...

Through your eyes: what satisfies you the most.(Job Satisfaction)(Column)
October 20, 2005... As an engineer, you have a unique opportunity to design products that can improve quality of life, fuel economic activity, or simply entertain. But engineering takes a serious commitment. You never know enough, so you're always reading and...

Would you recommend engineering as a profession to a young person?(Readers Speak Out)
October 20, 2005... Andrew Perkins Hardware/Firmware Engineer AML 13 years experience "Many people bemoan engineering as a commercial profession being sacrificed to the 'God of Cheap,' but this trend will reverse when society figures out it...

Challenges persist for minorities and women.(Demographic Report)
October 20, 2005... The U.S. is in danger of suffering a serious shortage of engineers and scientists. No shock there--during the past two decades, such warnings have emanated repeatedly from government agencies and professional societies that keep tabs on the...

Frequently Asked Questions: PoE networks.(POWER DESIGN FAQs)
October 20, 2005... What is the basis for Power over Ethernet (PoE)? The IEEE 802.3af standard for PoE enables data terminal equipment (DTE) to receive power over the same cabling used for data in an Ethernet network. The standard specifies the protocol for...

Offshoring. Outsourcing. Out of work. Questions abound concerning where the next generation of EEs will come from and where they will find employment.(Future Of EE)
October 20, 2005... It's a crazy game of Catch-22. A loud call for more U.S. EEs comes from the likes of the IEEE-USA, the Semiconductor Industry Association, the American Electronics Association, and several other groups that want to maintain and promote the...

What is your view on outsourcing?(Readers Speak Out)(Brief Article)
October 20, 2005... Karl Stephan Associate Professor Department of Engieering and Technology, Texas Stale University-San Marcos 26 years experience "Outsourcing is a complex problem that is made worse by the low number of U.S. engineering...

It's time to take out the trash: global environmental programs hammer companies to clean up their products, but designers express concerns their firms may not be ready.(Global Environment Issues)
October 20, 2005... Comedian George Carlin seems to have unwittingly captured the attitude of much of the electronics industry in the daily musings of his 2005 calendar. On August 12, he looked at the American Businessman's 10 Steps to Product Development....

Ray Dolby: a breaker of sound barriers.(ee Hall of Fame)(Biography)
October 20, 2005... Ray Dolby took the hiss out of tape--and music and movies have never sounded better. What do the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Star Wars, and the San Francisco Opera have in common? The answer...

Joseph F. Keithley: quality. Service. Innovation. Integrity. QSII.(ee Hall of Fame)(Biography)
October 20, 2005... Joseph F. Keithley laid the foundation for modern test and measurement devices Early in the history of Keithley Instruments Inc., company founder Joseph F. Keithley passed cards out to employees and customers. These cards read "At Keithley...

William Lear: aviation legend makes waves in audio, too.(ee Hall of Fame)(Biography)
October 20, 2005... While he was known for his aviation achievements, William Lear also invented a workable car radio, the eight-track tape player, and many other audio innovations. Don't tell your children this--William Lear left school in the eighth grade...

Harry Nyquist: a founding father of digital communications.(ee Hall of Fame)(Biography)
October 20, 2005... Harry Nyquist sent the very first fax--way back in 1924! (photo property of AT&T Archives, reprinted with permission of AT&T) When electrical engineers hear the name "Nyquist," they think of what Harry Nyquist is best known for: his...

Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli: a "classic" visionary.(ee Hall of Fame)(Biography)
October 20, 2005... Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli can discuss Plato and formal verification with equal aplomb. As a high school student, one of today's foremost authorities in EDA loved the classics. Yes, Dr. Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli probably would...

Elmer A. Sperry: one part inventor, one part entrepreneur.(ee Hall of Fame)(Biography)
October 20, 2005... Elmer A. Sperry took the gyroscope, which was a novelty in the 19th century, and turned it into the bedrock of 20th century navigation. (photo courtesy of the Hagley Museum and Library) Brains and business sense. This extraordinary...

A Day in the Life.(Photo Essay)
October 20, 2005... Finally, we come to the daily grind. Many of you entered our "A Day in the Life of an Electronic Engineer" photo contest, provoking many reactions--awe, envy, sympathy, and even laughter. We also marvelled at the variety of work you're tackling...

What's going on with you?
October 27, 2005... How's the EE profession doing? More importantly, how does your paycheck stack up against your peers? Find out in "Your Most Important Issue of the Year," which presents the results of our annual reader survey and analyzes today's hot career...

Sound off.(Letter to the Editor)
October 27, 2005... "The key question is 'Why are high-tech skills cheaper in other countries?' is an engineer overseas comfort able at these wages? Is there something off balance in trade that is making the cost of living so different between countries? Why can a...

Polling.(Brief Article)
October 27, 2005... Polling Should the U.S. implement strict federal recycling policies for e-waste? Yes, it's a huge environmental problem 47% Eventually, but it's not imperative 17% No, let it be done on the state level 15% No,...

Building a multimedia kiosk.(EiED Online)
October 27, 2005... The design criteria: create a multimedia kiosk with a minimal footprint and a touchscreen interface. Embedded/ Systems/Software Editor Bill Wong chronicles with both words and photos how he built a sharp-looking kiosk using a Lebro Industrial...

Need to go green? We can help!(What's Up?)
October 27, 2005... The European Union, as well as Japan and China, are about to restrict the use of environmentally hazardous materials in electronic components and systems through the RoHS directive. Our eBook, Electronic Design's Guide To New International...

What's cool.
October 27, 2005... From The Top 20 Articles on ED Online: 1 The Truth About Design For Manufacturing ED Online 11130 2 Build A Smart Battery Charger Using A Single-Transistor Circuit ED Online 1823 3 The WiMAX Wait Is Over ED Online 10973 4...

Humanoid robots on the rise: get ready to invite one home: in a stroke of good timing with our cover focus on smart motion, I visited the robots and vision show in Chicago last month.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
October 27, 2005... While the exhibit floor was filled with excellent industrial robotics applications, the advances in humanoid robots really illuminated the future of smart motion. In our quest to engineer a mechanical man, we're also driven to improve on our...

Bob's mailbox.(PEASE PORRIDGE)(Letter to the Editor)
October 27, 2005... Hi Bob: I've been an avid fan of yours for many years, and I'm writing now to plumb the depths of your arcane knowledge. We've got a design that needs a little bit of insulation, and I told the engineer to use fish paper to do the job. She...

Developers must do more to protect their software.(POV: POINT OF VIEW)
October 27, 2005... Without software, life as we know it would grind to a halt. There would be no Web, no e-commerce, and no way to manage today's incredibly complex business and manufacturing environments. In biological terms, software has ,become a cornerstone...

Secure flash memory cards support DRM and encryption.(TechView)
October 27, 2005... Typical flash memories burden portable devices with content security management. Developed by SanDisk, the TrustedFlash memory technology takes a new approach. The company's True Flash memory cards use it to incorporate digital rights...

NAND flash makes Apple's iPod nano "possibly small".(TechView)
October 27, 2005... With its iPod music player line, Apple Computer has shown it knows what consumers want. The iPods are renowned for their elegant design, compact size, large storage capacity, ease of use--and coolness. The iPod nano illustrates that Apple...

Capacitor-switching algorithm makes delta-sigma ADCs a cinch to drive.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 27, 2005... While some established chipmakers are developing new proprietary process technologies for mixed-signal and analog devices (see "'Sample Wars' And Silicon Energize ADCs," p. 47), other companies are using clever chip design to enhance the...

16-bit delta-sigma ADC cruises at 10 Msamples/s.(TechView: ANALOG & POWER)
October 27, 2005... Focusing on chip design to improve performance, Texas Instruments put its HPA07 process technology to work in the ADS1610 delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which provides 16-bit resolution at 10 Msamples/s. This discretetime device...

OC-48/STS-16 framer manages packet protocols over Sonet.(TechView: COMMUNICATIONS)
October 27, 2005... The Internet Protocol is growing in wide-area networks (WANs). That doesn't mean that Sonet/ SDH systems are going away, though. These reliable, secure, and fast systems will continue to form the basis for most WANs. But triple-play services...

10-Gbit/s optical transceiver reaches 40 km without a repeater.(TechView: COMMUNICATIONS)
October 27, 2005... The PT765F-81-2TD has quite a reach. This multisource agreement (MSA) XFP optical transceiver can run at 10 Gbits/s over a range of 40 km--all without a repeater. Developed by NeoPhotonics, it can handle any data format between 9.95 and 10.75...

Multimedia H.264 codec trims power for portable applications.(TechView: DIGITAL)
October 27, 2005... The ability to add high-quality video capture and playback to portable systems just got easier with Mobilygen's MG1264. Consuming a mere 185 mW, this single-chip video codec can encode TV-quality VGA 30-frame/s H.264 video along with...

Power-management schemes lower leakage currents.(TechView: DIGITAL)
October 27, 2005... The SmartReflex adaptive power-management technology lets Texas Instruments' designers craft chips with lower active and standby power levels. Now in place with 90-nm products, it will be especially valuable in reducing idle current leakage as...

Clock-generator IP blocks let ASICs deliver precision timing.(TechView: DIGITAL)
October 27, 2005... Designers can use a family of precision phase-locked loops (PLLs) available as hard macrocells to deliver system clocks, perform built-in frequency margin testing, and deliver stable clocks for serializer/deseriaizer and video applications. ...

LabVIEW: 19 years old and brand-spanking new.(TechView: TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 27, 2005... The latest version of LabVIEW--the enduring software tool for designing test, measurement, and control systems--has received a major renovation with hundreds of new features. For example, its distributed intelligence capability simplifies the...

100-Mhz digital scopes offer 16-channel logic timing capability.(TechView: TEST & MEASUREMENT)
October 27, 2005... FOUR ADDITIONS TO THE AGILENT 6000 SERIES bring high-powered performance to the 100-MHz portable digital storage and mixed-signal oscilloscope arena. The Instruments target designers working on projects based on 8- and 16-bit MCUs and FPGAs....

Algorithmic DSP synthesis explores full design space.(TechView: EDA)
October 27, 2005... Nowhere has algorithmic synthesis been more popular than with DSP designers. Until now, algorithmic synthesis has concerned itself largely with microarchitectures, allowing DSP designers to trade off and explore various combinations of adders,...

FPGA physical synthesis flow takes aggressive approach to timing.(TechView: EDA)
October 27, 2005... Today's 90-nm FPGAs are a good-news/bad-news proposition. The good news Is that such devices carry abundant resources. The bad news Is that they can pose difficulties in timing closure, especially with tools whose timing estimates don't...