Electronic Design articles from September 2003

Electronic Design archives from September 2003

Solar cars speed to the finish line.(TechScope: electronics technology at work at play)
September 1, 2003... The Indy 500 may be fun, but it's got nothing on the American Solar Challenge. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, this clean and energy-efficient event challenges teams of college students to design, build, and race solar-powered...

RF chip broadcasts ID and hope.(Applied Digital Solutions VeriChip )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS no longer have to depend on identification in wallets or on bracelets. They can take advantage of the VeriChip from Applied Digital Solutions instead. This 12- by 2.1-mm RFID device can be implanted in the...

RTOS takes command of unmanned aircraft.(TechScope: electronics technology at work at play from BAE Systems)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Unmanned aircraft, like the military models that proved so effective during the recent war in Iraq, don't need a hotshot pilot to be successful. But they do need a cutting-edge operating system. Fortunately, BAE Systems has one ready to go. ...

PlanetEE.com.(TechScope: electronics technology at work at play)
September 1, 2003... THE GLOBAL RESOURCE FOR ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS Aimed at electronics engineers and engineering managers worldwide, PlanetEE serves as a gateway to the individual Web sites of the highly respected engineering publications and specifier's tools...

If you build it, will they come (and buy it)?(Editorial)(Editorial)
September 1, 2003... Forget what other barometers you may have seen regarding a return to happy days in the electronics marketplace. With last month's announcement of nearly 150 new products on the same day, one company, Hewlett-Packard, is working to boost the...

Programmable analog technology is catching on.(POV: point of view)
September 1, 2003... Programmable analog technology is beginning to get traction among systems designers in various industrial, medical, and communications applications. Like the digital FPGA, programmable analog can be used to implement a wide range of functions....

What's all this spicey stuff, anyhow? (Part III *).(Pease Porridge)(Column)
September 1, 2003... Recently, an engineer sent me his analysis of my current limiter, in "What's All This Current Limiter Stuff, Anyhow?" (ELECTRONIC DESIGN, Sept. 5, 2000, p. 187), using a power MOSFET. He studied it and decided he did not like my optimization....

Intel developer forum spotlights PC design info.(Conference Preview)
September 1, 2003... Designers of personal-computer systems can expect a smorgasbord of technical information and product overviews that will satisfy the most information-hungry engineer at the Intel Developer Conference. Scheduled for Sept. 16-18 at the San...

New benchmarks evaluate network processing components.(Communications)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... THE NETWORK PROCESSOR FORUM (NPF) has released two new benchmarking implementation agreements (IAs) to help line-card and networking equipment manufacturers test, evaluate, and compare different network processors and related components. The...

Advanced features, low cost come to electronic energy metering.(Cirrus Logic CS5461 and CS5462 power-meter ICs)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Existing electronic solutions for metering energy should gain a measure of flexibility thanks to two novel power-meter ICs. Essentially analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with integrated energy-measurement functions, Cirrus Logic's CS5461 and...

Buck Regulator Generates Bias Power In Space-Saving CSP.(National Semiconductor LM5007 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The LM5007 80-V buck bias regulator comes in a 4- by 4-mm LLP chip-scale package (CSP). As a result, the chip can replace more expensive and less efficient transformer-coupled flyback regulators, which are frequently used to convert a...

Joint venture targets variable-speed motor control.(TechView: analog & power)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... IR-SA Integrated Technologies, a collaboration between International Rectifier (IR) and Sanyo Semiconductor, will design, develop, and market variable-speed motor-drive power modules. These products will target appliances and industrial...

2.5G cell phones gain an EDGE with chip set.(from Skyworks Solutions Inc.)
September 1, 2003... Most modern cell phones use the GSM or CDMA standard. CDMA phones using the cdma2000 1xRTT standard can accommodate data at rates up to 300 kbits/s. Even higher rates are possible with the 3xRTT version. GSM phones can handle data if they use...

First wireless LAN security processors should trigger enterprise growth.(from Cavium Networks Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... A NOVEL LINE OF WIRELESS SECURITY CHIPS could jumpstart the stagnating wireless local-area network (WLAN) enterprise and aggregation points markets. Cavium's NITROX Wireless family of chips is designed for network switching systems targeting...

Penny-a-second SoC DFT tester saves time.(Agilent Technologies 93000)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... At $399,000, the 93000 SoC (system-on-a-chip) DFT (design for test) series promises users one-cent-per-second cost of test. As such, this version of the Agilent Technologies 93000 SoC platform would become the most cost-effective SoC DFT...

High-performance DSOs turned into integrated workstations.( Nicolet Technologies Sigma series)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... THE SIGMA SERIES DIGITAL-STORAGE-OSCILLOSCOPE (DSO) portable workstations include an integrated, full-featured Windows PC that offers acquisition, analysis, and connectivity. The PC takes advantage of Sigma's extensive range of real-time...

Test/burn-in socket takes on 13-[mm.sup.2] devices up to 1 GHz.(from Aries Electronics)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Able to accommodate any device package up to 13 [mm.sup.2], a new test/burn-in socket targets devices with a 0.5-mm pitch or larger used in applications up to 1 GHz. It's ideal for test-and-burn and burn-in applications of chipscale-package,...

Dual-port RAM delivers 18 Mbits and 72-bit wide ports.(Cypress Semiconductor FLEx72)
September 1, 2003... A true dual-port RAM with dual 72-bit wide data ports, the FLEx72 (CY18S72V) from Cypress Semiconductor claims the highest storage capacity and widest datapath of any off-the-shelf dual-port memory. On the chip is a total of 18 Mbits of storage...

Breaking news. (TechView: digital).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... > Taking aim at the popular PCI Express serial interface, designers at Rambus Inc. optimized a version of the company's RASER high-speed serial interface to fully comply with PCI Express specifications. Samples of a four-lane PCI Express...

Pre-fabricated ASIC platforms eye high-performance systems.(LSI Logic RapidChip Xtreme and RapidChip Integrator)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Two predesigned ASIC platform slices, the RapidChip Xtreme and RapidChip Integrator, are now members of LSI Logic's ASIC platform family. The Xtreme platform is optimized for high-performance, high-bandwidth applications such as...

PCB/IC package design tool eyes up gigabit interfaces.(Cadence Design System's PCB Librarian 15.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... In one integrated environment, designers can now implement gigabit serial interfaces in high-speed printed-circuit-board (PCB) systems. Version 15.0 of Cadence's packaging design environment includes enhancements that span the entire design...

Wire harness design can become easier.(with Altair Engineering's HarnessLink and Ansoft's Simplorer)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * WIRE HARNESS DESIGN CAN BECOME EASIER by integrating Altair Engineering's HarnessLink design tools and Ansoft's Simplorer simulator. HarnessLink brings to the table sophisticated data management, while Simplorer offers a fast and efficient...

A web delivery model.(Atrenta's SpyGlass )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * A WEB DELIVERY MODEL makes sense for Atrenta and its SpyGlass predictive analysis software. Atrenta has had early success providing SpyGlass on an as-needed basis to customers of strategic partners such as Agere Systems. ASIC vendors get a...

Upgrade gives FPGA design environment 60% boost.(Actel Libero 5.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... With more ASIC developers moving to large complex FPGAs, FPGA design flows must include ASIC-like features like floorplanning and optimized synthesis. Of course, FPGA designers require software tools tailored to specific architectures, and...

Get superior ripple rejection with single rail CMOS low dropout regulators.(National Semiconductor LP385x family of LDOs)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... With typical dropout voltages of 240 mV at 1.5A and 390 mV at 3.0A, the new LP385x family of LDOs provides exceptional output voltage accuracy of [+ or -] 1.5% at room temperature. The LP385x family features ultra-low dropout voltage,...

Highly-integrated Boomer[R] audio sub-system for portable devices.(National Semiconductor LM4930)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... With support for both voice and digital audio functions in portable devices, the LM4930 includes a high quality [I.sup.2]S input stereo DAC, a PCM voice-band codec, a digital side-tone circuit, a microphone preamplifier plus a mono speaker...

New regulator controller provides low output voltage, high efficiency for PCs and notebooks.(National Semiconductor LM2647)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... National's new LM2647 highly-integrated regulator controller offers a complete power supply for microprocessor, FPGA or DSP-based systems. This dual synchronous buck (step-down) controller has two outputs that can power notebook and desktop...

Powering portable devices: alternatives to linear regulators in step-down conversion.(Design/ideas)
September 1, 2003... In portable products such as PDA 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 switching regulator is the best...

Low-power chipset enhances color displays, extends battery life for mobile phones.(New products)
September 1, 2003... The FPD94128 controller/column driver and the FPD93140 power supply/gate driver "chipset," uniquely combines low power and advanced interface design for better color, contrast and battery life. With an image dependent backlight controller...

High-frequency dual PLL family for 5.8 GHz cordless and wireless LAN.(National Semiconductor LMX243x)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The new LMX243x family of dual PLLatinum[TM] PLLs delivers the lowest power consumption in the industry for PLLs operating over 3 GHz and is well suited for 5.8 GHz cordless phones as well as wireless LAN applications. These high-frequency PLLs...

Dual-rail linear regulators offer industry's lowest dropout.(National Semiconductor LP388x family )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Optimized for low-voltage, high-current applications in PCs and set-top boxes, the new LP388x family of LDOs enables high-efficiency linear conversion while consuming only 3 mA of quiescent current under all conditions. The LP3883/2/1 offer the...

Power converter stands out from the POL crowd: SIP-style nonisolated dc-dc converter offers surface-mount assembly, a wide input-voltage range, and programmable output voltage.(Power One Y5117P)
September 1, 2003... Point-of-load (POL) dc-dc converters are commonly offered in single inline packages (SIPs), which are valued for their ability to save board space and enhance cooling. Unfortunately in some applications, these SIPs may be the only through-hole...

USB on board: flash memory leads the way: the Universal Serial Bus provides needed flexibility and bandwidth for built-in high-speed peripherals.(Leapfrog: first look: putting new technology in perspective)
September 1, 2003... A Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface is the norm for mid- to high-end microcontrollers and embedded systems, yet it doesn't have to be used just for external devices. It equally suits internal devices, but a more robust, board-level connector...

Picking the right manufacturing partner: outsourcing is on the rise, but how do you select the best manufacturing partner to help cut costs and shorten time-to-market?(Cover Story: Engineering Feature)(Industry Overview)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2003... WITH EVERYONE IN THE INDUSTRY DOING MORE WITH LESS, I.E., CUTTING COSTS, finding the ideal manufacturing and design partner has become one of the biggest challenges for OEMs. Price/performance curves, time-to-market, and design cycles are...

PC-based instruments reshape the test landscape: all types of PCs and traditional instruments take on more of each others' functions to benefit the end-user engineer.(Technology Report: test & measurement)(and related article)(Industry Overview)
September 1, 2003... THANKS TO ADVANTAGES IN MICROPROCESSOR COMPUTING POWER, a bumper crop of test and measurement (T&M) hardware and software products that use the PC as the host computer is at the ready for engineers. Not to be outdone, manufacturers of...

It's all perspective.(Special editorial feature: embedded in electronic design)
September 1, 2003... I had an excellent time at Georgia Tech (yes, I'm a Ramblin' Wreck) and Rutgers. Going to college is great because of the wide variety of courses you have to take in addition to the electives of your choice. The trend to teach and use current...

PC/104 goes XScale.(Arcom Control Systems Viper)
September 1, 2003... PC/104 is no longer just for x86 processors. The Viper dispels the myth of PC/104 being just for x86 processors. It's based on a 400-MHz Intel PXA255 XScale processor. The board consumes only 1.4 W and only 200 mW in standby mode. The board has...

Digital I/O at a distance.(zWorld RN1100 RabbitNet Digital I/0 card)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Short-haul (10 m) digital and analog connections can be facilitated with the RN1100 RabbitNet Digital I/0 card. A 1-Mbit/s, three-wire, CAT 5 link connects the RN1100 to a RabbitNet master, such as a Z-World single-board computer or operator...

8051 Snatches 24-bit ADC.(Texas Instruments MSC1210 family)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... A low-noise (75 nV) 24-bit delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and quad 16-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) takes MCU analog to a new level. The MSC1210 family suits applications that demand high-precision analog. The 30-MHz 8051...

Debug java anywhere: Java platform debugger architecture delivers portability.(Drugging series: embedded in electronic design)
September 1, 2003... Write once, debug/test everywhere is a variant on Java's write once, run anywhere claim, and it defines the Java Platform Debugger Architecture (JPDA). The JPDA is a client/server system built from three application programming interfaces...

600-MHz via Eden CPU Power JRex-VE.(from Kontron)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... 600-MHz Via Eden CPU Power JRex-VE. The 3.5 in. single-board computer has a 133-MHz frontside bus supporting up to 512 Mbytes of SDRAM. The VIA TwisterT chip set incorporates an $3 Savage 4 graphic engine. The PC peripheral complement also...

RapidIO Switch Fabric.(News Clips)
September 1, 2003... RapidIO Switch Fabric specifications will be the next big splash from the RapidIO Trade Association by the end of the year. Targeting communications data-plane applications, an AdvancedTCA version is in the works. www.rapidio.org

A 25-MHz 8051 flash MCU costs $0.99.(News Clips)
September 1, 2003... A 25-MHz 8051 Flash MCU Costs $0.99. The tiny 3- by 3mm C8051F305 has 2 kbytes of flash, 256 bytes of RAM, a UART, and an analog comparator. www.cygnal.com

ARM revamps thumb.(News Clips)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... ARM Revamps Thumb with a new Thumb-2 architecture. The architecture adds new 16- and 32-bit instructions and allows 16-bit instructions to handle more jobs, including interrupts. The more compact 16-bit code is also more efficient. The...

Wasabl Eclipses IDE.(Wasabi Workbench for the NetBSD )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Wasabl Eclipses IDE. The Wasabi Workbench for the NetBSD embedded operating system is based on the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE). The Workbench supports the GNU tool chain, Java, C, and C++ development. ...

Squeezing 16-bit MCUs: eight- and 32-bit MCUs put full-court press on 16-bit products.(Microcontroller series: embedded in electronic design)
September 1, 2003... It's not easy being a 16-bit MCU vendor these days, but things are not as bad as some want you to believe. Choosing the right microcontroller for an application still places 16-bit solutions at the forefront, and there is no shortage of...

Consumer Linux gets graphics.(from MontaVista)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... MontaVista released a collection of Linux Consumer Electronics Edition (CEE) versions, Including Qt/Embedded for CEE, Qtopia for CEE with smartphone and PDA framework, and MontaVista Graphics for CEE for X Windows. CEE also is integrated with...

DSP kits don't go for much Kaboodle.(Texas Instruments TMS320C64x and TMS320C67x DSPs)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... You don't have to spend a bundle to get started with the TMS320C64x fixed-point and TMS320C67x floating-point DSPs. The C6416 DSK board has 16 Mbytes of SDRAM and a 600-MHz fixed-point DSP. The C6713 DSK includes 8 Mbytes of SDRAM and an...

App cuts embedded GUI design time.(Intec Automation microCommander 3.1)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The microCommander v1.3 supports JK Microsystems' LogicFlex-EPX (www.jkmicro.com) industrialized control system. Developed by Intec Automation, the microCommander drag-and-drop interface enables fast creation of a front end for the EPX's...

Updated tool tackles MCU/FPGA combo.(QuickLogic QuickWorks 9.5)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... QuickWorks v9.5 provides a comprehensive environment for HDL-based designs that extend the new MIPS-based QuickMIPS ESP (Embedded Standard Product) line of MCUs and Eclipse II FPGAs. It's available as a free download. www.quicklogic.com...

16-bit MCU runs tiny Linux.(News: embedded in electronic design)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... SnapGear released a version of the opensource uClinux operating system for Renesas Technology's H8 30OS microcontroller. The release works with the EDOSK-2674 development board, which has 4 Mbytes of flash and 8 Mbytes of RAM, 1x10 Mbit/s...

Embedded Linux server for devices.(Axis Communications 83 Device Server)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Axis 83 Device Server, which contains 6-Mbyte flash and 16-Mbyte SDRAM, is a natural for storing and logging application data. Dual Ethernet ports handle firewall applications. An RS-485 port, two RS-232 ports, and a USB 1.1 host port can...

Mini package comes loaded.(InHand Electronics' Fingertip3 )
September 1, 2003... The credit-card-sized Fingertip3 squeezes in Intel's 400-MHz PXA 255 XScale processor, which consumes as little as 350 mW. It supports up to 64 Mbytes of SDRAM and 32 Mbytes of flash. InHand Electronics' Fingertip3 has a Secure Digital slot,...

Multiport memories soup up wireless baseband processing.(Design View Communications)
September 1, 2003... With wireless transmission standards evolving from 2G to 2.5G to 3G and beyond, each wireless infrastructure network subsystem is under pressure to handle increasing performance and bandwidth requirements. At the same time, subsystem chip...

Simple temperature indicator uses RISC-based MCU.(Design briefs: innovative designs from readers)
September 1, 2003... A very simple temperature indicator can be built around an 8-bit RISC microcontroller (see the figure). Data from a temperature sensor is processed by the MCU and used to display the temperature. The MAX6577 temperature sensor used in the...

Measure nanoseconds with a PIC microcontroller.(Design briefs: innovative designs from readers)
September 1, 2003... Nanosecond interval timers are a critical component in products as diverse as time-domain reflectometers (TDRs), collision-avoidance systems, radar altimeters, and nuclear instrumentation. This simple circuit, which runs off a single 5-V...

LEDs with high brightness levels suit automotive/industrial uses.(Vishay Intertechnology TLMx2100 and TLMx2300 MiniLEDs)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * The TLMx2100 and TLMx2300 MiniLEDs, which come in typical wavelengths from 465 to 630 nm, provide high brightness levels at 10 mA and 20 mA, respectively. These devices target automotive and industrial applications. The 2100 color options...

Versatile PC adapter interconnects USB To [I.sup.2]C buses.(Saelig UCA93LV)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * A full-featured USB-to-[I.sup.2]C adapter supports all [I.sup.2]C protocols, including master and slave protocols, in 8 and 16bit extended addressing formats for 100- and 400-kHz modes. The UCA93LV can also monitor, noninvasively, an external...

Right-angle 3-mm PC-board LEDs provide affordable performance.(Components from LEDtronics Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * Low-cost applications that require precise alignment of status indicators can look to a new series of right-angle 3-mm pc-board LED indicators. These indicators come in bi-, tri-, and quad-level forms from single-column to four-column...

Shuttle flow switch visually indicates flow/no-flow.(Dwyer Instruments series P4 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * The series P4 piston flow switch targets industrial applications such as welders, lubrication systems, medical sterilizers, and laundry chemical dispensing. The switch is made of a Ryton R4 housing and piston, a 316SS spring, and a Viton...

Low-profile SMT LED lamps provide fun-color capability.(Fairchild Semiconductor International QTLP650D-RGB and the QTLP614C-RGB )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * The QTLP650D-RGB and the QTLP614C-RGB full-color surface-mount (SMT) LEDs have red, green, or blue outputs. They also produce multi-color outputs by mixing RGB light sources. The former is a top-illuminating lamp with outputs of 60, 130, and...

A bright idea: one LED-based lamp can replace 50 to 100 white LEDs.(Opto Technology's Enducra Bright series)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * The Endura Bright series of LED-based MR-16 lamps offers up to 120 lumens of light, providing over 1800 cd of output at a 10[degrees] angle, in a full-color palette of white, blue, green, red, and amber. One LED will replace 50 to 100 typical...

Structured ASICs now pack up to 2 million programmable gates.(from AMI Semiconductor)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * The latest version of the XPreseArray structured ASIC family improves density by 40% over the previous XPressArray series. The XPA-HD runs at clock speeds of up to 200 MHz and offers up to 2 million programmable gates and up to 1.4 Mbits of...

Workstation-class motherboard chip set has four RDRAM ports.(Silicon integrated Systems SiSR659)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * The latest upgrade of the RDRAM motherboard chip set, the SiSR659, supports HyperStreaming technology and can be teamed up with the recently launched SiS964 South Bridge chip. With this combination, high-end platforms get four RDRAM memory...

Crosspoint switch supplies 34 3.125-Gbit/s ports.(Analog Devices ADSX34 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * Consuming just 5 W, about one-third the power of comparable crosspoint switches, the ADSX34 packs 34 serializer/ deserializer channels, equalization, and additional features that make it a complete solution for high-speed networking. The chip...

Radiation-hardened DSP performs 24-bit operations at 75 MHz.(DSP Architectures RHDDSP24 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * Whether in chip form or as a block of intellectual property, the RHDDSP24 radiation-hardened DSP can perform 1024-point complex fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) in about 34.7 [micro]s and complex cations in 55 [micro]s. The device has a...

FRAM-based 4-kbit nonvolatile memory delivers serial data.(Ramtron International FM25CL04 )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * Running at 20 MHz, a 4-kbit nonvolatile memory based on ferroelectric storage cells provides serial access via a serial peripheral-interface (SPI) port. The FM25CL04 operates from a 3-V supply and offers virtually unlimited write endurance,...

In-system PLDs come loaded with 1024 logic cells, 512 kbits of RAM.(Lattice Semiconductor ispXPLD5256MX and 51024MX)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... * Two new members of the ispXPLD expanded programmable logic family, the ispXPLD5256MX and 51024MX, come with 256 and 1024 logic cells, respectively. The 5256MX also packs 128 kbits of on-chip memory, while the 51024MX includes 512 kbits of...

iDesign: spotlighting the work and career of an everyday electronic design reader.
September 1, 2003... I've been doing design work for nearly thirty years, and I still enjoy the fresh challenges that every new day brings. I do analog circuit design and digital design (as it relates to putting micros into things), and I write software--not a...

Home security at your fingertips--literally.(TechScope: electronics technology at work and at play; ArrowVision Technologies Shepherd 210 and Shepherd 220 )(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... If you often find yourself fumbling for your keys on your front porch, perhaps you should look into the Shepherd 210 and Shepherd 220 from ArrowVision Technologies. These devices add fingerprint recognition technology to your doorknob. Powered...

Development tools help rovers get to Mars.(TechScope: electronics technology at work and at play)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Green Hills Software's latest project is truly out of this world. Spirit and Opportunity, NASA's newest Martian rovers, are equipped with software written by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory using Green Hills Software development...

Group sees growth in PON market.(TechScope: electronics technology at work and at play; passive optical networking )(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Believe it or not, there is a light at the end or the passive optical networking (PON) tunnel. Technology refinements, regulatory issues, and a slow economy have all stung this market. But according to the Probe Group, an analyst company, total...

PlanetEE.com: the global resources for electronics engineers.(TechScope: electronics technology at work and at play)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Aimed at electronics engineers and engineering managers worldwide, PlanetEE serves as a gateway to the individual Web sites of the highly respected engineering publications and specifier's tools of Penton Media's Electronics Group. Take...

Post-blackout push creates opportunity for engineers.(Editorial)(Editorial)
September 15, 2003... While most of you practice the science of power management on a daily basis, for the rest of the population, the Great Blackout transformed "power management" from something taken for granted to an issue of utmost urgency. A report on NPR on my...

Record response to justice on convict's subscription.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
September 15, 2003... My Editorial (July 7, p. 19), "Electronic Design Metes Out Its Own Justice To Convicted Murderer," generated lots of e-mail, plus a heavy online response to our Quick Poll and Reader Comments. The response ran the gamut. To see the best of the...

Bob's mailbox.(Pease Porridge)(Letter to the Editor)
September 15, 2003... Dear Mr. Pease: I have been reading your column for nearly 15 years. I'm a mechanical stress analyst with no knowledge of electrical engineering. But I still get Electronic Design to read your column. You make me think. That is one of the...

Active mixer ICs challenge the passive status quo.(POV: point of view)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Radio-frequency (RF) technology is revolutionized almost daily. This loud and noisy revolution has attracted lots of attention. Most of that attention focuses on the glamorous DSPs and highly integrated RF transceiver chips that are now...

Emerging technologies fortify CICC's silver anniversary.(The industry: conference previews)
September 15, 2003... Although the Custom Integrated Circuits Conference is marking its 25th anniversary Sept. 21 through Sept. 24 at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, the show isn't resting on its laurels. Instead, its educational and technical sessions and...

MIT forum highlights technology groundbreakers and salutes innovators.(The industry: conference previews)
September 15, 2003... FOR A CLOSER LOOK at cutting-edge technology, Just head to Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Emerging Technologies Conference, cosponsored by Penton Media (www.penton.com) and Technology Review (www. Technologyrevlew.com), will encompass a series...

Power ICs charge ahead in one-cell li-ion applications.(TechView: analog & power; Texas Instruments TPS65010)
September 15, 2003... Unrelenting growth in applications powered by single-cell lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries, such as PDAs, cell phones, and digital cameras, continues to propel the development of battery-management chips. In the latest round of IC introductions,...

Offline switching regulators keep standby power low.(TechView: analog & power; On Semiconductor's NCP1012 and NCP1013 )(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... FOUR MONOLITHIC, OFFLINE SWITCHING REGULATORS with integrated power switches simplify implementation of switch-mode power supplies with low standby power, facilitating compliance with Energy Star and Blue Angel recommendations, The NCP1012...

Versatile E-pHEMT fits 6-GHz-range applications.(TechView: communications; Agilent Technologies ATF-501P8 electron-mobility field-effect transistor )(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... Designers of microwave power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers have a new weapon: the ATF-501P8 enhancement-mode pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility field-effect transistor (E-pHEMT FET). The device was designed for applications like...

Digital timing chip for OC-3 line cards drops jitter to new lows.(Zarlink Semiconductor ZL30410)(Brief Article)
September 15, 2003... OPTICAL NETWORKING EQUIPMENT using the 0C-3 (155.52 MHz) Sonet/SDH standard has another option to exploit in the ZL30410 digital phase-locked loop (PLL). The chip generates and synchronizes clock signals on line cards that are part of framers,...

Standards work propels ultra wideband.(TechView: communicatons; orthogonal frequency division multiplexing )
September 15, 2003... Standards are evolving in the development of ultra wideband (UWB). Its speed potential is greater than other forms of wireless, from about 100 to 480 Mbytes/s depending upon range--usually up to 10 meters. IEEE Task Group 802.15.3a is focusing...