Electronic Design articles from September 2008

Electronic Design archives from September 2008

2008 Engineering Hall of Fame.
September 25, 2008... Edison. Hewlett and Packard. Nyquist. Dobkin. Torvalds. They're just some of the innovators who are members of Electronic Design's Engineering Hall of Fame. Who belongs in the Class of 2008? Your vote counts! Just go to www.electronicdesign.com...

Eye on Europe.
September 25, 2008... ED Online 19664: Chip Companies Team Up On Tech Deals [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paul Whytock, Editor in Chief, Electronic Design Europe Joint ventures and technology deals have been the theme for some of Europe's biggest chip makers...

Designed In.
September 25, 2008... Online 19647: NXP Device Integrates DVR, Time-Shifting Into TVs European television manufacturer Loewe has chosen the SAA7164 system-on-a-chip from NXP Semiconductors to provide DVR and time-shifting functions in Loewe's new hybrid LCD TVs....

New products showcase.
September 25, 2008... John Costas, executive vice president of Nexergy, speaks with Editor in Chief Joe Desposito about designing custom battery packs for portable applications and dealing with issues like runtime and new chemistries. To see the video, go to...

Origami optics.(ENGINEERING TV)
September 25, 2008... With up to eight reflections, large ray angles, and a lens shaped more like a lens cap than a tube, so-called origami optics allowed researchers at the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering to squeeze long focal lengths into a thin package and...

Is your personal computer a CUDA-enabled speed merchant?(editorial)
September 25, 2008... Sometimes I don't hear a rumble until it becomes a roar. I'm not sure if CUDA has become a roar yet, but my ears have perked up based on a bunch of announcements I've received over the past few months. If CUDA hasn't registered on your radar...

This computer thinks it's a phone.(the lab bench)
September 25, 2008... The Neo FreeRunner looks like an innocuous device on par with a typical cell phone (see the figure). Yet this pocket package from OpenMoko is open to all comers--literally. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Its software is all open-source, and...

A new era dawns with the rise of the embedded hypervisor.(point of view)
September 25, 2008... Hypervisor and software virtualization is seen as a cure for the common IT problem of supporting multiple operating systems (OSs) and their applications running across the same hardware environments. This has fueled the widespread adoption of...

USB 3.0 protocol analyzer jumpstarts 4.8-Gbit/s I/O projects.(techview)
September 25, 2008... The USB 3.0 standard is almost upon us, and some of you are waiting to begin your new, faster I/O designs around it. Full ratification isn't expected until later this year. When that happens, you'll want to be the first in what appears to be...

Online poll.(techview)
September 25, 2008... Online Poll Thanks to new processors, digital video is appearing everywhere. How do you feel about its ubiquity? It's great! The applications are endless, from security to 39% entertainment. Some video can be convenient, but...

Tools take on IC-package and SiP design challenges.(techview)
September 25, 2008... In surveying customers, Cadence found four key challenges facing designers of IC packages and systems-in-package (SiPs). Ambitiously, the company seeks to address them all in its SPB 16.2 release of the Allegro printed-circuit board (PCB) and...

Lucid pulls a PCI Express graphics switch.(techview)
September 25, 2008... The Hydra 100 from Lucid Technologies turns two or more graphics adapters into a single, cooperative graphics compute engine. It starts as a basic PCI Express switch, allowing any kind of device to be plugged in downstream. But it shows its...

PXI modules provide higher frequencies, speed, and flexibility.(techview)
September 25, 2008... At last month's NIWeek conference in Austin, Texas, National Instruments introduced several RF products that are sure to be a hit with some engineers because of their higher frequency range, faster speeds, and lower costs. With RF testing...

Design FAQs: short-range radios enable wireless everything.(dialogue with Louis E. Frenzel)(Interview)
September 25, 2008... FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is a short-range radio? A short-range radio or short-range device (SRD) is a highly integrated transceiver usually on a single chip that's used to implement a wide range of wireless data applications....

Unmanned military vehicles: robots on the rise: these mighty machines are taking to the land, sea, and sky to keep soldiers out of harm's way.(feature)
September 25, 2008... Unmanned vehicles represent the new cornerstone of the military. The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) augmented its latest manned ground vehicles (MGVs) with an array of unmanned air and ground vehicles. The U.S. Air Force and Navy also...

Embedded COTS UAV subsystem design trends.(feature)
September 25, 2008... The military's rapid move toward network-centric, IP-based (intellectual property) architectures is driving a number of design considerations for current and next-generation embedded commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) subsystems deployed on...

Lights, camera, process! With an ever-expanding application base, digital video processors target performance needs through specialization and innovation.(technology report)
September 25, 2008... After a decade of development and standardization efforts, digital video is now poised to take over broadcast television. With this transition, some digital video processor ICs are moving toward commodity status while others embrace innovation...

Digital video processing IP.(technology report)
September 25, 2008... Along with the many digital video processing chips available to designers, intellectual-property (IP) options are available for those who need to design their own chips to meet highly customized requirements. These options include RTL cores for...

Peer through the high-performance kaleidoscope: every twist of the wrist reveals a new vista in analog design.(engineering essentials)
September 25, 2008... Surveying the "high-performance" analog landscape is a lot like looking through a kaleidoscope. With each turn, you'll see performance characteristics: precision, bandwidth, conversion rates, noise, power consumption, physical size, dynamic...

UWB in the 6- to 10-GHz spectrum presents opportunities and challenges: to get the most out of their Ultra-Wideband wireless chips, designers may want to consider a combination of CMOS plus SiGe.(design solution)
September 25, 2008... Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio, originally blessed by the FCC in 2002, has since been implemented in several different forms. This wide-bandwidth wireless technology uses low power to transmit high-speed data to 480 Mbits/s over short distances in...

Switched-capacitor-based bandpass filter boasts (nearly) rectangular shape.(ideas for design)
September 25, 2008... The filter described below is useful for detecting a signal that's closely surrounded by spurs, even when the task is complicated by the frequency of the signal of interest wandering by a few percent. For example, in telecom, a pilot signal can...

Optically isolated 4- to 20-mA current-loop transmitter is accurate, inexpensive.(ideas for design)
September 25, 2008... Galvanically (that is, optically or electromagnetically) isolated 4- to 20-mA current loops offer robust noise immunity and tolerate long cable runs. These advantages, combined with simple unshielded two-wire cabling, make this mature signaling...

Simple ambient light sensor controls white LED driver.(ideas for design)
September 25, 2008... This idea describes a white-LED (WLED) driver circuit controlled by a simple ambient light sensor (ALS). A typical application would be a brightness control for cell-phone back-lighting. On a very sunny day, the brightness will increase to...

Researchers open windows of opportunity for solar power.
September 25, 2008... Solar-power researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been very busy in their labs lately, and not without significant fruits for their labors. Two projects promise to elevate solar power from an expensive and...

Press-fit connectors realize breaktrhough performance.(in electronic design)
September 25, 2008... There's good news for high-density applications. The latest compliant-pin connectors demonstrate BGA-class (ball-grid array) electrical performance with excellent mechanical design attributes. Recent advances in compliant-pin connector...

Achieve higher backplane connection density.(in electronic design)
September 25, 2008... Equipment designers, particularly those involved with communications and high-end data, face the constant challenges of increasing data rates and greater packaging densities. In turn, these requirements are driving development needs for...

Sensors work to reduce auto emissions.(in electronic design)
September 25, 2008... Today, reducing carbon-dioxide ([CO.sub.2]) emissions is one of the hottest automotive topics. The European Commission recently announced its roadmap for safer and greener cars by 2012. The strong shift in buying patterns also confirms that...

Pressure sensors go bi-directional.(SENSORS)
September 25, 2008... The Alpha Instruments capacitance-based pressure sensors measure 0.1 to 100 in. of water column. Models are available in bi-directional versions, suiting applications where two directions of pressure measurement are necessary. Typical...

Low-cost pressure sensors ogle industrial applications.(SENSORS)
September 25, 2008... Cost-effective for a wide range of industrial apps, according to the company, the Models P4055 and P4056 OEM pressure sensors from Kavlico employ a piezoresistive sense element and, weighing 40 g maximum, sport a small profile. The P4050 is...

Ambient light sensor reduces power, improves display visibility.(SENSORS)
September 25, 2008... The TPS859 ambient light sensor incorporates a photodiode, a current amplifier, and a luminous-efficiency correction function in a single chip. The device boosts sensitivity with a light current of 230 [micro]A and employs a unique optical...

Water-temperature sensor responds quickly.(SENSORS)
September 25, 2008... Primarily poised for pool and spa applications, the AquaSense water-temperature sensor promises ease of installation and a fast temperature response time. Housed in a rugged, molded shell, it is compatible with most major pool/spa control...

Protective coating fortifies RJ-11/45 connectors.(CONNECTORS)
September 25, 2008... Shielding contacts from corrosive elements and wear due to repetitive insertions and reinsertions, the RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors from Bel Fuse Inc. are now available with EPP-918A, a proprietary, environmentally protective compound. The...

Terminal blocks carry 100-KA short-circuit rating.(CONNECTORS)
September 25, 2008... The 280 Series to 285 Series Power Cage Clamp DIN-rail mount terminal blocks from Wago Corp. now carry a 100-kA short-circuit current rating (SCCR) when used with appropriate fuses. The SCCR originates from changes enacted by the National...

Custom RF cable delivers high performance, low loss.(CONNECTORS)
September 25, 2008... For wireless systems requiring RF-cable assemblies built to custom lengths with a variety of connectors, the Times Microwave LMR-400 cables promise high performance with low-loss characteristics. Assemblies are available in lead-free versions...

Connectors save space in small-circuit applications.(CONNECTORS)
September 25, 2008... The MX150 cable-sealed, one-by-two connection system supports both low-level signal and power applications up to 22 A for small-circuit applications where space is at a premium. Based on the 1.5-mm wide ISO blade-type terminal system, the MX150...

USB and Latch cable assemblies meld.(CONNECTORS)
September 25, 2008... According to FCI USA, its USB+Power and Latch-N-Lok cable assemblies find favor in the point-of-sale device market with popularity growing in control systems, medical instrumentation, test and measurement, and inventory equipment markets. The...

Modular connectors save space, foster flexibility.(CONNECTORS)
September 25, 2008... Interfacing printed-circuit boards (PCBs), the modular SHS plug-in connectors feature a low profile to conserve board real estate and mount either in horizontal or vertical positions to enable flexible wiring. The pluggable PCB blocks are...

Mailbag.(pease porridge)(Letter to the editor)
September 25, 2008... HI BOB, Thanks for the articles on output impedance. They reminded me of the time back in the early 1970s when I was working as a part-time engineering technician (while going to school) for a company that made professional audio tape...