Embedded Systems articles from November 2002

Embedded Systems archives from November 2002

Service Availability Forum's Platform Interface spec released to ease infrastructure design. (Specifications).
November 1, 2002... The Service Availability Forum, an industry coalition of communications and computing companies, has released its Platform Interface specification. This is open interface specification for carrier-grade platform and middleware that helps tie...

Its never to late to improve your knowledge. (News).(multiple topics)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... As you read this, the hi-annual electronics industry jamboree -- better known as Electronica - will be upon us. Despite the gloom that has spread through the industry since the last show it seems there will still be a buzz to be found around...

Telelogic second generation tools. (Development).(Telelogic AB, Tau Generation2)
November 1, 2002... Telelogic has developed two tools for high productivity development of advanced systems and real-time software. Tau/Architect and Tau/Developer join Tau/Tester, which was introduced in May 2002, to become the company's next generation of...

ARC and Ashling cooperate to raise RISC development support. (Cooperation).(ARC International PLC, Ashling Microsystems)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Ashling Microsystems is working with ACR International to provide complete debug solutions for systems based on the ARC-tangent user-customizable 32-bit RISC/DSP microprocessor core and aid the development of configurable system on chips. ...

Workbench enhances ARM debug support. (Microcontrollers).(IAR Systems AB)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... IAR Systems has improved the support for the ARM family of microcontrollers in the IAR Embedded Workbench. The latest version of the IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM, which is based on IAR's technology platform, supports a range of RDI-based JTAG...

Nios supported. (In Brief).(Accelerated Technology Inc., Altera Corp. Nios embedded processor )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Accelerated Technology's codellab Embedded Developer Suite is now shipping for the Nios embedded processor from Altera. This version of codellab rounds out Accelerated Technology's Nios support portfolio, providing a solution from which Nios...

Mobile improvements. (In Brief).(Aplicom Oy strategic partnership with Infomatrix Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Aplicom, a designer and manufacturer of vehicle computers, has formed a strategic partnership with Infomatrix, the Cambridge-based developer of software solutions for wireless communications. Infomatrix has developed a fully integrated suite of...

Powertrain advances. (In Brief).(Accurate Technology Inc., MathWorks Inc. co-developing rapid prototyping, calibration capability)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The MathWorks is working with Accurate Technologies on the co-development of a rapid prototyping and calibration capability for automotive powertrain design. VISION-RP from ATI allows users to acquire data from electronic control unit (ECU)...

Summit adds eight. (In Brief).(Summit Design Inc. agreements with eight distributors in Europe, Middle East, Africa )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Summit Design has signed agreements with eight distributors in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to sell its electronic system level methodologies and services. The companies supporting Summit's sales efforts are: e-Vision Systems in Germany,...

Five million chips. (In Brief).(Cambridge Silicon Radio ships 5 millionth BlueCore chip )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... CSR (Cambridge Silicon Radio) has shipped its 5 millionth BlueCore chip for Bluetooth. The first single-chip BlueCore was shipped in March 2000. Now, with over 150 customers and over 57% of the v1.1 qualified Bluetooth products on the market...

TI on Wi-Fi board. (In Brief).(Texas Instruments appointed to Wi-Fi Alliance board)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Texas Instruments has been appointed to the board of directors of the Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly. WECA') as the organizations latest Sponsor member helping to promote and expand the global Wi-Fi market. TI has been a contributing general member...

Protocol partners. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Hughes Software Systems (HSS), and MontaVista Software are working together so that the HSS Wireless GPRS/3G, Voice over Packet and SS7 protocol stacks will be ported and validated for MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition.

Porting to SuperH. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Wasabi Systems, has completed a port of NetBSD to :he 64bit SH-5 processor from SuperH on the Cayman Development System. It is also a founding member of the SuperH Partner Program.

USB support. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Jungo and Computer Access Technology are to provide a verification and development solution for USB device manufacturers. Jungo's suite of driver development and hardware access tools, including WinDriver and KernelDriver, now bundled with...

MXE II enhancements improve use of Xilinx programmable logic. (Programmable Devices).
November 1, 2002... The ModelSim Xilinx Edition II (MXE II) tool version 5.6a supports new hierarchical netlist Capabilities and is available exclusively through Xilinx. Improvement have also been made to productivity in the ModelSim simulation environment. ...

TPFT filter bank design provides radio spectrum channeliser. (Communications).(Tuneable Pipelined Frequency Transform )
November 1, 2002... RF Engines has released a patented filter bank design, called the Tuneable Pipelined Frequency Transform (TPFT). It allows the user to dynamically select sections of spectrum (channels) of differing bandwidths, from a broad band of spectrum,...

CPLDs meet automotive requirements. (Automotive).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Lattice Semiconductor's isp-MACH 4000V family of CPLDs now supports the full automotive ambient temperature range of-40 to 125[degrees]C. The 3.3V ispMACH 4000V family supports a wide range of 3.3V, 2.5V and 1.8V I/O standards and now features...

Processors ready for connectivity. (Technology).(National Semiconductor)
November 1, 2002... National Semiconductor has developed a family of connectivity processors which combine embedded cores, analog functions, and software and which are supported by a range of development platforms. The Device Connectivity Division has been...

Motorola uses expertise to develop 8bit MCUs to boost applications. (Technology).(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2002... Colin Holland takes a look at the first six members of Motorola's Nitron family of lower cost 8-bit microcontrollers that looks to widen the company's penetration outside automotive applications. Motorola's Nitron series of six...

MIPs-based multiprocessor at 1GHz. (Technology).(PMC-Sierra samples the integrated RM9000x2 64bit MIPS-based dual processor)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2002... PMG-Sierra is sampling the integrated RM9000x2 64bit MIPS-based dual processor which is manufactured in a 0.l3[mu]m, low-k copper process and runs the Linux operating system at 1.0GHz. It requires less than 10W of total device power with each...

ARM introduces first ARM11 cores. (Technology).(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2002... The ARM1136J-S core and the ARM1136JF-S core are the first microprocessor core implementations of the ARM11 microarchitecture, details of which were released in April. Both products are based on the ARMv6 instruction set architecture. ARM also...

Network MCU integrates MAC and TCP IP. (Technology).(networked microcontroller from Dallas Semiconductor Corp.)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2002... The Dallas Semiconductor DS80C400 networked microcontroller integrates a high-speed 8051 core, a 10/100Mb Ethernet MAC, and silicon software TCP IPv4/v6 stack. The DS80C400 can be connected directly to IP networks and operates at up to 75MHz....

Tools to streamline the design of automotive embedded systems. (Focus: Automotive Systems).
November 1, 2002... Shawn Liu of National Instruments describes how the speed of development of new features in automotive applications are pushing designers towards off-the-shelf design tools and hardware. When investigating new development tools and...

Design flexibility key to simplifying the implementation of LIN bus. (Focus: Automotive Systems).
November 1, 2002... Automotive manufacturers face many problems when implementing new designs. One problem that grows more difficult each year is accommodating the increasing number of electronic subsystems in the automobile. Systems are being added each year,...

Philips signal conditioning chip takes pressure off checking tires. (Focus: Automotive Systems).
November 1, 2002... Philips Semiconductors has developed a chip for direct measurement of vehicle tire pressure and identification. The signal conditioning chip will boost safety in the car by communicating whether tire pressures are at their correct level and...

CosiMate eases co-simulation in system level mechatronics. (Focus: Automotive Systems).
November 1, 2002... TNI-Valiosys, a French provider of system-design solutions for embedded and real-time applications, has enhanced its CosiMate co-simulation tool for system-level mechatronics simulations. The latest version provides access to a range of...

Module cuts cost for car networks. (Focus: Automotive Systems).
November 1, 2002... Communication & Control Electronics (G&CE), a supplier of multimedia and telematics network access solutions to the automotive industry, has developed a technique which will allow volume automotive suppliers to quickly and cost-effectively...

PSU meets needs of 42 V automotive spec. (Focus: Automotive Systems).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The EX4210R, from TTi (Thurlby Thandar Instruments), is a high-current single-output bench power supply capable of currents up to 10A at voltages up to 42V. The choice of 42 V enables the unit to be used as a test source for the new...

Embedded PCI-X ready to raise performance. (Embedded PCI-X).
November 1, 2002... Martin McGregor, hardware design engineering manager at Force Computers describes how an extension to the PCI/ISA standards has developed to provide more robust bandwidth. As the OEM community has implemented higher performance processors...

Legacy upgrades call for 3U CompactPCI. (Cots Systems).
November 1, 2002... Juergen Eder of SBS Technologies explains why systems manufacturers are looking to 3U CompactPCI to meet the increasing needs for commercial off the shelf (COTS) solutions. In the past electronic sub-systems for embedded military/avionic...

PROFIsafe to improve distributed safety: Herbert Barthel and Dr. Wolfgang Stripf of Siemens describe developments to the PROFIBUS specification that have seen the introduction of PROFIsafe-a safe transmission method. (Profisafe).
November 1, 2002... PROFIsafe, the safe transmission method using PROFIBUS DP and its range of transmission technologies, such as RS 485 (main area: production), MBP-IS (1) (main area: process) and optical fibre, has passed the acid test in comprehensive...

Measurement tools aid switched fabric design: Dave Ireland of Tektronix describes how the design and troubleshooting challenges produced by RapidlO are being meet by improvements to measurement tools. (Communications).
November 1, 2002... The constant demand for more speed in digital communications networks and elements has brought system architects to a crossroads. Time-tested legacy buses such as PCI are nearing their practical data capacity limit. Over the decades, bus widths...

Designing embedded device gateways: Michael Howard of emWare discusses the general architectural components of an embedded device gateway and introduces the major design challenges. (Networking).
November 1, 2002... A device gateway system provides an embedded architecture that allows networking capability to the smallest of embedded microcontrollers. A gateway is an intermediary 'bridge' or 'broker' between lightweight narrow-bandwidth device networks...