Wireless Design & Development articles from December 2008

Wireless Design & Development archives from December 2008

Internet addiction--does it really exist?(UP FRONT)
December 1, 2008... Did you know that compulsive e-mailing and text messaging could soon become classified as an official brain disease? An editorial in the American Journal of Psychiatry a few months back said that Internet addiction--including excessive gaming...

Vector signal analyzer, spectrum analyzer, and digital oscilloscope combination breaks new ground.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
December 1, 2008... Tektronix, Inc. announces SignalVu[TM] vector signal analysis software for DPO7000 and DPO/DSA70000 digital oscilloscope series, enabling engineers to easily characterize and validate wideband and microwave spectral events. SignalVu combines...

Digitally tunable capacitors enable high-performance RF tuning for GSM cellular and mobile TV.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation announces a breakthrough in the highly sought-after solution to mobile antenna timing. The company's new DuNE[TM] Technology, a patent-pending design methodology made possible by...

SX51 optical module for HDMI over fiber.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)(Omron Electronics Inc.)(high definition multimedia interface)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Omron's P1TX6A-SX51-01M transmitter optical module and the P1RX6A-SX51-01M receiver optical module are designed to serve the high-definition video market. This easy-to-implement SX51 Module is appropriate for...

Multicore DSP integrates three 1 GHz cores on a single chip.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designers that must integrate multiple digital signal processors (DSPs) on a board in order to handle performance-hungry tasks, such as simultaneously processing on multiple channels or executing multiple software...

Adding wireless to a microcontroller-based design: 5 questions to answer: embedding wireless into a microcontroller-based design can be an intimidating experience for the designer.(EYE ON MICROCONTROLLERS)
December 1, 2008... Wireless is fast becoming a feature of choice for many products. The ability to cut the wires and mobilize a device is a compelling feature to microcontroller users. For the intrepid design engineer, adding wireless to a new or existing product...

Testing challenges of SDRs: a new modeling methodology combines FPGAs and circuit-level modeling in a design-to-test flow.(TESTING SDRs)
December 1, 2008... Today's communications industry has found it essential to be able to rapidly adapt their design methodologies in order to meet their customer's ever increasing demands and expectations for more speed, range and reliability, all at a lower cost....

Using next-generation non-stationary noise suppression to enhance voice quality: emulating the way that the human hearing system characterizes and groups the audio stream into sound sources proves to be an extremely efficient and accurate way to suppress both stationary and non-stationary noise.(Cover story)
December 1, 2008... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Higher voice quality in noisy environments through next-generation noise suppression technology is proving to be one of the key differentiators for handset manufacturers and service providers. Voice quality, in this...

Brainstorm.(ELECTRONIC MINIATURIZATION)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Welcome to Brainstorm! The ability to reduce the size of today's sophisticated electronic components has created success in applications that we thought not possible just a few years ago. Medical device...

Early 3G software development and debugging on a virtual system: Virtual System Prototypes (VSPs) offer a means to develop and debug embedded software before the silicon is available.(DESIGN TALK: VIRTUAL PROTOTYPE SIMULATION)
December 1, 2008... As the semiconductor industry continues to consolidate off-the-shelf hardware components to build wireless consumer devices, such as 3G phones, these devices are increasingly differentiated by software content. The iPhone[R] is a great example...

Modeling, simulation, and automatic code generation framework for sensor network applications: while model-based design is becoming quite standard for several domains that have similar constraints as wireless sensor networks, there is a lack of tools for this purpose in the WSN world.(WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS)
December 1, 2008... Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have become a hot research topic and show much promise to become a driver of current and future microelectronic technologies. This emerging technology offers exciting potential for numerous application areas...

Relay exhibits small footprint.(PRODUCT FOCUS: RELAYS)(Panasonic Electric Works Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Targeting test and measurement equipment, Panasonic Electric Works' SON (Small Outline No-lead) Series of PhotoMOS relays come in a 2.95 x 2.20 x 1.40 mm package. The ceramic-constructed components come with...

SCSR and SLOR feature serial communications.(PRODUCT FOCUS: RELAYS)(Electroswitch Corp.)(series 24 serial control switch relay)(serial lock-out relay)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Series 24 Serial Control Switch Relay (SCSR) and Serial Lock-Out Relay (SLOR) from Electroswitch facilitate remote control, monitoring or lock-out of circuit breakers while retaining local control i through a manual trip/close handle....

Relay yields 5 A current.(PRODUCT FOCUS: RELAYS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Measuring 0.62" x 0.43" x 0.44", Hasco Components International's SPDT relay switches have a current of 5 A with a less expensive 2 A option. The device exhibits a coil voltage range from 3 to 48 V DC with a...

Relays feature improved RF signal repeatability.(PRODUCT FOCUS: RELAYS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Teledyne Relays introduces a new series of DPDT surface mount ultraminiature relays that deliver RF performance over a bandwidth from DC to 8 GHz. Signal integrity of the GRF312 performs up to 12 Gb/s. The relays are...

Relay offers coil latching.(PRODUCT FOCUS: RELAYS)(Panasonic Electric Works Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Having standard and reversed contact arrangements (1 Form C), Panasonic Electric Works' ARS relay includ4es' one- and two-coil latching in frequencies of 3 GHz, 75[ohm] and 50[ohm] The 14 x 8.6 x 7.2 mm SMT packaged...

Attenuator relays designed to operate from DC to 5 GHz.(PRODUCT FOCUS: RELAYS)(Teledyne Inc. Teledyne Relay Div.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Teledyne Relays has introduced the Series GA152 family of highly repeatable, ultraminiature broadband attenuator relays for attenuating RF signals in 50[ohm] and 75[ohm] systems over a frequency range from DC to 5...

Technology award: [SIGMA][DELTA] A/D converters fill the gap.(DECEMBER 2008: WDD EDITOR'S CHOICE)(analog-to-digital converters)
December 1, 2008... A low noise, wide bandwidth family of continuous-time sigma-delta (CTSD) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) is available from Analog Devices. The 16-bit, AD9261 and D9262 CTSD converter, and the AD9267 CTSD modulator couple low noise and high...

2008 regulatory review: The Year of the Quiet Dog: 2008 marked a very busy year on the regulatory front--including some regulations that could have a profound impact on equipment manufacturers and system designers.(A YEAR IN WIRELESS)
December 1, 2008... The telecommunications sector this year turns out to be akin to Sherlock Holmes' observation about the dog that didn't bark in the nighttime, when by all rights it should have. Holmes deduced that only a friendly dog would have behaved that...

Leading industry alliances speak out: Dedicated Industry Alliance members worked diligently in 2008 to continue to push technology forward in order to meet market demands.(A YEAR IN WIRELESS)
December 1, 2008... In this section, representatives from four of the top industry alliance groups summarize their respective accomplishments in 2008 and provide a glimpse of what they are working on for 2009. The decisions made by the Wi-Fi, WiMAX, ZigBee and...

Low power drives wireless technologies: powering wireless technology can be a significant challenge for a variety of industries. This article reviews several options and also showcases a number of available products.(A YEAR IN WIRELESS)
December 1, 2008... Wireless technologies are one of the few markets that could make it through the current economic crisis somewhat unscathed. Long associated with cellular communication and portable devices, wireless applications provide power supply...

Eyeing critical developments in today's wireless industry: test and measurement presents new challenges. This article talks about those challenges and the developments resulting from them.(A YEAR IN WIRELESS)
December 1, 2008... The wireless industry has changed dramatically over the years, and, in turn, so too has society's desire for and reliance on wireless technology. The impetus for much of the change has come from development of standards like 3GPP Long Term...

Sensing the advantages of a mesh network: using a low power wireless mesh arrangement to build a self-powered sense and control network can offer an array of options to applications covering a wide area. This article examines the potential benefits of a mesh network.(A YEAR IN WIRELESS)
December 1, 2008... One of the most interesting trends in the wireless sensor industry is the emerging development and synergy of energy harvesting and ultra low power wireless mesh networking. By using a low power wireless mess network combined with energy...

New circuit protection solution for mobile electronics: mobile electronics need transient protection in order to function properly. This article talks about one solution to help protect the next generation of portable electronics.(A YEAR IN WIRELESS)
December 1, 2008... Mobile devices that can be charged in the home, office or car may be exposed to user error, wrong supply voltages and voltage or current transients every time they are connected or disconnected. Protecting these devices from circuit damage has...

From the WDD board member's point of view: What caught them by surprise in 2008 and the changes to come in 2009.(A YEAR IN WIRELESS)(Viewpoint essay)
December 1, 2008... In many respects, 2008 was not your typical year in the wireless industry, nor any industry for that matter. In addition to the normal pressures of dealing with global competition and time to market, the pressure to do so within tight financial...