Wireless Design & Development articles from June 2009

Wireless Design & Development archives from June 2009

Study gives semiconductor industry high grades.(UP FRONT)
June 1, 2009... Did you know that the cumulative electricity bill savings enabled by semiconductors might exceed $1.3 trillion through 2030? Semiconductor technologies are so essential to advances in energy efficiency gains that the U.S. economy could expand...

Choosing an EMS supplier? Look for PLM: seek an electronics manufacturing supplier (EMS) that has the knowledge and experience to operate within a product's lifescycle stages--from concept into revisions.(Industry Perspective)
June 1, 2009... So, you are an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) seeking an Electronics Manufacturing (EMS) company to assemble your printed circuit boards, wire/cable harnessing, and/or box builds. Whether you are an engineer or a purchasing director,...

Highly integrated analog transceiver IC for wireless backhaul.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Provigent announces the availability of the PVG710, an integrated analog Integrated Circuit (IC) for microwave backhaul. The PVG710 converts the interfaces of a digital modem to or from the intermediate frequencies...

Energy-efficiency calculator navigates the maze of external power supply standards.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Power Integrations has released a new online tool that enables designers of external chargers and adapters to instantly determine whether their product complies with worldwide energy-efficiency regulations. The...

SoC supports eight-user operation.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)(system on chip)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] picoChip's picoXcell[TM] PC312 HSPA+ femtocell system SoC supports eight users with simultaneous voice and data services. Offering 64QAM modulation and 3GPP Release 7 features for high-speed communication, the...

WiMAX 4G power amplifier to drive evolution from fixed-point to mobile services.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Anadigics has launched one of the first mobile WiMAX 4G power amplifiers (PAs) developed for use in the 3.4 to 3.6 GHz spectrum (adopted by broadband wireless service providers in Europe and South America.) The...

Quartz crystal features high resistance to solder cracking.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NDK announces the availability of the NX3225GB series of quartz crystals designed to have a high resistance to solder cracking even when applied with lead-free solder. They are able to withstand 2500 cycles of going...

Compliance test system for wireless HD modules and chipset manufacturers.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
June 1, 2009... Agilent Technologies Inc. introduces a solution for the WirelessHD compliance test--the CTS-1000 automated WirelessHD[R] test system--designed specifically for manufacturers of WirelessHD modules and chipsets for consumer and computing...

Complete low-power SoC for ZigBee[R]/IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee RF4CE and smart energy.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Texas Instruments Inc, (TI) has released a 2.4 GHz radio frequency (RF) system-on-chip solution supporting the IEEE 802.15.4 standard and an extensive set of a including ZigBee PRO networks, ZigBee RF4CE remote...

Development kit available for authentication IC.(PRODUCT NEWS: WHAT'S HOT)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Atmel[R] Corporation introduces the Rhino+ AVR[R] -based development kit for its AT88SA102S CryptoAuthentication[TM] IC. The AT88SA102S is a secure authentication IC with an embedded SHA-256 engine and 256-bit...

Improving radio performance in wireless applications using slot antennas: the slot antenna's main advantages are its design simplicity, robustness, and convenient adaptation to mass production using printed circuit boards.(EYE ON SMART ANTENNAS)
June 1, 2009... Slot Antenna Technology for RF Designs Design engineers are always looking for the right antenna for wireless data standards such as WiFi, UWB, Bluetooth, Zigbee and other WLAN and WPAN technologies. One antenna that is seldom used in such...

Simultaneous multimode RRH design made easy: diverse modulation formats and sampling rates between various standards make designing common building blocks challenging.(Cover story)
June 1, 2009... Remote radio heads (RRH) technology with support for simultaneous operation of multiple air-interface protocols is an emerging product requirement for operators. The diverse modulation formats and sampling rates between standards such as...

Radio channel emulation challenges in 3GPP LTE: securing product performance in the field by using laboratory channel emulation can give a competitive edge to companies that use these solutions.(CHANNEL EMULATION)(government performance project)(long term evolution)
June 1, 2009... Channel Emulation Testing Advanced technology requires high quality testing. Securing product performance in the field by using laboratory channel emulation can give further assurance that a product will operate in the field as designed. In a...

Q: What type of tag should be used for cost-effective, accurate data capture?(BRAINSTORM)
June 1, 2009... Welcome to Brainstorm! EPC-compliant RFID UHF tags deliver accurate, affordable and unique identification. They create real-time visibility for identifying and tracking objects moving through the supply chain or on and off the shelves. But...

OEMs & aftermarket battery packs: aftermarket vendors may resort to practices that compromise the end user experience or safety to make battery packs inexpensive and attractive to the consumer.(POWER PRODUCTS & EFFICIENCY: DESIGN TALK)
June 1, 2009... The continuing growth of portable handheld devices has spawned a healthy selection of aftermarket battery pack suppliers. The ownership period of an individual portable device often exceeds the cycle life of the original battery. This is...

Power efficiency--latest trends and techniques.(DESIGN TALK)
June 1, 2009... By Eric Persson, International Rectifier Corp. Efficiency is a key technology driver in all areas of power conversion now. For utility-connected applications, new regulatory initiatives like 85-plus and EnergyStar, combined with a more...

High power efficiency microwave and mm-wave power amplifiers.(DESIGN TALK)
June 1, 2009... Damian McCann, CTO, Mimix Broadband, Inc. In bath communications and radar systems, phased array antennas are increasingly being favored over conventional mechanically-scanned systems. Applications in military scenarios, using active...

Techniques for improving wireless infrastructure power efficiency.(DESIGN TALK)
June 1, 2009... Rich Nowakowski, Product Marketing Manager, Texas Instruments Wasted energy generates heat that must be dissipated on the circuit board, stifling a compact solution while adding costs for thermal cooling needed to improve mean time between...

Got a power problem? Fix it in the architecture using ESL.(DESIGN TALK)
June 1, 2009... By Craig Cochran, VP of Marketing, ChipVision Design System Power consumption is a key consideration in semiconductor design today. Formerly secondary to performance and area, it has become a first-order concern, especially for consumer...

GaAs HEMT LNA die covers E-band applications from 71 to 86 GHz.(PRODUCT FOCUS: MMICs-ICs)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hittite Microwave Corporation introduces a GaAs HEMT MMIC Low Noise Amplifier die, the HMC-ALH508, which allows designers to address E-band applications from 71 to 86 GHz. The HMC-ALH508 LNA die is appropriate for...

LNA improves sensitivity in GPS receivers.(PRODUCT FOCUS: MMICs-ICs)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Here's good news for GPS receiver designers looking for a way to reduce front end noise and boost sensitivity. In challenging environments, GPS receiver ICs with integrated LNAs often come up short when it comes to...

14.5 to 16 GHz GaAs MMIC high power amplifier delivers 5 W output power.(PRODUCT FOCUS: MMICs-ICs)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mimix Broadband's four stage 14.5 to 16.0 GHz GaAs MMIC power amplifer has a small gain of 27.0 dB with +37.0 dBm saturated output power. This high power amplifier, identified as XP1058-BD, uses a dual-sided bias...

Dual sided bias amplifier achieves 17 dB gain.(PRODUCT FOCUS: MMICs-ICs)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mimix Broadband, Inc. introduces a GaAs MMIC high power amplifier (HPA) with +41 dBm pulsed saturated output power and 17 dB small signal gain. This HPA, identified as XP1057-BD, uses a dual sided bias architecture,...

New test capabilities to IFR 6015 avionics test set.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Aeroflex announces it has added IFF test modes 1, 2 and TACAN as standard features to the IFR 6015 Ramp Test Set, the company's next generation of avionics test equipment. Compact, lightweight and weatherproof, the IFR 6015 is a battery-powered...

Vocoder technology in a single DSP chip.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Digital Voice Systems, Inc. (DVSI) has released the AMBE-3003[TM] Vocoder Chip which offers three separate encoder/decoder operations to provide the capability of up to three full duplex channels. The voice coding rate and the FEC rate for each...

Geolocation software maps emitter location.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Agilent Technologies Inc. announces an integrated real-time radio frequency (RF) emitter geolocation technique using a network of Agilent N6841A RF Sensors. The Agilent N6854A Geolocation server software estimates position of a non-cooperative...

Resonant controller simplifies power design.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Fairchild Semiconductor Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fairchild Semiconductor brings power designers of LCD and PDP TVs, servers, game consoles and LED lighting applications a resonant controller that simplifies design, reduces bill of materials and provides advanced...

MOSFET pre-driver IC with fault diagnostics.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Allegro MicroSystems' A4940 contains a flexible input interface, bootstrap monitor circuit, wide operating voltage (5.5 to 50 V) and temperature (40[degrees]C to +150[degrees]C) ranges, in a very small profile...

Physical verification software improves productivity and turnaround time.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Magma[R] Design Automation Inc. introduces the Quartz[TM] DRC and Quartz LVS 2009.05 physical verification tools. This new version significantly improves designer productivity and includes functionality improvements for advanced process nodes,...

7-bit devices feature static current consumption of 2.5 [mu]A.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Microchip Technology Inc. announces the MCP4017/8/9 (MCP401X) family of I2CTM digital potentiometers. The low-power 7-bit devices feature static current consumption of 2.5 microamperes and are specified over the extended industrial temperature...

Hermaphroditic blade and receptacle design promotes fast assembly.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Tyco Electronics has released wire-to-board plug connectors and board-to-board connectors to its family of hermaphroditic blade and receptacle connectors. The connectors are designed to make connecting of aluminum-clad printed circuit boards,...

Wave2-based Pico base station helps improve signal coverage.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ZTE Corporation announces the release of a Wave2-based 2.3 GHz Pico base station. The E9200 base station measures 260 mm x 200 mm x 65 mm. It allows high-speed transmission with downstream rate at 30 Mb/s. In high...

New power entry module or PCB mounting.(PRODUCT NEWS)(printed circuit board)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Schurter is pleased to announce its latest power entry module series DA22, with built-in overload protection, maximum high power density and outstanding EMC filter performance. All functions are integrated in one...

Low noise amplifiers feature pHEMT and SiGe technologies.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Skyworks Solutions, Inc. introduces a suite of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) featuring pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) and silicon germanium (SiGe) technologies. The SKY65050-372LF is a high...

Popular antennas now available in 2.4 GHz versions.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Antenna Factor is pleased to announce the immediate availability of 2.4 GHz versions of its PW and CW Series antennas. These durable, classically-styled dipole antennas are well suited for a wide range of industrial, medical, sporting and...

DC/DC converters for critical applications.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MicroPower Direct's I2000RW series is a high performance family of 20 W DC/DC converters. They are specifically designed to provide high power density, long field reliability and high performance features for space...

Quick Disconnect NDL size connectors.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Micro Twinax Quick Disconnect line from Sabritec replaces the standard NDL Triax connector series for higher speed balanced Twinax applications. These connectors are 25% smaller than a standard SMA coax connector...

Step-down controller for notebook power supplies.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Maxim Integrated Products introduces the MAX17031, a dual, Quick-PWM[TM] step-down controller with synchronous rectification specifically intended for generating 5 V/3.3 V supplies in battery-powered systems. This device integrates a 100 mA...

Processor Power Manager reduces the cost of microprocessor support.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lattice Semiconductor introduces a new member of its Power Manager II family, the ProcessorPM[TM] device, a programmable, single chip solution for the reset generation, watchdog timer and voltage supervision...

Direct quadrature modulator extends dynamic range of wireless transmitters.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... A new low frequency direct conversion quadrature modulator from Linear Technology Corporation offers impressive linearity performance and low noise to enhance the dynamic range performance of base station transmitters. The LTC5598 offers...

Portable oscilloscopes offer more signal viewing.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Agilent Technologies Inc. offers six new DSO models that comprise its next-generation 1000 Series. These scopes offer bandwidths between 60 and 200 MHz and deliver features normally found on more expensive scopes....

Thick film chips designed for high-power requirements.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Stackpole Electronics, Inc. announces the release of the RMCP Series of thick film chips designed for low-cost, high-power requirements. The RMCP Series is a more robust version of the standard RMC general purpose chip resistor. As such, it...

Transceiver recording and playback system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Pentek introduces a system that can be used as a powerful laboratory test instrument, as a standalone remote data acquisition system, or as a dedicated record/playback sub-system for deployed applications. The RTS 2701 incorporates enhanced...

Headphone amplifiers with output protection and Diagnostics.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MAX 13330/MAX 13331 are automotive, stereo headphone amplifiers designed for automotive entertainment systems in which board space is at a premium and high-voltage protection is paramount. These devices protect...

Technology for thermally demanding applications.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Powered by OK International's SmartHeat[R] Technology, the MFR-1100 Series is a high power solution for lead-free, production soldering, multilayer and other thermally demanding applications. Delivering very...

New technique creates improved type N T connectors.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... San-tron's new Type N T connectors, UG-28A/U and UG-107B/U are manufactured with a unique counterbore innovation. The company has replaced the miter-cut joining technique with a counterbore joining technique. The counterbore technique saves...

NFC controller delivers fully-compliant platform.(TECHNOLOGY AWARD)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NXP has unveiled a truly industry-standard Near Field Communication (NFC) controller, delivering a fully compliant platform for handset manufacturers and operators to introduce next-generation NFC devices and...