EDN articles from July 2003

EDN archives from July 2003

From geek to chic. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... "Whoa, did I get on the wrong plane and end up at MacWorld? Since when does Microsoft care about how computers or software looks? Someone has obviously hacked and reprogrammed Bill." --hardware developer Frank Copper at the Windows Hardware...

Devices provide megabits of multiplexed memory. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... IDT HAS INTRODUCED a family of multiqueue flow-control devices with DDR and SDR capabilities for applications requiring quality of service, data differentiation, and parallel buffering of multiple data streams. The devices support four queues...

Product provides online design support. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... MENTOR GRAPHICS' NEW SUPPORTNET KnowledgeBase service gives the company's contract customers free online access to up-to-date information on common design problems. Customers access KnowledgeBase through Mentor's SupportNet Web site with a...

Leading edge.(Brief Article)
July 10, 2003... * According to Nielsen/NetRatings, the average US Internet user had 30 Web sessions at home, visiting 52 domains during May 2003, versus 66 sessions and 98 domains at work. * Production at US factories, mines, and utilities nudged up by...

Online tools expand support for power and analog ICs. (leading edge).(Brief Article)
July 10, 2003... NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR'S new Solutions. National.com Web page serves as a portal to an expanded set of analog-design tools. Designers can use the portal to access interactive templates currently supporting 30 block diagrams organized in the...

Dilbert. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... I'VE BEEN TRAPPED IN MY OFFICE FOR THREE DAYS! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME SCREAM? I USED MY STAPLE REMOVER TO CLAW THROUGH THE SIDE WALL! YOUR DOOR IS A PULL, NOT A PUSH. GET ME A BIGGER STAPLE REMOVER JUST TO BE SAFE. [ILLUSTRATION...

Power inductors take the low-profile route. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... Switching supplies often need inductors, and current levels can be surprisingly high, even in today's low-power world. The DXM series of power inductors from the CoEv Magnetics unit of Tyco Electronics handles currents as high as 30A with...

Avionics line supports multiple data buses. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... A NEW FAMILY of avionic-interface boards from Ballard Technology offers designers single or multiple protocol configurations supporting MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429/575, ARINC 708/ 453, and ARINC 717/573 data buses. Avionics data buses interconnect...

Tool addresses hybrid timing analysis. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... TRADITIONAL TIMING-ANALYSIS METHODS fall short in deep-submicron designs because they cannot account for the timing impact of dynamic effects, such as crosstalk. To address this problem, Nassda's Hanex helps engineers find critical delay paths...

device targets entry-level print applications. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... Oak Technology's OTI-4100 replaces the ARM9 core in the OTI-4110 with an ARM7 core and integrates it into the Quatro SIMD DSP core to target cost-sensitive, entry-level, multifunction-ink-jet and personal-laser-printer applications. The...

When in doubt, change everything. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... MOST OF THE DEVELOPMENT NEWS in the formal-verification market comes from small start-ups, pushing the technology to its limits to survive in times of lean venture-capital funding. The EDA industry is benefiting from what at times seems a...

Low-footprint software platform adds Java capability. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... IF YOU WANT TO RUN JAVA on limited resources, such as on a Smart Card, the only realistic choice so far has been the reduced subset of Java for the card environment. Now, OneEighty Software has introduced Origin-J, a JVM (Java virtual machine)...

Tool adds signal-integrity capabilities. (leading edge).
July 10, 2003... Signal integrity, which manifests itself as crosstalk, IR drop, and electromigration phenomena, is a major hurdle in the correct implementation of ICs at 130-nm and smaller process geometries. Designers cannot usually solve crosstalk problems...

Constant-resistance equalizer. (signal integrity).
July 10, 2003... MY LAST COLUMN CONVERTED an imperfect receiving device into an ideal termination using a constant-resistance network (Reference 1). The schematic in Figure 1 extends that idea, combining a good termination with a useful equalizing function....

Positive confirmation of negative refraction. (Sightings: the outlook for new technology).(Brief Article)
July 10, 2003... SNELL'S LAW gives the relationship between the angles of incidence and refraction for a light ray crossing from one medium into another. Since Dutch mathematician Willebrord van Roijen Snell (1580 to 1626) delineated the law in 1621, all known...

Getting a read on electronic paper. (Sightings: the outlook for new technology).(Brief Article)
July 10, 2003... ELECTRONIC-PAPER technology is supposed to lead to high-resolution displays that are thin and flexible enough to roll up like sheets of the real stuff. We may have to wait awhile for such products, but the technology is making progress. At the...

MEMS switch pushes photons around. (sightings: the outlook for new technology).(Brief Article)
July 10, 2003... A TEAM AT XEROX has developed a MEMS-based photonic switch that duplicates the functions of an R-OADM (reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer)--a device that's 10 to 100 times larger than the switch. The chip compresses an R-OADM into a...

Chip puts holographs in motion. (sightings: the outlook for new technology).(Brief Article)
July 10, 2003... AVID MOVIEGOERS sing the praises of Texas Instruments' DLP (digital-light-processing) chip, which features an array of tilting micromirrors and finds use in digital-projection systems that win acclaim for their ultracrisp images. Now, a...

Flying over the action: the Skycam mobile camera system can quickly and accurately move anywhere within a 3-D space. (how it works).
July 10, 2003... NOT TO BE CONFUSED with stationary, mounted cameras on top of buildings all over the country to monitor weather and traffic patterns, CF Inflight's Skycam is a robotic camera system that can dynamically view a sports field, arena, or concert...

Stir it up: configurable processors can be a cost-effective ingredient in your design. But they may also be an evolutionary abstraction. (cover story).(Cover Story)
July 10, 2003... ASK ENOUGH PEOPLE what defines a configurable system, and you will realize that each definition depends on the person's assumptions about how to abstract the system components. For embedded systems, the abstraction usually applies to the...

When the package means as much as the chip: successful design of high-speed, high-pin-count ICs requires packaging engineers and chip designers to work closely together throughout the project. (design feature).
July 10, 2003... As HIGH-SPEED data access, transmission, and storage move from high-end computing and long-haul SONET (synchronous-optical-network) applications into portable computing and Ethernet LANs (local-area networks), semiconductor devices need to grow...

Remote diodes yield accurate temperature measurements: all of today's PC designs--including desktop, notebook, and server platforms--require thermal management. (design feature).
July 10, 2003... WITH CPUs AND CHIP SETS running at clock speeds that were once thought of only in terms of UHF and microwave communications frequencies, heat generation is a problem for PC-system designers. The reliability or MTBF (mean time between failures)...

A clock for all reasons, Part 2: monolithic oscillator invigorates instrumentation applications: Part 1 of this series presented a variety of circuits that use a monolithic oscillator in various applications. Part 2 continues with more examples: chopped amplifiers, sine-wave generators, an interval generator, and an ADC. (design feature).
July 10, 2003... ALTHOUGH THE MOST OBVIOUS APPLICATION for an oscillator is as a clock source in digital systems, a second application area is instrumentation. A variety of circuits, continued here from part 1 of this series, which appeared in EDN's June 26...

White LED driver in tiny SC70 package delivers high efficiency and uniform LED brightness--design note 315. (advertisement).
July 10, 2003... Introduction The LT[R]1937 step-up white LED driver is an ideal solution for small battery-powered portable devices such as cellular phones, PDAs and digital cameras. The LT1937 features an internal 36V switch that is capable of driving up...

DDS device produces sawtooth waveform. (design ideas).
July 10, 2003... RAMP OR SAWTOOTH waveforms are useful for a broad range of applications, including automatic-test equipment, benchtest equipment, and actuator control. Discrete components typically set the waveform frequency. Unfortunately, drift in these...

Circuit makes universal VCSEL driver. (design ideas).
July 10, 2003... VCSELs (vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers) are commercially available infrared semiconductor lasers with [lambda] [nearly equal to] 850 nm. Short-cavity-length, high-quality Bragg mirrors impart properties to VCSELs that differ from those...

Circuit level-shifts ac signals. (design ideas).
July 10, 2003... AC SIGNALS CAN EMANATE from many sources, and many of these sources are incompatible with the most popular interface voltages, such as TTL. A temptation always exists to capacitively couple the ac signals because capacitive coupling strips off...

Interface a serial 12-bit ADC to a PC. (design ideas).
July 10, 2003... OVER THE YEARS, IC manufacturers have devised various ways of effecting interfaces and paying special attention to reducing the number of ICs' interface-I/O pins. The MAX187 is one such device, a 12-bit A/D converter. You can create an...

Safety device uses GMR sensor. (design ideas).
July 10, 2003... THIS DESIGN IDEA presents a differential safety device to prevent risks arising from current leakages in household applications: The proposed circuit uses a new method for differential current sensing (Figure 1). The method entails the use of...

Auditioning high-resolution surround-sound compression: this hands-on project explores leading compression technologies; sound off with your feedback. (digital den).
July 10, 2003... This article and its companion Web-site addendum are the culmination of a several-month project that digs into the inner workings of today's most prevalent high-end audio compression technologies (references 1, 2, and 3). It focuses on audio...

Pushbutton switches are frost-resistant. (Switches & Relays).
July 10, 2003... The IF series of momentary pushbutton switches withstands the frost and icing conditions in applications in which equipment experiences unprotected environmental exposure. Devices have a 1.180-in.-diameter black or red panel-mount bezel with a...

Panel-mount rockers prevent accidental actuation. (Switches & Relays).
July 10, 2003... Fitting a standard 19.2 x 12.9-mm mounting hole, panel-mount rocker switches in the DA series offer a choice of two actuator guarding features: a wall that stands around the actuator or a recessed guard with the frame fitting flush to the front...

Improved microelectronic relays are more efficient and robust. (Switches & Relays).
July 10, 2003... The PVT412A series of microelectronic relays delivers two times more load current capability at [+ or -] 400V off-state blocking with less than one-quarter device on-resistance than earlier PVT412 series devices. Typical applications for these...

Rotary switch boasts integral potentiometer. (Switches & Relays).
July 10, 2003... Housed in a single compact package, the SW44212 combines a nonilluminated, tactile rotary switch and an on/off potentiometer. The dual functionality of the SW44212 saves valuable panel or board space. Mechanical rotational life is 50,000 cycles...

Rocker switches fit round panel cutout. (Switches & Relays).
July 10, 2003... UL-rated for 10A at 125V ac, RR series miniature rocker switches lock into a panel cutout with a diameter of 0.787 in. (20 mm). The single- and double-pole round switches come in lighted and non-lighted versions, as well as 40 combinations of...

7-GHz reed relay leverages tiny leadless case. (Switches & Relays).( )
July 10, 2003... Contained in a ceramic-based package that measures only 8.6 x 4.4 x 3.4 mm, the CRF reed relay's leadless surface-mount design eliminates skewing of leads and coplanarity issues. The ceramic case exactly matches the coefficient of expansion of...

121-slot CompactPCI crate. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Lets you configure an 80-channel digitizer system in a single 19-in., 9U instrumentation rack * Deploys quad-channel digitizer modules at 1-GHz bandwidth for sampling 80 channels at 1G samples/sec, 40 channels at 2G samples/sec, and 20...

Industrial microcontroller. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * C-programmable 8051-based controller supplies eight optoisolated digital inputs and eight relay outputs * Includes two comparators and a serial port that can be configured for RS-485 or RS-232 operation * R102 Bongo, $139 R2...

Windows CE.NET-enabled single-board computer. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Powered by a 166-MHz Tillamook processor preloaded with Windows CE.NET and capable of operating from -40 to + 85[degrees]C * EBX board provides a video controller, 10/100-Mbps Ethernet, four serial channels, 48 bidirectional digital I/O...

Portable server. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Aluminum alloy chassis accommodates an extended ATX motherboard * Furnishes dual 2.8-GHz Intel Xeon CPUs, as much as 12 Gbytes of DDR-SDRAM, four isolated drive bays, a display, and a keyboard * Pserver R9, from $7995 Broadax...

Processor boards. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Xpedite1000 (PrPMC) and XChange1100 (6U CompactPIC) provide a 667-MHz IBM PowerPC 440GX CPU with 133-MHz PCI-X interface and two Gigabit Ethernet ports * Accommodate 128 Mbytes to 1 Gbyte of 333-MHz DDR SDRAM SO-DIMMs * Xpedite1000,...

Fingerprint sensor module. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Enables local and remote fingerprint data acquisition on a PC/104 form factor * Offers a 1.5 x 1.5-cm sensor on a removable mezzanine * Biothenticator, $400 (100) Parvus Corp, 1-801-483-1533, www.parvus.com

VMEbus computer board. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Provides two PMC expansion sites and as much as 1 Gbyte of bootable CompactFlash or MicroDrive memory * Furnishes front-panel interfaces for SVGA, 10/100BaseTX, keyboard, and mouse * DMC, from $2750 Dynatem, 1-949-855-3235,...

10/1000-Mbps Ethernet card. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * For use with PC/104-Plus single-board computers * Furnishes one or two Ethernet ports with RJ-45 or 0.1-in. header connectors * ZXE-E/104P, $185 Zendex Corp, 1-925-828-3000, www. zendex.com

PCI/ISA computer board. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Offers a PICMG 1.0 Rev. 2.2-compliant passive backplane and a 1.3-GHz Pentium M processor * Furnishes dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and optional Ultra320 SCSI Hub Link 2.0 daughtercard * LBC-9116, from $1795 without memory (OEM) ...

RapidIO development platform. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * HIP (hardware interoperability platform) allows RapidIO evaluation and prototyping * Contains RapidIO switch fabric and a RapidIO-to-PCI bridge * HIP, $2499 IneoQuest Technologies Inc, 1-508-339-2497, www.ineoquest.com

1U ATX server. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Features dual Intel Xeon CPUs, a 533MHz FSB, two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, and as much as 12 Gbytes of DDR SDRAM * Includes a 400W ac power supply with power-factor correction * FPS-4204-1U, from $1489 Force Computers Inc,...

PC/104 analog I/O board. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Provides 16 single-ended or eight differential analog input channels * Operates at 500k samples/sec with 16-bit resolution * Model 104-AIO16-16, $479 Acces I/O Products, 1-858-550-9559, www.accesioproducts.com

Industrial PC enclosure. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Rack-mount 4U enclosure provides dynamic EMC containment, attenuating as much as 30 dB * Accommodates ATX and AT motherboards with as many as 14 slots * Type 4F, from less than $400 Elma Electronic Inc, 1-510-656-3400,...

3U CompactPCI single-board computer. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Powered by an IBM 750FX PowerPC processor running at 800 MHz with 512 kbytes of internal L2 cache * Boasts low overall power consumption of just 12W * SCP/DCP- 122, from $5640 DY 4 Systems Inc, 1-613-599-9191, www.dy4.com

Parallel I/O PMC card. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Furnishes 64 channels of 3.3V (5V-compatible) parallel I/O, each of which you can independently program as an input or output * Enables 16 bits of I/O, configured as input, for generating an interrupt or change of state * PMC-PIO,...

VME64 computer board. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Offers a 933-MHz Tualatin Pentium III or low-voltage 400-MHz Tualatin Celeron CPU * 6U board comes with two M-Module slots, three PC*MIP sites, or two PMC slots * A13, from $2195 MEN Micro Inc, 1-972-939-2675, www.menmicro.com

Programmable terminal. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Comes with a 120 x 32-pixel graphics display that offers standard ISO font sets and international character sets * Programmable using either C or assembly * GraFX, $349 Two Technologies Inc, 1-215-441-5305, www.2T.com

Industrial panel PCs. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Integrate a PC with a 6.4-, 8.4-, or 10.4-in. color TFT LCD for human-machine interface applications * Include one 10/100BaseT Ethernet interface, two RS-232 ports, and one RS-232/422/485 port * ARP-1606, ARP-1608, and ARP-1610, from...

USB 2.0 JTAG emulator. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * For embedded designs incorporating ARM, TMS320, and OMAP processors * Comes with a free Chameleon debugger for ARM and drivers for eight other third-party debuggers * JTAGjet-USB, $1800 Signum Systems, 1-805-523-9774, www....

Four-axis H-bridge card. (Embedded Systems).
July 10, 2003... * Provides a maximum current rating of 3A/axis and a voltage rating of 48V * Connects to Mesa motion-control cards through a 50-pin header * 7130, $59 (100) Mesa Electronics, 1-510-223-9272, www. mesanet.com

'Scuse me while I kiss the screen. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... "There is nothing like trying to get two Sims to kiss when they are both not in the mood." --a Sims user on Sims, the massively time-consuming obsession and biggest selling PC game of all time, in Wired, July 2, 2003

Solid-state relay switches high-frequency test signals. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER'S PVY116 solid-state relay boasts a typical off-capacitance/on-resistance product of 9.1 pF-[ohm] for switching applications, such as high-speed ATE (automatic-test equipment), in which a small SOP4 package offers...

IBM introduces Web-based design verification. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... As GEOMETRY FEATURES become smaller with every new advance in manufacturing processes, the number of potential problem areas that designers must verify increases. Using state-of-the-art processes often requires designers to obtain input from...

$109, palm-sized USB device handles analog, digital I/0, packs 32-bit counter. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... Measurement Computing Corp (formerly ComputerBoards) is probably best known for its low-cost data-acquisition boards, which are form- and function-compatible with more expensive, competitive products. The cost of one of its new products, the...

Dilbert. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... WE'RE HAVING A MEETING TO DISCUSS EMPLOYEE RETENTION. TELL THEM THAT EMPLOYEES QUIT BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY USELESS MEETINGS. WE WON'T BE GETTING INTO REASONS AT THE FIRST MEETING.

Leading edge.(Brief Article)
July 24, 2003... * A May 2003 survey by Goldman Sachs shows that 72% of dial-up users who plan to switch to broadband in the next year will do so for higher speed, whereas only 2% will do so for easier music and software downloading. * Sales of optical...

Transient voltage suppression now has a low profile. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... If you need a low-profile, flat-lead, lead-free replacement for the established SOD-123 JE-DEC DO219 footprint of TVS (transient-voltage-suppression) devices, On Semiconductor may have your drop-in answer. The company has put 50 TVS devices,...

Rate-agile, I/O-agnostic CDR ICs offer adaptive equalization. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... MINDSPEED TECHNOLOGIES' new family of four CDR (clock- and data-recovery) ICs cover the spectrum from 42 Mbps to 3.2 Gbps for Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, SONET, and backplane applications. The M21001, M21011, and M21012 comprise four...

Next-generation DSP delivers performance, cost, and size benefits. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... ANALOG DEVICES' next generation TigerSHARC processors, the ADSP-TS201, ADSP-TS202, and ADSP-TS203, provide a software-programmable, multiprocessor platform for developers to build high-performance, memory-intensive signal-processing and imaging...

Probes, software, accessories broaden DSO and logic-analyzer support. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... TEKTRONIX has unveiled several products that enhance its digital scopes' and logic analyzers usefulness for debugging (usually differential) serial buses that transmit data at 2.5 Gbps and faster. On the scope side, one of the products is...

System, algorithms, and circuitry simplify motor-control development. (leading edge).
July 24, 2003... POWER-COMPONENT VENDORS are moving up the integration ladder, answering users' plea to "please, do more of my design." For example, International Rectifier now offers its iMotion integrated design platform with a development system, the...

Low-power operation is a state of mind. (Baker's best).
July 24, 2003... ACHIEVING LOW POWER requires a certain mindset. Think about it. You can throttle down your controller to near inactivity if you really want to save battery power. The straightforward way to turn the heat down is to re-evaluate clock sources or...

Pricing opinions, please. (edn.comment).(Editorial)
July 24, 2003... ALTHOUGH I NOW AND AGAIN give semiconductor-marketing folks a hard time, I understand that their jobs are challenging. Take, for example, pricing. Pretend you're a marketing manager, and you've got someone like me across the table from you or...

Network protocols compete for highway supremacy: can and most are facing competition from TTP and others as automotive and automation-network protocols. (how it works).
July 24, 2003... TODAY'S VEHICLES routinely marry established networks such as CANs (controller-area networks) with newer, low-cost, low-bandwidth links such as LINs (local-interconnect networks) to connect diverse, decentralized systems. Further complicating...

Distributed power: taming the dragons: new architectures and packaging are teaming to tame the tiny voltage drops that so easily spell disaster in systems whose supply voltages will soon be measured in mere millivolts. (Cover Story).
July 24, 2003... Power supplies just may be surrounded by more myths and misconceptions than any other segment of electronics. Within the past year, the very nature of power-system design has changed, and the old rules have pretty much flown out the window....

The shrinking-interface paradox: how do you design an easy-to-use mobile device when the screen and keyboard keep getting smaller? (tech trends).
July 24, 2003... GREAT IDEAS, LIKE DICK TRACY'S two-way TV wristwatch, sometimes take decades to find a foothold in reality. For a while, cost keeps the great idea only an idea. When the business model eventually makes sense, however, deployment usually stalls...

Pin-compatible family of high speed ADCs outperforms the rest. (Data Converters: high performance analog solutions from Linear Technology: Advertisement).
July 24, 2003... Linear Technology offers high performance in high speed ADCs and an alternative. With the introduction of high speed ADCs up to 80Msps at 14-bits, Linear Technology allows optimization during the design process for communications, high-end...

A 14-bit ADC that is both fast and low noise. (Data Converters: high performance analog solutions from Linear Technology: Advertisement).
July 24, 2003... The LTC1748 is an exception to the rule that an ADC must trade-off low noise performance for high sampling rates. The device is a 14-bit ADC that has excellent dynamics and linearity at a sampling rate of 80Msps. It is ideal for communications,...

12-bit, 80Msps ADC is half the price of 14-bit challengers. (Data Converters: high performance analog solutions from Linear Technology: Advertisement).
July 24, 2003... With extremely high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), the LTC1747 outperforms other 12-bit ADCs in its class and nearly eclipses competing 14-bit ADCs. This represents an incredible value considering the price is nearly half of what these 14-bit...

Crossing the abyss: asynchronous signals in a synchronous world: as digital design becomes increasingly sophisticated, circuits with multiple clocks must reliably communicate with each other. (design feature).
July 24, 2003... ONLY THE MOST elementary logic circuits use a single clock. Most data-movement applications, including disk-drive controllers, CD-ROM/DVD controllers, modems, network interfaces, and network processors, bear inherent challenges moving data...

Multiprocessing I/O enables efficient 3G base-station designs: using 2-D I/O fabrics to link arrays of processors simplifies data transfer and enables parallel processing. (design feature).
July 24, 2003... IF YOU RELY ON CONVENTIONAL I/O structures based on buses, switches, or linear tunnels, efficiently performing data communications between data-processing blocks of large systems can be difficult. When many subsystems are simultaneously sending...

Clip extracts signal from phone line. (design ideas).
July 24, 2003... USING A capacitive-coupled clip, you can pick up the signal from a twisted-pair or -wire telephone line or from other unshielded analog lines without piercing the insulation. No line test can detect the clip's presence, and it leaves no...

Circuit produces variable frequency, duty cycle. (design ideas).
July 24, 2003... THIS DESIGN IDEA shows a simple, low-cost circuit that produces a highly accurate variable-frequency and variable-duty-cycle output (Figure 1). Further, the duty cycle and frequency are independent of each other (excluding 0 and 100% duty...

Active-feedback IC serves as current-sensing instrumentation amplifier. (design ideas).
July 24, 2003... HIGH-SPEED current sensing presents a designer with some significant challenges. Most techniques for sensing current involve measuring the differential voltage the current produces as it flows through a sense element, such as a resistor or a...

Create secondary colors from multicolored LEDs. (design ideas).
July 24, 2003... IT IS WELL-KNOWN that simultaneously mixing two primary-color light sources, such as red and green, creates a secondary color, such as yellow. This mixing process commonly occurs in tricolor LEDs. One disadvantage of this method of generating a...

Ultralow noise switching power supplies simplify EMI compliance--Design Note 316. (Design Notes: Advertisement).
July 24, 2003... Introduction Most electronic products must pass electromagnetic interference (EMI) compliance tests--such as the FCC Part 15 rules in the US--before they can be released into the market. When a company's product fails EMI compliance tests,...

Combo, please: a digital den hands-on project: testing the new 802.11A/G gear. (digital den).
July 24, 2003... WIRELESS-LAN (WLAN) technology--based on the various flavors of the IEEE 802.11 standard--continues to soar in popularity in roles from home networking to public "hotspot" access. Indeed, you can now get free WLAN access with your order at some...

Chip inductor family extends inductance range. (Passives).
July 24, 2003... Chip inductor family extends inductance range. With the addition of the GLTZ27N05 27-nH inductor, the GLTZ series of surface-mount chip inductors now covers an inductance range of 1.0 to 27 nH. Inductance tolerance is [+ or -] 5% ([+ or -] 0.3...