EDN articles from March 2005

EDN archives from March 2005

Tricolor LEDs slim front panels.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)(Light Emitting Diodes from Bivar Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... A NEW SURFACE-MOUNT RGB LED from BivarOpto, the optoelectronics division of Bivar, measures just 0.6 mm (0.024 in.) thick, making it a good fit with thin enclosures, such as handheld devices, screen backlights, and games. The SMTC0606, in a...

It's getting hot in here.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)
March 3, 2005... "My wife and I own a ranch in Montana, and four years ago we built a house on it. I love taking guests there and showing them my media center. Three racks of gear, each seven feet tall. Sounds good, looks good... and heats the entire house. We...

Microcontroller offerings go public.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)(Texas Instruments Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... TEXAS INSTRUMENTS has for years been using and delivering ARM-based cores but only to a few customers. The TMS470 platform of ARM7TDMI-based general-purpose processors comprises the first devices from Texas Instruments that are publicly...

Graphics core slims down for cellular.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)(Falanx Microsystems)
March 3, 2005... GRAPHICS CHIPS THAT IMPLEMENT a traditional polygons-to-pixels pipeline offer full compatibility with years' old APIs, but they also require huge transistor budgets and gobble up lots of memory density and bandwidth. This trade-off is...

Chip resistor shrinks TCR and size.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)(temperature coefficient of resistance)(Vishay Intertechnology Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The Vishay Beyschlag MCS-0402 family of chip resistors features tight tolerance and low TCR (temperature coefficient of resistance), suitable for precision measurements and other analog-signal paths. The 0402-size devices, in values of 100 to...

Dilbert.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)
March 3, 2005... DILBERT, DO YOU HAVE THE BENCHMARK RESULTS? DO YOU WANT THE TEN-MINUTE EXPLANATION OF WHY HE DATA ARE USELESS, OR A SIMPLE "HERE YOU GO"? I'M IN SALES. HERE YOU GO.

Class D amplifiers target space-constrained apps.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)
March 3, 2005... ANALOG DEVICES RECENTLY rolled out a line of amplifiers for the automotive and flat-panel-TV markets, which, it claims, combine space--and heat-savings benefits of Class D amplification with Analog's audio-signal-processing technology. The...

Now there are three: MSOs gain features--and a competitor.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)(mixed signal oscilloscopes)
March 3, 2005... FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, only two companies--Agilent and Yokogawa (www.yca.com)--have manufactured benchtop MSOs (mixed-signal oscilloscopes). These popularly priced instruments have typically combined eight to 16 logic-timing-analysis channels...

System validates wireless-product performance across myriad protocols and applications.(Leading edge: what's hot in the design community)
March 3, 2005... AEROFLEX'S NEW DEVELOPMENT--and conformance-verification system tests applications that run on all major cellular-phone types, including GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), EGPRS (Enhanced General Packet-Radio Service), and W-CDMA...

Margin testing.(signal integrity)
March 3, 2005... AFTER READING MY RECENT EDITORIAL about the difficulty of probing high-speed serial links ("The Perfect Probe," EDN, Oct 14, 2004), my friend JP Miller called to commiserate. It turns out he has been thinking about the same problem--how to...

Digital doesn't always mean better.(edn.comment)(Editorial)
March 3, 2005... IN OUR HEART OF HEARTS, we want to believe that everything digital is superior to the technology it pushes aside. Consider personal healthcare and simple medical devices, for example. Digital scales offer more consistent readings than their...

Design complexity requires system-level design: the ambiguity of product specifications written in a natural language often introduces design flaws that go undetected until later, making the solution more expensive.(design feature)
March 3, 2005... AT A GLANCE * Increasing design complexity requires better system-design tools. * Hardware designers need retraining to become proficient system designers. * Languages designed to develop and prove algorithms are best for system...

Master of some.(Direct-View-Display Technology)(Cover Story)
March 3, 2005... AT A GLANCE * "Old-timer" CRT is under assault, but a unique combination of outstanding image quality and low cost will likely ensure its long-term continued success. * The plasma display is a success, at least in the short term;...

Software-defined radio tunes in: military projects have long been the targets for software-defined radio. However, hybrid architectures may pave the way for strategic development within the commercial sphere.(tech trends)
March 3, 2005... AT A GLANCE * SDR (software-defined radio) promises operators massive cost reductions. * Cognitive radio will soon furnish bandwidth on demand. * SDR forces re-evaluation of superhet and direct-conversion technologies. *...

Tiny, highly flexible, dual boost/inverter tracks supplies.(Design Notes)(Advertisement)
March 3, 2005... Design Note 357 Introduction Linear Technology's LT[R] 3471 is a space saving and extremely versatile dual switching regulator available in a tiny 3mm x 3mm DFN package. With a 2.4V to 16V input range, the device can easily implement...

Thermal-testing standards: Jedec testing provides a consistent method for thermally characterizing components.(design feature)(www.jedec.org)
March 3, 2005... ASSESSING INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS is the foremost step in system thermal analysis. A component's reported thermal-resistance data becomes the gauge for thermal evaluation and management. It is therefore necessary that component manufacturers...

Bandpass filter features adjustable Q and constant maximum gain.(design ideas)
March 3, 2005... APPLICATIONS SUCH AS audio equalizers require bandpass filters with a constant maximum gain that's independent of the filter's quality factor, Q. However, all of the well-known filter architectures--Sallen-Key, multiple-feedback,...

Moving-coil meter measures low-level currents.(design ideas)
March 3, 2005... ALTHOUGH AN ANALOG moving-coil meter may lack the resolution and accuracy that a digital readout provides, a meter remains the display of choice for certain applications. A digital readout simply cannot provide information about a measurement's...

MOSFET enhances voltage regulator's overcurrent protection.(design ideas)(Eagle Test Systems)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... THE CLASSIC LM317 adjustable-output linear voltage regulator offers a relatively high, if package-dependent, current-handling capability. In addition, the LM317 features current limiting and thermal-overload protection. With the addition of a...

Digitally programmable resistor serves as test load.(design ideas)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... FIGURE 1 ILLUSTRATES a digitally programmable precision resistance that can serve as a microprocessor-driven power-supply load in custom-designed ATE (automatic-test equipment). An 8-bit current-output DAC, [IC.sub.l], a DAC08, drives...

Surface-mounted dc/dc converters have low profile.(power sources showcase)(SMT06C of Artesyn Technologies Inc)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... Eight SMT C Class surface-mounted, nonisolated POL (point-of-load) dc/dc converters include single programmable output voltages of 0.9 to 5V, output currents to 40A, open-frame single-board construction, weight- and thermal-management features,...

Power-over-Ethernet injector suits high-power applications.(power sources showcase)(PSA19U and PSA29U of Phihong Enterprise Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The PSA19U and PSA29U high-power, single-port power injectors for power-over-Ethernet applications have an ac-input-voltage range of 90 to 264V ac, voltage range of 100 to 240V ac, and ac-input frequency of 47 to 63 Hz. The PSA19U complies with...

120W medical open-frame series power supply.(power sources showcase)(MSP-120 of Mean Well USA Inc)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The MSP-120 series medical power supply extends the vendor's product line to 30, 45, 60, and 120W units. The series provides 120W with 25 [ft.sup.3] per minute or 80W with convection cooling from a 90 to 264V-ac input. The power supplies...

Front-end power supply has hot-swap function.(power sources showcase)(TCP1U-800 of Tectrol Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The TCP1U-800 front-end power module provides 840W at 12V (70A) in a 1U profile. The product includes hot-swap functions; a regulated, 12V, high-current output for front-end power-supply deployment with isolated or nonisolated point-of-use...

High-density, open pc-board switching power supplies have active PFC.(power sources showcase)(REL-185 Series of Astrodyne)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The REL-185 Series have 185W output power, a 4000V-ac I/O isolation rate, and dimensions of 7 X 4.25 X 1.31 in. The products include integral input EMI filtering; accept 85 to 264V-ac input; and feature 22 models that provide single, dual,...

Synchronous boost device delivers as much as 15W at 2.5A.(power sources showcase)(FunctionPak FX5545G206 of Vishay Intertechnology Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The FunctionPak FX5545G206 delivers output power to 15W at a maximum current of 2.5A and targets use in point-of-load applications in an intermediate-bus architecture. The product has an input-voltage range of 2.7 to 6V and a programmable...

DSP board integrates eight ADSP-TS201s.(Embedded Systems)(Digital signal processors)(BittWare Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The vendor based the COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf-system) T2V6 VME/ VXS board on the ADSP-TS201. It is available in both air- and conduction-cooled versions. The board features eight 600-MHz ADSP-TS201S TigerSharc DSPs; two Xilinx Virtex-II...

Module has Ethernet, Bluetooth, and analog-I/O capabilities.(Embedded Systems)(Memec Group's P160 Communications Module 3)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2005... The small-daughtercard form-factor P160 Communications Module 3 development kit enables designers to add processor peripherals and bulk memory to any P160-compatible system board. The product suits Spartan-based MicroBlaze designs, Xilinx...

Letter from the editor.(Editorial)
March 3, 2005... Portable devices dominate many equipment market segments. Powering these devices has taken center stage, since more functionality means more is demanded from the batteries, chargers and power management ICs. This issue looks at the overall...

Portable devices: dominate the power horizon.(power management)
March 3, 2005... With portable devices dominating many equipment market segments, the challenge of powering these devices has also captured widespread attention. Since portable devices are usually small and lightweight, powering options have to be equally small...

Designing state-of-the-art personal electronics power adapters.(Case Study)
March 3, 2005... the challenge The personal electronics market is extremely competitive, One of the main ways that OEMs differentiate themselves is by making their product the most feature rich, smallest, and lightest. However, many of these devices come...

Batteries buffeted by demands for more safety.
March 3, 2005... Rampant counterfeiting of battery packs for high-volume applications such as mobile phone handsets, and the corresponding rise in occurrences of battery packs overheating and even exploding has driven safety to the forefront of design issues...

How to provide the seamless transition between multiple power sources.(Case Study)
March 3, 2005... the challenge A variety of mobile handheld devices are powered from two AA cell batteries (in NiMH or Alkaline chemistries), for both convenience and cost reasons. However, managing the flow of power into a handheld device is an...

Medical moves into the (portable) field.
March 3, 2005... It was not too many years ago that medical professionals and first responders, such as EMTs, were not able to take critical life-saving equipment out into the field with them. There were simply not enough practical portable devices available....

Automatic single pin detection and conversion for USB or wall plug adapter source for OMAP[TM] processor based applications.(Case Study)(universal serial bus)
March 3, 2005... the challenge One particular OEM manufacturer came to us and expressed a need for an 'intelligent' DC/DC converter to use existing accessories, connectors and cabinets for a handheld device in development that is making use of an OMAP[TM]...

Antenna super bowl.(leading edge)
March 17, 2005... "In all phones, the RF groups fight for every millimeter, while the antenna guys are given a comparative "football field" of space to play in." --Simon Kingsley, chief scientist of radio-antenna maker Antenova

Fingerprint modules simplify biometrics.(leading edge)(Fingerprint Cards AB)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... FINGERPRINT CARDS recently announced two new biometric subsystems that allow designers to easily integrate biometrics-enabled authentication into other products. Based on the company's sensor technology and patented analysis algorithms, the...

Materials science enables capacitor doubling.(leading edge)
March 17, 2005... TAIYO YUDEN claims that its newest MLCC (multilayer-ceramic-chip capacitor) is the first to pack 2.2 [micro]F into an EIA 0402 case. This doubling of capacitance results from advances in material technology, fabrication, and crystalline...

Antenna module breaks new (balanced) ground.(leading edge)(Antenova's Radionova Radio Antenna Modules)
March 17, 2005... SIGNIFICANT INNOVATION has occurred in the past few years in antennas for handheld devices, and an entry from Antenova Ltd offers further proof. The company's Radionova radio-antenna module combines radio and RF components with a balanced...

Tiny diode yields big specs.(leading edge)(Central Semiconductor Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... The basic two-terminal diode still plays a critical role in subsystem design. One such series of low-leakage, high-voltage diodes from Central Semiconductor offers specifications that yield high-efficiency, compact designs. The CMDD3003,...

Dilbert.(leading edge)
March 17, 2005... TRY TO GET THROUGH THIS MEETING WITHOUT TELLING OUR CUSTOMERS HOW STUPID YOU THINK THEY'RE BEING. I'LL TRY. BUT SOMETIMES THE PRESSURE BUILDS UP IN MY HEAD AND IT'S UNBEARABLE. TOUGH IT OUT. IS HE OKAY? HE'S FINE. IGNORE...

Network on chip replaces on-chip bus.(leading edge)(Arteris SA)
March 17, 2005... FRENCH START-UP ARTERIS SA has released a speedy alternative to traditional on-chip bus systems, introducing an NOC (network-on-chip) system that accommodates multiple asynchronous clocking that many of today's complex SOC (system-on-chip)...

Antenna diversity boosts cellular performance.(leading edge)
March 17, 2005... AS ALL MOBILE-HANDSET users know, cellular networks are far from perfect. Every carrier has dead spots, and building cell sites is an expensive proposition. Start-up Magnolia Broadband, however, claims to have a magic potion for the carriers: a...

Software toolkit simplifies using LabView for digital-filter design.(leading edge)(LabView Digital-Filter-Design Toolkit Version 7.5 of National Instruments Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... To EFFICIENTLY DESIGN digital filters, engineers rely on a variety of software tools for iterative design, optimization, and implementation. National Instruments' $995 LabView Digital-Filter-Design Toolkit Version 7.5 provides a single...

InfiniBand lives--and even thrives--in storage and clustering.(leading edge)(InfiniBand-enabled systems)
March 17, 2005... PERHAPS INFINIBAND WAS SLOW to mature, and it appeared at times ready to die, but now the high-speed interconnect is finding wide usage in connecting clusters of servers and as a SAN (storage-area-networking) technology. Indeed, server and...

Accurate, versatile, isolated-input DMM/digitizer fits into PXI format.(leading edge)(digital multimeter)
March 17, 2005... YOU CAN NOW MAKE ohmically isolated measurements from picoamps to kilovolts with 7 1/2-digit (26-bit) resolution using National Instruments PXI-4071 FlexDMM, a multifunction PXI instrument that incorporates a DMM (digital multimeter) and a...

Communications module packs in 16 serial channels.(leading edge)
March 17, 2005... TEWS TECHNOLOGIES recently announced an asynchronous, serial-PMS (PCI Mezzanine Card) for applications in transportation, military/aerospace, communications, and process control. The high-density TPMC460 is available with 16 RS-232, RS-422, or...

Driver pushes white LEDs where they need to go.(leading edge)(light emitting diodes)
March 17, 2005... WHITE LEDs offer numerous application benefits, but they need controlled current drive for effective operation, and many vendors are offering requisite drivers. The SC606 from Semtech is a charge pump for white or colored LEDs that handles six...

Miniature motherboard extends embedded-system lifetimes.(leading edge)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... Recognizing the unique requirements of embedded-system designers, Ampro Computers recently introduced an x86-based motherboard in the mini-ITX form factor. The 6.75 x 6.75-in. MightyBoard 800 gives designers access to thousands of low-cost...

Riding the crest-factor wave.(Baker's best)
March 17, 2005... CREST FACTOR IS A UNITLESS FIGURE of merit that engineers use to describe a signal. Engineers can use it to describe the purity of voltage, current, or power waveforms. This figure of merit can describe power signals, machine vibration, or...

With displays, seeing is believing.(edn.comment)
March 17, 2005... EVERY DAY, YOU ENCOUNTER a staggering number of video and graphics displays. The cover story in our last issue ably dug into television technologies, such as LCDs, plasmas, and CRTs, as well as new thin-tube technology--SEDs (surface-conduction...

0.56V output high-current dual-rail LDOs.(Featured products)(Low Dropout Voltage Regulator)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 17, 2005... The LP3884x family of high-current, fast-response, ultra-low dropout voltage regulators is designed specifically for output voltages as low as 0.56V. Fabricated on a CMOS process, these devices operate from two input voltages: [V.sub.BIAS]...

0.5A/1.0A CMOS low-dropout regulators.(Featured products)(Advertisement)
March 17, 2005... The LP3869x is a family of low-dropout CMOS linear regulators providing a tight output tolerance of 2.0% typical (LP38691/93), a wide-input voltage range (2.7V to 10V), an extremely low dropout voltage (450 mV typ. @ 1A load current on...

Advanced technology and new LDO features for highly demanding applications.(Design / idea)(low dropout regulator )
March 17, 2005... Most designers would agree that linear regulators are one of the most easy-to-use types of regulator available and, for that same reason, usually their most preferred type. But in today's highly demanding applications, it is increasingly...

Ultra-low dropout CMOS LDOs for all-ceramic designs.(Featured products)(Advertisement)
March 17, 2005... With typical dropout voltages of 240 mV at 1.5A and 390 mV at 3.0A, the LP385x family of LDOs provides exceptional output voltage accuracy of [+ or -] 1.5% at room temperature. The LP385x family features ultra-low dropout voltage, generating...

150 mA CMOS linear voltage regulator.(Featured products)(Advertisement)
March 17, 2005... The LP3990 is a 150 mA CMOS low-dropout regulator with preset output voltages from 0.8V to 3.3V. The device meets the requirements for powering low-voltage digital circuits in portable and battery-powered devices by offering the ideal balance...

And the statuette goes to ...(EDN's 2004 Innovator/Innovation Program)
March 17, 2005... THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY HAD A VERY GOOD YEAR in 2004, with consumer and other high-volume designs driving demand to new highs. At the same time, forecasters and vendors see some areas of concern and are predicting a relatively flat 2005, at...

Industrial-strength analog.(Cover Story)
March 17, 2005... Decades of process development have mostly focused on increasing the density and speed of logic. Minimum gate dimensions have fallen from microns to less than 100 nm. The world around you, however, has not undergone anything like a similar...

Heat spreaders and fans diffuse hot spots: consumer electronics need to run--and look--cool. Heat-dissipation techniques affect systems' look, feel, and noise. Most designs use either a combination of fans and heat exchangers or a purely passive heat spreader.(design feature)
March 17, 2005... HANDHELD CONSUMER DEVICES can give off only a fairly nominal amount of heat before becoming "too hot to handle" or they simply risk making a user uncomfortable. In addition, consumers are starting to expect their electronic devices to operate...

What's your sine?(The Data Detective)(sine wave analysis in measuring instruments)
March 17, 2005... Instruments such as frequency meters, voltmeters, and ammeters provide some information about a signal, but when the signal varies with time, measurements get more complicated. Analysis of a continuously varying signal, such as a sine wave....

Modeling gigabit backplanes from measurements: higher speed backplanes demand careful measurements to produce valid models.(design feature)(digital-system design)
March 17, 2005... DESIGNS THAT INCORPORATE backplanes and interconnects operating at greater than 1 Gbps require accurate Spice and IBIS (I/O-buffer-information) models. At such speeds, these interconnects appear to be complex, often distributed structures that...

5W to 200W PolyPhase step-up DC/DC converters.(High Performance Analog Solutions from Linear Technology)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... Several years ago Linear Technology pioneered the technique of PolyPhase[R] operation to advance power delivery, power density, thermal performance and reliability of high current step-down (buck) power supplies. By reducing the input and...

10W step-up DC/DC converter: 20m[V.sub.P-P] output ripple, needs only one 47[micro]F output capacitor.(High Performance Analog Solutions from Linear Technology)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... Small size, high efficiency, low noise and simplicity are all key features for battery-powered applications and point-of-load converters in low voltage systems. By incorporating these features, the LTC3428 is well suited for such applications....

96% efficient 200W step-up DC/DC controller.(High Performance Analog Solutions from Linear Technology)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... With 10V gate drive ([V.sub.CC] [greater than or equal to] 10V) and 4A peak drive current, the LT3782 can deliver high output power by driving industrial grade or standard MOSFETs. The LT3782 is a current mode 2-phase step-up DC/DC controller...

[0.88V.sub.STARTUP], 8MHz, 4-phase, 5a synchronous step-up DC/DC converter in 2.6[cm.sup.2] and 2.05mm profile.(High Performance Analog Solutions from Linear Technology)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... The LTC3425 is a PolyPhase monolithic DC/DC converter with synchronous operation, true output disconnect and up to 3A continuous output current (5A switch current) in a 5mmx5mm QFN package. The IC can operate as a 2-, 3- or 4-phase step-up...

How does a PolyPhase step-up converter improve on its single phase counterpart?(High Performance Analog Solutions from Linear Technology)
March 17, 2005... First of all, a PolyPhase topology saves space and simplifies layout by removing bulky, hard-to-place components and replacing them with easier-to-fit, low profile components. PolyPhase step-up DC/DC converters have higher efficiency,...

Quantitative analysis yields objective audio-amplifier click and pop measurements: measuring transient events becomes less challenging with the right approach and tools.(design feature)
March 17, 2005... PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION in portable audio devices is a hot topic. But what makes one product better and more desirable than its similarly specified rival? From a performance viewpoint, the usual audio figures of merit, such as...

Minimize ESD-induced downtime: semiconductor devices often fail due to electrostatic discharge. Understanding the root cause and following these design guidelines can help you avoid this pitfall.(design feature)(Electrostatic discharge)
March 17, 2005... ESD (ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE) is a major cause of electronic-device failure that can affect the functioning of an electronic device at any stage--from manufacturing, to testing, assembly, production, field operation, and handling of pc...

Power up a microcontroller with pre-power-down data.(design ideas)
March 17, 2005... IT IS SOMETIMES NECESSARY to retrieve data at power-up in the same way that they were at the last power-down, so that the product wakes up in the state it had before shutdown or to retrieve some measurement. One approach is to save critical...

Power MOSFET is core of regulated-dc electronic load.(design ideas)
March 17, 2005... DESIGNERS USE ELECTRONIC dc loads for testing power supplies and sources, such as solar arrays or batteries, but commercial ones are often expensive. By using a power MOSFET in its linear region, you can build your own (Figure 1). It uses two...

Use PSpice to model distributed-gap cores.(design ideas)(PSpice software to create magneticcore models)
March 17, 2005... PSPICE SOFTWARE lets you create magneticcore models that simulate nonlinear magnetic devices (Figure 1). These simulations are useful for observing hard-to-measure magnetic parameters such as core flux density, especially when you cannot...

Precision divide-by-two analog attenuator needs no external components.(design ideas)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... MANY MODERN A/D converters offer only a 5V input range, and using these converters with a [+ or -] 5V or larger input signal gives the designer a problem: how to discard half of a good analog signal without introducing errors and distortion. To...

Quartz crystal-based remote thermometer features direct Celsius readout.(design ideas)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... ALTHOUGH QUARTZ crystals have served as temperature sensors, designers haven't taken advantage of the technology because few manufacturers offer the sensors as standard products (references 1 and 2). In contrast to conventional resistance- or...

Compact step-up converter conserves battery power: Design Note 358.(Design Notes)
March 17, 2005... Introduction The LT[R]3464 is an ideal choice for portable devices which require a tiny, efficient and rugged step-up converter. The device, housed in a low profile (1mm) 8-lead ThinSOT[TM] package, integrates a Schottky diode, NPN main...

Single-chip RF VGA for wireless devices.(Amplifiers, Oscillators, and Mixers)
March 17, 2005... The single-chip RF VGA (variable-gain amplifier/attenuator) ADL5330 provides broadband operation from 1 MHz to 3 GHz with a 60-dB linear-in-decibel gain-control range for wireless-infrastructure equipment. The chip has an output-power level of...

Surface-mount oscillators have multiple frequency-stability options.(Amplifiers, Oscillators, and Mixers)
March 17, 2005... The miniature, low-voltage, surface-mount XOSM-571 and -572 oscillators for 1.8 and 2.5V input voltages, respectively, feature a 5x7-mm footprint and 7x5x1.6-mm dimensions. They also feature tristate enable/disable; a 1- to 100-MHz frequency...

Resistor-set, 170-MHz silicon oscillator in SOT packaging.(Amplifiers, Oscillators, and Mixers)
March 17, 2005... The resistor-set LTC6905 oscillator generates clock signals from 17 to 170 MHz using an SOT-23 device and one resistor. The oscillator has guaranteed specifications over commercial (0 to 70[degrees]C), industrial (-40 to +85[degrees]C), and...

Medium-power amplifiers target two-way radios.(Amplifiers, Oscillators, and Mixers)
March 17, 2005... The 800-mW NESG250134 and 1W NESG260234 SiGe (silicon-germanium) HBT (heterojunction-bipolar-transistor) amplifiers for two-way radio applications can also serve as low-distortion amplifiers for return-path applications in CATV-infrastructure...

Gigabit-Ethernet IP phone chip features security module for voice-call encryption.(Microprocessors)
March 17, 2005... The BCM1103 Gigabit Ethernet IP (Internet Protocol) phone chip integrates a 10/100/1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet switch and two 10/100-Mbps Ethernet transceivers. The chip features a hardware-security module that performs voice encryption and...

Coprocessor family for VOIP applications.(Microprocessors)(Conexant Systems Inc)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... You can use the CX9041 suite of voice coprocessors with the vendor's semiconductors. The CX9041X coprocessors have configurations that can process one or two independent voice channels along with caller ID. Each channel can run compression and...

Software-encryption libraries use AES, DES, RSA, DSA.(Microprocessors)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... Two encryption-software libraries developed by NTRU Cryptosystems include C-callable functions. The dsPIC30F symmetric-key-encryption library uses the AES and Triple DES secret-key algorithms and has RAM usage lower than 60 bytes. The dsPIC30F...

Upgrade supports memory-protection and bus-mastering DMA.(Microprocessors)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... As an extension of VxWorks, VxWin 3.0 allows Wind River VxWorks and Windows XP to reside concurrently on a processor. The product features binary compatibility with VxWorks, bus-mastering DMA support, Wind River's VxVMI support, direct-shared...

Flash microcontroller has low-current operation, no external components.(Microprocessors)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... The EM6580 microcontroller is the flash counterpart of ROM-based EM6680, and both are pin-to-pin- and function-compatible. The product features a current of 5.8, 3.3, and 0.32 [micro]A in active, standby, and sleep modes, respectively; a 4k x...

FireWire controller complies with OHCI specifications.(Embedded Systems)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2005... The 800-Mbps isolated FireWire Module complies with OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface) Version 1.1 specifications. The module offers data-transfer rates as fast as 800 Mbps across three plug-and-play, bilingual cable ports isolated between...