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ELECTRONICSTALK
The Independent Weekly Product Information Guide
for Electronics Design, Development and Manufacturing Engineers
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ISSN 1475-2913 - Free subscription
Last week's delivered circulation: over 24,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 162: 27 April 2004
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16109 product announcements and technical articles
on our web site, all fully searchable at
http://www.electronicstalk.com/ - take a look!
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In this issue:
* Editor's Message
* Our Top Ten new Products Selection
[1] IrDA transceiver turns to domestic remote control
[2] Package puts PCB designs to the thermal test
[3] Switch fabric chipset scales to 1Tbit
[4] Charger ICs feature redundant charge termination
[5] Handheld scopes gain enhanced analysis power
[6] Cores keep working at high temperatures
[7] Microminiature Ds aim for aerospace applications
[8] CMOS LDO claims new standards
[9] POL convertors support power sequencing
[10] 24bit I/O card is sound acquisition
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* ...And take a look at these stories too...
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
One of the highlights of the past week has been the announcement of the 2004 Queen's Awards for Enterprise, and prominence of the electronics industry within this year's list.
Having worked in the past with companies who have been recognised with such awards, I can testify to their ongoing benefit - both as a motivational tool within the recipient company and as a "badge of honour" for all to see. Indeed, one sales manager of my acquaintance could directly attribute the closing of two major instrument orders directly to the customers concerned spotting a press announcement of the company's award in the Innovation category.
For the benefit of the uninitiated, the awards are made in three categories: International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development. (It's probably no surprise that electronics industry recipients of Sustainable Development awards are few and far between, but perhaps it's time to nominate a few candidates for their work towards WEEE and RoHS compliance.)
Links to stories from Cambridge Silicon Radio, Imagination Technologies, Kingston Technology, Oxford Semiconductor and Wolfson Microelectronics can be found below. And a full list of the 2004 winners can be found on the Queen's Awards website at http://www.queensawards.org.uk/winners.htm.
Well done to all the winners and good luck to all those who are inspired to apply for the 2005 awards (details can be found at http://www.queensawards.org.uk).
I hope you find this issue of our weekly newsletter useful. In addition to the new products, news and ideas featured here, there are hundreds more on our website and dozens more being added daily, so do take a look if you can.
Alternatively, the full stories behind all the summaries and headlines in this newsletter can be retrieved by email alone: see details below.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make the site or the newsletter better, email me directly.
Best wishes
Laurence Marchini, Editor
mailto:ne[-email removed-]nicstalk.com
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THIS WEEK'S INDUSTRY NEWS
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To read more, use the web links. Or get the full stories emailed back to you: just send a blank email to the address shown. It's a free service. Try it! It works!
SHANGHAI CENTRE OPENS FOR BUSINESS
The new Agilent Semiconductor Solutions Centre has opened in Shanghai, initially aimed at delivering industry-leading solutions to the fast-growing mobile handset and consumer markets in China.
Agilent Technologies, 21 April 2004
mailto:agi2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi220.html
EXPORT SUCCESS BRINGS QUEEN'S AWARD
Wolfson Microelectronics has received the Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2004.
Wolfson Microelectronics, 22 April 2004
mailto:wol1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wol/wol167.html
QUEEN'S AWARD COMPLETES HAT-TRICK FOR CSR
CSR has won the internationally renowned Queen's Award for Enterprise, its third business accolade so far this year.
Cambridge Silicon Radio, 22 April 2004
mailto:cam1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cam/cam166.html
EXPORT ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNISED BY QUEEN'S AWARD
In recognition of outstanding export achievement, Oxford Semiconductor has received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade 2004.
Oxford Semiconductor, 22 April 2004
mailto:ofo1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ofo/ofo116.html
AWARD RECOGNISES THREE YEARS OF EXPORT GROWTH
Kingston Technology has been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade.
Kingston Technology, 22 April 2004
mailto:kin1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kin/kin106.html
VIRAGE RETURNS TO PROFITABILITY
Virage Logic Corp has reported its financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended 31st March 2004.
Virage Logic, 22 April 2004
mailto:vir1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vir/vir140.html
QUEEN'S AWARD FOR DAB DIGITAL RADIO TECHNOLOGY
Imagination Technologies has been awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2004 for its groundbreaking work in DAB digital radio technology.
Imagination Technologies, 22 April 2004
mailto:iag1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/iag/iag111.html
DURASWITCH PRACTICES THE ART OF ACQUISITION
Duraswitch has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the shares of privately held Active Recognition Technologies, a developer of vehicle and licence plate recognition software.
Duraswitch, 26 April 2004
mailto:dur1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dur/dur133.html
DISPLAY MARKET UPTURN BRINGS RECORD YEAR
Display Solutions has accelerated its drive to become one of UK's leading display technology providers after a record year that saw 250% growth in business.
Display Solutions, 21 April 2004
mailto:dis1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dis/dis110.html
ARTESYN ON THE ROAD TO ACHIEVING ITS GOALS
Artesyn Technologies has reported financial results for the first quarter ended 26th March 2004.
Artesyn Technologies, 22 April 2004
mailto:art1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/art/art176.html
KEY MARKETS STRENGTHEN RADISYS PERFORMANCE
Radisys Corp has reported revenues of $61.1 million for the quarter ended 31st March 2004, a 26% increase from the same period last year, and up 10% from the prior quarter.
Radisys, 26 April 2004
mailto:rad1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rad/rad129.html
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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1. IrDA transceiver turns to domestic remote control
A novel compact low-cost infra-red transceiver enables mobile phones to function as universal IR remote control devices for televisions, VCRs, DVDs and other home appliances. The new transceiver offers a remote control distance of up to 7m with an IrDA link distance of up to 500mm and compatibility with Agilent's universal remote control software. Agilent's complementary HSDL-S300 application software is a universal remote control program with a predefined remote control database and a self-teach/learn mode.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/agi/222/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi222.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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2. Package puts PCB designs to the thermal test
Iceboard is a novel board-level thermal validation tool for printed circuit board designers. Although Iceboard is 100% compatible with Fluent's comprehensive thermal modelling software, Icepak, it is a stand-alone tool, intended only for board designers. Iceboard employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology to provide a comprehensive prediction of flow and heat transfer.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fue/fue105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fue1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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3. Switch fabric chipset scales to 1Tbit
A new switch fabric chipset boasts the fastest scalability, shorter time to market and other benefits that make it ideal for a myriad of routing and switching applications in the communications, wireless and storage markets. The Erlang Network Element Technology (ENET) Xe chipset is the company's second-generation ASIC-based switch fabric chipset. A nonblocking switch fabric, the ENET Xe enables the fastest scalability to 1Tbit/s, supports variable-length packets and much more, making it ideal for interfacing to multivendor traffic managers, network processors (NPU) and in-house ASIC implementations.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/erl/erl100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:erl1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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4. Charger ICs feature redundant charge termination
New from Semtech Corp is the SC802 series of lithium-ion/lithium-polymer battery charger ICs. Portable product designers can program the SC802 charger to automatically terminate charging after any length of time, up to 6h. The IC's thermistor input sensor can read voltage changes that indicate changing thermal conditions and can terminate charging when these conditions are outside programmed ranges.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sem/sem123.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sem1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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5. Handheld scopes gain enhanced analysis power
Fluke has enhanced its dual-input ScopeMeter 190 Series of handheld oscilloscopes, increasing their power to analyse signals. Ideal for engineers working in service and engineering applications, all the colour and monochrome models now offer increased waveform resolution, providing even greater signal detail to help uncover anomalies. The 190C colour models also include frequency spectrum analysis using fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis as a standard feature, as well as two new triggering modes and "cursor-limited" automatic measurements.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/flu/153/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flu/flu153.html
or send a blank email to mailto:flu1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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6. Cores keep working at high temperatures
New 300MHz to 2GHz EMI suppression ferrite cable cores from Steward maintain magnetic performance even in high temperatures such as automotive or industrial environments. Steward's HFB ferrite material, from which the new HFB-series cores are produced, is engineered to achieve a high Curie temperature, so that EMI suppression continues unattenuated, even at elevated temperatures where ordinary ferromagnetic materials lose their magnetism.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sgt/sgt103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sgt1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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7. Microminiature Ds aim for aerospace applications
Microdot MCK and MCD high-density microminiature D connectors, from Tyco Electronics, deliver a complete connector system designed for both military and aerospace applications. The range of connectors is easily adapted to a wide variety of form factors. Rectangular and circular connectors for round and flat cables are available for high reliability applications with limited space and extreme lightweight requirements.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tya/162/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tya/tya162.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tya1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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8. CMOS LDO claims new standards
Fabricated in CMOS technology, the MIC5305 is a new micropower ultralow-dropout (LDO) regulator claimed to set new standards in overall performance. It features power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of over 85dB at 1kHz and ground current less than 90uA at full load of 150mA, offering the best ratio of PSRR to ground current in the industry. It also has extremely low dropout of 60mV typical at 150mA, allowing for longer battery life in portable applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mib/mib144.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mib1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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9. POL convertors support power sequencing
New single inline package (SIP) versions of the 16A SuperLynx II, 10A Austin Lynx II and 6A MicroLynx II DC/DC convertors come with 2.4-5.5 and 8.4-14V DC input voltage ranges. These modules feature programmable output voltages that enable designers to use a standard DC/DC convertor to implement various types of output voltage sequencing when powering multiple voltages on a board. Based on the widely adopted, industry-leading Austin Lynx Platform, these nonisolated point of load (POL) convertors offer EZ-Sequence power sequencing and wider input ranges with pin-to-pin compatibility.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tco/tco105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tco1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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10. 24bit I/O card is sound acquisition
The NI PXI-4461 is billed as the industry's first 24bit analogue input/output data acquisition module for the PXI platform. With the release of this module, engineers now can simultaneously generate and acquire high-accuracy dynamic signals for sound and vibration measurements. The PXI-4461 module features 24bit delta-sigma convertors that deliver nearly 120dB dynamic range over an input bandwidth of 92kHz at 204.8Ksample/s.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/naa/148/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa148.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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CONTROLLER ENABLES USB HUB FOR "ROAD WARRIORS"
(Cypress Semiconductor, 27 April 2004)
Iogear has designed Cypress's TetraHub USB hub controller chips into its MicroHub family of portable, high-speed USB hubs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cyp/cyp229.html
(or email mailto:cyp2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
PROCESSOR ENABLES FLEXIBLE 3G BASESTATION DESIGN
(Analog Devices, 27 April 2004)
Analog Devices has collaborated with Ericsson to develop a programmable baseband platform based on the TigerSHARC processor for WCDMA basestations.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/anc/anc227.html
(or email mailto:anc2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FRAMELESS STENCILS APPEAL TO CONTROL TECHNIQUES
(Tecan Components, 26 April 2004)
World-leading electronic drive manufacturer Control Techniques has exclusively adopted the revolutionary Genesis frame and multilevel stencils.
Free brochure on Genesis:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tea/153/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tea/tea153.html
(or email mailto:tea1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
LINUX MULTIPROCESSOR SYSTEMS UPGRADE AUSSIE SUBS
(Concurrent Computer Corp, 22 April 2004)
The Australian subsidiary of Concurrent Computer Corp Integrated Solutions Division has delivered high-performance iHawk multiprocessor systems to Raytheon Australia in New South Wales.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/crr/crr104.html
(or email mailto:crr1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
CE MARKED EQUIPMENT FAILS IN NORTH AMERICA
(TUV International, 23 April 2004)
The CE mark or certification of equipment by foreign testing organisations does not carry much weight in the USA and Canada, says Glenn Moffat of TUV International.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tvi/tvi111.html
(or email mailto:tvi1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
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...And take a look at these stories too...
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PROGRAMMABLE DEVICES TAKE LATEST PCI CORES ONBOARD
(QuickLogic, 22 April 2004)
The QuickPCI family of PCI 2.3-compliant low-power high-performance embedded standard products includes three devices optimised for portable applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/qui/qui151.html
(or email mailto:qui1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
REFERENCE BOOSTS PERFORMANCE BUT CUTS COSTS
(Xicor, 23 April 2004)
The X60008EIS8-50 is the latest addition to the Xicor family of precision voltage references manufactured using the company's proprietary FGA floating gate analogue technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/xic/xic136.html
(or email mailto:xic1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
BREAKTHROUGH PRICING CLAIM FOR PERFORMANCE DSPS
(Texas Instruments, 26 April 2004)
The TMS320C6410 and TMS320C6413 are high-performance digital signal processors available at breakthrough price points.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex623.html
(or email mailto:tex6[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
BIG SERIAL FLASH RAISES CLOCK FREQUENCY
(Silicon Storage Technology, 27 April 2004)
The SST25LF080A 8Mbit Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) serial Flash memory device is now in full production.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sor/sor102.html
(or email mailto:sor1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
DC BLOCK DEVICES COME IN COAXIAL PACKAGES
(Smiths Interconnect - Florida RF Labs, 23 April 2004)
Recently introduced by Florida RF Labs is a line of coaxial DC block devices that are ideal for use in applications from DC to 10GHz.
Free brochure on Coaxial DC block devices:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/fri/104/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fri/fri104.html
(or email mailto:fri1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FPGA BOARD SUPPORTS LEON MPU PROTOTYPING
(Pender Electronic Design, 26 April 2004)
The GR-CPCI-XC2V is a CompactPCI format board designed to support the early development and fast prototyping of Leon 32bit microprocessor designs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pnd/pnd100.html
(or email mailto:pnd1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
REAL-TIME MICROKERNEL STANDS ALONE
(Green Hills Software, 26 April 2004)
The Velosity real-time microkernel - the foundation for the Integrity RTOS - is now available in its own right.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gre/gre166.html
(or email mailto:gre1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
PROTOTYPING BOARDS SPEED CORE DEVELOPMENT
(ARM, 27 April 2004)
ARM is shipping two new core modules for its RealView Integrator family of hardware prototyping boards.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ank/ank149.html
(or email mailto:ank1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
DRIVE ENCLOSURE SUPPORTS FASTER SCSI INTERFACE
(StorCase Technology, 27 April 2004)
A new version of the InfoStation 12-bay drive enclosure for Serial ATA (SATA) or Parallel ATA (PATA) drives supports SCSI Ultra320 system interfaces.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sse/sse100.html
(or email mailto:sse1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
LUBRICATED SQUEEGEES ANSWER PB-FREE DEMANDS
(Transition Automation, 22 April 2004)
Permalex squeegees promise improved printing in lead-free environments.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tsi/tsi103.html
(or email mailto:tsi1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
LARGE-AREA WHITE BACKLIGHTS USE FEWER LEDS
(The Optoelectronic Manufacturing Corporation (UK), 23 April 2004)
OMC has expanded its successful range of white LED edge lit backlights.
Free brochure on White LED edge lit backlights:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/oto/105/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oto/oto105.html
(or email mailto:oto1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
ULTRALOW PROFILE FOR SURFACE-MOUNT CONVERTORS
(Astec Power, 23 April 2004)
Astec Power reckons its new line of ultra-low-profile DC/DC convertors in open-frame, surface-mount packages leads the industry with its streamlined contours.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ast/ast108.html
(or email mailto:ast1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
RUGGEDISED BOARD BEGINS THE EPIC STORY
(Octagon Systems Corp, 26 April 2004)
The XE-800 is the first available SBC on the new EPIC (Embedded Platform for Industrial Computing) form factor.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ota/ota100.html
(or email mailto:ota1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
CONVERTORS SPEED ANALOGUE VIDEO OVER IP
(Pleora Technologies, 27 April 2004)
The iPort PT1000 ANL-2/12 and ANL-2/6 analogue video IP engines are billed as the industry's first analogue-to-IP convertors for applications requiring machine vision-grade performance.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/peo/peo100.html
(or email mailto:peo1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
PC-BASED TEST INSTRUMENTS FIT THE POCKET
(Computer Solutions, 21 April 2004)
Now available from Computer Solutions are a range of low-cost pocket-sized PC-based test instruments which combine high-speed sampling with deep data buffers.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/com/com127.html
(or email mailto:com1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
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Have you seen our other newsletters?
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We also publish other professional technical newsletters like this once a week. All are free, so take a look:
Engineeringtalk - for mechanical/automation engineers
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Laboratorytalk - for all lab and research personnel
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Processingtalk - for process engineers
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QA-talk - for quality assurance professionals
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Buildingtalk - for the building and construction industry
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CIMtalk - for automation engineers and the industrial IT sector
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*** Coming soon - join now ***
Printingtalk - for printers and print buyers
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