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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 27,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 173: 13 July 2004
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17447 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] DAB module allows personal audio recording
[2] Analogue car radio migrates to single chip
[3] Upgraded FPGA design software is free online
[4] Kit provides stable Windows Embedded platform
[5] Sampling oscilloscope breaks measurement barriers
[6] Conductive adhesive comes in handy syringe
[7] Service offers expert support for IC design
[8] Module puts water cooling on the spot
[9] Single-mode convertor extends serial signal reach
[10] Novel technology handles electromagnetic pulses
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
I know full well that it simply doesn't do to ponder what might have been. But in another (parallel) universe there is probably another Laurence Marchini, physically much like myself, who did get the necessary A-level grades to read law and is now a patent lawyer - and extremely rich to boot.
My piece last week on the Electronic Frontier Foundation and its so-called "ten most wanted patents" inspired some interesting responses, mostly illustrating the bafflement (almost verging on contempt) that engineers experience with the minefield that is patent law (and specifically its interpretation in the USA). And with no less a corporation than Sony in the news yet again for alleged patent infringement, it seems to us mere legal bystanders that nobody is safe when the patent lawyers get you in their sights.
Surely Sony - of all companies - is one that is sinned against rather than sinning? Apparently not, according to the latest suit raised by Ampex, which follows another filed by Eastman Kodak back in March. The suits between them relate to numerous patents pertaining to digital camera technology. And there is no surprise in that when you consider the current market value and its future potential.
One of the most cogent answers to last week's piece came from Tony Dickinson of Surface Transforms who agues that properly granted patents really do promote competition. He argues: "One of the current problems seems to be the US patent system which seems to allow companies to lodge a patent with no regard for prior art and then to sort any resultant infringement defence on the grounds of prior art in the
(very costly) courts".
He continues: "The UK system of requiring that a patent can only be lodged when it can be shown that it is novel means that there is less work for the lawyers which is generally a good thing since they should be concerned with criminal proceedings rather than trying to protect indefensible patents in the hope that the costs will drive the competition under".
No doubt Sony would agree.
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 e-mail alone: see details below.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make the site or the newsletter better, e-mail 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!
CHINESE LAB FOCUSES ON POWER MANAGEMENT
Fairchild Semiconductor has opened a joint product development laboratory with Sichuan Changhong Electric Co - one of the largest manufacturers of consumer devices in China.
Fairchild Semiconductor, 12 July 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fai/fai302.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fai3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TWO MORE OFFICES EXPAND CHINESE SUPPORT
Oki Electric has opened two new offices in China to enhance customer support and marketing activities for its semiconductor business.
Oki Electric, 13 July 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oki/oki147.html
or send a blank email to mailto:oki1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
IEEE802.11N PROPOSAL PROMISES 500MBIT/S
A new baseline wireless networking specification proposes ultrafast data streams for wireless HDTV transmissions as well as high-density user environments for corporate and retail wireless networks.
Agere Systems, 13 July 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age146.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RESEARCH INVESTIGATES FUTURE EMBEDDED RAM SCHEMES
IMEC is seeking industrial partners and research centres to participate in a new industrial affiliation programme on embedded RAM concepts for second and higher levels of on-chip cache memory.
IMEC, 13 July 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ime/ime150.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ime1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DATEL ACQUISITION EXPANDS CUSTOMER BASE
C and D Technologies has completed the acquisition of Datel, the privately held manufacturer of DC/DC convertors, digital panel meters and hybrid data acquisition components.
C and D Technologies (NCL), 12 July 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/can/can157.html
or send a blank email to mailto:can1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] DAB MODULE ALLOWS PERSONAL AUDIO RECORDING
(RadioScape, 13 July 2004)
RadioScape is continuing to pioneer the DAB receiver market with the announcement of a new family of DAB modules with a raft of new and innovative features that further differentiate DAB from traditional analogue radios. The first in the series is the RadioScape RS300L. This module enables receivers to be built with Band III and L-band Eureka 147 DAB, integral FM, and RDS with the innovative features of multichannel decode, electronic programme guide on a colour display, pause and rewind of live broadcasts, and recording to removable memory.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rab/rab133.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rab1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] ANALOGUE CAR RADIO MIGRATES TO SINGLE CHIP
(Philips Semiconductors, 13 July 2004)
A new family of single-chip analogue car radio solutions offers state-of-the-art tuning performance while reducing overall system costs. By combining Philips' proven front-end tuning and analogue signal processing technologies, the highly-integrated TEF690x family of chip solutions drastically reduces the number of external components needed to build high-performance car radios and simplifies the design process to reduce system costs of existing two-chip solutions by 20-30%.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/phi/phi270.html
or send a blank email to mailto:phi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] UPGRADED FPGA DESIGN SOFTWARE IS FREE ONLINE
(Altera Europe, 9 July 2004)
The latest version of Altera's Quartus II development software includes support for the new Cyclone II FPGA family. Maintaining Altera's performance leadership across all programmable logic device (PLD) categories, Quartus II version 4.1 software introduces a suite of innovative optimisation, verification, and ease-of-use features to shorten development cycles further. Additionally, the free Web Edition of the Quartus II software now includes support for the entire Cyclone II family.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aeu/aeu132.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aeu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] KIT PROVIDES STABLE WINDOWS EMBEDDED PLATFORM
(Arcom Control Systems, 12 July 2004)
Arcom has integrated even more of the rich features of Windows XP Embedded into the development kit for the 300MHz SBC-GX1 embedded PC. Arcom's development kit strategy has consistently allowed customers to quickly develop and demonstrate Windows Embedded-based applications using a reliable reference platform. The development kit includes a comprehensive build of XP Embedded pre-installed onto a 512Mbyte CompactFlash memory card.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/arc/132/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/arc/arc132.html
or send a blank email to mailto:arc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] SAMPLING OSCILLOSCOPE BREAKS MEASUREMENT BARRIERS
(Tektronix, 12 July 2004)
The TDS8200 modular sampling oscilloscope and 82A04 phase reference module combine to enable design engineers to characterise and validate performance of leading-edge products. The new oscilloscope can be configured to provide bandwidth to 70GHz, and is the only single-ended and differential clock recovery system covering all current and emerging serial data standards between 50Mbit/s and 12.6Gbit/s. The TDS8200 offers an industry-best system jitter of less than 200fs (RMS) at these datarates.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tek/tek209.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tek2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] CONDUCTIVE ADHESIVE COMES IN HANDY SYRINGE
(Chomerics Europe, 12 July 2004)
The two-part Cho-Bond 584-29 conductive adhesive now comes in a convenient syringe system that allows easier mixing and more precise application. The material, which comprises an epoxy binder and a filler containing pure silver, can be used in place of soldering and welding in a wide range of electronic equipment assemblies. Typical applications include PCB repair, bonding of mesh gaskets and chip bonding.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cho/cho125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cho1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] SERVICE OFFERS EXPERT SUPPORT FOR IC DESIGN
(Sondrel, 8 July 2004)
Unless they can afford a dedicated CAD team, companies of all sizes can be left with virtually no support when it comes to sophisticated design tools. Sondrel, the leading European backend IC design consultancy, aims to change this with the launch of its XCAD (expert computer aided design) support service which offers both active advice on a regular basis and is available as an expert resource to answer difficult questions as and when they inevitably arise. More, XCAD provides flexible access to extra resources during critical phases of a project, ensuring that time-to-market pressures are handled smoothly.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/sdr/102/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sdr/sdr102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sdr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] MODULE PUTS WATER COOLING ON THE SPOT
(Rittal, 12 July 2004)
A new 19in-format rack-mounted recooler module allows individual computers within a mixed server environment to benefit from water cooling. It is possible to retrofit up to six water-cooled computers into existing racks and combine these with systems using traditional air cooling.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/rit/173/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rit/rit173.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rit1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] SINGLE-MODE CONVERTOR EXTENDS SERIAL SIGNAL REACH
(Advantech (UK), 12 July 2004)
Aimed at industrial long-distance communication applications such as intelligent transport systems, the new ADAM-4542+ converts single-mode fibre optic signals to RS232/422/485 serial signals. A newly invented redundancy feature also promises improved reliability. The ADAM-4542+ improves over its predecessor (ADAM-4542) by adding a novel redundancy feature. By providing fault detection on the main connection between two modules, communication can be automatically and seamlessly switched to a secondary connection.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/axv/axv152.html
or send a blank email to mailto:axv1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] NOVEL TECHNOLOGY HANDLES ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
(Smiths Interconnect - Transtector Systems, 13 July 2004)
Rectified advanced silicon technology array (RASTA) technology developed by Transtector can deliver highly efficient protection solutions for equipment that is likely to experience EMP/HEMP. Electromagnetic pulses (EMP) and high-altitude electromagnetic pulses (HEMP) may be caused by nuclear or nonnuclear means and result in a broadband, high intensity, short-duration burst of electromagnetic energy that can cause damage to sensitive electronic systems, including communications, aerospace and defence.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/sit/108/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sit/sit108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sit1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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THE "ONE STOP SHOP" FOR ROBOT BUILDERS
(RS Components UK, 8 July 2004)
Robot Wars Series 2 winner Kim Davies from Cwmbran, Wales, now works as part of the Robot Wars technical team, and has used RS Components for the past 15 years.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rsc/rsc108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rsc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SIMULATION HELPS BOOST CHASSIS HEAT DISSIPATION
(Flomerics, 7 July 2004)
Thermal simulation played a key role in helping Hybricon design an 8U chassis that dissipates 30% more power than competing offerings.
Free brochure on Flotherm:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/flo/131/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flo/flo131.html
or send a blank email to mailto:flo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW FLOW SPEEDS 62-MILLION-TRANSISTOR TO TAPE-OUT
(Cadence Design Systems, 13 July 2004)
Cadence has provided a complete back-end design flow for one of Motorola's most complex chips, incorporating more than 62 million transistors.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cad/cad228.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cad2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PIR SENSORS OFFER DESIGN SOLUTIONS
(Matsushita Electric Works UK, 12 July 2004)
Passive infra-red (PIR) sensors are simple, cost effective motion detectors that can be mass-produced for a wide range of applications.
Free brochure on MP Sensors:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/mat/151/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mat/mat151.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mat1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
HARDWARE DESIGN IN AN SOC WORLD
(Vast Systems Technology, 13 July 2004)
Adopting a virtual-prototype-based SoC development process offers all-round benefits, and makes the hardware designer's job easier, argues Graham Hellestrand, founder of Vast Systems Technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vas/vas102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vas1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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BLUETOOTH CHIP TURNS TO PC CONNECTIVITY
(Cambridge Silicon Radio, 7 July 2004)
BlueCore4-PC is a single-chip radio device that combines all the hardware and software to provide PC OEMs with a complete Bluetooth solution.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cam/cam173.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cam1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TRANSCEIVER DESIGN SPEEDS EDGE INTEGRATION
(Silicon Laboratories, 8 July 2004)
The Aero Edge Radio is billed as the industry's most integrated, highest performance radio for GSM/GPRS/Edge cellular handsets.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/snl/snl106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:snl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COST-EFFECTIVE RESET CONTROL FOR CONSUMER KIT
(Summit Microelectronics, 13 July 2004)
The SMR100 is a long-duration reset controller for cost-effective use in high-volume consumer applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sum/sum119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sum1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SUPERVISORS GAIN EDGE-TRIGGERED MANUAL RESET
(Alliance Semiconductor Corp, 13 July 2004)
Alliance Semiconductor has developed a pair of CPU supervisor products for the mobile and portable market.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/adu/adu104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:adu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BATTERY CHIP CHARGES FASTER AND COOLER
(Texas Instruments, 13 July 2004)
The bq24100 is billed as the first synchronous, switch-mode battery charge IC with internal power FETs capable of supplying up to 2A of charge current.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex656.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex6[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
VISUALISATION SOFTWARE BEEFS UP EDA SUPPORT
(Cimmetry Systems, 8 July 2004)
The forthcoming release of AutoVue from Cimmetry Systems has been expanded to include many new EDA features.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cim/cim100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cim1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
IP PLATFORM GETS TO GRIPS WITH POWER MANAGEMENT
(Virtual Silicon, 9 July 2004)
Mobilize is billed as the industry's first complete power management intellectual property (IP) platform to reduce dynamic and static (leakage) power of SoCs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vrt/vrt102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vrt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PLM AIDS COLLABORATIVE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
(IBM Product Lifecycle Management Solutions, 12 July 2004)
IBM and Dassault Systemes have developed a specialised product lifecycle management industry solution for electronics manufacturers.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ibm/ibm100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ibm1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ENHANCED PLATFORM ACCELERATES CUSTOM IC DESIGN
(Cadence Design Systems, 13 July 2004)
Improvements to the Virtuoso custom design platform bring significantly greater speed and productivity to analogue, custom and RF design.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cad/cad229.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cad2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PROCESSOR CORES GAIN RTOS SUPPORT
(ARC International, 13 July 2004)
ARC International has collaborated with Express Logic to provide ThreadX RTOS support for the ARC 600 and ARC 700 configurable processor cores, as well as the ARCtangent cores.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ara/ara170.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ara1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
A BRIGHTER APPROACH TO TUNING KNOBS
(OKW Enclosures, 8 July 2004)
After many years without new developments, the tuning knobs market has been brightened up by the introduction of OKW's innovative Top-Knobs and Com-Knobs.
Free brochure on Top-Knobs and Com-Knobs:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/okw/140/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/okw/okw140.html
or send a blank email to mailto:okw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TWIN RECEPTACLE CONNECTOR EASES SERVO HOOK-UP
(Hypertac, 12 July 2004)
Hypertac Interconnect has developed a twin receptacle connector based on the rugged, high-reliability hyperboloid contact.
Free brochure on Twin receptacle connector:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/hyp/107/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hyp/hyp107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hyp1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
"TOP HAT" CLAMPS SPEED COAXIAL CONNECTION
(Tyco Electronics UK, 12 July 2004)
Greenpar RF coaxial connectors using the pressure sleeve (or "Top Hat") solder clamp system are available in a broad variety of formats, including BNC, TNC and N-Type.
Free brochure on Greenpar RF coaxial connectors:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tya/166/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tya/tya166.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tya1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BUDGET PRICING FOR MANUAL PICK AND PLACE SYSTEM
(Kaisertech, 7 July 2004)
The Dima Fineline FP-700 is a manual pick and place system with integrated dispense unit and a hot air pencil that can handle boards to 280 x 220mm and components to 25 x 25mm.
Free brochure on Dima Fineline FP-700:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/kai/139/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kai/kai139.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kai1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
HALF-SIZE PCI CARD IS HIGH-DENSITY PROCESSOR
(Radisys, 9 July 2004)
The EPC-2327 is a half-size PCI card based on the Intel 815E embedded chipset.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rad/rad132.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rad1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PC-BASED SCOPES HANDLE SPEEDY COMPLEX SIGNALS
(Pico Technology, 7 July 2004)
Pico Technology has developed a new series of high-performance PC oscilloscopes.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pic/pic111.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pic1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.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:
Buildingtalk - for the building and construction industry
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