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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 29,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 183: 21 September 2004
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18566 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] Speedy digital tester exploits PC resources
[2] Novel 32bit core makes light work of instructions
[3] MOSFET boasts industry leading on-resistance
[4] PXI module offers three instruments in one
[5] LED range signals a brighter white
[6] Model-driven development speeds embedded design
[7] Patchcords are sealed to IP68
[8] Stencils enable speedy adhesive application
[9] Broadband testers gain fast RAID storage option
[10] Easy handling for 19in rack cases
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
One of my pet gripes is the lack of any real improvement to the primary man-machine interface in all my years in this business. Certainly, keyboards and mice have become a lot more reliable, and their operational performance has been improved vastly over the last 20 years. But in basic concept they remain the same.
What happened to voice input? What happened to all the alternatives to the qwerty keyboard?
While the former may still be on the virtual drawing board, pretty much every attempt to redesign the standard keyboard has gone by the wayside, which is a shame. My personal favourite was the Microwriter, a bizarre little input device designed in the 1980s for one-handed operation. Various combinations of its six keys (one for each finger and two for the thumb) produced a full set of text characters, and true adepts could reach quite respectable text input speeds.
The keypad concept lived on for a short time as an addon for an early Psion PDA, but without mass market acceptance it was doomed to become a museum piece, leaving us stuck, once again, with qwerty as just about the only option.
And with Vodaphone launching the latest Blackberry mobile this week in the UK featuring a full (albeit tiny) qwerty keypad it seems we will be stuck for some time longer with a concept that owes more to the mechanics of typewriter construction than it does to any ideal concept of an interface device.
At least this week has seen one real advance, with the development of the “Nouse” (see http://synapse.vit.iit.nrc.ca/Nouse/index2.html). This is a novel mouse-replacement concept which tracks the movement of the operator’s nose to control the cursor in much the same way as a mouse would.
Previous attempts to use facial features for control have focused on the eyes, but it seems that the Canadian team that has developed the concept is the first to realise that the tip of the nose is a much more reliable datum than any other facial feature. So presumably only former boxers and rugby players might have a problem!
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!
INTERSIL TO BUY BACK COMMON STOCK
The Intersil board of directors has authorised a programme to repurchase up to $150 million of Intersil's common stock over the next 12 months.
Intersil, 16 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ina/ina320.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ina3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
IBM TO HELP WITH CMOS IMAGE SENSOR EXPANSION
Eastman Kodak Company and IBM are to collaborate on the development and manufacture of image sensors to power mass-market consumer products, such as digital still cameras and camera phones.
Eastman Kodak Image Sensor Solutions, 21 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/est/est100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:est1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ENCOURAGING FIRST HALF FOR TT
TT Electronics has reported interim results for the six months ended 30th June 2004.
TT Electronics, 17 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tct/tct103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tct1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FOUR MEMS DESIGN TRAINING CENTRES SET FOR CHINA
Coventor is to open four MEMS design training centres in China to teach the practical benefits of CoventorWare software tools to new and existing users.
Coventor, 16 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cov/cov101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cov1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CADENCE HELPS WITH CZECH EDA LAB UPGRADE
Cadence Design Systems has helped in a major renovation of the electronic design automation laboratory at Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic.
Cadence Design Systems, 20 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cad/cad241.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cad2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FUNDING TO ENABLE INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
Jaluna has closed a $12 million Series A funding round led by Atlas Venture and Index Ventures with participation from Cisco Systems.
Jaluna, 20 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/jal/jal103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:jal1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SEMICONDUCTOR MARKET SET TO SLOW
The outlook from Semico Research for 2004 and 2005 is the classic good-news/bad-news scenario.
Semico Research, 17 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/shy/shy100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:shy1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] SPEEDY DIGITAL TESTER EXPLOITS PC RESOURCES
(CWAV, 15 September 2004)
The USBee SX digital test pod is an affordable high performance USB High-Speed based pod that functions as a deep sample buffer logic analyser and signal generator all in one compact and easy to use unit. CWAV has designed the USBee SX system to take advantage of already existing PC resources. The USBee SX pod streams data over the High-Speed USB bus to and from the PC, allowing the PC to perform all of the triggering and data storing. This makes possible an affordable USBee SX, while pushing the sample storage capabilities orders of magnitudes beyond that of traditional dedicated logic analysers or signal generators.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cwa/cwa104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cwa1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] NOVEL 32BIT CORE MAKES LIGHT WORK OF INSTRUCTIONS
(Cambridge Consultants, 16 September 2004)
A novel 32bit RISC core brings a new level of code density and power economy to deeply embedded applications. The XAP3 core is available in Verilog RTL and can be fabricated in fewer than 50,000 gates in a variety of ASIC and FPGA technologies. Unlike many other cores on the market, XAP3's instruction set has been optimised to exploit the code-efficient features of state-of-the-art C compiler technology, substantially reducing memory requirements and power consumption. In addition it supports position independent code and privileged modes, giving IC developers and their users a platform to create more versatile, robust, field-upgradeable products.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cbr/cbr117.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cbr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] MOSFET BOASTS INDUSTRY LEADING ON-RESISTANCE
(Philips Semiconductors, 20 September 2004)
Philips has expanded its innovative uTrenchMOS range of power MOSFETs with the introduction of the PMN23UN. This device provides the user with an industry leading on-resistance in the small footprint TSOP6 package of just 9.3mm2.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/phi/phi275.html
or send a blank email to mailto:phi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] PXI MODULE OFFERS THREE INSTRUMENTS IN ONE
(National Instruments, 16 September 2004)
The new multifunction NI PXI-4072 FlexDMM gives engineers the functionality of three common instruments in a single-slot 3U PXI module: a 6.5-digit multimeter, an LCR (inductance and capacitance) meter and a 1.8Msample/s isolated digitiser. The NI PXI-4072 FlexDMM brings digital multimeters one step closer to providing universal measurement capability by offering engineers the 20 most common test measurements, including voltage, current, capacitance, inductance, temperature and resistance.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/naa/163/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa163.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] LED RANGE SIGNALS A BRIGHTER WHITE
(Agilent Technologies, 17 September 2004)
A new series of extra-bright white InGaN (indium gallium nitride) LEDs is targeted for the electronic sign and signals market. These are the Agilent's brightest white InGaN LEDs and enable the company to address a wider range of indoor and outdoor applications that require the brightest LEDs possible. The combination of high brightness and weather-resistant packaging makes these LEDs ideal for applications such as gaming machines, traffic signals and signs, stadium scoreboards, advertising and other variable message signs.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/agi/249/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi249.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] MODEL-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT SPEEDS EMBEDDED DESIGN
(Green Hills Software, 15 September 2004)
Green Hills Software has extended the integration between its Integrity RTOS and Multi IDE and the I-Logix's Rhapsody model-driven development (MDD) environment. The enhanced integration supports and accelerates the entire application development lifecycle-from system analysis and specification to real-time software design, implementation and testing - with all tools tightly integrated from end to end.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/gre/175/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gre/gre175.html
or send a blank email to mailto:gre1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] PATCHCORDS ARE SEALED TO IP68
(Bulgin Components, 20 September 2004)
The latest extension to Bulgin's Buccaneer range of waterproof Ethernet connectors is an "overmoulded" version of the prewired patchcords. Bulgin's Ethernet Buccaneer provides environmental sealing to IP68. Combining industry standard RJ45 connectors with the proven Buccaneer characteristics this connector system provides a secure, reliable and practical solution to harsh industrial environments.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/bul/118/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bul/bul118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:bul1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] STENCILS ENABLE SPEEDY ADHESIVE APPLICATION
(DEK, 17 September 2004)
VectorGuard PumpPrint stencils combine the speed and flexibility advantages of pump printing compared with dispensing, with the strengths of the VectorGuard tension system. These include cost saving in storage and transport, easy handling, rapid changeover and environmental benefits. VectorGuard PumpPrint stencils are available in two standard sizes, 23 x 23 and 29 x 29in, and initially in 3mm thickness.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/dek/174/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dek/dek174.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dek1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] BROADBAND TESTERS GAIN FAST RAID STORAGE OPTION
(Aeroflex, 21 September 2004)
Aeroflex has developed an ultrafast storage capability for its Celerity CS35000 broadband signal analyser (BSA) and CS25000 broadband signal generator (BSG) systems. The new option extends Aeroflex's market-leading ability to generate, record, analyse and play back the most complex communications signals. The enhanced capability can be added to any new or existing BSA or BSG test system. The high speed RAID storage capability can optionally provide more than 1Tbyte of disk storage space to the BSA and BSG systems with data transfer rates of 250Mbyte/s.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/aof/107/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aof/aof107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aof1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] EASY HANDLING FOR 19IN RACK CASES
(OKW Enclosures, 16 September 2004)
Mettec 19in rack cases have an attractive front bezel which incorporates novel "comfort handles" for easy handling. Typical applications will include test and measurement devices, audio and video systems and networking equipment. These aluminium rack cases are available in three heights (1, 2 and 3U), and depths of 167, 267 and 367mm. The cases conform to DIN41494 and IEC standards.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/okw/142/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/okw/okw142.html
or send a blank email to mailto:okw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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BLUETOOTH SOC POWERS WIRELESS USB ADAPTER
(RF Micro Devices, 16 September 2004)
Air2U, a leading Taiwanese designer and manufacturer of wireless consumer electronics products, is using the SiW3000 UltimateBlue single-chip Bluetooth component in its USB adapter.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sxw/sxw115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sxw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SIMULATOR SPEEDS ANALOGUE-RF CIRCUIT VERIFICATION
(Synopsys, 21 September 2004)
Wireless LAN specialist Atheros Communications has adopted NanoSim for RF front-end circuit verification of its AR5005G single-chip wireless solution.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/syn/syn256.html
or send a blank email to mailto:syn2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LAMPS SLIM DOWN TO BACKLIGHT HANDSET KEYPAD
(Rogers Corp, 16 September 2004)
The flexible DFLX electroluminescent lamp is used as the keypad backlight in the new Voq Professional Phone from Sierra Wireless.
Free brochure on DFLX electroluminescent lamps:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/rog/102/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rog/rog102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rog1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RF MODEM KEEPS IN THE SWING OF THINGS
(RF Solutions, 21 September 2004)
RF Solutions is supplying its wireless RF modem technology to Redditch based Rowington Associates for use on the X-Golf swing and shot analysis system.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rfs/rfs146.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rfs1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SENSOR HELPS OPTIMISE ASIC HEATSINK DESIGN
(Sensor Products, 21 September 2004)
A novel electronic sensor system that evaluates tactile contact pressures in real time has been used to optimise heatsink design at Cisco Systems.
Free brochure on Tactilus:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/seb/107/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/seb/seb107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:seb1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RELAYS EVOLVE FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
(Matsushita Electric Works UK, 15 September 2004)
The electromechanical relay is constantly changing and updating to meet the needs of the customer, making it a cost effective solution to many switching needs in automotive applications.
Free brochure on Relays for automotive applications:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/mat/155/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mat/mat155.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mat1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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RISC MICRO RUNS LEGACY PROGRAMS FASTER
(Renesas Technology Europe, 15 September 2004)
The SH7206 is the first SuperH 32bit RISC microprocessor based on the new SH-2A CPU core.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ren/ren153.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ren1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DIODE-OR CONTROLLER SAVES POWER AND AREA
(Linear Technology Corp, 17 September 2004)
The LTC4354 is a -48V diode-OR controller for high availability systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MICROCONTROLLER GAINS FREE TCP/IP STACK
(Cyan Technology, 17 September 2004)
Designers working with the novel eCOG1 ultra-low-power 16bit RISC microcontroller and CyanIDE development environment can now download a free TCP/IP stack from the Cyan website.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cya/cya112.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cya1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DISPLAY INTERFACE AIMS TO CATCH PCI EXPRESS BUS
(Chrontel, 21 September 2004)
Chrontel has developed a DVI transmitter that is fully compliant with Intel's new, proprietary SDVO interface specification.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/chr/chr105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:chr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SLOW-BLOW FUSES SURVIVE INRUSH CURRENTS
(AEM, 21 September 2004)
AEM has expanded its commercial SolidMatrix fast-acting fuse line with a range of surface-mount 1206 (3216) size slow-blow fuses.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/afy/afy100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:afy1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TUNING TOOLS SPEED DSP SOFTWARE OPTIMISATION
(Texas Instruments, 16 September 2004)
The Code Composer Studio Tuning Edition IDE delivers a new way for programmers to reduce system cost and improve the development timeline for high performance embedded systems applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex686.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex6[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FREE ACCESS FOR EMBEDDED DATABASE
(Ittia, 17 September 2004)
db.* is a powerful, small-footprint embedded database for open-source platforms, available from the Ittia website.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/iia/iia100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:iia1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LCD MONITOR COMES WITH TOUCHSCREEN INPUT
(Advantech (UK), 17 September 2004)
The ES-3112 is an embedded LCD touch monitor with touchscreen input for high traffic kiosk and other rugged use applications.
Free brochure on ES-3112:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/axv/163/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/axv/axv163.html
or send a blank email to mailto:axv1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
EASY INSTALLATION FOR SNAP-ACTION SWITCHES
(EAO, 20 September 2004)
For a wide choice of easy-installation industrial switches with an extensive range of options, EAO recommends the Series 61.
Free brochure on Series 61:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/eao/158/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/eao/eao158.html
or send a blank email to mailto:eao1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
HIGH-RELIABILITY ALTERNATIVE TO ZIF CONNECTORS
(Smiths Interconnect - Hypertac, 16 September 2004)
HDL high-density connectors are specifically designed for test applications requiring frequent mating and unmating.
Free brochure on HDL high-density connectors:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/hyp/110/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hyp/hyp110.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hyp1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CARD EDGE CONNECTOR PRESSES TO FIT
(Tyco Electronics UK, 17 September 2004)
The new generation AMP Pace card edge connector is based on 0.1 x 0.2in (2.54 x 5.08mm) centrelines and accepts 0.054-0.070in (1.3716-1.778mm) daughter cards.
Free brochure on AMP Pace card edge connectors:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tya/173/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tya/tya173.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tya1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SPRING CAGE PCB TERMINALS SUIT TIGHT SPACES
(Phoenix Contact, 21 September 2004)
The PTSA 0.5/xxx-2.5 spring-cage PCB terminal block family from Phoenix Contact is distinguished by a user-friendly, angular spring cage connection.
Free brochure on PTSA 0.5/xxx-2.5:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/pni/138/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pni/pni138.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pni1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COMPACTPCI PLATFORM HANDLES MORE POWER AND HEAT
(Performance Technologies, 15 September 2004)
The PICMG 2.16 CPC5095 7U platform is the latest member of the Advanced Managed Platform product line from Performance Technologies.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pfo/pfo126.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pfo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
HALF-SIZE CPU OFFERS EXPANSION OPTIONS
(Ibase Technology, 17 September 2004)
Ibase Technology is sampling the IB890 Pisa CPU card platform for Pentium M processors.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ias/ias106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ias1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TESTERS SUPPORT NEW DIGITAL TV STANDARD
(Rohde and Schwarz, 20 September 2004)
Rohde and Schwartz produces both operating equipment and test instruments for new DVB-H digital TV standard.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rhd/rhd101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rhd1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PCI ACQUISITION CARDS KEEP A LOW PROFILE
(Contec Microelectronics Europe, 20 September 2004)
A new range of low-profile PCI data acquisition cards addresses the needs of today's space-constrained embedded systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cec/cec101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cec1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Have you seen our other newsletters?
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