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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 30,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 185: 5 October 2004
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18833 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] Microcontrollers get faster and more frugal
[2] FPGA cores raise the bar for FFT performance
[3] Mixer integrates more for 2.5 and 3G basestations
[4] Lead-free paste is cool choice for Motorola
[5] FPGA module embeds supercomputer performance
[6] Backplanes boast full ATCA applications coverage
[7] Platform checks out mobile IP signalling
[8] Piezo transmitter needs no battery
[9] Radio comes onboard by design
[10] SoCs combine ARM and DSP cores for portable audio
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
The news that the worldwide web is growing at a rate of a million sites a month probably comes as no surprise to anyone reading this newsletter (although it does remind me of a classic "Dilbert" cartoon where his boss asks him for a hard copy).
Also, we all appreciate that there will inevitably be a huge increase in Internet traffic as technology penetrates the huge populations of developing nations. Indeed, it has been revealed today that China already leads the world in broadband connections over telephone lines, and that is surely only scratching the surface.
Add to this the whole raft of "unnecessary" use of the net - be it political spam, offers to sell low-cost medication, notifications of winning Nigerian lottery tickets or viruses and Trojans - and it's a wonder you're reading this at all.
Where this inexorable increase in size (and traffic) will lead, though, is anyone's guess. For while the capacity of the net at any moment in time is finite, this capacity grows daily, both by physical means and by software refinement.
But still, supposedly authoritative sources predict that we cannot expect the web to continue indefinitely.
At the moment the "good guys" are winning. Despite continued warnings of virtual Armageddon, the redundancy inherent in the original "www" design continues to cope with all the slings and arrows that users can throw at it, while also handling natural disasters and "acts of sod" such as the accidental cutting of seemingly vital links.
With ever-increasing numbers relying on the Internet for their livelihood as well as leisure activities, we had better hope that the "doom merchants" have got it wrong.
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!
RENESAS TO TAKE OVER SUPERH CORE BUSINESS
Renesas Technology Corp has reached an agreement with STMicroelectronics to take over the SuperH CPU core licensing business of their joint venture company.
Renesas Technology Europe, 29 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ren/ren156.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ren1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COST-CUTTING SPREE TO SHED 500 JOBS
Agere Systems has revealed plans to align its cost structure with current revenue expectations and improve profitability.
Agere Systems, 30 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age152.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MUNICH OFFICE BOOSTS CENTRAL EUROPEAN COVERAGE
Logic Technology has increased its market presence and profile in Central Europe by opening a local office in Munich.
Logic Technology, 4 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lct/lct112.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lct1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW PHOTO-IMAGING MACHINE BOOSTS CAPACITY
Teknoflex has expanded its capacity with the installation of a new Olec double-drawer photo-imaging machine at a cost of approximately GBP 35,000.
Teknoflex, 30 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ted/ted103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ted1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
HEAVYWEIGHTS LINE UP FOR FABLESS FORUM
Future Horizons has revealed the programme for its International Fabless Forum 2004.
Future Horizons, 30 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/feh/feh108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:feh1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
US MILITARY DOMINATES SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO
A new survey confirms that the US military is the largest proponent and purchaser of software-defined radio equipment.
Venture Development Corp, 30 September 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ven/ven112.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ven1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PROGRAMME SEEKS NOVEL NANOTECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
Using nanotechnologies to replace and/or extend the life of advanced CMOS manufacturing technologies is the goal of a new IMEC programme.
IMEC, 1 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ime/ime152.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ime1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] MICROCONTROLLERS GET FASTER AND MORE FRUGAL
(Texas Instruments, 5 October 2004)
The latest additions to the MSP430 ultra-low-power 16bit RISC microcontroller product line provide twice the processing performance with half the standby power consumption of earlier devices. In addition, the MSP430F2xx family incorporates enhancements that reduce overall system cost and improve reliability making the new devices an ideal roadmap for existing code-compatible low power, MSP430-based designs or as a launch point for new applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex697.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex6[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] FPGA CORES RAISE THE BAR FOR FFT PERFORMANCE
(RF Engines, 1 October 2004)
RF Engines has released new industry leading fast Fourier transform (FFT) cores at the GSPx Embedded Solutions Event in Santa Clara, California. The HyperSpeed and HyperLength FFTs have also been selected as one of the six winners in the First-Look New Product Forum held at GSPx. The new designs provide silicon efficient implementations of the FFT algorithm for spectral analysis, and support sample rates up to 3.2GHz and transform lengths up to 256M-points running in continuous real time - a major step improvement on current commercially available FFT technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rfe/rfe119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rfe1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] MIXER INTEGRATES MORE FOR 2.5 AND 3G BASESTATIONS
(Maxim Integrated Products, 29 September 2004)
The MAX9995 is billed as the industry's highest performance, fully integrated, dual SiGe mixer. Designed specifically for 2.5G and 3G wireless-infrastructure applications, the MAX9995 delivers an unparalleled combination of linearity, noise performance, and component integration. This single device provides two independent down conversion channels, each with a third-order intercept of 25.6dBm, a conversion gain of 6.2dB, and an impressively low noise figure of 9.7dB.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/max/max196.html
or send a blank email to mailto:max1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] LEAD-FREE PASTE IS COOL CHOICE FOR MOTOROLA
(Henkel Technologies, 4 October 2004)
After undergoing intense evaluation and technical analysis Multicore LF320 lead-free solder paste has been qualified for use by Motorola. The material's very wide process window and excellent performance provide significant benefits to all electronics manufacturers transitioning to lead-free processes. Multicore LF320 requires a minimum peak reflow of only 229C, as opposed to the commonly required minimum of 240C. This 10-degree advantage provides a comfortable safety margin when reflowing temperature-sensitive components.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hen/hen109.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hen1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] FPGA MODULE EMBEDS SUPERCOMPUTER PERFORMANCE
(Nallatech, 29 September 2004)
The new BenBlue-III module from Nallatech combines teraOPS flexible computing, high memory bandwidth and multigigabit I/O, allowing designers to host processing-intensive applications using industry standard form factors and interfaces including PCI, PC/104+, cPCI and VME. The Nallatech BenBlue-III FPGA-based processing module can be configured with up to two Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGAs, each containing up to four embedded PowerPC processors on-chip.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/nal/124/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nal/nal124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nal1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] BACKPLANES BOAST FULL ATCA APPLICATIONS COVERAGE
(Rittal, 30 September 2004)
A new series of AdvancedTCA (ATCA) backplanes ranges from a four-slot design for development use or horizontally mounted systems with triple full mesh interconnectivity, through to a 16-slot unit for ETSI or 600mm rack systems. In recent testing by Xilinx, a Rittal ATCA 18-layer Nelco4000 based full mesh backplane achieved 5Gbit/s performance unaided (PICMG 3 calls for 3.125Gbit/s) and with enhancement by Xilinx Virtex-II Pro X FPGAs, it reached 10Gbit/s.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/rit/180/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rit/rit180.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rit1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] PLATFORM CHECKS OUT MOBILE IP SIGNALLING
(Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions, 30 September 2004)
Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions is demonstrating its mobile IP signalling conformance test capability for the first time at this week's CDMA Americas Congress. With an ever increasing number of carriers launching "Internet everywhere" type services as well as accessing other data services when on the move, the need to ensure that mobile devices conform to the correct mobile IP protocol signalling standard is of paramount importance. RIWS is now able to offer a complete mobile IP protocol conformance test solution as a cost effective upgrade option to its existing 6204 cdma2000 Air Interface Monitor and Emulator (AIME) test platform.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/rca/117/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rca/rca117.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rca1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] PIEZO TRANSMITTER NEEDS NO BATTERY
(TDC (Telecom Design Communications), 30 September 2004)
New from TDC are the PTM100 piezo transmitter module and RCM110 and RCM 120 multifunctional receiver modules from EnOcean. The new devices are most suited for buildings equipment and facility control, which can be easily integrated into operation and control units for the implementation of different application-specific system solutions. The RCM110 and RCM 120 are used to receive and process radio "telegrams" transmitted by up to 30 EnOcean radio transmitters such as the PTM100.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tdc/tdc118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tdc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] RADIO COMES ONBOARD BY DESIGN
(MaxStream, 4 October 2004)
MaxStream has begun design licence programmes for its long-range and low-cost lines of XStream and XCite wireless technology. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can now integrate MaxStream's proven wireless technology into their printed circuit board (PCB) designs for a fraction of the cost of buying radio modules. Through these programmes, OEMs can realise a dramatic increase in profit margin as they enhance their product offerings with long-range, frequency hopping spread spectrum, wireless connectivity.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mxs/mxs100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mxs1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] SOCS COMBINE ARM AND DSP CORES FOR PORTABLE AUDIO
(Philips Semiconductors, 29 September 2004)
Leveraging its expertise in high performance digital audio solutions, Philips has developed the Nexperia Personal family of ICs for portable audio and multimedia players. The PNX010x family includes a host of key features that, when combined with Philips' software offering, enables consumer electronics manufacturers to quickly bring to market high performance portable Flash and hard disk audio and multimedia players.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/phi/phi280.html
or send a blank email to mailto:phi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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FPGAS PROTECT INDESIGN'S AUDIO IP
(Actel Europe, 30 September 2004)
Actel's Flash-based field-programmable gate arrays are used in Indesign's JS-2 wireless high-fidelity streaming audio platform.
Free brochure on ProASIC Plus:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/act/184/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act184.html
or send a blank email to mailto:act1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CORE POWERS UP NEC'S NEW DVD RECORDER CHIP
(MIPS Technologies, 1 October 2004)
NEC Electronics Corp has developed a new series of single-chip multimedia devices that integrates a 4KE family core.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mip/mip246.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mip2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MICROCHIP OPTIMISES COMPLEX ANALOGUE DESIGNS
(Synopsys, 5 October 2004)
Microchip Technology has standardised on Synopsys' Circuit Explorer optimisation and analysis solution for its complex analogue designs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/syn/syn259.html
or send a blank email to mailto:syn2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ROBOT HELPS AUTOMATE PACEMAKER PRODUCTION
(Contax, 30 September 2004)
Guidant Ireland has recently partnered with automation equipment supplier Contax to automate key steps in the manufacture of its medical devices.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cnt/cnt119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cnt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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AUDIO DAC TAKES DRIVE ONBOARD TO OUST OP AMPS
(Wolfson Microelectronics, 29 September 2004)
Wolfson Microelectronics has a new stereo audio DAC with a high output drive capability of 2V RMS, eliminating the need for external op amps in DVD, digital TV and audio/video receivers.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wol/wol176.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONTROLLERS SIMPLIFY HDD-BASED AUDIO DESIGNS
(Oki Electric, 29 September 2004)
Two new ARM946E-STM-core system LSIs, the ML696500 series, offer a highly integrated solution for the major component functions of hard disk drive (HDD) audio players.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oki/oki153.html
or send a blank email to mailto:oki1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
STRUCTURED ASICS AIM FOR FRUGAL FPGA REPLACEMENT
(AMI Semiconductor, 29 September 2004)
The XPressArray-II (XPA-II) is the newest addition to the market leading XPressArray structured ASIC family.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/amb/amb154.html
or send a blank email to mailto:amb1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SERIAL INTERFACE FRAM HAS AUTOMOTIVE AIMS
(Ramtron International, 1 October 2004)
The FM25W256 is a 256Kbit wide-voltage-operation nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) with a serial peripheral interface (SPI).
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ram/ram118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ram1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RF DETECTOR FINDS SIGNALS UP TO 3GHZ
(Linear Technology Corp, 4 October 2004)
The LT5534 is a new high-performance logarithmic-type RF detector that can accurately detect RF signals up to 3GHz.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TRANSCEIVERS DROP IN TO UPGRADE USB APPLICATIONS
(Fairchild Semiconductor, 4 October 2004)
Two new USB 2.0 transceivers offer exceptional ESD performance and compact packaging, and are specifically designed for today's ultraportable and consumer applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fai/fai314.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fai3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ANALOGUE ARRAYS SHOW EASY ROUTE TO ASICS
(Anadigm, 5 October 2004)
A new programme offers users of field programmable analogue arrays a cost reduction path for high-volume applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ana/ana131.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ana1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PRECISION OSCILLATORS CUT DOWN ON PHASE NOISE
(Fox Electronics, 30 September 2004)
A new range of precision oven controlled crystal oscillators (OCXOs) uses SC-cut resonators.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fox/fox130.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fox1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RELAY SUITS SAFETY-CRITICAL SWITCHING DUTIES
(Finder, 1 October 2004)
For use in industrial and commercial applications, the 43.61 is a low-profile high-capacity PCB-mounting relay that features a high coil to contact resistance.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fin/fin120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fin1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ZERO-OHM JUMPERS OFFER FLEXIBLE BOARD ROUTING
(TT Electronics Welwyn Components, 4 October 2004)
Welwyn Components has added thick-film copper zero-ohm jumper chips with a 35A rated current to its LR chip resistor family, with sizes ranging from 0805 to 2512.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wel/wel124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wel1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SOFTWARE SPEEDS TEST DEVELOPMENT IN C
(National Instruments, 30 September 2004)
Engineers can now develop their test, measurement and automation applications faster with LabWindows/CVI 7.1, the latest upgrade of the stable and proven ANSI C development environment.
Free brochure on LabWindows/CVI 7.1:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/naa/165/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa165.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MODEL-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT FOR SPARK-COMPLIANT ADA
(I-Logix Europe, 1 October 2004)
A new capability for the Rhapsody UML model-driven development product facilitates the development of fully Spark compliant Ada applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ilo/ilo124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ilo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DEBUGGER TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT CRITICAL CODE
(Hitex Development Tools, 4 October 2004)
Hitex will launch a new version of its powerful Hitop Windows-oriented debugger on Stand 442 in Hall A6 at Electronica 2004 in Munich.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hex/hex116.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hex1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NOVEL FILTER IMPROVES LCD READABILITY
(Zytronic, 29 September 2004)
A novel filtering technology accurately controls the direction of emitted light from LCDs as well as reducing screen reflections, enhancing contrast ratio and improving readability in direct sunlight.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/zyt/zyt110.html
or send a blank email to mailto:zyt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LCD FEATURES NOVEL NATURAL LIGHT TECHNOLOGY
(Sunrise Electronics, 5 October 2004)
The latest colour TFT module from NEC delivers VGA resolution in a compact 6.5in format in a new technology developed for optimal daylight viewing.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/suc/suc165.html
or send a blank email to mailto:suc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SQUEEGEES REDUCE SOLDER PASTE STICKING
(Transition Automation, 29 September 2004)
Transition Automation's new low profile holder shows significant reduction in paste sticking.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tsi/tsi105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tsi1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ENTRY-LEVEL CPU BRINGS FLEXIBILITY TO PC/104
(Advantech (UK), 30 September 2004)
A new entry level PC/104 module with integrated CPU and chipset brings dual display and flexible I/O options to the PC/104 form factor.
Free brochure on PCM-3341:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/axv/165/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/axv/axv165.html
or send a blank email to mailto:axv1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RF SOCKET BOASTS MINIMAL SIGNAL LOSS
(Aries Electronics, 4 October 2004)
Aries Electronics has a new high-frequency test socket for devices from 28 to 55mm2 wide.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aie/aie128.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aie1[-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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