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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 23,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 192: 23 November 2004
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19870 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] Environment speeds development of DSP-based audio
[2] Big claims for speedy dual DACs
[3] Oscillators boast the best of both worlds
[4] Panels safeguard telecomms rack power
[5] Adapters enable system-level verification
[6] Lithium-ion cell provides cool performance
[7] Broadband switch maintains isolation unpowered
[8] Coax connectors designed for cost-effectiveness
[9] Audio amp miniaturises Class D solutions
[10] Enhanced Bluetooth chip runs faster
[10] System boasts high-bandwidth acquisition
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
Regular readers of this column will know that I am a strong advocate
of the SI system of units. Let's face it, the whole object of having
any system of units is to convey information in a form understood by
the majority - so why would anyone want to hang on to outdated units
that have more to do with the vital statistics of figures from history
than with any universally recognised constant?
However, it's no great surprise that a significant mass of product
data arrives on my desk in non-SI form, and so I have regular need of
some pretty odd conversion factors. So you can imagine my dismay when
last week the online conversion tool I have used for the past several
years disappeared from the web.
Still, it's an ill wind, as they say, and the good people at Google
led me to http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Metrics/factors.htm on the website
of the Washington State Department of Transportation, where an
excellent conversion program is available for download as an offline
utility.
And while we're on an international theme, it has been interesting to
see some of the feedback in the wake of Electronica 2004, earlier this
month. I freely admit that I quite simply couldn't spare the time to
go to Munich - and I say that as one who made a point of attending
most of the Munich events during the 1980s and 1990s.
However, the feedback from the 2004 event has been universally
favourable (and I'm not just talking about beer and sausages here).
And while the 75,000 attendance quoted by the organisers in their
post-show report (see below) is nothing like a record, it is a healthy
figure nonetheless.
It is also particularly interesting that said report also makes a
point of highlighting the significant increase in the proportion of
international visitors, with some 42% of those in attendance coming
from outside Germany. Certainly, a cynic might be able do the sums and
claim that this increased proportion of international attendance was
only due to a reduction in local visitors compared with the "boom"
years.
However, the show's detractors have always been keen to point out that
Electronica was (in effect) a German show with just a few
international visitors. Perhaps that ghost has finally been put to
rest.
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!
UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE BRINGS TWO NEW CHINESE LABS
Fairchild Semiconductor has signed a strategic multifaceted agreement
with the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
Fairchild Semiconductor, 23 November 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fai/fai321.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fai3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHINA TO HOST $2 BILLION JOINT MEMORY VENTURE
STMicroelectronics and Hynix Semiconductor have signed a joint-venture
agreement to build a front-end memory-manufacturing facility in Wuxi
City, Jiangsu Province, China.
STMicroelectronics, 18 November 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/stm/stm139.html
or send a blank email to mailto:stm1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
WOLFSON UNTROUBLED BY CIRRUS PATENT CASE
Wolfson Microelectronics has been notified of the findings of an
Initial Determination regarding patent infringement allegations made
by Cirrus Logic.
Wolfson Microelectronics, 18 November 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wol/wol179.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ANSOFT CONTINUES REVENUE GROWTH
Ansoft Corp has revealed its financial results for its second quarter
of fiscal 2005 ended 31st October 2004.
Ansoft Corporation Europe, 22 November 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ans/ans200.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ans2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ZI ON COURSE FOR RECORD YEAR
Zi Corp has reported that revenues increased more than 40% for both
the third quarter and first nine months of 2004, compared with prior
year periods.
Zi Corp, 22 November 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/zic/zic108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:zic1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SDK SURGES AHEAD
SDK has reported a 42.5% increase in operating income for the first
nine months of 2004.
SDK, 18 November 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sho/sho115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sho1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ELECTRONICA 2004 DRAWS 75,000 VISITORS
According to a market-research survey, Electronica 2004 has given the
electronics industry a much needed boost.
Electronica, 23 November 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ptt/ptt111.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ptt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] ENVIRONMENT SPEEDS DEVELOPMENT OF DSP-BASED AUDIO
(Analog Devices, 18 November 2004)
Analog Devices has expanded its support for developers of audio
systems with the availability of its VisualAudio design and
development environment, designed to significantly shorten the time,
cost and risk required to bring new, fully optimised audio products to
market. For use initially with ADI's SHARC processor family, which
leads the industry in performance for audio applications, VisualAudio
provides an intuitive graphical environment along with most of the
foundational software required for audio products, enabling developers
to focus their time and energies on the features that will
differentiate their products competitively.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/anc/anc258.html
or send a blank email to mailto:anc2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] BIG CLAIMS FOR SPEEDY DUAL DACs
(Texas Instruments, 18 November 2004)
Expanding its portfolio of data offerings, Texas Instruments has
released two devices it bills as the industry's highest performing
dual 200Msample/s D/A convertors. The superior design of the
DAC5662/72 devices helps to eliminate cross-channel interference,
reduces noise and minimises signal distortion in intensive signal
processing applications such as wireless infrastructure,
communications, video-imaging and multimedia. The unmatched
performance of the 200Msample/s DACs allows for increased system
capabilities, delivering an SNR of 77dBc and increased SFDR of 84dBc
at 5MHz and 100Msample/s, which reduces filtering thus saving system
components and board space.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tex/725/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex725.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex7[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] OSCILLATORS BOAST THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
(C-Mac Microtechnology, 18 November 2004)
C-Mac Microtechnology has unveiled the world's first TC-OCXOs
(temperature-compensated oven-controlled crystal oscillators),
designed to deliver the high stability of an OCXO from a device with
low power consumption, small size and light weight comparable to those
of a TCXO. Capable of stabilities better than +/-0.05ppm over
operating temperature range, C-Mac TC-OCXOs will initially be aimed at
mobile, battery powered and remote applications such as GPS, satellite
comms, distress beacons and secure radio.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cma/cma105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cma1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] PANELS SAFEGUARD TELECOMMS RACK POWER
(Unipower Europe, 19 November 2004)
Unipower Telecom's new DPB2U circuit breaker panels provide
distribution and overload protection for up to 19 DC circuits in
telecomms applications. Using a minimal amount of rack space, they
distribute up to a total of 300A of load current from a single source.
The distribution panels can be configured for 12, 24 or 48V DC
telecomms systems with either positive or negative ground.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/uni/128/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/uni/uni128.html
or send a blank email to mailto:uni1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] ADAPTERS ENABLE SYSTEM-LEVEL VERIFICATION
(Mentor Graphics UK, 18 November 2004)
Mentor Graphics Corp has released two new iSolve speed adapters from
its family of emulation products supporting the Universal Serial Bus
(USB) and PCI Express industry standard protocols. The Mentor Graphics
iSolve speed adapters boost productivity of a system-on-chip (SoC) or
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design by connecting it
from a Mentor Graphics emulator to a full-speed PCI Express or USB bus
for in-circuit system-level verification. These protocols are used for
developing today's consumer electronics, such as set-top boxes,
personal computers and peripheral devices.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/men/men330.html
or send a blank email to mailto:men3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] LITHIUM-ION CELL PROVIDES COOL PERFORMANCE
(Saft, 18 November 2004)
The new MP 176065 lithium-ion (Li-ion) cell from Saft provides higher
performance with more energy and power and improved charge/discharge
characteristics at low temperatures. The new cell is targeted at a
range of new electronic design markets, including military, medical,
communications, instrumentation and tracking applications, which will
for the first time be able to exploit the benefits of rechargeable
lithium-ion technology.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/saf/121/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/saf/saf121.html
or send a blank email to mailto:saf1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] BROADBAND SWITCH MAINTAINS ISOLATION UNPOWERED
(Peregrine Semiconductor, 18 November 2004)
The PE4274 is a CATV switch for broadband applications. Designed to
exceed the strict FCC15.115 regulations, this 75ohm device offers the
industry's highest isolation of 80dB at 250MHz and 70dB at 750MHz. A
unique design feature allows the device to maintain its isolation
levels even in the unpowered state, which is one of the more stringent
requirements of FCC compliance for CATV to antenna isolation.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/peg/peg104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:peg1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] COAX CONNECTORS DESIGNED FOR COST-EFFECTIVENESS
(Aliner Industries, 23 November 2004)
The DFC range is the latest addition to the line-up of MMCX
microminiature coax connectors from Aliner. Aliner MMCX microminiature
coax connectors have become a de facto standard RF interface for
engineers worldwide since the 1990s thanks to their small size,
positive locking mechanism and low-RF-leakage "nonslotted" outer
conductor designed up to 6GHz. Backed by strong demands for more
cost-effective MMCXs, Aliner has redesigned its 25-002, 25-006 and
25-301 series, now officially called the DFC MMCX lines (designed for
cost-effectiveness).
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aln/aln101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aln1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] AUDIO AMP MINIATURISES CLASS D SOLUTIONS
(Monolithic Power Systems (MPS), 22 November 2004)
The MP7720 is a monolithic 5-20W Class-D audio amplifier which
dramatically reduces solution size by integrating 180mohm power
MOSFETs, startup/shutdown, short circuit protection circuits and
mute/stand by (sleep) functions into one tiny PDIP or SOIC package.
The MP7720 uses a single-ended output structure capable of delivering
20W at 24V into 4ohm speakers. More, all MPS Class-D audio amplifiers
exhibit the high fidelity of a Class A/B amplifier at efficiencies
greater than 90%.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/moo/moo101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:moo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] ENHANCED BLUETOOTH CHIP RUNS FASTER
(Cambridge Silicon Radio, 17 November 2004)
BlueCore4 has qualified to version 2.0 of the Bluetooth specification
including Enhanced Data Rate (v2.0 + EDR). The Bluetooth SIG announced
last week that Bluetooth v2.0 of the specification was finalised with
EDR incorporated as part of the specification. BlueCore4-external EDR
silicon is in production and available now. Today's qualification of
CSR's BlueCore4-external hardware and firmware means that CSR is now
the only company to be offering fully qualified solution for v2.0 +
EDR including all of the optional EDR features, to give higher speed
data transfer and lower power consumption.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cam/cam178.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cam1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] SYSTEM BOASTS HIGH-BANDWIDTH ACQUISITION
(Sundance Multiprocessor Technology, 22 November 2004)
The SMT391, the flagship of Sundance's new family of high performance
data acquisition systems, is a powerful 1Gsample/s dual-channel
analogue-to-digital convertor (ADC). This high-performance 8bit, DAQ
system makes the SMT391 ideal for high-bandwidth applications such as
high-speed test and instrumentation, satellite communications,
software defined radio (SDR), direct RF/IF processing, direct RF down
conversion and radar.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sda/sda106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sda1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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PLATFORM CREATES COMPACT CANDYBAR HANDSET
(TTPCom, 17 November 2004)
TTPCom and Asustek Computer are showcasing Asustek's first 3G handset
on stand 1504a at the 3G World Congress this week in Hong Kong.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ttp/ttp188.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ttp1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TEXT SOFTWARE GOES ON THE GAME
(Zi Corp, 22 November 2004)
eZiTap is a core feature of the new Gizmondo multi-entertainment
device from Gizmondo Europe, a subsidiary of Florida-based Tiger
Telematics.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/zic/zic109.html
or send a blank email to mailto:zic1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TOUCH TERMINALS REDUCE THE CHRISTMAS RUSH
(3M Touch Systems UK, 23 November 2004)
Hobert Computing and Sonopress have introduced new media browser
terminals for the European retail sector using capacitive touch screen
technology developed by 3M Touch Systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mto/mto108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mto1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LASER MICROMACHINING AIDS ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER
(Oxford Lasers, 23 November 2004)
The Centre for Ultrasound Engineering (CUE) at the University of
Strathclyde is developing novel piezoelectric devices using an Oxford
Lasers micromachining system.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oor/oor104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:oor1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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BIGGER FPGAs HIT THE STREETS
(Altera Europe, 23 November 2004)
Shipping now from Altera, the 90nm Stratix II EP2S130 is billed as the
world's biggest FPGA.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aeu/aeu140.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aeu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PRO AUDIO DAC BOASTS VIRTUALLY FLAT NOISE FLOOR
(AKM Semiconductor, 23 November 2004)
The AK4396 is a 192kHz 24bit stereo digital-to-analogue convertor for
premium sound cards, DVD/SACD players, AV receivers and other
professional audio playback applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/akm/akm100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:akm1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SCHOTTKY RECTIFIERS MOVE UP TO 250V
(ON Semiconductor, 18 November 2004)
A new range of 200-250V Schottky diodes is claimed to outperform
traditional ultrafast rectifiers - eliminating noise at all
temperatures.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/onw/onw166.html
or send a blank email to mailto:onw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PLATINUM-DOPED DIODES ARE HOT STUFF
(STMicroelectronics, 22 November 2004)
A new range of ultrafast high-voltage, medium-current diodes are
designed for use in industrial, automotive, motor control, lighting
and power conversion applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/stm/stm141.html
or send a blank email to mailto:stm1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PCI EXPRESS SERDES CORE WORKS IN SILICON
(Agilent Technologies, 23 November 2004)
Agilent Technologies has validated a high-performance PCI Express
serdes core in silicon.
Free brochure on PCI Express serdes core:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/agi/261/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi261.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SOFTWARE TACKLES COMPLEX IC PACKAGE LAYOUTS
(Fluent, 22 November 2004)
The second major release of the Icemax IC electrical modelling
software package includes a range of new capabilities and
enhancements.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fue/fue106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fue1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
POWER MANAGEMENT SIMULATION GETS PERSONAL
(Intersil, 22 November 2004)
iSim:PE is a PC-based tool that provides a design environment for
validating application solutions based on Intersil's high-performance
power management products.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ina/ina326.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ina3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHASSIS PROVIDES 80W PER SLOT COOLING CAPABILITY
(APW Electronic Solutions, 22 November 2004)
The Ventus is a new entry-level 12U, 21-slot IEEE1101.10-compliant
chassis from APW Electronic Solutions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/apw/apw118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:apw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SOFTWARE BOOSTS SCREEN PRINTER UPTIME
(DEK, 18 November 2004)
New machine interfaces to NPI and MES software tools from Aegis
Industrial Software will allow engineers using DEK screen printing
platforms to maximise machine uptime.
Free brochure on CircuitCAM and iMonitor:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/dek/180/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dek/dek180.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dek1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SYSTEM TAKES CHARGE OF STATIC CONTROL
(Meech Static Eliminators, 19 November 2004)
A new system that automatically controls the problems of static in
industrial processes has been launched by Meech.
Free brochure on 986 DC feedback system:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/mee/105/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mee/mee105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mee1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
UNIVERSITY TEACHES ANALOGUE ENGINEERING ONLINE
(National Semiconductor, 22 November 2004)
National Semiconductor has expanded its popular Analog University, the
industry's first free online education resource for electronic design
engineers.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat307.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nat3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
POWER MODULES PROVIDE PRECISELY REGULATED OUTPUT
(Texas Instruments, 18 November 2004)
Three new wide-input, nonisolated plug-in power modules aim to
simplify distributed power system design.
Free brochure on PTN78000, PTN78060 and PTN78020:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tex/727/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex727.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex7[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PCIBUS I/O BOARDS USE SAFE CURRENT-SOURCE CIRCUITS
(Contec Microelectronics Europe, 23 November 2004)
The PIO-32/32RL(PCI)H and PIO-16/16RL(PCI)H are optoisolated digital
I/O boards for PCIbus systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cec/cec107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cec1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONVERTORS SIMPLIFY SERIAL INTERFACING
(Trenz Electronic, 23 November 2004)
A new series of interface convertors connects RS422/485 devices to
standard PC interfaces, such as RS232, USB and Ethernet.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tre/tre103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tre1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LINK TESTER TROUBLESHOOTS MODERN NETWORKS
(AX Distribution, 23 November 2004)
Complimenting AX Distribution's existing range of testing and
analysing equipment is the new member to the LanMaster family, the
LanMaster 26 link tester.
Free brochure on LanMaster 26:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/axd/105/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/axd/axd105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:axd1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PROBES PUT FEMALES TO THE TEST
(Peak Test Services, 22 November 2004)
A new range of threaded step probes from Peak Test Services are
designed to aid in the checking of electrical connectivity and correct
pin length in female connectors.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pak/pak133.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pak1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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