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ELECTRONICSTALK
The Independent Weekly Product Information Guide
for Electronics Design, Development and Manufacturing Engineers
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ISSN 1475-2913 - Free subscription
Last week's delivered circulation: over 24,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 194: 7 December 2004
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20109 product announcements and technical articles
on our website, 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] Swabs simplify RoHS compliance verification
[2] Lithium cell fuel gauge chip does the lot
[3] FPGA starter kit expands to 300,000 gates
[4] Open-source IDE accelerates MCU design
[5] Top resolution claims for PC-based multimeters
[6] Convertor chip boasts nine programmable outputs
[7] Benchtop system automates solder application
[8] Software embeds compliant infra-red communications
[9] Gigabit interface convertor goes to extremes
[10] Slimline power relay saves space onboard
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
I have to admit that the champagne corks have been popping this week
in the Electronicstalk editorial office in celebration of passing the
milestone of the 20,000th story on the site.
Many thanks to those of you who have been sending messages of
congratulations: the only dissenting voice has come from the Publisher
of the UK's longest running electronics publication who reckons that
our front-page estimate of the height of a pile of conventional
magazines carrying the same volume of news is a good 50mm out. I guess
it all depends on the quality of the paper!
Among those added to the site this week are some interesting items,
including a report on the "success" of the Nonconforming Parts Board
established by the Independent Distributors of Electronics
Association. I use the quote marks advisedly, because the crux of the
story (link in this week's company news stories) is that in just 3
months, more than 1200 entries have been made on the list, and the
association expects this figure to double or even treble by the end of
the year.
That the board is doing its job in alerting distributors to the
presence of "dodgy" components is highly laudable. But that there are
quite so many such components is somewhat worrying.
And with one eye as ever on the ever-more-imminent arrival of the RoHS
Directive, this week's top product from BLT Circuit Services is
certainly worth a look as a front-line "sanity check" for those
completely in the dark about lead, cadmium and mercury in their
products.
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!
NEW UNIT TARGETS MEDICAL WIRELESS APPLICATIONS
AMI Semiconductor is setting up a new Medical and Wireless Products
Unit.
AMI Semiconductor, 6 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/amb/amb161.html
or send a blank email to mailto:amb1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DISTRIBUTOR DEMAND IMPROVES FAIRCHILD'S OUTLOOK
Fairchild Semiconductor has revealed that order rates have improved as
expected, and the company now expects fourth quarter sales to trend
towards the higher end of its previous guidance.
Fairchild Semiconductor, 3 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fai/fai322.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fai3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MALAYSIAN HUB TO SMOOTH ASIAN SUPPLY
Wolfson Microelectronics has opened a new logistics centre in Ipoh,
Malaysia, to allow faster and more flexible shipment to its customers
in the region, particularly China and Japan.
Wolfson Microelectronics, 7 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wol/wol182.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TTI ON TARGET FOR 38% GROWTH
Glyn Dennehy, TTI's new VP and Managing Director, Europe, has revealed
that the company is on target to achieve 38% growth in 2004.
TTI Europe, 3 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tti/tti126.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tti1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ICD FINDS FUNDS FOR EXPANSION
Integrated Circuit Designs (ICD) has concluded a $2 million round of
private funding.
Integrated Circuit Designs, 6 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/iat/iat101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:iat1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MOBILE DISPLAYS CRACK THE BILLION BARRIER
Philips is claiming an industry record with the shipment of one
billion mobile displays.
Philips Semiconductors, 1 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/phi/phi287.html
or send a blank email to mailto:phi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW LINE TO OFFER AN EARLY START FOR LEAD-FREE
Stevenage-based contract electronics manufacturer Printed Systems has
taken delivery of an additional flow-solder machine, which will be
dedicated to soldering lead-free conventional PCBs.
Printed Systems, 7 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/prt/prt100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:prt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DISTRIBUTOR BODY "OUTS" NONCONFORMING PARTS
In just three months, the Nonconforming Parts Board established by the
Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA) has reached
over 1200 listings.
IDEA, 6 December 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/iep/iep102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:iep1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] SWABS SIMPLIFY ROHS COMPLIANCE VERIFICATION
(BLT Circuit Services, 6 December 2004)
BLT Circuit Services has become the European distributor for LeadCheck
swabs. These patented tools are ideal for incoming inspection of
boards and components as well as final assembly checks to ensure the
user is lead-free-compliant. Also included in the range are
MercuryCheck and CadmiumCheck swabs. These are based on the same
principle as the LeadCheck swabs, offering a speedy and familiar
analysis method.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/blt/blt101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:blt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] LITHIUM CELL FUEL GAUGE CHIP DOES THE LOT
(Maxim Integrated Products, 6 December 2004)
The DS2780 is a stand-alone fuel gauge that calculates remaining
capacity for Li-ion and Li-ion polymer batteries without need for
host-side fuel-gauging algorithms. Thus, the DS2870 greatly simplifies
software development. The device provides 16bit current measurement,
11bit voltage and temperature measurements, and on-chip nonvolatile
memory to store cell characterisation data and application performance
parameters. The DS2780 uses this measured and stored data to calculate
the remaining capacity.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/max/max205.html
or send a blank email to mailto:max2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] FPGA STARTER KIT EXPANDS TO 300,000 GATES
(Actel Europe, 7 December 2004)
Actel has developed an enhanced low-cost starter kit for its widely
used family of Flash-based, reprogrammable ProASIC Plus
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Without raising the cost of
the starter kit, Actel now offers designers an evaluation board with a
300K-gate ProASIC Plus FPGA in a PQ208 package, a larger gate-count
device than was included in previous versions of the starter kit. The
new ProASIC Plus starter kit also includes a compact, easy-to-use
FlashPro Lite programmer and First Silicon Solutions' (FS2's) Logic
Navigator software for debug, which is provided on a CD for a free
45-day evaluation period by default.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/act/193/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act193.html
or send a blank email to mailto:act1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] OPEN-SOURCE IDE ACCELERATES MCU DESIGN
(Texas Instruments, 7 December 2004)
Code Composer Essentials (CCEssentials) is the first open-source
integrated development environment (IDE) from Texas Instruments for
the MSP430 family of ultra-low-power microcontrollers (MCUs). Based on
the Eclipse open source platform, CCEssentials allows designers and
third parties to easily integrate updates and plug-ins to provide a
highly customised and flexible IDE.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tex/732/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex732.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex7[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] TOP RESOLUTION CLAIMS FOR PC-BASED MULTIMETERS
(Signametrics, 6 December 2004)
Signametrics has started production of what it claims are the fastest,
most-accurate 7.5-digit digital multimeters for PCI plug-in
applications. Newly available technologies have allowed Signametrics
engineers to develop and implement new advanced features and superior
speed and accuracy, surpassing any existing products in this class.
Signametrics' new 7.5-digit DMMs boast high measurement rates up to
20,000reading/s and very low current measurement ranges down to 50pA.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/six/six100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:six1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] CONVERTOR CHIP BOASTS NINE PROGRAMMABLE OUTPUTS
(Summit Microelectronics, 2 December 2004)
Summit Microelectronics has developed a new concept in power supply
design it says gives system design engineers unparalleled flexibility
and ease of implementation. Using the new Summit SMB120, designers can
now digitally program the entire multiple output power supply and
associated power management functions with a few clicks of a mouse
compared to the tedious iterative hardware design of conventional
analogue power solutions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sum/sum122.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sum1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] BENCHTOP SYSTEM AUTOMATES SOLDER APPLICATION
(EFD, 6 December 2004)
EFD's new SolderPlus dispensing system provides a cost-effective way
to automate the application of solder in bench top assembly processes.
This compact package integrates three EFD products - high-performance
EFD SolderPlus solder paste, a precision dispense valve, and a new
x-y-z positioning platform. SolderPlus solder paste is specially
formulated for precise, trouble-free dispensing without clogging or
separating.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/efd/efd100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:efd1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] SOFTWARE EMBEDS COMPLIANT INFRA-RED COMMUNICATIONS
(Agilent Technologies, 2 December 2004)
Agilent Technologies has introduced software compliant with the IrDA's
(Infrared Data Association's) IrFM (infra-red financial messaging)
Point and Pay Profile version 1.0. IrFM is a quick and seamless
digital payment system for IrDA infra-red-enabled devices and
point-of-sale terminals.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/agi/263/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi263.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] GIGABIT INTERFACE CONVERTOR GOES TO EXTREMES
(Finisar Corp, 2 December 2004)
Now available in production quantities from Finisar is an
industrial-temperature-range coarse wavelength division multiplexing
(CWDM) gigabit interface convertor (GBIC) optical transceiver. Ideally
suited for data transport systems deployed in uncontrolled temperature
environments, the CWDM GBIC is able to withstand operating temperature
extremes of -40 to +85C while functioning at speeds up to 2.7Gbit/s.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fni/fni126.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fni1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] SLIMLINE POWER RELAY SAVES SPACE ONBOARD
(Matsushita Electric Works UK, 1 December 2004)
Matsushita Electric Works UK has introduced the new Panasonic LJ slim
power relay, with dimensions of just 7 x 7 x 16mm. The device measures
approximately 84% the size of its predecessor in terms of board
surface area, offering a significant saving in PCB space and costs.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/mat/157/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mat/mat157.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mat1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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CUSTOM CHIPS ENABLE NOVEL BIONIC HEARING DEVICE
(Xemics, 7 December 2004)
Savia is the first hearing instrument ever to capture the natural
phenomenon of bionic hearing in digital technology.
Free brochure on Custom ICs:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/xem/145/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/xem/xem145.html
or send a blank email to mailto:xem1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FABLESS DESIGN HOUSE SPEEDS TO NANOMETRE IC
(Cadence Design Systems, 3 December 2004)
Fabless design house Azul Systems has successfully implemented a
high-density, high-speed design using the Cadence Encounter digital IC
platform and RTL compiler.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cad/cad255.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cad2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
EMBEDDED BIOS ENABLES PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
(SDC Systems, 7 December 2004)
General Software's Embedded BIOS 2000 was used for the design and
development of the firmware for AMD?s novel Personal Internet
Communicator.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sdc/sdc103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sdc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PROCESS PERFECTS ADHESIVE APPLICATION
(DEK, 6 December 2004)
Tianjin-based OEM HEG has made significant improvements to its
adhesive application process yields following the adoption of the
PumpPrint process and DEK Infinity printers.
Free brochure on Infinity:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/dek/184/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dek/dek184.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dek1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
INSPECTION SYSTEM CHECKS OUT DEEP SEA JOINTS
(Kaisertech, 1 December 2004)
Scarborough based Deep Sea Electronics has opted for a SolView circuit
board component inspection system to provide in-house PCB inspection
capabilities.
Free brochure on SolView:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/kai/145/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kai/kai145.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kai1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FLEXIBLE COTS SUPPLY SOLVES MILITARY PROBLEM
(Gresham Power Electronics, 3 December 2004)
Gresham Power has provided a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) power
solution for a new generation of military submarine sonar systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ges/ges115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ges1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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CLOCK CHIPS BOAST SUBPICOSECOND JITTER
(Analog Devices, 2 December 2004)
A new series of clock ICs aims to meet the most rigorous
signal-processing requirements in today's high-performance electronics
applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/anc/anc261.html
or send a blank email to mailto:anc2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CURRENT MONITOR MEASURES THE HIGH SIDE
(Ixys Semiconductor, 7 December 2004)
The IXI848 high side current monitor is the first in a new family of
signal interface products from Ixys Corp.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ixy/ixy104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ixy1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHIPS BRIDGE USB TO SERIAL AT FULL SPEED
(Oxford Semiconductor, 3 December 2004)
Intelligent USB to serial port bridge chips provide serial port
peripherals with the instant plug-and-play connectivity and high-speed
data transfer of full-speed USB2.0.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ofo/ofo119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ofo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHIP RESISTOR NETWORKS BRING EIGHT TOGETHER
(TT Electronics - BI Technologies, 6 December 2004)
BCN 31 thick-film, ten-terminal 2512 chip resistor networks
incorporate eight bused resistors, allowing considerable savings to be
made on board space and pick-and-place operations.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tte/tte115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tte1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SERDES CORE SPEEDS SERIAL I/O TO 6.25GBIT/S
(Agere Systems, 7 December 2004)
Agere Systems has developed a new technology platform for high-speed
serial interfaces in storage and enterprise network products.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age163.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TOOL SUITE BOASTS FASTER FPGA DESIGN
(Lattice Semiconductor UK, 1 December 2004)
The latest release of the ispLever programmable logic design tool
suite offers a comprehensive upgrade and enhancement in performance
and functionality.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lat/lat154.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lat1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MINI SD CARD CONNECTOR SAVES MORE SPACE
(Hirose Electric UK, 2 December 2004)
The Hirose DM2B is a push to insert and push to eject Mini SD card
connector.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hos/hos103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hos1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
EPOXY ADHESIVE AIDS THERMAL MANAGEMENT
(Master Bond, 3 December 2004)
A new two-component room-temperature-curing epoxy adhesive features a
particularly high thermal conductivity.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mae/mae103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mae1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TIME TO REMEMBER OHM'S LAW
(TechNote Time Watch Company, 2 December 2004)
TechNote Time has now added Ohm's law desk clocks and wall clocks to
its existing line of Ohm's law wristwatches.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tet/tet101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tet1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COMPACT SWITCHERS DON'T WASTE POWER ON HEATING
(Power Sources Unlimited, 7 December 2004)
The Cincon CFM40 and CFM60 Series of AC/DC switching power supplies
are billed as ideal for communications, instrumentation, IT and
process control applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/por/por101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:por1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FIBRE TESTER PERFORMS ALL THREE ROLES
(Anritsu (UK), 1 December 2004)
The MT9080 Access Master series is the first suite of products to
combine the three necessary functions for the construction,
installation and maintenance of optical fibre links.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/anr/anr172.html
or send a blank email to mailto:anr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RELEASE 4 TEST CASES APPROVED
(Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions, 1 December 2004)
Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions now has 15 of the 22 test cases
outlined in Release 4 approved by the GCF and 12 for the PTCRB
standards bodies.
Free brochure on Release 4 test cases:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/rca/119/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rca/rca119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rca1[-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
* Email mailto:join-buildingta[-email removed-]o-talk.com for your copy
CIMtalk - for automation engineers and the industrial IT sector
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copy
Laboratorytalk - for all lab and research personnel
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Manufacturingtalk - for production engineers
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Printingtalk - for printers and print buyers
* Email mailto:join-printingta[-email removed-]o-talk.com for your copy
Processingtalk - for process engineers
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QA-talk - for quality assurance professionals
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Subcontractingtalk - for the subcontract manufacturing industry
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