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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 199: 18 January 2005
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20,404 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
* Other industry news
* Our Top new products selection
[1] Budget design package boasts high-end features
[2] GSM codecs are frugal with memory
[3] New Flash generation aids multimedia handsets
[4] Kit switches acquisition over to PXI
[5] Transceivers boast total applications coverage
[6] ICs drive ceramic and piezoelectric speakers
[7] Convertor features full internal compensation
[8] Embedded database extends to SQL
[9] Frugal transmitter suits consumer applications
[10] Modulator cuts the cost of 3G transmitters
* New technical articles & case studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini , Editor, writes:
Whether you are an engineer or involved in sales or marketing, there
is nothing more calculated to raise the hackles than the suggestion of
unfair competition. And of all the legislation enacted in our business
over the past 20 years, the EMC Directive and its interpretation in
the UK have caused more cries of "foul!" than any other mandate.
And while there is no doubt that overall the directive has been "a
good thing" for the electronics industry - in the UK, Europe and
globally - it has been its implementation and interpretation that have
caused most complaints
First, in the early 1990s, there was the delay in implementing the
directive itself - the so called "period of grace". Both the
compliance industry and those companies who had got their houses in
order ahead of time were quite justified in complaining that the delay
in implementation gave an unfair trading advantage to those companies
who had not made the effort or investment in certification.
Then, when the directive did pass onto the statute books, there was
the thorny question of policing. Many UK companies looked with envy at
the resources dedicated in other European countries to investigating
noncompliant products and reasoned that once again the UK was at risk
of becoming a dumping ground for substandard goods.
Now the European Commission has set about simplifying its regulatory
procedures to make it easier for manufacturers and suppliers to comply
with the regulations, and the whole debate is about to start up again.
The problem, reasons Graham Mays of EMC Resources, is that the new
procedures seem to remove the mandatory role of the competent body.
"It seems inevitable, therefore", he says, "that the number of
noncompliant products on the market will increase".
"With little enforcement, the revised directive makes the UK a dumping
ground for noncompliant products, which, quite frankly, can only be
described as a bureaucratic farce", concludes Mays. Read more below
and on the Electronicstalk website.
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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EUROPE GAINS SENSOR APPLICATIONS CENTRE
(Allegro MicroSystems Europe, 12 Jan 2005)
A new European Sensor Applications Centre in Annecy, France, will
provide technical support to European customers for Hall-effect
sensors in the automotive and industrial sectors.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/alb/alb185.html
or send a blank email to mailto:alb1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
HONG KONG IS CENTRAL TO ASIAN AMBITIONS
(Xemics, 18 Jan 2005)
Xemics is expanding its presence in the Asia Pacific market, with a
new branch office based centrally in the heart of Hong Kong.
Request free details from the supplier on Asian Branch Office:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/xem/147/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/xem/xem147.html
or send a blank email to mailto:xem1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW OFFICE RESPONDS TO CHINESE GROWTH
(Dialog Semiconductor, 18 Jan 2005)
As a result of continued growth in the Greater China region, Dialog
Semiconductor has opened a new office based in Taipei, headed by newly
appointed Regional Manager, Ben Yin.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dal/dal113.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dal1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHINESE ENGINEERING CENTRES SET FOR EXPANSION
(TTPCom, 14 Jan 2005)
TTPCom has revealed expansion plans for its engineering centres in
Shanghai and Shenzhen.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ttp/ttp191.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ttp1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PLANT SET TO MORE THAN DOUBLE LCD PRODUCTION
(Sharp Microelectronics, 17 Jan 2005)
Sharp Corp is to build a second LCD plant at its site in Kameyama
City, Mie Prefecture, Japan.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/srp/srp102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:srp1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONSORTIUM ENDORSES NEW EMBEDDED STANDARD
(PC/104 Embedded Consortium, 17 Jan 2005)
The PC/104 Consortium announced today its adoption and management of
the new, mid-sized EPIC standard.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pce/pce108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pce1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BEWARE THE REVISED EMC DIRECTIVE
(EMC Resources, 14 Jan 2005)
Graham Mays of EMC Resources is worried that the European Commission's
revised version of the EMC Directive makes the UK a dumping ground for
noncompliant products.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ecr/ecr101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ecr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
US WAFER FAB IS READY FOR BUSINESS
(Opto Diode Corp, 18 Jan 2005)
Opto Diode Corp has completed its new domestic wafer fabrication
facility in Newbury Park, California.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ood/ood102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ood1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP NEW PRODUCT SELECTION
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[1] BUDGET DESIGN PACKAGE BOASTS HIGH-END FEATURES
(Adept Scientific, 17 Jan 2005)
Easy-PC 8 is the latest version of the world famous windows-based
software tool for printed circuit board design and schematics capture.
Easy-PC, an accredited Windows "designed for XP" application, provides
powerful features such as expandable component libraries, unlimited
electrical and documentation layers, an easy-to-use interface, online
DRC (design rules checking), automatic placement and autorouting, plus
outputs to manufacturing standards like Gerber, Excellon and now
ODB++. Features of this standard are normally found only in more
expensive PCB layout products.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/ade/163/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ade/ade163.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ade1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] GSM CODECS ARE FRUGAL WITH MEMORY
(StarCore, 17 Jan 2005)
New from StarCore, the StarCodec range will be unveiled next month at
the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes (14th to 17th February 2005). Having
realised the challenges that its customers may have in acquiring high
quality voice coders (vocoders) on increasingly tight schedules,
StarCore invested into the design of this high quality coding
technology. StarCodecs consist of highly optimised fully
ETSI-compliant GSM vocoders for GSM full rate (FR), GSM half rate
(HR), GSM enhanced full rate (EFR), and GSM adaptive multirate (AMR)
bundled with EFR.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/src/src104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:src1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] NEW FLASH GENERATION AIDS MULTIMEDIA HANDSETS
(M-Systems, 17 Jan 2005)
DiskOnChip G4 is billed as the next generation memory solution for
mainstream multimedia-rich handsets. Multilevel cell (MLC) NAND-based
DiskOnChip G4 is designed to deliver the best cost structure in its
category and is expected to have triple the write performance of
DiskOnChip G3 and over 20 times that of MLC NOR, and a read
performance that will prove to be the best among NAND devices. Along
with DiskOnChip G3 and the recently announced DiskOnChip H-Series
product line, DiskOnChip G4 complements M-Systems' MLC NAND product
offering.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mys/mys108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mys1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] KIT SWITCHES ACQUISITION OVER TO PXI
(Adlink Technology, 18 Jan 2005)
The PXIStarterII is a new starter kit designed to add PXI platform
capabilities to data acquisition and automated measurement systems.
Adlink's PXIStarterII includes the PXI-3800, Adlink Technology's
latest Intel Pentium M PXI controller, and a PXIS-2506 3U six-slot
chassis. With the PXIStarterII, engineers can easily and quickly build
automated test systems with any PXI or CompactPCI data acquisition or
instrument modules. This special product bundle is currently offered
for only US $2950 and will be available until 28th February 2005.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/adl/149/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/adl/adl149.html
or send a blank email to mailto:adl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] TRANSCEIVERS BOAST TOTAL APPLICATIONS COVERAGE
(Melexis, 12 Jan 2005)
Melexis has developed two new ASK/FSK/FM RF transceiver ICs it claims
feature exceptional tuning range. The TH7122 and TH71221 are designed
for virtually every application in the unlicensed
industrial-scientific-medical (ISM) or short-range-device (SRD)
frequency bands. Target applications are bidirectional tyre pressure
monitoring systems (TPMS), wireless networking solutions, RF tags,
alarm systems and security monitoring, home automation, garage door
openers, automatic meter reading, remote sensors etc. With a frequency
range of 27 to 930MHz the TH7122 and TH71221 have the widest operating
range currently available on the market.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mle/mle106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mle1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] ICS DRIVE CERAMIC AND PIEZOELECTRIC SPEAKERS
(National Semiconductor, 13 Jan 2005)
Three new Boomer audio amplifiers from National Semiconductor are the
industry's first single-chip devices to drive ceramic and
piezoelectric speakers in portable applications. These integrated
chips allow manufacturers to create "credit-card-thin" handsets or add
additional features to designs because they save space and reduce
power consumption, enabling longer battery life and talk time.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat314.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nat3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] CONVERTOR FEATURES FULL INTERNAL COMPENSATION
(Advanced Analogic Technologies, 14 Jan 2005)
AnalogicTech has introduced a DC/DC convertor with architecture that
features full internal compensation, reducing the need for external
components and conserving valuable board space. The latest addition to
AnalogicTech's extensive convertor family, the AAT1152 fully
integrated 850kHz 1A buck DC/DC convertor also includes a "power OK"
(POK) function that monitors the output, alerting the system if the
output voltage falls out of regulation.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aog/aog106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aog1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] EMBEDDED DATABASE EXTENDS TO SQL
(McObject, 17 Jan 2005)
McObject, developer of the eXtremeDB in-memory embedded database, is
set to release eXtremeSQL, a high-performance implementation of the
popular SQL database programming language for use with eXtremeDB.
McObject's official release of eXtremeSQL will coincide with the start
of Embedded World 2005 Conference and Exhibition in Nuremburg, Germany
on 22nd February. With eXtremeSQL, McObject targets the real-time
enterprise software market by greatly simplifying programming with
eXtremeDB for corporate developers using SQL.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mcb/mcb100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mcb1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] FRUGAL TRANSMITTER SUITS CONSUMER APPLICATIONS
(Analog Devices, 14 Jan 2005)
The ADF7901 is a new high-performance, low-cost transmitter IC that
delivers the low current consumption required for consumer
applications such as remote controls and wireless toys. The ADF7901 is
a low-power OOK/FSK UHF transmitter designed for use in RF remote
control applications. Providing an extremely low-power solution, the
monolithic transmitter IC delivers +12dBm of output power at 384MHz,
while drawing only 26mA of current.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/anc/anc267.html
or send a blank email to mailto:anc2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] MODULATOR CUTS THE COST OF 3G TRANSMITTERS
(Linear Technology Corp, 18 Jan 2005)
A new direct conversion modulator from Linear Technology enables the
design of next generation, less costly 3G wireless basestation
transmitters. The LT5528 is a direct I-Q modulator with uncompromising
performance, enabling more compact basestation transmitter designs at
lower system cost. The LT5528 is targeted for high performance
wireless infrastructure applications, including W-CDMA, TD-SCDMA, GSM,
and PHS. It is also suitable for broadband fixed wireless access, as
well as point-to-point radio links and other high performance radios.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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RAD-HARD FPGAS KEEP MARS ROVERS RUNNING
(Actel Europe, 13 Jan 2005)
Actel's radiation-tolerant and radiation-hardened FPGAs are continuing
to perform critical functions in the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit
and Opportunity, after a year on the surface of Mars.
Request free details from the supplier on Rad-hard FPGAs:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/act/196/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act196.html
or send a blank email to mailto:act1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TEST CHIP SPEEDS PROCESS DEVELOPMENT
(HPL Technologies, 18 Jan 2005)
Collaborative work with HPL Technologies has been instrumental in
reducing the development and debug time for Silterra's new 0.13um CMOS
process technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hpl/hpl103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hpl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured new product news
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CODEC HAS INDEPENDENTLY PROGRAMMABLE SAMPLE RATES
(Wolfson Microelectronics, 18 Jan 2005)
An advanced audio codec is specifically designed for high-performance
DVD-RW systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wol/wol184.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SCHOTTKY RING QUADS SHRINK INTO NEW PACKAGE
(Micrometrics, 14 Jan 2005)
Micrometrics low, medium and high barrier Schottky ring quads are now
available in a new package.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mii/mii106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mii1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FLASH MCUS CUT OUT EXTERNAL COMPONENTS
(Zilog, 13 Jan 2005)
Zilog has extended its Z8 Encore! Flash microcontroller family to
include devices with 1, 2 and 4Kbyte of Flash program memory and
1Kbyte register RAM.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/zil/zil140.html
or send a blank email to mailto:zil1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MEMORY CARDS SHRINK TO SMALLER FORMATS
(Kingston Technology, 18 Jan 2005)
Kingston Technology has two new digital media product offerings
designed to target the expanding mobile phone and mobile digital
device markets.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kin/kin120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kin1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
STEP-DOWN CONTROLLER CREATES THREE OUTPUT VOLTAGES
(Semtech, 18 Jan 2005)
The SC2441 is a very-low-input-voltage, two-phase synchronous
step-down controller with an integrated step-up convertor.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sem/sem125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sem1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BATTERY MANAGEMENT IC TAKES SECURITY ONBOARD
(Texas Instruments, 13 Jan 2005)
A novel intelligent battery management IC easily identifies
potentially unsafe batteries not approved by consumer electronics
manufacturers for use in their devices.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex749.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex7[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LEAD-FREE SOLDER PASTE HAS GLOBAL APPEAL
(Henkel Technologies, 17 Jan 2005)
Multicore LF318 is a halide-free no-clean pin-testable lead-free
solder paste that promises broad process windows for both printing and
reflow.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hen/hen115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hen1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SUPPLY PUTS MORE POWER OVER ETHERNET
(Power-One, 14 Jan 2005)
Power-One reckons the 600W PALS600-2482 is the industry's most
powerful AC/DC standard product specifically designed for
power-over-Ethernet applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pxw/pxw109.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pxw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TRANSFER SYSTEM ENSURES CONTINUITY OF LOADS
(Socomec Sicon UPS, 17 Jan 2005)
Socomec Sicon UPS has produced a brochure to introduce its latest
static transfer system that will automatically transfer the load from
independent power sources to ensure the continuity of the load.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/soc/soc110.html
or send a blank email to mailto:soc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TESTER FINDS FAULT WITH MOBILES
(Willtek Communications, 12 Jan 2005)
The 3100 mobile fault finder is a novel communication test set for the
testing of wireless devices.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wil/wil124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wil1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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