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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 200: 25 January 2005
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20755 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] Flash FPGAs break the price barrier
[2] Gigabit Ethernet card meets military challenges
[3] Structured ASICs take an FPGA design approach
[4] USB devices cut the cost of acquisition
[5] Power amplifier takes filters and switches onboard
[6] Flat speakers produce no electromagnetic fields
[7] Controllers cut standby power down to size
[8] Flexible configuration for battery-backed switcher
[9] Suppression devices have SD memory cards covered
[10] Adapter puts new PQFPs on old board designs
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
Looking through this week's top stories has given me a serious case of
nostalgia, with programmable logic making most of the headlines.
Some 20 years ago, programmable logic was still a new idea. The PAL
was a hot topic. And as a cub reporter at only my second US trade show
I was lured to the booth of a new company partly by the seemingly
ludicrous claim that programmable logic could indeed be
reprogrammable, but rather more by the fact that the concept was being
promoted by none other than Leonard Nimoy.
Suffice it to say, I got my story (and a signed photograph), but was
somewhat disappointed to find that on my return to the UK my Editor of
the day was less than enthusiastic about what he saw as a somewhat
esoteric technology. "What's wrong with using 74 Series logic
devices?", was his riposte. "Nobody ever got fired for designing with
them".
Twenty years on and the concept of erasable programmable logic devices
is commonplace, thanks in no small part to the efforts of that early
1980s startup. For those who haven't guessed it, the company in
question was Altera, which is in the news today with the release of
its HardCopy II series of devices, designed to migrate programmable
logic designs into the structured ASIC sphere.
Today's other big announcement (and this week's lead product) embodies
the other major architectural advance that has added irresistible
appeal to programmable logic, and that is the application of Flash
memory technology. That Actel is now producing devices that even ten
years ago would have taxed the imagination of any logic designer
(human or Vulcan) - and at prices down to $1.50 each - is enough to
see lines of old 74 Series logic designers queuing up at the labour
exchange.
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!
ACQUISITION TO ADD POWER AMPLIFIER EXPERTISE
Agilent Technologies is to acquire Wavics, a Korean-based designer and
manufacturer of power amplifier modules for the worldwide mobile
handset market.
Agilent Technologies, 25 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi270.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LINEAR CONTINUES YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH
Linear Technology Corp reports net sales for its second quarter in
excess of $250 million, an increase of 34% over the second quarter of
the previous year.
Linear Technology Corp, 25 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne117.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
THERMAL TEST LAB ADDRESSES COOLING ISSUES
A new thermal test lab is dedicated to the advancement of technology
for solving the urgent cooling issues associated with increasing
computer densities in today's data centres and server rooms.
American Power Conversion, 25 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ame/ame119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ame1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
UPGRADE FOR ITALIAN DISPLAYS PLANT
Global Display Solutions has made significant investment into its
worldwide operations by further improving facilities at its
manufacturing site in Cornedo, Italy.
Global Display Solutions, 24 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/glo/glo134.html
or send a blank email to mailto:glo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW HQ FOR LED SPECIALIST
LED specialist Marktech Optoelectronics has moved to a new expanded
facility in Latham, New York.
Marktech Optoelectronics, 25 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mrk/mrk102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mrk1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW GROUP TO LOOK AFTER UK SME INTERESTS
MUST is a new industry group formed to represent the views, interests
and issues facing firms involved in exploiting micro- and
nanotechnology.
MUST, 24 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mus/mus100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mus1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
POINT OF LOAD REGULATORS ADOPT PMBUS SPECS
The Point Of Load Alliance (POLA) is to jointly design and release
products in accordance to the PMbus specification.
Astec Power, 25 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ast/ast114.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ast1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
AEROFLEX ABSORBS RIWS NAME
Aeroflex has changed the name of Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions
(RIWS) to Aeroflex.
Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions, 25 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rca/rca120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rca1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] FLASH FPGAS BREAK THE PRICE BARRIER
(Actel Europe, 25 January 2005)
The ProASIC3 and ProASIC3E families are Actel's third-generation of
Flash-based programmable logic solutions and billed as the world's
lowest-cost field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). With the
ProASIC3/E families, Actel addresses strong market demand for
full-featured, cost-effective FPGAs for consumer, automotive and other
price-sensitive application areas. This "value-based" segment
represents the fastest growing component of the FPGA market and is
estimated to be $500 million this year.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/act/198/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act198.html
or send a blank email to mailto:act1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] GIGABIT ETHERNET CARD MEETS MILITARY CHALLENGES
(DDC United Kingdom, 25 January 2005)
New from Data Device Corp is the GigExtreme series of intelligent
Gigabit Ethernet network access controllers. DDC has designed the
GigExtreme ET-71000 Gigabit Ethernet card from the ground up to meet
the demanding challenges of flight critical military applications and
harsh military environments. ET-71000 cards feature a dual redundant
architecture with autonomous failover or dual independent channels,
supporting 10/100/1000Base-T or 1000Base-SX physical layer options.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ddc/ddc119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ddc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] STRUCTURED ASICS TAKE AN FPGA DESIGN APPROACH
(Altera Europe, 25 January 2005)
The HardCopy II family is the next-generation structured ASIC solution
from Altera Corp. HardCopy II devices are the industry's most
compelling structured ASICs, featuring a unique FPGA front-end design
methodology and costs as low as $15 for 1 million ASIC gates. Built on
a new fine-grained architecture designed for low cost, HardCopy II
structured ASICs deliver a level of gate densities, performance, and
low power consumption that make them the best solution for a broad
range of ASIC and ASSP implementations.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aeu/aeu145.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aeu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] USB DEVICES CUT THE COST OF ACQUISITION
(National Instruments, 20 January 2005)
Scientists, technicians, engineers and students can now take advantage
of measurement-quality data acquisition and the convenience of USB
plug-and-play technology at a lower cost with the new National
Instruments USB-6008 and USB-6009 data acquisition (DAQ) devices.
Starting at just GBP 95 or Eur 145 the new USB DAQ devices offer small
size and easy connectivity, making them ideal for operations such as
data logging and environmental monitoring. They also are useful in
academic settings and are inexpensive enough for students to purchase
and use in lab experiments.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/naa/181/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa181.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] POWER AMPLIFIER TAKES FILTERS AND SWITCHES ONBOARD
(Freescale Semiconductor, 25 January 2005)
Handset manufacturers can now offer cost-effective, feature-rich
phones to consumers in a short amount of time thanks to an advanced,
front-end power amplifier module from Freescale Semiconductor. The
MMM6015 power amplifier module reduces the amount of board space
needed by more than 40% compared with the current generation. The
MMM6015 design innovation integrates the power amplification, power
control, lowpass filtering and antenna switching functions while
enhancing the battery life of the handset.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mot/mot192.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mot1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] FLAT SPEAKERS PRODUCE NO ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
(Phoenix Electronics Distribution, 19 January 2005)
Phoenix Electronics has a novel range of flat speakers from Sonitron
that could solve many of the problems encountered with conventional
devices. The new product is based on a completely new principle of
piezoceramic and composite metal/polymer layers which gives many
advantages over previous designs. Frequency response is much better,
efficiency is improved, distortion is lower and energy consumption is
reduced.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/pho/118/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pho/pho118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pho1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] CONTROLLERS CUT STANDBY POWER DOWN TO SIZE
(ON Semiconductor, 25 January 2005)
Two new families of PWM controllers address the growing industry need
for switched mode power supply manufacturers to reduce the standby
power consumption at input levels higher than 75W. The NCP1230 and
NCP1231 families of current mode controllers are ideal for power
supply applications in notebook adapters, offline battery chargers and
consumer electronics equipment. The NCP1230/NCP1231 devices allow the
power supply designer to shut down the power factor correction (PFC)
stage in light or no-load conditions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/onw/onw169.html
or send a blank email to mailto:onw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] FLEXIBLE CONFIGURATION FOR BATTERY-BACKED SWITCHER
(VxI Power, 19 January 2005)
The new Oracle III 200-9 battery-backed switch-mode power supply from
VxI Power offers designers greater flexibility by providing one main
output, one charger output and up to seven 35W auxiliary outputs.
Operating from an 85-264V AC autoranging input, the PSU is available
in both 12 and 24V versions and features fan cooling as standard,
enabling it to deliver 200W continuously at the maximum permissible
ambient temperature of 70C, with a peak output capability of 300W.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vxi/vxi106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vxi1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] SUPPRESSION DEVICES HAVE SD MEMORY CARDS COVERED
(Semtech, 25 January 2005)
The latest addition to the Semtech EMIClamp family of transient
voltage suppression devices is specifically designed to protect
interfaces for Secure Digital (SD) memory card designs. The
EClamp2357N features six lines of combined protection from
electromagnetic interference (EMI), radio frequency interference (RFI)
and electrostatic discharge (ESD). It also includes an additional four
lines of dedicated ESD protection for power and high-speed I/O lines.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sem/sem126.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sem1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] ADAPTER PUTS NEW PQFPS ON OLD BOARD DESIGNS
(Aries Electronics, 21 January 2005)
Aries Electronics has a new adapter that enables designers to replace
a 132-pin PQFP package IC with the newer 144-pin TQFP with no need for
board redesign or rework. The top of the new Aries adapter reroutes
the pinout of the 144-pin device, such as the Motorola DSP56002, to
make it compatible with the 132-pin device footprint on the existing
PC board.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aie/aie132.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aie1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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MOSFETS STAY COOL IN PLASMA DISPLAYS
(Ixys Semiconductor, 21 January 2005)
A new family of power MOSFETs have been designed into Samsung plasma
display panels, including the largest PDP TV ever built with a
diagonal viewing dimension of 102in.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ixy/ixy108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ixy1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
POE CHIP POWERS UP DESKTOP SWITCH
(PowerDsine UK, 21 January 2005)
Netgear is using PowerDsine's IEEE802.3af compatible PD64004 PoE
solution in its newly released ProSafe eight-port 10/100 desktop
switch with four-port PoE.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/prd/prd107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:prd1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ADAPTER HELPS ASSESS US HOMELAND SECURITY
(Performance Technologies, 24 January 2005)
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) is using the Performance
Technologies communications products and software in simulation and
testing applications designed for the US Government.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pfo/pfo138.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pfo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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GENERAL AVAILABILITY FOR UMTS/EDGE SOLUTION
(Agere Systems, 25 January 2005)
Available now from Agere Systems is a chipset and software solution
for mass market, dual-mode UMTS/Edge multimedia mobile handsets
enabling seamless handovers between 3G/UMTS and 2.5G/Edge networks.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age166.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RF FRONT-END SOLUTIONS TAKE MORE ONBOARD
(SiGe Semiconductor, 25 January 2005)
SiGe Semiconductor has expanded its series of Wi-Fi integrated
circuits with RF front-end solutions specifically designed to reduce
size and minimise battery drain of portable consumer electronics.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sif/sif162.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sif1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LONG-LIFE CLAIMS FOR ALUMINIUM ELECTROLYTICS
(NIC Eurotech, 20 January 2005)
A new series of miniature aluminium electrolytic capacitors combines
ultralow impedance with long life and low temperature stability.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nic/nic140.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nic1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PRECISION CHIP RESISTORS SHRINK AND GROW
(Tyco Electronics UK, 20 January 2005)
The Holsworthy RN73 series of ultraprecision chip resistors has been
extended to offer smaller sizes and greater resistance value ranges.
Free brochure on Holsworthy RN73 series:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tya/181/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tya/tya181.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tya1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ACTIVE FILTERS BANISH DC/DC CONVERTOR EMI
(Vicor UK, 25 January 2005)
Three new additions to the QPI family of active EMI filters support 24
and 48V DC/DC convertor applications with higher current ratings and
lower costs.
Free brochure on Picor QPI family:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/vic/123/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vic/vic123.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vic1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DESIGN FLOW ADDRESSES TO WIRELESS CHALLENGES
(Cadence Design Systems, 25 January 2005)
New software aims to give wireless chip designers and manufacturers
better insight into the mixed-signal and radio frequency challenges
that significantly impact wireless design.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cad/cad262.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cad2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
EMBEDDED OS AIMS FOR THE POINT OF SALE
(LynuxWorks, 24 January 2005)
A new embedded Linux point-of-sale (POS) solution targets the
worldwide retail market.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lyn/lyn170.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lyn1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SOFTWARE KEEPS CHECK ON MATERIALS COMPLIANCE
(MatrixOne, 25 January 2005)
MatrixOne Materials Compliance Central is designed to enable companies
to adhere to and keep pace with new environmental compliance
regulations throughout the product development process.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mix/mix103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mix1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
VIRTUAL PROTOTYPING FOR RF AND MICROWAVE DEVICES
(Vector Fields, 25 January 2005)
A new software package extends the concept of "virtual prototyping" to
RF and microwave devices.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vct/vct107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vct1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CABLE CONQUERS CROSSTALK CONCERNS
(AMP Netconnect, 25 January 2005)
A new copper cabling system aims to overcome alien crosstalk effects
in 10Gbit Ethernet installations.
Free brochure on AMP Netconnect XG:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/amc/124/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/amc/amc124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:amc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RECORDER, MULTIMETER AND SCOPE COME TOGETHER
(Metrix Electronics, 20 January 2005)
Combining recorder, multimeter and oscilloscope functions in one
compact unit - the new Sefram DAS 1200 is ideal for many industrial
and electrical troubleshooting or maintenance applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mei/mei103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mei1[-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
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