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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 201: 1 February 2005
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Electronicstalk operates a double opt-in subscription policy.
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20874 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] Optical link extends to handle automotive extremes
[2] Analyser gets to grips with DSL device performance
[3] MEMS motion sensor has three axes covered
[4] Serial EEPROM expands to target Flash applications
[5] MCU adds advanced analogue for power control
[6] Two inductors in one save space and costs
[7] USB drives take novel sharing technology onboard
[8] Software turns to ultrawideband design
[9] JFETs promise to keep the noise down
[10] Silicone spray protects without taping
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
If the levels of preview activity are anything to go by, this month's
3GSM in Cannes and Embedded World in Nuremberg are both shaping up to
be extremely worthwhile exhibitions. But for those of you without the
travel budget to justify trotting round Europe, rest assured that we
will be there in spirit, and will carry all the major developments
from both shows here in our newsletter, and in greater depth on the
Electronicstalk website.
Meanwhile, back in the real world of electronics manufacturing, the
WEEE and RoHS Directives continue to loom ever larger, with three
interesting perspectives appearing on Electronicstalk over the past
week.
In our news section (below) you will find a link to a sobering warning
from Paul Blundell of Blundell Production Equipment, who cautions that
(as with any legislation) for the vast majority of manufacturers the
effective date for compliance must be several months before the quoted
deadline. So, in effect, the deadline to have Pb-free processing in
place is really December 2005. "There are literally hundreds of wave
soldering machines out there that will need major on-site modification
or renewal", he says. See
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bun/bun125.html for the full
story.
On a slightly different note, battery manufacturer Duracell has
published the results of a survey which suggests that designers are
too slow to adopt new battery technologies - preferring to stick with
tried and tested AA cells when newer rechargeable technologies might
offer a cleaner solution. The one highpoint, though, is that those
surveyed recognise that the impending legislation will have a major
impact on their future choices of batteries. Read more at
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gil/gil103.html.
Finally, I was delighted last week to come across a new resource for
anyone looking for further guidance on the RoHS directive and its
possible implications. In our first article from the elegantly named
RoHSwell.com, Ray Franklin contends that although PVC narrowly missed
inclusion in the directive its future decline is inevitable. Read the
full article at http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ros/ros100.html.
Finally, a quick apology to all those of you who spotted last week's
deliberate mistake and wrote in asking what had happened to Issue 200
of the Electronicstalk Newsletter. It was of course last week's issue
(erroneously tagged as Issue 201).
I hope you find this issue (the real Issue 201) 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!
AGERE POSITIONS ITSELF FOR GROWTH
Agere Systems has reported that revenues for the first quarter of
fiscal 2005, ended 31st December 2004, were $410 million, at the high
end of the guidance range provided by the company in October.
Agere Systems, 26 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age167.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FAIRCHILD LOOKS TO STRONGER PROFIT PERFORMANCE
Fairchild Semiconductor has reported results for the fourth quarter
and full year ended 26th December 2004.
Fairchild Semiconductor, 26 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fai/fai329.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fai3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ZARLINK CUTS LOSSES AGAIN
Zarlink Semiconductor has released results for the fiscal 2005 third
quarter ended 24th December 2004.
Zarlink Semiconductor, 28 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mif/mif193.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mif1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
POLARFAB HITS ITS TARGETS
Despite a soft market, PolarFab achieved 100% of its sales/revenue
plan for 2004.
PolarFab, 28 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pgt/pgt132.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pgt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ALLIANCE EXTENDS TO TESTING AND PACKAGING
The Crolles2 Alliance partners have extended the scope of their joint
semiconductor activities to include R and D related to wafer testing
and packaging.
Philips Semiconductors, 1 February 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/phi/phi294.html
or send a blank email to mailto:phi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
EARNINGS RISE FOR IR
International Rectifier has reported adjusted earnings of $44.8
million (or $0.62 per share) for the December quarter.
International Rectifier, 31 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sil/sil211.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sil2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LAST-MINUTE ROHS COMPLIANCE MAY SPELL DISASTER
Time is much shorter than most people imagine for RoHS compliance, and
electronics companies are being warned that they risk leaving it too
late to make the change.
Blundell Production Equipment, 31 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bun/bun125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:bun1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW NAME IN ELECTRONICS DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE
TES is a new independent full service electronics design and
manufacture company formed through the acquisition of Thales
Electronic Solutions business by a group of investors.
TES, 1 February 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tez/tez100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tez1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FIBRE-OPTIC ACQUISITION COMPLETED
Finisar has completed the acquisition of certain assets associated
with the design, development and manufacture of optical transceiver
products from Infineon's fibre optics business unit.
Finisar Corp, 1 February 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fni/fni131.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fni1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DESIGNERS SLOW TO ADOPT NEW BATTERY TECHNOLOGY
A new European study reveals that designers of digital devices -
digital cameras, for example - are not necessarily using the most
suitable power sources available to them.
The Gillette Company, 1 February 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gil/gil103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:gil1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MIDSPAN PATENT CASE RESOLVED
PowerDsine has settled its litigation with System Engineering
International and has granted the company a licence to use its US
patent for Midspan PoE products.
PowerDsine UK, 27 January 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/prd/prd108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:prd1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NI POSTS NEW RECORD INCOME FOR Q4
National Instruments has reported record fourth quarter revenue of
$137 million, a 9% sequential increase from Q3 2004.
National Instruments, 1 February 2005
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa183.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] OPTICAL LINK EXTENDS TO HANDLE AUTOMOTIVE EXTREMES
(Agilent Technologies, 1 February 2005)
Agilent Technologies is claiming the world's first optical transmitter
and receiver to offer an extended operating temperature range of -40
to +95C for use in automobile multimedia networks. The devices also
provide the highest optical link budget of 14.5dB, surpassing the 13dB
limit of competing products, thereby increasing the distance and
reliability of the communication link. The devices are compliant with
the MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) specification, the
automotive industry's multimedia, fibre-optic networking standard.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/agi/271/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi271.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] ANALYSER GETS TO GRIPS WITH DSL DEVICE PERFORMANCE
(TraceSpan Communications, 1 February 2005)
Leveraging patent-pending technology, DSL Xpert 2208 breaks new ground
as the industry's only nonintrusive performance-analysis solution for
ADSL2+, ADSL2 and ADSL products. DSL Xpert is an easy-to-use modular
tool designed for R and D, QA and laboratory engineers engaged in the
deployment of ADSL2+, ADSL2 and ADSL standard-compliant solutions. The
innovative DSL Xpert analyser verifies the interoperability of ADSL
products offered by different vendors, and compares the performance of
any combination of central office (CO) and customer premises equipment
(CPE) modems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tce/tce106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tce1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] MEMS MOTION SENSOR HAS THREE AXES COVERED
(Analog Devices, 1 February 2005)
Analog Devices is expanding its industry-leading
micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology to three-axis motion
sensing. ADI's three-axis iMEMS (integrated MEMS) Motion Signal
Processing technology will enable very small, low power three-axis
(x-y-z) accelerometers which combine a tiny, robust motion sensor and
advanced signal conditioning circuitry on a single, low-power chip.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/anc/anc274.html
or send a blank email to mailto:anc2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] SERIAL EEPROM EXPANDS TO TARGET FLASH APPLICATIONS
(Saifun Semiconductors, 1 February 2005)
Saifun Semiconductors is claiming an industry first with the release
of the SA25C020 2Mbit SPI EEPROM. The new device provides a
combination of small size SO8 package, low power consumption and high
performance previously unavailable in the market. Saifun's serial
EEPROM products are designed and tested for applications requiring
high endurance and low power consumption for a continuously reliable
nonvolatile solution.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sae/sae100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sae1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] MCU ADDS ADVANCED ANALOGUE FOR POWER CONTROL
(Microchip Technology, 1 February 2005)
New from Microchip Technology, the PIC16F785 microcontroller provides
a complete set of integrated peripherals for cost-effective digital
control in power-conversion designs. This 8bit Flash microcontroller
has a large complement of onboard analogue peripherals, including
analogue-to-digital convertors (A/Ds), comparators, a voltage
reference and two operational amplifiers (op amps), which also appeals
to a broad range of sensing and closed-loop control applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ari/ari186.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ari1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] TWO INDUCTORS IN ONE SAVE SPACE AND COSTS
(Pulse, 1 February 2005)
Pulse has introduced the PA0766NLT Power Bead inductor, which contains
two independent inductors integrated into a single core structure and
part number, with no magnetic coupling between them. Replacing two
discrete inductors with one Power Bead inductor reduces the footprint
and the PCB cost and improves circuit performance. The PA0766NLT
series can be used in any multiphase circuit application.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pls/pls133.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pls1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] USB DRIVES TAKE NOVEL SHARING TECHNOLOGY ONBOARD
(Xmultiple Technologies, 31 January 2005)
Xmultiple has developed a revolutionary, new and patent pending
technology called FlashPoint. FlashPoint provides users the freedom to
transfer files between Flash drives, 'sharing-on-the-go' (SOTG),
without the need of a notebook computer or cumbersome USB bridges.
SOTG technology is embedded into Xmutliple's ShareDrive line of USB
Flash memory pen drives.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/xmu/xmu101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:xmu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] SOFTWARE TURNS TO ULTRAWIDEBAND DESIGN
(Ansoft Corporation Europe, 28 January 2005)
Available now from Ansoft Corp is an ultrawideband (UWB) design
library for designers of multiband orthogonal frequency division
multiplexed (OFDM) radio systems. The kit, for use with Ansoft
Designer, allows engineers to generate and detect Multiband OFDM
Alliance (MBOA)-compliant OFDM waveforms for system- and circuit-level
simulations.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ans/ans202.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ans2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] JFETS PROMISE TO KEEP THE NOISE DOWN
(Linear Integrated Systems, 27 January 2005)
New from Linear Integrated Systems, the LSK170 series of JFETs is
optimised to provide low noise at both high and low frequency with a
narrow range of IDSS and low capacitance. The LSK170's low noise to
capacitance ratio and narrow range of low value IDSS provide solutions
for low noise applications which cannot tolerate high values of
capacitance or wide ranges of IDSS.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lie/lie100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lie1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] SILICONE SPRAY PROTECTS WITHOUT TAPING
(Anderson and Associates Aerosol Division, 1 February 2005)
AeroCure is a novel silicone spray for electrical connections that
protects against moisture and temperature variances without impeding
electrical conductivity. Once sprayed, the material cures to a
conformal coating. The thickness of the coating can be built up to as
much as 0.635mm with multiple applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ann/ann100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ann1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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CRYSTALS SURVIVE ON MISSION TO TITAN
(C-Mac Microtechnology, 28 January 2005)
After more than seven years in space, crystal units supplied by C-Mac
Frequency Products have been successfully activated on the Huygens
Probe en route to Titan.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cma/cma106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cma1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COMPILER HELPS SANYO REDUCE POWER CONSUMPTION
(Cadence Design Systems, 27 January 2005)
Sanyo has achieved an important production tapeout with the Cadence
Encounter digital IC design platform, including RTL Compiler
synthesis.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cad/cad264.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cad2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PICK AND PLACE MACHINE ABSORBS PRODUCTION PEAKS
(Blundell Production Equipment, 27 January 2005)
Flame detection equipment maker Talentum Developments has seen a big
improvement in PCB quality and throughput since installing a TWS
Quadra Laser pick and place machine.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bun/bun124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:bun1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
THE FUTURE DECLINE OF PVC
(RoHSwell.com, 26 January 2005)
The most widely used plastic on the planet is facing an uncertain
future, reports Ray Franklin.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ros/ros100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ros1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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LED DRIVER KEEPS BIG BACKLIGHTS FLICKER FREE
(Catalyst Semiconductor, 27 January 2005)
Catalyst Semiconductor has expanded its family of solid-state
illumination products with the addition of a new high-efficiency white
LED driver.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cat/cat131.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cat1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONVERTORS BRING ACCURACY TO AC MEASUREMENT
(Linear Technology Corp, 26 January 2005)
Two new true RMS-to-DC conversion ICs claim new standards for
accuracy, linearity and size.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MOSFET DRIVERS CUT PASSIVES DOWN TO SIZE
(Vishay Siliconix, 1 February 2005)
Four new high-speed, half-bridge N-channel MOSFET driver ICs are
designed for use in high-frequency, high-current, single- and
multiphase DC/DC switching power supplies.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vsh/vsh116.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vsh1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SOFTWARE GETS TO GRIPS WITH FIXED-POINT DESIGN
(The MathWorks, 26 January 2005)
A new Fixed-Point Toolbox and Simulink Fixed Point bring fixed-point
design capabilities to Matlab and enhanced fixed-point simulation in
Simulink.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mth/mth136.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mth1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
STARTER KIT PUTS MCU TO WORK ON APPLIANCES
(Toshiba Electronics Europe, 1 February 2005)
A new development platform provides all the hardware and software
needed to design, prototype, test and debug embedded applications
targeted at the industrial and home appliance market.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tos/tos254.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tos2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FIBRE CABLES GO ROUND FOR EASIER HANDLING
(Molex UK, 1 February 2005)
Greater flexibility, easier installation and reduced attenuation are
among the advantages offered by new MPO optical round ribbon cable
assemblies from Molex.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mol/mol179.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
WAVE SOLDER FLUX CUTS OUT VOCS FOR PB-FREE PROCESS
(Indium Corporation of America, 28 January 2005)
A new wave solder flux is specifically designed to meet the process
demands of Pb-free manufacturing.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/idi/idi145.html
or send a blank email to mailto:idi1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FOUR ES A JOLLY GOOD ACQUISITION SYSTEM
(Acces I/O Products, 27 January 2005)
The Model E4-DAS takes its name from being an easy to use, Ethernet
enabled, embedded and environmentally adaptable PC/104-based data
acquisition system.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aes/aes101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aes1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
AUTOMOTIVE DATA LOGGER HITS THE STREETS
(Si-Gate, 27 January 2005)
Si-Gate has developed a versatile automotive data logger suitable for
gathering important vehicle information in real time.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/siq/siq101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:siq1[-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:
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