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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: 23,750
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 214: 03 May 2005
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22,852 product announcements and technical articles on our
website http://www.electronicstalk.com/ - all fully searchable
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In this issue:
* Editor's Message
* Other industry news
* Our Top new products selection
[1] RF mixers cut basestation power drain
[2] Antennas optimise low power radio performance
[3] Development kits Spring into action
[4] Compact board hosts FPGA development
[5] Baseboard is ready for M2M communications
[6] Distribution units fit 14 outlets in 1U
[7] Expansion module puts four slots on cPCI
[8] Economical management cuts GbE port costs
[9] Waveform digitisers reduce waiting time
[10] Phototriac couplers shrink into 4-pin DIPs
* New technical articles and case studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
I must admit to a little chuckle when I heard the latest figures from the Semiconductor Industry Association - www.sia-online.org. Let's be honest, there's nothing like seeing supposedly authoritative industry pundits wiping the egg off their collective faces, and the "surprising" news that chip sales grew a 13.2% in Q1 2005 compared with 2004 has left many reaching for the Kleenex.
What's more, the SIA is quick to point out that Q1 2004 was considered at the time to be a "strong" quarter, and puts this year's growth down to higher than expected sales of wireless handsets, personal computers and consumer electronics, which seems to pretty much cover the entire electronics end user marketplace.
On a completely different subject, my comments last week about the vagaries of the English language spurred a larger than usual postbag. Suffice it to say that English remains the language of the electronics industry, and we at Electronicstalk will do all we can to ensure that we continue to use "real" English, rather than some hybrid form of the language.
Mind you, some of your comments from last week are worthy of exposure. For example (when discussing the difference between electronic engineers and electronics engineers), I was rather taken with the answer: "When asked if I am an electrical or mechanical engineer, I usually reply that I am biological". And (on the subject of navel electronics) "A glance a round a selection of today's 'short-shirted' females might suggest they have been equipped with antennas for use in the 6 to 15GHz range. Quite what intelligence is likely to be transmitted or received is of course anybody's guess!".
Finally, though, it would be remiss of me not to mention the final mission of the UK's only space-capable rocket, the Skylark. The first was launched in Australia in the year of my birth (1957), and the final Skylark (the 441st) has just completed its mission following its launch yesterday from northern Sweden. I hate to say it, but the UK has finally dropped out of the space race.
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 email alone: see details below.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make the site or the newsletter better, email 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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AGERE MAINTAINS SOLID FINANCIAL FOOTING
(Agere Systems, 27 Apr 2005)
Agere Systems has reported that revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2005, ended 31st March, were $417 million, at the high end of the guidance range provided by the company in January.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age172.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
IR ON TRACK TO HIGHER MARGINS
(International Rectifier, 02 May 2005)
International Rectifier has reported adjusted earnings of $41.7 million (or $0.56 per share) for the March quarter - a 40% increase over the prior-year quarter.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sil/sil221.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sil2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ON GOES BACK INTO THE BLACK
(ON Semiconductor, 29 Apr 2005)
ON Semiconductor Corp has revealed that total revenues in the first quarter of 2005 were $302.4 million, a decline of approximately 1% from the fourth quarter of 2004.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/onw/onw182.html
or send a blank email to mailto:onw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RECORD BUDGET FOR IMEC
(IMEC, 02 May 2005)
During its General Assembly last week IMEC revealed that its self-generated revenues rose by more than 12% during 2004, reaching some Eur 125 million.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ime/ime163.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ime1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
REVENUES UP FOR CADENCE
(Cadence Design Systems, 02 May 2005)
Cadence Design Systems has reported first quarter 2005 revenue of $293 million, an increase of 10% over the $266 million reported for the same period last year.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cad/cad282.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cad2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RECORD HIGHS FOR OMRON
(Omron Corp, 28 Apr 2005)
Omron Corp has posted record financial results for the fiscal year ending 31st March 2005.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oro/oro122.html
or send a blank email to mailto:oro1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ACQUISITION AIDS THERMAL CHARACTERISATION
(Flomerics, 03 May 2005)
Flomerics has acquired MicReD - a Hungarian based company formed in 1997 as a spinoff from Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flo/flo146.html
or send a blank email to mailto:flo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DISAPPOINTING FIRST QUARTER FOR ARTESYN
(Artesyn Technologies, 02 May 2005)
Artesyn Technologies has reported financial results for the first quarter ending on 1st April 2005.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/art/art198.html
or send a blank email to mailto:art1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
WILLTEK HEADS NORTH
(Willtek Communications, 02 May 2005)
Willtek Communications has opened its new office for the UK operations in Cheadle Hulme near Manchester.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wil/wil127.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wil1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP NEW PRODUCT SELECTION
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[1] RF MIXERS CUT BASESTATION POWER DRAIN
(Linear Technology Corp, 03 May 2005)
Two new RF active mixers from Linear Technology feature low power and high performance, making them ideal for wireless infrastructure transceiver and portable radio applications. The LT5525 and LT5526 consume only one-half the power of other high performance mixers, while delivering excellent linearity to meet the requirements of cellular and wireless repeaters, pico-basestations, point-to-point wireless links and mobile radios. The LT5526 features an IIP3 (input third-order intercept) of 16.5dBm at 900MHz, and a noise figure of 11dB.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne153.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] ANTENNAS OPTIMISE LOW POWER RADIO PERFORMANCE
(Low Power Radio Solutions, 28 Apr 2005)
Low Power Radio Solutions has introduced a range of reliable, low cost antennas for use in transmitters, receivers or transceivers in industrial and commercial data transmission and control applications. The antenna can often be the weakest link in any wireless system. A good antenna will almost certainly improve range performance and these antennas have been carefully selected so that users can achieve the optimum range performance from the LPRS easy-Radio range of radio modules.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/low/low125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:low1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] DEVELOPMENT KITS SPRING INTO ACTION
(Zilog, 03 May 2005)
For a limited time only, development kits for the Zilog Z8 Encore! XP 8-pin microcontroller will be available for just US $9.95, a huge 80% discount on the regular US $49.95 retail price. Zilog's "Spring into action" promotion runs until 30th June 2005 and provides the design community - from professional engineers to design students to hobbyists - with a cost-effective means to experiment and explore the wealth of design possibilities of the 8-pin Z8 Encore! XP. The device offers designers a unique opportunity for developing applications in areas as diverse as motor control, security systems, battery charging, power supply design, electronic cooling, small domestic appliances, personal electronic devices, home automation and sensors.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/zil/zil146.html
or send a blank email to mailto:zil1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] COMPACT BOARD HOSTS FPGA DEVELOPMENT
(Opal Kelly, 03 May 2005)
Opal Kelly has released the XEM3001 Spartan-3 experimentation module, a business-card-sized board with high-speed USB 2.0 support and multiple-output PLL clock generator. Also included with the module is Opal Kelly's FrontPanel application for downloading configuration files to the 400,000-gate FPGA as well as an easy-to-use C++/Python/Java API under Windows and Linux for communicating with the module in custom applications. Intended for OEMs interested in integrating USB and/or FPGA functionality into new or existing designs, the module is also well suited as a learning platform for students and hobbyists.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/opl/opl100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:opl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] BASEBOARD IS READY FOR M2M COMMUNICATIONS
(Arcom, 02 May 2005)
Arcom has released a versatile PC/104 baseboard suitable for adding cellular wireless communications to any embedded machine-to-machine (M2M) system. The WEB-Telemetry (wireless-embedded-baseboard for telemetry) includes sites to locate several leading iDEN and GPRS/GSM cellular modems from Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Siemens. The board also serves as a wide input (10-30V) regulated power supply for a PC/104 processor board, as well as providing an integrated Trimble GPS receiver module and digital inputs for status signals.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/arc/140/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/arc/arc140.html
or send a blank email to mailto:arc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] DISTRIBUTION UNITS FIT 14 OUTLETS IN 1U
(Bryant Broadcast and Data Communications, 02 May 2005)
Bryant Broadcast has introduced a major new range of 14-way AC power distribution units with a 20A PowerCon inlet and 14 x 10A IEC outlets packaged in the footprint of a standard 10- or 12-outlet 1U rack mount mains unit. The units are built to the exacting wiring/earthing standards required by the BBC and do not use PCBs to carry mains voltage.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bry/bry106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:bry1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] EXPANSION MODULE PUTS FOUR SLOTS ON CPCI
(Mayteck Ltd, 02 May 2005)
Mayteck has developed a novel expansion module that permits up to four standard PCI cards to be inserted into a single CompactPCI slot. The bridge module gives CompactPCI system developers access to the large number of PCI boards available worldwide enabling them to reduce their time to market. The expansion unit is inserted in a free device slot of CompactPCI backplane.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/may/may100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:may1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] ECONOMICAL MANAGEMENT CUTS GBE PORT COSTS
(Agere Systems, 03 May 2005)
Agere Systems has announced a Gigabit Ethernet chip solution for switches that offers 10 times the performance in bandwidth and speed delivering voice, video and data traffic compared with currently deployed switching equipment, in a huge number of business networks globally - at a fraction of the cost. This massive performance improvement at much lower prices transforms today's unmanaged data networks into much more intelligent, multimedia-rich converged infrastructure. The improvement in performance and cost is likely to cause the avalanche migration from Fast Ethernet (10/100Mbit/s) networks to Gigabit Ethernet across virtually all business applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age174.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] WAVEFORM DIGITISERS REDUCE WAITING TIME
(Alazar Technologies, 29 Apr 2005)
AlazarTech, the manufacturer of high performance, low cost PC based Instruments, has announced the launch of the ATS460 family of 14bit PCI waveform digitisers capable of sampling two simultaneous analogue inputs at rates up to 125Msample/s on each channel. This new PCI digitiser family is targeted for the needs of OEM customers and applications involving ultrasonic imaging and inspection, medical imaging, telecommunication test, manufacturing test and scientific research and development.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aaz/aaz101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aaz1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] PHOTOTRIAC COUPLERS SHRINK INTO 4-PIN DIPS
(Toshiba Electronics Europe, 27 Apr 2005)
Toshiba Electronics Europe has launched a range of miniature phototriac couplers in packages that are significantly smaller than previous devices with the same isolation ratings. The new TLP360J and TLP361J phototriac couplers allow designers of applications such as office equipment, triac drivers and solid state relays to save space without compromising safety. Approved to international safety standards, the TLP360J and TLP361J phototriac couplers consist of a phototriac optically coupled to a gallium-arsenide (GaAs) infra-red LED.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tos/tos266.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tos2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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FRUGAL MCU SAVES POWER FOR WATCH-SIZED RADAR
(Texas Instruments, 28 Apr 2005)
Sonic Instruments has designed its new watch-sized radar speed system using ultra-low-power microcontroller, DSP and analogue technologies from Texas Instruments.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex814.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex8[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NOVEL PUSHBUTTONS HELP KEEP SHOWERS CLEAN
(Duraswitch, 02 May 2005)
Duraswitch licensee AP Industrial is producing control panels using PushGate pushbutton technology for the Shower-Shower, a patented automatic shower cleaning system.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dur/dur144.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dur1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DOUBLE-SIDED OPTION UPGRADES CABLE MARKER
(Contax, 28 Apr 2005)
Elite Electronics, Northern Ireland's leading contract electronics manufacturer has upgraded its Gamma 333PC by adding a new double-sided Komax ims 291 black ink jet marker.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cnt/cnt135.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cnt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured new product news
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VIDEO MULTIPLEXERS CLAIM SPEED RECORD
(Intersil, 29 Apr 2005)
With 500MHz performance, the EL4342 and EL4340 are billed as the world's fastest video multiplexers and can easily support UXGA resolutions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ina/ina346.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ina3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PROGRAMMABLE HDD CONTROLLER WORKS WITH XSCALE
(QuickLogic, 03 May 2005)
QuickLogic Corp has released a uWatt programmable controller optimised for the Intel PXA2XX processor line based on XScale technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/qui/qui157.html
or send a blank email to mailto:qui1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DSP TACKLES INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH TASKS
(Texas Instruments, 27 Apr 2005)
Further strengthening its high-performance roadmap in the DSP market, Texas Instruments has released production-qualified samples of its TMS320C6418 digital signal processor at 500MHz.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex813.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex8[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SLIMLINE REGULATOR POWERS UP TFT PANELS
(Maxim Integrated Products, 29 Apr 2005)
The MAX8739 is a high-performance step-up regulator with two high-current op amps for active-matrix thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays in notebook and automotive applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/max/max223.html
or send a blank email to mailto:max2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BOARD SUPPORTS EMBEDDED FPGA CORE DESIGN
(Pender Electronic Design, 29 Apr 2005)
A new board supports the early development and fast prototyping of small Leon based systems and computer peripherals and offers general purpose FPGA development environment.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pnd/pnd101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pnd1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PROGRAMMER BRINGS SOFTWARE UPGRADES TO HAND
(Kanda.com, 27 Apr 2005)
A new miniature programmer in a keyfob case is small, easy to use and portable, allowing field upgrades to be carried out by unskilled staff, or by the mail, and helping to eliminate operator errors.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kad/kad100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kad1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COMPUTER HOUSINGS KEEP REMOVABLE DRIVES SECURE
(Rittal, 27 Apr 2005)
ATX rack mount industrial computer housings include 2 and 4U versions with lockable doors to cover the replaceable media bays for the prevention of unauthorised use.
Request free details from the supplier on ATX rack mount industrial computer housings:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/rit/191/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rit/rit191.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rit1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
METAL MATRIX MAKES IGBT BASEPLATES
(CPS Corp, 03 May 2005)
The AlSiC (aluminium silicon carbide) metal matrix composite from CPS Corp is ideally suited as a thermal management material for insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) baseplates.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/csc/csc107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:csc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
THREE-PHASE SWITCHERS HANDLE LARGE PEAK LOADS
(Astec Power, 02 May 2005)
Emerson Network Power has added new three-phase models to the popular ADN Series of DIN-rail switching power supplies from Astec Power.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ast/ast118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ast1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ANALOGUE INPUT BOARD BOASTS MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE
(Hardent, 29 Apr 2005)
New from Hardent, the ADC features eight differential analogue inputs capturing signals in the range of ±10V at up to 100Ksample/s per channel with 14bit resolution.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/had/had101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:had1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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