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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: 23,740
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 219: 07 June 2005
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23,633 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] Low-power transceiver is a first in medical RF
[2] System design tool gets to grips with protocols
[3] Power detectors shrink for handset duties
[4] Speedy analysers handle latest fast serial buses
[5] Analogue circuit simulator is free to download
[6] Power connectors handle up to 32A
[7] Virtex-II Pro and PowerPC come together onboard
[8] VME single board computer hits budget price point
[9] Lead-free SBC leads green revolution
[10] Audio codec has a split personality
* New technical articles and case studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
In the latest news from our "lies, damn lies and statistics" channel,
I must admit to a little surprise in learning that Europe still has a
(relatively) thriving PC industry.
A new report from IT Europa (www.iteuropa.com) entitled "PC
manufacturers and assemblers in Europe, the top 500" reveals that the
value of products assembled by Europe's top 500 suppliers reached $89
billion in 2004, and will go through the $90 billion barrier in 2005.
The report is quick to point out that manufacturers in Europe have
quite sensibly shied away from the hyper-competitive mass market and
are concentrating on premium models - both in terms of performance and
added features, such as physical design.
Meanwhile, on the technology front, Freescale Semiconductor has stolen
a march this week with its work in collaboration with the University
of Florida in creating the industry's first double-gate transistor
model (see Industry News below).
The crucial aspect of the new FinFET device is that the second gate
promises to provide enhanced control over charge carriers moving
through the transistor - long recognised as one of the fundamental
problems when shrinking a conventional planar MOSFET structure down to
the 45nm levels required by coming generations of devices.
It seems Moore's Law may still have some mileage left in it.
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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DOUBLE-GATE TRANSISTOR REWRITES THE RULES
(Freescale Semiconductor, 03 Jun 2005)
Freescale Semiconductor and the University of Florida have created the
industry's first double-gate transistor model.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mot/mot204.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mot2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MIMIX ACQUIRES CELERITEK
(Mimix Broadband, 07 Jun 2005)
Mimix Broadband has completed the purchase of substantially all of
Celeritek's assets.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mio/mio105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mio1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
WIRELESS CHIPSET STARTUP RAISES EUR 9 MILLION
(Nanoradio, 01 Jun 2005)
A syndicate of four venture capital funds consisting of Nordic Venture
Partners, Innovacom, Teknoinvest and Industrifonden has invested Eur 9
million in Nanoradio headquartered in Kista, Sweden.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nao/nao100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nao1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MANUFACTURING FACILITY ANSWERS HUNGARIAN DEMAND
(Laird Technologies, 01 Jun 2005)
Laird Technologies has opened a new manufacturing facility in
Szombathely, Hungary.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lir/lir104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lir1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ONE NAME IS OK FOR THE WHOLE RANGE
(OK International, 02 Jun 2005)
OK International is consolidating its Metcal, Techcon Systems and
Impell product lines under the single corporate brand - OK
International.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oin/oin116.html
or send a blank email to mailto:oin1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
QUEEN'S AWARDS ARE OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS
(Queen's Awards for Enterprise, 02 Jun 2005)
Successful electronics companies are being invited to apply now for a
chance to win a Queen's Awards for Enterprise - the UK's most
prestigious award for business-related achievement.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/que/que102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:que1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ONLY THE NAME HAS CHANGED
(Powerstax, 06 Jun 2005)
Powerstax is the new name announced for the power solutions provider
Advanced Power Conversion of Farnborough, England.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/apc/apc136.html
or send a blank email to mailto:apc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
WADSWORTH AND BLAZEPOINT COME TOGETHER
(Wadsworth Electronics, 07 Jun 2005)
Wadsworth Electronics and Blazepoint have amalgamated to form
Wadsworth Technology Group.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wad/wad118.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wad1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DIGI PULLS A RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT
(Digi International, 03 Jun 2005)
Digi International has acquired Rabbit Semiconductor, the manufacturer
of the popular Rabbit line of microprocessors and microprocessor-based
core modules and Z-World single board computers.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dii/dii112.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dii1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP NEW PRODUCT SELECTION
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[1] LOW-POWER TRANSCEIVER IS A FIRST IN MEDICAL RF
(Zarlink Semiconductor, 06 Jun 2005)
Zarlink Semiconductor has introduced the world's first transceiver
chip designed exclusively for wireless communication systems that link
implanted medical devices and basestations. The ZL70100 ultra
low-power transceiver chip fully meets the MICS standard defined by
the FCC and ETSI. No other commercially available chip designed for
implanted communication systems matches the datarate, ultra-low-power
performance and high level of integration delivered by the ZL70100
transceiver. Zarlink's ultra-low-power RF technology allows high-speed
500Kbit/s data transmission over a typical 2m range. In comparison,
previous implanted communication systems relied on magnetic coupling
between coils in an in-body device and a basestation.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mif/mif199.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mif1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] SYSTEM DESIGN TOOL GETS TO GRIPS WITH PROTOCOLS
(Bellum, 07 Jun 2005)
Newcomer Bellum Software has released its first product, a visual tool
for high-end design and protocol mapping for electronic system designs
(ESD), such as large ASICs and full custom chips. The new tool,
Protocollum, offers the ability to create a high level architectural
model that facilitates comprehension of architectural behaviour by
providing graphical visualisation and allowing user interaction.
Bellum's Protocollum product enables an engineer to quickly specify,
implement and validate communication protocols. It allows the engineer
to capture and edit the rules which define the protocol behaviour.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/beu/beu100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:beu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] POWER DETECTORS SHRINK FOR HANDSET DUTIES
(Analog Devices, 06 Jun 2005)
Analog Devices has released what it reckons are the industry's
smallest power measurement ICs for cellular handsets. Adding to its
extensive portfolio of RF ICs, ADI has developed new power detector
and power controller ICs that offer high accuracy and temperature
stability in tiny, 0.6mm-thick packages. Analog Devices' power
detectors and controllers use precision circuit design to accurately
measure and control transmitter output signals independent of
temperature variations, helping to reduce power consumption and making
them essential components in cellular handsets.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/anc/306/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/anc/anc306.html
or send a blank email to mailto:anc3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] SPEEDY ANALYSERS HANDLE LATEST FAST SERIAL BUSES
(Tektronix, 03 Jun 2005)
Tektronix has released two new logic analysers - the TLA7012 portable
mainframe and TLA7016 benchtop mainframe. The mainframes are
compatible with all TLA modules and provide throughput that is at
least three times faster than previous mainframe models enabling
faster data analysis and more rapid zooming, searching, filtering and
scrolling. Both use Windows XP Professional and the latest Intel
Pentium processors to provide analysis speed that is twice as fast as
the nearest competitor.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tek/tek224.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tek2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] ANALOGUE CIRCUIT SIMULATOR IS FREE TO DOWNLOAD
(Texas Instruments, 06 Jun 2005)
Tina-TI is a powerful, easy-to-use circuit simulation program for
designing, simulating and analysing analogue electronic circuits. The
free, Windows-based software program is available for download from
the TI website. Installed within the program is TI's extensive library
of macromodels for precision and high-speed amplifiers. Example
circuits for each macromodel show simulation results and serve as an
excellent starting point for more complex designs. Tina-TI, a special
complimentary version of Tina Pro prepared by DesignSoft exclusively
for TI, offers extensive analysis options.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex834.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex8[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] POWER CONNECTORS HANDLE UP TO 32A
(Phoenix Contact, 03 Jun 2005)
Phoenix Contact's new Power Combicon PC 5 plug connector system, based
on the PC 4 system, has a compact pitch of 7.62mm, a nominal voltage
of 600V (UL approved) with a permitted current of 32A. An integrated
steel upper spring provides additional contact reliability, especially
during extreme changes in power or temperature. The system has been
designed for 2- to 12-pin layouts.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/pni/152/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pni/pni152.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pni1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] VIRTEX-II PRO AND POWERPC COME TOGETHER ONBOARD
(Vmetro-Transtech, 07 Jun 2005)
New from Vmetro, the 3CPF1 is a revolutionary signal processing engine
that combines the capabilities of a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA
(XC2VP70), a Freescale PowerPC CPU (7447A) and multichannel
communications - in a rugged 3U form-factor board. Key benefits
include increased data processing throughput and reduced cost by the
use of fewer processor cards. The 3CPF1 targets demanding applications
that require complex signal processing closely coupled to high
bandwidth data I/O in an environment where space is at a premium.
Typical applications include electro-optics (EO), signal intelligence
(SigInt) and electronic warfare (EW). Merging a PowerPC CPU and an
FPGA in a single product combines the benefits of two worlds; a
sophisticated, easy to use processor with the highest levels of
throughput and performance.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vme/vme120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vme1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] VME SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER HITS BUDGET PRICE POINT
(Actis Computer, 06 Jun 2005)
With the introduction of its new VSBC-6847 VME single board computer
at Embedded World 2005, Actis Computer reckons it is setting a new
standard for quality and performance at a price of only Eur 1000
(100-up). With a third generation low dissipation PowerQUICC II
running at 400MHz and consuming only 1.5W, this new VME board will be
the perfect replacement solution for all older VME boards designed
around 68k and PowerPC 603/604 processors now in end of life from
Motorola Computer Group. The VSBC-6847 includes all the most popular
features such as SODIMM 64bit SDRAM up to 512Mbyte, onboard 16Mbyte
Flash, 1Mbyte SRAM, and a CompactFlash socket for rugged on board
storage.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/acm/acm102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:acm1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] LEAD-FREE SBC LEADS GREEN REVOLUTION
(Adlink Technology, 01 Jun 2005)
Adlink Technology has launched its green product policy with the
release of its first "green" single board computer, the NuPRO-851,
this week at Computex 2005 in Taipei. In line with the new policy, the
company's CompactPCI cPCI-6841 and cPCI-6842 SBCs, as well as the
computer-on-module ETX-IM333 and ETXexpress-IA533 will become green
products in August 2005 when component supplies are ready. The
PCI-3488 high-performance IEEE488 GPIB interface card will also adopt
a lead free process in the third quarter of this year.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/adl/158/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/adl/adl158.html
or send a blank email to mailto:adl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] AUDIO CODEC HAS A SPLIT PERSONALITY
(Wolfson Microelectronics, 01 Jun 2005)
Wolfson Microelectronics has launched a new stereo audio codec with
the ability to operate the ADC and DAC at different sample rates
simultaneously, making it ideal for use in DVD-RW, LCD TV, and similar
consumer electronics applications, where the end user requires to
simultaneously play and record DVD or television content. This feature
of the Wolfson WM8591 codec allows a single small codec chip to be
used in place of two separate ADC and DAC devices, offering designers
the potential to save component cost, external component count and PCB
area over existing solutions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/wol/wol189.html
or send a blank email to mailto:wol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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TWO-CHIP SET PUTS TV ON THE MOTHERBOARD
(Philips Semiconductors, 02 Jun 2005)
Asus is using an advanced Philips solution for analogue TV to deliver
its first motherboard with TV reception.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/phi/phi320.html
or send a blank email to mailto:phi3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FPGAS CUT WIRELESS COMMS DOWN TO SIZE AND COST
(Altera Europe, 03 Jun 2005)
Cape Range Wireless has increased performance and significantly
reduced cost by using Altera's Stratix series of FPGAs for its
Arcadian wireless communications system.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aeu/aeu163.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aeu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LOW-POWER CHIPSET KEEPS BLUETOOTH HEADSET RUNNING
(Xemics, 01 Jun 2005)
The new Sporty Bluetooth headset takes full advantage of Xemics'
ultra-low-power Bluetooth circuits functioning on a single 120mAh
Li-ion cell, providing an extended talk time up to 10 hours.
Request free details from the supplier on Bluetooth circuits:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/xem/151/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/xem/xem151.html
or send a blank email to mailto:xem1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MODEL-BASED DESIGN SPEEDS FLIGHT CODE GENERATION
(MathWorks, 07 Jun 2005)
Software tools from The MathWorks have enabled the development of
advanced real-time trajectory generation flight software for use in an
unmanned aerial vehicle flying testbed.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mth/mth138.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mth1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PROGRAMMABLE CHIP OPTIMISES SET-TOP-BOX CLOCKS
(IDT, 02 Jun 2005)
Kreatel Communications is using the IDT 5V9885 programmable clock
generator for its line of Internet protocol (IP) set-top box products
offering support for advanced video codecs.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/idt/idt183.html
or send a blank email to mailto:idt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured new product news
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PCIE SWITCH HAS SIX COMPLETELY CONFIGURABLE PORTS
(PLX Technology Europe, 07 Jun 2005)
The PEX 8524 is billed as the industry's most versatile and flexible
24-lane switch, featuring nontransparency and the highest port count
for a switch of its lane count.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/plx/plx121.html
or send a blank email to mailto:plx1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NETWORK PROCESSOR PROMISES BIG SAVINGS
(Agere Systems, 06 Jun 2005)
A next-generation, higher-performance network processor chip works
with new network processor software to save telecomms service
providers millions of dollars in revenues due to network outages.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age178.html
or send a blank email to mailto:age1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TANTALUM CHIPS LIKE IT HOT
(Kemet Electronics Corp, 06 Jun 2005)
The high temperature T498 tantalum chip series is designed for use in
applications with operating temperatures up to 150C.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kme/kme115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kme1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TOOLS GET TO GRIP WITH VIRTUAL PROCESSOR MODELS
(Vast Systems Technology, 03 Jun 2005)
Virtual Processor Model Transformer (VPM-T), phase 1, is the latest
addition to the range of powerful virtual system prototyping tools
from Vast Systems Technology Corp.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vas/vas109.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vas1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
TOUCH SENSOR INTERFACE RUNS ON MIXED-SIGNAL ARRAYS
(Cypress Semiconductor, 02 Jun 2005)
CapSense is a novel capacitive touch sensor interface based on the
award-winning PSoC mixed-signal arrays from Cypress Semiconductor.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cyp/cyp262.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cyp2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BACKPLANES ARE READY FOR COMPACTTCA SYSTEMS
(Elma Electronic UK, 07 Jun 2005)
Elma Electronic has released what it reckons is the world's first
range of CompactTCA backplanes and system platforms complying with
PICMG 2.5x.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/elm/elm127.html
or send a blank email to mailto:elm1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LEAD-FREE PROCESS RANGE COMES TOGETHER
(DEK, 03 Jun 2005)
A new portfolio of products and services focuses on maximising
productivity and process capability for customers screen printing with
lead-free solder pastes.
Request free details from the supplier on DEK Lead-Free:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/dek/203/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dek/dek203.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dek2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MEZZANINE CARD FARMS OUT EIGHT DSP CHIPS
(Surf Communication Solutions, 03 Jun 2005)
The SurfRider-812 is a fully integrated high-capacity PTMC DSP farm
comprised of eight digital signal processors.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sur/sur115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sur1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SCOPES BOAST NEAR-REAL-TIME PERFORMANCE
(LeCroy, 06 Jun 2005)
The WaveExpert Series is billed as the world's highest performance
digital oscilloscopes, defining a new instrument class called
near-real-time oscilloscopes.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lew/lew108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lew1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ACCESSORY KITS ARE TAILORED TO DMM APPLICATIONS
(Pomona Electronics, 06 Jun 2005)
Pomona Electronics has developed a wide variety of DMM accessories and
kits designed for electronic, electrical and automotive testing.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pna/pna112.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pna1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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