|
ELECTRONICSTALK
The Independent Weekly Product Information Guide
for Electronics Design, Development and Manufacturing Engineers
====================================================================
ISSN 1475-2913 - Free subscription
Last week's delivered circulation: 23,600
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 223: 05 July 2005
====================================================================
24199 product announcements and technical articles on our
website http://www.electronicstalk.com/ - all fully searchable
====================================================================
In this issue:
* Editor's Message
* Other industry news
* Our Top new products selection
[1] Wi-Fi tester predicts real-world load scenarios
[2] Spread spectrum oscillator cuts height and EMI
[3] PWM controllers reduce switching interference
[4] JTAG emulator speeds ARM development
[5] Embedded PC board offers flexible expansion
[6] Software simplifies comms system design
[7] Module brings OLED technology to mass market
[8] Transceiver can form CAN repeater
[9] COTS convertor takes military measures
[10] Charger chip is flexible about its inputs
* New technical articles and case studies
* Other featured product news
====================================================================
Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
As ever, July has brought the "silly season" to our business, and it
seems that this year it coincides with open season for Bill Gates.
To be fair (and I like to thing that we are), the world's richest geek
does tend to walk around wearing the proverbial "target T-shirt", but
the past week has brought two perfect Gates news items that
Electronicstalk readers have been swift to bring to our attention.
Ignoring - for the moment - the more than ample $775 million that
Microsoft is to pay IBM in settlement of a suit that has been kicking
around for longer than any cares to remember, Gates' greatest gift to
the headline writers came last week in Singapore, where he postulated
on the future of electronic implants in the human body.
And who can blame him? There cannot be a science fiction buff alive
who doesn't feel that this is the one technology that "real" science
has so far failed to deliver. And while Gates paid due deference to
the truly ground-breaking work that has been accomplished in certain
areas - such as cochlear implants for the deaf - he couldn't help but
look ahead to true neural interfacing.
"We will have those capabilities", he was reported as saying. Which
does beg the question, what will the error messages be like on
Microsoft implants?
"We're sorry, but your brain has encountered a problem and needs to
shut down". "Do you want to send an error message to Microsoft?"
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
====================================================================
This week's industry news
====================================================================
SEMICONDUCTOR SUPPORT IN BANGALORE
(Oki Electric, 04 Jul 2005)
Oki Semiconductor Singapore has set up a branch office in Bangalore,
Karnataka to enhance its customer support and marketing activities for
its semiconductor business.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oki/oki164.html
or send a blank email to mailto:oki1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MALAYSIAN WAFER FAB SET FOR CLOSURE
(ON Semiconductor, 01 Jul 2005)
ON Semiconductor is to transfer wafer-fab operations from Malaysia to
Phoenix by the end of 2006.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/onw/onw188.html
or send a blank email to mailto:onw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NASA FINANCES LOW-TEMPERATURE IC RESEARCH
(BAE Systems Aerospace Controls, 30 Jun 2005)
BAE Systems has received a $12.5 million contract from NASA for
research and development of extreme temperature technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bae/bae105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:bae1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ALPS ARRIVES IN MILAN
(Alps Electric (UK), 04 Jul 2005)
Alps Electric Europa has opened a sales office in Italy.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/awo/awo110.html
or send a blank email to mailto:awo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ACQUISITION BRINGS SERIAL TEST SOFTWARE ONBOARD
(Tektronix, 01 Jul 2005)
Tektronix has acquired TDA Systems of Lake Oswego, Oregon, a provider
of interconnect analysis software tools.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tek/tek227.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tek2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
STUDY LOOKS AT FPGA-BASED SIGNAL PROCESSING
(RF Engines, 30 Jun 2005)
RF Engines has been contracted by the Naval Systems Department of
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to carry out a study into
advanced FPGA-based signal processing architectures.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rfe/rfe124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rfe1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
OUR TOP NEW PRODUCT SELECTION
====================================================================
[1] WI-FI TESTER PREDICTS REAL-WORLD LOAD SCENARIOS
(Communications Machinery Corp, 01 Jul 2005)
Extending its leadership in Wi-Fi test and analysis, Communication
Machinery Corporation (CMC) has unveiled the EE-SEC, a new member of
the EmulationEngine family that provides support for 802.11i Robust
Security Network (RSN) test and analysis for critical aspects of
wireless network security under full loads using multiple
user-controllable wireless stations. For the first time with the
EE-SEC, WLAN network and equipment designers can test their features,
design topography and design performance in real-world load scenarios
to ensure the highest, most reliable performance possible for their
security enabled WLAN products in an environment as specified in
IEEE802.11i, 802.1x and 802.11 protocol operation.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cou/cou103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cou1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[2] SPREAD SPECTRUM OSCILLATOR CUTS HEIGHT AND EMI
(Mercury United Electronics, 01 Jul 2005)
Mercury United Electronics reckons its latest release is the smallest
low-EMI spread spectrum clock oscillator available in production
quantities today. The package measures 5 x 3.2 x 1.2mm with a four-pad
ceramic surface mount base, and is a drop-in replacement for most
existing 5 x 3.2mm conventional clock oscillators. The EMI reduction
is up to 12dB and there is no need to respin the board.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mcu/mcu101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mcu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[3] PWM CONTROLLERS REDUCE SWITCHING INTERFERENCE
(Alliance Semiconductor Corp, 29 Jun 2005)
Alliance Semiconductor Corp has a new family of pulsewidth modulator
(PWM) controllers with integrated electromagnetic interference (EMI)
reduction technology for low noise switched mode power supply (SMPS)
convertor and inverter applications. System power supply designers are
confronted with extremely challenging design parameters in dealing
with power consumption, physical space limitations, and EMI reduction
issues to meet the required regulatory standards (like FCC, CSA, CSIPR
etc). This family of PWM controllers is designed to replace the
extremely popular series of 184X/384X PWM controllers in a wide range
of switched mode power supply applications, but with the unique
additional advantage of a built-in EMI reduction engine.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/adu/adu109.html
or send a blank email to mailto:adu1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[4] JTAG EMULATOR SPEEDS ARM DEVELOPMENT
(Ronetix, 04 Jul 2005)
Ronetix has developed a high-speed low-cost JTAG emulator for ARM7 and
ARM9 based microcontrollers. The PEEDI (Powerful Embedded Ethernet
Interface) supports native Gnu gdb and provides a very high real
download speed of more than 400Kbyte/s. It has a built-in telnet
interface for simple debugging and target Flash programming.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/roi/roi100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:roi1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[5] EMBEDDED PC BOARD OFFERS FLEXIBLE EXPANSION
(Liantec Systems Corporation, 01 Jul 2005)
New from Liantec Systems Corp, the ITX-6800 is an embedded mini-ITX
board based on Intel mobile Pentium M/Centrino platform. With the
features of Intel's mobile CPU technology, the Liantec ITX-6800 offers
an advanced PC-based computing solution for industrial embedded x86
PC-based applications. As well as all the features of an Intel mobile
Pentium M platform, the Liantec ITX-6800 provides the integrated LVDS
interface, onboard optional single/dual Gigabit Ethernet, bootable USB
2.0, and optional 1394 FireWire and SATA interfaces for value-added
applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/liy/liy100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:liy1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[6] SOFTWARE SIMPLIFIES COMMS SYSTEM DESIGN
(The MathWorks, 30 Jun 2005)
New from The MathWorks, Communications Blockset 3 provides engineers
with enhanced features for designing and simulating the physical layer
of communication systems and components, such as commercial or defence
wireless and wireline systems using model-based design. The latest
version of the product also includes new channel visualisation and bit
error rate (BER) analysis features, which enable users to access the
communications system simulation capabilities of Matlab and Simulink
within one GUI environment. The new channel visualisation features in
the Communication Blockset 3 provide engineers with insight into the
time-, frequency- and phasor-domain behaviour of channel models.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mth/mth140.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mth1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[7] MODULE BRINGS OLED TECHNOLOGY TO MASS MARKET
(Digital Displays, 04 Jul 2005)
With a resolution of 128 x 128 dot in a compact module measuring only
50 x 36mm, the new LPST128128A01-T4 OLED module from Digital Displays
generates 256K colours to provide exceptional clarity and vibrant
tones. With a total thickness of only 1.65mm, the LPST128128A01-T4 is
guaranteed to fit into the slimmest of cases. The viewing area of 36 x
36mm and dot pitch of 0.21 x 0.21mm ensures that both text and graphic
images are easily viewed.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/did/did112.html
or send a blank email to mailto:did1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[8] TRANSCEIVER CAN FORM CAN REPEATER
(AMI Semiconductor, 29 Jun 2005)
AMI Semiconductor has started sampling its ISO11898-2 compatible
AMIS-42700 CAN transceiver IC. The new transceiver provides the
interface between two physical CAN lines, allowing the device to act
as a low-cost and low component count CAN repeater. The dual
high-speed transceiver provides a single chip repeater solution for
interfacing between up to two physical bus lines and the protocol
controller in high-speed controller areas networks (CANH). The
AMIS-42700 can be used for both 12 and 24V systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/amb/amb170.html
or send a blank email to mailto:amb1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[9] COTS CONVERTOR TAKES MILITARY MEASURES
(XP Power, 01 Jul 2005)
The MCC is a novel off-the-shelf 400W DC/DC convertor that meets
MIL-STD-1275A/B input requirements, MIL-STD-461E EMI specifications
and has MIL-STD-810F shock and vibration integrity. With up to four
outputs, and an optional 200W conditioned 24V rail, the low-profile
power supply meet the needs of military applications, avoiding the
costs and delays associated with custom alternatives. Using a design
proven through numerous semicustom power supplies developed by XP
Power, the MCC unit delivers one to four individually regulated
outputs between 2 and 48V DC from a nominal 28V DC input.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/xpp/xpp144.html
or send a blank email to mailto:xpp1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
[10] CHARGER CHIP IS FLEXIBLE ABOUT ITS INPUTS
(Intersil, 01 Jul 2005)
Featuring a high input voltage that offers a much more robust solution
while alleviating the need for expensive overvoltage protection
circuitry, Intersil's ISL6299 is a fully integrated dual input (USB or
cradle) charger for single-cell Li-ion/polymer batteries. The device
has the highest input voltage rating (28V) in the industry and for
flexibility features end-of-charge (EOC) programmability and EOC
latch. EOC programming offers the ability to customise the charge
function for the termination function for a particular application,
and the EOC latch prevents false end-of-charge indications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ina/ina350.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ina3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
New Technical Articles and Case Studies
====================================================================
ADVANCES IN FACILITY CABLES AND CONNECTORS
(Bryant Broadcast and Data Communications, 04 Jul 2005)
Technology rolls on, but broadcast cables and connector paths will
always be designed to combat "electrical noise" from EMI, RFI and
capacitance variation as this article indicates.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bry/bry107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:bry1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONTROLLER MAKES PROSTHETIC ARMS MORE FLEXIBLE
(Texas Instruments, 04 Jul 2005)
The Boston Digital Arm provides amputees with unique, upper limb
prostheses using the control optimised performance and integration
offered by TI's TMS320C2000 digital signal controllers.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex850.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex8[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MCUS TAKE CONTROL OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE
(Microchip Technology, 29 Jun 2005)
AC Propulsion used a number of high-pin-count PIC18 microcontrollers
to control its SoLong solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle during its
record-breaking 48h flight earlier this month.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ari/ari195.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ari1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
WIRELESS CHIP CONNECTS NOVEL GYRO MOUSE
(Cypress Semiconductor, 04 Jul 2005)
Gyration is using Cypress's WirelessUSB radio-system-on-a-chip in its
latest wireless mouse and keyboard.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cyp/cyp263.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cyp2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RF CHIPSET ENABLES LOGITECH'S CORDLESS MICE
(Nordic Semiconductor, 01 Jul 2005)
Logitech has selected Nordic's 2.4GHz RF chipset for one of its new
wireless notebook mice, the Logitech V200 cordless notebook mouse.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nod/nod100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nod1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SOFTWARE SPEEDS 4G BASEBAND INNOVATION
(The MathWorks, 05 Jul 2005)
Samsung Electronics Research Institute is using Simulink to unify
baseband algorithm development and physical layer research for its 4G
wireless technologies.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mth/mth141.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mth1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
Other featured new product news
====================================================================
CONTROLLER POWERS UP MOBILE GRAPHICS
(Intersil, 05 Jul 2005)
The ISL6269 is a single-phase PWM synchronous buck controller for
mobile graphical processing units.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ina/ina351.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ina3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COMPACT CLAIMS FOR DUAL-OUTPUT REGULATOR
(Linear Technology Corp, 04 Jul 2005)
A new dual-output high-efficiency 2.25MHz synchronous buck regulator
delivers up to 800mA of continuous output current from one channel and
up to 400mA from the other.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne175.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FILTER AND HOT-SWAP MANAGER CRAM TOGETHER
(Vicor UK, 01 Jul 2005)
Picor has released the QPI-8, the industry's first system-in-a-package
device designed to integrate the total hot-swap function with an
active EMI filter.
Request free details from the supplier on Picor QPI-8:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/vic/127/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vic/vic127.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vic1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SECURE RTOS PUTS WINDOWS IN A PADDED CELL
(Green Hills Software, 04 Jul 2005)
Green Hills Software has added several extensions to its Integrity PC
Padded Cell secure virtualisation technology.
Request free details from the supplier on Integrity PC Padded Cell:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/gre/188/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gre/gre188.html
or send a blank email to mailto:gre1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
RTOS RUNS ON LATEST OMAP PROCESSOR
(Accelerated Technology, 30 Jun 2005)
The Nucleus real-time operating system is now available for the Texas
Instruments OMAP5912 processor.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/acl/acl109.html
or send a blank email to mailto:acl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
KIT PUTS POWERPC TO THE APPLICATIONS TEST
(AMCC, 30 Jun 2005)
Applied Micro Circuits Corp has released a low-cost, easy-to-use
evaluation kit for its PowerPC 440EP processor.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ayg/ayg105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ayg1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SERDES CORE RUNS UP TO 8GBIT/S
(Agilent Technologies, 29 Jun 2005)
Agilent Technologies has developed the industry's first 8Gbit/s
multirate embedded serdes core for storage networking OEMs.
Request free details from the supplier on 8Gbit/s multirate embedded
serdes:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/agi/299/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi299.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS SWITCH TO LOCAL LANGUAGES
(SWBOX.com, 29 Jun 2005)
A powerful localisation tool for embedded systems enables developers
to change the language of an embedded system without even recompiling
the source code.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/swb/swb100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:swb1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FRONT PANELS ENHANCE THERMAL MANAGEMENT
(APW Electronic Solutions, 01 Jul 2005)
New thermal management front panels ensure that the cooling airflow
across the width of the chassis cannot take the path of least
resistance up through any unused slot positions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/apw/apw120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:apw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONVERTORS AID TELECOMMS COST REDUCTIONS
(Ericsson Power Modules, 04 Jul 2005)
A new series of DC/DC convertors offers designers a cost effective yet
high performance solution in the competitive quarter brick product
market sector.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/eri/eri111.html
or send a blank email to mailto:eri1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
====================================================================
Have you seen our other newsletters?
====================================================================
Electronicstalk is one of a number of free email newsletters for
technical professionals. See what else we have to offer, and sign up
today, at http://www.pro-talk.com
====================================================================
|
|
