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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: 23,820
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 233: 13 September 2005
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25518 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] PC-based oscilloscope ups the resolution
[2] CMOS amps claim new lows in noise
[3] Windows screen displays from interference
[4] Hard cores provide easy route to 32bit performance
[5] Solder paste eases process transition
[6] Small format cPCI SBC handles harsh environments
[7] Remote management processor takes KVM onboard
[8] One-time-programmable oscillators cut the wait
[9] Tester combines source and measurement
[10] Space-qualified FPGA expands to 4 million gates
* New technical articles and case studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
With the annual International Broadcasting Convention IBC 2005 drawing
to a close in Amsterdam, it is hardly surprising that mobile TV
standards have been in the news this week.
And while I certainly consider myself to belong to the so-called "TV
generation" - having moved from 405 lines to 625 lines to colour and
soon to high definition - I now find it difficult to get excited about
the whole concept of "TV on the move".
I have to admit to being one of those sad souls who felt they couldn't
live without one of the early handheld LCD TVs (mine was a Casio model
which came free with something like 200,000 gallons of petrol). But
its performance was somewhat limited: it was hopeless trying to view
the display in anything approaching sunlight (as I once tried to at
the Open Golf Championship), and should one take refuge in any metal
based structure (like the stand at a football stadium) then the
Faraday cage effect made reception pretty hopeless.
Fortunately, the quality of both the displays available today and the
delivery/reception technology mean that my former misgivings have been
answered. But the biggest problem would appear to be one of
standardisation. And while the two strongest contenders emerging from
the standards debate appear to be Digital Video Broadcasting for
Handheld (DVB-H) and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), this time
the issue should be less polarised than the archetypal
Betamax/VHS/V2000 argument that tore the consumer electronics industry
apart in the 1970s.
This time the argument is purely in the software, with both baseband
coding and RF architectures both (theoretically) capable of being run
on similar hardware.
However, having read much of the material originating from Amsterdam
during the past few days - see www.ibc.org - I fear that the whole
industry may be missing a fundamental point that may well take the
gloss off the whole mobile TV market opportunity.
Sport, we are told, is one of the programming media that will drive
the growth of mobile TV. So how on earth are we supposed to see a
cricket ball on a 3-inch screen when recent experience suggests that
all too many players (and umpires) can't see the damned thing full
size from within 22 yards?
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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MARGINS CONTINUE TO RISE FOR NATIONAL
(National Semiconductor, 12 Sep 2005)
National Semiconductor has reported GAAP net income of $85.6 million,
or 24 cents per share, on revenues of $493.8 million for the first
quarter of fiscal 2006, which ended on 28th August 2005.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat345.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nat3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHINESE OUTPUT EXPANDS ON TIME
(Kingston Technology, 12 Sep 2005)
Kingston Technology Electronics Co is opening on time and within
budget in China, increasing Kingston Technology's China output to 5
million memory modules per month.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kin/kin134.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kin1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW SPECIFICATION MARRIES EPIC WITH PCI EXPRESS
(Ampro Computers, 08 Sep 2005)
The EPIC Express specification adds high-bandwidth PCI Express I/O
expansion to EPIC form factor SBCs without sacrificing support for
legacy PC I/O.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/apr/apr111.html
or send a blank email to mailto:apr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FIRST SILICON SOLUTIONS JOINS MIPS EMPIRE
(MIPS Technologies, 08 Sep 2005)
MIPS Technologies has acquired First Silicon Solutions (FS2), a Lake
Oswego, Oregon company as a wholly owned subsidiary.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mip/mip277.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mip2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
REPORT EXAMINES SIC APPLICATIONS
(Yole Developpement, 12 Sep 2005)
Compound semiconductor market research company Yole Developpement has
just released its annual SiC market report.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/yol/yol100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:yol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
USA DOMINATES HDTV EXPANSION
(Informa Telecoms and Media - ARC Group, 07 Sep 2005)
A new report predicts that the end of 2005 there will be 28.6 million
high-definition television sets in homes worldwide.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/acg/acg109.html
or send a blank email to mailto:acg1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SILICON VALLEY FACILITY COMES TOGETHER
(Kontron UK, 12 Sep 2005)
The location that houses both Kontron's Embedded Modules and Mobile
Rugged business units is now known as Kontron America, Silicon Valley.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kon/kon162.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kon1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP NEW PRODUCT SELECTION
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[1] PC-BASED OSCILLOSCOPE UPS THE RESOLUTION
(Pico Technology, 07 Sep 2005)
Available now from Pico Technology, the PicoScope 3224 is a
two-channel PC oscilloscope with 12bit resolution, 20Msample/s
sampling rate and a large 512Ksample memory buffer. The USB 2.0
connection makes connecting and installing the oscilloscope easy and
allows a smooth, responsive waveform display. The USB 2.0 interface
also powers the unit, eliminating the need for an external power
supply. The majority of oscilloscopes on the market offer 8bit
resolution with small waveform buffers. The PicoScope 3224, with its
high resolution and large memory, is ideally suited to applications
such as NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) studies as well as audio
analysis.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pic/pic115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pic1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] CMOS AMPS CLAIM NEW LOWS IN NOISE
(Linear Technology Corp, 12 Sep 2005)
Linear Technology has developed a new class of CMOS amplifiers with
voltage noise like bipolar amplifiers. Generally known for their low
input bias current, CMOS amplifiers are inherently noisier than
bipolar designs. The LTC6241 dual and LTC6242 quad amplifiers address
this fundamental performance trade off. With exceptionally low noise
of 550nV peak-peak in the 0.1 to 10Hz region, these amplifiers offer a
threefold reduction in voltage noise over existing CMOS amplifiers.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne192.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] WINDOWS SCREEN DISPLAYS FROM INTERFERENCE
(Oxley Developments, 09 Sep 2005)
A new product range of EMI/RFI windows is available from Oxley
Developments. EMI/RFI windows are found in most electronic displays
and fascia panels such as military radios and commercial points of
sale, where a high level of shielding is required from internal and
externally generated electromagnetic emissions. Oxley shielded windows
are designed and manufactured in-house to customer specifications
which determine the optical, mechanical and thermal parameters for the
application. Substrate materials include: polycarbonate, acrylic,
allyl carbonate or glass and appropriately the shielding is either
cast in micro-fine mesh, laminated or applied as an indium-tin-oxide
(ITO) deposited coating.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/oxl/oxl101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:oxl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] HARD CORES PROVIDE EASY ROUTE TO 32BIT PERFORMANCE
(MIPS Technologies, 08 Sep 2005)
MIPS Technologies has made two additions to its expanding line of hard
intellectual property (IP) cores. The MIPS32 24Kc and 4KEc hard cores,
which augment the company's line of synthesisable IP cores, provide an
easy, cost-effective, low-risk alternative for startups, fabless
semiconductor companies and system OEMs that want to take advantage of
MIPS Technologies' industry-leading 32bit architecture in a broad
range of digital consumer products. The MIPS32 24Kc hard core builds
on the momentum generated over the past year by the rapid adoption of
the MIPS32 24K family of synthesisable cores.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mip/mip278.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mip2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] SOLDER PASTE EASES PROCESS TRANSITION
(Henkel, 09 Sep 2005)
The Electronics Group of Henkel has announced that the halide-free
no-clean Multicore MP218 solder paste is now optimised to enable
modern Sn-Pb processes, allowing for the inevitable interaction with
lead-free device finishes. Multicore MP218 is composed of similar raw
materials, activators and other components as those used in next
generation lead-free solder pastes. However, extra activity and wider
reflow capabilities are specifically intended to overcome the wetting
issues caused by the combination of Sn-Pb solder and Pb-free device
finishes.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hen/hen138.html
or send a blank email to mailto:hen1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] SMALL FORMAT CPCI SBC HANDLES HARSH ENVIRONMENTS
(SBS Technologies, 09 Sep 2005)
Available in convection- or conduction-cooled versions, the 3U
CompactPCI CV1 high-performance SBC supports core processor speeds up
to 1GHz and bus clock rates of 167MHz. The CV1 is ideal for military
applications, such as unmanned aerial vehicles deployed in harsh
environments, as well as high-performance applications that must work
in an extended temperature range of -40 to +85C. The CV1 incorporates
sophisticated power management technology, and gives engineers ample
I/O to work with by providing two gigabit Ethernet ports, two 32bit
33/66MHz PCIbus interfaces, RS232 and RS422/485 serial I/O ports and
ten general-purpose I/O lines to the backplane with separate
interrupts and interrupt masking capability.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sbs/sbs179.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sbs1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] REMOTE MANAGEMENT PROCESSOR TAKES KVM ONBOARD
(Agilent Technologies, 12 Sep 2005)
Agilent Technologies has introduced the industry's first remote
management processor (RMP) to combine keyboard, video and mouse (KVM)
over LAN with remote server management. The highly integrated Agilent
N2533A processor is targeted at servers and plug-in cards.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/agi/308/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi308.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi3[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] ONE-TIME-PROGRAMMABLE OSCILLATORS CUT THE WAIT
(C-Mac Microtechnology, 08 Sep 2005)
C-Mac Microtechnology has introduced a one-time-programmable
oscillator offering fast delivery at any output frequency between 150
and 700MHz. Packaged in an industry standard 6-pad 7 x 5mm ceramic
SMD, the new CFPP-620 provides differential LVPECL (low-voltage
positive emitter-coupled logic) output, making it particularly
suitable for broadband transmission equipment and other data
communications applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cma/cma111.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cma1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] TESTER COMBINES SOURCE AND MEASUREMENT
(Yokogawa Measurement Technologies, 08 Sep 2005)
The new GS610 DC source measure unit from Yokogawa is a high-accuracy
high-speed programmable voltage and current source that incorporates
both generation and measurement functions as well as a USB interface
and USB storage functions. The new instrument features a high power
output, with a maximum output voltage and current of 110V and 3.2A,
respectively, a basic accuracy of 0.02% with pulsewidths down to
100us.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/yoa/yoa151.html
or send a blank email to mailto:yoa1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] SPACE-QUALIFIED FPGA EXPANDS TO 4 MILLION GATES
(Actel Europe, 08 Sep 2005)
Building on its rich heritage in the space design community, Actel has
unveiled the industry's highest density radiation-tolerant
field-programmable gate array (FPGA) for space designs. The four
million gate RTAX4000S expands Actel's antifuse-based RTAX-S family in
order to deliver highly reliable solutions with significant advantages
over competing FPGA and radiation-hardened (RH) ASIC devices for
demanding space applications requiring high gate counts. These include
satellite payload systems, such as data processing applications in
communications, and earth observation and scientific satellites. This
latest member of Actel's RTAX-S family will offer four million system
gates (500,000 ASIC gates) with an I/O count of 840 and 540Kbit of
embedded memory.
Request free details from the supplier:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/act/215/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act215.html
or send a blank email to mailto:act2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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PRODUCING COST EFFECTIVE COIL WOUND COMPONENTS
(North Devon Electronics, 08 Sep 2005)
The design and manufacture of coil wound components is a specialised
task, argues Ralph Gordon, Director and General Manager of North Devon
Electronics.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/noe/noe101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:noe1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONTROLLER ENABLES PRIZE-WINNING POWER SYSTEM
(Texas Instruments, 13 Sep 2005)
A highly efficient power convertor solution based on the TMS320F2810
digital signal controller has won a $10,000 first-place prize in the
2005 IEEE International Future Energy Challenge.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex879.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex8[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
UWB CHIPSET FEATURES IN MINI-PCI MODULE
(Freescale Semiconductor, 12 Sep 2005)
Silex Technology has developed an ultrawideband (UWB)-enabled mini-PCI
module using Freescale Semiconductor's UWB XS110 chipset.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mot/mot211.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mot2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
SIMULATION SHAVES SIX MONTHS OFF DISK DRIVE DESIGN
(Flomerics, 08 Sep 2005)
Texas Instruments (TI) engineers helped a disk drive manufacturer get
their product to market six months early by using thermal simulation
to solve problems prior to the prototyping phase.
Request free details from the supplier on Flotherm:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/flo/155/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flo/flo155.html
or send a blank email to mailto:flo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
MINI-ITX BOARD POWERS HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
(VIA Technologies, 09 Sep 2005)
VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboards have been selected by MacroSystem, a
renowned developer of high-end video solutions, to power its new
Enterprise home entertainment system.
Request free details from the supplier on EPIA Mini-ITX mainboard:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/vih/103/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/vih/vih103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:vih1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COMPRESSOR BOARD PUTS HDTV IN SPACE
(LSI Logic Europe, 12 Sep 2005)
NASA will be using the LSI Logic HDTVxpress Compressor PCI board to
provide real-time high definition content creation capabilities aboard
future space missions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lsi/lsi207.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lsi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured new product news
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CABLE EQUALISERS SUIT PROFESSIONAL VIDEO
(Cypress Semiconductor, 08 Sep 2005)
Cypress Semiconductor has released two new multirate video cable
equalisers for the professional video market.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cyp/cyp269.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cyp2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CAMERA CHIPS LEVERAGE NOVEL 3D-SIP TECHNIQUES
(Sharp Microelectronics Europe, 12 Sep 2005)
Sharp has become the first manufacturer in the industry to develop a
0.5mm ball pitch technology for 3D systems-in-package (3D-SiPs).
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/skc/skc121.html
or send a blank email to mailto:skc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHARGER CHIPS INTEGRATE MORE IN SMALLER PACKAGES
(Semtech, 12 Sep 2005)
The SC805 and SC806 are ultrasmall battery charger devices designed
for consumer electronics applications including cable chargers,
personal media devices and mobile phones.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sem/sem135.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sem1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DEMODULATOR'S DIVERSITY IS KEY TO SIGNAL QUALITY
(Zarlink Semiconductor, 12 Sep 2005)
Zarlink Semiconductor has launched its latest terrestrial demodulator
for PC-TV, portable and handheld digital television equipment.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mif/mif206.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mif2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DEVICES PROTECT NEXT-GENERATION VIDEO LINES
(Semtech, 07 Sep 2005)
Two ultra-low-capacitance devices are designed to protect data
interfaces operating at speeds higher than 2GHz.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sem/sem134.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sem1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FAULT TOLERANT PROCESSOR FITS SPACE-QUALIFIED FPGA
(Gaisler Research, 13 Sep 2005)
Gaisler Research has launched the Leon3 processor as a standard
component using the space qualified and radiation tolerant Actel
RTAX2000S FPGA.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gai/gai100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:gai1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
VARIABLE LENGTH ENCODING SHRINKS POWERPC PROGRAMS
(Green Hills Software, 08 Sep 2005)
New technology reduces the size of a program running in automotive
control units based on Freescale's popular MPC5500 family of
processors executing the PowerPC instruction set architecture.
Request free details from the supplier on Software solution for
Freescale's MPC5500:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/gre/191/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gre/gre191.html
or send a blank email to mailto:gre1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHASSIS AIDS PACKET SWITCHED BACKPLANE DEVELOPMENT
(APW Electronic Solutions, 07 Sep 2005)
The new 2U four-slot Zephyr cPSB horizontal chassis from Electronic
Solutions is designed for 19in rack mount or desktop use.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/apw/apw122.html
or send a blank email to mailto:apw1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CMOS SENSORS MOVE INTO HIGH-QUALITY IMAGING
(Eastman Kodak Image Sensor Solutions, 09 Sep 2005)
New 3 and 5Mpixel CMOS image sensors target the fast-growing camera
phone and digital still camera markets.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/est/est104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:est1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BOARD EMBEDS WAVEFORM GENERATION CAPABILITIES
(Acces I/O Products, 12 Sep 2005)
The latest PC/104 board from Acces I/O Products combines eight
independent 12bit DACs with broadly configurable arbitrary waveform
generation capabilities.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aes/aes104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aes1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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