Electronicstalk newsletter issue 400

Giant pandas and parallel processors

Written by the Electronicstalk editor Jan 7, 2009

Funny old time Christmas isn't it? You shell out inordinate amounts of cash with which to sponsor your daughters trip to The Land of the Giant Panda or feeding your son's electronics habit buy buying him that Development Kit from XMOS, and then after one day of frenetic unwrapping, it's all over.

Then you are left a bit deflated. Faced with a pile of old turkey sandwiches, goose giblets and cranberry sauce that no one really has the stomach for anymore. A most unpleasant affair indeed.

And you have time on your hands too. That's the worst part. Rather than getting on with your day to day job, you have had time to question what you have been doing in your job anyway. You ask yourself if your efforts are making you happy, or whether you have just turned into a hamster spinning someone else wheel of fortune.

It's no wonder that most folks get a bit depressed when they return to work in the New Year then, isn't it? And it's also hardly surprising that this is the time of year when a lot of people consider a change in career.

But don't panic. And don't start sending out the resume now just because you are short of a few shots of Tryptophan. A much better bet would be to sit down with your manager and have a little chat with him about any concerns you might have.

After all, he's the chap that knows all about the exciting new products that your company is going to be developing this coming year. And after a discussion with him you might find yourself even spearheading the development of one or two of them.

What's more, you might even get a few complements on your work over the past year. Perhaps even a pay raise (Let's not get overtly optimistic. - Ed.).

Yes that's right. These are tough economic times, and there are a new set of engineering and financial challenges to be overcome. And, you my friend, with your years of experience are in pole position to help your company out.

Suddenly, the post-Christmas gloom and doom will be swept away. And you will feel excited once more to be able to make an important contribution to the fortune of your company.

But at the back of your mind, there are still some nagging doubts, aren't there? After all, how much more fun might it be to feed the Giant Pandas in China. Or better yet, write some code for that rather splendid XMOS processor. It is after all, a very cool processor.

Top Products featured this issue

[1] AMBARELLA A5 SOC DEVELOPED FOR HYBRID CAMERAS

(Ambarella, 07 Jan 2009)

Ambarella's A5 system-on-a-chip (SoC) for hybrid cameras can capture still pictures as well as generate and compress HD video.

[2] MAXIM INTRODUCES MAX17019 CONTROLLER

(Maxim Integrated Products, 07 Jan 2009)

Maxim Integrated Products has introduced the MAX17019, a high-input-voltage, quad-output controller for automotive applications.

[3] FAIRCHILD EXPANDS RANGE OF POWERTRENCH MOSFETS

(Fairchild Semiconductor, 07 Jan 2009)

Fairchild Semiconductor has introduced a range of synchronous rectification Mosfets that help designers' power supplies meet the 80 Plus Silver specification.

[4] LINEAR RELEASES THE LTC3564 BUCK REGULATORS

(Linear Technology Corp, 06 Jan 2009)

Linear Technology has released a range of 2.25MHz synchronous buck regulators that can deliver up to 1.25A of continuous output current.

> Quick link to request free details direct from the supplier:

[5] ANALOGICTECH UNVEILS LOW-RESISTANCE MOSFET DRIVER

(Advanced Analogic Technologies, 22 Dec 2008)

Analogictech's AAT4910 Mosfet driver operates at up to 28V and combines a high switching frequency with an extremely low 3ohms drive resistance.

[6] SILICON LABS RELEASES CLOCK MULTIPLIER IC

(Silicon Laboratories, 23 Dec 2008)

Silicon Laboratories has expanded its Any-Rate precision clock family by introducing the Si5315, a jitter-attenuating clock multiplier IC.

[7] RDP INTRODUCES THE SS UNDER-SEA TRANSDUCERS

(BI Technologies Magnetic Components Division, 06 Jan 2009)

RDP Electronics's SS transducer series is suited for a range of structural monitoring applications.

[8] XMOS TO DEMONSTRATE REFERENCE DESIGNS AT NAMM

(XMOS Semiconductors, 24 Dec 2008)

XMOS has developed source code for a range of digital audio applications, including Ethernet AVB and USB 2.0, for royalty-free use in its programmable processors.

[9] CROSSWARE ENHANCES C/C++ COMPILER

(Crossware Products, 22 Dec 2008)

Crossware has released version 3.0 of its C/C++ compiler for ARM-based microcontrollers.

[10] TT OPTEK RELEASES THE OCB100 SENSOR DESIGN KIT

(Pacer International, 06 Jan 2009)

TT Optek's new sensor design kit provides a simple way of compensating for device-to-device variation in optoelectronic sensors.

> Quick link to request free details direct from the supplier:

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