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ISSUE DATE: MAY 24, 2004 OPTIONS
Success Story: Safer skies, DAC preview, Fully integrated PSoC, Virtual test labs, Speed up industrial video

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May 24, 2004 - In This Issue

[Engineering Feature]
Making The Skies Safer
Ever since the Wright Brothers flew the first powered airplane, low-altitude encounters with atmospheric turbulence have posed daunting challenges to the in-flight safety of aircraft of all types, including commercial airliners. Weather is typically...  — Roger Allan

[Technology Report]
DAC: EDA's Mecca Promises Bounty In Design Tools
The world of IC and system design sees process technologies and system architectures come and go at mach speed. The tools designers require to keep pace change just as quickly. For those who simply must stay abreast or else, the 41st Design...  — David Maliniak

[Leapfrog: Industry First]
Fully Integrated PSoC Tops Speed, Efficiency Marks
It outputs 3 A of current and 10 W of power, yet it measures 8.1 by 12.5 mm, is 2.2 mm high, and takes up a mere 135 mm2 of pc-board space. In spite of these features, its bill-of-materials (BOM) cost competes with existing...  — Roger Allan

[Leapfrog: First Look]
FLIX Helps Low-Power CPU Flex Its Performance
Customers want more for less. That's not a hardship in semiconductors, though. Shrinking features and better design techniques help to churn out lower-power, higher-performing circuits at less cost—like the Xtensa LX. This...  — Dave Bursky

[Design View / Design Solution]
Speed Up Industrial Video With The Right Connectivity Choices
Greater computing power coupled with lower-cost, higher-pixel-count imaging sensors have fostered a new set of advanced industrial applications. These applications—such as vision systems, robotics, motion control, and wafer inspection/repair—make...  — Rod Barman , et al.

[Ideas For Design]
Simple Circuit Generates +3.3 V At 1 A From –5 V
Figure 1 depicts a circuit that uses pulse-frequency modulation (PFM) to generate +3.3 V from a −5-V power supply without the need for a transformer. It's ideal for applications that have a stable...  — Michelle Youn

[Ideas For Design]
Get Extra Op Amps By Using Spare Comparators
So, you have selected an MCU with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and analog comparator peripherals for your cost-sensitive application. You then realize that your sensor signal needs to be...  — Hartono Darmawaskita

[Editorial]
USB Connectivity Lays Broad Foundation For Growth
It seemed like a flashback to the days of "irrational exuberance" when I attended the Nasdaq opening ceremonies in Times Square recently. Perhaps it was the palpable hype surrounding the imminent Google IPO or the seemingly unstoppable flow of...  — Mark David

[POV: Point Of View]
Design For Manufacturing Must Move Up In The IC Flow
As long as there has beena semiconductor industry, each new generation of chips has been characterized by a drive for finer features. This drive has brought increased integration, enhanced functionality, density-improving optimizations, and new...  — John Ferguson

[Pease Porridge]
Bob's Mailbox
Dear Bob: I really enjoyed your piece (and your articles in general) on Analog PowerPoint.* It gave me a chuckle and reminded me of my own experience. I was invited to speak at the TAPR conference about CIRCAD (a CAD program). Before I...  — Bob Pease

[TechView: The Industry]
Full-System Simulator Creates Virtual Test Labs
Designers usually consider simulation at the functional-block level, and more generally in the context of system-on-a-chip or ASIC design. But large companies are beginning to find value in a new generation of full-system simulators that...  — David Maliniak

[TechView: The Industry]
Sorting Out Wi-Fi Standards In Broadband Modems
It's well on its way to conquering mobile PCs. It already has made significant noise in the markets for mobile handsets and desktop and handheld computers. So, what's next for Wi-Fi? Cable/ADSL modems represent a new frontier for the wildly...  — Scott Smyser

[TechView: Analog & Power]
Power-Management ICs Enhance OLEDs, White LED Backlighting
An organic LED (OLED) dc-dc converter IC and a white LED charge pump enhance OLEDs and white LED backlighting while providing flexible power control and efficiency. Developed by Texas Instruments, the TS65130 OLED driver boasts adjustable...  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Analog & Power]
Efficient PWM Controller IC Bound For Notebook Computers
Designers of notebooks and other battery-powered applications on the hunt for ways to simplify design, reduce component count, and lower overall cost should look at a novel pulse-width-modulated (PWM) controller. Among other features, the advanced...  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Analog & Power]
Broad IP Provider Adds Free Mixed-Signal/Analog Portfolio
Known as a provider of digital IP blocks, Artisan Components now offers a portfolio of mixed-signal and analog intellectual-property (IP) blocks within its Access Library Program. The new IP blocks are available to designers free of charge....  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Communications]
Platform Simplifies Hands-Free Kits For Cell Phones
When you're on the road, think twice before you make or take that call. Already, 43 states restrict the use of cell phones while driving. Over 90% of Europe and dozens of other countries have even more severe restrictions, including complete bans on...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[TechView: Communications]
NRZ-RZ Optical Module Doubles Distance Between Fiber Amplifiers
Compared to standard nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ), return-to-zero (RZ) line coding can double the distance a fiber-optic system transmits data between amplifiers. This extended "reach" lowers overall system cost and complexity. The problem, though, is that...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[TechView: Communications]
Thin-Film 3-dB Couplers Uncomplicate RF Design
Wireless applications that need quicker design options may benefit from a new group of thin-film 3-dB hybrid couplers. The miniature surface-mount components from AVX Corp. come in a wide range of frequencies, including 800 ± 30 MHz and 2325...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[TechView: Embedded]
Big Benefits From PICking A Small, Six-Pin, SOT-23 Package
It was bound to happen. Microcontrollers are getting so tiny, they're hard to find. Microchip's latest, the 1-MIPS PIC10F line, fits into a small SOT-23 package. Using an on-chip, 4-MHz oscillator (1% accuracy), the six-pin PIC10F provides four I/O...  — William Wong

[TechView: Embedded]
RTOS Controls Dual-Core DSP
Coming up with a 750-mhz dual-core blackfin digital signal processor (DSP) is no easy task. But Analog Devices was forward-looking enough to partner with Express Logic to develop a real-time operating system (RTOS) for this symmetrical multiprocessor...  — William Wong

[TechView: Embedded]
Module Takes On Web, SSL, FAT
An 8-bit processor handles secure web chores in this new ethernet-based module. Crafted by Rabbit Semiconductor, the RCM3300 incorporates a 44-MHz Rabbit 3000 8-bit processor, 10/100BaseT Ethernet interface, 8-Mbyte serial flash, 512-Mbyte flash,...  — William Wong

[TechView: Embedded]
News Clips
8-Bit MCU Powers Appliances. The 16-MHz TMP86FS49 is optimized for appliance applications. This 64-pin chip contains Toshiba's TLCS-870/C 8-bit CPU core. It offers 60 kbytes of flash memory; 2 kbytes of RAM; and a...  — William Wong

[TechView: Components & Test]
ATE System Knocks Down Cost Of Signal-Integrity Test
High-speed serial link testing gets a price break with Agilent's BIST Assist 6.4. According to the company, this extension of its 93000 SoC series of automatic test equipment (ATE) costs 50% less than conventional at-speed ATE production systems....  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Components & Test]
Low-Cost 16-Channel DAQ Module Displays Flexibility
The DI-710 Data-Acquisition (DAQ) Module can be used as a standalone or a wire-connected product, bringing high performance at low cost. Crafted by Dataq Instruments, this 16-channel, 14-bit unit sports 512 Mbytes of memory on a removable module. It...  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Components & Test]
LabView 7.1 Extends Performance Reach
LabView 7.1 extends its previous Express version to automated instrumentation and real-time applications. It includes Express Virtual Instruments (VIs) for National Instruments' modular instruments and NI-DAQmx software. Five new Express...  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Digital]
Revamped ARM CPU Runs At 500 MHz Yet Consumes Just 0.6 mW/MHz
Only a few companies have invested in an architectural license for the ARM processor. Faraday Technology Corp., one of those elite few, has revamped the ARM processor around the ARM V4 architecture to deliver a synthesizable CPU that runs at up to 500...  — Dave Bursky

[TechView: Digital]
Quad-Band Memories Double DDR Or DDR2 Performance
A novel scheme employing two low-cost double-data-rate (DDR) devices can inject twice as much performance into a memory module, delivering the equivalent of DDR533 using DDR266 memories. Developed by Kentron Technologies, quad-band memory (QBM)...  — Dave Bursky

[TechView: EDA]
Software Simulation Tool Branches Into Hardware
Last fall, Carbon Design's DesignPlayer engines let designers validate system software before silicon was available. The company has expanded its reach into hardware by enhancing the DesignPlayer engines. Now, designers can plug the engines...  — David Maliniak

[TechView: EDA]
Verification Accelerator Adds SystemC Support
Typically, the inevitable boost in speed lures designers into levels of abstraction above RTL. The more abstract your design representation is, the faster it will simulate. Mentor Graphics' VStationTBX verification accelerator was updated to provide...  — David Maliniak

[TechView: EDA]
Formal Verification Moves Into Design Phase
Traditionally, formal verification is used after the fact for bug hunting or design-rule checking. It has yet to be applied up front, where it would affect design decisions at the RTL coding stage. However, the release of JasperGold 3.0 and an...  — David Maliniak

[TechView: EDA]
EDA News
Verilog 2001 support and an assertions manager are incorporated in Aldec's Riviera 2004.04 verification tool. The new assertions manager supports OpenVera and Property Specification Language assertions. Pricing starts at $12,450. Download a free...  — David Maliniak

[TechScope]
The Internet Wants You!
Don't sit there and complain about bottlenecks on the Internet. Do something about them! Georgia Tech's NETI@home project needs volunteers. Typically, industry experts and academicians measure performance from data taken at routers...  — Richard Gawel

[TechScope]
Power Supply Keeps The Bubbles Going
Sure, that hot tub with the built-in stereo system and surroundsound speakers is great after a long day at the workstation. But how does this slice of paradise get its power? Try the R1005. This single 12-V output power supply from Radius Power is...  — Richard Gawel

[TechScope]
Diamonds Are A Superconductor's Best Friend
Researchers at the Russian Academy of Sciences and Los Alamos National Laboratory lay claim to the discovery of superconductivity at ultracold temperatures in cubic diamond. This development could lead to a new generation of diamond-based device...  — Richard Gawel

[Basics Of Design]
Programmable Logic
Sponsored by: ALTERA CORP.
Programmable logic has been in the design toolbox since the early 1970s. Over the years, it has become a vital part of design. It had a humble beginning, back when programmable array logic (PAL) devices could replace a mere 10 to 20 gates of logic....  — Dave Bursky

[Quick Facts]
Taking Verification To The Next Level
Sponsored by: VERISITY CORP.
Mushrooming design complexity has spawned a crisis in functional verification. As the electronics industry "designs" its way out of the downturn, even more IC designers will look to take advantage of nanometer silicon processes, and the complexity issues will spiral out of control...  — Contributing Author

[Ahead Of The Curve]
Virtual Probes Uncover The Secrets Inside FPGAs In Minutes, Not Hours
An expert viewpoint brought to Electronic Design by Agilent Technologies, Inc. I’ve been around long enough to remember when a good set of hand tools was all you needed to repair virtually any car....  — Paul G. Schreier

[New Products]

• Component Specifier: Discrete Semiconductors  — Lisa Maliniak

• Packaging & Interconnects: Color-Coded Screws And Terminals Simplify Visual PC-Board Inspections  — Roger Allan

• Packaging & Interconnects: RF Center-Probe Test Socket Accepts 14- To 27-mm2 Devices  — Roger Allan

• Packaging & Interconnects: Insulated 90° Miniature BNC Jack Ups Density And Reliability Levels  — Roger Allan

• Packaging & Interconnects: Lead-Free Cables Satisfy Global, U.S. Environmental Standards  — Roger Allan

• Packaging & Interconnects: High-Density Power Interconnects Aimed At Elevated Board Stacking  — Roger Allan

• Packaging & Interconnects: PWM Fans For Thermal Cooling Minimize Power-Switching Noise  — Roger Allan

• Packaging & Interconnects; Flexible Splicing Connector Simplifies Terminations  — Roger Allan

• Embedded: Wireless Kits Streamline 8-Bit Development  — William Wong

• Embedded: RAID Controller Squeezes Into 3.5-in. Space  — William Wong

• Analog & Power: Miniature DC-DC Converters Meet Point-Of-Load Requirements  — Lisa Maliniak

• Analog & Power: Intermediate Bus Converter Pumps Out 197 W/in.3  — Lisa Maliniak

• Analog & Power: Vavlve-Regulated Lead-Acid Batteries Deliver High Rate Of Discharge  — Lisa Maliniak

• Analog & Power: Controller/Driver Chip Set Powers Next-Generation CPUs  — Lisa Maliniak

• Analog & Power: 1-W Regulator Presents Alternative To Backlighting For Handhelds  — Lisa Maliniak

• Analog & Power: Compact Telecom Power System Churns Out Up To 100 A  — Lisa Maliniak

• Analog & Power: Triple High-Speed Amplifier Drives Component Video Lines  — Lisa Maliniak





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