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ISSUE DATE: NOVEMBER 15, 2004 OPTIONS
Wireless broadband, Factorized-power module, Analog-to-digital IP integration, Embedded in ED

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November 15, 2004 - In This Issue

[Technology Report]
WiMAX: The Race Is On!
I'll believe it when I see it—that is, a third broadband option to cable and DSL. It could be the fiber to the home (FFTH) via passive optical networks (PONs), as I reported several months ago. But a broadband option that may wind up winning...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[Leapfrog: Industry First]
Factorized-Power Module Completes Basic Picture
The missing element in the factorized-power architecture that Vicor Corp. announced in April 2003 has been an efficient buck-boost converter that operates well when VOUT is close to VIN. That final piece is now available in...  — Don Tuite

[Leapfrog: First Look]
Switch Modules And Advanced AWG Pack Performance Punch
A low-cost, very high-performance alternative to PXI/VXI switch and measurement platforms and an arbitrary waveform generator that offers both wide-band and wide-dynamic-range signals simultaneously—these are just two of the latest...  — Roger Allan

[Design View / Design Solution]
Solve The Issues Associated With Analog-To-Digital IP Integration
The huge increase in variety and number of ways people interact with electronic communications systems is no secret. More cell phones, wireless computers, and other multifunction, media-rich products such as PDAs, MP3 players, and digital cameras...  — Mazen Allawi

[Ideas For Design]
Voltage-Controlled Current Source Uses Two Op Amps
One challenge in circuit design is building a good current source, especially when the load is variable or the current must be controlled with a voltage source. The figure shows a simple, low-cost voltage-controlled current source using two op amps...  — Mazi Hosseini

[Ideas For Design]
Efficiently Reduce High Supply Voltages To Accurate Low Voltage
When a relatively high input of 24 V or more must be very accurately regulated down to a much lower voltage, such as 3.3 V or less, with very low quiescent current, there's no off-the-shelf solution available. For example, if one needs to...  — Chuck Bagg

[Editorial]
Look Mom, No Hands! Driver Assist Makes It Easy
"Automobiles are on their way to becoming electronic devices with a few mechanical systems," said Henry Ford's great grandson, Bill Ford, who addressed attendees at Convergence, the bi-annual automotive electronics event held last month in...  — Mark David

[POV: Point Of View]
Ubiquitous Connectivity: In The Midst Of An Evolution
As the demand for connectivity rises and industries evolve, companies need technologies that can evolve with them. From automotive to consumer electronics to factory automation and all points in between, almost everything is connected, although...  — Peter Schulmeyer

[Pease Porridge]
What's All This Magazine Stuff, Anyhow?
The dictionaries have always said that a magazine is a military storage place, in a fort or ship, to keep bullets, gunpowder, shells, and other important (or dangerous) military supplies. If an enemy shell hit your magazine, you would...  — Bob Pease

[TechView: The Industry]
IEDM Goes For The Gold
The IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), the premier conference covering the design and fabrication of next-generation electron devices, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Slated for December 13-15 at the San Francisco...  — Dave Bursky

[TechView: The Industry]
Support For RapidIO, European Chip Initiative Expands, SuperH CPU Core
OSE RTOS now supports serial version of RapidIO At September's Smart Network Developers Forum in Frankfurt, Germany, Enea Embedded Technology announced that the OSE real-time operating system (RTOS) now supports...  — Paul Whytock

[TechView: Analog & Power]
Space-Ready MOSFETs Shrug Off Cosmic Rays
Year to year, power MOSFETs don't change very much—a little faster, a little better on-resistance, nothing really radical. That sameness can also be said for susceptibility to cosmic rays. So it's surprising when International Rectifier...  — Don Tuite

[TechView: Analog & Power]
Floating Gates Offer Exquisitely Precise Control Of Comparator Thresholds
In research, test and measurement, and process control, signal conditioning for today's most sensitive analog sensors, detectors, and transducers must provide ultra-low-level input-signal detection, incredible resolution, and the least possible...  — Don Tuite

[TechView: Analog & Power]
Dates For Analog/Mixed-Signal Wafer Runs Scheduling Now
Fabless companies looking to prototype new analog and mixed-signal designs may want to contact PolarFab, which is scheduling 2005 runs on its PolarShuttle multiproject, fast-track wafer program. PolarShuttle combines designs from multiple...  — Don Tuite

[TechView: Communications]
Four-Way Signal Splitter Expands Set-Top-Box Apps
Thanks to the latest digital cable techniques, cable TV providers are offering more services. Digital set-top-box sales are soaring, with over 60 million shipped this year and over 80 million expected in 2005. Along with these new boxes comes...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[TechView: Communications]
Call Isn't Waiting: VoIP Phones Over WLAN Arrive
You've finally adjusted to the fact that your cell phone is more than a simple voice tool. Well, get ready to adjust again. Texas Instruments' TNETV1600 lets designers create phones that handle voice over Wi-Fi local-area networks (LANs). It...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[TechView: Communications]
Four-Band Power Amp Eyes GSM/GPRS Cell Phones
The MMM6035 50-Ω power amplifier is destined for dual-, tri-, and quad-band GSM/GPRS cell phones (see the figure). This tiny two-chip module comprises a dual-amplifier die and a CMOS power-control die. Such a combination simplifies...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[TechView: Communications]
UHF RFID Chip Extends Reading Range To 10 Meters
The meteoric rise of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has drastically improved the way products and materials are inventoried, tracked, shipped, and located, as well as how people are billed. It's also changing the methods...  — Louis E. Frenzel

[TechView: Components & Test]
Signal-Integrity Tools Measure Up To DSO Demands
New accessories for LeCroy's digital storage oscilloscopes (DSOs) help boost the accuracy of, as well as simplify, signal-integrity measurements. They include a set of small-tip (ST) accessories for the Wavelink family of differential probes and a...  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Components & Test]
Single-Layer/Multilayer Chip Capacitors Give A Lift At Microwave Levels
When working at microwave frequencies, the smaller the capacitor, the better. That's just the case with the CLB and CLG series of single-layer ceramic capacitors and the GMA series of multilayer ceramic capacitors. Crafted by Murata, they...  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Components & Test]
Scope Scoop: Jitter Analysis Software Boosts Performance
Faster, more accurate, and easier-to-use jitter and timing measurements are possible for Tektronix's oscilloscopes thanks to Version 2 of the company's TDSJIT3 Measurement Wizard software package. Several manual functions have been automated,...  — Roger Allan

[TechView: Digital]
Network Processors Trim System Parts Count And Cost
Two network-processor (NP) families take aim at traditional communications applications and the emerging embedded networking segment. The first of the two new families, Intel's IXP2325 and IXP2350 NPs, go after access and edge apps like DSLAMs,...  — Dave Bursky

[TechView: Digital]
RTL Bundles Preconfigured Arm CPU Subsystem
The PrimeXsys platform from Arm Ltd. makes it easier to implement an ARM11-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution. This "predesigned" CPU subsystem available in RTL form includes the ARM1176-JZF-S processor core. It also packs a level 2 cache...  — Dave Bursky

[TechView: Digital]
Automotive-Optimized FPGAs Tackle In-Cabin Applications
The XA family of FPGAs and complex programmable-logic devices (CPLDs) meets the automotive industry's strict requirements. This line of programmable devices from Xilinx targets GPS, infotainment, communication, driver assistance, and comfort...  — Dave Bursky

[TechView: EDA]
Assertions Lead The Way In Simulator Upgrade
One of the better bets for enhanced verification productivity these days is adoption of an assertion-based methodology. Version 6.0 of Mentor's ModelSim fully supports a standards-based approach to assertion-based verification and...  — David Maliniak

[TechView: EDA]
Timing Analyzer Takes On Project-Manager Role
With timing-margin budgets changing so rapidly during an IC or pc-board design project, miscommunication of relevant information among design teams can create serious headaches. Timing-Designer 7.0, an interactive timing-analysis and diagramming...  — David Maliniak

[TechView: EDA]
EDA Roundup
More accurate delay prediction for nanometer designs has motivated Magma Design Automation to support Cadence's effective current-source model (ECSM) for timing calculations. ECSM improves delay calculation accuracy by modeling a cell's output...  — David Maliniak

[Embedded in Electronic Design]
C++ Development Suite Aims For PowerPC Line
The Microtec C and C++ compiler suite handles Freescale Semiconductor's entire line of PowerPC microprocessors. The Dynamic Variant Support package permits upgrades of the tools via e-mail to accommodate for future processor variants. Created by...  — William Wong

[Embedded in Electronic Design]
Windows XP SP2 Nabs POS
New security features and fixes, including a redesigned firewall, highlight the Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP Embedded. Also included is Software Update Services support, dubbed the Windows Embedded for Point of Service (POS), that's ideal...  — William Wong

[Embedded in Electronic Design]
Low-Cost Eval Kit Sports FPGA
The Altium LiveDesign evaluation kit, which costs $99, comes with a choice of either the Altera Cyclone EP1C12F324C8 or the Xilinx Spartan-3 XC3S400-4FG456C FPGA device on the evaluation board. The board also includes RAM, connectors, LEDs, and...  — William Wong

[Embedded in Electronic Design]
Maturing InfiniBand Simply On Fire
InfiniBand was never really burned, although some companies got singed along the way. The initial hype has given way to a rock-solid technology that blows away the competition, primarily 10G Ethernet. InfiniBand's low latency and high...  — William Wong

[Embedded in Electronic Design]
Single-Chip InfiniBand 10-Gbit/s Host Cuts Memory Requirements
The Infinihost III Ex with MemFree technology eliminates the need for external memory and its associated power and timing components. This trick is actually handled by a firmware upgrade to the InfiniHost III, which makes the Ex version a...  — William Wong

[Embedded in Electronic Design]
MCUs Drive Up To 192 LCD Segments
Cost- and power-sensitive applications aren't limited by display capabilities with Microchip's latest PIC microcontrollers. The 10-MIPS PIC18FXX90 line drives up to 192 LCD segments and has an 8-by-8 hardware multiply. Multiplexing of pins...  — William Wong

[TechScope]
Universal TV Remote Squelches The Noise
Imagine the ambience of a nice restaurant—a candlelit table, good food, and fine wine. Then imagine that serene setting being disrupted by a TV blaring the latest news or sports scores. Now, you can recapture the peace and quiet with a...  — Richard Gawel

[TechScope]
Artificial Retina Project Gives Hope To The Blind
Diseases like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa destroy the retina and lead to blindness. But a broad coalition has formed to create an artificial retina and combat the darkness. This implant would replace damaged rods and cones,...  — Richard Gawel

[Basics Of Design]
Select The Optimum ASIC Approach
Sponsored by: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR
When pushing the performance of a custom network processor or widening the bandwidth of a next-generation broadband interface, the performance of the customized chips used in the system banks heavily upon selecting the best implementation approach....  — Dave Bursky

[Design FAQs]
Power Over Ethernet
Sponsored by: NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR
What is the basis for Power over Ethernet (PoE)? The IEEE 802.3af standard for PoE enables all data-terminal equipment (DTE) to receive power over the same cabling used for data. It specifies the protocol for delivery of 48 V dc over...  — Sam Davis

[Quick Facts]
Gate Drivers: Key To Power Switching
Sponsored by: IXYS CORP.
Power-Switching Enablers Low-power, logic-level switching signals can't drive moderate- to high-power semiconductor switches, such as the MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor) and IGBT...  — Sam Davis

[New Products]

• Components: LCD Touchscreens Use IR Light For Superior Reliability  — Roger Allan

• Components: I/O Expanders Dim LEDs In Microprocessor Buses  — Roger Allan

• Components: Humidity/Temperature Sensor Offers Dual-Channel On/Off Control  — Roger Allan

• Components: Tiny Ultra-Bright Multicolor LEDs Feature 13- To 80-mcd Outputs  — Roger Allan

• Components: Sunlight-Readable LCD Displays Save On Energy  — Roger Allan

• Packaging, Materials & Interconnects: Custom-Colored Modular Jacks Avoid Mismating  — Roger Allan

• Packaging, Materials & Interconnects: Molded Power Cords Feature Eight Different Angle Configurations  — Roger Allan

• Packaging, Materials & Interconnects: Miniature Alumina Ceramic Parts Suit Demanding Applications  — Roger Allan

• Packaging, Materials & Interconnects: Printed-Circuit-Board Terminal Blocks Have A Sense Of Style  — Roger Allan

• Packaging, Materials & Interconnects: RF Center Probe Test Socket Suits 1- To 10-GHz Packages  — Roger Allan

• Packaging, Materials & Interconnects: Seismic Zone 4 Cabinets Are Earthquake Proof  — Roger Allan

• Packaging, Materials & Interconnects: High-Density MT Cable Assemblies Boost Front-Panel Real Estate  — Roger Allan

• Embedded: Transmissions Get More Secure With TCP/IP Stack  — William Wong

• Embedded: PCI-X Expansion Uses PCI Express  — William Wong

• Component Specifier: Connectors/Sockets  — Richard Gawel

• Components: High-Legibility LCD Panels Inject Color And Configuration Options  — Roger Allan

• Components: Miniature TCXOs Fit GPS And Satellite-Radio Applications  — Roger Allan

• Embedded: CompactPCI Storage Card Takes Advantage Of USB 2.0  — William Wong

• Embedded: Software Platform Targets Safety-Critical Embedded Medical Devices  — William Wong

• Embedded: JTAG Debugger Masters Multicore Support  — William Wong

• Embedded: Mission-Critical Java Gets Standard Graphics Libraries  — William Wong

• Embedded: Platform Secures Mobile Handsets  — William Wong

• Embedded: Framework Pushes Development Of Device-Management System  — William Wong

• Embedded: Flash MCUs Cut Power Consumption  — William Wong

• Embedded: Big Systems Not A Tall Order For 10U Racks  — William Wong

• Embedded: 8-Bit NEC MCU Gets Its Own Workbench  — William Wong

• Embedded: Low-Cost USB-Based Starter Kit Weaves In Freescale MCU  — William Wong





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