November 05, 2009[Ideas For Design] Garage Door Opener Parts Form IR Intrusion Detector
While creating an infrared beam intrusion detector system, the need for a beam-focusing method became evident. Parts from a modified Genie garage door Safe-T-Beam system, purchased at the local home improvement store, proved to be perfectly suited to the application. The main reason for choosing the Genie unit is that the IR transmitter and receiver housings each contain a plastic lens inside a short plastic tube molded into the housing. The tube and lens...
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Bert Henscheid
November 05, 2009[Ideas For Design] Achieve MPPT Control Without Power Calculation
A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller circuit is extremely useful in solar photovoltaic systems for boosting power usage efficiency. The traditional MPPT design, though, requires the use of a multiplier to calculate power from source voltage and current measurements. However, it’s possible to build an MPPT controller without this multiplication stage by measuring power on the load rather than using source parameters. If we aren’t in the presence of a...
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Giovanni Romeo
November 05, 2009[Design View / Design Solution] Take Simple Steps Toward Extreme Low-Power Design
Practicing engineers are always learning and perfecting their craft. With the demand for more portable, battery-powered devices and energy harvesting on the horizon, the requirements for even lower-power designs have gotten more challenging. At first, designers wrestled with saving milliamps, then microamps. Today, it is all about saving nanoamps. As a result, designers have to elevate their thinking to another level. Extreme low-power embedded design...
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Steven Bible
November 05, 2009[Leapfrog: First Look] Hard Drive Delivers SATA-III 6-Gbit/s Transfer Rate
Peripheral transfer rate is the typical bottleneck for many applications, especially as processors split into multiple cores. SATA-III’s 6-Gbit/s transfer rate provides significantly more bandwidth, assuming the hard drives and motherboards can keep up. Seagate’s 2-Tbyte ST32000641AS Barracuda XT hard drive delivers on the peripheral side. This is enough space for up to 45 hours of 1080i HD DVCPRO-encoded video (see the...
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William Wong
November 05, 2009[TechView: EDA] Parasitic Extraction Tool Targets Next-Generation Custom ICs
Achieving design closure in a system-on-a-chip (SoC) development project generally requires a great deal of patience. SoCs tend to include more and more custom circuitry, which means long simulation runs and some stabs in the dark at something resembling signoff. The combination of more transistors and the need to model more complex parasitic effects can double, if not quadruple, the runtimes of circuit-level simulation. One way to get...
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David Maliniak
November 05, 2009[Technology Report] Li-ion Suppliers Try To Find The Right Chemistry With Car Buyers
Since Sony introduced them in 1991, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have transformed portable electronic products. Now, carmakers and would-be automotive battery suppliers are looking for a similar transformation to redefine automotive propulsion. Currently, well over 2 billion Li-ion battery cells are sold annually for consumer electronic applications, most notably cell phones and laptop computers. If cars become a significant market for Li-ion batteries, this...
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Randy Frank
November 05, 2009[Embedded in Electronic Design] Tracing The Almost Perfect Program
Those of you who write perfect programs the first time around may leave the room. Now for the rest of us, what debug tools do you use? The crude but effective printf (for C and C++) is probably at the top of everyone’s list. Variations include watch variables in debuggers and control panels for graphical environments like National Instruments’ LabVIEW, but the idea is the same—see what the program is doing and then figure out what’s going...
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William Wong
November 05, 2009[Embedded in Electronic Design] DSF Targets Complex Debugging Chores
The open-source Eclipse project has turned into one of the primary software development platforms for Web services, embedded systems, and other applications. Embedded developers typically take advantage of the Java-based Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE) using the C/ C++ Development Tool (CDT). Embedded tool vendors quickly adopted the CDT because it enabled incorporation of the GNU toolchain as well as proprietary toolchains including...
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William Wong
November 05, 2009[Engineering Essentials] Motor-Control Resources
A good general view of field-oriented control (FOC) can be found in Texas Instruments’ 1998 white paper, “Field Orientated Control of 3-Phase AC Motors”, which can be downloaded for free. For a more recent treatment, though its references go back at least as far as 1980, readers can check out “A Seamless Whole Speed Range Control of Interior PM Synchronous Machine without Position Transducer” by Filka, Balazovic, and...
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Don Tuite
, et al.
November 05, 2009[Engineering Essentials] A Multi-Level Approach Makes Understanding Motor Control Easier
Regardless of their primary field, sooner or later, most designers have to deal with motor controls. Broadly speaking, there are two methods to incorporating these components in your design. First, designers can start with one of the many choices of microcontrollers that are available and then address the challenges of making the control do what they want. Or second, designers can start at the other end and examine the interaction between motors and...
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Don Tuite
, et al.
November 05, 2009[Design FAQs] Non-Isolated Point-Of-Load Regulator Modules
Analog & Power Editor Don Tuite answers some frequently asked questions about non-isolated point-of-load regulator modules, including: What is the Intermediate Bus Architecture? Functionally, what does a POL regulator comprise? How do newer packages deal with the switching inductor? Are there disadvantages to an integrated inductor? And more! Fill out this brief form to download the FAQ: ...
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Don Tuite
November 05, 2009[Pease Porridge] What's All This 2401BG Stuff, Anyhow?
Back about 1965, when I was at Philbrick, we were doing some business with Amelco Semiconductor. I had designed a good hybrid op amp (the Q85AH) and Amelco was trying to build it, but they had some test problems, and some yield problems... so I flew out to help find and solve their problems. The first morning, I put in an hour looking at their test setup. Nothing showed up right away. So we went over to their cafeteria for a cup of coffee. Several engineers ...
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Bob Pease
November 05, 2009[Design FAQs] Clocking Data Converters
What is the most critical performance characteristic for clock chips used with high-performance data converters? The clock signal’s phase noise (or jitter— the time-domain representation of phase noise) is the most critical spec. But also, pay attention to the band over which the jitter has been integrated. Phase noise limits signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For converter applications, broadband RMS additive jitter is a good...
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Don Tuite
November 05, 2009[Lab Bench] Rambus And SPMT Offer A Memory Of Things To Come
Memory is more than double data rate (DDR), as any embedded designer will attest. Memory technology is also one of the arenas where there is an ongoing conflict between standards and innovation. Volume keeps memory costs down, but it also means standards need to exist so parts are interchangeable. Plenty of memory technologies are out now, with more on the drawing board. Two new possibilities, multithreaded DDR RAM from Rambus and serial port memory from the...
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William Wong
November 05, 2009[Engineering Feature] A Bright Future For LED Illumination
Nearly all market forecasts paint a positive picture on LEDs being used for general illumination. Market research firm Databeans Inc. expects the market for LED lighting applications, including white LEDs, to grow an average of 23% over the next several years. Worldwide sales this year alone will total $500 million, and LED revenues will hit $1.8 billion by 2013 (see the figure). The vast majority of such sales will be for...
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Roger Allan
November 05, 2009[Engineering Feature] White LEDs Promise Green Illumination Domination
The lighting is on the wall: Solid state is threatening to dismantle the dominion of incandescent and compact fluorescent light (CFL) sources. Illumination applications based on solid-state lighting are slowly replacing those previously ruled by the older technologies. Though very expensive to use, solid-state lighting has proven more efficient and in sync in a world where government initiatives are calling for a greener environment and less energy consumption. ...
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Roger Allan
October 29, 2009
[TechView: EDA] Synopsys Jumps Into ESL-Synthesis Pool
There’s a new entry in the ESL synthesis marketplace in the form of the Synopsys Synphony high-level synthesis (HLS) tool, which the company has aimed directly at the heart of the burgeoning HLS market. Synphony is intended to synthesize algorithms written in the MathWorks’ Matlab language into optimized RTL for ASICs, FPGAs, prototyping, and software development work.
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David Maliniak
October 23, 2009
[Editorial] Medical Devices Take Center Stage At IMEC Technology Forum
Back in early October, I headed to Leuven, Belgium, to attend the IMEC Technology Forum. IMEC specializes in nanotechnology research in information and communication technologies (ICT), healthcare, and energy. The presentations ran the gamut of research at the facility, but the most impressive concerned the communication between cells and electronics at the nano scale.
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Joseph Desposito
October 21, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] Time To Move To Windows?
Embedded developers looking to jump over Microsoft Windows Vista are in luck. Based on the Windows 7 kernel, Windows Embedded Standard 2011 will supersede Windows XP Embedded, currently known as Windows Embedded Standard 2009.
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William Wong
October 21, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] Transceivers Boast More Automotive Interfaces
SMSC has expanded its TrueAuto offering with the USB83340 USB 2.0 transceiver with high-performance ESD protection and overvoltage protection up to 30 V. The LAN8930 10/100 three-port managed Ethernet switch has a pair of ports with PHYs and one MII interface.
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William Wong
October 21, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] Get Linux In An RJ-45 Module
Lantronix’s XPortPro with its 32-bit processor is built to run Linux and Lantronix’s own Evolution operating system (OS). The Evolution turnkey sysem supports Lantronix’s ManageLinx with VIP Access.
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William Wong
October 21, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] High-Availability Carrier-Grade Linux Does DRDB
One of the many new features of MontaVista’s Carrier Grade Edition (CGE) Linux 5.1 is support for disk replication within a cluster via open-source Distributed Replicated Block Device (DRDB) software. DRDB uses high-speed network links to provide RAID-like operation in a high-availability (HA) environment.
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William Wong
October 20, 2009
[TechView: Test] Scope Delivers High Signal Fidelity To 20 GHz
As the performance levels of embedded systems escalate, the tools required to verify and debug them must keep pace. Most designers need to examine analog and digital signals simultaneously, with many dealing with memory buses in terms of integrity and timing. Combining the probing attributes of a high-performance logic analyzer with the analog capabilities of a real-time scope, the MSO70000 series is Tektronix’s take on a mixed-signal scope that’s up to the challenge.
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David Maliniak
October 20, 2009
[TechView: Communications] Low-Power Short-Range Radio IC Simplifies Product Wireless
Adding wireless capability has never been easier with RFM’s TRC105 transceiver, which covers from 300 to 510 MHz. It enables two-way wireless communications in a wide range of applications, including automated meter reading (AMR), medical, home and industrial automation, security systems, two-way remote keyless entry (RKE), automobile immobilizers, asset tracking systems, sports and recreation equipment, low-power two-way telemetry systems, wireless toys, and controlled entry/access.
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Louis E. Frenzel
October 22, 2009[Lab Bench] Developers Can Expect To See Everyware Everywhere
Building a system from the ground up including all the software can be rewarding, but it’s a timeconsuming process that’s prone to errors. That’s why developers utilize off-the-shelf processor boards, operating systems, and run-time systems. Systems that aren’t built with a significant amount of off-theshelf hardware and software are rare. On the software side, C remains the dominant programming language of choice, with C++ bringing up the rear. C++ has...
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William Wong
October 22, 2009[Ideas For Design] Simple Circuit Provides Latching Fault Protection
Most switching power-supply controllers provide non-latching fault protection. Satisfying a requirement for a latchoff response to a fault often requires the addition of excessive and redundant circuitry. For power-supply controllers with an external soft-start pin, however, a simple circuit can be added to convert its non-latching fault protection into one with latched protection. For typical controllers, the startup sequence begins by charging the VDD...
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Brian King
October 22, 2009[Ideas For Design] Calculator Provides Quick Rectifier Ripple Approximation
The standard practice for calculating the ripple voltage of a simple rectifier circuit with a reservoir capacitor (Fig. 1) is to linearize the problem. A linear approximation of the voltage across the reservoir capacitor (Fig. 2) assumes that the discharge time is equal to the period of the input sine wave, which is only approximately true for...
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Hugo Coolens
October 22, 2009[Engineering Feature] Engineers Give Back 2008 Gains In 2009
The news media is constantly hyping the latest poll. Whether it’s what people think about healthcare, Afghanistan, or the latest contestants on So You Think You Can Dance, someone somewhere is always telling us what somebody else is thinking. But here at Electronic Design, we know what really matters to you. That’s why we conduct our engineering salary and opinion survey every year. Our annual survey provides the industry’s most complete...
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Jay McSherry
October 22, 2009[Engineering Essentials] Pick The Right Probe And Get The Most Out Of It
The first rule of thumb to be observed in choosing a test probe involves the probe’s bandwidth. “The bandwidth of the probe needs to be three to five times the signal bandwidth,” explains Jae-Yong Chang, Agilent Technologies’ product manager for probes. “Customers often are confused by signal bandwidth, which is driven by the fastest rise time of your circuitry.” When it comes to using high-end active test probes, it’s important to remember that these devices are...
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David Maliniak
October 22, 2009[Engineering Essentials] High-End Probes Actively Improve Test Results
A steady stream of advances has elevated test and measurement instruments to the point where they can reveal minute details of signals with lightning-quick rise and fall times. So, then, what about test probes? The last thing test engineers want or need is a probe that’s going to influence their measurements or fail to deliver the full bandwidth that’s available to them on the scope. Fortunately, today’s high-end probes are constructed to sidestep these...
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David Maliniak
October 22, 2009[Electronic Design Products] Select The Right Ultracapacitor Solution
Like all capacitors, ultracapacitors have a high power density. Yet unlike their traditional counterparts, electrolytic capacitors, ultracapacitors offer high energy density, allowing them to store a vast amount of energy in a small package. The capacitors that most design engineers are familiar with have very short time constants, which means their voltage cycles quickly. Ultracapacitor arrays, though, have time constants on the order of tens of seconds to...
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Alex Patsos
October 22, 2009[Technology Report] Playing The Board Game: Stack' em, Pack 'em, And Rack 'em
Stacking architectures such as PC/104 and computer-on-module (COM) rule when it comes to customizing compact, rugged systems. With standardization, boards from one vendor can plug into another, providing a host of options. As a result, developers can seize processing power from vendors with single-board computers (SBCs) and I/O boards from another vendor. The typical stacking system, such as PC/104, paves the way for simple expansion and offers ruggedization...
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William Wong
October 22, 2009[Leapfrog: First Look] STT Technology Puts A New Spin On MRAM
MRAM’s full potential has been one of the electronics industry’s holy grails—until now. Maybe. Its promise includes nonvolatility, fast read and write times, and unlimited endurance. Power requirements and density have been limitations in the past, though current MRAM technology has succeeded in a number of niche applications. MRAM is complementary with technologies it may replace, including SRAM, DRAM, and flash memory. Crocus...
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William Wong
October 22, 2009[TechView: Analog & Power] Tree-To-Earth pH Difference May Generate Harvestable Energy
An experimental wireless mesh network for monitoring forests for fire danger was recently demonstrated while being powered by the trees themselves during the Global Semiconductor Alliance Emerging Opportunities Expo & Conference, held earlier this month in Santa Clara, Calif. The demonstration used energy-harvesting hardware developed by a Massachusetts company called Voltree Power. The test took place at the National Interagency Fire Center...
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Don Tuite
October 22, 2009[TechView: Components & Test] Low-Power Actuator Suits In-Vivo Biomedical Apps
Fabricated using silicon-oninsulator micromachining techniques, Imec’s latest actuator operates with ultralow power. It’s also watertight, making it viable for use in in-vivo biomedical devices and other applications that need to combine a long autonomy with small batteries (see the figure). The prototype integrates a micro needle, which is steerable by the actuator, and combines a...
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Mat Dirjish
October 22, 2009[Engineering Feature] Where Are All The Jobs?
Federal Reserve chairman Ben S. Bernanke caused a bit of a stir last month when he said that from a “technical perspective,” the recession is “very likely” over at this point. From a less technical perspective, he added that it could be months before unemployment rates dropped significantly. In fact, the Consumer Electronics Association’s U.S. Economic Forecast is projecting the unemployment rate for the country at 9.9% in 2010 and expects it to improve to only...
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Ron Schneiderman
October 22, 2009[Design View / Design Solution] Break Through The TCP/IP Bottleneck With iWARP
T he online economy, particularly e-business, entertainment, and collaboration, continues to dramatically and rapidly increase the amount of Internet traffic to and from enterprise servers. Most of this data is going through the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) stack and Ethernet controllers. As a result, Ethernet controllers are experiencing heavy network traffic, which requires more system resources to process network packets. The...
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Sweta Bhatt
, et al.
October 22, 2009[Editorial] Salary Aside, Engineering Remains A Great Profession
There has been a lot of bad economic news for engineers and almost everyone else since the financial meltdown of 2008. Hiring and salary freezes have become the order of the day, and benefits like 401(k) matches have been taken away. Add unprecedented reductions in salaries, whether as a flat percentage pullback or a via a shorter workweek, and employees are really feeling the pinch. Many of these occurrences are documented in this year’s salary survey,...
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Joseph Desposito
