Welcome to Electronic Design's third annual Wireless Everywhere issue.
This edition comes at a time when 3G cellular is in full swing and other technologies
such as Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and nearfield communications (NFC) are beginning
to penetrate the market, much like the state of Wi-Fi several years ago. And
no matter where you look, you'll see wireless devices all around.
Beginning with our Industry Techview,
assistant editor Kristina Fiore delves into
Nikola Tesla's wireless power initiatives
and describes modern forays into this
technology from Powercast and Fulton
Innovation. She also explains MIT's
research into this area, called WiTricity,
which relies on magnetic induction to
transfer power, but with an added component—resonance.
In the Analog & Power Techview, editor
Don Tuite introduces Anadigm's Filter1
chip set. It combines the company's
dynamically programmable Analog Signal
Processor technology and a state machine
so designers can quickly create a filter for
frequencies from dc to 600 Hz.
Dan Harris introduces the EnOcean EVA120C wireless sensor kit in his Digital
Techview. Powered by a solar cell, it can be used to develop a wireless sensor
network to monitor such parameters as temperature, humidity, light levels, and
pressure. He also goes into more depth on Fulton Innovation's eCoupled technology,
which promises to charge cell phones, MP3 players, and other portable electronics
when you lay them down, for example, on a charging tray.
SPECIAL REPORTS
In this issue's Engineering Feature, editor Lou Frenzel covers Ultra-Wideband
and how it is changing the way people connect peripherals and home-entertainment
equipment. Lou starts with UWB's application to wireless USB and takes off from
there, explaining many of the applications possible with this exciting technology.
Speaking of UWB, Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, handles
our Point of View and writes about the collision course of two major protocols,
High Speed Bluetooth and Certified Wireless USB, which will use the same WiMedia
UWB radio. He explains what differentiates these two technologies and how they
might play out in the market.
Editor Bill Wong joins the party with two
new wireless products in our Leapfrog
department. You're probably familiar with
Texas Instruments' Z430 development tool on a
USB stick. The company's new eZ430-RF2500
combines the standard USB-based eZ430 debug
module with a new RF target board, including a
16-bit MSP430F2274 microcontroller and a
CC2500 RF transceiver.
The second Leapfrog goes right to the core of
auto safety with Freescale's MPXY8300 tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This system in a
package includes an 8-bit microcontroller, a
SmartMOS RF transmitter, and a pressure sensor—in other words, everything you need in a single chip to develop a TPMS.
In this issue's Embedded in Electronic Design,
Bill covers the hot ZigBee arena, including Oki
Semiconductor America's ML7065, Ember Technology's EM250, and Maxstream's XBee. Depending on your needs, Bill explains the pros and cons of these products.
Of course, the hottest wireless product on the planet is the Apple iPhone.
Bill also writes about achieving better security in products such as this. Meanwhile,
I've written about the recent high-profile hack by George Hotz, who modified
his iPhone to work with the T-Mobile network even though it is intended to work
only with AT&T's wireless network. You can find my blog at www.eepn.com/blog
AN EXTRAORDINARY EDITOR
In his Technology Report, Lou Frenzel covers 3G and 4G cellular technologies.
AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and Verizon already offer 3G data services, which really
gives meaning to the term Wireless Everywhere. No longer do you have to search
for a wireless hotspot to connect to the Internet. With the use of a plug-in
card, you can achieve a wireless connection practically anywhere you are. Lou
writes about this as well as the faster 4G technologies on the horizon.
In Lou's Engineering Essentials report, he encourages engineers who may not
have worked with wireless technologies before to jump into the game by untethering
monitoring and control applications with short-range wireless links, such as Bluetooth, IrDA, ISM, Wi-Fi, and ZigBee. And, Lou rounds out his coverage with a Design
FAQs on WiMAX products and services, sponsored by Futjitsu. If you're interested in
the technical details of WiMAX, be sure to check it out. And, we thank Lou for all of
his contributions to this year's issue.
If you haven't had enough of wireless technology by now, or if you want to
advance your knowledge even further, our sister publication Microwaves and
RF offers a series of six webcasts that covers many of the major wireless
technologies and the challenges involved with testing them. You can find these
webcasts at http://planetee.com/events/
See Associated Figure