AMAZING MCUs
Lots of action is swirling around the 16-bit microcontroller (MCU) arena. Renesas will display its 16-bit H8/38086 MCU, which integrates a delta-sigma type 14-bit ADC. The company also will show off its M32C/8x line of MCUs, with 512 kbytes of program flash and 4 kbytes of data flash for automotive applications. CAN and a 10-bit ADC are just some of the peripheral options available.
In the 8-bit arena, ZiLOG will launch its Z8Encore! XP Family of MCUs. A development kit priced at $39.95 is available. The family has some notable peripherals, including a temperature sensor, a transimpedence amplifier, an enhanced sigma-delta ADC, and an on-chip oscillator.
Check out Integrated Device Technology's booth to see two processing devices linked together. The 70P2x8 chips have a 1.8-V interface on one side and a 3.3/3.0/2.5-V interface on the other port.
RTOS TO THE FORE
A new crop of operating-system releases are expected to make an impact at the conference. QNX Momentics 6.3 adds features like an embedded browser, advanced graphics support with 3D rendering, and new network protocol support, such as Multilink PPP and IPv6.
Green Hills Software will have its Integrity real-time operating system (RTOS) on display, along with development tools. Integrity just passed the IEEE POSIX Std 1003.1, 2003 Edition conformance certification.
Wind River will offer a major release of its flagship, VxWorks 6, along with version 2.0 of its Industrial Automation and Industrial Devices platforms. VxWorks 6.0 supports MMU-based memory protection, plus system partitioning and fault isolation.
DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
The Eclipse flood has turned into an ocean when it comes to support. The open-source project is under independent leadership now, with a host of vendors presenting Eclipse-based products. These vendors include IBM, MontaVista, QNX, TimeSys, Wasabi, and Wind River.
Wind River's Power IDE 2.0 integrates Wind River's development tools under an Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE). This includes the Diab Compiler, Tornado, SNIFF+, visionClick/XD, SingleStep, and JTAG emulation tools. QNX Momentics 6.3 includes an updated IDE along with support for the latest compilers and development tools.
The MathWorks Embedded Target software will be on display as well. It supports TI's C2000 digital signal controllers. TI also will show off its latest Code Composer Studio, along with a $495 DMC550 motor development board and TMS320LF2407A eZdsp development platform.
American Arium takes advantage of Arm's ETM (Embedded Trace Macrocell) with its SourcePoint Performance Analysis tool. SourcePoint hardware and software works with any ARM9 cores that have ETM and any application providing real-time profiling and timing information.
SOFT TOOLS OF THE TRADE
A wide range of new support software will be available for examination. CMX's SNMP stack brings remote management to 8-bit MCUs for the first time. It works with the CMX-MicroNet TCP/IP stack for 8- and 16-bit processors.
Swell Software's PEG/C graphics software has an update, and the Pagasis GUI toolkit now includes the PEG Assistant Application Framework. In addition, Encirq will unveil its Encirq 3e Telematics Edition. This embedded data-management solution handles 80% of the core data-management functionality, reducing development cost and time-to-market.
McObject and mycable GmbH will show the SPEED (Small Profile Embedded Engine for Devices) Kit for data-intensive, Linux-based applications running on intelligent devices. The kit combines McObject's eXtremeDB in-memory embedded database with mycable's XXS1500 Linux/MIPS System.
HARDWARE MANIPULATION
Agilent Technologies will demonstrate its modular logic analyzer with hosted capabilities. Three new 16900 series logic-analyzer acquisition modules all provide 4-GHz timing (250-ps sampling) simultaneously with state measurements, eliminating the need to double probe. The 68-channel 16950A module offers 600-MHz state speed.
Leopard Logic will hawk its new Gladiator CLD family. This configurable system combines ASIC mask programmable and FPGA field-programmable technologies in a single device and design environment.
From BP Microsystems comes the 3700 MK2, an automated fine-pitch programming system that claims the fastest programming times and high throughput. It combines a high-speed flash programmer with support for over 16,000 devices.
Cornice's 2-Gbyte Storage Element (SE) is just the ticket for mobile devices. This heavily stripped-down hard disk has only 33 parts, and it's battery-friendly. Mobile devices built with an SE have a typical battery life of 10 to 16 hours thanks to some innovative duty-cycle management.
Indesign LLC will highlight its JS-2 wireless audio system. It targets such devices as wireless speakers, home theater, and wireless headphones. The radio can transmit and receive full CD-quality audio (44.1 kHz, 16 bit) without any compression. The actual data rate is 2.4 Mbits/s with a latency of less than 1 ms and an indoor range over 100 feet. Now that's worth listening to!
Kent Displays will show off its monochrome Cholesteric LCD (ChLCD) displays. The ChLCD technology features a bi-stable, nonvolatile memory that maintains images indefinitely without consuming electrical power.
For hard-core mobile designers, there's Virtual Silicon's VIP PowerSaver Standard Cell Library. Targeted at TSMC's 130-nm process, it uses power islands to dynamically control the voltage and frequency. It can reduce power consumption by up to 50%.
Regardless of your interest, the Embedded Systems Conference will have a lot to keep you busy. Additionally, the show is part of the ElectronicaUSA exposition, plus the Communications Design Conference, the Power Electronics Conference, and the Emerging Technology Forum. Each of these shows has a plethora of panel discussions, technology sessions, and tutorials to further the educational experience.
Embedded Systems Conference
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