Electronic Design UPDATE: November 21, 2005

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine
Electronic Design - www.electronicdesign.com
November 21, 2005
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http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A011:484C79

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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. News Focus
  *Forum Pushes For Linux Phone Standards
2. News From The Editors
  *SIMD Extensions Deliver 10x Throughput Improvement
  *30-W DC-DC Converters Won't Harm The Environment
  *10-Bit Triple ADCs Provide Exceptional Video
3. TechView Scope
  *Researchers Develop Hybrid Silicon Evanescent Laser
4. Upcoming Industry Events
  *2005 IEEE Int'l Electron Devices Meeting
  *Interop New York
  *Consumer Electronics Show
5. Book Review
  *"Open-Source Robotics and Process Control Cookbook"

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor
mailto:[email protected]
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1. News Focus
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Forum Pushes For Linux Phone Standards

More and more phones are exploiting the advantages of the Linux 
operating system. In response, a consortium of companies has 
launched the Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum to promote 
development and deployment of applications and services on Linux 
phones through standardization.
   According to market analyst Canalys, the worldwide market share 
of Linux has more than doubled in each of the first three 
quarters of 2005. The nature of the open-source development 
process has meant that the success of Linux in phones, as 
elsewhere, relies on standards that ensure interoperability and 
guard against fragmentation.
   Operators, device manufacturers, and silicon and software vendors 
have joined forces to create the necessary standards. Founding 
members of the LiPS Forum include ARM, Esmertec, MontaVista 
Software, Open-Plug, and PalmSource.
   LiPS will support the deployment of Linux phone applications and 
services via three deliverables. First is a set of standardized 
application programming interfaces (APIs). The second is 
standards for extensions to the software development kits (SDKs) 
that enable developers to take advantage of LiPS APIs to create 
their products. Finally, the forum will develop a testing 
methodology that will be used to certify LiPS-compliant 
implementations.
   To ensure alignment with the needs of the industry, LiPS will 
support requirements defined by the Open Mobile Terminal Platform 
(OMTP), an association of mobile operators worldwide focused on 
defining the functional requirements of mobile phones. In so 
doing, the LiPS Forum will speed the availability of 
OMTP-compliant Linux-based mobile phones. For other classes of 
devices, such as converged devices, the LiPS Forum will seek 
input from its member operators and other industry bodies.
     LiPS Forum ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A019:484C79

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http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A00F:484C79

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*******************Live on ElecDesign.com***********************

Free Web Seminar: RoHS -- The Manager's Role

November 30, 2005 at 2:00 pm ET
Register now for this important Web seminar that will help you 
identify and explore the decisions your company will need to make to 
ensure compliance with Europe's Restrictions on Hazardous Substances 
directive. 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A00A:484C79 

Free eBook: Black-Box Approach To ADCs

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common characteristics of all ADCs and what they imply for the 
system-level designer. Download the first chapter today!
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A00D:484C79

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2. News -- From The Editors
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***SIMD Extensions Deliver 10x Throughput Improvement 
A set of 104 new 128-bit wide customized instructions uses a 
single-instruction/multiple-data (SIMD) approach to exploit the 
parallelism inherent in multimedia and signal-processing 
applications. Developed by ARC International, these instructions 
reduce power consumption over non-SIMD approaches by increasing 
application performance without raising the processor clock speed. 
The new SIMD instructions are fully compatible with the ARCompact 
16- and 32-bit instruction set architecture (ISA). The instruction 
extensions are coupled to a direct memory access (DMA) engine to 
further speed system performance. Both the DMA engine and the SIMD 
extensions are available as predefined options in the ARChitect 
processor configurator. Thus, system-on-a-chip designers can easily 
leverage the optimized software and development tools for cores 
within the ARC700 family. The software extensions and DMA engine 
will be supported by the MQX real-time operating system (RTOS) from 
MQX Embedded, a business unit of ARC International, as well as other 
RTOS software from industry partners. Contact ARC for SIMD licensing 
terms.
     ARC International ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A01A:484C79

***30-W DC-DC Converters Won't Harm The Environment
The Tracopower TEN-30WI series of 30-W dc-dc converters is lead-free 
and fully complies with the new Restrictions on Hazardous Substances 
(RoHS) directive. An ultra-wide 4:1 input supports operation in a 
variety of mobile, battery-powered, or dc power system applications. 
Units deliver tightly regulated single or dual outputs in a compact, 
industry-standard 2- by 1.6- by 0.4-in. shielded metal package with 
an insulated baseplate. Efficiencies up to 87% allow for operating 
temperatures up to 85 deg. C. Built-in input and output filtering 
eliminate the need for any external components. Additional features 
include remote on/off, comprehensive protection circuitry, UL/cUL 
safety certification, a high mean time between failures, and a 
three-year warranty. Pricing starts at $50.88 in 500-piece 
quantities.
     Power Sources Unlimited ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A016:484C79

***10-Bit Triple ADCs Provide Exceptional Video
A pair of 8/10-bit triple analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) 
provides up to 165 Msamples/s for high-definition video and PC 
graphic applications. Both devices offer integrated phase-locked 
loops for pixel clock generation. An output formatter provides 
complete support for RGB/YCbCr 4:4:4 and YCbCr 4:2:2, as well as 
dedicated data clock for easy latching of output data. The TVP7000 
sports sampling rates up to 150 Msamples/s and supports 1080p video 
inputs. The TVP7001 delivers up to 165 Msamples/s and increases PC 
graphics output to 1600 by 1200 at 60-Hz ultra extended graphics 
array (UXGA) quality. The two devices also support a 10-bit mode 
that offers up to 110 Msamples/s. The TVP7000 is in production 
today. The TVP7001 is sampling now with volume production scheduled 
for December. Both devices are offered in a 100-pin lead-free 
high-temperature quad flatpack package. Respective pricing is $4.25 
and $4.75 in 1000-unit quantities.
     Texas Instruments ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A017:484C79

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3. TechView Scope 
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Researchers Develop Hybrid Silicon Evanescent Laser

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have 
taken the first step toward an electrically pumped hybrid silicon 
laser. By bonding optical gain layers directly to a silicon laser 
cavity, they have developed an alternative to silicon Raman lasers. 
   In fact, their laser is an order of magnitude shorter. It's 
optically pumped, and it operates in continuous wave mode. And, 
it only needs 30 mW of input pump power. It uses 
indium-aluminum-gallium-arsenide quantum wells to provide optical 
amplification. 
   As semiconductor systems get smaller, interconnect capacity and 
power dissipation will limit their performance. Optical 
interconnects could alleviate these limitations. But so far, 
creating a semiconductor laser that can be fully integrated with 
silicon microelectronics has been difficult. The university's 
evanescent silicon laser demonstration promises a solution. 
   "The ability to combine the best of both worlds (i.e., III-V gain 
material with silicon photonics) could lead to a new way of 
enabling highly integrated laser sources with intelligent 
opto-electronic devices for future optical communications at low 
cost," said John Bowers, professor of electrical and computer 
engineering at UCSB.
     University of California, Santa Barbara ==> 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A015:484C79

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4. Upcoming Industry Events
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December 5-7, 2005 IEEE Int'l Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM)
Washington, D.C.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A018:484C79

December 12-16, Interop New York
New York, N.Y.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A014:484C79

January 5-8, International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Las Vegas, Nev.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A010:484C79

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5. Book Review
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"Open-Source Robotics and Process Control Cookbook"
by Lewin Edwards

One of my favorite books is the "Open-Source Robotics and Process 
Control Cookbook" by Lewin Edwards. It is sort of a case study about 
the E2, a submarine robot project that Edwards was developing. It 
uses a Mini-ITX running Linux along with some microcontrollers in 
various subsystems...

Read the full book review at 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A00B:484C79

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EiED Online -- Developing ARMs

Embedded in Electronic Design (EiED) Online is your source for 
technical insight and hands-on reviews. Read Technology Editor Bill 
Wong's latest EiED Online column, "Developing ARMs." Bill compares a 
collection of ARM-based development kits with software from IAR and 
Keil. Developers will normally take advantage of the ARM Thumb 
instruction set supported on these micros.

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A00C:484C79

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TAKE A POLL!

Does the U.S. government spend enough money on scientific research 
and development?

-- Yes, R&D spending is adequate
-- No, the U.S. should put more money into R&D

Vote at Electronic Design ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A013:484C79

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CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER
==================================

Editorial: Mark David, Editor-in-Chief
mailto:[email protected]

Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities: Bill Baumann, Publisher:
mailto:[email protected]
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