Electronic Design UPDATE: November 16, 2005

==================================

Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine
Electronic Design ==> www.electronicdesign.com
November 16, 2005
=============================


*************************ADVERTISEMENT**************************

Free 2006 NI Measurement and Automation Catalog

Featuring new product information, comparison charts, key 
specifications, and information on:
* NI LabVIEW 8 Distributed Intelligence
* PCI Express M Series
* PXI Flexible-Resolution Digitizer
* USB Data Acquisition Modules
* Related Web links to ni.com

For your FREE 2006 Catalog click here now!

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19759:484C79 

****************************************************************

Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Editor's View
  *Big And Small, Flat Panels Pop Up Everywhere
2. Focus On DSP
  *StarCore DSP Architecture Pumps Up Multimedia Handsets
3. News From The Editors
  *Plastic Diode May Yield Cheap Memory
  *Surface-Mount EMI Filter Slims Down
  *Smart-Card Interface Handles Up To Five Cards At Once
4. Magazine Highlights: November 7, 2005
  *Cover Story: Success Story -- Setting The Standard For Hybrid Cars 
  *Technology Report -- Structured/Platform ASICs Carve A Cost-Savvy Niche
  *Leapfrog: First Look -- Visual Studio 2005: The New Way To 
   Program
  *Design View/Design Solution -- Drive Piezoelectric Actuators With 
   Fast, High-Power Op Amps

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor
mailto:[email protected]
****************************************************************

**********************
1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
**********************

Big And Small, Flat Panels Pop Up Everywhere 

By Dave Bursky, Editor-at-Large

From inch-high models for your pocket to 102-in. diagonals for your 
wall, flat-panel displays come in sizes that fit just about any 
application. The breadth of applications for today's flat panels was 
nowhere more apparent than at the recent Flat Information Displays 
(FID) Conference hosted by iSuppli (www.isuppli.com). There, the 
presentations were neatly divided into two major subdivisions: 
large-area flat panels for TVs and advertising signage, and 
small-area displays for use in cell phones, handheld media players, 
and even shelf pricing in retail stores. Projection systems, in both 
rear- and front-projection styles, also were a focal point because 
digital light processor (DLP) and other technologies are throwing 
brighter and higher-resolution images for home-theater applications. 
Novel areas such as 3D displays and electronic ink were in evidence 
at the conference as well...

Read the full article at 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1975A:484C79

****************************************************************

*************************ADVERTISEMENT**************************

Your Easiest Way to Control Display Brightness.

Microsemi visible light sensors mimic human eye response.
Breakthrough technology enables automatic brightness control that's 
not fooled by infrared or ultraviolet wavelengths. Easy design-in 
needs no optical filters. Integrated high gain photo current 
amplifiers, temperature stable, and RoHS compliant. No lead, no 
cadmium. Four models to meet your specific LCD or LED display design 
requirements.

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=15403:484C79

****************************************************************

*****************Live on ElectronicDesign.com*******************

Free Web Seminar: Techniques to Improve Measurement Accuracy
 
Join LeCroy and Electronic Design as we focus on best practices to 
improve the accuracy of measurements when using any brand of digital 
oscilloscope. 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=18C44:484C79 

Free Web Seminar: RoHS -- The Manager's Role
 
Register now for this important Web seminar that will help you 
identify and explore the decisions your company will need to make to 
ensure Restrictions on Hazardous Substances compliance. 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=18C45:484C79 

Free eBook: Black-Box Approach To ADCs

This eBook provides a black-box approach to the traditional 
analog-to-digital coverter (ADC) tutorial. It concentrates on the 
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=1975B:484C79

****************************************************************

**********************
2. Focus On DSP
**********************

***StarCore DSP Architecture Pumps Up Multimedia Handsets 
With 47 added instructions, Version 5 of the StarCore DSP 
architecture enhances throughput in wireless handsets and portable 
multimedia devices. When implemented on a 90-nm process, the core 
can operate at up to 1 GHz with low-to-moderate power drain. Version 
5 retains all features from earlier StarCore processor architectures 
and adds instructions to improve support for compilers and operating 
systems. It also enhances single-instruction/multiple-data (SIMD) 
processing and performs strongly in Viterbi applications. The new 
instructions are built on StarCore's variable-length instruction set 
(VLES) technology and offer code density that's on a par with highly 
efficient microcontrollers. A memory-management system makes it easy 
to support sophisticated operating systems such as Linux. 
Binary-code compatibility with earlier StarCore architectures 
protects users' software investment. StarCore processor cores and 
system-level intellectual-property blocks are licensed in a 
synthesizable format and can be targeted to any silicon foundry 
technology. Processor cores and subsystems based on the StarCore V5 
architecture will be available in early 2006. Contact the company 
for licensing details.
     StarCore ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1975C:484C79

**********************
3. News -- From The Editors
**********************

***Plastic Diode May Yield Cheap Memory
Researchers at Ohio State University developed an organic polymer 
tunnel diode that could eventually lead to plastic memory and logic 
circuits. According to professor Paul Berger, the patent-pending 
diode transmits electrical current at room temperature. Its design 
lends itself to easy, inexpensive manufacturing for smart cards and 
other memory devices. In tests, the research team fashioned two 
diodes into a simple logic switch, which was powered by a voltage 
equivalent to an ordinary watch battery. Despite the fact that most 
plastics do not conduct electricity, the researchers attained 
success by painting a thick layer of plastic on top of traditional 
chip materials with a specially designed layer of titanium oxide 
sandwiched in between. The plastic exhibited negative differential 
resistance, in which the current actually decreases over a 
particular range of increasing voltage. Tunnel diodes show the same 
type of effect. Berger predicts the plastic will augment, not 
replace, silicon. He envisions lightweight, portable electronics 
that knit silicon and plastic together to form a hybrid IC.
     Ohio State University ==> 
     http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1975D:484C79

***Surface-Mount EMI Filter Slims Down
Improvements in capacitor materials, terminal formation technology, 
and packaging have produced a particularly slim surface-mount 
electromagnetic-interference (EMI) suppression filter. The BNX022, 
which measures 12 by 9 by 3 mm and weighs 0.8 g, is significantly 
smaller and thinner than the company's previous filter versions and 
many other manufacturers' EMI filters. It has a wide insertion-loss 
frequency band range (1 MHz to 1 GHz), a rated voltage of 50 V, and 
a rated current of 10 A. Technical support includes design kits, 
application manuals, and a comprehensive set of software tools to 
simulate virtually any circuit condition. The BNX022 is lead-free 
for Restrictions on Hazardous Substances compliance. Sample price is 
$3.50. Lead time is approximately six to eight weeks.
     Murata Electronics North America ==> 
     http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1975E:484C79

***Smart-Card Interface Handles Up To Five Cards At Once
In what the company believes is an industry first, Atmel's AT83C26 
analog smart-card interface IC can handle up to five cards at a 
time. It powers the smart cards with the appropriate supply voltage 
and enables data transfer between the host controller and the smart 
cards. System size and cost are reduced because designers can use a 
single chip to develop readers requiring multiple cards. The AT83C26 
is well suited for point-of-sale (POS) terminals that typically 
involve one user card and up to four secure authentication module 
(SAM) cards, as well as health card readers that require two user 
cards and one SAM card. The device can interface with any host 
controller through an ISO7816 UART. It complies with EMV and ISO7816 
standards, and it features two dc-dc converters and low-dropout 
regulators to power each smart card independently. Samples are 
available now in VQFP48 and QFN48 packages. Full production will 
start in January 2006 with pricing starting at $1.95 each for 
10,000-unit quantities.
     Atmel Corp. ==> 
     http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1975F:484C79

****************************************************************

*************************ADVERTISEMENT**************************

Free PCB Design Review for All New Customers!

PCBpro -- easiest site to quote and order full-featured, 
design-checked circuit boards up to 8 layers. New customers act 
now and receive free design review. Part of the Sunstone 
Circuits product family with the best total customer experience 
from quote to delivery. Quote now, www.sunstone.com!

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19760:484C79

****************************************************************

**********************
4. Magazine Highlights
**********************
In case you missed them, here are some of the high points of our 
most recent issue.

November 7, 2005:

* Cover Story: Success Story -- Setting The Standard For Hybrid Cars
Synergy between gasoline-engine, electric-motor, and battery 
technologies vaults the Prius hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle to 
high fuel savings and low emissions.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19761:484C79

* Technology Report -- Structured/Platform ASICs Carve A Cost-Savvy Niche
Platform and structured solutions look to solve designer dilemmas 
caused by rising ASIC design costs.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19762:484C79

* Leapfrog: First Look -- Visual Studio 2005: The New Way To Program
Flying without a ".NET," Visual Studio 2005 lays the groundwork for 
developing Windows Vista applications.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19763:484C79

* Design View/Design Solution -- Drive Piezoelectric Actuators With 
Fast, High-Power Op Amps
Think you can't drive your actuator at 80 kHz with 300-V p-p signals 
using MOSFET IC op amps? Then try out this bridge configuration. 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19764:484C79

For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==>
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19765:484C79

****************************************************************

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 normally will take advantage of the ARM Thumb 
instruction set supported on these micros.

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=19766:484C79

**********************

TAKE A POLL!

What's your take on VoIP phone service?

-- I've already adopted it
-- I'm thinking about using it
-- Tried it and didn't like it
-- Not interested

Vote at Electronic Design ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=15410:484C79

****************************************************************

==================================

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

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

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

SUBSCRIBE ONLINE TO ELECTRONIC DESIGN
If you're reading this e-newsletter, then you are either a current 
Electronic Design subscriber, or should be (145,000 of your peers 
are). To apply for or renew a subscription to Electronic Design 
absolutely FREE and without paperwork or hassle, click on the link 
below.

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1600A:484C79

To unsubscribe click here 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/u?id=683EDA4D52DD5257CEFF40B03708A2FD

To change your email address send an email, include your old address 
as well as your new one, to:
mailto:[email protected]

To subscribe visit our e-newsletter subscription center at 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1600A:484C79

If you need assistance in updating the information you have provided 
to Penton or you have questions or comments about our privacy 
policies, please click on the link below.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=15412:484C79

Copyrighted 2005 Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Electronic Design
45 Eisenhower Dr., 5th Floor
Paramus, NJ 07652 
USA