Electronic Design UPDATE: October 18, 2006

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Christine Hintze, Associate Editor

DARPA Chooses Teams For 2007 Autonomous Robot Competition

Can R&D Produce Energy Independence?
By Sam Davis, Findpowerproducts.com Technical Editor

From an economic, environmental, and worldwide political perspective, the U.S. must develop energy independence. To meet this goal, the government is funding research for alternative energy sources. At the same time, it's challenging manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of electronic products. The Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI) seeks to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy...

RFID, HSUPA Software Enhances Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers

New software capabilities for Tektronix’s Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers (RTSAs) offer test engineers easy-to-use analysis tools that test RFID standards; third-generation mobile phone technology, including High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA); and the Project 25/Mobile Land Radio standard for digital two-way wireless communication...

Precluding Battery System Failures In Portable Electronics
Thursday, October 19, 2006 @ 11am PT (2pm ET)

Dell and Apple have implemented the largest battery pack recalls in the history of portable computing. Catastrophic safety issues--ranging from underperformance to explosions--with portable battery systems has heightened concern over battery system safety.

Mini, Threaded Connectors Are Explosion-Proof
The Amphe-EX connector series targets applications in the oil and gas exploration, petrochemical, chemical, paint, pharmaceutical manufacturing, power-generation, and fuel-storage industries...

\[ Cover Feature: Engineering Feature \]
Anticipating "The Big One"
Homeland security is getting most of the attention, but technologies that forecast and track natural disasters are gaining support to help save lives and property.

\[ Technology Report \]
Back To Cool School
Faced with faster operating speeds and denser systems, today's designers must expand their knowledge of thermal management to keep heat levels in check.

\[ Leapfrog: First Look \]
Back To The Future With The 68K
The venerable Motorola 68000 architecture takes a leap ahead with a unique real-time microcontroller architecture from Innovasic Semiconductor.

\[ Design View/Design Solution \]
IP Networks And Emerging Video Aps Need Video Transcoding
Digital video compression is already an important technology in virtually every type of video application. As the trend toward media convergence continues, compression and interoperability will only become more critical. Among the most prominent digital video applications are DVD, HDTV, video telephony/teleconferencing, and, more recently, video surveillance. Each of these consumer system-level technologies, however, has a different historical background.

Click to see the complete Electronic Design table of contents.

$100 x86 Runs Puppy Linux, Fits On The Back Of Flat-Panel Displays

PIC In Practice, 2nd Edition
By D.W. Smith

PIC microcontrollers are one of the mainstays in the 8-bit application space, so getting one up and running quickly can be very handy for an embedded developer. This is just what PIC In Practice does...

Seating is limited so register today at www.tektronix.com and enter for a chance to win a Tektronix TDS2012B oscilloscope!