Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
RAID 1 Controller Demonstrates Disk Mirroring
October 22, 2008 10:46 am | Product Releases | CommentsMeasuring 3.5” × 2.2”, Data Protection Solutions’ EzRAID DD4 FlexMount SATA RAID 1 controller performs disk mirroring from anywhere within the computing chassis without a bus slot or drive bay. The component uses a black plastic shell for protection from other electrical components within the computer, and connects via provided SATA cables. Once installed, the product sends all
DMM Performs 100 Sa/s Measurements
October 22, 2008 9:26 am | Agilent Technologies | Product Releases | CommentsMaking it possible to carry 2 or 3 pieces of test equipment in a briefcase alongside a laptop PC, Agilent Technologies’ U2741A USB modular digital multimeter (DMM) makes 100 Sa/s measurements with maximum input levels of 300 VDC and 2 A. The 5.5-digit device provides
Base Station Antennas Offer Beam Width Choices
October 22, 2008 8:50 am | Product Releases | CommentsComplying with ETSI specifications, Laird Technologies’ J51017V00-60N, J51016V00-90N, and J51014V00-120N 5 GHz vertically-polarized base station antennas exhibit 60°, 90° and 120° beam widths, respectively. The devices cover from 4.9 GHz to 5.9 GHz with the null fill below
XMC Card Utilizes Dual-Core Processor Node
October 22, 2008 7:44 am | Product Releases | CommentsPerforming in radar, sonar, and signal intelligence applications, as well as UAVs and land vehicles, Curtiss-Wright Controls’ VPX3-450 Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA-based 3U VPX (VITA 46/48) compute engine uses a dual-core Freescale 8640D processor node. The XMC card includes one bank of DDR2 SDRAM and two banks of QDR-II+ SRAM attached directly to the
Power Adapters Offer Class I and Class II Insulation
October 22, 2008 6:42 am | Product Releases | CommentsIncluding a 4-pin power DIN plug, Tumbler Technologies + TRUMPower’s TMP150 Series medical-grade AC/DC desktop power adapters exhibit Class I and Class II insulation. The Class I units present an IEC 320/C14 AC inlet with a ground pin, and earth leakage current of 90 µA at 115 VAC or 150 µA at 230 VAC. The Class II instruments have an IEC 320/C18 AC inlet with
Voltage Regulators Allow Large Transient Range
October 22, 2008 5:55 am | Product Releases | CommentsWith an input voltage range from 4.5 V to 42 V, SIMPLE SWITCHER step-down voltage regulators from National Semiconductor allow for voltage transients from 12 V and 24 V input rails. The regulators feature internal compensation and low pin-count packages. The 11 SIMPLE SWITCHER step-down voltage regulators support load currents from 0.5 A to 5 A. Each provides a fixed switching frequency
Audio Receiver Features Converter Technology
October 22, 2008 5:30 am | Product Releases | CommentsGiving designers of consumer and professional audio applications a solution for receiving incoming digital audio sources, the CS8422 24-bit, 192 kHz digital audio receiver from Cirrus Logic features a low jitter PLL and integrated asynchronous sample rate converter. The audio receiver integrates an input multiplexer that supports up to four S/PDIF or two differential AES3 audio inputs
Connector Targets IFE Systems
October 22, 2008 5:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsMeeting technical specifications for use in commercial aircrafts, ITT Interconnect Solutions’ custom ARINC 600 connector is designed specifically for in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems. The device uses Quadrax contacts for gigabit Ethernet channels, as well as a custom-size two shell designed to reduce EMI/RFI emissions. The connector utilizes custom insert arrangements and pre-loaded inserts with tail contacts to eliminate unused positions and for PC board
Light Sensors Display 16-bit Resolution
October 21, 2008 9:58 am | Product Releases | CommentsManaging LED and cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) display backlighting, TAOS’ TCS3404 and TCS3414 digital color light sensors use RGB filters to derive the color chromaticity and illuminance of ambient light with 16 bits of resolution. The 2.095 mm × 1.875 mm × 0.685 mm components automatically eliminate signal fluctuation resulting from AC lighting flicker without
Industry Focus: Touchscreens Press Deep Into Consumer Electronics
October 21, 2008 9:45 am | by Christopher Keuling, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsTouchscreen technology has become more prominent in recent years, especially in the consumer and kiosk markets. PDAs, ATM machines, supermarket check-outs, and Apple’s iPhone are among the most well-known uses of touchscreen technology. Some touchscreen technologies have found a place in applications where the more commercially known technologies (resistive and capacitive) are inadequate. This month, we review the different types of touchscreen technologies available for the consumer electronics industry, along with their pros and cons, their applications, and a look into the future.
Fear itself
October 21, 2008 9:16 am | by Alix Paultre, Editor-in-Chief | Articles | CommentsEveryone is worried about the global economy, and many are afraid that the U.S. electronic design and manufacturing industry is facing dire straights. To those who worry, I say that the primary American electronic markets are amongst the most economically stable places in this crisis, and have some of the most innovative and creative engineers in the world.
Radiometer Performs Multiple Detector Measurements
October 21, 2008 9:12 am | Product Releases | CommentsUtilizing 4-channel multiplexed technology, Gigahertz-Optik’s X1-1 handheld multi-spectralband filter radiometer simultaneously operates and displays multiple detector measurements of the XD-450X 3-cell detector series. The device exhibits autoranging from 0.1 pA to 200 uA or manual range selection, dose mode, selectable integration time from 20 ms to 1 second, USB interface, backlit LCD, and compatibility with up to 4 single- and multi-sensor light detector
Semiconductor Highlight: Integrated Drivers Optimize Stepper Motor Controller Design
October 21, 2008 8:55 am | Articles | CommentsStepper motor system designers today require more than simple drivers. They demand increased value such as reduced BOM costs with higher performance, which is helping stepper motors gain popularity in many applications historically reserved for DC motors.
VCO Demonstrates Low Phase Noise
October 21, 2008 7:58 am | Product Releases | CommentsOperating in a frequency range from 5,340 MHz to 5,390 MHZ, Crystek’s CVCO55CXT-5340-5390 VCO exhibits a typical phase noise of -102 dBc/Hz at 10 KHz offset. The 0.5” × 0.5” SMT component presents typical output power of 3 dBm, a control voltage range from 0.5 V to ~4.5 V, input voltage of 5 V, and maximum current consumption of 25 mA. The oscillator shows pulling and
Turnkey Devices Incorporate SLED Technology
October 21, 2008 7:35 am | Product Releases | CommentsPerforming in laboratory applications, Exalos’ EBS4000-0000 and EBS8000-0000 turnkey devices with touchscreens enable the use of superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED) technology. The EBS4000-0000 can utilize up to 4 different SLEDs, and the EBS8000-0000 can utilize up to 8 ones with availability as
