Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
Design Suite Employs Filter Software
July 28, 2008 10:40 am | Product Releases | CommentsUsing filter synthesis and analysis software from Nuhertz Technologies, AWR’s Microwave Office design suite directly integrates “delay equalization with off-axis quadruplet and real zeros”. According to the company, the program reduces required computation
Low-Chlorine Content Resin Targets Halogen-free Products
July 28, 2008 10:33 am | Product Releases | CommentsTicona Engineering Polymers announced a new grade of Fortron PPS that reduces the amount of chlorine contained in the formulation, thereby enabling electrical and electronic component original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers to design and make products that will comply with
Semiconductor Highlight: Using A Current Monitor
July 28, 2008 10:01 am | by Peter Abiodun A. Bode, Senior Applications Engineer, Zetex Semiconductors | Articles | CommentsTraditionally, precision full wave rectifiers1 used in a range of instrumentation applications have employed between 7 and 9 discrete circuit components. These are typically 2 op-amps, 2 diodes and 3 to 5 resistors. This article will show that an alternative approach, using a standard current monitor IC, reduces the component count to just five and greatly simplifies circuit configuration and produces a more elegant overall solution.
Industry Focus: Defining Distributor Design
July 28, 2008 9:10 am | by Chris Keuling, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsThe electronics distributor plays an important role in the electronic components industry, selling engineers the components and subsystems they need to use in their designs. A growing number of distributors also provide value-added services such as design support to their customers. With the combined pressure of the shrinking design cycle and expanded technology availability, it’s important for engineers to be able to talk to someone who can help them throughout the design process. We recently cold-called a number of major distributors without identifying ourselves as press and simply asked what design services they perform.
OMAP3530-Based Development Board Features Cortex-A8 Graphics
July 28, 2008 7:45 am | Product Releases | CommentsIntegrating an ARM Cortex-A8 graphics engine and high-performance TMS320C64x+ DSP core, the Beagle Board development platform (part number 296-23428-ND) from Digi-Key provides developers an environment with the same peripherals and usage mode for flexible USB and standard PC expansion. The 3 x 3-inch board’s 600-MHz superscalar graphics chip has branch prediction and multiple instruction pipelines
Moving forward
July 28, 2008 7:30 am | by Alix Paultre, Editor in Chief | Articles | CommentsChange is a key word in our industry. Technology has progressed so far so fast it is amazing to see how far we have come in such a relatively short time. We are swept downstream in the relentless river of development, buffeted by currents from so many quarters the pattern seems random. Disruptive technologies shove us in one direction as convergence tips us in another...
Design Talk: Technology Solutions
July 28, 2008 6:30 am | Articles | CommentsFailures of semiconductor ICs are typically due to overvoltage or overcurrent for a given junction temperature. This overvoltage can be caused by an external factor or an uncontrolled switching inductance. The overcurrent failure can be caused by excess junction temperature due to excessive power losses and a poor thermal path or an abnormal load current. It is typical for a failure report to state Electrical Over Stress(EOS).
Transceiver Integrates DC-DC Converter
July 25, 2008 8:36 am | Analog Devices, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsIncorporating a DC-DC converter to supply isolated power, Analog Devices’ ADM3251E RS-232 transceiver includes a serial communications interface for use in harsh HVAC, industrial and medical applications. The Pb-free 13 × 10.56-mm 20-lead SMT-packaged device integrates a line driver, line receiver, oscillator, rectifier, regulator, voltage doubler, voltage inverter and transformers into a single-chip
Enclosures Target Handheld Electronics
July 25, 2008 8:11 am | Product Releases | CommentsHaving designs dedicated to desktop and handheld electronics, TEKO Enclosures’ TEKBOX range of keypad enclosures are appropriate for applications such as data entry keypad devices for point-of-sale, test and measurement, medical and computer equipment. The 3.70" × 6.30” × 1.43” TEKBOX-SLANT and 6.30” × 3.70” × 1.43” TEKBOX-SLOPE include sloping front keypads, contacts for
MOSFETs Yield 1.5 A Output Current
July 25, 2008 7:26 am | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsGenerating a peak output current of 1.5 A, Microchip Technology’s MCP1415 and MCP1416 single-output MOSFET drivers operate over a voltage range from 4.5 to 18 V. The inverting MCP1415 and non-inverting MCP1416 come in a 5-pin SOT-23 package and have excellent latch-up immunity. The devices are well suited in consumer
Switches Offer LED Options
July 25, 2008 5:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsOffering single and bi-colored LED options, CIT Relay & Switch’s SH Series of illuminated and non-illuminated switches have over 25 cap and actuator options with pre-engraved symbols and a 3.3-mm square post. The devices exhibit an electrical life of 100,000 cycles and an electrical rating of 50 mA at 35 VDC over an operating and storage temperature range from -40°C to 85°C. The switches have a minimum dielectric strength
Cover Story: Design Tips Cut FPGA Power Use
July 24, 2008 12:10 pm | Articles | CommentsOverall, the latest generations of FPGAs provide the performance engineers need for new designs. And FPGA vendors complement performance with power-saving techniques. In many cases, FPGA design tools consistently aim to implement low-power circuits, but engineers can select performance vs. power tradeoffs as well. Most of those low-power changes occur within the design tools and do not cause engineers to rework their code. But before anyone tries to reduce power, they must understand where the power gets burned. It makes no sense to reduce power consumption in an area that doesn’t burn that much power to begin with.
AC/DC Supplies Possess High Efficiency
July 24, 2008 12:06 pm | Product Releases | CommentsOffering a typical efficiency of over 90%, ROAL Electronics’ SFA160 Series of AC/DC power supplies deliver 160 W of regulated DC power with standard output variants of 5, 12, 24 and 48 V. The 2” × 4” × 1” devices use an auxiliary fan output of 12 V for system stand-by control voltage or to supply voltage for
Connector System Uses a Microsite
July 24, 2008 10:15 am | Product Releases | CommentsUtilizing a dedicated microsite, FCI’s HCI Power Distribution Connector System has contacts that accommodate over 82 A based on a 30°C temperature rise with zero airflow. The modularly-tooled design contains a molded-in guidance
DC/DC Converters Deliver up to 30 A
July 23, 2008 11:10 am | Product Releases | CommentsDelivering up to 30 A, the FPMR05T and FPLR05T DC/DC converters from FDK, are part of an addition of products expanding the Senpai Series of non-isolated point of load (POL) converters. The SIP converters operate from
