Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
Industry Focus- Wireless USB's Easy Data Transfer in Consumer Electronics
July 2, 2008 6:51 am | Articles | CommentsThe growing multimedia capabilities of consumer electronics are placing new demands on bulk data transfer between devices. Now WiMedia-standard Ultra Wideband (UWB) is entering the mainstream in laptops and computer peripherals, so consumers can easily transfer files without complex network configuration, and without cables.
Multi-Chip White LED Delivers up to 790 Lumens
July 2, 2008 5:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsWith the same 7 x 9-mm footprint as its single-emitter predecessor, the multi-chip XLamp MC-E LED integrates four emitters to provide up to 790 lumens at 6,000K and up to 605 lumens at 3,000K with an input power of 9.8 W. The devices are available in color temperature ranges of 2,600K to 3,700K, 3,700K to 5,000K, or 5,000K to 10,000K.
Embedded Systems: ESC Update
July 1, 2008 12:50 pm | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsIf you have not recently--or ever--attended the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, you owe it to yourself and your company to go. This conference and its many exhibits give you opportunities to talk with colleagues and technical experts. Unlike some shows, vendors send their engineering gurus to ESC, so when you stop at an exhibit you can talk about hardware and software with fellow engineers who speak your languages. You will get a taste of some of the products introduced at ESC in this column. Our online column includes information about more new products announced at the show.
On acronyms, jargon, and terminology
July 1, 2008 11:38 am | Articles | CommentsEvery special-interest group has their own language, and only part of the reason is to exclude others from the conversation. Jargon also helps define common terms necessary to conduct business or discuss philosophies and procedures within the group. Engineering is a very special discipline, and EEs are a further esoteric subset with its own plethora of acronyms, slang and terms.
Switching Supplies Meet EMC Requirements
July 1, 2008 11:32 am | Product Releases | CommentsMeeting EMC noise performance requirements, Astrodyne’s ECA30 Series encapsulated switching power supplies accepts universal input from 90 to 264 VAC and provides output power of 30 W with single, dual, and triple outputs from 5 to 48 VDC. The RoHS 2002/95/EC-compliant devices operate over an ambient temperature range from -10°C to 50°C. The UL/EN60950-1-specified
DSP Builder features Second-Generation Model-Based Synthesis Technology
July 1, 2008 10:34 am | Product Releases | CommentsFeaturing second-generation model-based synthesis technology, the DSP Builder Version 8.0 fro Altera, increases productivity for DSP designs by an order of magnitude. This technology allows DSP designers to generate timing-optimized RTL code based on Simulink design descriptions. With this Builder feature, designers can acquire
Dual-SMBus Microcontroller Supports 400 Kbps per Side
July 1, 2008 8:50 am | Product Releases | CommentsWith two system management buses (SMBus), Silicon Storage Technology’s SST89C58RC FlashFlex 8-bit microcontroller family supports up to 400 Kbps data throughput in each bus. The 6-mm2 QFN-packaged devices yield operating voltages from 2.7 to 5.5 V and 1 KB on-chip RAM. The microcontrollers
MOSFET Driver Delivers 5A for DC/DC converters
July 1, 2008 8:23 am | 3M Electronics Solutions Division | Product Releases | CommentsDesigned to drive upper and lower power N-Channel MOSFETs in a synchronous converter, the LTC4447 from Linear Technology, can deliver 5A for buck or boost DC/DC converters. This driver, combined with power MOSFETs and one of Linear Technology's DC/DC controllers, forms a complete synchronous regulator that can be used as a step-down or step-up DC/DC converter. The device drives both
Innovative Technology to Maximize Output of Solar Panels
July 1, 2008 6:14 am | by Jason Lomberg | Blogs | CommentsIn 1839, French physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the “photovoltaic” effect, or the natural phenomenon which allows the conversion of solar into electrical energy. Over the next 150 years, this inexorably led to solar-powered satellites, solar cars, and solar-panel technology for domestic use. Among their many strengths, financial savings (after the initial investment), environmental conservation, and minimal upkeep, solar panels always suffered weaknesses inherent in a technology that relies on a giant ball of ionized gas 150 million kilometers away.
Power Supplies Offer Constant Current or Voltage
July 1, 2008 5:44 am | Product Releases | CommentsHoused in 1U-high aluminum cases and providing up to 450 W, the WL7 Series of switchmode power supplies from Acopian have a constant voltage/constant current crossover, and both voltage and current can be programmed with 0- to 10-V control voltages.
Connector Supports Hard Disk Drives
June 30, 2008 12:49 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSupporting 1.8” form factor drives, FCI’s Micro serial ATA (SATA) plug connector have compatibility with applications such as notebook PCs, set-top boxes, game consoles, audio/video, and portable storage. The SATA-IO-standardized device meets SFF 2.6 specification with 16 positions (7 with a pitch for signal of 1.27 mm and 7+2 positions with a pitch for power of 1.27 mm). The RoHS-compliant
FPGAs Provide System-On-Chip Functionality
June 30, 2008 11:54 am | Product Releases | CommentsUsing flexiFLASH architecture, Lattice Semiconductor’s LatticeXP2 family of non-volatile automotive FPGAs provides look up tables from 5 to 17 K, 276 Kb on-chip embedded FlashBAK RAM in 18 Kb dual-port blocks, and from 0.6 to 2.2 Kb of Serial TAG memory. The 90-nm devices support DDR2 memory interfaces at 400 Mbps, ADC/DACs at up to 750 Mbps and 7:1 LVDS display interfaces at above 600 Mbps. The AEC-Q100-standardized FPGAs support up to 5 sysDSP
Nextreme Strives to Increase Efficiency of Heat-to-Power Conversion
June 30, 2008 10:47 am | Blogs | CommentsWith soaring energy costs, all sectors are feeling the crunch, including the thermoelectrics industry. But Nextreme Thermal Solutions has a plan to stem the tide. One potential solution is to convert a system’s thermal energy byproduct into a functional resource. Using a grant from the North Carolina Green Business Fund, Nextreme plans to optimize their thin-film growth process with the goal of doubling the power output of a single device from 250mW to 500mW.
Reference Design Creates SFP Optical Modules
June 30, 2008 9:58 am | Product Releases | CommentsIncorporating the recently PHY1040 laser transceiver and limiting amplifier IC and an off-the shelf 8-bit microcontroller with embedded flash, a hardware and software reference design from Phyworks can create Small Form-factor Pluggable 125 Mbps to 1.25 Gbps optical modules with digital configuration and monitoring capability. The system architecture allows users to configure the PHY1040 in software to meet specific optics and network requirements and
Embedded Systems: Two Routes Lead to Software Defined Radio
June 30, 2008 6:35 am | Articles | CommentsA bit of C code that runs on a microprocessor does not create a software-defined radio (SDR). Most SDRs use a traditional signal-sampling technique, followed by much software massaging of data. But semiconductor companies can now put more of the analog signal-handling elements on a chip. This column provides an update on both techniques.
