Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
SMH: Direct RF Sampling with High Performance ADC
August 29, 2008 10:11 am | by Philip Pratt, Texas Instruments | Articles | CommentsPreviously analog-to-digital converters (ADC) at high input frequencies were limited in usefulness due to distortion and noise performance. Today, however, ADCs can provide nearly 9.5 bits of effective number of bits (ENOB) at radio frequencies (RF) of 1 GHz with signal bandwidths greater than 200MHz. Such performance at high frequencies eliminates a mixer stage, simplifying receiver design to improve overall system performance.
Embedded Systems: Sniff ZigBee Packets
August 29, 2008 9:14 am | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsWhen engineers tackle a project that uses ZigBee communications they may get a surprise. Unlike point-to-point communications, ZigBee involves a network that can establish nodes, repeaters and complex mesh topologies. The proper test tools--often called "sniffers"--help engineers diagnose ZigBee-network problems that could otherwise turn into nightmares.
Potentiometers Demonstrate Low Resistor Tolerance Error
August 29, 2008 7:25 am | Analog Devices, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsDesigned for open-loop applications, Analog Devices’ AD529x family of single-channel 10-bit programmable digital potentiometers offer less than 1% end-to-end resistor tolerance error over a supply voltage of ±15 V. The 14-lead TSSOP-packaged products use the iCMOS modular manufacturing process to combine CMOS and bipolar technologies to enable the device to support dual power supplies in the ±10.5 V to
AC/DC Switching Supplies Comply with EN55022 Standards
August 29, 2008 6:09 am | Product Releases | CommentsOperating in medical instrumentation and commercial-grade industrial control and telecommunications systems, Astrodyne’s EFM30 and EFM30/M Series modular AC/DC switching supplies meet EN55022, Class B standards for EMC noise performance. The 3.41” × 2.36” × 0.93” devices exhibit universal input acceptance from 90 VAC to
Power Supplies Deliver 1,500 W Loads
August 28, 2008 12:02 pm | Product Releases | CommentsOperating with full load convection cooling from 0°C to ~45°C, DongAh Elecomm’s PSU-750 Series of 750 W switching power supplies demonstrates 1,500 W peak load capability for up to 5 minutes. The 13.38” × 4.570” × 1.970” open frame components include universal AC input with active power factor correction
Transceiver ICs Integrate Microprocessor
August 28, 2008 10:41 am | Product Releases | CommentsCalifornia Eastern Laboratories’ ZIC2410 Series of ZigBee transceiver ICs combine a ZigBee-compliant RF transceiver with an 8051-based 8-bit microprocessor. The QN48- or VFBGA72-packaged devices offer a receiver sensitivity of -98 dBm, link budget of 106 dB and maximum output power of 8 dBm. The system-on-chip
SSLD Functions at 25 V
August 28, 2008 9:13 am | Product Releases | CommentsWorking as a low dropout driver (LDD), Catalyst Semiconductor’s CAT4101 linear-based constant-current SSLD operates with a LED pin compatible up to 25 V. The 5-lead TO-263-packaged component drives strings of up to 10 LEDs adjustable to 1 A. The driver offers current sink of 1 A via an external resistor, dropout voltage of
Servo Drives Supply 7 A
August 28, 2008 8:10 am | Product Releases | CommentsMeasuring 5” × 3” × 1.75”, Applied Motion Products’ SV Series servo drives deliver up to 7 A rms continuous or 14 A rms peak output current from a 24 VDC to 80 VDC power supply. The devices provide 8 digital inputs, 4 digit outputs, 2 analog inputs and a RS232 or RS485 communication interface. The drives use a digital PID loop with
Capacitors Operate at 200°C
August 28, 2008 7:03 am | Avx Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsHandling harsh and rugged operating environments, AVX’s SMX and CHX Series stacked ceramic capacitors perform in temperatures up to 200°C. The devices offer a maximum capacitance of 340 microfarads at 25 V and a maximum voltage rating of 500 V. The switch mode power supply capacitors are suitable for high transient
Pitch Connector Performs in Wide Height Range
August 28, 2008 6:03 am | Product Releases | CommentsAdding to the SMC 1.270 mm (0.500”) pitch connector line, ERNI Electronics’ SMC Board-to-Board-Adapter presents connectivity in board-to-board heights from 20 mm to 40 mm in 2 mm increments. The device has male contacts on both component ends and availability in 12, 26 and 50 pins to lock into a standard SMT
TVS Diode Demonstrates ESD Protection
August 28, 2008 5:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsOperating in ±5 V environments, OnChip Devices’ ESD0402-01FR single-channel TVS diode dissipates ESD strikes of ±8 kV contact discharge, in accordance to the IEC 6100-4-2 standard. The 0402-sized or 1 mm × 0.6 mm × 0.5 mm SMT DFN-2-packaged component
SBC Uses 512 MB of RAM
August 27, 2008 12:08 pm | Product Releases | CommentsAdding to the Hercules II EBX SBC family, Diamond Systems’ HRC800-5N512 SBC offers 512 MB of RAM on an 800 MHz VIA Mark CoreFusion processor while operating over a temperature range from -20°C to 70°C. The 5.75” × 8” (146 mm × 203 mm) component integrates a Pentium III-level CPU with or without data acquisition, and a DC/DC power supply. The computer
We’re from the government, we’re here to help you
August 27, 2008 11:22 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsOn June 2, 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (last seen as the supervillains in “The Simpsons” movie) released a “technical amendment,” version 4.2, to the Energy Star residential light fixture specification. Remember when Nintendo introduced the ubiquitous “Seal of Quality?” The great crash of 1983 was caused by a number of factors, not the least of which was lousy software...
PROFIBUS Analyzer Integrates Oscilloscope
August 27, 2008 10:34 am | Product Releases | CommentsTranslating PROFIBUS to USB and vice versa, Grid Connect’s ProfiTrace 2 PROFIBUS analyzer incorporates a digital oscilloscope to capture bus signals running at 12 Mbps, display them using the Bit Interpretation Engine, indicate a problem’s distance, and the option to show one device’s signals. The DP-V0/DP-V1 class 1 and 2 master uses the Live List statistics matrix to list all available devices and information including retry messages
Design Talk: The Shrinking Design Cycle
August 27, 2008 9:39 am | Articles | CommentsThe recent cries over shoddy manufacturing performance have put electronic product designers in a tough spot – and frankly, left them baffled. Time after time, their design concepts that had the makings of a sure bet evolved into a product with deficiencies reported from thousands of customers – leaving many unanswered questions.
