Electronic Design UPDATE: January 11, 2006

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine
Electronic Design ==> www.electronicdesign.com
January 11, 2006
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http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1D988:484C79

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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Editor's View
  *Digging Out The Story -- One Case History
2. Focus On Embedded
  *8-Bit Development Tools Keep It Simple
3. News From The Editors
  *Ultra-Thin VGA Camera Module Holds Down Handset Sizes
  *The History Of Computing (According To Paul Allen)
  *IC Charges Batteries Through USB Ports
4. Magazine Highlights: December 15, 2005
  *Cover Story: Success Story -- A Prescription-less Portable Defibrillator
  *Technology Report -- Timing Analysis Rounds The Corner To Statistics
  *Leapfrog: First Look -- PMBus Controller Takes A State-Machine Approach
  *Design View/Design Solution -- Use Forward Voltage Drop To Measure 
   Junction Temperature

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor
mailto:[email protected]
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1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
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Digging Out The Story -- One Case History

By Don Tuite, Analog/Power Editor

Sometimes it takes a little digging to pull a story out of a new 
product announcement. What's rewarding is when that digging turns 
up a story that illustrates how the design process actually works. 
Here's an example. A week ago, Linear Technology revealed its LTC3783. 
According to the press materials, it's a "current-mode multi-topology 
converter with constant-current PWM and dimming for driving 
high-power LED strings and clusters." It could be used "as a boost, 
buck, buck-boost, SEPIC, or flyback converter, and as a 
constant-current/constant-voltage regulator..."

Read the full article at 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1D989:484C79

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*******************Live on ElecDesign.com***********************

Free eBook: Black-Box Approach To ADCs

This eBook provides a black-box approach to the traditional 
analog-to-digital coverter (ADC) tutorial. It concentrates on the 
common characteristics of all ADCs and what they imply for the 
system-level designer. The second chapter is now available. Download 
the first two chapters today!

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1975B:484C79

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2. Focus On Embedded
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***8-Bit Development Tools Keep It Simple
The latest iteration of the CodeWarrior Development Studio for 
HC(S)08 microcontrollers stresses efficiency and economy for programmers 
and designers. Version 5.0 of the package is the first of several 
Freescale Fast Track 8-bit development tools and resources planned 
for this year. With more than 100 example projects to help programmers 
get started, the Fast Track CodeWarrior software tools emphasize 
usability and allow developers to create a working project in as 
few as seven mouse clicks. The tools include ANSI C/C++ and compact 
C++ compilers that have more than 60 advanced optimization strategies 
specifically designed to boost performance and reduce code size for 
the HC(S)08 architecture. The C compilers' high level of functionality 
is easily accessible to first-time users, featuring an enhanced 
Windows-driven graphical user interface (GUI). Animated tutorials 
also are included to help shorten the learning curve. The development 
package is available now via download from Freescale's Web site. The 
Special Edition, with a limited 16k C compiler, is free of charge. The 
Standard Edition costs $2394, and the Professional Edition has a price 
tag of $4794.
     Freescale Semiconductor ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1D98A:484C79

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3. News -- From The Editors
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***Ultra-Thin VGA Camera Module Holds Down Handset Sizes
At just 6 by 6 by 4.1 mm, an ultra-thin VGA camera module is 
ticketed for the next generation of slim camera phones. 
At the heart of the module is the OV7670 CameraChip, a CMOS image 
sensor that's just one-sixth of an inch square with a 3.6-micron pixel 
size. Thanks to the sensor's small size, the module's designers moved 
to a dual plastic-lens design, where competing modules use three lenses. 
Additionally, the OV7670 allows a reduction in the distance between 
sensor and lens, lowering the module height even further without losing 
image quality or camera performance. In addition to addressing the demand 
for smaller, thinner camera phones, the ultra-thin module may find 
applications in notebook PCs, where the camera module must be no thicker 
than the LCD housing. The ultra-slim module is now available in sample 
quantities. Contact OmniVision directly for pricing information.
     OmniVision Technologies ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1D98B:484C79

***The History Of Computing (According To Paul Allen)
Stepping back to his roots as a programmer -- and preserving 
important history in the process -- Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen 
has launched www.PDPplanet.com.  This Web site serves as a resource for 
computer history buffs interested in the DEC and XKL systems of bygone 
days. Through the site, registered users can Telnet into a working 
DECsystem-10 or an XKL Toad-1, create or upload programs, and run them, 
thereby stepping back into time to access an "antique" mainframe system. 
By demonstrating what computing environments looked and felt like some 
30 to 40 years ago, PDP Planet will give users a hands-on appreciation 
of what it was like to be a pioneering programmer. The site provides a 
look at Allen's personal collection of systems from the late 1960s to 
the mid-1990s, which preserves the significant software created on these 
early machines. 
     PDP Planet ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1D98C:484C79

***IC Charges Batteries Through USB Ports 
The AAT3688, a battery-charger IC designed to operate from USB port 
inputs, features a charge-reduction loop that decreases charge time by 
automatically monitoring the USB port voltage and dynamically adjusting 
the current while the battery is charging. The IC automatically adjusts 
for voltage sags and reduces the charge current as other functions on 
the host device consume more power. The compact IC integrates a charging 
device, reverse blocking diode, and current-sensing circuit in a 3- by 3-mm 
TDFN package. It also offers a number of safety features, including the 
ability to monitor battery temperature and charge state for fault 
conditions. Covering a 4- to 5.5-V input range, the device is designed 
to regulate voltage and current for 4.2-V lithium-ion/polymer battery cells. 
Pricing is $1.09 each in 1000-piece quantities. The IC is available now.
     AnalogicTech ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1A7DF:484C79

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Give us your view and we may give you a t-shirt!

Take our short "Industry Barometer" online survey to give us your 
unique view of the electronics industry. Five minutes is all it takes 
to answer eight short questions and enter to win one of five stylish 
Electronic Design t-shirts. 

Go to http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1CFBC:484C79

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4. Magazine Highlights
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In case you missed them, here are some of the high points of our 
most recent issue.

December 15, 2005:

* Cover Story: Success Story -- A Prescription-less Portable Defibrillator
The HeartStart low-cost automated external defibrillator for home 
use breaks new ground in consumer health electronics.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1C2BC:484C79

* Technology Report -- Timing Analysis Rounds The Corner To Statistics
Timing-signoff flows, overburdened by corner-based analysis, evolve 
to encompass statistical methods.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1C2BD:484C79

* Leapfrog: First Look -- PMBus Controller Takes A State-Machine Approach
Ease of use, flexibility, and efficiency blend together in this 
power manager and converter package.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1C2BE:484C79

* Design View/Design Solution -- Use Forward Voltage Drop To Measure 
Junction Temperature
You can characterize a semiconductor device to be its own 
temperature sensor by using an accurate four-wire 
measurement technique.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1C2BF:484C79

For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==>
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1C2C0:484C79

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EiED Online -- ADA 2005

Embedded in Electronic Design (EiED) Online is your source for 
technical insight and hands-on reviews. Read Technology Editor Bill Wong's 
latest EiED Online column, "ADA 2005." The Ada programming language 
has been around for years, but its use has typically been restricted to 
military and space applications. Bill takes a look at AdaCore's support 
of the new Ada 2005 standard. See why Ada is worth a look for general 
embedded applications.

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCC2:484C79

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TAKE A POLL!

How do you see your career path changing in 2006?

-- I'm looking for a new engineering job
-- I'd like to move into management
-- I might start my own firm or consulting business
-- No change, I love my career as is
-- I'm thinking about leaving the engineering field

Vote at Electronic Design ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=15410:484C79

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CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER
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Editorial: Mark David, Editor-in-Chief
mailto:[email protected]

Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities: Bill Baumann, Publisher:
mailto:[email protected]
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