Electronic Design UPDATE: January 25, 2006

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine 
Electronic Design ==> www.electronicdesign.com
January 25, 2006
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http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED9E:484C79

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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Industry View
  *Designers Need Black-Box Recorders For Debugging
2. Focus On Analog
  *Audio Amps Drive Ceramic Speakers In Portables
3. News From The Editors
  *Single-Board Computer Fits 6U CompactPCI Slots
  *PC Viruses Mark 20 Years Of Malevolence
  *Biometric Sensor Has The Touch For PC Security
4. Magazine Highlights: January 12, 2006 -- Technology Forecast Issue
  *Technology Report -- Portables Prepare For New Power Challenges
  *Technology Report -- Where Is Embedded Headed?
  *Technology Report -- New Consumer Apps Hop Into The Driver's Seat
  *Technology Report -- Components Meld Mini Forms With Max Functions
  *Technology Report -- Wireless Speaks Volumes In Communications/Networking

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor
mailto:[email protected]
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1. Industry View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
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Designers Need Black-Box Recorders For Debugging

By Dan Rinkes, Emulation Applications Engineer, Texas Instruments

Real-time systems can be difficult to debug, as experienced 
programmers know only too well. The intermittent bugs that often are 
discovered in the field and reported by customers are among the most 
troublesome. They're difficult to monitor because they frequently 
cause system crashes, wiping memory clean and corrupting data, so 
they can't be traced in the lab...

Read the full article at 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED98:484C79

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

Freescale Pop Quiz 

Win a Dragonfire Promotional Kit from Freescale! 
Test your microcontroller knowledge by answering five 
thought-provoking questions from Technology Editor Bill Wong. You'll 
be eligible for Freescale's Dragonfire Kit no matter what you score, 
so don't forget to enter your details and hit submit!
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1EDA0:484C79 

Free Web Seminar: Troubleshooting Common Circuit Problems Using 
Digital Oscilloscopes
Thursday, February 9, 2005 at 2:00 pm ET

Join us to learn about the techniques available in modern digital 
oscilloscopes for troubleshooting circuit problems. This seminar 
will focus on practical, real-world examples showing how to 
troubleshoot common failure modes of circuits and components. Topics 
discussed will include finding small signals in the presence of 
noise, electromagnetic-interference/electrostatic-discharge tests, 
and troubleshooting crosstalk. Register today!
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED93:484C79

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=1ED9C:484C79

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2. Focus On Analog
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***Audio Amps Drive Ceramic Speakers In Portables
A pair of single-chip audio power amplifiers in ultra-small packages 
helps create credit-card-thin handsets. The LM4962 and LM4953, part 
of National Semiconductor's Boomer ceramic-speaker-driver family, 
provide high capacitive loads for portable applications such as cell 
phones, smartphones, notebook computers, and other small handheld 
devices. Ceramic speakers are different from conventional 
moving-coil speakers -- they act as a capacitive load rather than a 
resistive load, require more voltage but less current, and are only 
0.7 mm thick and often weigh less than 1 g. The LM4953 driver uses a 
charge pump to drive the ceramic speakers. It requires only eight 
external components, saving board space and eliminating the need for 
an expensive voltage regulator and large inductor. The LM4962 driver 
can save up to 80 percent board space over National's 
previous-generation driver by reducing the IC size from 25 mm square 
to 5 mm square. It integrates a boost converter with an audio power 
amplifier for mono ceramic speaker applications. The LM4962, 
available in a 28-bump thin micro surface-mount device package, 
costs $2.50. The LM4953 costs $1.85 in a 14-pin pullback leadless 
lead-frame package. All prices are in 1000-unit quantities.
     National Semiconductor ==> 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1EDA7:484C79

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3. News -- From The Editors
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***Single-Board Computer Fits 6U CompactPCI Slots 
Drawing its computing power from up to a 1.8-GHz Pentium M (or 
1.3-GHz Celeron) processor, the CE9 single-board computer is 
constructed for ruggedness and reliability. The board carries up to 
2 Gbytes of 333-MHz double-data-rate SDRAM with optional 
error-correction code and features a 400-MHz system bus. It can be 
used within a system or non-system 6U slot in a CompactPCI 
backplane. Providing abundant I/O, the CE9 includes dual Gigabit 
Ethernet ports, two serial I/O ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and a 
CompactFlash or 2.5-in. hard disk. For system designers needing 
additional I/O capability, the CE9 includes a PMC site that supports 
the IEEE 1386.1 standard, giving system designers lots of 
flexibility for expanding I/O capability with the company's line of 
wide-area network and local-area network I/O PMC modules. The board 
supports the Linux, VxWorks, and Windows XP operating systems. 
Pricing starts at $1730 each in large quantities. The board is 
available now. 
     SBC Technologies ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1EDA6:484C79

***PC Viruses Mark 20 Years Of Malevolence
The boot-sector virus known as Brain was first detected in January 
1986, but this relatively benign creation was just the beginning. 
This January marks a full 20 years since PC viruses began to 
proliferate. Boot-sector viruses, which are now extinct along with 
the floppy disks that originally carried Brain and its successors, 
were edged out by 1995 by the development of macro viruses, which 
sought to take advantages of weaknesses in early versions of 
Microsoft Windows. With the growth of the Internet and e-mail came 
worms, such as 1999's "Loveletter." The introduction of network 
worms in 2001 shrank the time for worldwide virus proliferation to 
an hour or less. Today, an estimated 150,000 viruses continue to 
spawn mutations. 
     F-Secure Corp. ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1EDA5:484C79

***Biometric Sensor Has The Touch For PC Security
A tiny fingerprint sensor provides comprehensive protection for PC 
users against identity theft, forgotten passwords, finger spoofing, 
and other security threats. The EntrePad 1610 takes advantage of 
the Trusted Computing Group's (TCG) version 1.2 Trusted Platform 
Module (TPM) specifications and Microsoft Vista Secure Startup, as 
well as future platforms such as Intel's LaGrande technology. The 
sensor also offers secure matcher and local fingerprint template 
storage in sensor flash as opposed to on a hard-disk drive, which 
translates into strong security with complete, secure upgradeability 
to protect against future spoofs or other PC threats. The 12- by 
5-mm sensor quickly captures fingerprints from a swipe across its 
surface. An ultra-hard surface coating lends the device resistance 
to scratching and impacts. Total sensor and bill-of-materials costs 
are under $5.
     AuthenTec ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1EDA4:484C79

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Reverse Engineering: Is It Legal?

Advances in electronics technology have forced reverse engineering 
(RE) to evolve into a specialized niche of the profession. 
While RE creates the knowledge of what a device is made from 
and how it is made, what's done with that knowledge spans the 
full spectrum of legality. Get the basics in our Web-exclusive 
article, "Reverse Engineering Delivers Product Knowledge, Aids 
Technology Spread."

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED99:484C79

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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.

January 12, 2006 -- Technology Forecast Issue:

* Technology Report -- Portables Prepare For New Power Challenges
Hungrier laptops and busier handhelds keep power-supply designers on 
their toes.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED9A:484C79

* Technology Report -- Where Is Embedded Headed?
Perpetual change remains the norm for embedded hardware and 
software, even when it comes to standards. 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED9B:484C79

* Technology Report -- New Consumer Apps Hop Into The Driver's Seat
Digital may think it rules the consumer space, but analog still has 
a place in many applications. 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED94:484C79

* Technology Report -- Components Meld Mini Forms With Max Functions
Major advances help perpetuate the component designer mantra: Pack 
more features into less space.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED97:484C79

* Technology Report -- Wireless Speaks Volumes In Communications/Networking
Wireless will lead the way in driving growth in the commuications 
and networking markets.
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED95:484C79

For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==>
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED9D:484C79

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EiED Online -- Insteon Now

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, "Insteon Now." Building a better 
mousetrap? That's what Insteon from SmartHome is. Insteon is a 
replacement for the venerable X-10. Bill Wong checks out the Insteon 
development kits for combining powerline control with embedded 
devices.

http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1ED96:484C79

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TAKE A POLL!

How much personal satisfaction do you derive from your work as an 
engineer?

-- A great deal
-- A moderate amount
-- A little
-- None

Vote at Electronic Design ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1EDA3:484C79

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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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