Electronic Design Update: April 30, 2008

Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter |   April 30, 2008 ADVERTISEMENT High-Performance Stacking Connectors Increase Design Flexibility
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Learn more. editor's view |E-Voting—For Want Of A Paper Trail By Ron Schneiderman, Contributing Editor
Did you vote in your state’s primary this year? Are you sure? Remember “hanging chads,” those sloppily punched—and therefore uncountable—ballot cards used in Florida during the 2000 election? Read the full article... engineer's resource | Webinar: Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey Of Design Options
Presented by Winland Electronics
April 30 @ 2pm ET Developing a wireless sensor network can be an awesome challenge or a simple matter of picking the right module, depending on who you ask. Off-the-shelf solutions have certain advantages, but may not be the best overall solution to your problem. Homegrown or custom solutions can be designed to overcome specific challenges, so they can be critical for certain projects. Learn more about the technical pros and cons of both options in this live course.

ESC 2008

There was a ton of announcements made at the Embedded Systems Conference earlier this month. Click out the highlights, exclusive commentary, and footage from the show by Electronic Design's Editor-in-Chief Joe Desposito on our Web page, sponsored by Lantronix, Xilinx, and Altium. You can also find video interviews by Electronic Design Europe's Editor-in-Chief Paul Whytock here.



International Electronics Forum Asks "Revolution Or Evolution?"

The International Electronics Forum (IEF) has established itself as an event for senior-level personnel who need to understand the way the semiconductor industry sees the future unfolding. Future Horizons, a global semiconductor analyst company, is hosting the 17th IEF under the auspices of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, May 7-9. The theme of this year’s conference is "Revolution or Evolution."

focus on embedded hardware |

Unique Chip Reduces Home/Car Electricity Usage

Now available in an improved version, the NovalithIC targets engineers developing economical electronic circuits. The 1-cm by 1-cm package integrates three chips in one: two power chips and one logic circuit to control and monitor the power stage. Read the full article... EiED online |

ESC 2008 Musings

Technology Editor Bill Wong wraps up ESC 2008. Read the full article... Engineering TV | 2008 Lantronix Wireless Design Contest At the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, Calif., Lantronix Inc. announced the winners of its annual Wireless Design Contest. The contest challenges engineers, students, and hobbyists to develop a creative and practical wireless product using Lantronix's MatchPort b/g, an 802.11 b/g embedded wireless device server module. Editors from Electronic Design and Machine Design, as well as Lantronix engineers, judged more than 150 entries on technical merit, originality, usefulness, cost-effectiveness, and design optimization. Winning entries this year included VersaLights, the Wireless Miner, and the Wi-Fi Security Robot.

Click here to watch the video.

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Carbon To Replace Copper On Semiconductor Superhighways

Copper has had plenty of time in the sun as a medium for electrons to travel to work each day. And although it has only been used in semiconductor interconnects for about 10 years, its days may be limited thanks to carbon. The debate on using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for semiconductor interconnects has been ongoing for a while now, but recent research indicates that carbon offers first-class service to travel-weary electrons. Read the full article...

IR Founder Eric Lidow Retiring

After more than 60 years at the helm of the company he founded in 1947, Eric Lidow will retire as chairman and member of the board of directors of International Rectifier Corp. effective May 1. Read the full article...

TI Unveils Analog Design Competition For Students

Texas Instruments Inc. has established the Engibous Prize, $150,000 in annual awards for engineering students who design the most innovative electronics systems using analog semiconductors. Named after recently retired TI chairman Tom Engibous, the prize will be awarded in three regions—Asia, Europe, and North America. It is the largest prize of its kind, according to the company. Read the full article...

Johns Hopkins Provost Wins Top Engineering Award

The American Association of Engineering Societies has awarded the John Fritz Medal to Kristina M. Johnson, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the Johns Hopkins University. Previous winners of the award, widely considered to be the highest in the engineering profession, include Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Westinghouse, and Orville Wright. Read the full article...