Electronic Design UPDATE: February 8, 2006

Feb. 8, 2006
Editor's View: The Year Of Ultra-Wideband, by Louis E. Frenzel, Communications/Networking Editor. Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is one of the hottest wireless technologies. We’ve been hearing about it since 2002, when the Federal Communications Commission authoriz
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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter Electronic Design Magazine Electronic Design ==> www.electronicdesign.com February 8, 2006

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*************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Network-optimized ARM7 & ARM9 based core modules Digi International offers the widest range of core modules - ARM7, ARM9 and XScale solutions. The ConnectCore family provides core processing and integrated network connectivity in a single powerful solution. Built on NetSilicon's 32-bit processors and supported by royalty-free NET+Works software, ConnectCore modules provide a seamless migration path to a fully integrated chip-based solution. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20128:484C79 **************************************************************** Today's Table Of Contents: 1. Editor's View *The Year Of Ultra-Wideband 2. Product Focus *Power LEDs Set Performance Benchmarks 3. News From The Editors *Echo Cancellers Cut System Cost And Power *IEEE-USA Applauds American Competitiveness Initiative *45-nm Designs -- No Longer Wishful Thinking 4. Magazine Highlights: February 2, 2006 *Engineering Feature -- The Laptop Tug Of War: Speed Versus Battery Life *Technology Report -- It's Evolution, Not Revolution, For PCB Tools *Leapfrog: Industry First -- A New Player In The 32-Bit Procesor Field *Design View/Design Solution -- Implement Ethernet Over WAN Connectivity Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor mailto:[email protected] **************************************************************** ********************** 1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE ********************** The Year Of Ultra-Wideband By Louis E. Frenzel, Communications/Networking Editor Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is one of the hottest wireless technologies. We've been hearing about it since 2002, when the Federal Communications Commission authorized the use of the 3.1- to 10.6-GHz spectrum for unlicensed services. Sooner or later, maybe it will settle down so designers can begin incorporating it into their work. Lots of chip development has been going on, and some real products are finally available... Read the full article at http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20129:484C79 **************************************************************** *************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Learn to use your logic analyzer more effectively! Get a series of FREE application notes and measurement tips from Agilent that will help you make the most of your logic analyzer. Topics include integrated analog/digital debug, FPGA-system debug, vector signal analysis on digital baseband and IF signals, probing innovations, and more. Plus, you can ask our logic experts questions. Click here to learn more. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=2012A:484C79 **************************************************************** *******************Live on ElectronicDesign.com***************** Free Webcast: Boost DSP Throughput with Low-Cost FPGAs Wednesday, February 22, 2006 at 2:00 pm ET Designers are increasingly turning to FPGAs to help accelerate DSP performance and add extra compute power as a coprocessor. Lattice Semiconductor's latest-generation FPGAs have built-in DSP blocks that each contain a pipelined multiplier-accumulator engine. Learn how to implement DSP functions in these latest low-cost, high-performance FPGAs. One lucky participant will receive an ispLEVER Development Tool for FPGA and CPLD design. Register today! http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=2012B:484C79 Free Web Seminar: Troubleshooting Common Circuit Problems Using Digital Oscilloscopes Thursday, February 9, 2006 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=1E16A:484C79 **************************************************************** ********************** 2. Product Focus ********************** Power LEDs Set Performance Benchmarks By Roger Allan, Contributing Editor In the increasingly popular world of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), an emitter's light output per given input (efficiency), heat management, and small footprint are critical. So if you can make dramatic advancements in just one of these three areas, you've done a lot -- especially in the hot flat-panel-display backlighting market. But when you achieve industry-leading benchmarks in light output, temperature tolerance, and drive-current capability all at the same time, you've reached some significant milestones... Read the full article at http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=2012C:484C79 ********************** 3. News -- From The Editors ********************** ***Echo Cancellers Cut System Cost And Power The OCT6100L processor family can drop the cost of adding echo cancellation and improving the voice quality of carrier-class communications to less than $0.50/channel. Developed by Octasic Semiconductor, these devices handle from 32 to 672 channels and deliver lower cost, lower power consumption, and lower-cost implementation options. Yet they retain all the features and functionality of the company's OCT6100 family. The L series is implemented on a 130-nm process. This allows the internal core voltage to be reduced from 1.8 to 1.2 V. In turn, this lowers the per channel power to less than 1.5 mW, permitting system designers to integrate more channels on a line card at a lower cost per channel. They include a full complement of echo, tone, and voice-quality enhancements, as well as compression functions. In addition, they permit audio conferencing and provide music protection, adaptive noise reduction, and extensive conferencing capabilities. Octasic Inc. ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=2012D:484C79 ***IEEE-USA Applauds American Competitiveness Initiative The IEEE-USA commends President George W. Bush for the American Competitiveness Initiative announced during last week's State of the Union address. The initiative is designed to spur U.S. innovation and better equip the U.S. to compete in the global marketplace. President Bush mentioned several key proposals that the IEEE-USA endorses, including doubling federal spending on basic physical science and engineering research over the next 10 years; permanently extending the research and development tax credit; and significantly improving math, science, and technological education in U.S. schools. According to the White House, the American Competitiveness Initiative commits $5.9 billion in the 2007 fiscal year and more than $136 billion over 10 years. Other key points include encouraging up to 30,000 math and science professionals to become adjunct high school teachers, fostering a business environment to encourage entrepreneurship and protect intellectual property, and providing self-managed Career Advancement Accounts of up to $3000 that workers and prospective workers can use for training and other employment services. American Competitiveness Initiative ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=2012E:484C79 IEEE-USA ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=2012F:484C79 ***45-nm Designs -- No Longer Wishful Thinking Efforts to develop a production-worthy 45-nm process flow have yielded their first public results at Intel Corp. The process delivers a twofold improvement in transistor density, which can either reduce chip area when moving an existing design to the new process or allow designers to implement more complex designs. The process also delivers a 20 percent improvement in transistor switching speed, more than a 30 percent reduction in transistor switching power, and a fivefold reduction in leakage power compared with the company's 65-nm process. To demonstrate the 45-nm development efforts, Intel unveiled a functional 153-Mbit memory test chip that contains over 1 billion transistors. Each memory cell is just 0.346 square micron, which yields a memory core area of 119 square mm -- that's roughly the same area occupied by a 50-Mbit array Intel fabricated in 2002 using its 90-nm process technology. The test chip not only contains memory cells, but also additional circuits such as high-speed register files, high-speed I/O circuits, and high-frequency phase-locked loops and clocks to better evaluate all the transistor and interconnect structures that the company would implement on a full microprocessor fabricated using the 45-nm process. Intel estimates products might be ready for sampling in the latter half of 2007. Intel Corp. ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1B2D8:484C79 **************************************************************** **************************************************************** Flight of the ZigBee: A Top Hit for 2006 There's been buzz for years about the ZigBee wireless standard and its applications. Now that the silicon and software are finally available, we can expect real-world products this year. Get up to speed on this hot technology with Communications/Networking Editor Louis Frenzel's special report, "ZigBee Zooms To Market." http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20130:484C79 And if you're sold on using ZigBee, what's out there to help with development? Read Embedded/Systems/Software Editor Bill Wong's hands-on review of three ZigBee development kits that help you take to the airwaves. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20131:484C79 **************************************************************** ********************** 4. Magazine Highlights ********************** In case you missed them, here are some of the high points of our most recent issue. February 2, 2006: * Engineering Feature -- The Laptop Tug Of War: Speed Versus Battery Life Stunning performance gains in the latest laptops create unprecedented power issues. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20132:484C79 * Technology Report -- It's Evolution, Not Revolution, For PCB Tools To conquer ever-stiffer challenges, pc-board design tools must perpetually evolve -- particularly in the high-speed signal realm. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20133:484C79 * Leapfrog: Industry First -- A New Player In The 32-Bit Processor Field The AVR architecture blends 32-bit power with the elegance of its 8-bit brethren. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20134:484C79 * Design View/Design Solution -- Implement Ethernet Over WAN Connectivity Besides thoroughly understanding Ethernet's basic operation, you must become familiar with the new standards and capabilities now available. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20135:484C79 For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=20136:484C79 **************************************************************** EiED Online -- Bus and Board Show 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, "Bus and Board Show." This year's Bus and Board show brought out a range of issues, from the European Union's Restrictions on Hazardous Substances to VME's 25th anniversary. Hear about the new Aurora fabric, and find out what else Bill Wong found at the show. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1F7E7:484C79 ********************** TAKE A POLL! In his recent State of the Union address, President Bush proposed an American Competitiveness Initiative. Which element of that initiative will best prepare the U.S. to compete in the global marketplace? -- Increased funding for technology research programs -- A permanent R&D tax credit -- More rigorous math/science education programs 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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