Electronic Design UPDATE: December 14, 2005

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine 
Electronic Design ==> www.electronicdesign.com
December 14, 2005
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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Editor's View
  *Expand Your Horizons
2. Focus On ASICs
  *Prototyping Platform Reduces ASIC Design Risk
3. News From The Editors
  *Modem Uses E-Mail For Machine-To-Machine Communication
  *Imaging Chips Capture Better Pictures Using Less Power
  *14-Pin Microcontrollers Don't Need Much Power
4. Magazine Highlights: December 1, 2005
  *Technology Report -- RAZR V3 Cuts To The Front Of The Cell-Phone 
   Line
  *Technology Report -- Analog And Digital Inch Closer Thanks To 
   Sensors
  *Technology Report -- Let Us Entertain You With Innovative 
   Products
  *Technology Report -- Reverse Outsourcing May Be Best News Of The 
   Year
  *Technology Report -- Bevy Of Computer Parts Adds Up To A Banner 
   Year

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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Expand Your Horizons

By William Wong, Embedded/Systems/Software Editor

Developers tend to hone their tool skills to make their job easier 
and to get it done faster and better. Programmers learn the 
idiosyncrasies of compilers and operating systems. Hardware 
designers check out the architecture of the processors and 
peripherals. It's a good idea to improve your expertise in the tools 
you will use every day, but don't forget about exploring new areas. 
Unfortunately, many engineers tend to explore very close to home... 

Read the full article at 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCB6:484C79

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

Freescale Microcontroller Pop Quiz 

Put your microcontroller knowledge to the test by answering five 
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http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1B2D6:484C79 

Free Web Seminar: RoHS -- The Manager's Role, Part 2

December 21, 2005 at 2:00 pm ET
Join us for our second Web seminar that looks at the manager's role 
in the transition to compliance with the Restrictions on Hazardous 
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Free eBook: A Black-Box Approach To ADCs

This eBook provides a black-box approach to the traditional 
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common characteristics of all ADCs and what they imply for the 
system-level designer. Download the first chapter today!
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1975B:484C79

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2. Focus On ASICs
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***Prototyping Platform Reduces ASIC Design Risk
The RapidChip system-on-a-chip (SoC) prototyping platform, which is 
based on the ARM926EJ-S processor, helps reduce design risk and 
time-to-market. It lets designers emulate their cell-based ASIC or 
RapidChip Platform ASIC design before tapeout. It also provides 
FPGA-based system verification. And, it enables software development 
to begin earlier. Co-developed by LSI Logic and Memec Design Europe, 
the RapidChip SoC prototyping platform provides a development system 
that lowers barriers for designing an SoC with a leading 32-bit 
embedded processor. The platform offers a 200-MHz ARM926EJ-S 
processor and a complete set of peripherals with a 200-MHz, 
400-Mbit/s DDR1 (double data rate) controller on a RapidChip 
Integrator slice. RapidChip technology developers who currently use 
Synplicity's Amplify synthesis tool also can take advantage of a 
common tool flow with FPGA design when building and testing their 
application logic during the prototyping phase. This simplifies 
creation of a final RapidChip design database, resulting in better 
performance and reducing time-to-market. The board is available from 
Memec Design in Europe and from LSI Logic in other locations 
beginning in January 2006. List price starts at $3999.
     LSI Logic Corp. ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCB8:484C79

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3. News -- From The Editors
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***Modem Uses E-Mail For Machine-To-Machine Communication
The CH2166 Internet modem uses e-mail or file transfer messaging to 
conduct machine-to-machine communication between field devices and 
central sites, making it a good choice for Internet appliance 
devices and OEM products that access the World Wide Web. The 
third-generation device can send or receive streaming e-mails of 
unlimited length or file messages of up to 2 Mbytes between 
machines. Its ability to establish socket connections like those 
used in Voice over Internet Protocol applications allows for 
full-duplex modem operation over the Internet. This feature 
replicates the functionality of a traditional modem but fixes the 
user's communication costs at the monthly Internet service provider 
(ISP) access fee, which can be less than $2/month. The CH2166 modem 
is available now. An evaluation kit that costs $199.95 comes with a 
sample unit, a platform for breadboarding, and complementary access 
to Cermetek's ISP service. The device costs less than $70 each in 
OEM quantities.
     Cermetek Microelectronics Inc. ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCB9:484C79

***Imaging Chips Capture Better Pictures Using Less Power
Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed two 
patented technologies that may soon enable today's power-hungry 
imaging chips to use just a fraction of the energy and capture 
better digital images. These breakthroughs could allow cameras to 
shrink to the size of a shirt button and run for years on a single 
battery. The researchers have designed a prototype chip that can 
digitize an image right at each pixel. It works by integrating an 
oversampling sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter at each pixel 
location in a CMOS sensor. The team is now working to incorporate a 
second technology that will compress the image with far fewer 
computations than what's needed by current compression techniques. 
With the second technology, called Focal Plane Image Compression, 
photodiodes are arranged on an imaging chip so compressing the image 
demands as little as 1 percent of the computing power usually 
needed.
     The University of Rochester ==> 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCBA:484C79

***14-Pin Microcontrollers Don't Need Much Power
Three new members of the AVR flash microcontroller family, which 
include a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter each, target battery 
chargers, sensor end points, and low-end motor-control applications. 
The 14-pin tinyAVR microcontrollers are pin compatible, differing 
only in the size of flash, EEPROM, and SRAM memory. The ATtiny24 has 
2 kbytes of self-programmable flash memory, whereas the ATtiny44 and 
ATtiny84 have 4 kbytes and 8 kbytes, respectively. All three devices 
deliver 20 MIPS throughput when running at 20 MHz. They excel in 
battery-powered equipment due to their inherently low power 
consumption and three individually selectable low-power sleep modes. 
The ATtiny24, 44, and 84 have internal EEPROM, pull-up resistors, 
and an 8-MHz, high-precision calibrated RC oscillator, leaving 12 
general I/O pins available for application use. The I/O pins can 
alternatively work as analog-to-digital converter inputs or 
pulse-width modulator outputs. ATtiny24 samples are available now in 
lead-free SOIC and PDIP 14-pin packages and a QFN 20-pad package. 
ATtiny44 samples will be available in the first quarter of 2006, and 
ATtiny84 will sample in the second quarter. Volume production will 
begin next year. The respective pricing in 10,000-piece quantities 
is $0.70, $0.85, and $1.10 each.
     Atmel Corp. ==> 
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BD02:484C79

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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 1, 2005: Special Issue -- Best Electronic Design 2005

* Technology Report -- RAZR V3 Cuts To The Front Of The Cell-Phone 
  Line
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCBC:484C79

* Technology Report -- Analog And Digital Inch Closer Thanks To 
  Sensors
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCBD:484C79

* Technology Report -- Let Us Entertain You With Innovative Products
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCBE:484C79

* Technology Report -- Reverse Outsourcing May Be Best News Of The 
  Year
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCBF:484C79

* Technology Report -- Bevy Of Computer Parts Adds Up To A Banner 
  Year
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCC0:484C79

For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==>
http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1BCC1:484C79

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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 typically has been 
restricted to military and space applications. Bill takes a look at 
AdaCores 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!

Which tech toy would you put at the top of your holiday wish list?

-- iPod
-- High-definition plasma TV
-- GPS navigation system
-- Smart phone
-- Satellite radio

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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