Electronic Design UPDATE: September 29, 2004

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine 
PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com
September 29, 2004
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*************************ADVERTISEMENT**************************

"Goodbye" Batteries. "Hello" Ultracapacitors.

Battery deficiencies, such as limited lifetime, ongoing maintenance and 
poor burst power performance, means that they are not always the best 
solution for power delivery and energy storage in powering electronic 
systems. This free paper looks at the viable alternative offered by 
ultracapacitors and several applications where they solve problems in 
today's power electronics world.

Access the free paper now at: http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLr20A3  

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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Editor's View
  * Shocking! A 2600-Farad Capacitor
2. Focus On Analog
  * High-Performance ADCs Require Little Power
3. News From The Editors
  * Digital Media Processor Handles HD Video Streams
  * RTOS, IDE Configured For PowerPC
  * 2G Actuator Allows Smaller Flat Speakers 
4. Upcoming Industry Events
  * NEPCON Texas
  * LonWorld Exhibition and Conference
  * International Test Conference
  * Americas Display Engineering and Applications Conference
5. Magazine Highlights: September 20, 2004
  * Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- Wireless Industrial Networks -- 
    Untether Monitoring And Control
  * Technology Report -- EDA Lays A Foundation For The Nanometer Age
  * Leapfrog: Industry First -- ADCs Look To Bring HDTV To U.S. Cell 
    Phones
  * Design View / Design Solution -- Write Less Code And Deliver Java 
    Apps Faster With Eclipse 3.0

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by John Novellino, Executive Editor

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DON'T MISS THEM! TWO NEW WEBCASTS

COM Express: Emerging Standard:
   Today, Bill Wong will bring you up to speed on COM Express, the new 
Computer-on-Module (COM) standard from the PCI Industrial Computer 
Manufacturers Group. He will take a look at what's inside the 
standard, its effect on high-speed serial technologies, and how it's 
changing the embedded landscape.
   Today, Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern time), 12:00 p.m. 
(Mountain), 11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
   http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLqa0Ao

Selecting the Best ASIC Solutions:
   On Thursday, Oct. 7, Dave Bursky will look at Selecting the Best ASIC 
Solutions, exploring the decision points you should consider in 
determining the right ASIC design route. Bursky and a panel 
representing leading ASIC manufacturers will explore the issues you 
face when planning a new chip design -- the key factors you should 
evaluate to better define which ASIC approach to use.
   Thursday, Oct. 7 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern time), 12:00 p.m. (Mountain), 
11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
   http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BKve0Aw

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drawing for a $500 American Express gift certificate. 

Go to ==> 
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1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
**********************

Shocking! A 2600-Farad Capacitor

By Don Tuite, Analog/Power Editor

One of the best parts of being an Electronic Design editor is the 
opportunity to hear about new technologies, but nothing has ever caught 
my attention like a recent release about a bread-box-size product that 
contains twenty-two 2600-Farad capacitors. That's no typo. These 
ultracapacitors, actually Electric Double Layer Capacitors (EDLCs) to 
give them their proper name, have seven orders of magnitude more 
capacitance than the biggest electrolytic I ever soldered into a project 
when I was a kid. Physically, they're about the size of a tall beer can.
   Intrigued, I checked the Web. There's a good theoretical explanation 
at www.okamura-lab.com/ultracapacitor/edlc/edlc1Eng.htm. But I wanted 
to hear about ultracapacitors in the real world, so I called Richard 
Smith, who's executive vice president of strategic development at 
Maxwell Technologies in San Diego. Smith says the other key players 
besides Maxwell in the ultracapacitor arena include Panasonic, Epcos 
(formerly Siemens/Matsushita), and Honda in Japan, as well as Ness 
Corp. in Korea.
   If you earned your EE more than three years ago, Smith says, you 
won't have read about ultracapacitors in any textbook. Although the 
concept is more than 100 years old, until the early 1990s, nobody had 
solved the technical problems that would get ultracapacitors out of 
the lab. What is needed is an electrode with enormous surface area 
and an electrolyte with tiny ions. Then you need a cheap supply of 
those things.
   Maxwell solved the electrode problem in the early 1990s with a form 
of finely divided carbon that provides 2000 square meters of surface 
area per gram and an electrolyte with ions small enough to penetrate 
the nanoscale porosity of that carbon. Then, the company built 3-kF 
ultracapacitors the size of half-liter soda bottles. The only 
drawback was that they cost tens of thousands of dollars to make. 
Maxwell worked with suppliers to build capacity and yield and get the 
cost of raw materials down. Today's 2.7-kF ultracap costs around $50. 
Maxwell's goal is to get that down to $25 next year and to $13.50 by 
2007.
   So what can you do with one? In some ways, an ultracapacitor is like 
a battery. But where a battery is an energy-storage device with 
moderate power capacity, an ultracapacitor is a power-storage device 
with moderate energy capacity. In other words, you can get a big kick 
from an ultracap, but not for very long.
   This is just what a lot of systems need. The generic term is "bridge 
power." Like the bulk capacitance in a power supply, an 
ultracapacitor stores and supplies power that can be delivered very 
quickly when needed. Ultracaps store something like 5 W-hr (18 kJ) of 
energy per kilogram and can discharge currents up to 1000 A at 2.5 V. 
A good battery might store 20 or 30 W-hr/kg but could never return it 
to the system at high currents. Also, an ultracap can be repeatedly 
charged and discharged without damage.
   Ultracaps are available in matchbook-size packages offering 4 F and 
10 F on up to thousands of Farads. In between are such units as the 
D-cell, now being used in luxury automobiles to prevent sag in the 
bus powering the car's myriad of microprocessors when the driver 
turns on the steering-wheel warmer. Larger cells are also used in 
hybrid autos to store the energy from regenerative braking and to 
give the electric motor the boost it needs to get moving while the 
gas engine is coming up to speed.  
   It's exciting all these years after college to find a breakthrough 
that increases the performance of a familiar component by literally 
more than a million times. Keep your eye on ultracapacitors. But 
don't drop your wrench across those terminals.

To comment on this Editor's View, go to Reader Comments at the foot of 
the Web page:  

Electronic Design UPDATE ==> 
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLr40A5

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*************************ADVERTISEMENT***************************

Samtec Offers PADS Libraries for High-Speed Connectors

PADS libraries are now available on-line for Q-Series (R) high-speed and 
SamArray (R) high-density connectors. They allow Samtec-recommended 
footprints and schematics to be directly imported into complex PCB 
layouts.

http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLr50A6

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2. Focus On Analog
**********************

***High-Performance ADCs Require Little Power
The LTC2220 family of 3.3-V analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) offers 
10- and 12-bit resolutions at power consumptions of just 366 mW at 80 
Msamples/s, 475 mW at 105 Msamples/s, and 630 mW at 135 Msamples/s. The 
devices excel at undersampling, suiting them well for communications 
applications such as WCDMA cellular basestation transceivers, digital 
predistortion power-amplifier linearization, and cable modem termination 
systems. The 12-bit, 135-Msample/s LTC2224, for example, features over 
67-dB signal-to-noise ratio at up to 170-MHz input. It has a 775-MHz 
bandwidth and achieves 77-dB spurious-free dynamic range up to 250-MHz 
input. The slower versions and the 10-bit versions are pin-compatible 
with the LTC2224. These six ADCs are available now in 7- by 7-mm QFN 
packages at prices ranging from $6.70 to $33.92. By the end of the year, 
the full family of 24 devices, ranging up to 14 bits and 170 Msamples/s, 
will be available.
     Linear Technology Corp. ==> 
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLr60A7 

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3. News -- From The Editors
**********************

***Digital Media Processor Handles HD Video Streams
Consumer-electronics and set-top-box manufacturers looking to integrate 
high-definition (HD) streaming video now have a simple solution. The 
720-MHz version of the TMS320DM642 media processor from Texas 
Instruments delivers HD video streams in Microsoft's WMV9 format at 
720-p resolution. The chip can decode MPEG-4, MPEG-2, and MPEG-1 video 
streams. It also processes standard-definition video for the emerging 
H.264 format. TI additionally announced production-class devices for the 
DM640 and DM641, plus the 600-MHz version of the DM642. These 
code-compatible digital media processors are scalable across a wide 
range of clock speeds and memory capacities to support a broad range of 
applications. Prices start at $19.95 apiece in lots of 10,000 for the 
400-MHz DM640. The 720-MHz DM642 costs $59.99 in 10,000-unit quantities. 
Samples are available now. The DM642 Evaluation Module (EVM) goes for 
$1995, and a full Digital Media Developer's Kit (DMDK), which includes 
the EVM, sells for $6495.
     Texas Instruments ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLr70A8 

***RTOS, IDE Configured For PowerPC
The high-reliability Integrity real-time operating system (RTOS) and 
Multi integrated development environment (IDE) now fit the PowerPC 
970FX. The Multi C/C++/EC++ compiler can optimize code for the 64-bit 
PowerPC 970FX's AltiVec vector processing unit. Integrity is a 
POSIX.1-compatible, royalty-free operating system. It works with Multi's 
EventAnalyzer and ResourceAnalyzer. The Integrity System Simulator 
(ISIM) enables development without requiring final hardware. A DO-178B 
Level A certified version is available, as are extensive networking 
options. The Multi IDE for the PowerPC 970FX costs $5900.
     Green Hills Software ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BFQ60AT  

***2G Actuator Allows Smaller Flat Speakers
A second-generation Distributed Mode Actuator (DMA), the 
electromechanical component that makes flat speakers possible in small, 
portable applications, is 20% smaller than the first-generation units. 
The new transducers, which measure 22 by 7 by 3.5 mm, are up to 10 times 
more efficient than conventional loudspeakers and produce high-quality 
sound. The DMA uses a piezoelectric drive element rather than an 
electromagnetic one. The piezoelectric polycrystaline ceramics are 
smart, shape-changing materials. Applying a voltage across them alters 
their length, allowing them to be used as actuators. DMA prices range 
between $0.50 and $1.50 depedning on design, application, and quantity 
ordered.
     NXT ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLr80AA  

*************************ADVERTISEMENT***************************

Catch the PLX (R) PCI Express ExpressLane (TM) Seminar  

PLX invites you to attend our FREE tutorial on the Essentials for 
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Express (PCIe) technology; building blocks for storage, communications 
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To register for the PLX ExpressLane Seminar Series: Essentials for 
Building a PCI Express System, please go to 
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****************************************************************

*************************ADVERTISEMENT***************************

LSI Logic's RapidChip Platform ASIC Seminar

Join LSI Logic and Synplicity for an FREE Platform ASIC seminar at a 
location near you. Learn the rationale for and scope of support behind
RapidChip(TM) platform technology, in conjunction with Synplicity's 
Amplify RapidChip custom physical synthesis solution. RapidChip reduces 
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Seating is limited for this popular event, so check locations, dates and 
register now at: http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BKBC0AW

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4. Upcoming Industry Events
**********************

Oct. 20-21, NEPCON Texas (with Assembly Texas Pavilion)
Arlington, Texas
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsB0AL

Oct. 20-21, LonWorld Exhibition and Conference
Shanghai, China
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsC0AM

Oct. 24-29. International Test Conference (ITC)
Charlotte, N.C.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ05Aq0An 

Oct. 25-27, Americas Display Engineering and Applications Conference
Fort Worth, Texas
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsD0AN 

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

September 20, 2004:

* Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- Wireless Industrial Networks -- 
Untether Monitoring And Control
New lower-cost technologies, bringing improved reliability and security, 
have engineers opting for wireless links in place of wiring in 
industrial systems.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsE0AO

* Technology Report -- EDA Lays A Foundation For The Nanometer Age
New tools and technologies take aim at issues of concern to leading-edge 
IC designers on two fronts: system-level design and power integrity.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsF0AP

* Leapfrog: Industry First -- ADCs Look To Bring HDTV To U.S. Cell 
Phones
Low-power 3.3-V ADCs keep their cool in WCDMA micro- and 
pico-basestations.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsG0AQ

* Design View / Design Solution -- Write Less Code And Deliver Java Apps 
Faster With Eclipse 3.0
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsH0AR

For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==> 
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ehep0Gl4E70EmQ0BLsI0AS

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CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER
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Editorial: Lucinda Mattera, Associate Chief Editor:
mailto:[email protected]

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