Electronic Design UPDATE: August 17, 2005

Aug. 17, 2005
News Focus: FPGA Starter Kit Shows Off Secure In-System Programmability.
Developers of high-volume applications can incorporate secure in-system programmability (ISP) into their products with the newest member of Actel's ProASIC3 family -- the 250-kga
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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter Electronic Design Magazine PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com August 17, 2005

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*************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Your easiest way to control display brightness. Microsemi visible light sensors mimic human eye response. Breakthrough technology enables automatic brightness control that's not fooled by infrared or ultraviolet wavelengths. Easy design-in needs no optical filters. Integrated high gain photo current amplifiers, temperature stable, and RoHS compliant. No lead, no cadmium. Four models to meet your specific LCD or LED display design requirements. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=CAE1:1001CD **************************************************************** Today's Table Of Contents: 1. News Focus *FPGA Starter Kit Shows Off Secure In-System Programmability 2. News From The Editors *Ethernet Switch Supports Triple And Quadruple Play *DOE Maps Out Path To Improved Solar Energy *Automotive Relay Touts 80-A Switching Capacity 3. TechView Scope *Mighty Mouse Swoops Onto Desktops 4. Upcoming Industry Events *Embedded Systems Conference *Intl Conference on Commercialising Technology *ARM Developers' Conference 5. Book Review *"Troubleshooting Analog Circuits" Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor **************************************************************** 2005 Engineering Hall of Fame The members of Electronic Design's Engineering Hall of Fame are those men and women whose accomplishments have shaped the electronics industry and, by extension, our world. It's time to vote for the 2005 slate of inductees. Give us a few minutes of your time to browse through our list of nominees and tell us who you think should be honored this year. Your vote counts! Go to http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=EB97:1001CD **************************************************************** ********************** 1. News Focus ********************** FPGA Starter Kit Shows Off Secure In-System Programmability Developers of high-volume applications can incorporate secure in-system programmability (ISP) into their products with the newest member of Actel's ProASIC3 family -- the 250-kgate A3P250 FPGA. Actel is also introducing two versions of a ProASIC3 starter kit to aid design implementation and offer low-cost, full-speed programming for the A3P250 device. Available in both a prototyping and a low-cost evaluation version, the starter kit permits the exploration of architectural features like the live-at-power-up capability. The A3P250 FPGA works well in a range of high-volume, value-based applications. It contains 1024 bits of on-chip user nonvolatile flash memory and six clock-conditioning circuits. The device supports four I/O banks with up to 157 I/Os. For power-conscious designers, the A3P250 delivers standby power consumption of 3 mA under typical conditions. Secure ISP is provided through on-chip 128-bit AES decryption and built-in flash key storage technology. Because an AES decryption key is required to reverse-engineer the encrypted configuration bitstream for a ProASIC3 device, attempts to copy designs by intercepting the bitstream are futile. The AES-encrypted programming file allows for secure field upgrades. The evaluation (Eval) version of the starter kit includes an A3P250 FPGA soldered directly to an evaluation board. The prototyping (Proto) version includes a socket-equipped evaluation board that accepts nine of the 10 devices in the ProASIC3/E family. Both boards contain an alphanumeric LCD display and provide CAT5E connectors to demonstrate the high-speed low-voltage differential-signaling functionality of the A3P250 device. Multiple starter kits may be connected together in a JTAG chain to demonstrate multiple-device programming via a single programmer connection. The high-speed FlashPro3 programmer connects to a PC via a USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 interface. The kit also includes the company's Libero Gold 6.2 integrated development environment (IDE) software, USB cable, programming cable, power supply, tutorial, and support documentation. Volume pricing for the ProASIC3 family starts at $1.50 in 250,000-unit quantities. Samples of the A3P250 device are available now. The new ProASIC3/E starter kits are also available now. The Proto kit costs $449, and the Eval kit goes for $349. Actel Corp. ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F7B:1001CD **************************************************************** *************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Online PCBs, 24/7 -- 100 percent satisfaction quote to delivery Sunstone Circuits is 3 trusted brands -- PCBexpress, PCBpro, and PCB123 -- in 1 powerful online service. Great quick-turn pricing on 2-to-6 layer proto boards and production volumes up to 8-layers; free circuit board design software downloads. Visit Sunstone.com. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F96:1001CD **************************************************************** ********************** 2. News -- From The Editors ********************** ***Ethernet Switch Supports Triple And Quadruple Play The KS8893ML three-port Ethernet switch targets set-top boxes, Voice over Internet Protocol phones, residential gateways, media converters, industrial controls, and game consoles. This highly integrated, layer 2 managed switch fits cost-sensitive 10/100-Mbit/s switch products with low port counts. It supports four priority queues and enables triple-play (voice, video, data) or quadruple-play (voice, video, data, gaming) services. Traffic is prioritized by class of service. Key features include rate limiting, tag/port-based virtual local-area network, quality-of-service priority, management information base (MIB) counters, media-independent interface/serial-network interface (MII/SNI), and CPU control/data interfaces. The KS8893ML also features two 10/100 transceivers, three media-access controller units, a high-speed nonblocking switch fabric, a dedicated address lookup engine, and an on-chip frame buffer memory. Samples are available now, with full production in the third quarter. Prices vary widely depending upon volume. Contact Micrel directly for a quote. Micrel Inc. ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F97:1001CD ***DOE Maps Out Path To Improved Solar Energy Working toward the Bush Administration's goal of increased use of solar and other renewable forms of energy, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science has released a report describing the basic research needed to produce "revolutionary progress in bringing solar energy to its full potential in the energy marketplace." The report is the result of a workshop held earlier this year that brought together 200 scientists. Every hour, more energy from sunlight strikes the Earth than the planet consumes in a year. Yet today, solar electricity provides just 1/1000 of the total electricity supply. The proposed research could lead to such advances as artificial molecular machines that turn sunlight into chemical fuel and super-efficient solar cells created using nanotechnologies. The "Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization" report can be viewed and downloaded at http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F98:1001CD . Hard copies of the report are available upon request from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences at http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F99:1001CD U.S. Dept. of Energy ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F9A:1001CD ***Automotive Relay Touts 80-A Switching Capacity With a large switching capacity of up to 80 A, the CTA3/A3 series relay is well suited for use in automobiles, heavy earth-moving equipment, off-road vehicles, emergency vehicle flashing lights, and many other similar applications. The RoHS-compliant relay has three different contact arrangements, as well as both pc-board pin and Quick-Connect mounting. Electrical life is rated at 100k cycles and mechanical life at 10M cycles. Coil-to-contact dielectric strength and contact-to-contact strength are both 500 V rms minimum at sea level. The relay offers an optional mounting flange; a choice of 6-, 12-, or 24-V dc coil voltage; and a variety of coil-suppression options. Rugged vibration-resistant versions are available for off-road vehicles. Average lead time is five to 11 weeks. Pricing starts at $1.05 each in 10,000-unit lots. CIT Relay and Switch ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F9B:1001CD **************************************************************** ********************** 3. TechView Scope ********************** Mighty Mouse Swoops Onto Desktops Here it comes to save the day... Apple's Mighty Mouse takes pointing and clicking to the next level. This $49 peripheral looks like a typical one-button Mac mouse. But sensors under its one-piece shell offer PC-like left-click and right-click functionality. Users can activate a pair of side buttons with just a little squeeze, too. And while many mice offer a scroll wheel for vertical control, the Mighty Mouse's scroll ball provides movement in 360 degrees. The Mighty Mouse uses a USB 1.1 cable, though it's compatible with USB 2.0 ports as well. It also uses optical tracking. System requirements include Mac OS X, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. Users with Mac OS X v10.4.2 Tiger or later can program the Mighty Mouse for their own custom functions. In fact, the Tiger and Mighty Mouse team lets users program the scroll button to launch Application Switcher and then move from one task to another with just a simple scroll. Apple Computer ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F9C:1001CD **************************************************************** Submit Photos And Get Paid! Grab some photos showing the "guts and glory" of you (and your team) at work. We need them for our "Day in the Life of an Electronic Designer" photo essay, which will appear in Electronic Design's Oct. 20 special issue. There's a $500 Grand Prize for best photo series and $250 prize for best photo, and we pay $50 if we use any of your photos in the issue. Please include the names and titles of all photo subjects, as well as company name and the type of work-in-process illustrated by the photo. Digital photos should be in .tif or .jpg formats and must have resolution of at least 300 dpi. Deadline for submission is Sept. 15. E-mail digital photos to Richard Gawel at mailto:[email protected] Mail hard-copy photos to: Richard Gawel Electronic Design Managing Editor 45 Eisenhower Dr., 5th Floor Paramus, NJ 07652 **************************************************************** ********************** 4. Upcoming Industry Events ********************** September 12-15, Embedded Systems Conference Boston, Mass. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=FEF8:1001CD September 14-15, IEE International Conference on Commercialising Technology and Innovation London, U.K. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=EB9E:1001CD October 4-6, ARM Developers' Conference '05 Santa Clara, Calif. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F9D:1001CD **************************************************************** ********************** 5. Book Review ********************** "Troubleshooting Analog Circuits" By Robert A. Pease Both analog and digital engineers, whether novice or experienced, will find value in Bob Pease's time honored book, "Troubleshooting Analog Circuits." Bob's many decades of experience helped him develop techniques and methods to expedite the debugging and troubleshooting.... Read the full book review at http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10F9E:1001CD **************************************************************** Embedded in Electronic Design (EiED) Online is your source for technical insight and hands-on reviews. Read one of Technology Editor Bill Wong's latest EiED Online columns, "Embedded AI?" This year's AAAI/IAAI conference shows that artificial intelligence has a place in today's production environment. Visit http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=10638:1001CD ********************** TAKE A POLL! The face of radio is changing. If you're a listener, which best describes the current state of your radio technology? -- Subscribe to Sirius/XM satellite radio -- Plan to subscribe to satellite radio -- Own an HD (high definition) radio receiver -- Plan to buy an HD receiver -- Listen to AM or FM broadcast/other Vote at Electronic Design ==> http://www.elecdesign.com ******************************************************************** Designing With Video Signals Dealing with digital video signals in the analog world can be tricky. Arm yourself with knowledge and download our eBook, "Analog/Mixed-Signal Components For 21st Century Video," by Analog/Power Editor Don Tuite. Chapter 1 covers the basics, and Chapter 2 discusses interfacing video amps to digital-to-analog converters. The recently added Chapter 3 looks at video multiplexing and driving unshielded twisted pairs. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=8725:1001CD **************************************************************** Need To Go Green? We Can Help! The European Union, as well as Japan and China, are about to restrict the use of environmentally hazardous materials in electronic components and systems through the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive. Electronic Design's RoHS Reference Center has the information you need to make the shift to green designs. The fourth chapter of our eBook, "Electronic Design's Guide To New International Environmental Laws," is now available for download. And don't miss our comprehensive list of industry and government Web sites and contacts. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=9857:1001CD **************************************************************** SUBSCRIBE ONLINE TO ELECTRONIC DESIGN If you're reading this e-newsletter, then you are either a current Electronic Design subscriber, or should be (145,000 of your peers are). To apply for or renew a subscription to Electronic Design absolutely FREE and without paperwork or hassle, click on the link below. http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=2B24:1001CD ****************************************************************

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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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