The 235H series oscillators are housed in a 2.0-x-2.0-x-.75-in.-high steel can. Options include an AT cut crystal; radio-frequency output via PC pins or an SMA-F connector; voltage-controlled or mechanical tuning; and dual RF outputs. Delivery time for the 235H series oscillators is 12 weeks after the receipt of the order. Contact Techtrol Cyclonetics, Inc. at www.tci-ant.com for specific pricing information.
Hudson, New HampshireMicronetics has now come to market with a 128-to-160-MHz, ultra-low-noise voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). Known as the MW500-1343, this VCO has an exceptionally low phase-noise level of −147 dBc/Hz at around 100 kHz. The phase-noise level is −125 dBc/Hz at around 10 kHz and −100 dBc/Hz at around 1 kHz. Its power output is +10.5 dBm + 1.5 dB with a +12-V supply (31 mA). The VCO's stability is further assured by pushing and pulling of only 0.06 MHz/V and 0.13 MHz p-p, respectively. Its harmonics are at least 20 dB down. The tuning voltage range for 128 to 160 MHz is 0 to 13 V. But the VCO can operate up to 20-V tuning, which provides 178 MHz at reduced power (+6 dBm). It comes in a 0.500-in.2-x-0.15-in. surface-mounted package. Its modulation bandwidth is 123 MHz (−3 dB), which is exceptionally fast for this low operating frequency. The temperature drift is only −0.02 MHz/°C. For more information on the Micronetics VCO, go to www.micronetics.com.Houston, TexasMimix Broadband, Inc. is a company that designs, develops, and supplies high-performance monolithic-microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) for microwave and millimeter-wave wireless-communication applications. Recently, it successfully upgraded to ISO 9001:2000. As a result, the company has been recommended for registration to ISO 9001:2000, the internationally recognized quality-management-system standard administered by the International Organization for Standardization. Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Certification, Inc. has recommended registration for Mimix to ISO 9001:2000. Mimix was previously registered by DNV to ISO 9001:1994. Achievement of this new registration reinforces the company's focus on quality while highlighting the fact that it is the cornerstone of the development of all business processes.To achieve ISO 9001:2000 registration, a company must complete a comprehensive audit of the quality system. This audit encompasses documented procedures and operations from every department with a focus on customer satisfaction and continual improvement of processes and procedures. The company must also continue to maintain and improve its quality system as verified by semi-annual audits. For further information, go to www.mimixbroadband.com.
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaAnsoft Corp. has come to market with version 5.0 of its RMxprt high-performance electronic-design-automation (EDA) software. It also has released version 6.0 of its SIMPLORER Service Pack 4. Both software packages are available now.RMxprt is the company's popular software for the design of electric machines. New features of version 5.0 include a schematic winding editor, improved core-loss calculation, and a design template for claw-pole generators. The RMxprt software is available in four packages: induction machines, DC commutated machines, synchronous machines, and electronically commutated machines. Its starting price is $6900.
SIMPLORER is a new paradigm for the virtual prototyping of large-scale mechatronic, power-electronic, and electromechanical systems. It is Ansoft's multi-domain, electromechanical-system-simulation software. Service Pack 4 for SIMPLORER includes a variety of new models, graphical-user-interface enhancements, and significant improvements in its VHDL-AMS simulation capabilities. All of these features greatly enhance the software's usability for digital-circuit and control-system design and verification. Current SIMPLORER customers can download Service Pack 4 for free by using the new "web-update" feature within SIMPLORER's help menu. They also can go to www.ansoft.com/ots/index.cfm.
More information on either product can be obtained at www.ansoft.com.
Sunnyvale, CaliforniaMaxim Integrated Products recently introduced the MAX1963/MAX1976 regulators. The company claims that they are the world's first and smallest 100-mV low-dropout (LDO) linear regulators to operate from a 1.62-V input and deliver a guaranteed 300-mA continuous-load current. Typically, these linear regulators are used to power processor curves at 1.5 V. The devices have only 17% (typical) efficiency loss when powered from a 1.8-V I/O supply versus 61% using other linear regulators that are powered from a 3.8-V lithium-ion battery.The MAX1963/MAX1976 provide very high output-voltage accuracy (±1.5%) over all load, line, and temperature conditions. These ICs are available in fixed-output voltages ranging from 0.75 to 3.0 V. Their active-low, open-drain reset output remains asserted for at least 2.2 ms (MAX1963) or 70 ms (MAX1976) after the output voltage reaches regulation.
The MAX1963 and MAX1976 have an internal PMOS pass transistor. Thus, the low 70-microamp supply current remains independent of load and dropout voltage. Other features include a logic-controlled shutdown, short-circuit protection, and thermal-overload protection.
The MAX1963/MAX1976 are available in 6-pin SOT23 and 6-pin, 3-x-3-mm TDFN packages. They are screened for the extended industrial temperature range (−40 to +85°C). Prices start at $0.62 (2500-up, FOB USA). For more details, go to www.maxim-ic.com.
Milpitas, CaliforniaXicor, Inc. has announced the availability of the X98000 family of high-speed analog front ends (AFEs). The X98027 operates at up to 275 MSamples/s. The X98000 family includes four additional products operating at frequencies of 240 MSamples/s, 210 MSamples/s, 170 MSamples/s, and 140 MSamples/s.Each product in the new family of AFEs has three independent 8-b channels. The devices combine high-performance, low-noise signal processing with a low-jitter, digital phase-locked loop to produce high-resolution images. The three AFE channels have high linearity and matching for superior grayscale performance. A very high input bandwidth is provided for ultra-sharp images. Additional peaking control can restore image sharpness when long cable lengths are used. An innovative automatic-black-level-compensation (ABLC) circuit eliminates offset errors due to mismatch and drift. The internal digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) doesn't just provide lower clock jitter. It also has 64 phase steps with high linearity in comparison to a maximum of 32 phase steps in competitive products.
The X98027 supports QXGA resolution up to a refresh rate of 60 Hz. The X98024 supports WUXGA resolution (1920 x 1200), while the X98021 supports UXGA (1600 x 1200). The X98017 supports WSXGA resolution (1536 x 1024). Finally, the X98014 supports SXGA (1280 x 1024) and all lower resolutions. Samples are available now with production scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. Pricing for the X98014 starts at $9.00 in 1000-piece quantities. For more information, go to www.xicor.com.
London, United KingdomXilinx, Inc.'s investment in the industry' most advanced 90-nm and 300-mm chip-making technology is already paying off for customers. Most recently, the company achieved new breakthrough price points for what's claimed to be the world's first 90-nm family of programmable chips. Those chips have been shipping since March of this year. Xilinx is now offering Spartan-3 FPGAs with one million system gates for an unprecedented $12.00 along with three different Spartan-3 FPGAs for under $7.00. Spartan-3 platform devices range from 50,000 to 5 million system gates with prices starting at $2.95. This represents a cost savings of up to 80% over competitive offerings.The company's early commitment and investment in 90-nm and 300-mm manufacturing technology has resulted in an 80% chip-size reduction compared to competitive products on 130-nm technology. With strong yields ramping quickly, Xilinx is now shipping four of the eight total members of the Spartan-3 FPGA family. The company is even on track to deliver the entire Spartan-3 family in full-volume production early next year.
The 3S50, 3S200, and 3S400 Spartan-3 devices (with 50,000, 200,000, and 400,000 system gates, respectively) are available now for less than $7.00. The 3S1000 Spartan-3 device with 1 million system gates also is now available for $12.00. The entire Spartan-3 family will be available in volume production in early 2004. Family members can be purchased either from distributors worldwide or directly from Xilinx at www.xilinx.com/spartan. To find out more, visit www.xilinx.com.
San Jose, CaliforniaAtmel Corp. has announced the introduction of the AT91SC25672RC. This new high-end, smart-card-secure microcontroller is based on the ARM SecurCore SC100 CPU core. The AT91SC25672RC features an on-chip compact ROM program memory of 256 KB and a flexible 72-KB EEPROM for data. Occupying less than 20 mm2, this product is perfectly suitable for the cost-sensitive, high-volume smart-card market. Its low power consumption also makes it compliant with mobile-phone requirements. The product's wide memory space, powerful 32-b RISC core, and large RAM working memory (10 KB)--in combination with a hardware accelerator--make it particularly suitable for Java-card implementations. A complete set of documentation and development tools is now available for the AT91SC25672RC. The first ROM codes are already accepted for bulk production. Typical volume pricing is $4.00 for 100,000 units. For more information, go to www.atmel.com.Boise, IdahoMicron Technology, Inc. has broken ground on a new DRAM-memory-module assembly and test facility in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The 48,000-ft.2 facility will house advanced technology, DRAM-module assembly, and testing for a wide range of high-density, high-speed memories--including next-generation DDR2-based SDRAM modules. The exact schedule for completion of the facility will be dependent upon semiconductor-industry market conditions. Micron currently has over 200 employees working at a temporary facility in Puerto Rico. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.Calgary, Alberta, CanadaNovAtel, Inc. announced the receipt of three letter contracts that are worth a total $1,266,000 U.S. from Raytheon Company. Under these contracts, the company will begin the production of a Common Reference Receiver (CRR). It also will continue the development and build of engineering-unit models of the Ground Uplink System (GUS) receiver and GUS Signal Generator.These programs are part of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) FOC Upgrade System. They also are part of the new WAAS Geostationary Communication & Control Segment (GCCS). NovAtel and Raytheon expect to further definitize these contracts before the end of the year. As long as NovAtel's development proposals are accepted and the corresponding contracts are awarded, the company expects this work to provide revenues of up to $7.9 million over the next three years. For more information on this work, go to www.novatel.com.
Alameda, CaliforniaWind River Systems, Inc. is extending its automotive-specific integrated embedded platform, dubbed the PLATFORM for Car Infotainment (PLATFORM CI). That platform will now support additional architectures including MIPS, XScale, ARM, and PowerPC. PLATFORM CI enables OEMs and Tier 1 automotive suppliers to build car-infotainment and telematics devices with improved efficiencies, thereby accelerating time to market.Specifically, PLATFORM CI now offers better support for specialized automotive processors and reference boards (which an increasing amount of automotive customers are demanding from semiconductor providers). In addition to expanding PLATFORM CI to include these additional architectures, Wind River supports the vast majority of the automotive-specific hardware used in embedded development, including Renesas' SH7760 Biscayne and SH7751R BigSur/Amanda boards and Motorola's MPC5200-based 5200Lite board.
PLATFORM CI integrates the necessary foundation software to quickly design, develop, and deploy Infotainment and telematics-based devices. Based on the proven and reliable VxWorks RTOS and powerful development tools, PLATFORM CI supports a variety of in-car network protocols like CAN and MOST as well as wireless-network protocols like 802.11 and PPP. PLATFORM CI also supports MIPS, XScale, ARM, PowerPC, and SuperH processors. To learn more about the WIND RIVER PLATFORM for Car Infotainment, please visit www.windriver.com/platforms/platformci/.
Shelburne, VermontHarbour Industries' new catalog of RF Coaxial Cables is now available. From highly technical low-loss coaxial cable to standard MIL-C-17 designs, this new catalog describes the wide range of choices for conductor, dielectric core, braid, and jackets. Applications for commercial, military, and industrial markets also are outlined to guide the user to the right coaxial cable to suit his/her specific needs. A hard copy of the catalog can be obtained from a local account manager, regional representative, or directly from the factory. This catalog and others may be viewed online by clicking on the catalog cover of interest. For more information, go to www.harbourind.com.Santa Clara, CaliforniaNational Semiconductor Corp. now offers a Boomer audio subsystem for cell phones. It integrates amplifiers, volume, and mixing controls along with 3D sound in a miniature micro-SMD package. The LM4857 integrates stereo speaker drivers for the handset with 495-mW output power per channel, a 33-mW stereo-headphone driver with 32-step volume control, and independent left, right, and mono volume controls. Operating on a 3.3-V supply, it combines a stereo-speaker amplifier for improved sound quality over single mono speakers; a mono earpiece amplifier that delivers 43 mW into a 32-W load; and a line output for an externally powered hands-free speaker (such as a car kit).The LM4857's 3D enhancement improves stereo channel separation when the left and right speakers are too close together. It also solves problems that would otherwise arise from system size constraints or equipment limitations.
In addition, the LM4857 routes and mixes the stereo and mono inputs into 16 distinct output modes. Those modes give designers flexibility to route and mix audio signals without limiting routing just to stereo speakers or headphones. The LM4857 is controlled through an I2C-compatible interface. Now available in a 30-bump micro-SMD package, it is priced at $2.70 in 1000-unit quantities. To get more information on the LM4857, go to the company web site at www.national.com.
Wilsonville, Oregon Recently, LPKF Laser & Electronics released version 4.0 of its CircuitCAM and BoardMaster software suites. This software accompanies every LPKF circuit-board plotter, allowing users to import a broad range of CAD data and control the prototyping equipment. Some of the new features in CircuitCAM 4.0 include a newly integrated program wizard; a large cross-hair cursor; an integrated editor for aperture-/tool-translation files (aperture-template-editor); and aperture editing in the Import Dialog Box. Different insulation possibilities for one PCB side (with the PCB version of the tool) also are offered along with color assignments for different insulation tools. In addition, CircuitCAM 4.0 boasts management capabilities for tool lists; tool names that have been adapted to an English price list; and True Type Fonts (TTF) in the text function. The ability to import DXF files with True Type Fonts is another new capability. To find out more, go to www.lpkfcadcam.com.Milpitas, CaliforniaLinear Technology Corp. has introduced the LTC2600 family of low-cost, low-power voltage-output DACs. The outputs feature monotonic performance and the capability of driving up to 1000 pF. Such high integration is achieved with remarkably low crosstalk. Adjusting one DAC will not affect the others. Operating from supplies as low as 2.5 V, this family perfectly suits tiny, cost-sensitive closed-loop or trim/adjust applications.The LTC2602/LTC2612/LTC2622 are dual 16-, 14-, and 12-b, 2.5-to-5.5-V, rail-to-rail voltage-output DACs in a tiny 8-lead MSOP package. They have built-in high-performance output buffers and are guaranteed monotonic. These parts offer advanced performance for output drive, crosstalk, and load regulation in single-supply, voltage-output multiples. They use a simple SPI/MICROWIRE-compatible, 3-wire serial interface that can be operated at clock rates up to 50 MHz.
The LTC2602/LTC2612/LTC2622 incorporate a power-on-reset circuit. During power up, the voltage outputs rise less than 10 mV above zero scale. After power up, they stay at zero scale until a valid write and update take place. For more information, go to www.linear.com.
Chelmsford, Massachusetts The Autumn 2003 Product Selection Guide is now available from Hittite Microwave Corp. It summarizes 30 new products including 15 new LNAs and gain-block, driver, and distributed-amplifier products. The guide is organized by market applications for broadband, cellular/PCS/3G, and microwave/millimeter wave. It includes system block diagrams with suggested HMC products for each system function. Information on Hittite's Custom RFIC/MMIC/module and military and space products/services is featured as well. Product data sheets can be found online. This offering replaces the Summer 2003 Selection Guide. Copies of the Autumn 2003 Selection Guide can be obtained by going to www.hittite.com. Select the "Submit Inquiry/Feedback" left-hand navigation button.In addition to the Autumn Selection Guide, an updated version of Hittite's popular 2003 Designer's Guide CD-Rom is available. The CD includes all new products, block diagrams, package/layout information, and the Autumn 2003 Selection Guide in PDF form. Copies of the selection guide and CD-Rom can be requested via the corporate web site at www.hittite.com.