Electronic Design Update: April 25, 2007

April 25, 2007
Precision DMM Opens Eyes With 14 Special Measurement And Display Features
Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter | April 25, 2007

BOOSTCAP® Ultracapacitors Energize Fuel Cells in Bridge Power Apps

Mission critical installations such as data centers & telecom centers are protected by standby power generation equipment. This paper explores the benefits of ultracapacitor augmented bridge power systems that provide enhanced functionality and reliability vs fuel cell based power solutions.

View this technical paper and get our free ultracapacitor design-in guide today at www.maxwell.com.
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Today's Table of Contents:
  • Feature Story: Precision DMM Opens Eyes With 14 Special Measurement And Display Features
  • Industry View: Electronics Get The Blood Flowing At Rock Shows And In Hospital Beds
  • Scope: NASA Blames Software Glitch For Mars Global Surveyor Failure
  • Focus On Wireless: Tx-Rx Modules Yield Multi-Gigabit E-Band Comm Systems
  • Now on electronicdesign.com: Engineering TV Episode 31: The Desktop Pilot
  • News From The Editors:
    Gate-Drive Optocouplers Enhance Motor Inverter Designs
    Intermediate Bus Converters Feature High Output Power, Efficiency
    Customers Can Order Programmable Logic With Pre-Programmed Numerical Keys
    Long-Lead LED Package Mounts Flat On A PCB
Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Christine Hintze, Associate Editor..feature story | Precision DMM Opens Eyes With 14 Special Measurement And Display Features By Louis E. Frenzel, Communications/Test Editor

Oh no, not another pair of precision digital multimeters (DMMs)! But the Fluke 8845A and 8846A offer a mix of capabilities and functions that will make you take notice and re-evaluate your need for a newer bench meter.

Read the full article.....industry view | Electronics Get The Blood Flowing At Rock Shows And In Hospital Beds By Larry Nicholson, President, Applied Sciences Inc.

I was constantly inventing things as a child, especially electronic things. Without my parents’ permission, I took apart a transistor radio and built a “rain alert” that turned on a light if it started raining. Much to my displeasure, though, I wasn’t as successful with the robot I built to vacuum my room - it never quite worked!

Read the full article.....scope | NASA Blames Software Glitch For Mars Global Surveyor Failure By Richard Gawel, Managing Editor

After nine years and 52 days, the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter broadcast its last communication with Earth on Nov. 2, 2006. Eleven hours later, depleted batteries left the spacecraft unable to control its orientation. Now, an internal NASA review of the mission has determined why those batteries failed.

Read the full article.....focus on wireless | Tx-Rx Modules Yield Multi-Gigabit E-Band Comm Systems

This E-band transmit-receive module pair made by Endwave Corp. enables broadband point-to-point radio systems than can carry voice and data traffic at rates of multi-gigabits per second. Separate versions cover the 71- to 76-GHz and 81- to 86-GHz operating bands.

Read the full article...
ZigBee Certified Wireless XBee Modules

The ZigBee Certified XBee OEM RF module features 1mW of output power and is a cost-effective wireless solution using ZigBee and 802.15.4 communication protocols. With a receive sensitivity of -92 dBm, the XBee module yields a range of up to 300 feet. The XBee-PRO OEM RF module (also ZigBee Certified) operates at 60mW of output power and a receive sensitivity of -100 dBm for range up to one mile.

Click here to learn more.
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..now on electronicdesign.com |

Operating an unmanned vehicle in a battlefield situation is common these days; operating one in commercial airspace is totally new. Quantum 3D has developed a software package that lets users piloting large aircraft from the ground...

To see the video, visit engineeringtv.com and click on Episode 31.

..news from the editors | Gate-Drive Optocouplers Enhance Motor Inverter Designs

The ACPL-332J and -331J series of high-speed IGBT optocouplers from Avago Technologies are gate-drive devices that provide reliable operation in noisy environments for industrial inverter and power-management applications.

Read the full article.... Intermediate Bus Converters Feature High Output Power, Efficiency

Two IBCs from Emerson Network Power, the eighth-brick IBC32 and the quarter-brick IBC60, produce high usable output power at high efficiency. The 300-W IBC32 provides 2.3% typical load regulation, while the 642-W IBC60 maintains 2.5% typical load regulation.

Read the full article.... Customers Can Order Programmable Logic With Pre-Programmed Numerical Keys

QuickLogic Corp. now has the capability to program user-customizable, unique keys and serial ID numbers into all the company’s devices. These keys and ID numbers, which are supplied by the customer, can provide the basis for a variety of content-protection standards and algorithms.

Read the full article.... Long-Lead LED Package Mounts Flat On A PCB

The longer leads of the OVTL01LGAxS 1-W surface-mount LED from Optek Technology allow it to mount flat on a printed-circuit board (PCB) without requiring any indentation, thereby eliminating the need to drill or alter the board

Read the full article...
Freescale Beekit (TM) Wireless Connectivity Toolkit

Have a small network up and running in just 30 minutes. The highly intuitive GUI lets your team collaborate in an immediate, centralized environment. Find out how to shave weeks off your development time and make a bee-line to market with your ZigBee designs.


For more information, visit www.freescale.com/zigbee.

 

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..quick poll | In "Fiber: Friend Or Foe To DSL," Communications Editor Lou Frenzel says that despite developments in fiber technology, DSL will rule out in the short term. What do you think?
  • Agree: Fiber may be improving, but it's still a costly technology
  • Disagree: It may be a costly investment, but fiber is worth it
Let your voice be heard. Vote now on www.electronicdesign.com. The Quick Poll is located at the bottom of the page, so don't forget to scroll down!..product picks online | Power Estimator Lets Designers Make Smart Energy-Saving Tradeoffs Network Solution Eases Signal Transfer In Infotainment Systems Miniature Force Sensor Suits Space-Challenged Applications Mixed-Signal MCUs Feature 100-MHz CPU In Tiny Package Programmable-Gain Sense Amplifier Handles Bidirectional Current Sensing ..upcoming industry events | 5th International Basestation Conference April 24-27, 2007 Bath, U.K. Annual Symposium on VLSI (ISVLSI'07) May 9-11, 2007 Porto Allegre, Brazil Wireless Communications Association (WCA 2007) June 11-14, 2007 Washington, D.C. See more industry events...
Learn Best Practices in Test at the 2007 Automated Test Summit

Learn best practices and proven strategies for designing flexible and efficient test systems at the 2007 Automated Test Summit. This 4th annual event, hosted by National Instruments, moves online this year to provide you a convenient way to access the latest technical information on automated test system design.

Access session overviews and register for this complimentary event.
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