Electronic Design UPDATE: June 8, 2005

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine
PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com
June 8, 2005
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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. News Focus
  *Tiny Wireless Sensor Module Runs On Solar Power
2. News From The Editors
  *Free Software Helps Eliminate Oscilloscope Errors
  *Upgraded Xeon Processors Increase Server Throughput
  *High-Transparency Touchpanels Improve LCD Viewing
3. TechView Scope
  *Consultant Fees Rise, But Overall Wages Drop
4. Upcoming Industry Events
  *International Microwave Symposium
  *PEDAC 2005
  *SEMICON West

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor

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Free Showcast: Design Automation Conference
Friday, June 10 at 2 pm ET

It's a highly coveted honor to be on the "What to See at DAC" list 
compiled for each year's Design Automation Conference by Gartner 
Dataquest's Gary Smith. Those EDA tool vendors who make the cut have 
been singled out by the EDA industry's leading analyst as having one 
of 2005's hottest EDA tools or technologies. The "What to See at 
DAC" list will make its debut in Electronic Design's DAC ShowCast 
when Smith, along with Electronic Design Automation Editor David 
Maliniak, will offer a preview of the best of this year's DAC. Take 
a virtual tour of the show floor and get an advance glimpse of EDA's 
premier technology showcase.

Register today at: http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB27:1001CD

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1. News Focus
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Tiny Wireless Sensor Module Runs On Solar Power

A tiny, solar-powered wireless sensor module overcomes many of the 
challenges associated with efficient wireless sensing, such as 
power-hungry radios and limited battery life. The STM100 module from 
EnOcean works without cables or batteries and supports a wide 
variety of sensors, including temperature, gas, humidity, 
illumination, and location devices. 
   Within a custom, two-stage solar cell, one stage provides quick 
startup energy while the other charges an onboard energy 
reservoir. Designed to work indoors, the STM100 needs just 200 
lux to generate energy. Typical indoor lighting ranges from 200 
lux in hallways to 1200 lux in display cases.
   Each module consists of a solar cell energy source, an energy 
reservoir, analog and digital sensor connections, a 
microprocessor for sensor control, and a radio transmitter. The 
footprint measures only 0.8 by 1.6 by 0.4 in., and the STM100 
stores enough energy to operate continuously for up to five days 
in complete darkness.
   Wireless communication is implemented with sophisticated RF 
protocols, including multiple broadcasts and unique addressing. 
The proprietary radio technology, which is approved for use in 
Europe, Canada, and the U.S., delivers a relatively long-range 
radio signal with a very small amount of power. Using 50 
microwatts, the transmitter will send a signal 300 meters 
outdoors and 30 meters indoors through walls. The secret to 
EnOcean's patented technology is its short signal duration -- the 
entire process is initiated, undertaken, and completed in about 
1/1000 of a second.
   The STM100 modules are available in OEM quantities for less than 
$25 each.
     EnOcean ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB2E:1001CD

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2. News -- From The Editors
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***Free Software Helps Eliminate Oscilloscope Errors
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
(NIST) have created software for correcting common timing errors in 
high-speed oscilloscopes. The Timebase Correction software is 
available from NIST free of charge. It works by constructing an 
alternative time base and analyzing an oscilloscope's measurements 
of both a signal of interest and two reference waves that are offset 
from each other. Measurements of the reference waves are compared 
with a calculation of an ideal wave to produce an estimate of total 
time errors due to distortion and jitter. These errors then can be 
corrected automatically for each oscilloscope measurement. The NIST 
correction method works with older standard equipment, corrects time 
records of almost any length, and can be applied to electromagnetic 
signals of almost any frequency. It also provides the user with an 
estimate of the residual timing error after the correction process 
has been completed. Download the Timebase Correction software 
package at 
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB23:1001CD
     NIST ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB30:1001CD

***Upgraded Xeon Processors Increase Server Throughput
To deliver higher levels of server throughput, Intel Corp. has 
released a handful of upgrades to its single-core Xeon processor 
family. The E8500 motherboard chip set supports all the upgraded 
chips. They include 64-bit addressing capability and 13 new 
streaming SIMD instruction extensions. Two of the CPUs offer 8 
Mbytes of level 3 cache and run at 3.33 and 3.0 GHz, respectively. 
Expect to pay for that performance, though. The 3.33-GHz CPU costs 
$3692 while the 3.0-GHz unit goes for $1980, both in lots of 1000 
units. A version that runs at 2.83 GHz and offers 4 Mbytes of level 
3 cache costs $1177 apiece in similar quantites. Two additional 
Xeons that have 1 Mbyte of level 2 cache and no level 3 cache are 
available for cost-sensitive applications. The 3.66- and 3.16-GHz 
versions cost $963 and $722 each in lots of 1000 units.
   The E8500 chip set supports system configurations with up to four 
CPUs, each being either a single- or dual-core Xeon chip. It 
includes a 667-MHz dual, independent, front-side bus and delivers 
a system bandwidth of up to 10 Gbytes/s using DDR2-400 memories. 
The memory controller detects single- and double-bit errors and 
automatically corrects single-bit errors on internal data paths. 
A new feature on the controller is a memory RAID capability that 
partitions the system memory as independent, redundant, data 
stores to allow the reconstruction of the system data even in the 
event of a memory board failure. The chip-set throughput is about 
triple that of the previous-generation chip set. In 1000-unit 
lots, the chip set costs $255 apiece.
     Intel Corp. ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB2F:1001CD

***High-Transparency Touchpanels Improve LCD Viewing
Fujitsu Components America has added to its family of 
high-transparency touchpanels for transmissive LCDs. The new 
touchpanels, which are part of the company's four- and seven-wire 
resistive offerings, enhance the image contrast and clarity of 
low-power LCDs in high-ambient-light applications. All of the 
touchpanels feature 86% transmissivity and target a variety of 
applications ranging from tablet PCs to test instrumentation. To 
achieve the transmissivity, Fujitsu used a special index-matching 
coating on the panel's glass and film layers to lower reflectance 
losses. The company added 12.1- and 15-in. high-transparency panels 
to its standard seven-wire product line and 3.9-, 10.4-, and 5.7-in. 
high-transparency panels to its standard four-wire product line. 
Estimated pricing ranges from $9 to $140 in OEM volumes. Lead time 
is stock to 12 weeks.
     Fujitsu Components America Inc. ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB2B:1001CD 

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3. TechView Scope 
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Consultant Fees Rise, But Overall Wages Drop

Leaving your firm and going solo as a consultant may seem like the 
path to fame and fortune. But the 2004 IEEE-USA Consultants Survey 
shows that this isn't the case at all. While median consultant fees 
increased an average of $10 to $110 per hour since the 2002 survey, 
median income dropped $20,000 to $100,000. That's a much larger drop 
than the $1500 median decrease reported in the IEEE-USA Salary and 
Fringe Benefits Survey.
   Consulting incomes fluctuate because hours vary widely, with 
nearly half of the respondents working 20 hours or less. Most 
consultants, 57%, charge between $75 and $150 and hour. Expert 
witnesses and forensic experts charge the highest rates, with an 
average of $217. While these rates are substantially higher than 
typical engineering wages, consultants have to cover expenses 
such as health care. 
   These high wages also are justified by experience, as 72% have 20 
years of engineering experience or more. Also, 40% have a 
master's degree or PhD. The majority, 61%, have been consulting 
for less than 10 years. This suggests that many engineers become 
consultants after retiring from salaried positions. 
   The Alliance of IEEE Consultants Networks conducted the survey, 
which tallied the responses of 756 independent consultants. The 
survey report can be found at 
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB24:1001CD
     IEEE-USA ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB2C:1001CD

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4. Upcoming Industry Events
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June 12-17, IEEE MTT-S 2005 International Microwave Symposium
Long Beach, Calif.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB2D:1001CD

June 27-29, International Conference on Power Electronics for 
Distributed and Co-Generation (PEDAC) 2005
Novi, Mich.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB29:1001CD

July 11-15, SEMICON West 2005
San Francisco, Calif.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB25:1001CD

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Embedded in Electronic Design (EiED) Online is your source for 
technical insight and hands-on reviews. Read William Wong's most 
recent EiED Online column, "@Intel.ISEF," at 
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB22:1001CD

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TAKE A POLL!

Do you think RFID applications such as smart cards, passports, and 
driver's licenses are an invasion of privacy?

-- No, it's a great boost to security
-- Yes, but it's a necessary evil
-- Yes, we should preserve privacy rights
-- Don't know

Vote at Electronic Design ==> http://www.elecdesign.com

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Get The Lead Out!

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. Check out Electronic Design's 
new RoHS Reference Center with links, articles, and more. Take our 
RoHS quiz to see how much you really know about this new EU 
directive. Then download the first chapter of our eBook, "Electronic 
Design's Guide To New International Environmental Laws." And stay 
tuned for more chapters to learn everything you need to know about 
this important, emerging topic.

http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB2A:1001CD

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A Closer Look At Video Signals

Nowadays there are numerous standards for the digital video signals 
widely used in such products as game players and cell phones. Tough 
design questions arise, however, because those digital signals must 
be dealt with in an analog domain. Get the answers in a new eBook, 
"Analog/Mixed-Signal Components For 21st Century Video," by 
Analog/Power Editor Don Tuite.

http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=BB26:1001CD

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CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER
==================================

Editorial: Mark David, Editor-in-Chief
mailto:[email protected]

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