Electronic Design UPDATE: January 5, 2005

Jan. 5, 2005
Editor's View: Electronic Ink: Could 2005 Spell Success For Electronic Books? by Roger Allan, Contributing Editor. Last April, Sony entered the Japanese market with the LIBBRIc, a $380 e-book that uses an electronic ink display...
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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter Electronic Design Magazine PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com January 5, 2005

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*************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Next-Generation ASIC for Military Aerospace Honeywell introduces HX5000: 150nm, 15M gate radiation tolerant ASIC family for advanced systems requiring high performance and reliability. Honeywell can provide a complete package tailored to your needs including design services, fabrication, test, screening and packaging. The HX5000 provides extremely low power and a wide variety of total dose requirements. Visit http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN1z0AF for details. **************************************************************** Today's Table Of Contents: 1. Editor's View * Electronic Ink: Could 2005 Spell Success For Electronic Books? 2. Focus On Test & Measurement * BERT Tests High-Speed Digital Systems 3. News From The Editors * Compact Single-Board Computer Takes On Rugged Environments * Market Researcher Trims 2005 Semiconductor Forecast * Thermistors Target Handheld And Portable Equipment 4. Upcoming Industry Events * 18th IEEE International Conference on Micro-Electronic Mechanical Systems * Enterprise Linux Summit * Electronics Circuit World Convention 10 5. Magazine Highlights: December 16, 2004 * Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- A Bright Outlook For Solar Power Generation * Leapfrog: First Look -- DDS V1.0 Standardizes Publish/Subscribe * Design View/Design Solution -- Wireless Systems Are Great -- If They're Secure Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor **************************************************************** Webcast Panel: Selecting the Best ASIC Solution, II January 27 at 2:00 EST An important consideration when starting an ASIC design is which platform to use. Options include a full-cell-based design, a structured or platform ASIC, or a field-programmable gate array. If you know the performance requirements and your needs for specialized intellectual property, you're halfway there. This panel, moderated by Digital ICs/DSP Editor Dave Bursky, will examine selection issues and design/performance tradeoffs. Panelists from Fujitsu, NEC, and Toshiba will provide their views and answer questions regarding the various design approaches. To register, go to: http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BKve0Ay ***** TechCast: Next-Generation Physical Verification -- Beyond DRC to Yield Enablement January 19 at 11 a.m. PST Sponsor: Synopsys Physical verification (PV) is already one of the most tangible links between design and manufacturing. But at 90 nm and below, designers want more direct control over the overall yield. Here, a PV tool will be the key component of the overall methodology, encompassing design and manufacturing. The requirements of such a methodology as well as the fundamental change in the physical verification process itself will shape next-generation PV tools. This TechCast will explore how today's PV tools can answer such challenges. To register, go to: http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN110A1 ***** THOUGHT YOU'D MISSED THEM? DON'T WORRY, THEY'RE ARCHIVED Electronic Design's webcasts are available online: Signal Integrity Testing: Michael Lauterbach of LeCroy Corp. describes advances in testing for signal integrity. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN120A2 COM Express -- Emerging Standard: Bill Wong examines the new Computer-on-Module standard from the PICMG. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BMBG0Ae Selecting the Best ASIC Solution, I: Dave Bursky discusses the selection process with a panel of ASIC manufacturers. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BMVH0Az ***** BE SURE TO VISIT Electronic Design's Web site, where the power of Electronic Design is a mouse click away! Read our Web exclusives, enjoy our Quick Poll, discover Featured Vendors, access our archives, share viewpoints in our Forums, explore our e-newsletters, and more. Are you considering use of system-in-a-package technology in your upcoming design projects? -- Yes -- No -- Thinking about it -- Never heard of it Go to Electronic Design ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BGmZ0Aa **************************************************************** ********************** 1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE ********************** Electronic Ink: Could 2005 Spell Success For Electronic Books? By Roger Allan, Contributing Editor Last April, Sony entered the Japanese market with the LIBBRIc, a $380 e-book that uses an electronic ink display. The LIBBRIc is the size of a paperback book with 10 Mbytes of built-in memory, which is enough capacity to hold the contents of 20 ordinary paperbacks. In addition, it's available with a memory-stick expansion slot for inserting more books and a USB port for downloading books via computer. Four alkaline batteries are needed to power the book and its high-resolution 6-in. diagonal 800- by 600-pixel display. The book culminates a joint effort by Sony, Royal Philips Electronics, and E Ink, who will supply the display's electronic ink material along with partner Toppan Printing. Though electronic ink technology in the form of e-books has had limited success in the U.S., it's been much more successful in Europe for displaying schedules in airports, bus stations, and train stations. Barnes & Noble had previously tried to sell digitized e-books, but the bookseller stopped after it got a lukewarm reception from customers due to high price and poor display resolution. The Sony $380 e-book appears to have changed all this. In late 2003, Adobe tried to revive the e-book market by opening up an online store and offering Portable Document Format (PDF) as an e-book product. Last month, Epson and E Ink developed a new technology that combines electronic paper with RFID tags to display product prices at food stores. Epson's ink jet technology enabled the company to join the wireless tag revolution by using a flexible substrate on which the electronic ink material is printed. The result is a product that drastically reduces the personnel expenses required for changing prices at a store. Price can be changed electronically from a central computer or a hand wand. Electronic ink technology, also called electronic paper, is based on the principle of electrophoresis. It's a straightforward fusion of chemistry, physics, and electronics that creates a proprietary material. The material comprises millions of tiny microcapsules. Each microcapsule consists of positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles, all suspended in a liquid emulsion. When a negative electric field is applied to the microcapsule, the white particles move to the top, the surface appears white, and the particles become visible to the user. At the same time, the oppositely charged black particles are pulled to the bottom of the microcapsule and out of view. Reversing this process reverses the movement of the particles, and the microcapsule's top portion appears black. The beauty of this display technology is that it operates with less power than LCDs and does not require a continuous power supply to render images. Once the microcapsules are charged, they continue to hold the image without using more power. In addition, electronic ink displays don't require backlighting as LCDs do. Sony says it's about two years away from debuting a color version of its e-book. We may be on the verge of a new display material that will have a far-reaching impact on how society receives its information. Scientists at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) believe so. They're also deeply involved in electronic product development based on this display technology, and they're working on the development of electronic reusable paper. Last month, the Micronix Division of IXYS Corp. unveiled the first standard driver IC for electronic displays based on E Ink's technology. E Ink was the first company to emerge with electronic ink, and it holds numerous patents on its technology. 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/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN130A3 **************************************************************** *************************ADVERTISEMENT********************* Advance Your Career at DiceEngineering.com DiceEngineering is one of the leading engineering job boards for highly qualified engineers. Today you can search more than 11,000 challenging, interesting, high-paying jobs from leading companies including IBM, Aerotek and Motorola. These top companies are searching for high-level engineers like you. They can only find you if you're registered. For your next big career advancement, go to http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BKs60AA **************************************************************** ********************** 2. Focus On Test & Measurement ********************** ***BERT Tests High-Speed Digital Systems The PN 701182-1 bit-error-rate tester (BERT) is a standalone device that provides high-speed, unframed, serial binary output ranging from T1 to STM-1 rates. Outputs can be encoded with applicable zero suppression techniques. Signal levels include differential and single-ended AMI, CMI, ECL, PECL, RS-422, and LVDS levels for copper interface and STM-1 (OC3) fiber-optic interface. All electrical input and output is provided through rear-panel concentric twin-axial connectors or industry-standard baby n connectors. The small-footprint pluggable (SFP) input and output can be electrical if an InfiniBand or Fibre Channel device is installed. NRZ interfaces are all differential pairs. Fiber-optic signals travel through LC connectors and an SFP transceiver. Test patterns include R3, R7, and R15, and they can be easily controlled by front-panel switches. All controls and indicators are located on the front panel. Unit pricing for the PN 701182-1 starts at less than $1000, with discounts for quantity orders. Delivery is three to four weeks ARO. Technisys ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN140A4 ********************** 3. News -- From The Editors ********************** ***Compact Single-Board Computer Takes On Rugged Environments The P60x is a 4- by 4-in. conduction-cooled single-board computer (SBC) module that tackles rugged environments like the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. The SBC consumes under 12 W, running a 2-GHz Pentium M Processor 745. Peripherals include dual Gbit Ethernet, four-output 4x AGP video, Ultra DMA integrated development environment and dual Serial ATA ports, four USB, two serial, and a complex programmable logic device for custom user I/O. The board supports Windows, VxWorks, and Linux. Expansion is available via PCI-X, PCI, LPC, and I2C. Standard and extended temperature-range (-40 deg. C to 70 deg. C) versions are available. Pricing starts at $700. General Micro Systems ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ07YU0An ***Market Researcher Trims 2005 Semiconductor Forecast The market research company iSuppli Corp. revised its outlook for semiconductor industry growth this year. Previously, the company had predicted 9.6% worldwide semiconductor revenue growth in 2005. But iSuppli trimmed that forecast due to a slowing of electronic equipment production and continued overage in chip inventories. Worldwide semiconductor sales are expected to rise to $237.1 billion in 2005, up 4.7% from 2004. Despite the slowdown in industry growth, iSuppli also reports that 2004 has been a good year for the vast majority of chipmakers. Of the 92 semiconductor suppliers tracked by the company, 83 are expected to achieve annual revenue growth in 2004. Led by memory and wireless-chip suppliers, 51 of these companies will achieve revenue gains in excess of 20%. iSuppli Corp. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BCl80Av ***Thermistors Target Handheld And Portable Equipment The NB23 series 0402 surface-mount thermistors from AVX Corp. are specifically designed for temperature compensation and control applications in handheld and portable electronics equipment. These negative-temperature-coefficient (NTC) thermistors feature resistance values from 10 to 100 kohms, with standard tolerances of 5%, 10%, and 20%. Maximum dissipation is 150 mW, with a thermal dissipation factor of 0.8 mW/deg. C and a thermal time constant of 3 seconds. Operating temperature ranges from -55 deg. C to 150 deg. C. The NB23 thermistors feature a nickel barrier termination that provides good solderability characteristics for lead-free soldering processes. Typical pricing starts at $0.11 each in quantities of 10,000. Lead times are from stock to eight weeks. AVX Corp. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BKpi0Aw ********************** 4. Upcoming Industry Events ********************** Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 18th IEEE International Conference on Micro-Electronic Mechanical Systems Miami, Fla. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN150A5 Jan. 31-Feb. 2, Enterprise Linux Summit (OSDL-ELS) Burlingame, Calif. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN160A6 Feb. 21-24, Electronics Circuit World Convention 10 (IPC Printed Circuits EXPO, APEX, Designers Summit) Anaheim, Calif. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BN170A7 ********************** 5. Magazine Highlights ********************** In case you missed them, here are some of the high points of our most recent issue. December 16, 2004: * Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- A Bright Outlook For Solar Power Generation A revolution is under way as new solar generation systems support an overburdened power grid. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BNg40Ax * Leapfrog: First Look -- DDS V1.0 Standardizes Publish/Subscribe Connectionless data-conversion middleware promotes data-centric applications. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BNg50Ay * Design View/Design Solution -- Wireless Systems Are Great -- If They're Secure http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BNg60Az For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BNg70A1 **************************************************************** 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://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eipf0Gl4E70EmQ0BEE30AF ****************************************************************

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CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER

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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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