==================================Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter Electronic Design Magazine PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com October 8, 2003
=============================*************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** SPONSORED BY: TRUE CIRCUITS, INC. True Circuits, Inc. now offers a low-jitter DDR DLL that is flexible and has excellent linearity and resolution. It uses an analog delay line that is phase-locked to be insensitive to temperature or supply voltage. This silicon-proven hard macro is available for immediate delivery in TSMC, UMC and Chartered processes from 0.25 to 0.09 micron. Call (650) 691-2500 or visit http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC3H0AY . **************************************************************** HOT TIP: Visit our recently redesigned Web site, www.elecdesign.com, where the power of Electronic Design is a mouse click away! Read our Web exclusives, discover Featured Vendors, access our archives, share viewpoints in our Forums, explore our e-newsletters, and more. Be sure to participate in our current QUICK POLL: Mark David, Editor-in-Chief, wants to know what you think of high tech in the bathroom (see his Editorial in the latest issue). Take the QUICK POLL or e-mail Mark at [email protected]. Go to Electronic Design ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ05Am0A4 Today's Table of Contents: 1. Industry View * SoC IP Will Make Network Access Ubiquitous 2. Focus On Analog Technology * Audio Amplifier Turns Up The Volume In Portable Applications 3. News From The Editors * Linux Debug Support Available * PowerQuicc Keeps Secrets * Good News On The Business Front * Group Forms To Create Standard 10-Gbit/s Physical Interface * Companies Pair Up To Define A Mobile Video Interface 4. Upcoming Industry Events * LonWorld 2003 and Echelon Developers' Conference * International Conference on Communications and Networks * 11th Color Imaging Conference (CIC11) * International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD) * IPC Designers Learning Symposium 5. Magazine Highlights: September 29, 2003 issue * Cover Story: Technology Report -- Ethernet: 30 Years And Still Going Strong * Leapfrog: Industry First -- MEMS-based Heat Exchanger Cools "Hot" CPUs * Technology Report -- Hybrid 32-Bit MCUs Master Memory, Power, And Price * Design View / Design Solution -- Content-Addressable Memory Speeds Up Lossless Compression Edited by John Novellino ********************** 1. Industry View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE ********************** SoC IP Will Make Network Access Ubiquitous By Cesar A. Johnston, Senior Director of Systems Engineering, ARC International As we look across our office equipment and home appliances, it's hard to get away from the fact that it has become a networked world. Information access is becoming ubiquitous. Technologies such as Ethernet, USB, and 802.11 are household names. It's hard to think of any equipment that will not include these technologies in various forms. Start with your computer, use your memory stick, or take a picture with your latest digital camera. As you buy new appliances, you will be able to hook them up to your local-area network or DSL access line for control or maintenance purposes. As a number of consumer access technologies have matured, they have become deterministic and well understood. Assembling a team to develop these technologies in-house is expensive, especially when it is possible to procure commercial intellectual-property (IP) building blocks that have been well verified and are part of many silicon solutions. No one disagrees that given a reasonable IP block cost model, it is a better investment to concentrate your engineering team talent on those technologies that make your solution unique and competitive. Thus, the questions come. What's the fastest and most reliable way to build a system-on-a-chip (SoC) incorporating networking access IP: design every block from scratch or buy all components from different IP providers? And when the hardware is ready, where do we get software? Are we sure that there will be no hardware/software integration issues? Experienced system designers can come up with more questions. For the sake of discussion, we maintain that if the ideal hardware and engineering team were available, we could keep them all in the same building and simplify our integration issues. We would return to the old NIH (not invented here) days and avoid using any IP blocks that were not ours, thereby maintaining control across the design. Is this possible? Is it economical? The answer, as we all know, is no. The next best thing is to buy your IP blocks from a company that looks like a virtual member of your team. This company would own a large number of the technologies that you need and be able to integrate as much of the hardware and software elements of your SoC as possible. Look for a company that has integrated its block technologies using a well-known debugger/compiler, one that has evaluated its SoC HW/SW integration blocks in real applications. Finally, identify a company that has many customers that can vouch for proven SoC silicon and software IP solutions. When times get difficult due to a major integration bug, it's better to deal with one company rather than two or more companies pointing fingers at each other. These requirements open new opportunities for IP providers to partner with their customers in the design of new products by providing buildable IP platforms that minimize the risk and development time and ensure new products reach market on time and on budget. A one-stop platform-based IP company can be treated as your ideal engineering team. Because they work together, they provide complete CPU solutions. For example, the CPU is integrated with the communications peripherals, and the system includes a communications protocol stack, a robust set of development tools, and a real-time operating system. IP providers are in a position to change the way complex products are designed. By taking a systems-level approach to their customers' design problems and providing more of the commonly used development tools, software, and IP, the IP vendors can reduce customers' development risk, development time, number of IP vendors, and overall system cost. This level of partnership will make information access ubiquitous. Cesar Johnston is senior director of systems engineering at ARC International, San Jose, Calif. He can be reached at mailto:[email protected]. To comment on this Industry View, go to Reader Comments at the foot of the Web page: Electronic Design UPDATE ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2i0A5 *************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Embedded Device Engineers: New Resource Guide Check out this new Resource Guide from Microsoft(r) Windows(r) Embedded. It can show you better and easier ways to optimize your device design, enhance reliability and integration and accelerate time to market. You'll get the latest tips on how to create, build and debug a Windows XP Embedded or Windows CE. NET image, plus technical information, product documentation and more. Go to: http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2j0A6 **************************************************************** ********************** 2. Focus On Analog Technology ********************** ***Audio Amplifier Turns Up The Volume In Portable Applications Designed for portable applications such as cell phones and PDAs, a monolithic class-AB audio amplifier from Texas Instruments claims to offer the industry's highest output power for an amplifier chip of its type and size. The TPA6211A1 produces over 340 mW per square millimeter of board space. Operating from a 5-V supply, the amplifier delivers as much as 3.1 W into a 3-ohm load at 10% THD. The chip features a 2.5- to 5.5-V supply range and PSRR of -85 dB. In addition, only three external components are required. The IC comes in a 3- by 3-mm QFN package or in a 3- by 5-mm MSOP. Available now, the TPA6211A1 costs $0.55 in quantities of 1000. A datasheet is available at TI's Web site. Texas Instruments ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2k0A7 ********************** 3. News -- From The Editors ********************** ***Linux Debug Support Available The visionProbe II hardware and software diagnostic bundle from Wind River now supports Linux. Initially available on a Windows host, visionProbe II for the IBM PowerPC will now allow Linux applications to be loaded directly into an embedded system without the need for a boot loader, simplifying development of deeply embedded applications. The kernel-level debugger is operating-system-aware, providing features such as virtual memory breakpoints. The visionProbe II hardware supports a range of additional target operating systems, including VxWorks. Pricing for the visionProbe III hardware/software bundle starts at $4563. Wind River ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0qOU0At ***PowerQuicc Keeps Secrets Targeting applications like virtual private networks (VPNs) that have higher security requirements, Motorola's 133-MHz MPC885 PowerQuicc I and 450-MHz MPC8272 PowerQuicc II incorporate a security engine that supports DES (Data Encryption Standard) and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). The MPC8272 adds public-key encryption support using RSA and Diffie-Hellman algorithms. It also has a RISC-based communications processor module (CPM). Both chips include two Ethernet MACs. The MPC885 starts at $17. The MPC8272 starts at $23.33. Motorola Inc. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0HtD0AY ***Good News On The Business Front The long-predicted and eagerly anticipated recovery in the electronics industry may have started. According to the latest information from iSuppli's Quarterly Application Market Forecast Tool (AMFT), electronic equipment revenue will rise by 3.1% and semiconductor sales will rise by almost 10% in 2003. And although DRAM shipment growth has slowed substantially, stable prices in the second half of 2003 will keep DRAM sales growth positive for the year and contribute to an 8% increase in revenue. Semiconductor sales are being driven by strong demand from the cellular handset market and strong sales of the image sensors used in mobile handsets and digital still cameras. The AMFT is an Excel-based tool that provides users quarterly updates on iSuppli's forecasts for semiconductors and electronic equipment. iSuppli Corp. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BCl80AF ***Group Forms To Create Standard 10-Gbit/s Physical Interface Five major IC suppliers -- Applied Micro Circuits Corp., IBM Corp., Infineon AG, Texas Instruments Inc., and Xilinx Inc. -- are working on a unified 10-Gbit/s physical-layer initiative (UXPi). The standard will create a 100-ohm differential-impedance channel with signal pre-emphasis, signal levels, and jitter defined on the transmit side and equalization on the receive side to handle any incoming signal. This will significantly reduce the costs and risks normally associated with developing next-generation systems. And just as important, it will ensure interoperability across multiple markets and products. The organization hopes that the UXPi efforts will lay the groundwork for a common 10-Gbit/s standard by solidifying the physical/electrical layer of the chip-to-chip and backplane interface. The group plans to participate in, support, and supplement the efforts of standards bodies. Unified 10-Gbit/s Physical-Layer Iniative ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2l0A8 ***Companies Pair Up To Define A Mobile Video Interface In an effort to develop an open standard for a high-speed interface optimized for the display requirements of next-generation mobile systems, Seiko Epson Corp. and Renesas Technology Corp. are collaborating to define what they call the "Mobile Video Interface." The interface will support full-duplex transmission between devices at up to 200 Mbits/s per channel (multiple channels permitted) in both directions. In addition, the specification will establish a fixed host-target relationship between devices. The target will receive a clock signal from the host, and there will be no need for a phased-locked loop to synchronize output signals and frequencies with input signals and base frequencies. This will reduce power requirements. The companies plan to make the specifications available openly and on a license-free basis, not only to mobile application developers, mobile device manufacturers, and other industry participants, but also to other chip suppliers. Seiko Epson Corp. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2m0AA Renesas Technology Corp. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2n0AB ********************** 4. Upcoming Industry Events ********************** Oct. 15-16, LonWorld 2003 and Echelon Developers' Conference Munich, Germany http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2o0AC Oct. 20-22, International Conference on Communications and Networks Dallas, Texas http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2p0AD Nov. 4-7, 11th Color Imaging Conference (CIC11) Scottsdale, Ariz. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2q0AE Nov. 9-12, International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD) San Jose, Calif. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ05iH0A7 Nov. 11-13, IPC Designers Learning Symposium Raleigh, N.C. http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BCmC0AR ********************** 5. Magazine Highlights ********************** In case you missed them, here are some of the high points of our most recent issue, September 29, 2003. * Cover Story: Technology Report -- Ethernet: 30 Years And Still Going Strong Wireless Ethernet grabs the headlines, but a steady stream of technology advances fortify Ethernet's wired side. * Leapfrog: Industry First -- MEMS-based Heat Exchanger Cools "Hot" CPUs Employing silicon microchannels and a novel electrokinetic pump, it's the first practical and affordable system of its kind to hit the market. * Technology Report -- Hybrid 32-Bit MCUs Master Memory, Power, And Price With their wide data bus, large address space, DSP-style instructions, and reduced power consumption, 32-bit microcontroller chips continue to dominate high-end apps. * Design View / Design Solution -- Content-Addressable Memory Speeds Up Lossless Compression For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC2r0AF *************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** LeCroy--A Study on Oscilloscopes What sort of performance is ideal for an everyday bench scope in the 350MHz-2GHz bandwidth class? How can new technology and innovative thinking make the everyday bench scope a tool that is faster, easier and more accurate in its use to verify signal performance or troubleshoot circuit problems? Click here for more information: http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/ec5k0DJhUf0EmQ0BC3G0AX ****************************************************************
==================================CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER
==================================Editorial: Lucinda Mattera, Associate Chief Editor: mailto:[email protected] Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities: Bill Baumann, Associate Publisher: mailto:[email protected]
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=============================== Copyright 2003 Penton Media Inc.
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