Electronic Design UPDATE: September 13, 2006

Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
September 13, 2006

ADVERTISEMENTEnhance Your Connectivity with the RCM4000 The RCM4000 RabbitCore(tm) is not just for Ethernet-enabling, it will also enable you to add device I/O control, data logging, sensor reading, web server functionality, and ease of enhanced connectivity. The RCM4000 gives you the Ethernet connectivity and the device intelligence that you need to enhance your embedded application.Get started with a RCM4010 Development Kit only $149. (Limited offer). Click here. Today's Table Of Contents:

News Focus: 8-Bit Core Yields MCUs With 16-Bit Performance
News From The Editors:
Low-Power Stereo Audio Codecs Maximize Battery Life
MicroTCA Backplane Offers 14 Slots
Dot Matrix Display Features Over 1 Billion Colors
TechView Scope: Free Guide Explains Storage Media Sanitization

Upcoming Industry Events:
PCB Design Conference East
Embedded Systems Conference Boston
ARM Developers' Conference '06
Book Review:
Python: Essential Reference, 3rd Edition

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor

news focus 8-Bit Core Yields MCUs With 16-Bit Performance

Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC) has a new 8-bit microcontroller core with performance comparable to that of 16-bit MCUs. The TLCS-870/C1 core can process one instruction in a single clock cycle, enabling faster processing at lower frequencies, reduced noise, and lower power consumption compared with the company’s previous 8-bit cores...

Click here for full article.

live on electronicdesign.com Free Webcast: Getting More Out Of Your Digital Oscilloscope
Thursday, September 21, 2006 @ 11am PT (2pm ET)

The digital oscilloscope has become the most commonly used test tool on the engineer's bench, but most engineers use only a fraction of the power available in these instruments. This seminar will discuss how to optimize many of the everyday uses of scopes, such as easy methods to spot intermittent signal problems. The material will offer good advice for using all brands of oscilloscopes. Register today!

ADVERTISEMENTFREE Guide: Optimized Orthogonal Interconnect Learn how to connect line and switch cards in the most logical fashion, with no routing on the midplane. Remove bandwidth bottlenecks in the backplane/midplane, reduce PWB layout design time, lower total material costs, improve front-to-back cooling and facilitate easy field upgrades. Easy 90 degree turns – no detours. Click here for your free Orthogonal Design Guide.

news from the editorsLow-Power Stereo Audio Codecs Maximize Battery Life Texas Instruments unveiled two low-power stereo audio codecs for battery-operated applications, including digital still cameras and portable media players. The PCM3793 and PCM3794 audio codecs are designed to extend battery life, and offer 7-mW playback with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 93 dB...

Click here for full article.

MicroTCA Backplane Offers 14 Slots
Elma Bustronic now offers a 14-slot MicroTCA backplane. The unit features 12 AMC slots, one power module slot, and one MicroTCA controller hub (MCH) slot in the single-width, full-size format. The 14-slot single star backplane is the first in the company’s new line of MicroTCA backplanes...

Click here for full article.

Dot Matrix Display Features Over 1 Billion Colors
Rohm’s newest 16-by-32 dot matrix display uses potting lens technology for significantly improved contrast and viewing angle. In addition, it integrates color-correction ICs, resulting in full-color display (over 1 billion colors) with 1024 gradation steps for each color and no color fluctuation...

Click here for full article.

A T-Shirt For Your Thoughts Here's your chance to select the best design and product articles that have appeared in the pages of Electronic Design during the past year. Take our short Readers' Choice online survey and get a chance to be one of 10 lucky participants who'll walk away with a coveted Electronic Design t-shirt. Look for the results in our "Best" special issue hitting your desk (and browser) on December 1. Vote now!

techview scopeFree Guide Explains Storage Media Sanitization Security is an enormous concern for both hard-copy and electronic data-storage media. Is shredding important documents good enough? And what’s the equivalent of the paper shredder for electronic media? A new “how-to” guide free from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helps explain the methods available for protecting sensitive or personal data...

Click here for full article.

ADVERTISEMENT With an up-to-date program of innovation and information from more than 3,000 exhibitors on 160,000 m^² of exhibition space, electronica 2006 will present the entire spectrum of electronics and put the latest trends and developments on exhibit. One of the main attractions will be the automotive, wireless, embedded and micro- and nanotechnology areas and the automotive, wireless and embedded conferences. Click for more information.

upcoming industry eventsSeptember 24-29, PCB Design Conference East Durham, N.C.September 25-28, Embedded Systems Conference Boston Boston, Mass.October 3-5, ARM Developers' Conference '06 Santa Clara, Calif.

Click to see more industry events.

book review Python: Essential Reference, 3rd Edition
By David M. Beazley

Python is a popular programming language originally developed as a scripting language for the Amoeba operating system. It has gained popularity by supporting sophisticated web-based solutions, but it works equally well in embedded applications. Iron Python for .NET is a variation that is being used in the Microsoft Robotics Studio. This book is effectively a language reference and introduction followed by extensive coverage of the major portions of the Python runtime library...

Click here for full book review.

embedded in electronic design online Building A Multimedia Home Control Center, Part 1

Embedded in Electronic Design (EiED) Online is your source for technical insight and hands-on reviews. Read Embedded Technology Editor Bill Wong's latest EiED Online column, "Building A Multimedia Home Control Center, Part 1." Looking to control everything in your house? See how Bill constructed a multimedia home control center built around Sharp’s LC-37D40U 37-in HDTV.

photos wanted! Submit Photos And Get Paid!

Grab some photos showing the "guts and glory" of you (and your team) at work. We need them for our "Day in the Life of an Electronic Designer" photo essay, which will appear in Electronic Design's Oct. 20 special issue. There's a $500 Grand Prize for best photo series and $250 prize for best photo, and we pay $50 if we use any of your photos in the issue. Please include the names and titles of all photo subjects, as well as company name and the type of work-in-process illustrated by the photo. Digital photos should be in .tif or .jpg formats and must have resolution of at least 300 dpi. Deadline for submission is Sept. 15. E-mail digital photos to Managing Editor Richard Gawel at: [email protected].

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