Electronic Design UPDATE: November 22, 2006

Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
November 22, 2006

ADVERTISEMENTHow to get the right thermal controlPortage Electric Products now offers an on-line "'How-To' Guide To Better Thermal Control Applications." This easy-to-use resource takes an in-depth look at the different types of devices available and how each is best used. It also covers ways to customize thermal controls to better suit your particular application. Portage Electric Products is the only thermal control manufacturer offering multiple options for configuration, footprint, cost and customization. To view the guide, visit www.pepiusa.com. Today's Table Of Contents:

Featured Story: Best Computer of 2006 Goes Quad
Focus on Digital Semiconductors: HDMI Chips Connect Digital PC Outputs To Both Monitors And HDTVs
News From The Editors:
Tools Make Design Of High-Rel Avionics, Aerospace Applications Easier
High-Stability Resistors Rated For Harsh Environments
Power Management Experts Seek To Cooperate On Solar Energy
SD Cards For Wii Store Downloadable Games, Images, And Other Content
Magazine Highlights: November 16, 2006
Cover Feature: Tuning In To Digital TV
Technology Report: March Of The Multibus MCUs
Leapfrog First Look: White Power LED Lights The Way With A 160-Lumen Output
Design View/Design Solution: Digital Current-Mode Control Challenges Analog Counterparts
Instant Poll: In his November 12, 2006 editorial, Electronic Design Editor-in-Chief Mark David suggests that given the success of digital audio, video will soon follow. What do you think?

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Christine Hintze, eMedia Editor

featured story Best Computer of 2006 Goes Quad
By Bill Wong, Embedded/Systems/Software Editor

What's the best PC of 2006 look like? Check it out as Embedded Technololgy Editor Bill Wong builds a quad- core system from the ground up with cool memory and a hefty power supply...

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focus on digital semiconductors HDMI Chips Connect Digital PC Outputs To Both Monitors And HDTVs

Two new VastLane High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) transmitter chips allow PC manufacturers to drive their computers’ digital outputs to PC monitors and HDTVs from a single transmitter...

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news from the editors Tools Make Design Of High-Rel Avionics, Aerospace Applications Easier
Actel Corp. and Aldec Inc. have partnered to create two highly integrated solutions specifically for Actel FPGAs used in high-reliability avionics and aerospace applications...

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High-Stability Resistors Rated For Harsh Environments
The TNPW e3 series of thin-film, flat, chip resistors is optimized for applications that demand high stability and reliability, even under harsh environmental conditions...

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Power Management Experts Seek To Cooperate On Solar Energy
The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year. But although that energy holds tremendous potential for creating inexpensive, environmentally clean electricity, that potential is far from being realized on a large scale...

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SD Cards For Wii Store Downloadable Games, Images, And Other Content
With the recent introduction of the Nintendo Wii game console, which is compatible with flash memory, SanDisk has begun shipping special a edition SD memory card to major retailers...

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magazine highlights: november 16, 2006\[ Cover Feature: Engineering Feature \]Tuning In To Digital TV
Let's get one thing straight: Digital TV is not synonymous with high-definition TV (HDTV). It's much more than that. Digital TV encompasses not only HD, but satellite TV, cable TV, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), and mobile TV as well. So, is it the next big thing?\[ Technology Report \]March Of The Multibus MCUs
High-end microcontrollers often use large, complex crossbar switches and other technologies to maximize throughput and performance. Low-end microcontrollers typically feature a simple bus structure. But as performance increases, so does the need for more advanced architectures...\[ Leapfrog: First Look \]White Power LED Lights The Way With A 160-Lumen Output
A new white-light LED sports a 160-lumen luminous flux output level at a 700-mA dc forward current and 61-lumen/W efficacy level (white color temperature of 5000 K to 10,000 K). And that's about 33% brighter than its nearest competitor, says the LED's developer, Cree Inc....\[ Design View/Design Solution \]Digital Current-Mode Control Challenges Analog Counterparts
Digital control of switch-mode power supplies (SMPSs) is becoming practical thanks to the evolution of low-cost, high-performance devices with peripherals designed for power-conversion applications. Also, current-mode control is challenging voltage-mode techniques for SMPS digital designs. Combining digital control with current-mode topologies can bring higher performance than combinations of analog or voltage-mode approaches...

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instant poll TAKE A POLL!

In his November 12, 2006 editorial, Electronic DesignEditor-in-Chief Mark David suggests that given the success of digital audio (e.g. iTunes), video will soon follow. What do you think?

Likely: Consumer electronics like the iPod will drive widespread adoption
Somewhat likely: Given their size, bandwith issues must be resolved first
Not likely: There are better options for viewing video

Vote at ElectronicDesign.com. The poll is at the bottom of the page, so don't forget to scroll down!