Electronic Design UPDATE: June 15, 2005

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine
PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com
June 15, 2005
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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Industry View
  *What If Everyone Could Drive A Hybrid?
2. Focus On Power
  *Power ICs Comply With AdvancedMC Spec
3. News From The Editors
  *LCD Module Targets Mobile Devices
  *Design A Circuit And Win Big
  *Capacitors Boast High Q, Low ESR
4. Magazine Highlights: June 9, 2005
  *Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- Do Your Homework When 
   Outsourcing Design Services
  *Leapfrog: First Look -- Hark The Arrival Of Advanced Switching
  *Leapfrog: First Look -- ZigBee-In-A-Chip: A New Wireless Era
  *Design View/Design Solution -- Whose Linux Is It, Anyway?

Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor

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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=C272:1001CD

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1. Industry View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
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What If Everyone Could Drive A Hybrid?

By Richard Smith, Executive Vice President for Strategic Business 
Development, Maxwell Technologies

The recent buzz about hybrid vehicles has been growing even faster 
than the unit sales. Clearly, the conversion of the auto subsystems 
from mechanical and hydraulic to electrical will enable the 
transition to an all-electric vehicle using fuel cells or 
high-energy batteries.
   The need to reduce pollution and increase energy efficiency in 
transportation has raised consumer awareness, and consumers can 
choose hybrid vehicles to become personally more "green." 
Therefore, the rapid proliferation of hybrids will have a 
significant, positive near-term effect. So what's required for 
the production and availability of hybrids to accelerate? 
   The answer lies in a convergence of several factors that 
previously may not have seemed related. First is the growing need 
for more electrical power for convenience and safety. Second is 
the delay in the 42-V systems. Third is the emergence of 
low-cost, high-power energy-storage ultracapacitors.
   The first issue, the proliferation of electrically powered safety 
and luxury features, has become a significant problem for 
automotive electrical engineers. Modern automobiles increasingly 
depend on electrical subsystems, energy generation, and storage. 
Consider the individual and collective burdens on a vehicle's 
electrical system: computer control modules; electrical actuators 
and motors for power mirrors, power seats, power windows, 
throttle servos, and active suspension; heated and 
air-conditioned seating; navigation systems; electrically heated 
steering wheels; and audio-video entertainment systems. Existing 
14-V battery and alternator architectures are quickly running out 
of power to maintain the voltage and current required to handle 
multiple large transient loads such as these.
   To solve these problems, electrical engineers first tried 
implementing a higher-voltage system, such as 42 V. This turned 
out to have significant design challenges due to the heritage 
electronics at 12 V as well as the difficulties in trying to 
control two voltage levels on the same car. Cost also became a 
significant issue because of the added components, dc-dc 
conversion, dual energy-storage units, and dual harnesses 
dedicated to each level of voltage. Thus, 12-V systems need to be 
improved.
   The development of ultracapacitors -- low-cost, high-power 
energy-storage components -- satisfied the last requirement. 
Ultracaps have enough energy to power hybrids for 10 seconds, 
satisfying the power requirements for short-term spikes in 
electrical demand. They also last the life of the vehicle and are 
very cost-effective compared to batteries.
   The development of idle-stop-start systems increases fuel 
efficiencies and reduces pollution by stopping the engine during 
normal idling conditions and restarting at accelerator tip-in. 
Many tier 1 manufacturers produce and offer idle-stop-start 14-V 
belt-driven integrated starter generators (B-ISG). 
   Automotive OEMs are implementing 14-V B-ISG because it can be 
added as an overlay to the existing engine. It also does not 
require intrusion into the driveline. A reasonable amount of the 
braking energy could be captured from the 3- to 5-kW alternator. 
This energy would be stored in the ultracapacitor module to be 
used to restart the engine when the accelerator pedal is tipped 
in or the brake is released. 
   The bottom line is that without changing the current drive train 
in the 50 million automobiles and light trucks built each year, 
the addition of a B-ISG creates a mild hybrid with higher 
electrical load support, all in a low-cost package. This enables 
the rapid deployment of hybrids for everyone.

Richard Smith joined Maxwell in 1994 as president of its former 
Balboa Division. He has 40 years experience in the electronics 
industry and serves on the boards of several high-tech companies. 
Smith holds a BA in mathematics and physics, an MA in finance, and 
an MBA. 

To comment on this Industry View, go to Reader Comments at the foot 
of the Web page:

Electronic Design UPDATE ==>
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C264:1001CD

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2. Focus On Power
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***Power ICs Comply With AdvancedMC Spec
Back in February, the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group 
(PICMG) released the first two specifications defining the new 
Advanced Mezzanine Card architecture (AdvancedMC). AdvancedMC cards 
are switch-fabric based, hot-swappable, and fully managed. In 
addition to being used with AdvancedTCA, AdvancedMC modules are 
expected to be used with other platform architectures, including 
some that will consist exclusively of AdvancedMC modules. One 
example would be MicroTCA systems. In such applications, AdvancedMC 
cards will plug directly into a backplane, creating physically small 
but very powerful systems.
   To power the AdvancedMC cards, ON Semiconductor last week 
announced a suite of new products that support the spec. The 
suite includes the NIS5102 HotPlug high-side hot-swap protection 
IC with built-in charge pump and temperature-sensing circuitry, 
the NCP5425 dual synchronous buck controller, and the NCP5210 PWM 
dual buck and linear DDR2 power controller for the 
double-data-rate memory supply voltage and the memory control hub 
(MCH) regulator. In quantities of 10,000 units, the NCP5102 costs 
$2.38 each, the NCP5425 costs $0.98, and the NCP5210 costs $0.82.
     ON Semiconductor ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C276:1001CD

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3. News -- From The Editors
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***LCD Module Targets Mobile Devices
A new 4.3-in. amorphous silicon TFT LCD targets next-generation 
mobile products with audio/visual capabilities, such as gaming 
devices and portable media players. The display features a 16:9 
aspect ratio, 400:1 contrast ratio, and 480- by 272-pixel format and 
can display 16 million colors. Its symmetrical 160- by 160-degree 
viewing cone gives engineers the option of using the display in 
either landscape or portrait mode, while its low-reflective black 
screen yields high contrast, good black level uniformity, and a high 
image quality. The display comes with a standard TFT interface. 
Because it's backlit by seven LEDs, the color screen can be 
continuously dimmed, saving power for other functions. The 
LQ043T3DX02 display will be in production starting this month. 
Pricing is set at $116 each.
     Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas ==> 
     http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C274:1001CD

***Design A Circuit And Win Big
Digi-Key and Freescale Semiconductor are sponsoring a design contest 
for circuits using Freescale's new MC9S12NE64xx microcontroller. The 
contest is for the U.S. and Canada only. Each entry will be judged 
on the basis of originality, feasibility, functionality, and 
documentation. The grand prize is an Arctic Cat H1 ATV and trailer, 
with other prizes ranging from $100 to $2000. Design concepts must 
be submitted to Digi-Key via e-mail by August 15, 2005. The top 10 
design concepts will be awarded a free EVB9S12NE64 evaluation board 
to begin their project development. Designers will develop their 
concept using the tool, with a complete working design to be entered 
by November 15, 2005. Read all the rules and more details at 
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C269:1001CD
     Digi-Key ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C275:1001CD
     Freescale Semiconductor ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C273:1001CD

***Capacitors Boast High Q, Low ESR
The SQ series of porcelain and ceramic dielectric multilayer 
capacitor (MLC) chips from AVX Corp. uses an internal construction 
that allows for as much as 40% lower equivalent series resistance 
(ESR) than previous versions. The chips are well suited for RF and 
microwave applications ranging from 10 MHz to 4.2 GHz. Their new 
design uses a fine-grained, high-density, high-purity dielectric 
material to keep out moisture and includes heavy internal palladium 
electrodes. These features make the chips work nicely in 
applications with high current carrying capabilities and 
high-quality factors. They offer very good stability under the 
stresses of changing voltage, frequency, time, and temperature. The 
SQ series is available in 1210 and 0605 sizes with voltages up to 
500 V dc. Pricing ranges from $0.10 to $0.75 in large quantities. 
Delivery is stock to six weeks.
     AVX Corp. ==> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C26B: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=C26D:1001CD

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4. Magazine Highlights
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In case you missed them, here are some of the high points of our 
most recent issue.

June 9, 2005:

* Cover Story: Engineering Feature -- Do Your Homework When 
Outsourcing Design Services
Long-lasting relationships are the ones that pay off.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C262:1001CD

* Leapfrog: First Look -- Hark The Arrival Of Advanced Switching
The Merlin Advanced Switching chip builds high-speed fabrics using 
PCI Express technology.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C267:1001CD

* Leapfrog: First Look -- ZigBee-In-A-Chip: A New Wireless Era
A ZigBee transceiver combines with an MCU for low-power wireless 
command and control.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C263:1001CD

* Design View/Design Solution -- Whose Linux Is It, Anyway?
Regardless of whether you're using a proprietary or fully open 
solution -- or opting for any real-time extensions -- it's still 
"your" Linux!
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C266:1001CD

For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==>
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C268:1001CD

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Embedded in Electronic Design (EiED) Online is your source for 
technical insight and hands-on reviews. Read one of Bill Wong's 
latest EiED Online columns, "@Intel.ISEF." Bill takes a look at the 
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which 
highlights the success of young men and women in science, medicine, 
and engineering.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C265:1001CD

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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, access our archives, share viewpoints in our 
forums, explore our e-newsletters, and more. Go to 
http://www.elecdesign.com

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THOUGHT YOU'D MISSED THEM? DON'T WORRY, THEY'RE ARCHIVED
Electronic Design's webcasts are available online:

DAC Showcast: Take a look at the latest and greatest EDA tools 
introduced at the Design Automation Conference
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C26E:1001CD

Next-Generation In-House PCB Prototyping: Produce your own PCB 
prototypes without the use of hazardous chemicals.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C26A:1001CD

High-Frequency Signals: Technology for capturing high-frequency 
signals with real-time and sampling oscilloscopes.
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=C270:1001CD

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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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