Electronic Design UPDATE: December 2, 2004

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Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter
Electronic Design Magazine 
PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com
December 2, 2004
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http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNI50Ae 

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Today's Table Of Contents:
1. Editor's View
  * EU's Hazardous Substances Directive Still Needs Tweaking
2. Focus On Test & Measurement
  * Fast Data-Acquisition System Includes Ethernet
3. News From The Editors
  * Singing The Blues... Bluetooth, That Is
  * Linux Standards Base 2.0 Approved
4. Upcoming Industry Events
  * First International Forum on MicroNano Integration
  * Plastic Optical Fiber for Automobiles Day
  * 11th International Display Workshops
5. Magazine Highlights: November 29, 2004
  * Cover Story: Technology Report -- SiP Really Packs It In
  * Leapfrog: First Look -- Platforms Get Extreme For Storage, 
    High-Speed I/O
  * Leapfrog: First Look -- Java 5.0 Perks Up With New Language 
    Constructs
  * Design Solution -- Generate Those Low Voltages Needed For FPGA-Based 
    Boards
  
Electronic Design UPDATE edited by John Novellino, Senior Technology 
Editor

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THOUGHT YOU'D MISSED THEM? DON'T WORRY, THEY'RE ARCHIVED
Electronic Design's two latest webcasts are available online:
 
COM Express -- Emerging Standard: Bill Wong examines COM Express, the new Computer-on-Module standard from the PCI Industrial Computer 
Manufacturers Group. Wong looks at what's inside the standard, its 
effect on high-speed serial technologies, and how it's changing the 
embedded landscape.

http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BMBG0Ao

Selecting the Best ASIC Solution: Dave Bursky discusses the ASIC 
selection process, exploring the decision points you should consider in 
determining the right ASIC design route. Bursky and a panel representing 
leading ASIC manufacturers explore the issues you face when planning a 
new chip design.

http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BMVH0AB

*****

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.

What is your personal outlook for design projects in 2005?

-- Concerned about slowdown/layoffs.
-- Fewer projects, but still feel secure in my position.
-- Good stable work flow continues in '05.
-- Increased number of projects.
-- Lots coming down the pike, maybe more than I can handle.

Go to Electronic Design ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BGmZ0Ak

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1. Editor's View -- Exclusive to Electronic Design UPDATE
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EU's Hazardous Substances Directive Still Needs Tweaking

By Ron Schneiderman, Professional/Careers Editor

In just over 18 months, electronics companies doing business in the 25 
countries that make up the European Union (it could be more by then) 
will have to stop using certain environmentally hazardous materials in 
electronic components and systems. Under the EU's Restrictions on 
Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, literally hundreds of thousands 
of products currently produced and marketed by companies worldwide could become obsolete.
   Every company that makes or uses chips in electronic products is 
working to develop the right combination of materials to allow 
products to be sold in Europe and other countries adopting similar 
legislation. Lead is getting most of the attention, particularly in 
the semiconductor sector. But the RoHS directive also restricts the 
use of cadmium, mercury, chromium VI, and at least two brominated 
flame retardants (PBBs and PBDEs) in a wide range of electronic 
products as of July 2006. Japan and China are developing similar 
restrictions.
   Several industry analysts have called the RoHS a "minefield," a 
"debacle," and "a major crisis" facing the electronics industry as 
companies struggle to meet the EU's environmental directive. But the 
RoHS could also could turn out to be an opportunity for many industry 
companies. 
   Texas Instruments, National Semiconductor, Actel, and others have 
already announced the availability of lead-free chips and set 
deadlines for making virtually their entire product lines lead-free. 
Agere Systems says its engineers have found the right mix of 
semiconductor ingredients to enable the industry to successfully 
implement lead-free packaging. Henkel Electronics' new lead-free 
solder paste is getting high marks from its customers. (Motorola has 
already qualified the material for use in its processes.) And, Great 
Lakes Chemical Corp., a specialty chemicals company, says tests of 
its bromostyrene flame retardant in electronics applications meets 
RoHS specs for lead-free solder systems.  
   But confusion reigns. The EU continues to change, or update, the 
language of the RoHS directive. China, which says it wants its 
lead-free directive to look as much like the EU's as possible, might 
in fact add new and problematic tweaks of its own, causing further 
confusion and raising costs for companies that market their products 
in China.
   In an admittedly small and unscientific online poll, when Electronic 
Design asked its readers how close their companies are to getting the 
lead and other hazardous materials out of their electronic products, 
57% responded, "What directive?" Nearly three-quarters of the 
respondents (72%) indicated they believe the cost and technical 
demands of Europe's RoHS directive will have a "real" or 
"significant" impact on the industry.
   Raymond Communications, a specialist in global recycling policy, says 
suppliers are doubling the number of parts they inventory and are 
scrambling to hire more staff to handle the huge load of compliance 
paperwork because of RoHS. Some companies have formed dedicated RoHS teams to make sure they comply by the mid-2006 deadline.
   One of the biggest problems is trying to figure out what forms to use 
to qualify or confirm product compliance under the RoHS directive. To 
help solve that problem, the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) has 
been working with the EU and Japan to develop a Materials Declaration 
Guide. Jason Linnell, the EIA's director of environmental affairs, 
says that 90% of the companies that have reviewed the 25-page 
document have approved it, although most votes were returned with 
comments and suggestions. Linnell says these are currently being 
reviewed, and the guide should be finalized sometime this month. The 
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which has been 
involved in the development of several industry standards, is also 
working on lead-free-specific issues, according to Linnell.
   Another troublesome issue is testing materials under the RoHS 
directive. At least three tests have been proposed by the JEDEC 
Solid-State Technology Association, with guidance from the National 
Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI) aimed at more effectively 
screening materials for susceptibility to "tin whiskers." (Tests 
conducted by Agere, for example, showed that commercially available 
tin-over-copper packaging forms "whiskers" that can create electrical 
shorts or break off and cause other system failures.)
   But is all of this even necessary? Most industry sources are hesitant 
to discuss the subject, but Harvey Miller, a packaging industry 
specialist, doesn't think so. A report by Miller, entitled "Lead-Free 
Electronics Solder: Why?" says lead-free solder is not only 
unnecessary, it also is environmentally unsound. Furthermore, he 
says, "Lead-free will substantially drive up the cost of 
manufacturing worldwide and seriously affect product reliability, 
which could spell disaster for an industry deeply shaken by the 
downturn of 2000." As far as Miller is concerned, the EU's RoHS is 
"driven by political motives and not good science."

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/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNI60Af

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2. Focus On Test & Measurement
**********************

***Fast Data-Acquisition System Includes Ethernet
The DaqLab/2000 series high-speed data-acquisition systems feature a 
16-bit, 200-kHz analog-to-digital converter and an Ethernet engine that 
allow direct data transfers to a PC at up to 200 kreadings/s. Signal I/O 
is via removable screw-terminal connectors on the front panel. I/O 
capabilities include eight voltage and four frequency inputs, four 
waveform-capable analog outputs, two timer outputs, and six digital I/O 
ports. Expansion slots and optional boards permit hundreds of analog and digital channels. Besides a point-to-point connection to a PC, the 
Ethernet capability permits connection to an enterprise-wide network. 
Access can be made wirelessly or through the Internet. The DaqLab comes with DaqView software for data logging, real-time display, and storage to disk. The instrument supports a variety of application development environments. The DaqLab/2001 costs $1999. The DaqLab/2005 (without the analog outputs) is $1699. Delivery is from stock.
     IOtech Inc. == http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNI70Ag 

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3. News -- From The Editors
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***Singing The Blues... Bluetooth, That Is
The recent Wireless Connectivity Conference in Santa Clara, Calif., 
hosted a number of noteworthy Bluetooth and other wireless product 
annoucements for ZigBee and WiFi systems. For starters, the Bluetooth 
Special Interest Group announced the proposed upgrade of the Bluetooth 
specification to include a 3-Mbit/s data transfer mode, triple that of 
the original specification. The upgrade includes additional features.
     http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNI80Ah 

-- Cambridge Consultants Ltd., Cambridge, U.K., released its Bluetooth 
v1.2-compliant Mezoe software, which includes a protocol stack and an 
extensive library of application profiles, all optimized for deeply 
embedded applications. The company has also released a prototype 
Bluetooth-based radio module targeted at cost-sensitive applications 
such as remote metering.
     Cambridge Consultants Ltd. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BKHH0At 
-- From Ember Corp. comes the EM2430 rf tranceiver chip, a low-power, 
secure wireless front end for 2.4-GHz operation that complies with the 
IEEE 802.15.4 specification for physical layer interfaces. It also 
accelerates many of the 802.15.4 media-access control functions, such as data encryption, through on-chip hardware. Volume pricing is less than 
$3.50, including the software stack from Chipcon.
     Ember Corp. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJA0Ar 
     Chipcon ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BCpQ0Aa 
-- Developers at CSR have released a series of single-chip WiFi 
solutions as part of the company's UniFi family. The devices combine as 
many as three WiFi standards into one chip. The first family members 
include the UniFi-1 portable (802.11b/g, single-band) and the UniFi-1 
consumer (802.11a/b/g, dual-band). The chips sell for less than $8 
apiece in production quantities. The high integration level reduces the 
remaining bill of materials for a full wireless interface to less than 
$1.
     CSR ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BB740A8 
-- Another wireless transceiver chip, the CX1540, was released by Compxs Inc., a startup company in Santa Clara. The chip complies with 802.15.4 physical-layer and media-access controller requirements and offers a maximum transmission speed of 250 kbits/s using CSMA-CA channel access. It draws just 1 microA on standby, 56 mA during transmit, and 57 mA during receive. The transceiver targets ZigBee networks and requires just a low-cost microcontroller to complete the system.
     Compxs Inc. ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJB0As 

***Linux Standards Base 2.0 Approved
Linux implementations, at least at the server and workstation level, may 
be headed toward a common goal with the recent adoption of the Linux 
Standards Base (LSB) 2.0. Products expected to be based on LSB 2.0 in 
2005 include Conectiva Enterprise Server, Mandrakesoft Corporate Server, Progeny Componentized Linux, and Turbolinux Enterprise Server. LSB has the support of a wide range of Linux distribution vendors, including Red Hat, Novell/SuSE, and Sun Microsystems. LSB 2.0 will simplify ISV/IHV certifications on Linux by providing an industry-supported LSB reference implementation. More details including the LSB 2.0 specification can be found at the Linux Standards Base Web site.
     Linux Standards Base ==> http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJC0At 

*************************ADVERTISEMENT***************************

Ahead of the Curve:
Waking Up To A Specifications Nightmare
By Paul G. Schreier

A new expert viewpoint brought to Electronic Design by Agilent 
Technologies

November 29 issue, page 45

http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJD0Au

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New RapidChip Partner Program Appeals to Many

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4. Upcoming Industry Events
**********************

Dec. 3-4, First International Forum on MicroNano Integration
Potsdam, Germany
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJE0Av 

Dec. 8, Plastic Optical Fiber for Automobiles Day (POFAUTODAY)
Detroit, Mich.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJF0Aw 

Dec. 8-10, 11th International Display Workshops
Niigata, Japan
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJG0Ax 

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

November 29, 2004:

* Cover Story: Technology Report -- SiP Really Packs It In
System-in-a-package technology fulfills the need for high-density, 
small-footprint products with short turnaround times by using low-cost, 
standard assembly equipment.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJH0Ay

* Leapfrog: First Look -- Platforms Get Extreme For Storage, High-Speed 
I/O
Novel platform ASICs meet storage and communication system demands by delivering plenty of memory and multigigabit I/O ports.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJI0Az

Leapfrog: First Look -- Java 5.0 Perks Up With New Language Constructs
Language enhancements galvanize Java 5.0 for the next era of embedded 
developments.
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJJ0A1

* Design Solution -- Generate Those Low Voltages Needed For FPGA-Based Boards
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJK0A2

For the complete Table of Contents, go to Electronic Design ==> 
http://lists.planetee.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/eA0Gl4E70Fh10BNJL0A3

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CONTACTS: Electronic Design UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER
==================================

Editorial: Mark David, Editor-in-Chief
mailto:[email protected]

Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities: Bill Baumann, Publisher: 
mailto:[email protected]
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