Electronic Design Update: May 7, 2008

Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter |   May 7, 2008 ADVERTISEMENT Mini Power Transformers, 400Hz, High Reliability
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Click here for more info. scope |3D Ultrasound Penetrates Skull To Identify Strokes And Save Lives By Richard Gawel, Managing Editor
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. But it doesn’t have to be. A five-year study by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke shows that patients who take a drug called t-PA, which dissolves clots obstructing blood flow to the brain, within three hours of the start of stroke symptoms are 30% more likely to recover with little or no disability after three months. Of course, the key lies in rapid diagnosis. Read the full article... engineer's resource | ESC 2008 There was a ton of announcements at the Embedded Systems Conference last month. Check out the highlights, exclusive commentary, and footage from the show by Electronic Design's Editor-in-Chief Joe Desposito on our Web page, sponsored by Lantronix, Xilinx, and Altium. You can also find video interviews by Electronic Design Europe's Editor-in-Chief Paul Whytock here.

Aftermarket Battery Packs - Revelations from Product Tear-Downs
Webinar: June 11 @ 2:00 pm ET
Sponsored by Micro Power & Panasonic

Aftermarket battery packs are available for most portable devices. This webcast, hosted by Electronic Design's Analog/Power Editor Don Tuite, and sponsored by Micro Power and Panasonic, presents the results of several product tear-downs on aftermarket battery packs, explains how substandard aftermarket packs can cut corners on cost, safety mechanisms, and battery performance, and provides solutions for OEMs to manage and control their ecosystem of aftermarket battery pack suppliers.

International Electronics Forum Asks "Revolution Or Evolution?"

The International Electronics Forum (IEF) has established itself as an event for senior-level personnel who need to understand the way the semiconductor industry sees the future unfolding. Future Horizons, a global semiconductor analyst company, is hosting the 17th IEF under the auspices of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, May 7-9. The theme of this year’s conference is "Revolution or Evolution."

focus on embedded hardware |

Smart Label Chip Breaks Price Barriers

Touted as costing up to 10 times less than existing RFID temperature-sensing modules, the IDS-SL13A smart active label chip reportedly makes it practical to automatically track, monitor, time-stamp, and record information about any goods in any supply chain or cold-chain transport. Enabling deployment of a wide range of data logging and tracking systems, the device can check on and record unseen changes such as extreme temperatures that can impact goods. Read the full article... EiED online |

ESC 2008 Musings

Technology Editor Bill Wong spent the better part of a week at the Embedded Systems Conference last month. Read up on his impressions of the event as he catches his breath. Read the full article... Engineering TV | CSU Motorsport Engineering The Motorsport Engineering academic program at Colorado State University focuses on advanced motorsport engineering degrees, targeting the racing and performance industries. At the MS level, students may specialize in studies related to either race vehicle design, or in the activities of a team engineer. At the PhD-level, the students focus on advanced design and analysis. Key faculty are involved in the motorsport engineering program with specialties including vehicle dynamics, composites/chassis structures, and computational fluid dynamics. Current graduate research projects include turbocharger control and optimization, composite materials insertion into IC engine technology, CFD of cylinder ports, valve dynamics studies, vehicle torsional stiffness, natural frequency approaches to spring/damper tuning, racetrack simulation, and more.

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ADVERTISEMENT New Pulse Function Arbitrary Noise Generator Offers Multiple Instruments in a Single Box
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Click here to view the short demo news from the editors |

Group Identifies Research Needed For Nanotech Safety

Participants in two international workshops sponsored by the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) have identified a number of areas that need additional research in order to understand nanotechnology’s environmental and health impacts. The results of the workshops, held in January and June 2007, were presented at an event sponsored by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. Read the full article...

Freescale Completes Acquisition of SigmaTel

Freescale Semiconductor has completed its acquisition of SimaTel Inc., paying $3 per outstanding share of SigmaTel stock, a total of about $110 million in cash. Read the full article...

Infineon Acquires Digital Power IC Design Firm

Looking to further strengthen its activities in the field of power management applications, Infineon Technologies has acquired Primarion Inc. The Torrance, Calif.-based Primarion is a fabless company that designs, manufactures, and markets digital power ICs for computing, graphics, and communications applications. Read the full article...

Samsung, Sony Adding To TFT-LCD Capacity

With worldwide demand for LCD televisions increasing, Samsung Electronics Ltd. and Sony Corp. have agreed to establish a second, eighth-generation amorphous TFT-LCD manufacturing line (“8-2 line”) through their joint venture, S-LCD Corp. The 8-2 line will be built at the Tangjeong Complex, with production slated to start in the second quarter of 2009. Read the full article...