==================================Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter Electronic Design Magazine PlanetEE ==> www.planetee.com October 26, 2005
=============================*************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Network-optimized ARM7 & ARM9 based core modules Digi International offers the widest range of core modules - ARM7, ARM9 and XScale solutions. The ConnectCore family provides core processing and integrated network connectivity in a single powerful solution. Built on NetSilicon's 32-bit processors and supported by royalty-free NET+Works software, ConnectCore modules provide a seamless migration path to a fully integrated chip-based solution. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1787A:484C79 **************************************************************** Today's Table Of Contents: 1. News Focus *Next-Generation Bluetooth Emphasizes Entertainment Applications 2. News From The Editors *Interconnect IP Eases Data Management On SoCs *Capacitive Touchscreens Need Only One Layer *Differential Amps Boast Wide Bandwidth 3. TechView Scope *Stanford University Keeps Automotive Fuel Cells Cool 4. Upcoming Industry Events *ICCAD-2005 *2005 IEEE Int'l Electron Devices Meeting *Int'l Conference on Lead-Free Electronic Components 5. Book Review *"The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math" Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Lisa Maliniak, eMedia Editor mailto:[email protected] **************************************************************** Free Web Seminar: Reuse RTL With Confidence Wednesday, November 2, 2005 2:00 pm EST Whether you inherit RTL code from a legacy design, an outsource design group, or external IP, reuse is a fact of life in modern design. Join Electronic Design and Mentor Graphics for this free webcast to learn new techniques and tools that can sharply reduce the spin-up tax on your inherited code. This is a must-see for all ASIC/FPGA designers and engineering project managers. Register today! http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1787C:484C79 **************************************************************** ********************** 1. News Focus ********************** Next-Generation Bluetooth Emphasizes Entertainment Applications The BlueCore5 facilitates multimedia options on Bluetooth-equipped devices like cell phones. Developed by Cambridge Silicon Radio, this chip features a 2.4-GHz radio, the official Bluetooth Special Interest Group standard baseband circuits, and an embedded controller. It includes version 2.1 of Bluetooth for an enhanced data rate (EDR) of 3 Mbits/s... Read the full article at http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17881:484C79 **************************************************************** *************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Stratix II GX FPGAs: Transceivers With Optimal Signal Integrity Stratix II GX FPGAs are designed for robust noise immunity and optimum jitter performance. Built-in support for many high-speed serial protocols plus data rates from 622 Mbps to 6.375 Gbps make Stratix II GX FPGAs ideal for high-speed and backplane designs. Learn more: http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1787E:484C79 **************************************************************** ********************** 2. News -- From The Editors ********************** ***Interconnect IP Eases Data Management On SoCs A just-released version of the SonicsMX Smart Interconnect from Sonics Inc. adds seamless connection and data-flow services management for intellectual property (IP) cores implemented using the ARM AMBA 3 AXI interconnect. Previous versions support OCP 1, OCP 2 (open-core protocol 1 and 2), and the ARM AMBA 2 AHB protocols. By adding support for AMBA 3 AXI interconnect to the existing OCP and AMBA AHB protocols, the new version promises to greatly simplify the system-on-a-chip (SoC) developer's overall task... Read the full article at http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17882:484C79 ***Capacitive Touchscreens Need Only One Layer Charge-transfer sensing techniques are the key to a new technology that creates capacitive touchscreens with a single conductive layer of indium tin oxide (ITO), rather than the two layers needed for resistive and other capacitive screens. QField technology removes the need for panel openings, seals, and bezels because the ITO layer can be printed on the underside of the touchpanel surface, which is typically glass or plastic. The touchpanel can be up to 3 mm thick, and the reduction to only one ITO layer makes the screen more transparent, with up to 90 percent light transmission. The company will introduce a family of ICs that can be used to implement QField technology. A 4-in. diagonal screen is expected to cost about $3.00 for both the film and the chip. Quantum Research Group Limited ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1788B:484C79 ***Differential Amps Boast Wide Bandwidth The wide bandwidth of three differential amplifiers allows designers to use a single part for multiple applications or design one piece of equipment to cover a wide frequency range, resulting in lower costs and products with a relatively small footprint. Target applications for the amplifiers include broadband test and measurement equipment, automatic test equipment, and a wide range of aerospace and military systems. The 1010DA is a dc to 9-GHz differential amplifier, the 1011DA is a dc to 10-GHz differential amplifier, and the 1012VA is a dc to 10-GHz differential variable gain amplifier. Total harmonic distortion is less than 1 percent for all the parts. The 1010DA and 1012VA are available immediately. The 1011DA will be available in the first quarter of 2006. Initial pricing is expected to be $299 each in small quantities. Volume discounts are available. Inphi Corp. ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17887:484C79 **************************************************************** ********************** 3. TechView Scope ********************** Stanford University Keeps Automotive Fuel Cells Cool Gas prices will continue to surge, and hybrid cars can only save so much. But automotive fuel-cell technology just isn't practical -- yet. Solid-oxide fuel cells run at more than 1300 deg. F, a temperature that would cause most cars to overheat. That's because the electrolyte layer on a typical solid-oxide fuel cell has trouble conducting negative ions without producing lots of heat. A team at Stanford University has developed a technique for keeping things cool. Using manufacturing techniques borrowed from the semiconductor industry, the researchers have created a membrane of yttria-stabilized zirconia that's just 50 nm thick. Still, the membrane is durable enough to withstand the differences in gas pressures that surround it. By using this membrane as the electrolyte layer, the researchers developed a fuel cell that offers a power density of 44 mW per sq. centimeter at 750 deg. F in individual openings in the cell's silicon mesh. While a typical car needs 15,000 W to run, stacks of cells with a total membrane surface area of 4 sq. meters could produce the same amount of power. In effect, the technology cuts temperature in half without sacrificing power. Stanford's team is developing a technique that will further improve the membrane's conductivity by bombarding its crystalline structure with positive argon ions and then heating it up to 1470 deg. F. This opens up or dilates the crystal structure, boosting ion conductivity by as much as 34 percent. Stanford University ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17889:484C79 *************************ADVERTISEMENT************************** Stop writing your own middleware Introducing Element, a high-availability middleware breakthrough from Enea that can cut your development time in half. Element is an application development framework and high-availability middleware for distributed telecom, datacom, automotive, industrial control and medical instrumentation applications. Imagine freeing up your engineering resources for the important projects. For more information on Enea and Element please visit http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17886:484C79 **************************************************************** Free Web Seminar: TCAD Technology Tuesday, November 8, 2005 2:00 pm EST Through the use of TCAD simulation software and services, semiconductor companies can reduce product development cost and enhance process and device performance even before silicon is available. Join Electronic Design EDA Editor David Maliniak for a look at Synopsys' Sentaurus TCAD process and device simulation software during this live Web seminar. If you can't make it, don't worry. We'll have it archived on our site the next day. So register now! http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1787B:484C79 **************************************************************** ********************** 4. Upcoming Industry Events ********************** November 6-10, Int'l Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD-2005) San Jose, Calif. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1788A:484C79 December 5-7, 2005 IEEE Int'l Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) Washington, D.C. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17888:484C79 December 6-8, IPC/JEDEC International Conference on Lead-Free Electronic Components Boston, Mass. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1787D:484C79 **************************************************************** ********************** 5. Book Review ********************** "The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math" (Featuring the Virtual DIY Calculator) By Clive "Max" Maxfield and Alvin Brown Just about all of us use computers or calculators every day without ever giving much thought to how they work. In his inimitable breezy style, Clive "Max" Maxfield, with co-author Alvin Brown, looks to remedy that situation with his latest book. It's a look at the fundamentals of computer architectures for non-computer scientists, which, last time I looked, means most of us... Read the full book review at http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=1787F:484C79 **************************************************************** EiED Online -- Packing The PowerPC Embedded in Electronic Design (EiED) Online is your source for technical insight and hands-on reviews. Read Technology Editor Bill Wong's latest EiED Online column, "Packing The PowerPC." PowerPC microcontrollers deliver high performance but draw little power, making them ideal for embedded applications. Bill checks out AMCC's EP440C development kit, which encompasses a variety of tools. http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17880:484C79 ********************** TAKE A POLL! Would you invest in a hybrid vehicle? -- Yes, they're great -- Someday, but the technology needs improvement -- Maybe in the future when the price comes down -- No, they'll never measure up to gas-powered vehicles -- Not sure Vote at Electronic Design ==> http://news.electronicdesign.com/t?ctl=17885:484C79 ****************************************************************
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