Electronic Design Update: October 17, 2007

Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter | October 17, 2007

Free App Note Explains How Agilent's New FET Switches Protect Components From Video Leakage Damage Safely test your most sensitive components with the Agilent U9397A/C FET SPDT solid-state switches. These switches combine low video leakage (10 mVpp) and high isolation (100 dB) with an industry-leading settling time for fast, accurate broadband testing of RFIC components... To learn more and download the app note, click here...

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Electronic Design UPDATE edited by Richard Gawel, Managing Editor

.. Come check out the Hotspots added to our Home Page, filled with all the latest EDA, analog, embedded, and power content from the ED editors. .. design solution | Go Green With 100-W And Higher Audio Power Amplifiers By Alex Mihalka, Technical Education EngineerInternational Rectifier

We know Class D audio amplification offers advantages in efficiency and size for battery-powered devices. What you may not know, however, is that these advantages can now extend to amplifiers up to 500 W thanks to solid-state driver ICs designed specifically for Class D...

Read the full article..... focus on embedded software | Tool Suite Aids Developers Using ColdFire Microcontrollers

IAR YellowSuite for ColdFire microcontrollers from IAR Systems promotes a natural design flow from the beginning of a development project, integrating all the necessary tools to produce a working design in the shortest possible time. The package includes several components to aid designers of embedded systems...

Read the full article..... EiED online | Support, Integration Define MontaVista Linux

Looking for embedded Linux? Technology Editor Bill Wong checks out MontaVista's offering...

Read the full article...

Join Electronic Design in the first of a series of Hotspot Webinars: Exploring How Good GUIs Drive Adoption in the Digital Power Management Space A good GUI can help engineers design power systems for IT applications. The Webcast, scheduled for Wednesday, October 24 at 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT and presented by Primarion, will examine real-world design situations and how a good GUI not only makes programming POLs more intuitive, it also organizes your thinking so important details aren't overlooked. Click here to register...

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.. Engineering TV: Episode 79 | MARS

The MARS (multi-appendage robot system) is a robotic instrument designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to be used in zero gravity to walk outside the International Space Station and other spacecrafts...

Click here to see the episodes...

..news from the editors | Six New Measurements You're Going To Need

Complex signal formats and rapidly changing radio architectures are demanding more sophisticated tools and techniques for signal analysis. If you're working on up-to-date communications technology, chances are good that you're either making these measurements today or will be needing them in the very near future...

Read the full article.... Going Green - A Light in the Dark

The European Union's RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) came into force a year ago. Companies have spent billions of dollars developing and qualifying alternative materials. Developing lead-free products and processes requires a tremendous effort. In some cases, however, finding replacements for hazardous substances has been much easier...

Read the full article.... IBM Mainframe To Gauge Energy Consumption

Just as cars have miles-per-gallon statistics, IBM mainframe computers will soon bear details on their energy consumption. And customers will be able to monitor that usage in real time. IBM's new disclosure policy is the first to embrace recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations that server vendors publish typical energy consumption figures. The goal is to allow customers to make informed decisions based on energy efficiency.

Read the full article.... Broadcom Makes 3G Phone Chip

Broadcom Corporation has developed a new single-chip high-speed packet access (HSPA) processor for third-generation (3G) mobile technology. The processor, BCM21551, features full CMOS RF, rich multimedia, BlueTooth, and FM radio on a single 65-nm die. This "3G Phone on a Chip" solution lets manufacturers build 3G HSUPA phones with advanced features, a sleek form factor, and long battery life.

Read the full article......quick poll | It's almost time to start your Christmas shopping. What will be the hottest consumer electronics segment this holiday season?

• Video games
• Cell phones
• High-definition TVs
• Portable media players
• Other

Let your voice be heard. Vote now on www.electronicdesign.com. The Quick Poll is located at the bottom of the page, so don't forget to scroll down!..product picks online | Pressure Sensors Add Low Ranges, SMT Capability MCUs For Automated Meter Reading Use Very Little Power Security Software Adds Complete Set Of Asymmetric Functions Standalone Wireless Modems Work In ISM Bands On-Chip Debugging Solution Addresses Manufacturing Floor .. conference preview | Power Electronics Technology Exhibition & Conference

More technical Content. More exhibits. More teardowns. More of what you need to know to find the right technologies, products and components to integrate into an ever-evolving array of complex applications. From Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, the Power Electronics Technology Exhibition & Conference, held in the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas, will give you the tools to optimize every element of the design process:

• An educational program focuses on practical, day-to-day solutions;
• A full contingent of suppliers demonstrating their latest innovations in the Exhibit Hall;
• And a conference schedule that hits all of the high notes - digital and portable power, power design, conversion and management, magnetics, alternative energy, LED drivers and more.

Click here to learn more or to register...upcoming industry events | 11th OpenAccess+ Conference Nov. 5 Santa Clara, Calif. Printed Electronics USA Conference Nov. 12-15 San Francisco, Calif. Active RFID & RTLS Summit December 5-6 Dallas, Texas See more industry events...

Portable Designs with High Power Batteries and Chargers A new Webcast presented by Micro Power Wednesday, November 28 at 2:00 pm ET Robin Sarah Tichy, PhD, Technical Marketing Manager at Micro Power Electronics Inc, provides an industry update and profiles new high-power (or high-pulse) rechargeable lithium batteries. Traditional lithium batteries support pulses of 5 A, while new high-power batteries support pulses over 100 A, enabling many new portable applications. This Webcast details cell configurations, chemical formulations, electrical performance, safety issues, limitations, and sample performance data. Click here to register...

Your Ideas For Design Can Win $500 Send us your Ideas for Design and we'll pay you $150 for every Idea for Design that we publish. In addition, this year's top design as selected by our readers will earn an additional $500, with two runners-up each receiving $250. You can submit your Ideas for Design via e-mail to: [email protected] or, mail your material to: Ideas for Design Electronic Design 45 Eisenhower Dr., Suite 550 Paramus, NJ 07652 Click here for our guidelines on Ideas for Design...

.. ED bookstore | Robot Grippers By Gareth J. Monkman, Stefan Hesse, Ralf Steinmann, Henrik Schunk

Someone with a significant background in robotics once told my daughter that robotics is always harder than it looks. She is now studying to be a mechanical engineer and will likely be stealing my copy of this book as soon as I let go of it. This book tries to tackle a wide range of grip designs. While it covers very articulate designs, they are concentrated on grips that would be useful in production environments rather than a more complex replication of a human hand...

To buy the book, click here.....