e-Ismosys edition 7

e-Ismosys Issue 7: The newsletter for users and partners of Ismosys.com

ESS Technology has released preliminary details of its brand new ES9701 Voice-over-IP (VoIP) Processor. First in the industry to integrate two Subscriber Line Interface Circuits (SLIC’s) and an Ethernet switch with two MAC/PHYs, the ES9701 brings the highest integration to VoIP phone adapter applications.

The ES9701 VoIP Processor is a comprehensive and fully integrated solution for a wide variety of VoIP phones and VoIP-to-analog phone adapters. The device combines ultra low cost with high level integration, high performance and the lowest power consumption currently available.

The ES9701 VoIP Processor provides all the necessary processors and peripherals (Ethernet switch, two SLICs, Audio ADC/DACs, LCD interface) to enable the rapid development of full featured VoIP business phones and low cost consumer phones or adapters.

ESS supports its new ES9701 VoIP Processor with a comprehensive phone/adapter reference design and VoIP software stack. 

Key Features

 

Power-over-Ethernet Manager complies with IEEE802.3at-draft 3.2 requirements

Microsemi has released details of the first 1-port power-over-Ethernet (PoE) manager capable of driving 36W on 2-pairs to powered devices. Codenamed “Niño”, the PD64001 supports 2-event Classification, while complying with the stringent requirements specified in IEEE802.3at-draft 3.2.

The new device enables switch, router and Midspan vendors to provide higher levels of managed power to a broadened range of Ethernet devices. Typical infrastructure applications include WiMAX transmitters, pan-tilt-zoom cameras, fiber-to-the-home optical network terminators, outdoor xDSL/cable modems, and cost sensitive small office, home office and residential devices such as thin clients and notebook computers.

Supporting an average maximum current of 720mA, the PD64001 enables manufacturers to build switches capable of driving 36W for every 2-pair interface and power any device that consumes up to 30W, sources the minimum voltage of 50V or operates at the 600mA current level specified by IEEE802.3at-draft3.2. Customers requiring up to 60W can create a 4-pair architecture use a combination of two PD64001s, which together drive 72W.

IEEE802.3at conformance
The PD64001 enables Ethernet switch and Midspan manufacturers to build switches and Midspans today confident that they will not require special software configuration to conform with the forthcoming IEEE802.3at standard. In its default application the device can be used to power both IEEE802.3at and IEEE802.3af powered devices. Using an external FET, the PD64001 can also be used for the implementation of low-cost IEEE802.3af compliant solutions, without the need for classification. The external FET and sense resistor dissipate only 20% of the power of competing solutions, while maintaining a very small footprint.

Other advance features offered by the PD64001 include detection of pre-standard devices, and support for AC and DC disconnection. The PD64001 is the first device to support 2-event classification, essential for building IEEE802.3at-draft3.2-compliant Midspans. In addition, the new device frees developers from the necessity to add complex LLDP stacks to their switches in order to achieve IEEE802.3at-compliance. 



Miniature Motion Sensors (multi-axis rate gyroscopes) target Consumer Applications

Recent developments in the MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) field has propelled the growth of the sensor industry. MEMS IC fabrication processes and techniques have enabled the integration of lower-cost, smaller motion sensing devices with vastly improved performance, on-board signal conditioning electronics and ease of integration into embedded consumer products.

Widely acknowledged as pioneering innovator in the field of MEMS motion sensor technology InvenSense has developed the world’s first and smallest multi-axis rate gyroscopes. The company’s patented Nasiri-Fabrication technology platform takes full advantage of major innovations in MEMS design and fabrication, mixed-signal ASIC and wafer-level packaging and testing to overcome the major challenges for adoption of this technology into consumer products.

With the smallest footprint, lowest cost and highest functionality of any other rate sensor in the market, InvenSense’s IDG family of gyro sensors has become the central motion sensing component of choice in wide variety of established and emerging mass-market applications such as gaming, image stabilization, and smart user interfaces that use hand motion and gesture-based commands for mobile applications, such as, smart phones, digital cameras, 3D remote control devices. Millions of units have already shipped!

InvenSense integrated MEMS multi-axis gyroscopes have superior technological and commercial advantages over competitive motion sensing solutions.

The current InvenSense product portfolio comprises the;

IDG-400/500/650 Series
• 500º/s to 2000º/s full-scale range for measuring a wide variety of dynamic motions
• Applications: Game Controllers, 3D-Input Devices, User Interfaces, Toys, Robotics

IDG-1100/1200 Series
• 20º/s to 150º/s full-scale range to measure hand jitter for image stabilization apps
• Applications: Digital Cameras and Camcorders

IDG-1215 Series
• 67º/s full-scale range to more accurately measure heading
• Applications: Portable Navigation and other GPS products

Industry’s highest integrated Digital Picture Frame and Hard-Disk Media Player Processor

ESS Technology has released preliminary details of its 4th generation DMPX Digital Media Processor, the industry’s highest integrated SoC currently available for Digital Picture Frame and HDD Media Player applications.

Built on ESS’s popular DMP3 (ES6430), DMP2 (ES6425) and DMP1 (ES6420) processor architecture, the DMPX ES6460 (128-LQFP) and ES6461 (176-LQFP) SoC devices feature a versatile card reader interface for direct connection to CF/MicroDrive, SD, MMC, MS/MS Pro, xD, SM, and IDE data storage devices. 

The two DMPX devices include HS USB 2.0 host/device interfaces for connection to PC, thumb drive, USB hard drives and cameras. The built-in A/V decoder supports MPEG 1/2/4, JPEG and MP3 formats with numerous other options including Dolby AC3 and WMA. DMPX devices integrate the TCON, RTC, DC/DC PWM and NAND Flash controllers, providing a boot-from-NAND-Flash feature that saves system cost by eliminating the SPI flash requirement.

The DMPX ES6461 can be coupled with ESS’s companion ES7108 Video Scaler/HDMI transmitter device to upscale any standard definition (480i/p) video to the full 1080p high definition output required by emerging HDD Media Player applications.

ESS supports its DMPX devices with two high performance development kits: The HDD Media Player or Digital Picture Frame reference design supports the DMPX ES6461 whilst the Digital Picture Frame reference design complements the DMPX ES6460. Both development kits include full datasheet and schematics, user interface software source code and ROM emulator code. 


 
Intel Atom™ based Procelerant Z500 COM module drives performance up and costs down

RadiSys Procelerant™  Z500 COM module is the innovative combination of Intel’s low power 1.6GHz ATOM processor with a 85mm x 70mm module compatable with the COM Express Type 2 pin-out. The module provides up to 1GB of memory to alleviate memory bottlenecks when used with Intel’s performance low power ATOM processors.

The COM Express Type 2 specifies the connectors for high speed serial differential signaling technologies such as PCI Express, Serial ATA*, USB 2.0, LVDS, and Serial DVO while retaining some legacy support to ease migration from existing modular designs.

The new module delivers powerful performance with low power dissipation. Also providing up to 1GB memory down, a MicroSD socket, gigabit Ethernet*, extended voltage range and smart battery support, the Procelerant Z500 is ideal for makers of handheld and mobile equipment destined for industrial automation, gaming, test and measurement and military markets. The ultra-low power Procelerant Z500 module enables manufactures  to shrink device size, stretch battery life and increase processing performance while also cutting manufacturing costs.

*Serial ATCA and Gigabit Ethernet are Optional.

Micro Sized COM
The Procelerant Z500 module enables OEMs to start designing at the same time as processor release, saving months of development time and resources.  It frees OEMs to concentrate on their core competencies such as software and application development rather than focus on high speed circuit design, and so avoid the design churn that comes with implementing new processor generations. 

With the Procelerant Z500 COM module feature changes, demand fluctuations and performance upgrades can all be handled without product re-designs.  Further, service repair inventory can be reduced and upgrades simplified, significantly contributing to the success of a product over its lifetime.

Procelerant Z500 image

Design Services by the COM Experts
OEMs can depend on RadiSys to support their design at every stage, whether it is carrier board design or services such as schematic reviews, debug assistance and custom BIOS generation. Carrier design tools such as the Carrier Design Guide, carrier schematics and Gerber files are available for customers committed to using RadiSys Procelerant processor modules.  Carrier design consulting and debug services are also available to support OEM product development at any stage. 

Looking to Touch Sensing to Differentiate Your Product?

Many organisations today are looking to add newer and feature-rich interfaces to their products, enabling the delivery of greater value in an aesthetically pleasing package. Touch sensing is fast becoming an alternative to traditional push-button-switch user interfaces, because it requires no mechanical movement and it enables a completely sealed and streamlined design.  

Expanding beyond the consumer market, touch sensing is also beginning to take hold in medical, industrial, and automotive applications for rather more basic reasons such as cost, aesthetics, maintenance and cleanliness.

Microchip Technology has developed numerous human-interface innovations that enhance a products’ user interface functionality. These advancements are complete turnkey solutions, and many have license-free and royalty-free options to get a design to market faster at a lower total system cost. For instance, Microchip’s Capacitive mTouch™ Solution utilises a wide variety of hardware and software resources that in combination, are able to optimise almost any touch sensing application.

Capacitive mTouch™ Sensing
Microchip’s Capacitive mTouch Sensing Solution can be readily implemented on any PIC® microcontroller or dsPIC® Digital Signal Controller that features Comparator and Timer0 peripherals. A relaxation oscillator is created using the output of the Comparator Peripheral to charge and discharge the sensing capacitor (CS) implemented with a copper pad etched onto the printed circuit board (see Figure 1). Changes in the touch sensor’s capacitance occasioned by a finger touch generates a shift in oscillator frequency, which is measured, and any shift due to a user’s touch is detected and validated in software. Figure 3 shows the schematic for the oscillator/timer circuit used along with the sensor capacitance.

With the addition of a few basic components, the designer is able to take advantage of some of Microchip’s smallest packaging options to optimise board real estate on low channel requirement Capacitive Sensing applications. Microchip offer a large range of suitable microcontrollers ranging from the incredibly small and cost-effective 8-bit PIC10F to the peripheral rich 8-bit Mid-Range PIC® microcontroller devices such as the PIC16F887, PIC16F690 and PIC16F616 to the 16-bit PIC24FJ. They all feature a Comparator peripheral with SR Latch.

Microchip’s mTouch Sensing Solution provides a free and easy method for designers to add capacitive touch sensing to PIC® microcontroller based applications without the cost of fee-based licensing and royalty agreements. As a source-code solution, mTouch also helps engineers to quickly integrate touch sensing functionality with their existing application code in a single standard microcontroller, thereby reducing the total system cost associated with current solutions.
In partnership with Ismosys.com Microchip offers three development systems to support its mTouch™ Sensing Solution:

• PICDEM™ Touch Sense 1 (DM164125) demonstrates touch sensing technology using keys and slides and the 8-bit PIC16F microcontroller. PICDEM includes the PICkit™ Serial Analyser.

• PICDEM™ Touch Sense 2 (DM164128) demonstrates touch sensing technology using the 16-bit PIC24F family with Charge Time Measurement Unit (CTMU)

PIC24F Starter Kit (DM240011)

• PIC24F Starter Kit (DM240011) a low-cost kit based around the MPLab® integrated development environment. This menu-driven kit includes everything a user needs to start designing a touch sensing application including; compiler, in-circuit debugger and programmer, USB device and host connectors, tri-colour pad and an OLED display. 

Latest modules make integration of ZigBee wireless products easy and highly cost efficient

Enabling OEMs to bring fully compliant ZigBee products to market quickly and with the minimum of cost, LS Research is now offering its family of fully certified ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 modules via Ismosys.com.

Founded in 1980 by one of the industry's premier designers of FM receiver circuitry, LS Research (LSR) came to prominence in the early 1990s with the availability of the ISM frequency bands. The company was widely applauded for its pioneering design work with FHSS and DSSS systems in both the 900MHz and 2.4GHz radio bands.

Expansion followed success and the intervening years have seen LSR align itself with major wireless semiconductor manufacturers to develop reference designs and customer support applications and further expand its service offering to include licensing of RF designs, contract manufacturing services and industrial design.

With the experience of well over 300 customer radio designs LS Research is today an acknowledged leader in wireless product development, certification and manufacturing and is a member of the ZigBee Alliance


Introducing a new family of ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 modules

The Matrix (above), Freestar, and Apex ZigBee modules are based around the Texas Instruments CC2430, Freescale MC13192/3, or Ember EM250/EM260 Zigbee SOC platform.

Measuring 23mm x 29mm, the modules offer a compact, low cost, integrated solution for security, building automation, industrial control, and various other sensor applications.

Each module is pre-loaded with point-to-point and point-to-multipoint software and includes an integrated antenna and an adjustable power amplifier. Users also have the option of extending the transmission range using an external antenna, which they attach to the module via the built in MMCX connector. LSR’s Matrix, Freestar and Apex ZigBee modules are FCC, CE, and IC certified. The modules are fully supported by LSR’s range of development kits, also readily available through Ismosys.com.   

New low-profile, high-gain embedded PCB antennas for 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n Wi-Fi systems

Airgain, Inc., a leading innovator in the field of smart-antenna technology has introduced a new family of high-gain embedded PCB antennas for Wi-Fi devices. Based on the company’s patented multi-element, directional antenna technology, the new Profile series of embedded antenna products is ideally suited for cost-sensitive embedded applications that demand the highest level of integration flexibility.

Designed to provide maximum range for routers, gateways and client devices, the ten devices in Airgain’s Profile series includes both case mounted solutions and on-board antennas that eliminate the need for cumbersome external antennas without sacrificing performance. Available in a variety of form factors the new antennas provide peak gains of up to 7 dBi, and come in single and dual band options for the 2.40 to 2.49 GHz and 4.9 to 5.8 GHz frequency bands.

For 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz applications
For 2.4 GHz applications, the Profile series includes the Profile20, Profile40 and Profile60 cable-ready antennas, as well as the innovative Profile30, a unique board-mount antenna that is currently shipping in carrier class products. In the single band 5 GHz space, the Profile520 and Profile560 combine compact designs with maximum performance.

For 802.11n MIMO applications
The rapid emergence of 802.11n MIMO applications has created a demand for high performance embedded, dual band antenna solutions. To service this demand, Airspan has introduced a series of single and concurrent transmission antenna products within the Profile series. The Profile20D and Profile60D utilise a single cable feed for non-concurrent transmission systems whilst the Profile40DC and Profile40DL feature an efficient dual cable design that meets the needs of systems requiring concurrent transmission.

New Hi-Performance Packet Processing subsystems for Broadband Network applications

Interphase has collaborated closely with a number of key system integrators and network equipment providers in the development of specialist solutions for Broadband Network applications. Following the successful completion of trials the company has partnered with Ismosys.com to release details of the two new Packet Processing solutions for this application.

According to Ian MacMillan, Senior Product Manager at Interphase Corporation, manufacturers of telecommunications networks are currently transitioning to packet based network: “The need for line rate packet processing functions such as secure packet processing, packet inspection, classification, content management, packet routing, policy based forwarding, pattern matching and QOS support are the foundation for the delivery of high performance network elements for the emerging 3G/4G wireless, IMS and IPTV network architectures”. 

Interphase has collaborated closely with a number of key system integrators and network equipment providers in the development of specialist solutions for Broadband Network applications. Following the successful completion of trials the company has partnered with Ismosys.com to release details of the new Packet Processing standards based solutions designed around Cavium Networks’ industry leading OCTEON Plus processor architecture and 6WIND’s 6WINDGate™ software tools.
 

These Interphase high performance packet accelerators are designed to meet the stringent requirements for NEBS platforms as well has highly reliable enterprise server platforms.  They are the ideal choice across a wide variety of applications including ASN Gateways and Base Stations in WIMAX networks, Radio Network Controllers, Packet Access Gateways and Gateway GPRS Service Nodes in Wideband-CDMA 3G/HSPA/LTE networks and security and content inspection appliances.

55MC8 and 55CA Quad GbE to PCI-X packet accelerators
The 55MC8 is an intelligent full-size PCI-X quad Gigabit Ethernet network interface card featuring PCI-X connectivity to the host, SFP interfaces and SPI 4.2 connectors for back to back connectivity between cards. These Interphase high performance packet accelerators utilize advanced thermal expertise enabling the company to place two 750 MHz 16 core PCI cards into telecom or enterprise class servers.  Lower processor speeds and number of cores can also be provided based on the application requirements.  The cards are offered with up to 4GB of memory and up to 32MB of optional 16 bit RLDRAM memory.  The 55CA is similar to the 55MC8 providing RJ45 line interfaces rather than SFP modules but does not support the SPI 4.2 interface.

36CA Quad GE AdvancedMC™ packet accelerator
The AMC 1.0 & AMC 2.0 compliant 36CA, with quad Gigabit Ethernet and PCI-e x4 connectivity on the AdvancedMC connector, is offered with up to 1GB of memory and up to 32MB of optional 16 bit RLDRAM memory. The module is suitable for use in a wide variety of AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA based application platforms and can be provided with 4, 8 or 12 core Octeon Plus Processors running at 600 MHz.



Ultra low-power Multi-Channel UHF Transceiver
 
The Semtech SX1211 is a low cost, low power-consuming single-chip transceiver that operates in the frequency ranges 863-870 MHz, 902-928 MHz and 950-960 MHz. Optimised for remote wireless applications where low power consumption is essential, the SX1211 consumes a mere 3mA in receiver mode.

Typical applications include alarm and security systems, sensor networks, automated meter reading, home and building automation and industrial monitoring & control.

The SX1211’s transceiver incorporates a baseband modem with data rates up to 200 kb/s. It provides a host of data handling features include a 64-byte FIFO, packet handling, automatic CRC generation and data whitening. All major RF communication parameters are programmable and the majority may be dynamically set.

The SX1211 features a highly integrated architecture that ensures maximum design flexibility with the minimum of external components. It complies with European (ETSI EN 300-220 V2.1.1) and North American (FCC part 15.247 and 15.249) regulatory standards.

Key Features 
• Low Rx power consumption: 3mA
• Low Tx power consumption: 25 mA @ +10 dBm
• Good reception sensitivity: down to -107 dBm at 25 kb/s in FSK, -113 dBm at 2kb/s in OOK
• Programmable RF output power: up to +12.5 dBm in 8 steps
• Packet handling feature with data whitening and automatic CRC generation
• 64-byte FIFO for transmit/receive data buffereing and transfer via SPI bus
• RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) range from Rx noise floor to 0 dBm
• Bit rates up to 200 kb/s, NRZ coding
• On-chip frequency synthesizer
• FSK and OOK modulation
• Incoming sync word recognition
• Built-in Bit-Synchronizer for incoming data and clock synchronization and recovery
• Low external component count
• 5 x 5 mm TQFN RoHS-compliant package

New Sensor Network Technology enables Wi-Fi devices to run for up to 10 years on a single AA battery

Founded in September 2006 GainSpan is an Intel Corporation spin-off specializing in ultra low-power System-on-a-Chip (SoC) solutions that leverages the widely deployed Wi-Fi (IEE® 802.11) network. The new GainSpan infrastructure enables the deployment of sensor systems that use standard tools and knowledge base and integrate seamlessly with existing management systems such as enterprise network management systems and SCADA industrial and building automation systems.

GainSpan developed its innovative GS1010 SoC specifically to meet the battery life and other requirements of today’s Wi-Fi sensor devices. Offering the flexibility to support a wide range of products and applications, it features an embedded 802.11b/g radio, two 32-bit ARM7 microcontrollers, real-time clock (RTC) and power management unit, FLASH and SRAM memories along with multiple I/Os and support for location awareness.

The complete GainSpan OEM solution also includes a suite of easy-to-use development tools that makes development less complicated and time consuming, so speeding time-to-market. End users are supported by the GainSpan Management System (GMS), a software solution that sits in the network and addresses specific needs of managing Wi-Fi sensors and other connected devices.

Power Management
The innovative power management system of the Gainspan GS1010 SoC provides years of battery life and opens the door to new classes of Wi-Fi products and new applications. Typical design benefits delivered by the GS1010 and associated software include easy customization, reduced energy consumption, reduced costs and improved operational efficiency. From and end-user perspective, the Gainspan approach delivers a low total cost of ownership and high return on investment.

Typical GainSpan applications include:

• Industrial motors – monitor energy consumption to improve efficiencies
• Buildings - save energy, improve indoor air quality and safety
• Food and drug manufacturers - monitor temperature of goods through the supply chain
• Automotive manufacturing - track vehicles during production
• Oil refineries -  locate staff during emergencies
• Utilities - automatically read meters and monitor infrastructure equipment
• Public metro areas - monitor street and traffic lights, and support emergency response services
• Megastructures - automatically verify the safety of bridges etc after an earthquake
• Mining - accurately track real-time movements of miners
• Data centres - monitor and control temperatures and energy usage
• Hospitals - track patients, wheelchairs, diagnostic equipment, and staff

Cost effective design solution for expanding UART I/O applications 

Pericom Semiconductor, a leading supplier of PCI Express technology used for switching, timing, bridging and signal integrity,  has launched the first complete single chip solution for the expanding CPU to UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) I/O market.

Called the PCI Express SBridge™ (serial bridge) the new device integrates a complete PCI Express interface bridge with a fully featured multi port, multi protocol UART controller in a single package. The device is targeted at volume industrial and building control, point-of-sale, instrumentation, PDA, and GPS system I/O applications.

The SBridge PCIe to UART device is available in three distinct UART port count configurations: 2 ports (PI7C9X7952), 4 ports (PI7C9X7954), and 8 ports (PI7C9X7958). Pericom has designed all three devices to meet current demands for low power consumption, small package size and PCB layout optimization. The devices meet the requirements of the latest PCI-SIG PCIe 1.1 and PCI 1.2 specifications, and are listed on the PCISIG certification list.

According to Bill Weir, Pericom’s senior marketing director for Connect Products, the UART controller market is expected to grow to over 60 million ports by the end of 2008, fueled by accelerated adoption of embedded UART I/O in building control systems for HVAC, environmental, emergency, and communications control to host CPU applications: “We have already won key designs in Tier 1 embedded controller providers where the PCI Express SBridge devices deliver the performance, flexibility, footprint and cost savings required by their most competitive industrial and commercial platforms”

Key Features:
• Complete one-chip PCIe to high performance UART solution
• High performance 16C950 (RS-232) UART ports
• Backward compatible to 16C550/650/750/850 software
• Supports Baud rates to 62.5Mb/sec (sync mode)
• RoHS compliant and small footprint packages (PQFP and BGA)
• Customer programmable EEPROM port for ultimate flexibility
• Software drivers for major OS – Windows, Linux

External ESD protection for externally accessible HDMI ports

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface that provides a high-speed link between audio/video source devices, such as DVD players, and sink devices, such as HDTV.

With the increase in data speed, signal integrity maintenance is crucial in order to meet HDMI eye pattern and TDR requirements. This is not a trivial task since the differential impedance can be easily affected by the introduction of even a small amount of capacitance or inductance. Internal on-chip ESD protection does not sufficiently protect sensitive HDMI chips so many manufacturers of consumer electronics choose to build in HDMI ports in order to meet the IEC 61000-4-2 ESD standard while maintaining the required impedance and signal integrity.

The trouble with this is that externally accessible HDMI ports are becoming increasingly more susceptible to transient threats from almost any charged entity; for example, from a user’s direct touch or from hot plugging a charged cable. External protection is required to fully protect the system against these threats:

Semtech RClamp0524P - protection to Level 4, IEC 61000-4-2 ESD standard
Addressing the specific protection needs of HDMI applications Semtech has designed the RClamp0524P to provide ESD protection to Level 4, IEC 61000-4-2 ESD standard (±8kV contact ESD and ±15kV air ESD). At the same time the RClamp0524P provides superior clamping voltage performance, which reduces the over-voltage stress on the HDMI chip and boosts the reliability of the overall HDMI system.

The  RClamp0524P, is a 5V, 10-pin device that offers a maximum differential capacitance value of 0.3pF. It can be used directly on two pairs of 100 Ohm differential impedance signal lines regardless of the stack up or number of layers. Thanks to the device’s ultra-low capacitance designers are able to incorporate the 100 Ohm differential impedance to suit their board parameters without worrying about the impact it will have on the already calculated and controlled impedance. Housed in a small leadless package with 0.5mm pitch the RClamp0524P features a flow-through layout which further facilitates high speed design by helping to reduce discontinuities and increase common noise rejection.

The RClamp0524P is supported by 2-layer and 4-layer HDMI evaluation boards, available via Ismosys.com, that enable users to fully evaluate the device’s TDR and eye pattern performance.

Caption for the two eye pattern performance traces. Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the TDR results on, respectively,  4-layer and 2-layer HDMI evaluation boards. Both results show that the TDR has met, and is well within, the HDMI CTS requirement (100 Ohm ±15% for differential impedance).
mart’s new 2.5” XceedUltra2 SATA SSD delivers industry-leading sustained read/write performance of up to 135MB/s and 105MB/s, respectively, while requiring fewer than 2 watts in active mode. XceedUltra2 is a native SATA-II drive, featuring a 3Gb/s maximum interface transfer rate and native command queuing (NCQ) support. XceedUltra2 is well suited for use in large external storage arrays for applications such as streaming video and data-intensive storage applications that require high throughput.

With Ultra Low Profile DDR3 Registered DIM Modules, SMART targets ATCA blade computing applications
 
SMART Modular Technologies has launched a new line of ultra low profile (ULP) DDR3 Registered DIM modules (RDIMMs) aimed at a wide variety of telecommunications computing architecture (ATCA) blade platforms used in telecom, networking, and embedded computing applications.

Including 1GB and 2GB single-rank and 2GB and 4GB dual-rank devices the new ULP RDIMMs have a reduced height of 17.9mm making them ideal for space-constrained implementations.

Designed to satisfy stringent thermal performance specifications the new SG572xxx family of modules offer configurations ranging from single-rank 1GB and 2GB ULP RDIMMs to dual-rank 2GB and 4GB ULP RDIMMs. All the modules use power-saving 8-bit DDR3 DRAMs and are available in PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066) and PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333) speed grades.

The new ULP RDIMMs have a height of 17.9mm rather than the industry-standard 18.75mm, making them ideal for space-constrained implementations. SMART’s unique design helps save valuable board space by enabling the designer to position the modules vertically in platforms that have a maximum clearance of 21.57mm under the top cover.

The ULP modules support parity and have a standard on-board thermal sensor. They offer improved thermal performance by maximizing airflow over and through the DIMMs. Optional flat, clip-on heat spreaders that do not add any additional height to the modules are available for applications with more stringent thermal requirements,.

Memory Solutions for Embedded Applications

Combining the memory heritage and experience of Intel Corporation with that of STMicroelectronics, Numonyx is combining a passion for memory with unparalleled manufacturing capability and a real commitment to customer service.

Earlier this year the very best in memory technology was infused into a new, independent semiconductor company. Combining the memory heritage and experience of Intel Corporation with that of STMicroelectronics Numonyx is combining a passion for memory with unparalleled manufacturing capability and a real commitment to customer service. As may be judged from the two products we feature below Numonyx is set to become the premier non-volatile memory innovator, delivering unparalleled memory solution breadth.

Numonyx™ serves AEC-Q100 compliant applications.
Numonyx™ offers two families of NOR flash devices to meet the most demanding needs of designers looking for easy to use, high-reliability devices in densities ranging from 4Mbit to 128Mbit. The Numonyx M29W Flash NOR family offers a wide range of automotive grade (AEC-Q100 compliant) devices.

The M29DW Flash NOR family features flexible partitioning for Read-While-Write/Erase (RWW/E) operation. Read-While-Write/Erase operation allows data to be read from one bank, or group of banks while the other is written or erased.

The memories of the M29W and M29DW devices are divided into blocks that can be erased independently to allow valid data to be preserved while old data is erased. Both families offer higher flexibility in code storage via both asymmetrical and symmetrical block architecture. In the first case, the memory array includes a Boot Block (at the Top or Bottom location of the address space, to suit different microprocessors) for parameters and main blocks for code and data storage. In the symmetrical architecture the blocks have the same size. Each block can sustain over 100,000 program/erase cycles with 20 years data retention.

The M29W and M29DW families offers a wide range of package options including TSOP-48 and BGAs.

Features and Benefits

 

Lucky MyVu Multimedia Free Draw winner announced

In edition 3 of e-Ismosys we ran a unique free draw competition to win a fantastic MyVu multimedia Solo Plus viewer - in this edition we announce our lucky winner.

This months lucky winner was Mr Andrew Sharp of Toshiba Research in the UK. Congratulations Andrew, we hope you enjoy the experience.

The myvu personal media viewer, Solo Plus edition is the smallest, lightest, video mobile eyewear available today and provides a crisp, sharp image.

Viewable in all lighting conditions, it provides a unique large TV viewing experience when watching downloaded entertainment.  Unlike immersive headset systems that restrict natural vision, myvu eyewear allows you to also view your surroundings....perfect for on-the-go lifestyles. 

Equipped with noise-reducing in-ear earbuds for stereo sound, the viewer has patented SolidOptex optical technology incorporated inside a unique eyewear frame to form a comfortable, compact design.

Simply connect the myvu personal media viewer to your Apple iPod (not included) with video and watch your favourite music videos, TV, movies, podcasts or other downloaded entertainment on myvu's vivid virtual screen.