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electronic design

The Authority
on Emerging
Technologies for
Design Solutions
Stopping 65-nm leakage power Multifunction power ICs Printed electronics Embedded in ED

11.05.07
www.electronicdesign.com

p|

18

TECHVIEW
Teslas Tests
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Roadsters
245-Mile
Range

p|

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Leapfrog

40

Technology Report

p|
p|

49

Engineering Essentials

61

Design View

p|

67

Ideas For Design

p|

Test System Pushes MIMO Wireless


Standards Into The Spotlight
Next-Generation Multifunction
Power ICs Help Shrink Mobile Systems
Printed-Electronics Technology
Flexes Its Muscle
Move Over Iso AmpMake
The Switch To Digital Isolation
Twisted Pair Accurately Reads Digital
Temperature Sensor At 1000 m

Tune in to ENGINEERINGTV.COM
November 5, 2007 Vol. 55, No. 25

p|

33

$8.00 A Penton Publication


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pg01

10/22/07

3:59 PM

Page 1

READER SERVICE 86

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10/23/07

7:13 PM

Page 2

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10022_200VHVIC_EDsup.indd 1

pg03

10/23/07

12:56 PM

Page 3

24-bit Simultaneous Sampling


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pg04

10/22/07

3:59 PM

Page 4

Were semi nuts


Weve got semis on the brain. Jameco offers more major brands of semiconductors than anyone
almost twice as many as these catalog distributors.* Its another Jameco advantage.

10

Mouser

Newark

Allied

Jameco

Atmel Semiconductor
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Sharp Microelectronics
ST Microelectronics
Texas Instruments

Altera
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Avago Technologies
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Fairchild Semiconductor
Freescale Semiconductor
Integrated Devices
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Intersil
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Maxim
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Texas Instruments

Analog Devices
Atmel Semiconductor
Avago Technologies
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Integrated Devices
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Intersil
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Maxim
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Altera
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Maxim
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*According to their web sites on July 23, 2007. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

READER SERVICE 102

p05,07

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5:25 PM

Page 5

Approximate signal processing


Memory optimization
Hardware/software partitioning
Parallelism/pipelining

Reducing
capacitance

Don't-care optimization
Path balancing
Factorization
Technology decomposition/mapping
Bus encoding

Vol. 55 No. 25 11.05.07

Re-timing

Scaling supply
voltage

The Authority on
Emerging Technologies
for Design Solutions

Clock gating
Pre-computation
Transistor/interconnect sizing
T

it

www.electronicdesign.com

d i

T
F

C O V E R S T O R Y / E N G I N E E R I N G F E A T U R E David Maliniak

33: Stanch The Bleeding


Of Leakage Power At 65 nm
Even as leakage overwhelms their power budgets, IC design teams are finding ways
to plug the holes that are costing them dearly at deep-submicron nodes.
T E C H N O L O G Y R E P O R T Sam Davis

40: Next-Generation Multifunction Power ICs


Help Shrink Mobile Systems
To meet size constraints, a single IC functions as a power subsystem-on-a-chip
by integrating combinations of linear and switching power sources, battery chargers,
and even audio amplifiers.
E N G I N E E R I N G E S S E N T I A L S Klaus G. Schroeter, Nanoident Technologies AG

40: Printed-Electronics Technology


Flexes Its Muscle
Forget about traditional, stiff silicon. Printed electronics can save costs while opening
the door to new applications.

28: L E A P F R O G :

F I R S T L O O K Louis E. Frenzel

Test System Pushes MIMO WIreless Standards Into The Spotlight


The latest wireless standards get to market sooner if you can test them quickly and easily.

61: D E S I G N

V I E W Thomas Kugelstadt, Texas Instruments

Move Over Iso AmpMake The Switch To Digital Isolation


Digital isolators are replacing the venerable isolation amplifiers, but understanding system requirements
before making the switch is a must.

First slave
address: N
Regs

LDO1
LDO2 I/O
LDO5

VREF
C

W 20

EDITORIAL MISSION:
To provide the most current, accurate, and in-depth technical coverage of the key emerging technologies that engineers need to design tomorrows products today.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN (ISSN 0013-4872) is published twice monthly except three issues in March, June, September and October by Penton Media Inc., 9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212-2216. Paid rates for a one-year
subscription are as follows: $110 U.S., $180 Canada, $205 International. Periodicals postage paid at Shawnee Mission, KS, and additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising addresses: ELECTRONIC DESIGN, 45 Eisenhower
Dr., Paramus, NJ 07652. Telephone (201) 843-6511. Facsimile (201) 845-2484. Printed in U.S.A. Title registered in U.S. Patent Office. Copyright 2007 by Penton Media Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may
not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright owner. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Penton Media Inc., PO Box 2095, Skokie, IL 60076-7995. For paid subscription requests, please contact:
Penton Media Inc., PO Box 2135, Skokie, IL 60076-7835. Canadian GST# R126431964, Canadian Sales Agreement No. 400226880.

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

pg06

9/14/07

3:20 PM

Page 6

ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

high capacity | MLC NAND | data storage | single-package | embedded | removable

Blaze new trails in product innovation with


the hottest leading-edge MLC NAND technology.
As the principal innovator of NAND Flash, Toshiba delivers
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W W W. N A N D . T O S H I B A . C O M

2007 Toshiba. All rights reserved.

p05,07

10/23/07

5:26 PM

Page 7

Vol. 55 No. 25

18:

T H E I N D U S T R Y Richard Gawel
Teslas Tests Confirm
Roadsters 245-Mile Range

20:

A N A L O G & P O W E R Don Tuite


Codec And System Power
Management Share A Die

Quad Equalizer Lets You Go Faster And Longer


With High-Speed Serial Channels
Serial-To-Wi-Fi Module Enables Wireless M2M
Without Programming

25:

E D A David Maliniak
DFT Tool Eliminates Need
For Gate-Level Scan

26:

D I G I T A L Daniel Harris
Wireless Technologies Work
Together To Cheat Death

Multiple Modes Flatten Flyback Efficiency Curves

22:

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S Louis E. Frenzel
Ethernet Transceiver First To Include
IEEE-1588 Precision Time Protocol

I D E A S

11.05.07

F O R

D E S I G N

64:

C L A S S I C I D E A S F O R D E S I G N Massimo Gottardi, Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica Tecnologica


AC Motor Driver Features PC Programmability

67:

I D E A S F O R D E S I G N Alfredo Saab and Tina Alikahi, Maxim Integrated Products


Twisted Pair Accurately Reads Digital Temperature Sensor At 1000 m

67:

I D E A S F O R D E S I G N Michael Covington, University of Georgia


Tuning A Quadrature Encoder By Ear

C
15:
16:

E D I T O R I A L Joe Desposito
Engineering Bridges Isnt Just Civil Anymore
P E A S E P O R R I D G E Bob Pease
Whats All This Stability Stuff, Anyhow?

E M B E D D E D

I N

SiliconSystems Inc.

The Five Myths Of Solid-State Storage:


Why Its Not As Expensive As You Think

D E S I G N

58: Autos Getting The Most From MOST150


58: Embedded News
60: New Products

F E A T U R E S

63: C O M P O N E N T V I E W
Circuit Protection

S P O N S O R E D

P O I N T O F V I E W Gary Drossel,

E L E C T R O N I C

57: Freeing Communications


57: Embedded News
58: 1-2-3-4: What Do We Need More Cores For?

P R O D U C T

17:

72: A D I N D E X

E D I T O R I A L

32A: B A S I C S O F D E S I G N Louis E. Frenzel


For The Best Receiver Testing, Record And Play Back Real-World RF Signals

JESSE H. NEAL
EDITORIAL
AWARD WINNER

Permission is granted to users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. (CCC) to photocopy any article, with the exception of those for which separate copyright ownership is indicated on the first page of the article, provided
that a base fee of $2 per copy of the article plus $1.00 per page is paid directly to the CCC, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 (Code No. 0013-4872/94 $2.00 + $1.00). Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the express permission of Penton Media, Inc. is prohibited. Requests for special permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the editor. To purchase copies on microfilm, please contact National Archive Publishing
Company (NAPC) at 732-302-6500 or 800-420-NAPC (6272) x6578 for further information.

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

p08

10/23/07

5:24 PM

Page 8

whats happening @

electronicdesign.com
KEEPING THE EE COMMUNITY CONNECTED

GOING GREENA LIGHT IN THE DARK


Jim Toal, Vishay Optoelectronics
Many companies have spent billions of dollars developing and qualifying alternative materials per the European Unions Restrictions on
Hazardous Substances (RoHS). Developing lead-free products and
processes requires a tremendous effort. But in some cases, finding
replacements for these substances has been much easier. The
replacement of cadmium-based ambient light sensors with simple,
inexpensive, and readily available silicon-based phototransistors is
one such success story.
ED ONLINE 17114

EPISODE 78: ROBOTIC GOALIES


Robots playing soccer may not seem like a huge accomplishment
until you see DARWIN. Short for Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot
with Intelligence, DARWIN can track a ball and respond to its movement all the while under its own programmed autonomy.
To view the episode, go to www.engineeringtv.com and click
on Episode 78.

BRINGING PHYSICAL PREDICTABILITY TO LOGIC DESIGN


Jack Erickson, Cadence Design Systems Inc.
Historically, wireload models have been inadequate for accurate
modeling of wire delays. Furthermore, the inaccuracy worsens with
each new process generation. Logic designers see one timing representation of their design, and physical designers see something
entirely different. This discontinuity impacts the success of the projED ONLINE 17108
ect in several ways.

FINDING AND TROUBLESHOOTING INTERMITTENT SIGNAL FAULTS


Intermittent circuit faults can be one of the most time-consuming
and difficult problems a design or test engineer encounters. This
archived seminar discusses best practices for using all brands and
models of digital oscilloscopes to identify and troubleshoot this type
of circuit failure.
Go to www.PlanetEE.com/Events/ to register!

Express yourself through our new poll.


To vote, go to www.electronicdesign.com.

SUPPORT, INTEGRATION DEFINE MONTAVISTA LINUX


Looking for embedded Linux? Embedded/Systems/Software Editor
Bill Wong checks out MontaVistas offering.
ED ONLINE 17286

ITS ALMOST TIME TO START YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

WHAT WILL BE THE


CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
SEGMENT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?

ROBOT GRIPPERS

Portable media players

15%

By Gareth J. Monkman, Stefan Hesse,


Ralf Steinmann, and Henrik Schunk

Video games

Someone with a significant background in robotics once told


Embedded/Systems/Software Editor Bill Wongs daughter that
robotics is always harder than it looks. Shes now studying to be a
mechanical engineer, and shell probably steal Bills copy of this
book as soon as he lets go of it.
ED ONLINE 17212

High-definition TVs

Cell phones
Other

10%

3%

28%

48%
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg09

10/22/07

4:00 PM

Page 9

You Need This Clock Generator

The CG635 generates clock signals flawlessly.


The clock signals are fast, clean and accurate,
and can be set to standard logic levels.

Digital clocks to 2.05 GHz


Less than 1ps jitter
CMOS, PECL, ECL, LVDS, RS-485
Phase adjustment & time modulation
PRBS for eye pattern testing

(opt.)

OCXO or rubidium timebase

How fast? Frequency to 2.05 GHz with rise and


fall times as short as 100 ps.
How clean? Jitter is less than 1 ps and phase
noise is better than 80 dBc/Hz (100 Hz offset)
at 622.08 MHz.

(opt.)

How accurate? Using the optional rubidium


10 MHz timebase, aging is better than
0.0005 ppm/year and temperature stability
is better than 0.0001 ppm.
You would expect an instrument this good to be
expensive, but it isn't. You no longer have to
buy an rf synthesizer to generate clock signals.
The CG635 does the job better, at a fraction of
the cost.
Clock and PRBS signals at 622.08 MHz

$2490 (U.S. List)

Stanford Research Systems


1290-D Reamwood Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Phone: (408) 744-9040 Fax: (408) 744-9049 E-mail: info@thinkSRS.com www.thinkSRS.com
READER SERVICE 128

p10

10/23/07

5:29 PM

Page 10

11.05.07

Keep it
Simple.

EDITORIAL TEAM
GROUP PUBLISHER:
BILL BAUMANN
201.845.2403

GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR:


MARK DAVID
201.845.2467

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
JOE DESPOSITO
201.845.2418

bbaumann@penton.com

mdavid@penton.com

jdesposito@penton.com

MANAGING EDITOR:
RICHARD GAWEL
201.845.2421 rgawel@penton.com

ART DIRECTOR:
DIMITRIOS BASTAS
201.845.2457 dbastas@penton.com

TECHNOLOGY EDITORS
ANALOG /POWER: DON TUITE 650.367.6268 dtuite@penton.com
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/PACKAGING & OPTOELECTRONICS: MAT DIRJISH 718.793.5501 mdirjish@penton.com

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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
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CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: JOHN EDWARDS 480.854.0011 jedwards@john-edwards.com

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ISSUE EDITOR: ROGER ENGELKE 201.845.2465 rengelke@penton.com


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Hi-Speed USB for over


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SENIOR ARTIST: JAMES M. MILLER 201.845.2437 jmmiller@penton.com
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GRAPHICS COORDINATOR: DAMIAN MENDEZ

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION

ART DEPARTMENT

MANUFACTURING GROUP
PRODUCTION MANAGER: LOUIS VACCA 201.845.2456 lvacca@penton.com
DIGITAL PRODUCTION: HENRY LOPEZ

ELECTRONIC DESIGN EUROPE


EDITOR: PAUL WHYTOCK +44.0.208.859.1206 pwhytock@penton.com

REPRINTS & PDFS


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and pricing, visit
ni.com/compactdaq/new

PENTON REPRINTS: JOEL KIRK 888.858.8851 www.pentonreprints.com

LIST RENTALS
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EDITORIAL OFFICES

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HEADQUARTERS
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FREE SUBSCRIPTION STATUS OF SUBSCRIPTION ADDRESS CHANGE MISSING BACK ISSUES

2007 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.


LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, and NI CompactDAQ
are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and
company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their
respective companies. 2006-8346-301-101-D

READER SERVICE 115

10

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/23/07

12:57 PM

Page 11

2.7-W Constant Power Class-D Amp


with Integrated Boost Converter
Applications
Wireless handsets
Personal navigation
Mini speakers
Portable gaming

Output Power vs. Supply Voltage (THD+N = 10% Gain = 6 dB)

3.00
2.50
Output Power (W)

TPA2013D1 Max Power Mode (RLoad = 4)

Features
Maximum output power of 2.7 W
Up to 1.5-W constant output
power capability over entire
Li-Ion battery range
Integrated Class-D and boost
converter eliminate unwanted
beat frequencies
High efciency (85%) for longer
battery life
Wide supply voltage (1.8-5.5 V)
for direct battery connect

2.00
TPA2013D1 Constant Power Mode (RLoad = 8)

1.50
1.00
Standard Class-D Amplifier (RLoad = 8)

0.50
0.00
2.3 V

3.6 V

4.8 V

Lithium-Ion Battery

er
ow
io P iers
Aud mplif
A
D1
3

201
TPA

2.3 mm

pg11

2.3 mm

The TPA2013D1 from Texas Instruments is a 2.7-W, lter-free Class-D amplier with integrated boost converter. It can generate
both high and constant output power from a wide-input supply voltage and features high efciency for longer battery life.
The TPA2013D1 is the smallest single-chip, integrated Class-D solution, making it ideal for the demands of portable applications.

Device

Output
Power (W)

Power
Supply (V)
(min) (max)

Half Power
THD+N
at 1kHz (%)

PSRR
(dB)

Load
Impedance
() (min)

Package(s)

Price
(1k)*

2.7

1.8

5.5

0.2

95

QFN, WCSP

1.45

TPA2012D2

2.1

2.5

5.5

0.2

75

QFN, WCSP

0.95

TPA203xD1

2.75

2.5

5.5

0.2

75

WCSP

0.60

TPA2010D1

2.5

2.5

5.5

0.2

75

WCSP

0.55

TPA2006D1

1.45

2.5

5.5

0.2

75

QFN

0.49

TPA2005D1

1.4

2.5

5.5

0.2

75

QFN, BGA

0.49

TPA2013D1

* Suggested resale price in U.S. dollars in quantities of 1,000.


High-Performance Analog >> Your Way, Technology for Innovators and the red/black banner are trademarks of Texas Instruments. 1887A0 2007 TI

For evaluation modules,


samples, and the
Audio Solutions
Guide, visit >>
www.ti.com/tpa2013d1
800.477.8924, ext. 3890

p12

10/23/07

5:32 PM

Page 12

11.05.07
SALES TEAM
ELECTRONIC DESIGN GROUP
GROUP PUBLISHER:
BILL BAUMANN
T | 201.845.2403 F | 201.845.2484
bbaumann@penton.com

Minisens
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transducer

GROUP SALES MANAGER:


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pmilnamow@penton.com

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES
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Minisens is taking miniaturization to the next level


as it is a fully fledged
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concentrators in an IC
SO8 size.

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Non-contact, no
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Access to voltage
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Ratiometric or fixed
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PLEASE FAX INSERTION ORDERS TO: JANET CONNORS T | 201.845.2413 F | 201.845.2484 jconnors@penton.com
LIST RENTALS: WALTER KARL INC. T | 845.732.7027 rosalie.garcia@walterkarl.infousa.com
REPRINTS & PDFS: PENTON REPRINTS T | 888.858.8851 www.pentonreprints.com
CIRCULATION: CUSTOMER SERVICE T | 866.505.7173 F | 847.763.9673 electronicdesign@halldata.com

INTERNATIONAL SALES
EUROPE: ALASTAIR SWIFT T | 44(0) 1727 765542 F | 44(0) 1727 752408
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Standby mode pin


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High performance gain
and offset thermal drifts

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GROUP


GROUP PUBLISHER: BILL BAUMANN 201.845.2403 bbaumann@penton.com
DIRECTOR OF EMEDIA: JASON BROWN 970.203.2891 jbrown@penton.com
GROUP MARKETING MANAGER: DOV SCHECHTER 201.845.2448 dschechter@penton.com

PENTON AUDIENCE MARKETING, CIRCULATION DEPT.


AUDIENCE MARKETING MANAGER: BRENDA ROODE 913.967.1955
VP, PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING: PHIL GRAHAM 216.931.9452 pgraham@penton.com

PENTON MEDIA INC.

www.lem.com
At the heart of power electronics

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: JOHN FRENCH John.French@penton.com


CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: ERIC LUNDBERG Eric.Lundberg@penton.com
VP, GENERAL COUNSEL, & CORPORATE SECRETARY: ROBERT FEINBERG Robert.Feinberg@penton.com
VP, DESIGN ENGINEERING GROUP: DAVID BLANSFIELD David.Blansfield@penton.com

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
249 WEST 17TH STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10011
212.204.4200

READER SERVICE 103

12

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg13

10/23/07

12:59 PM

Page 13

16-bit, VOUT DAC with


2ppm/C Internal Reference
Internal
2.5V Reference

Applications
Industrial control
Closed-loop servo control
PC peripherals

Internal
Output Buffer

Data aquisition systems


Digital
Isolator

DAC8560
Interface

4-20mA
Transmitter

4-20mA
Output

16-Bit
DAC

Isolated 4-20mA Digitally


Controlled Current Loop

Features
2.5V internal reference; 2ppm/C
stability
INL: 4LSB, 16-bit monotonic
Ultra-low glitch energy: 0.15nV-s
Power operation: 510A at 2.7V
Single supply: +2.7V to +5.5V
Package: MSOP-8

The new DAC8560 is a high-performance, easy-to-use DAC featuring a 2.5V, 2ppm/C internal reference with 0.02% initial
accuracy. It offers breakthrough performance by keeping output transients under 1mV and <100ns during code transitions.
For the best in performance, price and package, sample the newest valueDAC from TI.

Device

Description

DAC8560

Ultra-low glitch, 2ppm/C internal reference

Res.
(Bits)

#
Ch.

Interface

Settling
Time (s)

VREF

INL
()

Package

Price
(1k*)

16

SPI

Int

MSOP-8

$3.50

DAC8550

Ultra-low glitch, 2s complement input with POR to midscale

16

SPI

Ext

MSOP-8

$2.65

DAC8551

Ultra-low glitch, binary input with POR to zero

16

SPI

Ext

MSOP-8

$2.65

DAC8552

Dual channel, ultra-low glitch

16

SPI

Ext

MSOP-8

$5.45

DAC8554

Quad channel, ultra-low glitch, POR to zero

16

SPI

Ext

TSSOP-16

$10.40

DAC8555

Quad channel, ultra-low glitch, POR to zero or midscale

16

SPI

Ext

TSSOP-16

$10.40

DAC8564

Ultra-low glitch, 2ppm/C internal reference, quad, POR to zero

16

SPI

Int

TSSOP-16

$11.25

DAC8565

Ultra-low glitch, 2ppm/C internal reference, quad, POR to midscale

16

SPI

Int

TSSOP-16

$11.25

* Suggested resale price in U.S. dollars in quantities of 1,000. Intro Q4 2007

For samples and the new Amplifer and


Data Converter Selection Guide, visit>>
www.ti.com/dac8560
800.477.8924 ext. 4135
High-Performance Analog >> Your Way, valueDAC, Technology for Innovators and the red/black banner are trademarks of Texas Instruments. 1964A0 2007 TI

pg14

10/22/07

4:00 PM

Page 14

The Newest
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READER SERVICE 114

Mouser_ElectDesign_11-05.indd 1

10/3/07 8:55:19 AM

p15

10/23/07

4:32 PM

Page 15

Editorial

ED ONLINE 17392

JOE DESPOSITO | Editor-In-Chief


jdesposito@penton.com

Engineering Bridges
Isnt Just Civil Anymore
uring my days as an engineering student at Manhattan College, my calculus
teacher used to say, No partial credit! Get wrong answer, bridge fall down!
This was the first thing that flashed through my mind back in August when I heard
about the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota. My very next thought was that

an error in calculations couldnt have been the cause of this


disaster. So what was the cause?
The day after the collapse, Michael J. ORourke, a professor
of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said in a New York
Times article that the bridges
renovations likely caused the
collapse, not general decrepitude. It is more common for a
bridge to have problems during
renovations than before or
after, he said.
I travel over two bridges to get
to my office in Paramus, New Jersey, from my home on Long
Island: the Throgs Neck Bridge
and the George Washington
Photo courtesy of National Instruments
Bridge. A statement like this gives
me pause, since these two bridges are under constant renovation. In fact, I often wonder how long it will take to remove the
copious rust from the towers of the Throgs Neck.

MONITORING STRUCTURAL HEALTH One case study,


entitled Monitoring the Structural Health of the Rion-Antirion
Bridge Using LabVIEW Real-Time, explains how Advitam, a division of French company Vinci
Construction, developed a structural monitoring system to measure and define the behavior of
the Rion-Antirion Bridge in
Greece during normal operation,
strong winds, and earthquakes
(see the figure).
Advitam used a combination of
four PXI/SCXI chassis linked with
National Instruments LabVIEW
Real-Time software to incorporate
the conditioning, acquisition, processing, control, storage, and
sharing of measurements. It also
used lots of different sensors,
including 3D accelerometers, strain gages, load cells, and displacement, water-level, and temperature sensors. For more, see
http://sine.ni.com/cs/app/doc/p/id/cs-689.

STILL NO ANSWERS On Oct. 15, a story on the Minnesota Public Radio Web site (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/)
revealed that the cause of the collapse is still unknown and
probably wont be determined for many months. But organizations like the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and
the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) are working hard at finding an answer.
An answer after the fact is certainly needed, no matter how
long a wait. But Im more concerned about the bridges that are
still standing. I have read about inspectors who visually inspect
bridges or use ultrasound techniques. Is this sufficient? Civil
engineers have been building modern bridges for many years.
But do they take advantage of the wealth of available electronic
sensors and data-acquisition and computing equipment?
When asked at NIWeek about the bridge collapse, National
Instruments CEO James Truchard pointed to his own companys
products as a way to make bridges safer. In fact, case studies on
NIs Web site show how some civil engineers are integrating
electronics into their bridge-building work.

NEXT QUESTION Whether or not todays civil engineers


are capable of civiltronics engineering, combining both disciplines to build new bridges, the fact remains that older
bridges probably arent being monitored by sensors hooked
into data-acquisition systems and analyzed by computers on
a day-to-day basis. Should these bridges be retrofitted? I
guess you can argue that visual inspections are sufficient.
The New York Times article pointed out that the Federal
Highway Administration issued a report last year that rated
13.1% of all highway bridges as structurally deficient. It said
these bridges have deteriorated conditions of significant
bridge elements and reduced load carrying capacity.
So officials know about the problems, but they dont know
when they will become severe enough to cause a collapse.
After all, when a bridge or any other major structure collapses, it is with brutal suddenness. Maybe an electronic system
in place on a bridge could do more than indicate a need for
repairs. Maybe it could actually send a warning before bridge
fall down.

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

15

p16

10/23/07

4:24 PM

Page 16

PeasePorridge

ED ONLINE 17306

BOB PEASE | Contributing Editor


rap@galaxy.nsc.com

Whats All This Stability Stuff,


Anyhow?

guy recently asked me how I would look for a voltage reference thats
stable versus temp cycling. I told him I would take several of the best voltage references I had and use a dual-slope DVM of at least six digits to
compare them to the units in question. He then asked if comparing some

references to some other ones was kind of incestuous. This is


not rocket science.
You take several good voltage references and leave them the
heck alone! Apply some bias and just let them run undisturbed. I
have done this many times. But if possible, measure each of
them, at least once or twice per day. Gather up the trends. Look at
the data. Study them, study the standards, and study the DUTs.
I once had a set of 16 good references, LM399-types, that had
a subsurface (buried) zener and a heater to hold them at 88C.
Each output was 6.9 V 2%, and I averaged the output through
some 499- resistors. The output impedance was 65 . I measured the average of eight versus eight. The relative stability
seemed to be very good. The noise seemed to be excellent
better than 0.1 ppm p-p, out of 7 V, in a bandwidth of about 1 Hz.
But the point is that if you leave something alone, and cycle
something else through experiences, you learn something.
What are you trying to learn? A drift versus temp is easy to spot
if one part goes through a temp cycle and another doesnt.
Cycle the DUTs twice or four or eight times. Look for trends.
Check the VREF of each of these against the average of the two
or four or eight uncycled references. You may learn something.
What do you see for trends? Do you see a drift that decreases
gradually versus experience? Or is there some hysteretic drift
that keeps coming back?
BACK IN THE DAY Back 24 years ago, we set up some
excellent long-term stability tests for the LM199AH. We read their
data every week for six weeks, compared to a battery of other reference voltages, including ovenized saturated standard cells,
4  1.018 V dc. We convinced ourselves that these references
were mostly drifting less than 10 or 15 ppm per 1000 hours.
We sold them with a guarantee of 20 ppm per 1000 hours.
When we ran out of such customers, we shut down that aging/
testing program. But it was challenging. What if one or more of
the tested references had some drift? We were prepared to use
our judgement to decide that the apparent drift of one reference
could be ignoredif all the other references seemed stable.
What if the DVMs reference started drifting? This was a ratiometric test, so we could correct for that. So long as most of the references seemed stable, we could compensate. Of course, we had
to rely on the ratiometric linearity of the DVM, which was guaranteed and inherent, better than 1 ppm. It was a very good HP3456.
16

To be fair, I shouldnt just call it a dual-slope DVM. It was more


like quad slope or multi-slope. Its measurement scheme used a
lot of rubbing and polishing. I have seen several other kinds of
six-digit DVMs that had linearity flaws, but the Hewlett-Packard
ones never showed any such error. Now they are called Agilent.
Since that era, we have used groups of LM399s as references for testing other kinds of band-gap references. Of
course, using a group of four references can increase the
chances that one of the group will start drifting.
But if you have four groups of four, the chances that one will
start drifting and wont be apprehended are quite small. Longterm drift can be fairly dependable. We sent some LM399s to
the NBS/NIST, which found a long-term drift rate of about 1 ppm
per 1000 hours when the die was self-heated to 88C.
Other people have observed that if the LM399 isnt heated
to 88C, but just kept at room temp, the long-term drift rate
can be less than 1 ppm per 1000 hours. So should you heat
them up only an hour per month? Maybe so.
The VOS of an op amp is almost trivialand it is not trivial, nor
is it trivial to guess, what will happen on the next full temp cycle.
Sometimes an op amp will drift 1 or 2 V. But other times it may
drift 3 or 4 V after cycling around a full set of temperature tests.
The next time it goes around the cycle, it might drift 4 or 3 V.
This is due to stress on the die. Can you predict this? I dont think
so. So even an op amp requires some respect in its testing.
A computer can predict how much stress will be on the first
die, at various places, when it is packaged. It can predict how
much stress will be on the second dieand the third. Its all the
same. So offsets and drift and hysteresis will be the same,
right? Not so. So much for computers. So much for CAD. I prefer to admit the reality of computer-hindered design.
These stresses apply also to band-gap references. They, too,
have drifts as they are temp-cycled and brought back to the
original temperature. I dont know any circuits that arent more
stable if you just leave them alone.
Comments invited! rap@galaxy.nsc.com or:
Mail Stop D2597A, National Semiconductor
P.O. Box 58090, Santa Clara, CA 95052-8090
BOB PEASE obtained a BSEE from MIT in 1961 and is Staff Scientist at
National Semiconductor Corp., Santa Clara, California
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

p17

10/23/07

4:42 PM

Page 17

PointOfView

ED ONLINE 17314

GARY DROSSEL | Vice President of Product Planning, SiliconSystems Inc.


gdrossel@siliconsystems.com

The Five Myths Of Solid-State


Storage: Why Its Not As
Expensive As You Think

mbedded system designers need more from a storage system than higher capacities. Todays applications require enhanced performance, reliability, and security, all of which can effectively be met with advanced solid-state storage. This
technology offers many tangible benefits, including multiyear product cycles, no

product wearout, the ability to accurately forecast usable storage system life, and security options beyond encryption. But
OEMs continue to design in substandard storage based on five
prevalent myths.
MYTH 1: ITS TOO EXPENSIVE Not necessarily. The
megabyte capacity of traditional storage products far exceeds
user requirements in many applications. Yet to maintain average selling prices, hard-drive manufacturers offer increasingly
higher-capacity hard drives, forcing users to buy 40 Gbytes or
more of storage when their application requirements may be
for as little as a few gigabytes.
A recent study concluded that most enterprise system OEM
applications require less than 4 Gbytes. An edge router is a typical application that stores both an operating system and data
log files using less than 4 Gbytes. Since there is cost parity
between hard drives and solid-state at this capacity, solid-state
storage is no longer too expensive.
Advances in the last 15 years have made solid-state storage
more affordable today than ever. Working with a typical $250
storage budget, companies can purchase the same capacity in
either solid-state or hard drive. For the same cost as a hard
drive, they can gain the additional benefits that come with solid-state. So, the cost per useable gigabyte now favors solidstate storage over hard drives in many applications.
MYTH 2: SUPERIOR HARD-DRIVE PERFORMANCE
Field failure rates for hard drives are up to 15 times greater
than datasheet specifications, according to a Carnegie Mellon
University report dated February 2007. And according to a February 2007 Google study, once a hard drive has its first scan
error, whether it be for reallocation, offline reallocation, or probational counts, it is 39 times more likely to fail within 60 days.
When hard drives are used in more demanding applications
that extend duty cycles or in applications with vibration, temperature variation, or other environmental challenges, field
failure rates are much higher.
Hard drives will always be better in applications requiring
massive amounts of storage capacity, since solid-state is a
long way away from offering a cost-effective terabyte of storage. But for many applications, solid-state storage offers better
durability and a significantly lower total cost of ownership.

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

MYTH 3: COSTLY PRODUCT REQUALIFICATIONS


Not so. Many flash card and hard-drive manufacturers force
requalifications on their customers due to product development techniques they employ to minimize their bill of materials
costs. Conversely, developers of advanced solid-state storage
technology leverage product development strategies that
enable them to continually introduce technology advances
without triggering product requalifications for users.
MYTH 4: UNAVOIDABLE WEAROUT Not with solidstate technology. Storage systems should not wear out or fail
during the required deployment cycle, as the costs associated
with unscheduled downtime, field maintenance, product
recalls, lost revenue, and customer goodwill are significant.
Solid-state storage technology features patented technologies such as robust wear-leveling and error correction code
(ECC) algorithms, as well as early warning systems that forecast useable life to virtually eliminate the chances of storage
system wearout. The endurance of a traditional flash card simply cannot match that of an advanced storage technology that
offers wear-leveling over the entire drive and 6-bit ECC.
MYTH 5: LIMITED SECURITY OPTIONS In the past,
embedded system design challenges due to the small footprint
and low-power requirements for storage systems prevented storage security options beyond basic encryption technology. Leading manufacturers of advanced solid-state storage technology
offer an array of advanced user-selectable security options that
prevent IP theft, protect application data, and manage data
security via the host system, not the storage product.
TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP Many designers assume
that low-cost storage solutions will lower their total cost of storage ownership, but a wide array of factors must be considered. It
is far more complex than simply calculating the cost differential
between various storage products. A lower individual unit cost
per storage product is only relevant if all products being compared deliver the same benefits to the user.
GARY DROSSEL joined SiliconSystems in 2004 as Director of Product Marketing and was named VP of Product Planning in September 2006. He has a
BS in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

17

p18

10/23/07

4:22 PM

Page 18

TechView
Teslas Tests
Confirm Roadsters
245-Mile Range

trol enabled, so there were no squealing


tires nor the smell of burning rubber.
But had I switched traction control off,
we might have reached 60 mph even
faster (albeit more dramatically)!
Simpson reached a top speed of 130
mph and maintained it for half a mile.
However, he said, such sustained
speeds subject the drive motor to
extreme mechanical and thermal
stresses. Tesla will electronically limit
the production Roadsters top speed to
125 mph to maintain long-term reliability in the powertrain.

esla Motors created quite a


stir when it announced its
all-electric Roadster in
2006, with 250 miles per
charge and 0- to 60-mph
acceleration in 4 seconds.
Critics were quick with their skepticism.
But in September, the company put its
Validation Prototype 1 (VP1) to the test,
confirming these claims with only some
slight modifications (Fig. 1).
According to Tesla vehicle systems
engineer Andrew Simpson, the company
upgraded the VP1 to meet production
standards. Among other tweaks, the
motor and power electronics module
(PEM) cooling were improved to increase
thermal headroom and reduce the need
for active cooling. Designers also installed
a brand new Energy Storage System (ESS)
battery pack thats baseline-tested and
confirmed against the companys production specification.
I then drove VP1 more than 1000
miles in representative real-world conditions to wear in the new components, prior to testing, as required by federal procedures for range certification, said
Simpson. These miles included impatient commuting in the suburbs, sustained aggressive driving on the highways,
and (most fun of all) sporty driving in the
hills around San Francisco.

MORE MILES For mileage testing,


the team headed to Automotive Testing
and Development Services in Ontario,
Calif., and strapped the VP1 to one of
the facilitys dynamometers. A steel
roller on the dyno connects to an electric
generator, which provides an opposing
force to simulate the vehicles weight
(inertia) and friction (drag). A professional driver operated the vehicle to control
the accelerator, brake pedals, and gear
shift (Fig. 2).
Using EPA guidelines, Tesla achieved
a city driving cycle of 252 miles with
recharge energy of 30 kWh per 100
miles. The company also achieved a
highway driving cycle of 236 miles with
a recharge energy of 32 kWh per 100

PUNCHING IT The team headed to


Moffett Field at NASAs Ames Research
Center in Sunnyvale, Calif. Simpson took
the VP1 out on a 1.5-mile runway with a
gentle slope, zooming up and down the
tarmac in both directions. Onboard computers logged the cars speed data while
standalone instruments provided backup
and confirmation.
I shifted to first, punched the throttle, and the car rocketed easily to 60
mph in less than 4 seconds, Simpson
said. I had mistakenly left traction con-

2. Engineers check the VP1s mileage on the


dynamometer at Automotive Testing and
Development Services.

18

1. The Tesla Motors VP1 rolled off the production line in


the United Kingdom and got put through its paces during
testing at the NASA Ames Research Center and at
Automotive Testing and Development Services.

miles. Combined, thats 245 miles with


a recharge energy of 31 kW/h per 100
milesnot too far from those initial 250mile claims for a single charge.
Over the last few months, Tesla engineers have taken VP models out cruising
in northern California to prove ranges for
a single charge in a variety of driving
styles. In a best-case scenario, the car
enjoyed 267 miles of conservative urban
driving in the suburbs around San Carlos.
Drives also included a 230-mile run
from North Lake Tahoe to San Carlos
with two occupants plus luggage. The
team tallied 186 miles of aggressive
driving on I-280 and the round trip from
Woodside to San Gregorio Beach via
Highway 84. And a commuter nightmare
saw 165 miles of impatient driving with
aggressive stops and starts, high
speeds, and air conditioning from
Saratoga Gap to San Carlos via highways 9 and 85 and I-280.
SIGN UP NOW! We had previously indicated our testing suggested that
range would likely come in closer to 200
miles per charge. But we have been
working diligently to improve this very
important characteristic and are now
quite pleased with the results, said
Michael E. Marks, Tesla Motors CEO.
Additional testing confirms that we can
take weight out of the battery pack,
which should improve range.
Also, Tesla announced that it has
established a production goal of 50 Roadsters for the first quarter of 2008, followed by an additional 600 cars for the
remainder of the year. While the company
already has filled its reservations for
2008, interested drivers can put down a
deposit of $5000 to get on the waiting list
for remaining 2008 Roadsters or be first
in line for the 2009 models when they
become available.
Richard Gawel
ED ONLINE 17396
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg19

10/23/07

7:16 PM

Page 19

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READER SERVICE 111

Automotive ICs

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p20

10/23/07

4:27 PM

Page 20

TechView:Analog & Power


DON TUITE | Analog/Power Editor
dtuite@penton.com

Codec And System


Power Management
Share A Die

ut the whole power system for a


Four of the 2-MHz, more than 90% effiportable audio and navigation syscient dc-dc converters are buck-mode regtem on the same die as the sysulators to generate the supplies for the systems audio codec? Thats what Wolfson
tems CPU core, I/O, memory devices, and
Microelectronics has done in its Audioother system peripherals. Each output voltPlus codec line. OEMs would like shorter
age is separately programmable between
bills of materials and more compact
0.85 and 3.4 V in 25-mV steps.
board layouts, but whats going to be inteTwo 1-MHz dc-dc converters are boost
grated? Wolfson says mixed-signal audio
regulators for backlight displays and USB
and system power make the most sense.
On-The-Go (USB/OTG). The four 150-mA
There are now three philosophies for
low-noise LDOs supply the audio codec
power management in portable devices.
itself, an external phase-locked loop (PLL),
Weve seen the first two: centralize powand other system functions. Output volter management and run separate voltage can be set between 0.9 and 3.3 V in
age rails to each chip; or, bus a common
50- or 100-mV steps.
voltage around the board and locate sepThe single-cell lithium battery charger
arate dc-dc converters where needed,
supports programmable target voltage,
having them operate autonomously or
trickle and fast charge modes, and various
under orders from a central controller
safety features for the end application.
via a simple control bus. AudioPlus repAutonomous power-supply selection from
resents the third option.
USB and/or an ac adapter enables instant
The first AudioPlus chip, the WM8350, is on even when the battery is dead.
a high-fidelity, stereo codec with advanced
This all comes in a 7- by 7-mm, 129-pin
mixing capability (see the figure). It proball-grid array (BGA) package. Unit-pricing
vides six analog inputs, two stereo analog
is $4.32 in 10,000-piece quantities.
outputs, and two mono line outputs. Also, it Wolfson Microelectronics
drives headphones directly. It has an onwww.wolfsonmicro.com
chip clock generator and an auxiliary anaED ONLINE 17394
log-to-digital converter (ADC) as well.
Applications processor
The key performSystem functions
ance number, signal-to-noise ratio
Control
Audio
Core, I/O,
Memory
interface
interface
and PLL
(SNR), is 98 dB.
The power porI2S
I2C
tion of the chip
Video encoder
integrates six dcdc converters, four
Wolfson WM8350
Wi-Fi
low-dropout reguFour dc-dc
lators (LDOs), a
Control
step-downs
battery charger,
registers
USB/OTG
Four LDOs
and two white-LED
Two dc-dc
Hi-fi
audio
drivers. A built-in
step-ups
codec
power-manageDisplay backlight
USB (VBUS)
ment controller is
Battery
Current-sink
AC adapter
charger
drivers
responsible for the
Battery
output voltage settings, startup
sequencing, and
managing the low- Taking a fresh look at system partitioning, Wolfson has included a complete powerpower modes.
management system for handheld devices on the same die with an audio codec.

20

Multiple Modes Flatten


Flyback Efficiency
Curves
One trouble with most power converters
is that they achieve their best efficiencies
only at high load levels. At moderate and low
loads, their efficiencies can fall to as low as
40%. This is unacceptable when systems
being powered spend most of their on-time
drawing less than full power. Dealing with
this leads to power supplies that incorporate extra transformer windings, rectifiers,
and control circuitry for standby operation.
More elegantly (and economically), Power
Integrations TOPSwitch-HX substantially
improves moderate- and low-load performance compared to existing solutionsfor
example, 57% versus 37% efficiency at 1-W
output with a 265-V ac source and 62% versus 52% at 120 V.
The HX family members achieve their flatter efficiency curves through a new fourmode control scheme. At maximum load,
the modulator operates in full-frequency
pulse-width modulation (PWM) mode. As
the load requirements decrease, the modulator transitions to a variable-frequency
PWM mode and then to a low-frequency
PWM mode. Under light loads, the modulator operates in multicycle mode.
In full-frequency mode, the average
switching frequency is kept constant. (This
mode is the standard operating mode for
Power Integrations other TOPSwitch
chips.) At a preset load reduction, peak
drain current is held constant while switching frequency drops toward a 30-kHz rate.
In this mode, duty-cycle reduction is
accomplished by extending off-time.
When the switching frequency reaches its
minimum, the PWM modulator transitions
to a mode in which switching frequency is
held constant while duty cycle is reduced
further by cutting on-time. When peak drain
current drops even further, the modulator
transitions to multicycle-modulation mode
in which, at each turn-on, the modulator
bursts four or five consecutive pulses at 30
kHz. This mode not only keeps peak drain
current low, it also minimizes harmonic frequencies between 6 and 30 kHz, avoiding
the transformer resonant frequency.
Pricing in 1000-piece quantities for the
TOP258PN, a 35-W part in a DIP-8 package, is $1.57 each.
Power Integrations
www.powerint.com
ED ONLINE 17395
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg21

10/22/07

4:01 PM

Page 21

You DESIGN It
We BUILD It
Use the Most Comprehensive Power Design Tools Available

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Configure a DC-DC or AC-DC


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Configure your design of Vicors VIPAC
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READER SERVICE 135

10/23/07

3:53 PM

Page 22

TechView:Communications
LOUIS E. FRENZEL | Communications/Test Editor
lfrenzel@penton.com

Ethernet Transceiver
First To Include IEEE-1588
Precision Time Protocol

throughout the network. One of the


clocks is used as a grandmaster clock,
and all other clocks are considered
slaves synced to the master clock. This
synchronization is accomplished by an
exchange of special protocol-specific
packets over the network to provide
timestamping information.
The timestamping of transmitted and
received packets allows designers to
determine the difference between clock
frequencies and correct for them. The
protocol provides a continuous and automatic process where the clock differences are noted and automatically
adjusted. This provides timing precision
of less than 1 s and often even less.
The DP83640 is a standard Ethernet
10/100-MHz physical-layer (PHY) transceiver, but it includes all of the hardware
to implement the IEEE-1588 time-sync
functions (see the figure). The I/O typically
is the RJ45 connector to the twisted-pair
medium. This chip accommodates the
100BaseFX PHY, which uses fiber, as well.
Also, the DP83640 interfaces to a
microcontroller and the Ethernet media
access control (MAC) segment of the Ethernet system by way of the standard
media independent interface (MII) or the
reduced media independent interface
(RMII) normally provided. This IC makes
a great companion to an embedded controller (or FPGA or ASIC) that doesnt
have the IEEE-1588 capability.
The DP83640
IEEE-1588 IEEE-1588
comes in a 48-pin
captured
events
events
low-profile quad
IEEE-1588 clocks,
events, triggers
flat package
10BaseT
(LQFP) and costs
DP83640T
100BaseTX
10/100-Mbit/s
$5.24 in 1000-unit
MPU/CPU
precision PHYTER
MII or RMII
or
quantities. An evalFiber
transceiver 100BaseFX
uation board is
also available.
Status
Clock
LEDs
National
Semiconductor
The DP83640 10/100 Ethernet physical-layer chip includes everything needed to ethernet.national.
implement the IEEE-1588 Precision Time Protocol. The interface to the MAC in a com
ED ONLINE
controller, FPGA, or ASIC is a standard MII or RMII bus. The chip interfaces to
17359
the familiar RJ45 Ethernet connector to CAT5 cable.

22

RJ45

Magnetics

y far, Ethernet is the most widely


used local-area networking (LAN)
technology. More than 90% of all
LANs use it in some form, wired by CAT5
or CAT6 or even wireless. Now, the industry is beginning to adopt Ethernet for a
wide variety of automation, data-acquisition, test and measurement, and other
real-time applications.
Yet one of the biggest problems with
Ethernet in industrial applications is the
non-deterministic nature of the data
transmission. For many applications,
Ethernets Network Time Protocol (NTP)
provides adequate timing information if
timing resolutions of 10 ms or more are
enough. In some cases, though, its
essential to provide a more timely
transfer of information for control and
monitoring purposes.
The IEEE-1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) standard represents a solution
to these time-critical problems. For
example, it provides time-synchronized
motion control to distributed controllers
in a manufacturing setting as well as
time correlation of data in data-acquisition and test and measurement systems. And now, designers can get a full
implementation of IEEE-1588 PTP in
National Semiconductors PHYTER
DP83640 Ethernet transceiver.
The IEEE-1588 PTP is a technique for
synchronizing the clock signals in one
part of a network with clocks distributed

MAC

p22,24

Quad Equalizer
Lets You Go Faster
And Longer
With High-Speed
Serial Channels
When implementing systems using gigabit
serial data transmissions in cables or in
backplane transmission lines, youre very
limited in the lengths you can achieve
because of the severe attenuation and distortion. An established way to compensate
is to use equalization at the receiver.
The equalizer anticipates the distortion and
adds corrective measures that enable you to
implement higher-speed interfaces over
longer signal paths. Now, you can buy such
equalizers for some standard serial interfaces
that run as fast as 10 Gbits/s. For example,
National Semiconductors DS64EV400 programmable quad equalizer compensates for
medium losses and reduces deterministic jitter for four data channels.
Part of Nationals PowerWise product portfolio, the chip consumes 94 mW per channel. With these equalizers, you can boost
signal strength as much as 20 dB on up to
10 m of CAT5 cable or up to 40 in. of FR-4
pc-board backplane up to 6.4 Gbits/s and
up to 30 in. for FR-4 at rates to 10 Gbits/s.
Equalizer output has a low 0.175 UI (unit
interval) of residual jitter.
The DS64EV400 is designed for use with
FPGAs and ASICs in building systems using
any of the high-speed buses like Fibre Channel and Ethernet/XAUI. Each equalizer channel has eight equalization levels that all can
be set simultaneously by three control pins
or individually programmed through a serial
management bus (SMB) link.
The chip permits both ac and dc coupling
to the data paths and can accommodate
long run-length data patterns like PRBS-31
or balanced codes like 8B/10B. The
DS64EV400 also uses differential currentmode logic (CML) I/O and is protected
against electrostatic discharge (ESD).
The DS64EV400 is made with a proprietary
silicon-germanium (SiGe) biCMOS process
and comes in a 7- by 7-mm, 48-pin leadless
leadframe package (LLP). Supply voltage
may be 2.5 or 3.3 V. The DS32EV400 is
available for data rates up to 3.2 Gbits/s.
Pricing is $16 for the DS64EV400 and $13
for the DS32EV400 in 1000-unit lots.
National Semiconductor
www.national.com
ED ONLINE 1736
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg23

10/23/07

12:48 PM

Page 23

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p22,24

10/23/07

3:54 PM

Page 24

TechView: Communications
Serial-To-Wi-Fi Module Enables Wireless M2M Without Programming
Connecting a device to the Internet for remote monitoring or control
security, as well as a full suite of Internet protocols and applications
in machine-to-machine (M2M) applications isnt easy. Yet Wi-Fi is quickly
that serve as a firewall.
becoming the most asked for requirement in M2M applications, such as
With this chip, all Internet connectivity, cryptography, and security is
point of sale, medical devices, and security. While the hardware is well
offloaded from the application processor. This frees up host-processing
known, the project is more of a software development effort. Now you
capability and simplifies the design process. As a co-processor, the
can add Internet connectivity via any Wi-Fi 802.11 wireless local-area
CO2128 has a remotely updatable firmware capability, making new
network (WLAN) access point or hot spot with a drop-in module that
security or connectivity protocols easy to add without redesign, increasrequires no software effort.
ing memory, or boosting processor speed to meet future wireless
Device networking company Connect One and radio modem supplier
demands. The iChipSec CO2128 has an integrated hardware-based
Wi2Wi have collaborated to offer the Secure Socket iWiFi module. This
SSL encryption engine to ensure end-to-end secure data transfers even
module provides a fast and effective way to Wi-Fi-enable non-PC
over the Internet. It also acts as a firewall on a chip protecting the
devices that use embedded real-time operating systems. It features an
application from network attacks.
input via a standard RS-232 nine-pin D connector, a complete
The module core operates at 1.2 V with I/Os running from 3.3 V. Typi10/100BaseT Ethernet controller, the
cal dissipation is 200 mW. Several sleep
Marvell 88W8686 802.11b/g wireless
modes further reduce power consumption.
chip set, and Connect Ones iChipSec
The Secure Socket iWiFi is available now
CO2128 IP controller (see the figure).
for less than $40 in 5000-unit lots. The IIThe module provides for connectivity
EVB-361MS evaluation board is available
with dial-up modems as well as cellular
for development and testing.
modems using GSM, GPRS, CDMA,
Connect One Ltd.
cdma2000, EDGE, or satellite. The
Connect One and Wi2Wi have jointly developed the Secure Socket
www.connectone.com
CO2128 controller includes the latest iWiFi module, which gives designers of M2M and other equipment a
Wi2Wi Inc.
encryption and hardware internalized fast and easy way to wirelessly link to the Internet.
www.wi2wi.com ED ONLINE 17361

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READER SERVICE 81

24

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/23/07

5:19 PM

Page 25

TechView:EDA

Mike Shubert

DAVID MALINIAK | Electronic Design Automation Editor

power transformer specialist

dmaliniak@penton.com

Design-For-Test Tool
Eliminates Need For
Gate-Level Scan

f theres a truism in design debug and


test, its that the earlier you can find a
bug, the less costly it is to fix. Thus,
finding bugs at RTL is far preferable to
finding them after synthesis. With
DeFacTo Technologies HiDFT-Scan,
designers can analyze their RTL IC and
system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs, create
the appropriate scan-test structures, and
insert them into the RTL code.
HiDFT-Scan works within existing
design flows and with industry-standard
synthesis tools. By eliminating the need
for gate-level scan, HiDFT-Scan enables
a high-level design-for-test (DFT) sign-off
methodology (see the figure).
The ongoing shrinkage in feature
sizes at nanometer scales has made
designs so complex that its no longer
realistic to perform verification at gate
level. After synthesis to gates, the late
implementation of any logic, including
scan chains, has a significant impact on
design choices and the overall project
schedule. Additionally, it can adversely
affect the ability to meet timing, power,
and clock-speed goals.

HiDFT-Scan permits designers to create


a high-level DFT signoff methodology, closing the gap between RTL and DFT. It allows
the implementation of all DFT-related logic
at the same stage at which primary design
decisions are made, facilitating early identification of test issues. It also speeds up
RTL simulation and formal verification
because simulations can be run on the
design after scan is inserted but before
synthesis. HiDFT-Scan generates RTL scan
testbenches, enabling designers to proceed with both design verification and testrelated corrections before generating the
gate-level netlist, as well.
Furthermore, the methodology thats
afforded by HiDFT-Scan enables designers to avoid the insertion of additional
test structures on critical paths after synthesis. Users can augment their existing
signoff methodologies at RTL with capabilities such as RTL analysis of test structures and management of power consumed by testing.
DeFacTo Technologies
www.defactotech.com
ED ONLINE 17397

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READER SERVICE 85

p26

10/23/07

4:40 PM

Page 26

TechView:Digital
DANIEL HARRIS | Digital Technology Editor
dharris@penton.com

Wireless Technologies Work


Together To Cheat Death

he Grim Reaper isnt a happy


fellow these days as technol(a)
ogy and medicine continue to
keep people around. When you
usually hear about someone coming back from the dead and getting
a second chance at life, you
assume it was dreamt up in Hollywood. Yet thanks to technology
from Boston Scientific, people like
my friend Tim can continue ticking
for the foreseeable future.
Diagnosed with congestive heart
failure (CHF) many years ago, Tim
has had several heart attacks. In
fact, he was declared clinically dead
when he saw his cardiologist a little
over a year ago because his heart
(b)
wasnt sending the proper electrical
signals to beat in a normal rhythm.
This left Tim with two choices: imminent death or a chance for life with
new technology.
Tim is one of the more than
1500 CHF patients who qualified
for the Contak Renewal 3RF cardiac resynchronization therapy
defibrillator (CRT-D). This device is
implanted in the pectoral region of
the chest with gold contacts placed
in three of the hearts four cham1. Implanted in the pectoral region of the chest (a), the Contak
bers (Fig. 1).
Renewal device uses gold contacts to provide pacemaking and defiThe CRT-D primarily functions as brulation capabilities (b). It also communicates with the Interneta pacemaker. But it also can stop
connected Latitude Communicator via the ISM RF band.
and restart a heart using a 41Joule burst of energy when the pulse is too
high or low. Additionally, it includes RF communication capabilities via the industrial sci2. The Latitude
entific and medical (ISM) band in the 902Communicator provides into 928-MHz range.
home monitoring that
The CRT-D works with the Internetwirelessly reads
connected Latitude Communicator
implantable device
(Fig. 2). The Latitude device sits
information from the
under Tims bed and continuContak Renewal
ously monitors and awaits
device once a day. The
data from the CRT-D at times
Communicator sends
specified by his physician durthe data it collects to a
ing the CRT-Ds original prosecure data storage sysgramming. (The CRT-D nortem, which the patients
mally is programmed when it is
physician can access at
implanted.)
any time.
26

A Bluetooth-enabled scale and a


sphygmomanometer monitor Tims
weight and blood pressure daily.
Subsequent to each reading, the
data is transmitted to the Latitude
device. When the system finds a
pulse, weight, or blood pressure
anomaly, it lets the patient know. In
fact, Tim heard from the machine
after a particularly stressful night.
The next morning, out of the
blue, a female voice says, You have
questions to answer, Tim
explained. The voice startled him
until he realized it was the Latitude
device, which continued to ask
questions such as How bad is your
vision on a scale of one to four?
and How many pillows did you use
last night?
Cardiologists working with Boston
Scientific developed this set of quality-of-life inquiries based on the kinds
of questions physicians would ask
patients who are feeling uncomfortable and go to the doctors office for
a diagnostic visit.
In the recent ACC/AHA guidelines for heart failure, close monitoring of a patients weight and activities of daily living are a Class I
recommendation. There is ample
evidence that this type of approach
can result in fewer hospitalizations
for heart failure patients, said Greg
Ewald, MD.
Each day, the Latitude device
takes the information it collects and
sends it via modem to a secure
server accessible through the Latitude Web site. The combined technologies not only keep Tim and similar patients alive longer, they also
keep physicians informed. Doctors
can use the data to more quickly
react to anomalies that may indicate an impending crisisand prevent a visit from Mr. Reaper.
Boston Scientific
www.bostonscientific.com
ED ONLINE 17341
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg27

10/22/07

4:01 PM

Page 27

Learn more. Visit www.am.necel.com/motorcontrol


and order a low-cost starter kit ($79.00).*
* Limited supply, restrictions apply

READER SERVICE 116

p28,30

10/23/07

5:21 PM

Page 28

LeapFrog

ED ONLINE 17368

LOUIS E. FRENZEL | Communications/Test Editor


lfrenzel@penton.com

Test System Pushes


MIMO Wireless Standards
Into The Spotlight
The latest wireless standards get to market sooner if you can test
them quickly and easily.

ultiple input/multiple output (MIMO) uses its multiple transmitters, receivers, and antennas to achieve
greater link distance and reliability as well as higher
data rates. So it shouldnt be much of a surprise,
then, to tell you that MIMO is now an option in most of the latest
wireless technologies.
Already, its being used in 802.11g/n Wi-Fi wireless localarea networks (WLANs). Its also being picked up in some of
the new WiMAX products. And theres no doubt that in the near
future, well see it applied to Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and fourthgeneration cell phones using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and
Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB).
This hot technology isnt new, per se, but adoption has been
slow because its complex and difficult to test. Its complexity
comes from the basic computationally intense MIMO reception
process, as well as from the fact that MIMO usually is part of an
orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) process.
OFDM is the modulation/multiplexing darling of wireless
these days, since its been adopted by the standards that also
embrace MIMO, like LTE and UMB. While several MIMO test
products are already out there, Keithleys MIMO RF Test System
makes testing much faster and easier at a reasonable price.
If you arent familiar with Keithleys name being tied to RF
test, its time to get acquainted. The company has slowly built
an excellent line of RF test products, including the model 2920
vector signal generator (VSG) and the model 2820 vector signal analyzer (VSA). Add the model 2895 MIMO synchronization
unit and powerful MIMO signal analysis
software, and you get a complete and very
capable MIMO test system.
A BRIEF LOOK Most wireless applications still use single-input single-output
(SISO), where one transmitter (Tx) sends a
signal to a single receiver (Rx). This
arrangement works fine, but at UHF and
microwave frequencies, the signal is subject to the usual noise and interference as
well as multipath fading. Reflections from
buildings, cars, trees, people, and other
obstacles cause multiple but delayed signals to arrive at the receiver, producing
signal cancellation. Also, moving objects
create Doppler shifts that produce fading.
28

Multipath interference has another negative effect called


intersymbol interference (ISI). The modulated data generates
symbol changes in phase and/or amplitude. If the data rate is
fast enough, these symbol changes occur at a rate that can
cause them to overlap if the same signal is received, but at different times over different paths.
With one symbol interfering with another, data recovery at the
receiver produces errors or no usable signal. The problem is usually solved by slowing the data rate so the symbols dont overlap
in the presence of multipath effects. Yet it defeats the purpose of
the link because high speed is needed or desired. The way to
have your cake and eat it too, so to speak, is to use MIMO.
MIMO uses multiple transmitters and receivers, with two
transmitters and two receivers (2x2) being the common arrangement (Fig. 1). The data to be transmitted is divided into two parallel streams, and each is used to modulate a transmitter. The
signals are also encoded, making them unique so that they can
be recovered at the receiver. The two signals are transmitted on
the same frequency.
At the other end of the link, each receiver picks up both signals in addition to any multipath signals. Due to the signal
decoding and the multiple delayed versions of the signals, its
possible to recover each signal and reconstruct the data
through mathematical algorithms.
The receivers recover all individual signals and combine
them to create the final highly robust output. MIMO makes the
previously undesirable multipath signals useful, greatly improvMultipath

Rx

Tx

Data

MAC

Tx

DSP

Multipath

ata

Rx

2x2 MIMO

1. A 2x2 MIMO system uses two transmitters and two receivers. Serial data is divided into two streams.
Each is encoded and then used to modulate the transmitter, usually with OFDM over the same band.
Each receiver picks up both signals as well as any multipath signals. The DSPs in the receivers sort out
and combine the signals into their original form.
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg29

10/22/07

4:02 PM

Page 29

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p28,30

10/23/07

5:22 PM

Page 30

LeapFrog
ing link reliability. This enables greater
transmit range as well as the ability to
retain a high data rate in the presence of
noise and multipath effects.
The situation improves if you use even
more transmitters and receivers. This
increases system cost, but with todays
small, low-cost transceivers, multiple
transceivers are practical and affordable.
Many modern WLANs use a 3x2 arrangement. But the complexity grows as the
number of transceivers increases. A 4x4
MIMO will produce up to 16 signals to
decode in the receiver. Thanks to powerful DSP processors, FPGAs, or ASICs, the
process becomes realistic.
Adding to the complexity is use of the
OFDM in most MIMO systems. In this
case, high-speed data is transmitted by
dividing the serial bit stream into multiple,
parallel slower bit streams. Then those
parallel signals are modulated on multiple
carriers equally spaced throughout a relatively broad bandwidth.
For instance, the data in 802.11a/g WiFi systems is divided among 52 separate
carriers. In WiMAX systems, data can be
divided among carriers numbering up to
1024 or 2048. The carriers are spaced by
a frequency increment that makes them
in phase quadrature with each other. This
orthogonality prevents them from inter-

fering with one another despite their close


adjacent spacing.
The multicarrier OFDM system is very
spectrally efficient. That means OFDM
can transmit more bits per second per
hertz than other radio methods. It uses a
wide bandwidth, but it can produce very
high data rates. Also, this method is very
tolerant of interference from other signals
in the same band. Best of all, because of
the widely varying carrier wavelengths,
the signals will take different paths to the
receiver. This makes OFDM highly tolerant
of multipath effects.
OFDM is also complex, but DSPs have
made it easy to implement. You generate
the OFDM signals using an inverse fast
Fourier transform (IFFT), which today is
easily implemented in a programmable
DSP chip or in an FPGA or ASIC. At the
receiver, a standard FFT is implemented
to recover the individual carriers and
recombine them. Now mix OFDM and
MIMO together, and you can understand
why testing such systems is complex.
THE MIMO SOLUTION Keithley
uses its 2920 VSG to create the OFDM
signal that will become the test input. By
employing additional VSGs, you can generate two, three, or four more signals on
the same frequency with different data

2. In this 2x2 Keithley MIMO test system, the upper units are the VSAs, while the lower
units are the VSGs. Each is a 3U high half-rack width. The 1U high full-rack wide
Synchronization Units are in the center.

30

to produce the final MIMO signal. The


2895 MIMO Synchronization Unit is
needed to coordinate the inputs and produce the final MIMO output.
On the receive end of the chain, the
2820 VSA receives and recovers the signals. The VSA integrates the companys
MIMO Signal Analysis software for signal
recovery, measurement, and display (Fig.
2). As many as four VSGs and VSAs may
be used together.
The MIMO test systems allow any
MIMO configuration up to 4x4 (e.g.,
2x3, 4x3, 2x1, etc.). Also, they support
most commercial wireless standards,
including WLAN, WiMAX, and cellular.
They offer 1-ns signal sampler synchronization, less than 1-ns peak-topeak signal sampler jitter, and less than
1 of peak-to-peak RF carrier phase jitter. And, they supply 40-dB error vector
magnitude (EVM).
The MIMO test signals start with the
2920 VSG. It can generate signals from
10 MHz to 6 GHz. An optional arbitrary
waveform generator (AWG) lets you produce modulating signals for GSM, EDGE,
WCDMA, cdma2000, SISO WLAN, and the
very demanding 40-MHz wide 802.11n
Wi-Fi signal. The 2920 also comes as a
standalone test unit. The 2910 has similar specs but produces output frequencies up to 4 GHz.
The 2820 VSA receives signals up to
6 GHz; theres also a 4-GHz version. Bandwidth is 40 MHz. It can receive, analyze,
and display most of the popular wireless
standards, such as those mentioned for
the 2920 (both SISO and MIMO).
To use these instruments in a MIMO
test system, you need the 2895 MIMO
Synchronization Unit. It synchronizes all
of the VSGs and VSAs. The 2895 provides a common local oscillator (LO) output to all units as well as a 100-MHz digital clock and trigger signals to sync all of
the units for the selected MIMO configuration. Finally, the PC-based MIMO Signal Analysis software lets you test and
measure all WLAN configurations to 4x4
MIMO as well as other standards.
The 2920 VSG begins at $17,500, the
2820 VSA starts at $22,500, and the
2895 MIMO Synchronization Unit is
priced at $9900. MIMO signal analysis
software goes for $9500. Most products
are available within weeks, with the
2895 available in December.
Keithley Instruments Inc.
www.keithley.com
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg31

10/22/07

4:02 PM

Page 31

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Page 32

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EngineeringFeature

ED ONLINE 17402

DAVID MALINIAK | Electronic Design Automation Editor


dmaliniak@penton.com

Stanch the Bleeding


of Leakage Power
at 65 nm
Even as leakage overwhelms their power budgets, IC design teams are finding ways
to plug the holes that are costing them dearly at deep-submicron nodes.
s 90-nm process technologies began
entering the mainstream a few years ago,
it became clear that device delays were no
longer the chief culprit. Interconnect
delays had caught and passed them,
becoming the number-one contributor to
timing woes.
Now as the 65-nm node is hitting its
stride, a parallel trend has arisen for designers in the power
domain. No longer is dynamic power consumption the dominant factor in total power budgets. Rather, leakage power
dominates those budgets. Thats power down the drain (pun
intended) that cant be used for greater performance. But
why is leakage power such a huge concern?
For cell phones, manufacturers want standby power consumption to be no more than 5% of the full operational power
consumption, says Dian Yang, general manager and vice
president of product management at Apache Design Systems.
So if full power consumption is, say, 100 mW, standby power
cant be more than 5 mW. But at deep-submicron nodes, over
50% of total power consumption is lost to leakage.
Leakage is a fact of life for CMOS transistors. And whats
already a bad situation at 65 nm can get worsemuch
worseat 45 nm. Yet design techniques are available to help
mitigate the leakage situation. Upcoming materials and
process tweaks also hold promise.

ROOT CAUSES There are two primary sources of leakage in MOS transistors (Fig. 1). One is the subthreshold leakage, which is leakage from drain to source (or power to
ground). Subthreshold leakage is rising with each process
ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

node and shows no sign of abating. The mechanics of subthreshold leakage are based on the fact that no transistor is a
perfect switch.
In digital logic we all think of them as perfect switches,
but they never really turn off completely, says Jerry Frenkil,
CTO and vice president of research and development at
Sequence Design.
The issue can be seen in terms of the three main regions of
operation for a transistor. Theres the cutoff region, where current is effectively zero. In the saturation region, the transistor
is completely on and can pump a lot of current. In the linear
region, the device essentially functions as a linear amplifier.
Between the linear and cutoff regions, theres a weak
inversion current flowing between source and drain. The
transistor begins to invert, but its in a sensitive region where
a small change in gate voltage results in a large change in
current, says Frenkil.
The degree of change in the current is directly related to
how low the threshold voltage is. The drain current on a
transistor is a function of, among other things, the voltage on
the source, drain, and gate. You cant make that term in the
equation go completely to zero, so theres always a little bit
of current flowing, he adds.
The other main component of the overall leakage issue is
gate-oxide leakage (Fig. 1, again). Gate leakage (as its commonly known) is an unhappy byproduct of progress. Transistor gates are composed of polysilicon sitting on silicon dioxide, which has the advantage of being very easy to fabricate.
But as semiconductor processes have scaled downward, gate
lengths are obviously shorter. The downward scaling affects all
dimensions, so that silicon dioxide gate layer has become thin33

p33,34,36,38,39

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Page 34

EngineeringFeature
Gate

ner as well to increase gate capacitance and thereby drive current. Consequently, gate leakage manifests itself as electron
tunneling through the gate oxide.
Differentiating between these two primary sources of leakage power is critical. While gate leakage is an issue that can,
and in all likelihood will, be solved with process and materials improvements, subthreshold leakage is entirely a designrelated problem in terms of any possible fixes.
In the long run, designers have to worry about subthreshold leakage but not gate leakage, says Frenkil. At 65 nm,
theres no convenient process solution for gate leakage. But
at the smaller nodes, there will be.
ATTACKING THE PROBLEM So the design community
and EDA vendors have turned their attention largely to the
control of subthreshold leakage. Several low-power design
methodologies are in use, and they all have their tradeoffs in
terms of relative benefits and impacts (see the table).
One of the most common techniques being applied of late
is multi-VT cell swapping. This technique involves use of
libraries with two or more voltage thresholds. The idea is to
provide synthesis options for simultaneous optimization of
timing, area, and power. A library with a lower VT will leak
more, but it will be faster than the high-VT library. Designers
can opt to use slower, but less power-hungry, cells on noncritical paths.
Multi-VT complicated things the least, says Sequences
Frenkil. Use of multi-VT may mean a modestly longer timing closure period. However, Frenkil adds, the leakage gains

Source

n+

Drain

n+

ISUB
IGATE

P-well

1. There are two main components of overall leakage power. Subthreshold


leakage (indicated by the red arrow) is a weak inversion conduction current
between source and drain in a MOS transistor that occurs when the gate voltage is below VT. Gate-oxide leakage (indicated by the green arrow) is the oxide
tunneling current due to the low oxide thickness and the high electric field.
(courtesy of Blaze DFM)

to be had from multi-VT are not huge. It usually cuts leakage in half, he says.
Reverse body biasing of transistors can also help with subthreshold leakage by essentially turning the transistor more
off. Gate leakage is directly proportional to the gate-to-substrate voltage, VGS. Increasing VGS reduces leakage, but it
also lowers performance.
Opinions differ on the merits of reverse biasing. According
to Frenkil, reverse body biasing is losing favor at advanced
nodes. It has less effect on leakage with scaling, Frenkil
notes. But Apaches Dian Yang believes
Methods
Techniques
Overheads
that back biasing can be combined with
variable-threshold CMOS (VTCMOS)
Voltage/frequency scaling
technology to dynamically alter VGS as
Instruction-level optimization
Reducing activity
Negligible
necessary for leakage control in critical
Control-data-flow transformation
Dynamic power management
paths. For non-critical paths, a higher
Approximate signal processing
VGS can come into play full time for
Memory optimization
leakage reduction.
Hardware/software partitioning
Apaches RedHawk-ALP tool for
Parallelism/pipelining
physical power integrity supports a
Reducing
Area
Don't-care optimization
capacitance
number of techniques for leakage conPath balancing
trol, including VTCMOS back biasing
Factorization
and the insertion of power gating for
Technology decomposition/mapping
memory IP.
Bus encoding
Speaking of power gating, its a techRe-timing
Scaling supply
nique
that will come into play more at
Speed
Clock gating
voltage
65
and
45 nm. Power gating (or power
Pre-computation
shutoff, as some term it) entails the inserTransistor/interconnect sizing
tion of switches that shut off power to
Transistor re-ordering
inactive functional blocks. Theres good
Threshold voltage scaling/hopping
Transistor off-off stacking
news and not-so-good news associated
Scaling
Back biasing
with power gating, however.
Noise
threshold voltage
Cell-swapping (dual threshold volta ge)
The good news is that it can proMTCMOS power gating
foundly reduce leakage power from one
to three orders of magnitude. For
Note:
System level
Architecture level
Logic level
Circuit/device level
those seeking ultra-low leakage, theyll
need one flavor or another of power
2. Power is a holistic discipline that should be taken into account from the earliest stages of the design
gating, says Frenkil. The not-so-good
cycle. A flow that extends from the architectural level through implementation is the best hope for sucnews is that power gating comes with a
cessful low-power implementation. (courtesy of Sequence Design)
34

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/22/07

4:05 PM

Page 35

FIRST 3A/6A, STEP-DOWN


REGULATORS WITH INTEGRATED
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OUT
PGND

80
VOUT = 2.5V

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VID SELECT

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FB
CTL2

60
50

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REFIN FOR
TRACKING

REFIN

COMP

VIN = VDD = 3.3V


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0.1

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10
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SS

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p33,34,36,38,39

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Page 36

EngineeringFeature
stage, including analysis of the effects of
voltage drops on delays.
Gate
thre
shold
tunn
eling
Sequences flow, which includes Powleak
350
105
age
er Theatre, CoolTime, and CoolPower,
takes a holistic approach to power from
300
90
RTL to GDSII (Fig. 2). Its prudent for
Bulk
designers to consider the entire design
250
75
flow when considering leakage, including the architectural level.
UTB
Cap
200
60
acito
r ch
Of course, all of the EDA industrys
arge
Bulk
three large RTL-to-GDSII tool vendors
150
45
DG
have some form of an integrated flow
that attempts to address low-power
100
30
design. Magma Design Systems throws
Ultra-thin body
two tools in particular at the problem.
50
15
Talus Power operates on the optimizaDual gate
Bulk
tion aspect, spanning RTL to GDSII,
0
0
while Quartz Rail performs both power
2004
2006
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2008
analysis as well as static and dynamic
voltage-drop analysis. The latter ana3. This diagram plots the improvements in leakage power that are expected in future CMOS technologies
lyzes the impact of IR drop on delay
as compared to todays bulk-CMOS technology. The chart plots currents for gate leakage, subthreshold
and also performs thermal analysis.
leakage, and dynamic power consumption for bulk CMOS, thin- or ultra-thin-body CMOS, and dual-gate or
These tools work hand in hand,
so-called FinFET technology. (courtesy of ITRS, ChipVision Design Systems, and OFFIS)
explains Arvind Narayanan, a Magma
director specializing in low power. If you do multi-VT
host of complications to the design flow. In addition to having
to figure out where to place power switches, you have to figure optimization, the optimization engine has visibility into
out how large or small to make them.
power, timing, and area. As with all integrated implemenThe sizing of the switches is critical, says Frenkil. The
tation flows, the ability to perform concurrent optimization
larger the switches, the less they cost in terms of performance.
has the best likelihood of delivering improved quality of
But larger switches consume more area and degrade leakage
results without multiple iterations.
reduction. Smaller switches save on area, performance suffers
more, but theres more leakage reduction.
ARCHITECTURE MATTERS It would seem counterintuPower shutoff switches also can wreak havoc for chip flooritive to think that much could be accomplished at the archiplanning, says Frenkil. If you are power-gating blocks on the
tectural stage of the design cycle with regard to leakage manchip, their power rails have to be separated from non-poweragement. ChipVision Design Systems is one EDA vendor that
gated domains. If its more than just one or two, its a real
has targeted the architectural level for optimization. Earlier
headache for floorplanning, he says.
this year, it announced electronic-system-level (ESL) technolPower-shutoff switches also can cause issues with rush cur- ogy that lets RTL designers work interactively with systemrents and wakeup times. Upon closing of a power switch to a
level descriptions to generate power-optimized RTL code.
block, the rush current can be large enough to be damaging if
ChipVision also is part of a European initiative to control
not managed properly.
leakage power under the aegis of the OFFIS research and
Finally, power-shutoff switches bring a number of issues
development consortium. The initiative, called Controlling
related to functional verification. Are the
control signals for all switches correct?
POWER TRADEOFFS FOR VARIOUS
Have floating outputs been rectified?
Will there be issues with state retention
LOW-POWER METHODOLOGIES
for blocks that are turned off?
Methodology impact
40
400

120

FOCUS ON FLOWS For all of the


above reasons, it behooves designers to
consider tool flows that account for
these and other leakage-related factors.
For example, Sequences tools begin
with exploration of the effects of power
gating at RTL, enabling what-if analyses of the effects of gating various
blocks. The flow moves on to automatic
sizing and insertion of switches and
then to a final voltage-drop analysis

[nm]

(nA/ m)
m)

IDYN

ISUB

IGATE

Sub

Power-reduction
technique

Leakage
power

Area optimization

1.1X

10%

None

n/a

None

Low

None

Low

Multi-VT optimization

6X

0%

Little

Little

None

Low

None

Low

Clock gating

0X

20%

Little

Little

None

Low

Low

Medium

Multi-supply voltage (MSV)

2X

40%-50% Some

Little

High

Medium

Medium

High

Some

Some

High

High

High

High

40%-70% Some

Some

High

High

High

High

Power shutoff
(PSO)
Dynamic/adaptive
voltage-frequency
scaling (DVFS)

10-50X
2-3X

Dynamic Timing Area


power penalty penalty Architecture Design Verification Implementation

~0%

Courtesy of Cadence Design Systems

36

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/22/07

4:06 PM

Page 37

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p33,34,36,38,39

10/23/07

7:03 PM

Page 38

EngineeringFeature

Chi p .c pf

RTL

Chi p .sd c

0.8 V

Level shifter

Isolation
Level shifter r

1.2- V shutof f
SR

SR
B

Isolation

4. As this example illustrates, its critical to perform early microarchitectural exploration of leakage-power management
techniques at advanced
nodes. Doing so can help
decide which power techniques to use for optimization of the tradeoffs
between power, area,
and timing. (courtesy of

PCM

Cadence Design Systems)

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Available for immediate delivery.


READER SERVICE 112

38

LEAkage power in NanoCMOS SoCs


(CLEAN), has a number of European
industrial houses and research institutes
among its members.
According to Wolfgang Nebel,
ChipVisions chief technology advisor
and CLEANs scientific leader, the
efforts objective is to find ways to
reduce leakage for the current generation of process technology as well as for
future generations.
Weve made substantial progress in
understanding the potential of the lower-level techniques, says Nebel.
Weve made good progress in modeling their impact at the higher levels.
Theres still work to be done to really
apply all these techniques. The first of
them are already used by the industrial
partners in CLEAN.
The CLEAN development effort,
which counts Infineon and STMicroelectronics among its industrial partners, began its three-year term in 2006
and will conclude by the end of 2008.
Also, Nebel points to some pending
CMOS technology improvements that
should, in combination with high-k
dielectrics, go a long way toward solving the gate-leakage problem (Fig. 3).
The next generation of CMOS technology, variously termed thin- or
ultra-thin-body CMOS, will provide
much better control over gate leakage,
virtually eliminating it. In its initial
appearance, expected in the 2010
timeframe, subthreshold leakage will
also be substantially lower compared
to bulk CMOS.
The long-term solution, Nebel
believes, is dual-gate or FinFET technology, which the ITRS expects to
appear with the 40-nm node in 2011.
FinFETs are named for how theyll
look, standing vertically on the substrate rather than lying horizontally
and looking something like a sharks
fin, says Nebel.
FinFETs will be completely surrounded by a gate, providing much greater
control over the channel. FinFETs will
take us back to the g ood old days
when the dynamic power consumption
was the biggest contributor to the overall power budget, says Nebel.
FinFET technology is on the
roadmap for at least one large systems
house. According to Kazu Yamada, vice
president and general manager of the
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

p33,34,36,38,39

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Page 39

EngineeringFeature
Custom SoC business unit at NEC Electronics America, NECs research and
development laboratory is already
working with FinFET.
But when will we move to that technology is a moving target, says Yamada. Five years ago, we thought it
would be at 32 nm. Now, perhaps itll
come into play at 28 nm or 24 nm. And
before then, there may be further
breakthroughs that will allow us to
hold off further.

Equally important, says Bhatnagar, is


availing oneself of an automated flow for
these architectural explorations. The
range of choices is very large. You dont
want to undertake this process manually, Bhatnagar says. Partitioning blocks
into various voltage domains might also
mean hierarchies within blocks with subblocks at lower voltages.

What can you do to control sub-threshold leakage when the chip is fully awake
and active? See Control Leakage In
Active Mode at www.electronicdesign.
com, Drill Deeper 17400. Also, find out
how recent advances in materials can
help solve the gate-leakage problem in
Materials Play A Key Role In Stopping
Leakage, Drill Deeper 17401.

LEVERAGING MULTICORE The


growing emphasis on multicore architectures is an important trend to watch.
Anmol Mathur, chief technology officer
at Calypto Design, points out that leakage is significantly reduced by moving
to multicore architectures.
So far, most of the things done at
RTL and above are geared at reduction
of dynamic power, says Mathur. Typically, leakage is addressed more at
implementation using multi-VT cells
and other techniques.
But Mathur believes that the tide is
turning. People are starting to think
about at RTL and at the architectural level. Theyre taking it to a slightly higher
level of abstraction, he says.
The advantage of multicore architectures with regard to leakage stems from
the breaking apart of a very power-hungry function. You have a fixed amount
of area on the chip, Mathur says.
You can use a very fast single core,
with fast memories and caches, or you
can use that same real estate for, say,
four smaller cores, each at a lower frequency, and get the same aggregate
throughput, he adds. Those four lower-frequency cores enable scaling back
the power supply, reducing dynamic
power and leakage power.
Examination of power management
at the microarchitectural level is critical, according to Mohit Bhatnagar of
Encounter product marketing at
Cadence Design Systems (Fig. 4). At
65 nm, you have to answer questions,
he says. What is the range of techniques Im using? If I use power shutoff
switches, what is the range of voltage
domains I should use? Should I use my
foundrys generic process or their lowpower process, compromising performance but making power goals more
attainable?
READER SERVICE 82
ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

39

p40,41,43,45,47

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4:06 PM

Page 40

TechnologyReport

ED ONLINE 17372

SAM DAVIS | Contributing Editor


samdavis2@earthlink.net

NEXT-GENERATION

MULTIFUNCTION
POWER
ICs
HELP SHRINK
MOBILE SYSTEMS
ith mobile equipment manufacturers demanding ever smaller
and lighter handheld systems,
the trend is to create smaller ICs
that offer greater functionality.
However, meeting those functionality, size, and weight
requirements becomes a more
difficult proposition in power-oriented applications.
For instance, switching regulators must be very efficient, particularly when multiple switchers are integrated into an IC. Battery-charger circuits must be efficient. Also, chip layout must
ensure that there are no hot spots and electromagnetic interference (EMI) is controlled. On top of that, many handhelds
operate from a single lithiumion/polymer cell. Despite these difUSB/wall
To other loads
USB-compliant
4.25 to 5.5 V
ficult design issues, many IC manstep-down
regulator
ufacturers have responded with
devices that meet the system
Optional
CC/CV
0V
requirements.
battery
charger
Take Linear Technologys
+
Li-ion
LTC3555, the first in a family of
T
Charge
LTC3555
multifunction power-manageRTC/low-power
3. V/25 mA
Always-on LDO
logic
ment solutions for Li-ion/poly0.8 to 3.6 V/400 mA
mer battery applications. It inteMemory
1
Triple
high-efficiency
0.8 to 3.6 V/400 mA
grates a switching PowerPath
2
I/O
step-down
5
Enable
manager, a standalone battery
0.
8
to
6
.
3
1
/
V
A
switching
3
Core
controls
regulators
charger, an ideal diode, I2C conRST
Microprocessor
2
trol, three high-efficiency syn2
2
I C port
I C
chronous buck regulators, and
an always-on low-dropout regu1. The LTC3555 is a complete multifunction power IC with a switching power manager, Li-ion/polymer battery
lator (LDO) (Fig. 1).
charger, three buck regulators, and an LDO in a thermally enhanced, low-profile (0.75 mm) 28-lead QFN package.

To meet size constraints, a single IC


functions as a power subsystem-ona-chip by integrating combinations
of linear and switching power
sources, battery chargers, and even
audio amplifiers.

40

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

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Page 41

baseband processors in mobile phones and other portable


equipment (Fig. 2). It operates cooperatively with processors using an advanced power controller (APC) to provide
adaptive voltage scaling (AVS), which significantly
improves processor efficiencies over conventional powerdelivery methods.
The LP5552 is intended for use in a voltage scaling system that lowers the systems power dissipation. Scaling supply voltage with the clock frequency of a processor is a
huge power saver. Also, the device supports two types of
voltage scalingdynamic voltage scaling (DVS) and AVS.
DVS systems switch between pre-characterized voltages,
which are paired to clock frequencies used for frequency scaling in the processor. AVS systems track the processor performance and optimize the supply voltage to the required
performance. AVS is a closed-loop system that provides
process and temperature compensation to deliver the minimum supply voltage for any given processor, temperature, or
clock frequency.
To support DVS and AVS, the LP5552 is programmable
via the low-power, two-wire PWI. This serial interface controls the various voltages and states of all regulators in the
LP5552. Both slaves in the LP5552 support the full PWI
command set, other than the optional extended register
read and write, as described in the PWI 2.0 specification:
core voltage adjust, reset, sleep, shutdown, wakeup, register
read, register write, and authenticate.
The PowerWise technology is an advanced energy-management solution for energy-constrained digital devices, like
mobile phones, PDAs, handheld gaming consoles, and personal navigators. Developed by National Semiconductor in
collaboration with ARM, it enables longer battery life, more
features, and improved user experience by reducing the energy consumption in digital processors by up to 70%.
Operating from a 2.7- to 4.8-V input, its compatible with
THE POWERWISE INTERFACE National Semiconduc- single-cell Li-ion batteries. The LP5552 contains two 88%
tors LP5552 is a PowerWise Interface (PWI) 2.0-compliant efficiency, switching dc-dc buck converters that are programmable from 0.6- to 1.235-V outputs. Switching frequency is
energy management unit (EMU) for applications such as
3.6 MHz, and output current measures 800 mA per switcher. They supAVS
SoC
LP5552 PMIC
VIN
ply two voltage scaling domains,
V CORE1
SW1
+
Hardware performance
and five digitally programmable
monitor (HPM)
VO3
LDO3

LDOs are available for supplying


Processor core
additional support circuitry.
AVS domain
VO1
Embeded memory
Three digital output pins can be
LDO1
First slave
used
as you see fit. By default,
address: N
VO2
VO5
LDO2 I/O
PLL/analog
System
theyre
configured as open-drain
Regs
LDO5
outputs,
outputting a logic 0. In
I/O ring
the
open-drain
configuration, they
EN AB
SCLK
PWI 2.0
RESET
Ad
a
v
nced
po
e
w
r
can
be
referenced
to any voltage less
slave power
SPWI
PWROK
controller (APC)
controller (SPC)
than the VDD of the LP5552. The
AVS
three output pins are guaranteed to
Hardware performance
V CORE2
Second slave
monitor (HPM)
sink and source 1 mA.
SW2
address: N+1
The LTC3555s PowerPath control seamlessly manages
power flow between an ac wall adapter or USB port, Li-ion
battery, and system load while its instant-ON operation
ensures system load power even with a dead or missing battery. For fast charging, the LTC3555s switching input stage
converts nearly all of the 2.5 W available from the USB port to
charging current.
This enables up to 700 mA from a 500-mA limited USB supply and up to 1.5 A when wall-powered. An internal 180-mV
ideal diode plus optional external ideal diode controller provide a low-loss power path, further minimizing heat generation
and maximizing efficiency.
The LTC3555s three integrated synchronous buck regulators feature 100% duty-cycle operation and can deliver
1-A/400-mA/400-mA outputs, respectively, with adjustable
output voltages down to 0.8 V. The internal low-RDS(ON)
switches deliver efficiency as high as 94%, maximizing battery run time.
In addition, Burst Mode operation optimizes efficiency at
light loads with a quiescent current of 35 mA per regulator
(<1 mA in shutdown). The 2.25-MHz switching frequency
allows use of tiny low-cost capacitors and inductors less
than 1 mm in height. Furthermore, the regulators are stable
with ceramic output capacitors, achieving very low output
voltage ripple.
The LTC3555 features USB-compatible programmable current limiting to 100 mA/500 mA/1 A, while its Bat-Track adaptive output control enables high-efficiency charging and reduces
power dissipation. Standalone autonomous operation simplifies
design, eliminating the need for an external microprocessor for
charge termination. To preserve battery energy, the LTC3555
draws <23 mA from the battery in suspend mode. The charger
is compatible with inputs up to 5.5 V (7-V absolute maximum
transient for added robustness).

Regs

LDO4

VO4

DSP
AVS domain

Embeded memory

2. Able to power an SoC, the LP5552 contains two digitally controlled switching regulators and five
programmable LDOs.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

CHARGE MANAGEMENT
Texas Instruments TPS65820 is a
fully integrated solution for handheld
devices, integrating charge management, multiple regulated power sup41

pg42

10/22/07

4:06 PM

Page 42

Cadence OrCAD 16.0 Products


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SI
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Analog
Digital
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Environmental Compliance
Training
Engineering Data Management

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scalability, and accuracy!
To stay competitive in today's market, engineers must take a design from
engineering through manufacturing with shorter design cycles and faster
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integrated tools that work seamlessly from start to finish.
Cadence OrCAD personal productivity tools (including Cadence PSpice)
have a long history of addressing these demands. Designed to boost
productivity for smaller design teams and individual PCB designers,
OrCAD PCB design suites grow with your needs and technology challenges.
The powerful, tightly integrated PCB design suites include design capture,
librarian tools, a PCB editor, an auto/interactive router, and optional analog
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For more information about the complete line of affordable Cadence OrCAD
PCB tools call EMA, a Cadence Channel Partner, at 800.813.7288 or visit us
online at www.ema-eda.com/OrCAD16

2007 EMA Design Automation, Inc. All rights reserved in the U.S. and
other countries. Allegro, Cadence, OrCAD, and PSpice are registered
trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All other marks are the
property of their respective owners.

READER SERVICE 88

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TechnologyReport

Intelligent
plies, system management, and display
functions in a small, thermally enhanced
7- by 7-mm package. The high level of
integration enables typical board area
space savings of 70% compared to
equivalent discrete solutions, while
implementing a high-performance and
flexible solution.
If required, an external host may control the TPS65820 via an I2C interface,
with access to all integrated subsystems.
The I2C allows for the setting of output
voltages, current thresholds, and operation modes. Internal registers possess a
complete set of status information,
enabling easy diagnostics and host-controlled handling of fault conditions. The
TPS65820 can operate in standalone
mode, with no external host control, if
the internal power-up defaults are compatible with the system requirements.
The TPS65820 contains a complete
charge-management solution for single
Li-ion/Li-pol cells with thermal foldback, dynamic power management, and
pack temperature sensing, supporting up
to 1.5-A max charge current. Programmable charge parameters provide for an
ac adapter and USB port operation
The device integrates nine LDOs: six
adjustable-output LDOs (1.25 to 3.3 V);
two fixed-voltage LDOs (3.3 V); one
fixed-voltage, always-on LDO (3.3 V);
and one real-time-clock (RTC) backup
supply with low leakage (3.1 V). Also,
there are two 600-mA output current,
0.6- to 3.4-V programmable dc-dc buck
converters with enable, standby mode
operation, and an automatic low-power
mode setting.

Two open-drain, pulse-width-modulation (PWM) outputs allow for programmable frequency and duty cycle control.
They can be used to control keyboard
backlight, vibrator, or other external
peripheral functions. An RGB LED driver with programmable flashing period
has individual R/G/B brightness control.
A constant-current white LED driver,
with programmable current level,
brightness control, and overvoltage protection, can drive up to six LEDs in
series configuration.
Among its features are dual-input
power-path functionality with input
current limiting and overvoltage protection. An integrated power-on-reset
function with programmable masking
monitors all supply outputs. It comes
with software and hardware reset functions, too. An eight-channel integrated
analog-to-digital converter (ADC) samples system parameters with single conversion, peak detection, or averaging
operating modes.
In operation, the host can set system
parameters and access system status
using an I2C interface. Theres an interrupt function with programmable
masking that signals system status
modification to the host. Three generalpurpose I/O (GPIO) ports are programmable as drivers, integrated analog-todigital triggers, or buck converters with
standby-mode control.
DUAL BUCK CONVERTERS Many
applications only require a pair of dcdc converters and LDOs. Maxims
MAX8667 and MAX8668 four-channel

2.6 to 5.5 V

EN2
REF
0.01 F

600 mA

EN4

300 mA

OUT3

2.2 H

PGND1

Brushless DC Motor Control


Ultra high-performance
Low cost
Sinusoidal or 6-step commutation
Internal profile generation
High-speed index capture
6 signal PWM with shoot
through protection
Digital current loop
Velocity loop
RoHS
Compliant

The Best Engineered


Products in Motion

4.7 F

4.7 F

1.2 A

LX2
OUT2
PGND2

PERFORMANCEMOTIONDEVICES

300 mA

2.2 H
OUT1

2.2 F

MC73110
Brushless
Motor Control IC

EN3

OUT4
GND
MAX8667

LX1

Enlarged View

4.7 F

IN12 IN34
EN1

Size: 12mm x 12mm

2.2 F

3. The MAX8667 and


MAX8668 utilize a proprietary hysteretic-PWM
control scheme and
feature an optimized
on-resistance internal
MOSFET switch and
synchronous rectifier to
maximize efficiency.

www.pmdcorp.com
MOTORDRIVES
AMPLIFIERS
CONTROLLERS

READER SERVICE 122


ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

2007 Performance Motion Devices, Inc.

10 F

Motion

pg44

10/22/07

4:06 PM

Page 44

WiMedia UWB Platform

NXP Certied WUSB native device controller ISP3582


NXP Certied Wireless USB 2.0 is the rst high-speed wireless interconnect
technology to combine the speed, the security and the convenience of
wireless connectivity. Supporting a broad spectrum of consumer, peripheral,
and PC products, it enhances user mobility, decreases download times,
and simplies point-to-point data transfers. The ISP3582, compatible with
Intel-based congurations, integrates a highly optimized WiMedia MAC.
It transfers data at up to 480 Mbps, offers unique power-management
features, and is compatible with todays most popular processors. Best of
all, its backward compatible with wired USB.

What if you could work and


play without cables?
NXP develops vibrant media technologies that help bring your ideas to
life. Our innovative solutions enhance images, sharpen sound and simplify
information sharing. Find out more about our Certied Wireless USB
technology on our website.

www.nxp.com/ad/uwb

What if you could

READER SERVICE 118

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TechnologyReport

Intelligent
Enable input
Reset input
Reset output
(power god)

System
control
and
monitoring

Reset
monitor

(prog.)
0.5 V to V
IN
at 5/10 A
0.5 V to V
Four
step-down
(buck)
channels

( rog.)
p
at 5/10 A

0.5 V to V

( rog.)
p
at 5/10 A

Memory, I/O

IN

(prog.)
0.5 V to V
IN
at 5/10 A

power-management ICs (PMICs) come


in a 9-mm2 thin quad flat no-lead
(TQFN) package (Fig. 3). They minimize total solution size by integrating
two step-down dc-dc converters and
two low-input LDOs, as well as all
feedback networks.
To further save space and cost, they
utilize a 1.5-MHz switching frequency
to enable the use of tiny external components, such as 0805 2.2-H inductors. The MAX8667 and MAX8668 are
well-suited for cell phones, PDAs, and
other space-constrained, handheld
applications.
In addition to saving space, the
MAX8667 and MAX8668 extend battery life. They do so by integrating a
synchronous rectifier in each dc-dc
converter to achieve up to 93% efficiency while drawing only 100-A
(typ) quiescent current with all regulators enabled.
One of the dc-dc converters delivers
up to 1.2-A output, while the other
delivers up to 600 mA. The low-input
LDOs operate down to 1.7-V input,
saving 80% of total power loss in the
system compared to conventional linear-regulator solutions.
The output voltages of the dc-dc
converters are adjustable from 0.6 to
3.3 V (MAX8668) or factory preset
(MAX8667). The output voltages of
the low-noise LDOs are all factory preset to eliminate the need for an external
feedback network.
The MAX8667 and MAX8668 stepdown regulators are optimized for
high-efficiency voltage conversion over
a wide load range while maintaining
good transient response, minimizing
external component size, and minimizing output voltage ripple. Packaged in a
3- by 3-mm TQFN, these PMICs are
fully specified for the extended temperature range of 4
0C to 85C.

CPU core

IN

DSP/codec

Analog/RF

Motion

4. Communication with
the SMB113A and
SMB117 is accomplished
via the industry-standard
I2C bus. All user-programmed settings are
stored in nonvolatile EEPROM, of which 96 bytes
may be used as generalpurpose memory.

PROGRAMMABLE POWER
MANAGER The SMB113A/B and
SMB117 power-management ICs from
Summit Microelectronics include all of
the essential blocks for implementing a
complete four-channel power subsystem
consisting of four synchronous stepdown buck controllers (Fig. 4). Digital
programmability lets designers customize
the devices to suit many multichannel
power-supply applications. Complete
with a GUI, all programmable settings,
including output voltages and I/O voltage
monitoring, are customizable.
These ICs integrate four PWM controllers and a wide range of sophisticated power-management functions that
eliminate the need for many external
components, which ultimately reduces
system cost and space. They offer four
identical channels of PWM dc-dc stepdown (buck) converters. PWM channels are digitally programmable for
output characteristics and monitoring,
including voltage output levels to
1.5% accuracy.
The SMB113A switches at 800 kHz,
while the SMB117 switches at 400 kHz
and the SMB113B operates at 1 MHz.
Switching dead-time is adjustable and
can be programmed at the factory for
optimized performance. Furthermore,
the ICs high drive capability allows a
delivery of 10 A or higher, using a
wide variety of industry-standard
MOSFETs.
Complementing the precise power
regulation are advanced power control
features, which include static and
dynamic output voltage scaling and
margining, independent channel
sequencing/enable, and output slew rate
control. The devices additionally provide complete power system diagnostics, including input and output monitoring for undervoltage/overvoltage
(UV/OV) conditions. A built-in reset

Prodigy
Motion
Cards

TM

DC Brush, Brushless DC, Step,


and Microstepping Motion Control
Uses PMDs advanced MagellanTM
Motion Control IC
Easy-to-use Visual Basic and
C-Language programming
Available in 1, 2, 3, and 4-axis versions
S-curve, trapezoidal, velocity contouring,
and electronic gearing profiles
PCI and PC/104 formats
High speed loop rate: 50 secs/axis
RoHS
Compliant

The Best Engineered


Products in Motion

PERFORMANCEMOTIONDEVICES

www.pmdcorp.com
MEDICALAUTOMATION

ROBOTICS
SEMICONDUCTOR
READER SERVICE 123

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

2007 Performance Motion Devices, Inc.

I2C/SMBus

SMB113A/B
SMB117

Prodigy and Magellan are trademarks of Performance Motion Devices, Inc. All other trade names, brand names and company names are the property of their respective owners.

2.7 to 6.0 V
or Li-ion

pg46

10/23/07

6:02 PM

Page 46

READER SERVICE 137

p40,41,43,45,47

10/23/07

4:09 PM

Page 47

TechnologyReport

Intelligent

ION

TM

DigitalDrive
DC Brush, Brushless DC, and
Microstepping Motion Control
Complete single-axis motion module
Available for DC brush, brushless DC,
and step motors
Advanced S-curve motion profiles
CANbus or serial communications
Field oriented control
High efficiency MOSFET amplifier
12 - 56 volt, 500 watts output

RoHS
Compliant

The Best Engineered


Products in Motion

PERFORMANCEMOTIONDEVICES

www.pmdcorp.com

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Austriamicrosystems
Linear Technology
Maxim
National Semiconductor
Summit Microelectronics
Texas Instruments

Motion

www.austriamicrosystems.com
www.linear.com
www.maxim-ic.com
www.national.com
www.summitmicro.com

MEDICALAUTOMATION
ROBOTICS
SEMICONDUCTOR
GENERALAUTOMATION

www.ti.com
READER SERVICE 124

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

2007 Performance Motion Devices, Inc.

POWER-MANAGEMENT UNIT
The AS3603 from Austriamicrosystems
is a highly integrated, CMOS powermanagement device. Its designed
specifically for portable devices such as
mobile phones, PDAs, CD players, digital cameras, and other devices powered
by one-cell lithium-based or three- to
four-cell nickel-based batteries. The IC
incorporates LDOs, dc-dc converters, a
complete battery charger, and an audio
power amplifier on one die.
Ten linear LDOs feature 30-VRMS
noise from 100 Hz to 100 kHz. Line and
load regulation is <1 mV static and
<10 mV transient. Power-supply rejection ratio (PSRR) is >70 dB at 1 kHz.
Two digital low-power LDOs output
0.75 to 2.5 V, 200 mA; three RF lownoise LDOs output 1.85 to 3.4 V,
150 mA; two RF low-noise LDOs output
1.85 to 3.4 V, 150 mA; one SIM lowpower LDO produces 3.0 V, 20 mA; one
periphery low-noise LDO yields 2.5 to
3.2 V, 150 mA; and one low-power LDO
produces 2.5 V, 10 mA.
The integrated, programmable stepdown dc-dc converter doesnt require
an external Schottky diode yet provides
up to 95% efficiency throughout the
whole operating range. It provides 1.0
to 3.0 V, up to 500 mA.
The step-down converter can be used
as a standalone device or as a pre-regulator for LDOs to increase overall

device efficiency. A 15-V, 45-mA stepup converter supplies power for white
LEDs together with programmable current sources to control LED brightness.
A low-distortion audio power
amplifier (1 W at 8 ) supports handsfree mobile-phone operation and HiFi
ringtones. It provides 0.5 W at 4 V for
stereo and 1 W at 8 when bridged.
A digital volume control produces
3-dB steps.
The device also features a chemistryindependent battery charger that
includes fuel gauge circuitry, automatic
trickle charging, programmable constant current, constant voltage, and
pulse charging. It offers automatic
trickle charging, programmable constant current charging, programmable
constant voltage charging, programmable pulse charging, safety functions
(low battery shutdown), operation
without battery, and no-battery detection. The charger operates with a wide
battery supply range of 3.0 to 5.5 V
The AS3603 is controlled via a serial
interface and integrates all necessary
system-specific functions, such as reset,
watchdog, and power-on detection. Its
regulator output voltages are programmable by software. Also, eight preset
startup timings can be selected by an
external resistor.
Other features on the device include
four general-purpose switches (1 and 2
), on-chip bandgap tuning for high
accuracy (1%), integrated programmable watchdog (7.5 to 1900 ms), programmable reset (10 to 110 ms), typical
shutdown current of 7 A (2.5 V
always on), and overcurrent and thermal protection. The AS3603 employs a
0.35-m CMOS in a 48-pin, 6- by 6-mm
QFN package (0.4-mm pitch) or a 48-pin,
7- by 7-mm QFN package (0.5-mm
pitch). Power dissipation is 2.1 W at
TAMBIENT = 70C.

ION is a trademark of Performance Motion Devices, Inc. All other trade names, brand names and company names are the property of their respective owners.

monitor eliminates the need for external reset ICs.


With an input range of 2.7 to 6.0 V,
the SMB113A/B and SMB117 suit a
wide range of mobile applications. The
devices come in both the commercial
and industrial operating temperature
ranges. Packaging is lead-free, RoHScompliant (Restrictions on Hazardous
Substances), 5- by 5-mm QFN-32
(quad flat no-lead).

pg48

10/22/07

4:06 PM

Page 48

Intersil Analog Solutions


High Performance Analog

A World of Analog Solutions at Your Fingertips.

Intersil offers a wide selection of power


management and mixed signal processing ICs
for the consumer, industrial, communication
and computing markets.
Intersil continues to innovate with nominations or wins for
superior products from EETimes, EDN, and analogZONE
during the past year. In power management, Intersils
recognized leadership in computing switching regulation is
only a fraction of the story. Intersil has developed a diverse
portfolio of PWMs and battery management devices for
everything from handhelds, large LCD displays, medical and
industrial products.

Analog Mixed Signal:


Amplifiers
Communications ICs
Data Converters
DCPs
High Speed Drivers
Interface ICs
LCD Drivers
Light Sensors
Switches/MUXes/Xpoints
Timing Circuits
Video ICs
Voltage References

Go to www.intersil.com for samples, datasheets and support

Intersil An industry leader in Switching Regulators and Amplifiers.


2007 Intersil Americas Inc. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks or services marks owned by Intersil Corporation
or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the USA and/or other countries: Intersil (and design) and i (and design).

READER SERVICE 101

Power Management:
Battery Management
Bridge Drivers
Digital Power
Display Power ICs
Integrated FET Regulators
Hot Plug Controllers
Power MOSFET Drivers
Power Supply Support
Supervisors
Switching Regulators

p49,50,52,54

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4:35 PM

Page 49

EngineeringESSENTIALS
Printed-Electronics
Technology Flexes Its Muscle
KLAUS G. SCHROETER | CEO, Nanoident Technologies AG

Forget about traditional, stiff silicon. Printed electronics can save costs
while opening the door to new applications.
The growing field of printed electronics combines
liquid functional materials with state-of-the-art printing
equipment to create semiconductor components and
electronic circuits. The resulting devices are functionally
similar to their traditional silicon-based counterparts.
However, theyre also less expensive and have a number
of unique features that open the door to a wide range of
new electronic applications, from tiny smart labels to
full-body-sized medical imaging equipment.

PRINTING TECHNIQUES Printed semiconductor


technology delivers a sharp increase in productivity by building on a variety of established and familiar printing techniques. But while traditional graphic arts must only look
good to the naked eye, electronics require precise electrical,
mechanical, and optical properties. No matter which printing technology is selected, printed-electronics companies
demand state-of-the-art equipment and procedures.
Virtually any printing technique can be adapted for
semiconductor manufacturing, but certain processes
better suit particular materials or applications. Each
technology has its pros and cons. In practice, multiple
printing processes may be combined in series to produce
a single device.
INK JET One of the most popular technologies in
printed electronics is ink-jet printing. A typical ink-jet
printer has several print heads (one for each color or ink
type), each with dozens of tiny nozzles that spray ink onto
the substrate. Because it is a fully digital technology, it
does not require any tooling. An electronic design can be
directly converted into a printing file. It lends itself well to
rapid prototyping and customized batch production, but it
also can be used in a high-volume environment.
Ink-jet printing has many advantages, including fairly
high resolution (80- to 100-m lines), flexibility, relatively
low cost, and compatibility with almost any type of substrate. Printed electronics is driving further equipment
development, as the newest ink-jet heads may be capable of 20-m feature sizes, which would greatly expand
the use of ink-jet technology in electronics.
SCREEN PRINTING Another common technique in
printed electronics is screen printing. A screen consists
of a finely woven porous fabric or metal mesh stretched
over a frame. A stencil on top of the screen blocks off the
areas where ink should not pass. The screen is placed on
ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

a.

Stamp
Resist
Substrate

b.

c.

d.

1. Nanoimprint lithography
enables the higher resolution needed for electronics
components such as highspeed transistors.

top of the substrate, and ink is applied. A rubber blade


pushes the ink through the open areas of the screen, and
the screen is then lifted away.
Screen printing can be used with a variety of substrates. Its also possible to deposit thick films in a single pass. On the other hand, it cannot be used to
deposit extremely thin layers. It was once considered a
very low-resolution technique, but state-of-the-art
screens can achieve features as small as 40 m, with
sharper edges than ink-jet.

NANOIMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY A relatively new


technology that could be used in printed electronics is
nanoimprint lithography. Based on traditional photolithography techniques used in the graphic arts, nanoimprint begins with a three-dimensional stamp.
A layer of liquid resist material is either spin-coated or
dropped onto the substrate. The stamp is pressed onto
the resist (Fig. 1a), and the material is hardened (Fig. 1b)
with either heat or UV exposure. When the stamp is
removed (Fig. 1c), the hardened resist maintains the
shape of the stamp. The residual layer of resist may then
be etched away (Fig. 1d).
The patterned resist can then be used as a mask to
pattern subsequent layers and then be dissolved. Alternately, the resist material, properly formulated, can
itself be a functional layer in the finished device. This
promises to be an excellent high-resolution technique.
49

p49,50,52,54

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Page 50

EngineeringESSENTIALS
Printed chip-making process
Printed semiconductor fabrication
Materials management, ink formulation, automation

Substrate
preparation

Curing

Deposition

Inspection and management

2. Because printing
techniques are used
to deposit functional materials, the
semiconductor production process is
relatively simple
compared to silicon
chip fabrication.

Test, assembly, packaging


Materials management, automation

Encapsulation

Device test

Dicing

Resolution is limited only by the


stamp-making process and could
be as small as 20 nmseveral
orders of magnitude below the resolution of ink-jet or screen print. The
challenge may be formulating resist
materials that also have the desired
electrical and optical properties.

Design to prototype
to full production, BUD is
your best partner for quality
enclosures. BUD quality, pricing
and the commitment to partnering
with you throughout your products
lifecycle is what we offer.
Call or go online for a
FREE Enclosure
Design Tips Handbook.

BUD...We make what


you make, BETTER!

TEL:
FAX:

440-946-3200
440-951-4015
saleseast@budind.com

www.budind.com/3
READER SERVICE 83

NEW MATERIALS Because


graphics printing is done on a wide
variety of surfaces, todays commercial printing technology can print on
nearly any material. The technology
is ready to handle anything from
thick glass to rough paper or plastic
to thin plastic film. Even curved surfaces are possible.
This ability provides a number of
advantages for electronics. Instead
of being bound by thick, rigid silicon
substrates, electronic components
and circuits can be ultrathin, lightweight, bendable, and transparent.
Substrate size is limited primarily by
the printing technology, and commercial roll-to-roll printing equipment can print on sur faces 2 m
wide and kilometers long.
The adoption of printing techniques requires liquid functional
materialsconductors, semiconductors, insulators, and so forth.
Although printed electronics is
often discussed as if it were synonymous with organic electronics, in
practice, both organic and inorganic materials may be used.
Printable inorganic materials
include metallic nanoparticle materials such as silver and semicon-

Test and
burn-in

ducting materials like quantum


dots in solution. The organic materials are based on the Nobel Prizewinning discover y in the 1970s
that conjugated polymers have
semiconducting properties. These
materials can be tailored to have
application-specific electrical and
optical characteristics.
The basic functional difference
between traditional silicon-based
components and organic semiconductors is that silicon-based components have a 2D electrical charge
interface, while components made
with printable inks have a 3D interface. In a silicon device, donor and
acceptor materials are separate layers. Only charges generated near the
interface between the layers can
contribute to current flow.
In organic semiconductors, on the
other hand, donor and acceptor materials are mixed in a single layer, creating an interface over the entire 3D
bulk of the layer. As a result, almost all
generated charges contribute to current flow. Because the organic material is a blend of chemicals, simply varying the components in the mixture
can alter the electrical and optical
properties of the resulting device.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

While there are some basic similarities to traditional silicon semiconductor fabrication, printed semiconductor
production is much faster, simpler,
and greener. What can take thousands of people weeks or months in a
traditional multibillion-dollar silicon
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pg51

10/22/07

4:07 PM

Page 51

Intersil Voltage Supervisors


High Performance Analog

Stop Qualifying, Start Designing.

Finally, versatile Supervisors that


can be adapted to the changing
needs of your system designs.

Critical Supply Voltage


IDD=3A

20k Integrated
Pull-Up Resistor saves
additional board space
VDD

Eliminate the need for a different


supervisor for every design and
platform the ISL88016 and
ISL88017 allow users to choose
from 26 different customized VTRIP
selection settings.

Go to www.intersil.com for
samples, datasheets and support

RST/MR
VSET1
VSET2

P/C

POR
VOLTAGE
SETTING

VSET3

VDD

VREF

ISL88016
ISL88017

Set the VSET pins


HIGH, LOW or
Floating to choose
from 26 different
VTH combinations

Intersil Switching Regulators for precise power delivery.


2007 Intersil Americas Inc. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks or services marks owned by Intersil Corporation
or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the USA and/or other countries: Intersil (and design) and i (and design).

READER SERVICE 99

Push Button

GND

Intersils proprietary
TwinPinTM combines
reset output with
Manual Reset Input
for more functionality

Pin-Selectable VTRIP
ISL88016
1.60V to 2.85V in
50mV Steps

ISL88017
2.15V to 4.65V in
100mV Steps

p49,50,52,54

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4:36 PM

Page 52

EngineeringESSENTIALS

3. Printed semiconductor devices consist of a series of functional layers on a


rigid or flexible substrate.

READER SERVICE 87

fab, a few dozen people at a printed semiconductor plant can


generate in hours or days for a small fraction of the cost.
The production process begins with formulation of the
functional materials into printable inks (Fig. 2). Each material is mixed for application-specific mechanical, electrical,
and optical properties. The purpose is similar to that of the
doping process in traditional fabs, but is much simpler and
offers more flexibility. Additives may be needed to adjust drying time or viscosity.
For instance, ink-jet nozzles are extremely small, and the ink
must have the right viscosity and surface tension to pass
through. Screen printing, on the other hand, uses lower-viscosity ink. At the same time, the ink must function electrically. Viscosity and surface tension must be adjusted to avoid problems, such as drops that do not bond enough to conduct
sufficiently, or an excessively rough surface that prevents the
next functional layer from adhering.
Next, the substrate is cleaned and treated to promote adhesion. The functional layers are deposited using a specialized
industrial printer (Fig. 3). The layers must align precisely. As a
result, the substrate is mounted on a self-aligning X-Y table, a
precision instrument with high-speed linear motors enabling precise control of movement with sub-micrometer accuracy.
Each layer must be dry before the next layer is printed. To
speed drying time and improve electrical properties, each layer
is cured. Conductive silver ink, for instance, contains silver
nanoparticles encapsulated in a polymer for better printing.
However, the encapsulation can prevent the particles from
attaching to each other. Heat-curing evaporates the polymer,
increasing conductivity.
Once the last layer has been deposited and cured, the
devices may be encapsulated for robustness or longer shelf
life, if the application requires. Devices are tested and then
separated with a computer-controlled laser or glass dicing system. Finally, they go through final test and burn-in.

NEW APPLICATIONS The new technical features available with printed electronicsthinness, light weight, flexibility,
READER SERVICE 113

52

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/22/07

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Page 53

Intersil Video Drivers


High Performance Analog

Video Magic.

Intersils Video Drivers in space-saving


TQFN and chip scale packages deliver
quality video from tiny little devices.

9MHz reconstruction
filter removes
aliasing noise from
video signals. Perfect
for composite and
S-video signals.

90
80
70
60
50

40
30
20
10 4.5mA
0

19mA

Competitor Competitor
ISL59115/17
F
M

Supply Voltage (V)

75mA

5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0

5V

5V

3.3V

Power Supply (mW)

Intersils ISL59114, ISL59115, ISL59116 and ISL59117


reconstruct S-video to composite video using a fraction
of the power consumed by competitive devices.

Supply Current (mA)

pg53

Competitor Competitor
F
M
ISL59115/17

Summer amplifier
(ISL59114/ISL59116)
creates a composite
video signal.

500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50 14.85mW
0

375mV

95mV

Competitor Competitor
ISL59115/17
F
M

Go to www.intersil.com for samples, datasheets and support

Intersil Amplify your performance with advanced signal processing.


2007 Intersil Americas Inc. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks or services marks owned by Intersil Corporation
or one of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the USA and/or other countries: Intersil (and design) and i (and design).

READER SERVICE 100

Integrated gain of 2
buffer gives great
output current drive
and compensates for
double-terminated
video loads.

Intersils ISL59117 in tiny


chip scale package is
perfect for slim handheld
applications or spaceconstrained boards.
ISL59117
in CSP

p49,50,52,54

10/23/07

4:37 PM

Page 54

EngineeringESSENTIALS

Your Partner in Thermal Protection

Thermal Cutoffs
One-shot, single action, thermal fuse

Temperature settings to 280C (536F)


Current rating: 0.5A to 15A Custom configurations
RoHS compliant Worldwide agency approvals

4. With printing technologies, manufacturers can efficiently and cost-effectively develop large-area detector arrays for medical and industrial applications.

3 3 0 - 4 97 - 414 8

disposability, transparency, large size, and customizable optical


characteristicscombined with low cost and faster turnaround,
have enabled a wide range of new applications. These include
displays and lighting: rollable, foldable displays for mobile
devices, e-books, and large changeable billboards, as well as
low-cost, high-efficiency lighting in any color on any surface (i.e.,
windows that become light sources at night).
Printed electronics also will play a role in sensors. Imagine
large imaging sensors for medical and industrial applications
(Fig. 4). The technology also will find use in thin, lightweight biometric recognition systems integrated into mobile devices. And,
it could be used in tiny sensors on lab-on-a-chip systems for realtime point-of-care medical and environmental testing.
Next, just about everything can get smarter, as combinations
of printed sensors, logic, memory, and communication appear in
products that havent included electronics. Applications include
RFID tags for inventory control, interactive product packaging
that talks or plays games, smart food packaging that changes
the use-by date, drug packaging that monitors and communicates patient compliance, and clothing that monitors the wearers vital signs and helps regulate body temperature.
Printed electronics could provide power as well. Flexible,
high-efficiency photovoltaics could power mobile devices and
commercial/residential power, while lightweight photovoltaics
and thin-film batteries could power printed electronic devices.
Of course, this is only a sampling of the possibilities. In the
1950s, no one envisioned the pervasiveness of silicon technology. Yet today its everywhere, in computers, cars, mobile electronics, appliances, and toys. Similarly, we dont yet know all of
the ways that printed electronics will be used. Perhaps the
greatest killer app is just around the corner. But we do know
that it is a viable technology, enabling life-enhancing applications and creating new opportunities.

Visit us at: www.thermtrol.com


Thermtrol Corporation N. Canton, OH USA
sales @thermtrol.com Fax: (330) 497-4189
Thermtrol Asia, Ltd. Hong Kong China
Ph: (852) 2873-3788 Fax: (852) 2873-3718
chinasales @thermtrol.com
READER SERVICE 131

KLAUS G. SCHROETER is founder and CEO of


Nanoident Technologies AG, which develops and manufactures printed semiconductor-based optoelectronic
sensors. He has more than 20 years of CEO/CTO
experience in VC-backed high-tech companies. He can
be reached at dialog@nanoident.com.
READER SERVICE 97

54

ED ONLINE 17369
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/22/07

4:07 PM

Page 55

Emerson. Consider It Solved is a trademark and Business-Critical Continuity,


Emerson Network Power and the Emerson Network Power logo are trademarks
and service marks of Emerson Electric Co. 2007 Emerson Electric Co.

pg55

Carrier-grade performance combined


with flexibility and configurability
makes KAT6200 the right solution
The KAT6200 Processor Blade is a high-performance, flexible AdvancedTCA
server node made to:
Order
Work
Span
Last

An intelligent FRU for high-availability server with storage and I/O


A flexible off-the-shelf hardware and software ecosystem
Configures to a wide variety of control and packet processing applications
Upgrades securely with redundant firmware and persistent memory
for event logging
Extend Fully supports IPMI and AdvancedTCA extensions for standards-based
shelf management
Set your expectations high. Choose the global technology leader in carrier-grade
server nodes.
Just another reason why Emerson Network Power is the global leader in enabling
Business-Critical Continuity .
AC Power Systems

Embedded Power

Precision Cooling

Connectivity

Integrated Cabinet Solutions

Services

DC Power Systems

Outside Plant

Site Monitoring

Embedded Computing

Power Switching & Controls

Surge & Signal Protection

US Toll Free: 1-800-356-9602 Q Voice: +1-608-831-5500


www.emersonembeddedcomputing.com

READER SERVICE 89

pg56

10/22/07

4:08 PM

Page 56

Sometimes the best ideas come


when the trout arent biting.

Innovator:
Kevin Bross,
Intel Modular Systems Architect

Innovation: low-voltage DC power in the data center


The river is constantly changing, so you see things a little differently out here, says Intels Kevin Bross.
That insight sparked a fresh look at data center power efciency problems plaguing telecom carriers worldwide.
Kevin: We know that -48V DC power is radically more efcient than AC. And carriers are already running low-voltage
DC in their central ofces. So we thoughtwhy not bring -48V DC to the data center? The results were even
greater than we thought, thanks to available solutions that carriers can use today. Thats just the beginning.
Learn more, and see how innovators are transforming the industry at innovate.intel.com

Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Copyright

2007. All rights reserved.

READER SERVICE 96

p57

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4:45 PM

Page 57

Embedded

ED ONLINE 13195

WILLIAM WONG | Embedded/Systems/Software Editor


bwong@penton.com

Embedded News

Freeing
Communications

igration of software to open source is often a well kept secret, even


though PR agencies try their best to get the word out. A good example is Eneas LINX. At the SourceForge open-source project Web
site, we find that LINX is a distributed communication protocol
stack for transparent internode and interprocess communication for a heterogeneous mix of systems.
So why was this project started? LINX is integrated with Eneas OSE real-time
operating system (RTOS) and a key feature in Eneas network host solution. Dual
licensing is part of the puzzle, as with many companies that open-source this type
of critical component.
Use software with something like the GPL (General Public License) and live
with the open-source requirements or license the software from the company
under different terms. This approach works well if the company provides all the
updates. In fact, many successful companies that open some or even all of
their systems have taken this approach.
Another example is Meshnetics OpenMAC project, which uses the Common
Development and Distribution License (CDDL). This 802.15.4 protocol stack is
the basis for Meshnetics ZigBee stack. The current implementation targets
Atmels AVRmore specifically, the AVR Z-Link Kits.
Some projects, like OpenMAC, implement existing standards while others,
like LINX, implement their own communication protocols. LINX and other projects that implement their own communication protocols are more interesting
because open source opens the communications link to a wider audience.
Rarely will these protocols become formal standards, but this approach makes
it much easier to turn them into de facto standards and a rallying point for subsequent development.
Major open-source projects like Linux, Apache, and Eclipse have demonstrated this processand turned the embedded market on its head. Open-source
software is now a major portion of the tools, middleware, and RTOS market.
Development kits are more likely to come with more extensive support because
of bundled open-source systems in addition to the proprietary alternatives.
Still, too many companies try to lock up protocols, making it difficult to interface to their solutions. This works for large companies or for companies with a
monopoly on their product area. But in general, it tends to limit the growth of
the solution space.
Finding tidbits like LINX isnt easy. There are more than 480 projects on
SourceForge in the clustering category alone, and SourceForge is only one site
supporting open-source projects. The amount of traffic on the LINX site at this
point is small, but it could be the platform youre looking for.
LINX is a great location-transparent and platform-transparent interprocess
communication system thats as good as or better than a host of similar proprietary solutions. It runs on top of many transports, including TCP/IP sockets, so
it can bridge any number of RTOSs as well as Windows and Linux. Check it out
and let me know what you think.
Enea www.enea.com
LINX sourceforge.net/projects/linx
Meshnetics www.meshnetics.com
OpenMAC sourceforge.net/projects/openmac
ED ONLINE 17317

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

Linux At Home In Mobile Phones


MontaVistas Mobilinux 5.0 brings a host of
new features to the mobile-phone space. At
the top of the list is Micro-SELinux,
MontaVistas subset of the NSA-sponsored
SELinux (Security Enhanced Linux). Pruning
SELinux allows mandatory, policy-based
access control to be implemented on low-end
embedded platforms. The basic Mobilinux
weighs in under 2 Mbytes, though typical systems are on the order of 16 Mbytes. Mobilinux
boots quickly (under 5 s), enabling a cell call
to be placed in under 10 s. Advanced powermanagement support can extend battery life
up to 80%. Other benefits include low-level
kernel debugging over a USB link as well as
support for a host of mobile peripherals,
including Bluetooth, SDIO, and USB. Mobilinux
is bundled with MontaVistas open-source
development tools and the Eclipse-based
DevRocket integrated development environment (IDE). Mobilinux is sold using an annual
subscription service.
MontaVista
www.mvista.com
ED ONLINE 17318
USB Module Supports
Low-Cost FPGA Development
DLP Designs $119
USB-based DLPFPGA Module
sports a Xilinx
Spartan 3E FPGA.
It provides a rapid
prototyping environment that can be
plugged into a host
using the 50-pin
header. The module can operate off power
from the USB interface or from the host. The
Spartan 3E XC3S250E has 250k system gates.
The module has an SPI flash chip, 128 kbytes
of SRAM, and an on-module voltage regulator.
Packed with training material and Xilinxs ISE
WebPACK software, the module costs $189.
DLP Design
www.dlpdesign.com
ED ONLINE 17319

EiED Online

by William Wong
Technology Editor
Your source for technical insight and hands-on reviews
at www.electronicdesign.com

New at EIED Online


MontaVista Linux

ED ONLINE 17286

Boston ESC

ED ONLINE 17192

57

p58

10/23/07

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Page 58

Embedded
1-2-3-4: What Do We Need More Cores For?
Multicore is here to stay, but how many
cores do we need? While more typically
is better, AMD is looking to fill a gap
between dual- and quad-core chips with
the tri-core Phenom for desktops. The
Phenom likely will start out as a quadcore chip with one core disabled, but it
will be priced between two-core and fourcore chips. It will find a home as long as
there remains enough of a price gap
between its siblings.
Still, power users and servers will push
the quad cores to the limit. The latest
from Intel, the Quad-Core Xeon 7300
series processors, start with a 50-W,
1.86-GHz version for high-density, lowpower solutions and range up to 130-W,
2.93-GHz chips for high-performance
solutions. Pricing starts at $856.
The latest Xeons employ a
1066-Mtransaction/s dedicated highspeed interconnect (DHSI). Intels
QuickPath Interconnect system architecture will be used in chips expected
next year. The quad-core Xeons come
with 8 Mbytes of L2 cache, half of

which can be dedicated to a single


core. The chips support Intels I/O
Acceleration Technology and Virtual
Machine Device Queues (VMDq).
On the server side, AMD has delivered quad-core Opterons that maintain the triple Direct Connect Architecture HyperTransport links. Like Intel,
AMD has its enhanced virtual
machine and virtualized I/O support,
including AMDs Rapid Virtualization
Indexing of nested tables designed to
reduce the overhead of virtualmachine monitors (VMMs). Each
cores clock in the Opteron is independently controllable.
On the embedded side, AMD released
8- to 25-W versions of its AM2-based,
single-core Athlon 64 processors that
support error-correction code (ECC)
memory for applications like Network
Attached Storage (NAS) and Advanced
Mezzanine Cards (AMCs).
AMD www.amd.com
Intel www.intel.com
ED ONLINE 17347

Autos Getting The Most From MOST150


MOST (Media Oriented System Transport)
is creeping into high-end autos to
deliver high-performance multimedia
to passengers. The MOST150 standard pushes bandwidth to 150
Mbits/s and adds an IP channel to the
mix that can carry Ethernet 100BaseT
traffic. It also doubles the MOST
bandwidth to 50 Mbits/s compared
to MOST25.
MOST addresses fixed-bandwidth
applications such as streaming audio
and video. Though MOST is slower
than the Ethernet channel, its quality
of service (QoS) is guaranteed. The
addition of an Ethernet channel allows
a single MOST Polymer Optical Fiber
(POF) network to support wired and
wireless peripherals attached to the

25 Mbits/s

MOST25
MOST150

Sync
Control

Async

100BaseT Ethernet

150 Mbits/s

SMSCs OS81110 INIC supports MOST150, which


embeds a 100BaseT IP-transport block with synchronous data.
network. IP-based Ethernet traffic is
independent and cannot interfere with
the MOST channels.
The OS81110 INIC incorporates
SMSCs Cougar microcontroller to provide a more intelligent MOST controller. Pricing for the OS81110 INIC is
less than $5.
SMSC
www.smsc.com
ED ONLINE 17348

OS81110 INIC
Interface: MOST150
Bandwidth: 150 Mbits/s, 50 Mbits/s for MOST traffic
Features: multiple channels, synchronous and isochronous transport, dynamic allocation of fixed
bandwidth channels, no collisions or protocol overhead
Ethernet channel: compatible with 100BaseT

58

Embedded News
Tiny SBC Fits In Tight Places
VIA Technologies 10- by 7.2-cm VT6047
Pico-ITX single-board computer (SBC) is
designed for compact applications. It can
use an x86-based,
fanless VIA
Eden
or a C7
processor. It
needs only a
30-W power supply, but it provides
standard I/O like Ethernet, serial ports, USB
ports, 7.1-channel audio, and DVI interfaces.
The board has a SATA and an ATA storage
interface. It supports up to 1 Gbyte of DDR2.
A TV encoder and HDTV board are optional.
VIA Technologies
www.via.com.tw
ED ONLINE 17349

Mini-ITX Sports Dual-Core AMD CPUs


Kontrons KT690/mITX supports AMDs
dual-core Turiona and Sempron CPUs while
incorporating Radeon X1250 graphics.
The board has a Compact Flash slot, a PCI
slot, and a mini PCI-Express connector,
plus PCI Express x8, VGA, and DVI support.
Storage interfaces include four SATA-II
ports, RAID support, and an ATA133 interface. There are 10 USB 2.0 ports, two serial ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, 7.1
HDA sound, and eight general-purpose
I/Os (GPIOs).
Kontron
www.kontron.com
ED ONLINE 17350

Family Extends 8/32-Bit Continuum


Freescales Flexis line got a boost with a
pair of 50-MHz 32-bit MCF51QE32 V1 ColdFire chips. They target mobile applications
and draw only 370 nA in the lowest-power
stop mode. The chips have 8 kbytes of
SRAM and 32 kbytes of flash; a 12-bit,
20-channel analog-to-digital converter; two
SCI ports, two I2C ports, and two SPI ports;
54 general-purpose I/O (GPIO); and an
internal clock. Pricing starts at $1.94.
Meanwhile, Freescale released its V2 Coldfire MCF522xx family. The MCF5223x
includes 100BaseT Ethernet, while the
MCF5221x adds USB host and OTG support. Flash is 256 and 128 kbytes, respectively. Pricing starts at $2.84.
Freescale Semiconductor
www.freescale.com
ED ONLINE 17351
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/22/07

Emulation Technology, Inc.

pg59

4:08 PM

Page 59

One size does not fit all.


And one solution dont fit all!

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READER SERVICE 90

p60

10/23/07

4:49 PM

Page 60

Embedded
Compilers Target Quad-Core CPUs
Version 7.1 of the PGI compilers and
tools from the Portland Group, a subsidiary of STMicroelectronics, features
a host of improvements including code
targeting quad-core AMD Opteron and
Intel Xeon processors. The compilers
can take advantage of the Opterons
128-bit wide floating-point units and

avoid merge dependencies. The alignment of hot loops lets the compilers
take advantage of the expanded 32byte code fetch window. And, Version
7.1 provides improved instruction
scheduling. Target-specific code generation can reduce code size by 5% to
90%. The use of PGI Unified Binary executables lets developers target the lat-

est processor innovations from both


AMD and Intel while treating x64 as a
single platform, eliminating the need to
target and optimize for two separate
processor platforms. The compilers
support C, C++, and Fortran. This latest
version also adds OpenMP 3.0 support.
The Portland Group
www.pgroup.com
ED ONLINE 17344

PCI Board Handles Four-Axis


Stepper And Servo Motion Control

Power Through

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When your input power line is on the line, depend on the new
VPTPCM-12 to power your systems smoothly and consistently.


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Wide temp. range of -55C to


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Space-saving size and light weight

Available Off-The-Shelf!
See more details on the Web or contact us
for your FREE CATALOG.

Adlinks PCI-8174
incorporates a
DSP with a
motion-control
ASIC to handle
stepper and servo
motion-control
functions where
time-critical
motion sequences The PCI-8174 can handle
are common. The linear interpolation using
board can operate up to all four axes and
in a standalone
circular interpolation
mode, and multiusing any two axes even
ple cards can be
in standalone mode.
linked together.
Software security protection prevents
illegal copying of custom software.The
PCI-8174 costs $1190.
Adlink
www.adlinktech.com
ED ONLINE 17345

New Generation Of PCIe Switches


Brings New Functionality

Power Your Critical Mission Today

Web: www.vpt-inc.com
Phone: 425.353.3010
E-mail: vptsales@vpt-inc.com

PLX Technologys latest batch of PCI


Express (PCIe) switch chips adds a host
of new features, such as dual-cast support in addition to 5-Gbit/s transfer
rates. The collection includes the PEX
8648 (48 lanes, 12 ports), PEX 8632
(32 lanes, 12 ports), PEX 8624 (24
lanes, six ports), PEX 8616 (16 lanes,
four ports), and PEX 8612 (12 lanes,
three ports). Each chip supports PLXs
read pacing algorithm to ensure fair
sharing of bandwidth. The chips also provide new power-management support
and the ability to turn off idle blocks. The
maximum payload size has been
increased. And, there is now data path
parity and error cyclic-redundancy check
(ECRC) on egress for applications like
RAID controllers. The switches are available in compact flip-chip packages.
PLX Technology
www.plxtech.com
ED ONLINE 17346

READER SERVICE 136

60

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

p61

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Page 61

DesignView

To read this article in its entirety, go to


www.electronicdesign.com, DRILL DEEPER 17390

Move Over Iso AmpMake The


Switch To Digital Isolation
Isolation is a means of preventing current
from flowing between two communicating
points. Typically, isolation is used in two
situations. The first is where theres the
potential for current surges that may damage equipment or harm humans. The second is where interconnections involve different ground potentials and disruptive
ground loops must be avoided. In both
cases, isolation is used to prevent current
flow, yet allow for data or power flow
between the two points.
Recent changes in legislation with
regard to both the design and use of
machinery and equipment require the
isolation of almost any type of dataacquisition system in harsh environments. In addition, the trend from historic single-channel isolated systems to
applications utilizing multichannel isolation led to the introduction of new isolation strategies.
These applications involve high-voltage,
high-speed/high-precision communications, or communication over large distances. Examples include industrial I/O
systems, sensor interfaces, power-supply/regulation systems, motor-control/
drive systems, and instrumentation.
Early isolation techniques in designs
utilized analog isolation amplifiers (iso
amps) to isolate the sensor circuitry
on the factory floor from the signalprocessing system in the control room.
Some of these amplifiers are still in
use today in applications with limited
Isolation barrier

VREF

Low-frequency channel
(dc to 100 kHz)

PWM

High-frequency channel
(100 kHz to 150 MHz)

Oscillator

channel count
Multi-input channel ADC
Isolators
and small signal
3
AIN0
8:1
bandwidth.
Digital

PGA
A
2
interface
ADC
System
These isolation
sensors
multicontroller
plexer
3
amplifiers were
Oscillator Control
AIN7
7
precision ampli(not necessarily
fiers incorporating
one package)
a novel duty-cycle
modulation1. When multiple inputs exist, they can be multiplexed into a single-channel
demodulation
conditioning path, amplified by a programmable gain amplifier (PGA), and contechnique to digiverted into a digital data stream utilizing delta-sigma modulation. The digital
tally transmit the
data are then transmitted across the digital interface to a system controller,
input signal across which further processes the received data in the digital domain.
a differential
surands) of multiple analog inputs (Fig.
capacitive barrier. With digital modula1). Most delta-sigma ADCs feature serial
tion, the barrier characteristics dont
interfaces to reduce package size and
affect signal integrity, resulting in excelboard space. The complexity of serial
lent reliability and good high-frequency
interfaces varies in the number of slowtransient-immunity across the barrier.
But despite their high reliability and pre- speed control signals required, such as
chip-select, power-down, gain and speed
cision, isolation amplifiers were limited in
settings, and multiplexer addressing.
signal bandwidth to 50 kHz. Their older
Because signal capture and conditiontechnology requiring a minimum supply of
ing occur within the ADC, the best-suited
64 V doesnt support todays low-voltage
location to isolate the sensor circuit from
applications of 3 V and below. In addition,
the signal-processing circuitry is at the
their manufacturing processwhich
digital interface using digital isolators.
includes the separate fabrication of the
Due to interface complexity, the isolators
input and output sections, laser trimming
must be able to transmit high-speed ADC
for exceptional circuitry matching, and
conversion results, as well as low-speed
mounting both sections with isolating
control data.
capacitors in betweenmade these
Figure 2 shows an isolator based on a
devices rather expensive.
capacitive isolation barrier technique. It
Now, many data-acquisition systems
has a high-frequency channel (with a
in industrial automation use multi-input
bandwidth from 100 kHz up to 150 MHz)
channel analog-to-digital converters
and a low-frequency channel (100 kHz
(ADCs) to capture the input data (meadown to dc), which makes possible highand low-speed data transmission.
Overall, this article proposes the prinLow-pass
ciples of operation of digital isolators
filter
and discusses their applications in multichannel data-acquisition systems. It also
preaches the following: Understand your
0
system requirements before deciding
Out
what type of isolator to use and where to
1 S
place it in the system.
Decision
logic (DCL)

VREF

In

2. Shown here is the general topology of a digital capacitive isolator.


ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

THOMAS
KUGELSTADT
Senior Systems Engineer
Texas Instruments
ti_thomaskugelstadt@
list.ti.com

61

pg62

10/23/07

12:55 PM

Page 62

#01
PERFORMANCE
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HIGH PERFORMANCE ACTIVITY WHICH LEADS TO AN EXTRAORDINARY RESULT. MISSION SUPPORTED BY ABOVE AVERAGE
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READER SERVICE 127

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Page 63

ComponentView
Thermal Protectors
Feature Dual-Spring
Mechanisms

family of three thermal protectors from Selco Products offers high-reliability overheat protection, automatic reset, a dual-spring-mechanism design,
and sharp snap-action sound when activated. The dual-spring design
includes strong shock and vibration resistance to ensure extremely stable
contact performance.
The JP7 targets ac equipment in harsh industrial conditions. It comes in a 17.0- by
7.3- by 3.9-mm package and an operating temperature set range from 75C to
150C. The EP2 devices feature the same mechanical design as the JP7 but employ
a different casing material designed specifically for protecting low-voltage dc equipment. The temperature set point range is
from 75C to 130C.
The BP thermal protectors are for
rechargeable battery packs. They automatically turn off the voltage if the batteries
overheat. The BP series comes in four configurations that handle a wide variety of
battery types, including nickel cadmium,
lithium-ion, and nickel metal hydride.
All of the configurations have a differential temperature of 46C or higher. Their
operating set range is from 70C to 100C. Standard list price for the thermal protectors is $2.60 each in quantities of 1000. Delivery is in four to six weeks.
Selco Products www.selcoproducts.com
ED ONLINE 17343

Circuit Protection Briefs


A pair of compact four-line ESD protection devices guards dual high-speed USB ports
or up to four other high-frequency signal lines against transient signals up to 15 kV. The
Vishay Semiconductor arrays come in a leadless LLP75 package with a 1.6- by 1.6-mm
footprint and an ultra-low profile of 0.6 mm (VBUS054B-HSF) or 0.75 mm (VBUS054BHS3). The bus-port protection arrays cost $15.00 per 100 pieces. The devices protect
one data line as per IEC6100042 (ESD) at 15 kV (air and contact discharge) and
IEC6100045 (lightning) from 3 A. Visit www.vishay.com.
Two additions to Semtechs RailClamp family of low-capacitance protection devices
offer critical-power protection to high-speed lines without the high clamping voltage and
high capacitance of other solutions. The RClamp1502B and RClamp2402B have only
0.6-pF capacitance. The RClamp1502B protects two 15-V lines, and the RClamp2402B
protects two 24-V lines. Both work with interfaces operating at up to 1 GHz. They come
in an SC-75 package measuring 1.6 by 1.6 by 0.75 mm. The RClamp1502B costs
$0.26 each and the RClamp2402B is $0.29 each, both in 1000-piece quantities. The
devices are available immediately in production lots. See www.semtech.com for more.
EPCOS has boosted the surge-current protection capability of its LS40 varistors. The
LS41s capacity was increased by 25% to 50 kA at a pulse form of 8/20 s, with rated
voltages of 130 to 460 V ac. The protection capability of the LS42 was increased by up to
62% to 65 kA at rated voltages of 250 to 460 V ac. The devices measure 37.5 by 46 mm.
Both series have UL 1449 and CSA 22.2 approval. Lead time is four to six weeks. Pricing
is from $7.50 to $100 each, depending on type. For more, go to www.epcos.com.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

FANLESS
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Industrial-Grade
2.5 ATA/SATA Flash

LEADERS IN MINIITX

www.logicsupply.com
READER SERVICE 106

63

p64,67,68

10/23/07

5:49 PM

Page 64

IdeasForDesign
INNOVATIVE DESIGNS FROM READERS

AC Motor Driver Features


PC Programmability
MASSIMO GOTTARDI | Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica Tecnologica
Originally published August 5, 2002

approaches can provide useful alternatives. This may result in


more efficient use of real estate or provide functionality thats
not possible with another approach.
WILLIAM WONG | Embedded/Systems/Software Editor

Discrete FIFOs and Pascal arent common items in most


designers toolboxes these days. Still, designs like this pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) generator can be quite useful in FPGA
designs where arbitrar y logic is common and unusual

A simple PC-programmable ac motor


driver is easily implemented using one
FIFO, simple logic, and power drivers.
Figure 1 shows the basic block diagram
of the circuit. It generates three sinusoidal voltage waveforms with 120 relative phase shift.
The 2-kbit FIFO memory (IC3) is organized as a long 1-bit, 16-kbit shift register
with D0 as input and Q8 as output. The
PC feeds the FIFO with the proper 16k bit
sequence, implementing one period of
the PWM sinusoidal waveform. The
transfer rate isnt critical because the
operation is executed once at system
power-on.
Only three wires of the parallel port
are used to implement data transfer:
DB0 as input data, STB to write data into
the FIFO, and DB1 to disconnect the PC
from the board after completion of the
operation. At this point, the system is
ready, and the bit sequence can recirculate into the FIFO at a proper clock
speed (CLK).
Recirculation happens via a multiplexer
(IC1), which shorts Q7 with D0, implementing the long circular shift register. Every
clock cycle, FF goes low because the FIFO
is full, forcing Q8 to be written into D0.
Three Flip-Flops (IC4, IC5) latch Q0, Q3,
and Q6 every clock cycle and control the
two motor drivers of Figure 2.
The PASCAL code for generating the
16-kbit PWM binary sequence of the
sinusoidal waveform and transferring it
to the FIFO can be found in the code listing PWM Stream Generation with the
online version of this article. Go to
www.electronicdesign.com, ED Online
2605, and click on 2605.zip at Download the Code.
ED ONLINE 2605
64

1G
IC1

IC3

DB 0

IC4

D0
Q
1
D2
Q
3
D4
Q
5

2G
Q8
1G

Q0
D1
Q
2
D3

2G

W
IC2

7424

2G

DB1
Q

D5
Q0

CNTRL 0

D7
Q
8

IC5

74 32

Q4

Q7
D8

CLK

1G

Q6

ST B

74 74

FF

74 74

Q3

CNTRL12 0

Q6

CNTRL24

1. This block diagram illustrates a way to generate three PC-programmable sinusoidal waveforms spaced
180 apart.
HV+

8
C2
D1

6 5
INT20 2

R2

M2
Phase 2

3 4

Phase 1

VDD

8
C1
CONTROL 0

6 5
INT20 2

Phase 3
3-phase
ac motor

1 2 3 4
R1

M1

HV
V

2. Shown in this schematic is one of the three high-voltage MOS drivers that feed sinusoidal waveforms
to the three-phase ac motor.
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

Ultraprecise Current Sense Amplifier Dramatically Enhances


Efficiency and Dynamic Range Design Note 423
Jon Munson
Introduction
Accurate current measurement is indispensable in many
electronic systems. The current is usually measured by
amplifying the voltage it generates across a small value
resistance. For systems that require a large dynamic measurement range, the sense resistance must be increased or
the precision of the amplier must be improved. Increasing
the value of the sense resistor has the detrimental effect
of increasing power dissipation. The better option is to
improve the precision of the sense amplier.
Amplier precision depends a great deal on the input
offset voltage of the amplier. Historically, current sense
ampliers on the market offered input offset voltage
performance on the order of hundreds or even thousands
of V. With such parts, achieving a practical dynamic
range of 8 to 10 bits can cost more than a Watt of power
dissipation at full operating current. The LTC 6102 ultraprecise current sense amplier reduces input error to a
miniscule 10V. This dramatic performance enhancement
translates directly into a greater measurement dynamic
range16 bits is possible even while lowering power
dissipation in the sense resistorthus greatly expanding
the gamut of current sensing design options.
RSENSE

V+

LOAD
RIN+

RIN
INS
1
INF
2

+IN
8
V+
7
0.1F
VREG
6

V
3
VOUT

OUT
4
ROUT

LTC6102

V
5
DN423 F01

Figure 1. Ultraprecise Current Sensing with LTC6102


09/07/423

Precision Buys Efciency


The LTC6102 is easily connected as shown in Figure 1.
The input voltage is developed by the sense resistor, and
the voltage gain of the amplier is set by the input and
output resistors. The overall scaling is simply:

R
VOUT = ILOAD R SENSE OUT
RIN

The accuracy at small load currents is primarily set by


the input offset voltage VOS. The current measurement
error IOFFSET, due to the VOS, is given by:
IOFFSET =

VOS
R SENSE

For a given current offset accuracy requirement, it can


be seen that with a low VOS that RSENSE may be reduced
accordingly, to sub-milliohms in many applications.
In most applications the circuit gain is selected so that
VOS translates to about 1LSB (least signicant bit) in
the analog-to-digital (ADC) acquisition system. Dynamic
range is dictated by the maximum signal amplitude that
the ADC can handle and how much power the RSENSE
resistor is permitted to dissipate.
Consider a comparison between two 8-bit sense amplier
solutions, one using a typical amplier with VOS = 500V
and one using the LTC6102, where VOS = 10V. The resolution of each is 20mA. The higher offset part requires a
sense resistor of at least 25m, whereas the LTC6102
only requires 500. At 5A, nearly full-scale current for
this example, the RSENSE power loss is 625mW with the
higher offset part, but just 13mW with the LTC6102, a
98% reduction in wasted power.
Print Your Own Sense Resistors
With the ultralow sense resistance capability offered by
the LTC6102, the printed circuit foil itself can be used
as a practical sensing element. A circuit board using 1oz
, LT, LTC and LTM are registered trademarks of Linear Technology Corporation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

copper has a nominal sheet resistivity of 500/square.


The value drops proportionally for thicker foils and rises
for thinner foils. A trace of width W and length L (in any
identical units) has the following resistance:
L
W
The length of the resistor is simply the spacing between
the Kelvin taps along the trace. One ounce copper can
generally carry up to about 100mA/mil of trace width
(or 4A/mm), which constrains the minimum size of the
resistor structure. Another constraint is reproducibility,
so the larger, the better. Ultimately the thickness tolerance
and tempco of the copper limit the accuracy a printed
resistor can have.
R SENSE 500

Figure 2 shows a printed structure for the 5A circuit example discussed previously. In this layout, the L/W factor
is set to 1 (for RSENSE = 500) and the size is dictated
mainly by the accuracy of printed circuit etching.
Using copper for the sense resistance means that the
scaling of the circuit is nearly proportional to absolute
temperature, about +0.4%/C at room temperature. In
applications where the current is being monitored for
overload protection, the tempco may be convenient, in
that a xed protection threshold will automatically correspond to lower current at higher temperature. For stable
measurements, a software calibration and temperature
correction approach can be used, or the tempco can be
compensated by using a copper-based resistor for RIN ,
such as a small surface mount inductor with known resistance properties (>10 readily available, e.g. Vishay
IMC series).
CURRENT CARRYING TRACE
L
FROM
SUPPLY

RSENSE*
RIN

TO LOAD
10A MAX

W
RIN+

CREG

OUTPUT
ROUT
V

LTC6102
* 2.5mm 2.5mm
1oz COPPER
500

DN423 F02

Design Tips and Details


If you are not printing your own sense resistors, and
need the accuracy of off-the-shelf components, be sure
to specify 4-wire (Kelvin) sense resistors for best results.
Such resistors are designed so that the resistance is well
calibrated between the sensed taps, thus eliminating the
error from solder resistance in the load path.
Accurately measuring microvolt level signals raises the
real possibility of stray thermocouple effects due to dissimilar metallic interconnections. Figure 1 shows the use
of an RIN+ that is generally identical to RIN . The purpose
of this extra resistor is to provide identical metallurgical conditions to both amplier inputs for minimizing
thermocouple effects, as well as to minimize DC bias
current imbalance.
The RIN value is selected to conduct about 500A at
times of peak measured current IPEAK. The voltage drop
on RIN is equal to the voltage drop on RSENSE, so:
IPEAK R SENSE
0 . 0005
Gain accuracy of the overall circuit is established mainly
by the quality of the resistors used. This allows the designer to optimize the cost vs performance tradeoff in
each specic application.
RIN

To minimize copper loss errors in the feedback loop of


the LTC6102, the inverting sense input (INS) and the
inverting feedback connection (INF) have been kept
separate so that a Kelvin connection to RIN can be made.
This connection can also be seen in the suggested layout
of Figure 2.
Figure 2 shows the V+ connections tied to the load side
of RSENSE, whereas Figure 1 shows a tie-in to the supply
side. The LTC6102 will work in either conguration. The
difference is that the Figure 2 connection will also include
the LTC6102 quiescent supply current (300A typically)
in the measured load current. Supply voltages from 4V
to 100V are supported.
Conclusion
The LTC6102 is the industrys highest precision current
sense amplier. The exceptional accuracy allows for dramatic reduction in the RSENSE resistance, thereby improving efciency, dynamic range and current handling.

Figure 2. LTC6102 Layout Using Printed Sense Resistance


Data Sheet Download

For applications help,


call (408) 432-1900, Ext. 2020

www.linear.com

Linear Technology Corporation

dn423f LT/TP 0907 451K PRINTED IN THE USA

FAX: (408) 434-0507 www.linear.com

LINEAR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION 2007

1630 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035-7417


(408) 432-1900

p65

10/23/07

7:56 PM

Page 65

United States Postal Service


Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation

(Requester Publications Only)

Required by 39 USC 3685


1. Publication Title: Electronic Design
2. Publication Number: 172-080
3. Filing Date: 10/1/07
4. Issue of Frequency: Twice a month, except 3 in Mar, Jun, Sep, Oct
5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 28
6. Annual Subscription Price: Free to Qualified
7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not Printer): Penton Media Inc., The Penton Media Building, 1300
E 9th St.,Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, OH 44114-1503

Contact Person: Brenda Roode


Telephone: 913-967-1955

8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not Printer): Penton Media, Inc.249 West 17th St, Fourth Floor, New York, NY
10011-5390
9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor - Publisher: Bill Baumann, Penton Media Inc, 45 Eisenhower Dr 5th Flr., Paramus, NJ
07652; Editor: Joe Desposito, Penton Media Inc, 45 Eisenhower Dr 5th Flr., Paramus, NJ 07652; Managing Editor: Richard Gawel, Penton Media Inc, 45 Eisenhower Dr 5th
Flr., Paramus, NJ 07652

ount
M
e
c
a
f
Sur Plug In)
(and rmers and
Transnfo
ors
I duct mediately

g im
Catalo
com
os full
onics.
r
t
See Pic
elec

w w w. p

ico

Low Profile from

.19"ht.

10. Owner - Full name: Penton Media Inc., 249 W 17th St, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10011 - 5390; Penton Business Media Holdings, Inc. (owns 100% of the stock of
Penton Media Inc.), 249 W 17th St, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10011 - 5390
11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities:
None

Audio Transformers

13. Publication Title: Electronic Design

Impedance Levels 10 ohms to 250k ohms,


Power Levels to 3 Watts, Frequency Response
3db 20Hz to 250Hz. All units manufactured
and tested to MIL-PRF-27. QPL Units available.

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: August 16, 2007


15. Extent and Nature of Circulation
a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run)

Average No. Copies


Each Issue During No. Copies of Single Issue
Preceding 12 Months Published Nearest to Filing Date

b. Legitimate Paid and/ or Requested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)
(1) Individual Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated On PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient,
telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, advertiser's
proof copies, and exchange copies)
(2) Copies Requested by Employers for Distribution to Employees by Name or Position Stated on PS Form 3541
(3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside
USPS
(4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail)
c. Total Paid and/or Requested Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4))
d. Nonrequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)
(1) Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by
a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and
other sources)

140,884

140,607

133,829

133,554

3,316

2,925

137,145

136,479

1,975

1,884

(2) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. First-Class Mail, Nonrequester Copies
mailed in excess of 10% Limit mail at Standard Mail or Package Services Rates)

(3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (Include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows, Showrooms and Other Sources)

1,764

2,244

3,739

4,128

140,884

140,607

h. Total (Sum of 15f and g)

140,884

140,607

i.

97.35%

97.06%

Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the

November 5, 2007

e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3))


f.

Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e)

g. Copies not Distributed


Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100)

16.
issue of this publication.

17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner


Brenda Roode, Audience Marketing Manager

Date
9/20/07

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits
material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

Power & EMI Inductors


Ideal for noise, spike and Power Filtering
Applications in Power Supplies, DC-DC
Converters and Switching Regulators

Pulse Transformers
10 Nanoseconds to 100 Microseconds. ET
Rating to 150 Volt Microsecond, Manufactured
and tested to MIL-PRF-21038.

Multiplex Data Bus


Pulse Transformers
Plug-In units meet the requirements
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Surface units are electrical equivilents
of QPL-MIL-PRF 21038/27.

DC-DC Converter
Transformers
Input voltages of 5V, 12V, 24V And 48V.
Standard Output Voltages to 300V (Special
voltages can be supplied). Can be used as self
saturating or linear switching applications. All
units manufactured and tested to MIL-PRF-27.

400Hz/800Hz
Power Transformers
0.4 Watts to 150 Watts. Secondary Voltages 5V
to 300V. Units manufactured to MIL-PRF-27
Grade 5, Class S (Class V, 1550C available).

ek
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to on ies
k
c
to
tit
ery-S
quan
Deliv sample
See
for

EEM
or send direct
for FREE PICO Catalog
Call toll free 800-431-1064
in NY call 914-738-1400
Fax 914-738-8225

PICO

Electronics,Inc.

143 Sparks Ave. Pelham, N.Y. 10803

E Mail: info@picoelectronics.com
www.picoelectronics.com
READER SERVICE 126

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

65

pg66

10/22/07

4:08 PM

Page 66

Rethinking LDO Regulators

Easily Paralleled: Get High Output Current Without Hot Spots!


The LT3080 is a new generation of linear regulator compatible with modern surface mount circuit design. Its input voltage
is specified up to 36V, providing good margin for transients in many applications. Also, the output of the LT3080 is adjustable
with a single resistor down to 0V and devices are easily paralleled for higher output current or to spread PCB heat. The input to
output dropout is 1.3V when used as a three terminal regulator. The collector of the power device can be connected separately
from the control circuitry to enable dropout voltages of only 300mV, ensuring high efficiency conversion.

Features

LT3080 Packaging Options

Info & Free Samples

Outputs Can Be Paralleled

www.linear.com/3080

Output Current: 1.1A

1-800-4-LINEAR

Low Dropout Voltage:


300mV @ 1.1A

3mm x 3mm
DFN

3mm x 5mm
MSOP8-E

Low Noise:
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Single Resistor Programs VOUT
VOUT Down to 0V

28mm x 10.25mm
TO-220

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SOT-223

VIN Up to 36V (40V Abs Max.)

READER SERVICE 104

, LTC and LT are registered trademarks of Linear Technology


Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

p64,67,68

10/23/07

5:50 PM

Page 67

IdeasForDesign

INNOVATIVE DESIGNS FROM READERS

Twisted Pair Accurately Reads Digital


Temperature Sensor At 1000 m
ALFREDO SAAB AND TINA ALIKAHI | Maxim Integrated Products Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
Alfredo_Saab@maximhq.com, Tina_Alikahi@maximhq.com
1k

The best way to make midrange,


low- to medium-accuracy temperature
measurements (considering size, cost,
performance, and ease of use) is to use
an IC temperature sensor. But most IC
temperature sensors are designed for
applications where the circuits to which
they connect are nearby. Therefore, the
inclusion of sensing, digitizing, and signal-processing functions in one IC greatly simplifies the design of such sensors
and the data-acquisition interface.
Some applications, however, require
the acquisition of temperature data from
locations quite remote from the power
supply and data-processing electronics.
These systems demand extra care,
because any deterioration in the signal
from the remote sensor can degrade the
measurement quality.
Choosing to digitize and process the
signal at the point of measurement
(near the sensor) greatly reduces the
problem of signal integrity. However, that
approach also complicates the interconnection and raises the problem of supplying power to the circuit. Either design
optionsignal processing remotely or at
the sensorrequires cabling thats complex or expensive or both.
Figure 1 shows a simple and economical interface for remote IC thermal sen-

+5 V

0.22
F
22

F

RTERM

2.4k

VCC
OUT
IC1
MAX6576 TS0
GND

TS1

MAX9140
IC2

Output

+
Twisted-pair
cable

10

10k

220k

F

0V
RTERM = Z0 of twisted-pair cable

1. An IC that integrates a temperature sensor with signal electronics and a simple receiver circuit using
a comparator enable the remote acquisition of temperature data over a twisted-pair cable.
sors. IC1, a MAX6576, is an absolute
temperature-to-period converter that
integrates a sensor with the necessary
signal electronics. It connects to the
receiver (a simple comparator) using a
twisted-pair cable that simultaneously
carries power to the sensor and signals
from the sensor.
At the receiving end, you can recover
the temperature data from the comparator-output pulses with a simple timer/
counter routine executed by a microcontroller. Or, in analog form, you can use a
constant-slope, linear saw-tooth generator synchronized with the received pulses, followed by a peak sample/hold
(S/H) converter.

With its TS0 and TS1 terminals connected, the MAX6576 exhibits a digitizing conversion constant of 10 s/K (Fig. 1). So at
room temperature (300K), the output
pulse period should be 3000 s (3 ms),
which corresponds to a repetition rate of
about 333 Hz. Figure 2 shows this to be
the case, even with a 1000-m (approximately 3300-ft) cable. Similar results were
obtained using a 60-cm (2-ft) cable. Figure
3 shows the receivers input pulses using
the 1000-m twisted-pair cable. The timing
results were similar to those measured
using the 60-cm cable.
Measurements of the receivers pulseto-pulse output jitter (where total measurement error is the ratio of jitter to the
signal period) indicate that the jitter influence is negligible, even with the long
cable. This transmission scheme can also
be used with temperature-to-frequency
converters and other sensors.
ALFREDO SAAB, applications engineering manager, studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Previously, he worked as an American Scientific Associate at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland.

2. The receiver output pulses for a 1000-m twisted-pair cable exhibit the expected 3-ms period.

3. This measurement shows the pulses at the


receiver input for the 1000-m cable.

ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

TINA ALIKAHI, applications engineer, holds a


bachelors degree in electrical engineering from
Azad (Private) University of Garmsar, Iran.

ED ONLINE 17370
67

p64,67,68

10/23/07

6:20 PM

Page 68

IdeasForDesign

erters
v
n
o
C
DC-DC
up
to

c
d
V
0
0
5,0

Tuning A Quadrature
Encoder By Ear
MICHAEL COVINGTON | University of Georgia, Athens
mc@uga.edu

V+

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1k
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READER SERVICE 125

68

V+
+

1k
+

1/ 2
LM39 3

V
5.00 V

Slotted
disc

Photocell

Walkmanstyle
headphones

By using a pair of headphones at the output of this older lab instrument, the author was able to adjust
the quadrature encoders potentiometers into the middle of the working range.
The human ear is very good at
detecting noise or missing cycles in a
waveform, and since we have two ears,
we can monitor two signals at once.
I recently repaired an older lab instrument containing a quadrature encoder
made with an incandescent lamp, a slotted disc, and two photocells (left side in
the figure). It turned out that the lamp
brightness, and hence the supply voltage, was quite critical, and the potentiometers had to be adjusted to give reliable performance.
A digital oscilloscope was hard to use
as an output indicator because its display tended to freeze every time there
was a sudden changeexactly what we
want a digital scope to do under normal
circumstances. An analog scope was not
available, so I decided to use headphones as the output indicator (right
side in the figure). The procedure was to
dim the room lights, twirl the shaft, and
listen for smooth whines in both ears. It
took me only a couple of minutes to
bring each potentiometer into the middle of the working range.

MICHAEL A. COVINGTON is
a senior research scientist in
the Microelectronics Laboratory in the Artificial Intelligence Center at the University of Georgia.

ED ONLINE 17371

IDEAS FOR DESIGN WANTED


Send us your Ideas for Design.
Well pay you $150 for every
Idea for Design that we publish.
In addition, this years 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: dbs@penton.com
Or by
Postal mail to:
Ideas For Design
Electronic Design
45 Eisenhower Dr., Suite 550
Paramus, NJ 07652
Go to www.electronicdesign.com for
our submission guidelines.
11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

10/22/07

4:09 PM

Page 69

Ultra-Tiny 16-Bit ADC

Easy-to-Use ADC Features 16-Bit Performance at a 12-Bit Price


The LTC2450 packs a mighty punch with 16-bits of analog sampling performance and an internal oscillator in just 4mm2.
The LTC2450 sets a new standard for monitoring system environments in compact, power-conscious applications. Thanks
to the flexibility of either I2C or SPI interface, you can measure voltage, current, temperature, airflow or other general
purpose analog signals without compromising performance.

Features
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3.0

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SPI or I 2C Versions, Single-Ended or
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Internal Oscillator No External
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Info & Free Samples

16-Bit Integral Nonlinearity Error

www.linear.com/2450

VCC = VREF = 3V

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pg69

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READER SERVICE 105

3.0

, LTC and LT are registered trademarks of Linear Technology


Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

p70-71_DC1105.qxd

10/23/07

5:58 PM

Page 70

ELECTRONIC DESIGN

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70

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p70-71_DC1105.qxd

10/23/07

5:59 PM

Page 71

ELECTRONIC DESIGN

Direct Connection

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ELECTRONIC DESIGN GO TO WWW.ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM

71

p72

10/23/07

6:59 PM

Page 72

IndexOfAdvertisers
Ad

Number

Page

Accutrace Inc ............................80............71


Analog Devices ..........................................29
Analog Devices ..........................................31
Austrianmicrosystems Ag ............81 ..........24
BPM ........................................82 ..........39
Bud Industries Inc ....................84 ..........70
Bud Industries Inc ....................83 ..........50
Datatronics Distribution, Inc ......85 ..........25
Digi-Key ..................................86..............1
DFR Solutions ..........................87 ..........52
EMA Design Automation ..............88 ..........42

Ad

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Emerson Network Power ............89 ..........55


Emulation Technology ................90 ..........59
Expresspcb ................................91 ..........70
Fine Circuits Inc ......................92 ..........70
Front Panel Express ..................93 ..........70
IBM Corporation ........................94 ..........C.3
Imagineering Incorporated -il ......95............71
Intel Corporation ......................96 ..........56
Interconnect Systems ................97 ..........54
International Rectifier Corp ........98..............2
Intersil Corporation ..................99............51

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Number

Ad

Number

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Intersil Corporation ................100 ..........53


Intersil Corporation ................101 ..........48
Intersil Corporation ..............................48A-H
IOtech Inc. ..........................................16A-B
Jameco Electronics ..................102..............4
LEM ......................................103 ..........12
Linear Technology Corporation ..104 ..........66
Linear Technology Corporation ..105 ..........69
Linear Technology Corporation ................64A-B
Logic Supply ..........................106 ..........63
Maxim Integrated Products ..107,108..........35
Maxim Integrated Products ..109,110 ........37
Melexis Inc ............................111............19
Micro Crystal ........................112 ..........38
Microbridge Technologies ..........137 ..........46
Minmax Technology Co Ltd ........113 ..........52
Mouser Electronics ..................114............14
National Instruments ............................32A-D
National Instruments ..............115............10
Nec Electronics Inc ................116 ..........27
Newark In One ........................117 ..........23
NXP ......................................118 ..........44
Omega Engineering, Inc. ..........119 ..........C.2
Overnite Protos ......................120............71
Panasonic Batteries ................121 ..........70
Performance Motion Devices, Inc ..122 ......43
Performance Motion Devices, Inc ..123 ......45
Performance Motion Devices, Inc ..124 ......47
Pico Electronics Inc ................125 ..........68
Pico Electronics Inc ................126 ..........65
Polyrack ................................127 ..........62
Stanford Research Systems ......128..............9
Tech Tools ..............................129 ..........70
Tern Inc ................................130 ..........70
Texas Instruments ........................................3
Texas Instruments ......................................11
Texas Instruments ......................................13
Texas Instruments ......................................C.4
Thermtrol Corporation ..............131 ..........54
Toshiba America Electronic Com 132..............6
Trilogy Design ........................133 ..........70
Vicor Corporation ....................135............21
VPT ......................................136 ..........60

For more Information on products or services visit our website


www.electronicdesign.com, menu item Reader Service.The
advertisers index is prepared as an added service. Electronic
Design does not assume any liability for omissions or errors.

11.05.07 ELECTRONIC DESIGN

pgCv3

10/22/07

4:01 PM

Page Cv3

READER SERVICE 94

10/23/07

1:22 PM

Page Cv4

Lower Power, Higher Performance


1A, 1.8V, Zero-Crossover Op Amp

The OPA369 precision amplier from Texas Instruments is the industrys lowest power zero-crossover op amp. Featuring
a unique single input stage architecture, the device achieves rail-to-rail performance without input crossover. With 1A
quiescent current, SC70 package and operation down to 1.8V, the OPA369 enables higher performance and simplies
designs in portable, battery-powered applications.
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