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16 February 2008
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News & Analysis
Microvision Inc. showcased a prototype of its pico projector, which uses MEMS to downsize a digital projector to a palm-size, battery-powered unit.
Analog-mixed signal designers need a first-time right design methodology now. Why is this familiar cry more urgent and probably truest this time?
Exploring the use of capacitive sensing in a water cooler illustrates not only how capacitive sensing can make devices more reliable, but also how the controller managing capacitive sensing can take on additional functions to add further value to customers and reduce maintenance costs.
When you have technology that changes as quickly as it does in our field, there are eternal truths but also constant revisiting of the implications of those truths.
As the migration to high definition picks up speed, video system designers are faced with new challenges related to bandwidth requirements, image quality, transcoding and digital media codec flexibility.
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Designers trying to achieve high-quality audio from flat-panel TVs are faced with several obstacles, but digital audio processors and amplifiers can be used to both compensate for problems and to improve the audio experience.
A collaborative effort among IC designers using CoWare's ESL tools and Sonics' SMX smart-interconnect IP designed for this class of SoCs enabled the rapid optimization and verification of the design aspects necessary to meet the critical architectural challenges.
Jack Ganssle argues that there's no such thing as R&D, as research and development are two completely separate activities.
Jeff Bier notes: As digital signal processing continues to grow in importance, it will continue to create many opportunities throughout the electronics industry.
Technical Features
According to Lionel Federspiel of Infineon Technologies: in reviewing mobile TV technology trends, one needs to differentiate between product feature set, packaging, performance, semiconductor processes used and most importantly, the RF receiver performance. (PDF file)
A reference design to achieve the lowest possible cost for adding wireless sensor network functionality to a typical product is presented in this technical article by Colin Faulkner and Lee Neal of Jennic Ltd. (PDF file)
The availability of inexpensive, ultracompact and power-efficient MEMS sensors has revolutionized the way in which people interact with mobile terminals, game console and remote controller allowing the implementation of advanced functions and compelling user interfaces. (PDF file)
DDR memory has specific power supply voltage requirements. Norman K W Chan and WS Wong of Freescale Semiconductor espouse that designers use a DDR memory power supply IC to ensure compliance with the standards and maximize battery run-time of portable devices. (PDF file)
Given the high sample rates and bandwidths of today's oscilloscopes, the critical issue is optimizing the quality of information captured by the instrument. This includes how to capture multiple events at a sufficiently high horizontal resolution for effective analysis and how to optimize the use of memory by storing and displaying only the necessary data. (PDF file)
Anderson MacKay of Green Hills Software discusses in this article the high-level overviews of three simple models for multicore systems, which are straightforward to implement with today's tools and hardware. These multicore design patterns provide starting points for thinking and talking about the high-level picture of what your system does, and provide a common terminology so that hardware and software teams can hash out a multicore system structure. (PDF file)
Opinion
The next generation of A/V equipment will offer more and better functionality. What's most interesting is HD audio and video going wireless. As most A/V gear shrink in size, thanks to advances in video technology and amplifiers, wires are looking increasingly ignominious.
Jerry McGuire notes that in today's embedded signal processing growth markets, the product developer's focus has shifted from performance concerns to issues of power.
Interview
How is Asia's EDA industry faring? Lung Chu, Cadence Design Systems Asia Ltd's Asia Pacific president, shares the region's EDA growth information, bares his thoughts on the key places of development and discusses the company's efforts for low-power design.
Vital Signs
The Annual Salary and Opinion Survey of EE Times asked engineers to answer questions about a wide range of technologies—from Bluetooth to WiMAX and everything in between.
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