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Dear Sir/Madam
These year´s big embedded events in Nuremberg and San Francisco
are over. But they were very successful and proved the ever
increasing importance of embedded systems. To keep you updated
you´ll find some information about embedded systems in this
newsletter. Enjoy!
Wolfgang
Patelay
Technical
Editor, EPN
Ethernet Powerlink Interfaces (Ixxat)
Ixxat Automation claims to be the first vendor worldwide to
offer a PCI and cPCI card for Ethernet Powerlink. The cards can
be operated as a managing node (MN) and a controlled node (CN)
and among other things enable simple implementation of
real-time-compatible PC-based PLC applications for Ethernet
Powerlink. They also serve as a platform for PC-based analysis
and test systems.
Click here
In-Circuit Debugger (Raisonance)
The
RLink provides debugging and programming for a complete range of
STMicroelectronics microcontrollers from 8 to 32bits with a single
tool. The unit supports ST's ICC protocol for ST7 and the JTAG
standard protocol for the STR7 ARM core-based devices and µPSD.
Click here
Mini-ITX
Motherboard (Evalue
Technology)
The
EMB-9680, just rolled out by Evalue Technology, is a Mini-ITX
motherboard based on Mobile Intel 915GM Express chipset and Intel
ICH6M. Accommodating up to 2Gbytes of DDR system memory, the board
is validated at 533MHz with 2Mbytes of L2 cache. Flexible I/O
connectivity is provided by two default 10/100Mbps Ethernet
interfaces with optional Giga LAN, eight USB 2.0, five serial ports
and 16bit digital I/O pins.
Click here
Fanless Embedded System (Axiomtek)
Designed for industrial automation, the eBOX638-FL is a fanless
full-function computer available in two configurations using either
a low-voltage Intel Pentium M 1.4GHz or ultra-low-voltage Intel
Celeron M 600MHz processor. The compact mechanical design provides
two PCI-X (64bit) expansion slots, a wide choice of I/O connectors,
three COM ports, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Audio, LAN,
2.5-in.-hard-disk-drive support and a 100W 24V DC-in power supply.
Click here
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Wireless-sensor networks find a fit in the unlicensed band
Low-power, short-range, low-data-rate wireless networks use the
unlicensed RF band. In addition to their overriding need to
operate on severely constrained energy sources, such as using
one battery for their entire lifetimes or employing energy they
scavenge from the environment, these networks must contend with
interference from sources such as Bluetooth headsets and
microwave ovens.
Technical Editor
Margery Conner shows in her cover story in EDN how these
networks use standards, protocols, and enabling hardware that
largely determine the networks' efficiency, robustness, and
security.
Click here
System architects get help from emulators
Engineers involved in designing leading-edge ICs face
a number of difficult challenges. They have to deal with complex
physical phenomena on die that require special DFM
(design-for-manufacturing) methods and tools, and they have to
handle demanding architectural and integration tasks as they plan,
develop, and verify the logic design of the IC.
Gabe Moretti highlights in his
article in EDN how emulators can help the system architect in the
design process.
Click here
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Single switch serves dual duty in small, microprocessor-based
system
Low-cost, easy-to-use design allows monitoring of peripherals,
sensors.
Steve Hageman, Windsor, CA; Edited by Brad Thompson and Fran
Granville -EDN,
3/30/2006.
Traditional control-system designs use separate switches to
control power and various system functions, but adding a few
components to a small, microprocessor-based system can combine a
control function with the system's on/off switch. Steve Hageman
shows in his Design Idea in EDN how a low-cost, easy-to-use
design allows monitoring peripherals and sensors with only a
single switch.
Click here
Isolated-FET pulse driver reduces size, power consumption
Three-phase controlled rectifiers and inverters,
matrix cycloconverters, and cascaded power stages typically comprise
large numbers of power transistors, each with its own driver
circuit. The circuit which José M Espí, Rafael
García-Gil, and Jaime Castelló describing in their Desiogn Idea in
EDN drives a capacitive-input power device, such as a MOSFET
or an IGBT with pulses of all duty cycles at frequencies of 1 to 200
kHz and reduces size and power consumption.
Click here
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4| Market Research |
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Dramatic Growth in Store for Multimedia Handsets, but Consumers
Still Not Enthused About Multimedia Options
The number of cellular phones with multimedia capability will
double in the next two years, but this capability is still not
generating much consumer enthusiasm, especially in the US,
reports In-Stat. In spite of the phenomenal growth of dedicated
MP3 players during 2005, user interest in having this capability
within their wireless phone did not change over the same period.
The ability to play digital music on a handset was one of the
more popular multimedia applications cited by respondents in a
survey of US consumers; but with just 9% expressing any
interest, it is really not a compelling feature to many, the
high-tech market research firm says.
Click here
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5| Book of the
Month |
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Embedded Multitasking, by Keith E. Curtis
Many low-level embedded microcontroller designs have
insufficient memory and/or architectural limitations that make
the use of a real-time operating system impractical. The
techniques presented in this book allow the design of robust
multitasking firmware through the use of interleaved state
machines. This book presents a complete overview of multitasking
terminology and basic concepts. Practical criteria for task
selection and state machine design are also discussed.
Click here
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6|
Competition |
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Windows CE 5.0 Starter Kit For EPIC-based SBCs
Three new SBC starter kits for Windows CE-based applications are
available from Kontron Embedded Modules. There is a choice of
either EPIC-based SBCs with 400MHz ULV Intel Celeron processors
for full PC/104plus support, including ISA bus; or 3.5" JRex
SBCs, likewise with ULV Intel Celeron or Intel Pentium M
processors. In this reader offer, the company gives away a
complete starter kit with the JRex-PM (Pentium M 1.6GHz, ATX)
board, including DDR-RAM, CompactFlash card, Windows CE 5.0
licence, power supply and OS pre-installed.
Click here
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