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Dear Sir/Madam
The digital wireless revolution is beginning to spark big
changes in the entire electronics industry. This newsletter will
show you some examples. Enjoy!
Wolfgang Patelay
Technical Editor, EPN
Smart Power-Management IC (Austriamicrosystems)
The AS3653 is a highly integrated power-management IC including
10 high-performance low-dropout voltage regulators. It has a
complete chemistry-independent battery charger that features
autonomous trickle charge mode, programmable constant-current
charging as well as constant-voltage and pulse charging, an
integrated gas gauge, over-voltage protection and battery-less
operation.
Click here
Low-Power Dual-Standard Tuner (Microtune)
When implemented
into consumer multimedia devices, the Mobile MicroTuner MT2266
enables users to access a variety of digital-content TV broadcasts,
mobile TV broadcasts, digital radio and teletext across the digital
video broadcast-terrestrial (DVB-T) and digital video
broadcast-handheld (DVB-H) standards. With a power consumption of
350mW, the tuner has minimal impact on the battery life of portable
platforms.
Click
here
Secure Near Field Communication (Esmertec)
Esmertec, Inside Contactless and Trusted Logic
announced that they are collaborating to develop and deliver
near-field-communications (NFC) solutions to mobile devices and
chipset manufacturers. Combining Inside's NFC-enabled chipsets with
Esmertec's Java software and TL's secure middleware will enable the
companies to deliver a complete contactless solution for mobile
devices.
Click here
Handset Reference Design (Quorum)
Quorum Systems announced - in collaboration with
Analog Devices and TTPCom - the Sereno UM-1, a GSM/Voice-over-WiFi
dual-mode handset reference design. Housed in a small form-factor
clam-shell design, the reference design is based upon the QS2000
single-chip bulk-CMOS multi-mode transceiver and represents the
first truly optimised reference design for phones that support WiFi
and cellular.
Click here
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The Force Behind Mobile Multimedia
In recent years
mobile phones and portable media players have become the true
drivers of multimedia development in consumer electronics.
Mobile phones and portable media players today condense exciting
audio, video and imaging applications into tiny products. 3D
games, video telephony and mobile TV are only some of the new
applications in this evolution.
Carsten Wild from Renesas explains in his article in the
EPN wireless supplement that the integration of these features
not only demands a new generation of multimedia processors; it
also requires new concepts for system development.
Click
here
Real-Time Spectrum Analysis for Emerging RF Standards
Wireless combo devices that incorporate multiple RF
communications protocols such as Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN),
Bluetooth and 3G cellular standards are becoming increasingly
popular, enhancing connectivity and performance in the wireless
marketplace. Combo devices present a challenging set of
signal-measurement issues for the wireless engineer, whether
validating a reference design or working on the next-generation
modulation format. This article by Dean
Miles from Tektronix shows how real-time spectrum analysers (RTSAs)
can offer a practical solution to many of these difficult
signal-measurement problems.
Click here
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Inexpensive envelope tracker handles wide signal variations
Converting band-limited NRZ (non-return-to-zero) data to a
digital format suitable for microprocessors and other digital
systems poses problems when a signal's duty cycle or amplitude
varies or when its average level unpredictably wanders within a
given dc range. Transferring the signal to a fixed-reference
comparator using ac coupling produces poor results because
changes in duty cycle cause variations in average signal level
that result in jitter or distortion of the output signal's
timing. Anthony H Smith explains in
his Design Idea in EDN how an envelope tracker can be used as a
reference that faithfully replicates the original signal's
timing information.
Click
here
Hartley oscillator requires no coupled inductors
Examine a traditional Hartley-oscillator circuit, and you'll note
its trademark: a tapped inductor that determines the frequency of
oscillation and provides oscillation-sustaining feedback. Although
you can easily calculate the total inductance for a given frequency,
finding the coupling coefficient, k, may require experimental, or
"cut-and-try," optimization. This Design Idea by
Jim McLucas
presents an alternative equivalent circuit that allows you to model
the circuit before building the prototype.
Click here
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4| Market Research |
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Mobile Video Industry Will Begin to Shape up in 2008
The market for long form mobile/portable video content (video
content of greater than 30 minutes) is currently in an
experimental phase, and will likely remain at this stage for at
least two years, reports In-Stat. By 2008, however, the industry
will begin to gain traction and demonstrate its long-term
potential, the high-tech market research firm says. The greatest
potential for this market rests with its ability to complement
the existing video industry. For example, there will be over 50
million portable media players in use worldwide by 2008. The
portable/mobile long form video market will not likely
cannibalize sales from the DVD and other traditional markets,
but rather, supplement top-line growth.
Click here
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5| Book of the Month |
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Third Generation CDMA Systems for Enhanced Data Services
The use of mobile communication devices has grown phenomenally
throughout the world during the last few years. With strong
consumer demand to increase data delivery (large emails,
browsing the Internet on wireless devices, transferring video
images, etc.), engineers are faced with the challenge of
enhancing CDMA to provide larger data capabilities while
improving voice signals for clearer reception. This book
provides an overview and comparison of the code division
multiple access (CDMA) systems presently being deployed for
second- and third-generation cellular telephony.
Click here
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6|
Competition |
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User-Friendly Prototyping Tool For WirelessUSB
Designed to showcase the capabilities of Cypress's WirelessUSB
LP 2.4-GHz radio SoC, the company's CY3630 Evaluation Kit (EVK)
includes a multi-configuration microcontroller socket, radio
modules, LCD displays, a large prototyping area, and MCU
programming software provided on a CD-ROM. The kit also includes
four firmware tutorials as well as a wireless-range demo that
help users to quickly build familiarity with the features and
performance of the radio. In this edition, four such kits, worth
$250 each, are on offer for EPN readers.
Click here
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EPN and EDN Europe are members of the Reed Electronics Group
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France
Tel- +33 (0) 1 46 29 23 60
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