Articles
TECH EXCHANGE
April 12, 2011 12:27 pm | CommentsWelcome to Tech Exchange on Test & Measurement! Each month this new section will focus on a different product category and will include a brief interview with a representative from a leading OEM. This Month: Vivek Vadakkuppattu, Product Manager for Azimuth Systems Q: What were some of the most significant technological developments in the Test & Measurement industry in 2010? At Azimuth Systems, we continued to see the trend of greater focus being put on real world-centric performance testing in 2010.
Emerging Switch Developments for Embedded WLAN Solutions in Smart Phones
April 12, 2011 11:39 am | CommentsBy Kevin Walsh, Skyworks Solutions, Inc. This article will elaborate on two key trends that are facilitating the growth of embedded WLAN communications in smart phones and other mobile connected devices: 1. The development of pHEMT wafer level chip scale packaging (wlCSP), alternatively known as flip chip or bumped die.
Use Oscilloscopes to Monitor Multiple Protocols
April 11, 2011 12:32 pm | CommentsBy Roland Gamper, LeCroy Corporation Regardless of the system topology and application domain, the development, maintenance and monitoring of electronic system architectures using mixed protocols requires tools able to straddle several busses, at various speeds and with different line characteristics.
Limitless Wireless: Hybrid Lithium Batteries Can Power Remote Wireless Sensors for over 25 Years
April 11, 2011 11:41 am | CommentsBy Sol Jacobs, Tadiran Batteries Rapidly evolving technology and wireless communications have unlocked the dynamic growth potential of remote wireless sensors, resulting in growing demand for hybrid lithium batteries that combine exceptional long life with the ability to handle high current pulses.
Powering Toll Tags
March 29, 2011 5:31 am | CommentsCase Study: Customized Coin Cell Holders for Automotive Toll Tags Challenge A leading manufacturer of toll tags recently approached MPD looking for a new battery holder to replace soldered-in batteries. The customer had two main problems with their current battery solution.
Selective Data Replication between Embedded and Enterprise Systems
March 15, 2011 11:57 am | CommentsBy Steve Graves, McObject Among wireless systems developers, database management system (DBMS) replication is typically associated with high availability (HA). Deploying real-time DBMS software on a master node, with multiple synchronized copies of that database running on standby nodes, and automatic failover to one of these replicas in the event of the master node’s failure, provides for instant recovery and maximum system up-time.
Power Saving Techniques in GSM-GPRS-EDGE Handsets
March 10, 2011 10:01 am | CommentsBy Dr. Oleksandr Gorbachov, CTO, RFaxis, Inc. With over 600 million new mobile phone handsets shipped each year, mobile phones have become an integral part of our daily lives. As more and more new features are being demanded in smaller and thinner handset form factors, excessive current consumption and poor battery life become real issues for the mobile phone user.
Bluetooth Low Energy Creates New Testing Requirements
February 23, 2011 11:26 am | CommentsBy Angus Robinson, Anritsu Company By eliminating wires and simplifying connections between devices, Bluetooth wireless technology influences people’s lives in many ways. Mobile phones, PCs, motor vehicles and portable music players now have the ability to be connected quickly and easily whenever we want.
RF Envelope Detection Enables Drain Modulation Systems
February 14, 2011 10:14 am | CommentsBy Eamon Nash and Ashraf Elghamrawi, RF Group, Analog Devices, Inc. Improving the Power Added Efficiency (PAE) of High Powered Amplifiers continues to be a challenging goal in a Wireless equipment industry that is struggling to deliver cheaper, smaller equipment that consumes either less electricity or in the case of portable devices, less battery current.
Design Considerations for Wireless Devices using Energy Harvesting
February 11, 2011 10:06 am | CommentsMark Grazier, Third-Party Program Manager, Low-Power RF, Texas Instruments The key to optimizing energy scavenging devices with low-power wireless systems is to take advantage of some very important but sometimes forgotten best practices. These practices are used by system architects designing wireless sensor systems to reduce the demand on the energy harvesting components in the system.
Packaging and Miniaturization
February 10, 2011 11:20 am | CommentsQ: How can semiconductor packaging help support these new advanced technologies so that gains at the wafer level are not lost at the system level? By Ralph Ebbutt, Tektronix Component Solutions The advancement of semiconductor process nodes and the demand for miniaturization creates multiple challenges for the packaging industry.
Integrated Load Switches
February 10, 2011 10:35 am | CommentsAn Easy and Fast Solution to Simplify Subsystem Load Management in Wireless Applications By Philippe Pichot, Systems Engineering Manager, Texas Instruments Integrated power switches are increasingly being used in battery-powered systems to disconnect any unused subsystem. These include RF power amplifiers, wireless local area networks (WLAN) or Bluetooth® modules, LCD display, etc.
Energy Harvesting and Wireless Balancing Power Generation and Consumption
February 10, 2011 6:11 am | CommentsBy Martin R. Johnson, ILLUMRA and Eugene You, EnOcean, Inc. Wireless, energy harvesting technologies are making waves in building automation and energy conservation controls because they overcome limitations of hardwired solutions and maintenance issues inherent to battery-dependent devices. This article will discuss the science behind wireless, energy harvesting technology and explain how to budget miniscule amounts of energy sufficient for managing building energy usage.
The Effects of Meandering in RFID Tag Design
January 20, 2011 10:58 am | CommentsBy Mark Forbes, Mentor Graphics Corporation As is well known, maximum RF coupling occurs when impedances on each side of the coupling match. A perfect match occurs when the impedances are identical and the Complex Matching Factor (CMF) is 0dB. When the CMF is 0db, the imaginary terms of the complex conjugate cancel, and the resistance is equal.
Automotive Electronics
January 12, 2011 8:57 am | CommentsWith all the new features consumers want in the cars they buy today, the number of automotive electronics, which require complex semiconductors, continues to increase. Q: “How do designers stay within their power budget and still remain competitive?” By Michael Haight, Freescale “I want it all” is often the desire for the car buyer.
