Articles
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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.
Full Signal Path Solution for Portable Ultrasound Systems
January 10, 2011 12:02 pm | CommentsBy Suresh Ram, National Semiconductor Corporation There is a rising demand for accessible medical care. The world population is rapidly growing and aging, increasing the cost of healthcare. Medical practitioners need small energy efficient and cost effective diagnostic devices. Portable diagnostic equipment that improve quality of healthcare in a cost effective manner are highly desirable.
Are You Ready for IPv6?
December 17, 2010 9:48 am | CommentsBy Kowsik Guruswamy, CTO Mu Dynamics The networks of mobile operators are going through extreme transition. User-driven demand for new devices, more applications and services and faster upload and download speeds, have most mobile operators working round the clock just to keep their existing networks running.
Meeting the Challenge of Multi-standard Wireless Communications Testing
December 16, 2010 9:05 am | CommentsBy Tim Carey, Aeroflex Test Solutions Non-cellular technologies are increasingly being integrated into cellular terminals, and this has generated the need for test systems that comprise a number of different test platforms, which can make system integration both complex and costly. At the same time, there is pressure to increase test speed and, in combination with the proliferation of functional tests associated with the introduction of new standards, this further increases the costs.
Generating Multiple Digitally Modulated Carriers Using an AWG
December 15, 2010 11:11 am | CommentsBy Thomas Dippon, Agilent Technologies When testing wideband RF components and systems, it is necessary to stimulate the device under test (DUT) with a wideband signal that is as close to the “real” signal as possible. For some measurements, wideband noise or a multi-tone signal might be appropriate.
Wireless Sensor Networks: A Low-Power, Wireless-Enabled Application
December 14, 2010 9:45 am | CommentsBy Iboun Taimiya Sylla, Texas Instruments The explosion of wireless technologies in recent years has allowed the emergence of several wireless standards in the industrial scientific and medical (ISM) band. With these new standards we are experiencing penetration of wireless applications in every segment of our daily lives.
