FPGA Central

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RF DesignLine Newsletter
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The RF DesignLine Newsletter is delivered to you
free of charge from the staff of RF DesignLine.
To view the RF DesignLine visit:
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0EtYM0Ea

04-15-2009

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This issued sponsored by IEEE MTT-S Intl Microwave Symposium

The premier microwave and RF conference and exhibition is coming to
Boston. Wireless, Radar, RF, high frequency semiconductors,
electromagnetics, com/mil RF, microwave and mm-wave electronics and
applications. Register by May 15 and Save 25%. June 7-12, 2009.
Learn more: http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HEqf0Ef
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EDITOR'S NOTE

--Dumbest comment I've heard recently, from someone being interviewed
on TV (I'm paraphrasing from memory here): "I brought my cell phone on
the cruise, but it wouldn't work, except when we were in port--I don't
know why 'they' can't fix that."

No need to explain for this audience why that statement combines both
technical ignorance with unrealistic expectations, the latter a result
of the too-good job engineers have done in the past decades at
delivering astounding technical progress and making it seem so common
and easy. But it's a nice lead-in to our featured story this week, in
the "RF in Action" series: "Mobile Phones on the High Seas."

We also have an interesting story on the use of RFID to track the
movement of crime-scene evidence once it is under police control,
certainly an application with which most of us have never dealt. But
might it also be a way to track all our lab's bench equipment (meters,
scopes, and so on) that seems to wander over to the next lab or bench?

--Two interesting commentaries this week, as well: one is on adapting
Thomas Edison's ideas for innovation to our times; the other, from an
IBM Fellow, about the end of Moore's Law (more accurately, it should
be called Moore's Conjecture, IMO). We've been always had speculation
about the latter occurrence and we know, in our heads, that it will
happen: the question is when, both technically and financially. When
it does, one of the fundamental precepts of our industry will need
serious revising.

Books received: This week, I received two books of interest to the
R-design audience, both from Newnes/Elsevier. One is "RF Front-End
World Class Designs," edited by Janine Sullivan Love (previous editor
of this site); the other is "Portable Electronics World Class
Designs," edited by John Donovan, both well-known technical editors in
the industry. Each book has a wide collection of chapters by different
authors, covering design techniques, best practices, case histories,
and design examples. I haven't had a chance to go through each one in
detail, but both look very interesting and useful.

Feel free to contact me with any suggestions, comments, or even
criticisms!

Bill Schweber, Site Editor, RF DesignLine
bschweber (AT) techinsights (DOT) com
P.S. Again, at the end, there are links to some good, solid RF
articles from other publications that may interest you.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES

--RF in Action: Mobile Phones on the High Seas--

There are no network towers in the middle of oceans. There are no
phone lines trailing the international cruise ships that dot large
waterways. But there are thousands of tourists making long-distance
cruises every year.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJA0ER

--RFID: Track, Trace Crime Scene Evidence--

Evidence is collected and packed at the crime scene, and then sent to
Netherlands Forensic Institute for analysis. All materials are tagged
using a smart label.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJB0ES

--Power Reduction Techniques in Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits:
Practical Approaches--

IDT authors discuss the trade-offs and considerations for obtaining
the lowest power in various cases.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJC0ET

--Choosing between pipeline vs. sigma delta ADCs for communications
applications--

Each analog/digital architecture has its place, depending on required
performance specifications

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlo0Ek

--RF in Action: Consumer remote controls --

Say hello to RF-controlled devices. Radio technology is faster, more
reliable and almost as inexpensive as infrared.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFLV0En

--Wireless triangulation using RSSI signals--

Understand how a received signal strength indicator, combined with a
networked quartet of transceivers and antennas, can pinpoint a
transmitter's location

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFLW0Eo

PRODUCTS

--Microchip introduces high-speed 45 nsec comparators--

Rail-to-rail I/O, low operating voltages make Microchip's MCP656X
comparators suitable for battery-powered applications.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJD0EU

--Dual RF LDMOS bias controllers offer integration, reduce cost with
power savings--

At 7mm x 7mm, Maxim says its latest devices are the industry's
smallest LDMOS bias controllers to integrate all of the
analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog interfaces and logic functions
required for cellular base-station control.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJE0EV

--13.5-16 GHz GaAs MMIC PA delivers 10W output power--

Mimx Broadband's dual-sided bias amplifier achieves 17 dB gain and
+48 dBm OIP3.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJF0EW

--GaAs MMIC SP8T switch streamlines mobile phone design --

NEC's UPG2193T6E SP8T GaAs MMIC antenna switch meets the needs of new
3G UMTS, W-CDMA and Quad Band EDGE mobile phone designs.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlp0El

--SiTime enters VCXO market with MEMS-based device --

SiTime's voltage controlled MEMS oscillator features 0.5% pull range
linearity, small size and flexibility through programmability.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlq0Em

--Wi-Fi sensor networking module has 5-year battery life--

RF Monolithics' 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11 g radio transceiver module enables
OEMs to build low-power WLAN and sensor monitoring solutions for the
global market.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlr0En

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NEWS

--Four questions on design using social networks--

AsusTek and Intel share their experience with WePC.com, an early
experiment in how social networks can become an input for the product
design process.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJG0EX

--Synthetic diamond could be quantum computer's best friend--

Researchers have claimed significant progress in the development of
synthetic diamond suitable for the realization of quantum computers
capable of operating at room temperature.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJH0EY

--Transparent displays create new uses for windows --

A team of Fraunhofer researchers is developing technologies that aim
at making transparent screens usable as displays.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJI0EZ

--Spec-compliant RF remote controls emerge --

The first RF remote controls adhering to the emerging Radio
Frequencies for Consumer Electronics standard were demonstrated at the
cable industry's annual show.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJJ0Ea

--MIT harnesses viruses to print 'green' batteries--

Viruses can be used to assemble tiny batteries that can then be
printed on plastic films, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
researchers claim.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlu0Eq

--Graphene circuit combines Si, GaAs functions--

Graphene transistors could enable complex new circuits using
relatively simple architectures, according to Massachusetts Institute
of Technology researchers.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFLd0E2

VIEWPOINT

--Thinking Optics vs RF--

Don't waste you time at the supermarket checkout line looking at the
celebrity publications; instead, exercise your brain with some
semi-philosophical thought questions

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJK0Eb

--IBM Fellow: Moore's Law defunct--

An IBM researcher says Moore's Law is running out of gas.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJL0Ec

--Edison and innovation: Lessons from the master--

Sarah Miller Caldicott believes she has a new model for reinvigorating
U.S. technology innovation: the same one developed by her
great-granduncle, Thomas Alva Edison.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJM0Ed

--Saying goodbye to the ghost--

The analog TV ghost is being exorcised by digital TV, but it will be
replaced by the blank/static screen of death

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlw0Es

--WiMedia and UWB: where to from here?--

This week, we're pleased to present a guest commentary on the future
of UWB, by Eric Broockman, CEO Alereon, Inc, commenting on and
extending the recent news about this technology and its future. . . .

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFLf0E4

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE

--Advances in wireless, sensors, MEMs set to boost energy harvesting--

A confluence of the development of wireless and lower power
electronics, along with advancements in sensors and MEMS, is
fundamentally changing today's energy harvesting market.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlx0Et

--ACE Award winner Sanghi uneasy about U.S. economy--

Even for Microchip Technology Inc., named 2009 "Company of the Year"
during the EE Times ACE Awards, there is no magic formula to quickly
lift the company out of the current recession.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFly0Eu

--Latest news from ESC Silicon Valley--

The tone for this year's Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley
was set by former Apollo astronaut Ken Mattingly, who reminded a
spellbound audience of the power of teamwork and selflessness.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlz0Ev

--Counterpoint: Meeting with the unexpected--

At trade shows these days, everyone wants to know the number of
attendees. This tends to drown out a somewhat more important issue:
the quality of the show. But when we walk into unexpected encounters
with people we've never met before at a trade show, we are always
reminded of one thing: This is why we travel.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFl10Ei

--Microchip, Chang headline 2009 ACE Award winners --

Microcontroller and analog chip vendor Microchip Technology was
presented the award for "Company of the Year," one of 11 winners of
the 2009 EE Times ACE Awards. Morris Chang, founding chairman of TSMC,
was honored with a "Lifetime Achievement Award."

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFl20Ej

--Astronaut invokes 'Apollo spirit' for 'hard days ahead'--

Kenneth Mattingly recalled the Apollo spirit of cooperation in the
rescue of the Apollo 13 mission and encouraged engineers at the
Embedded Systems Conference to apply the same determination to the
current hard times.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFl30Ek

--Slideshow: ACE Innovators of the Year--

We present our five finalists for the 2009 ACE Innovator of the Year
Award.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFl40El

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

--Wireless triangulation using RSSI signals--

Understand how a received signal strength indicator, combined with a
networked quartet of transceivers and antennas, can pinpoint a
transmitter's location

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFLW0Eo

--Choosing between pipeline vs. sigma delta ADCs for communications
applications--

Each analog/digital architecture has its place, depending on required
performance specifications

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFlo0Ek

--RF in Action: Consumer remote controls --

Say hello to RF-controlled devices. Radio technology is faster, more
reliable and almost as inexpensive as infrared.

http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFLV0En

AROUND THE WEB
Here are some interesting technical articles recently seen in other
publications:
--Motorola's latest LANPlanner builds on its established predictive
design technology, and helps you ease into 802.11n adoption:
"Design for a Wi-Fi Future with LANPlanner," Desktop Engineering,
January 2009,
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJN0Ee

--While jitter and phase noise are related, they are not precisely
equivalent; there are no closed-form mathematical expressions that
describe the conversion between them:
"Jitter and Phase Noise Relationships," High Frequency Electronics,
November 2008,
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJO0Ef

--This straightforward design shows how to assemble commercial
components into a low-noise, 14.4-to-15.5-GHz frequency synthesizer
with 625-kHz tuning steps for digital microwave radio systems:
"Assemble A Ku-Band Frequency Synthesizer," Microwaves & RF,
January 2009,
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HGJP0Eg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOW HIRING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Electronics Group Now Hiring 04/03/09

Boston Scientific seeking Principal Electrical Engineer in Natick, MA
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFFO0Ea

D. E. Shaw Research seeking Chief of Staff in New York, NY
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFir0Ek

KVH Industries seeking Embedded Software Engineer in Middletown, RI
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HEKc0Ey

Osram Sylvania seeking Technical Training Specialist in Danvers, MA
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFis0El

SEL seeking Distribution Solutions Engineer in Pullman, WA
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0HFBJ0ER

For more great jobs, career-related news, features and services,
please visit EETimesCareers.
http://newsletter.designlinenetwork....rT0QTC0EfwY0E3
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