EDA Geek

Speed up system design with a simulation and EDA tool from Altium and TI

Monique DeVoe — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 21:44:12 +0000

This combined tool gives designers an end-to-end analog circuit design and simulation environment for creating power supplies to PCB layout.

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Digital Core Design (DCD) announces new serial bus – the DI2CSB

Amanda Harvey — Tue, 06 May 2014 18:29:38 +0000

Digital Core Design (DCD) has released the DI2CSB IP Core, which is a two wire, bidirectional serial bus, and provides an efficient and stable short distance data transmission between multiple devices. The DI2CSB provides an interface between a passive target device (for example: memory, LCD display, pressure sensors, etc.) and an I2C bus. It has a very simple interface, composed with read, write, and data signals, which enables easy connection to a target device.

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AMIQ EDA Announces Version 3.5 of the DVT Eclipse IDE

Monique DeVoe — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:59:27 +0000

Guest blog post by Corina Mitu, AMIQ EDA

AMIQ EDA has announced version 3.5 of its flagship solution – DVT Eclipse IDE. The new version provides enhanced compilation, improved UVM support, a streamlined GUI, and simplified deployment to help design and verification engineers increase code development quality and productivity.

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ASIC Design Start market to improve in 2014; new findings included in a report from Semico

Amanda Harvey — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 21:31:54 +0000

A new research report — “ASIC Design Starts for 2014 by Key End Market Applications” from Semico predicts that the ASIC Design Start market will grow by 7.1 percent in 2014.

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EDA revenues increase in Q3 2013

Monique DeVoe — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 19:00:28 +0000

The latest EDA Consortium’s Market Statistics Service (MSS) report indicates EDA revenues increased 6.8 percent in Q3 2013 over Q3 2012. CAE and SIP were the big revenue categories both years in the Americas and APAC, but all areas listed in the report showed growth.

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Digital Core Design Releases IP Core for Smart Card Readers

Monique DeVoe — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 18:49:48 +0000

The DSMART IP Core combines reduced CPU utilization and small size to handle many smart card reader application tasks. It is based on ISO 7816-3/EMV4.2 requirements with hardware support for T0 character oriented protocol and T1 block oriented protocol.

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Design Process Centricity

Monique DeVoe — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 23:24:12 +0000

The complex assembly of many solid objects (such as PCBs, electronics packages and devices, cabling, fans, and heatsinks) inside electronics equipment means air flow is confined within narrow regions between these solid objects. Electronics products pose a unique set of challenges for thermal simulation because of this complexity.

Texas Instruments Introduces Interface IC to Support up to 4K2K Screens

Monique DeVoe — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 23:57:56 +0000

The display interface provides a MIPI DSI bridge from the processor to an embedded DisplayPort LCD at 30 percent higher bandwidth than competing devices. The SN65DSI86 will be demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2014.

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Cadence Announces RTL Compiler that Delivers Chip Improvements from Earlier Physically Aware Synthesis

Monique DeVoe — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 23:04:34 +0000

Cadence Design Systems introduced its Encounter RTL Compiler version 13.1 that can deliver up to 15 percent improvements in power, performance, and area with a new suite of physically aware RTL synthesis capabilities. The production-ready physical synthesis engine enables designers to use physical-aware techniques at earlier synthesis phases for better results in silicon. The new RTL Compiler inserts physical awareness into stages of synthesis that have previously been logic only.

At 28 nm and below, it’s difficult for designers to get optimal timing and closer as interconnect characteristics change. Cadence’s RTL compiler helps these complex and advanced chip designs deal with their timing and congestion challenges, and deal with them sooner. Addressing these problems earlier in the design process helps achieve faster timing closure and improve power, performance, and area.

Encounter RTL Compiler capabilities:

Physically aware structuring
Mapping
Multi-bit cell inferencing
Design for test

Improvements include:

More than 10 percent performance improvement from physically aware structuring and mapping
More than 15 percent area improvement on complex SoCs from pin and register placement considerations when choosing which microarchitecture to synthesize to and how to balance them
10 percent or more power decrease from physically aware multi-bit cell inferencing by merging single registers into clock-sharing multi-bit registers

Fujitsu Semiconductor collaborated with Cadence and used the new RTL compiler on several production design developments. As a result, they were able to improve timing and area by more than 10 percent, which allowed them to be able to make smaller chips for their customers.

More info: RTL Compiler

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Real Intent Advanced Verification Solutions to be Presented at SemIsrael Expo

Monique DeVoe — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 12:00:59 +0000

Real Intent’s Ascent and Meridian early verification and advanced sign-off solutions will be presented by Director of Strategic Accounts Dr. Roger Hughes at the November 18, 2013 SemIsrael Expo 2013. Dr. Hughes will focus on formal verification’s role in Clock-Domain Crossing (CDC) in the presentation “Formal is Normal: Automatically Refine Your CDC Checking.”

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Microchip Technology Introduces MGC3130 Hillstar Development Kit

Ken Cheung — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:09:35 +0000

Microchip Technology introduced the MGC3130 Hillstar Development Kit for 3D gesturing systems. The MGC3130 Hillstar Development Kit enables engineers to integrate an advanced 3D hand-position and gesturing user interface to virtually any electronic product. The Hillstar Development Kit (part #DM160218) is available for now for $179. The MGC3130 Configurable 3D Gesture Controller is shipping in production volumes.

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Microchip Technology Announces Cloud Development Platform

Ken Cheung — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 13:07:57 +0000

Microchip Technology announced a cloud development platform. The service is available on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace and enables embedded engineers to quickly learn cloud based communication. Microchip’s Cloud Development Platform is available now. As part of this platform, their Wi-Fi Client Module Development Kit is available for purchase for $99.

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Texas Instruments Debuts LMP92064 Digital Current Sensor and Voltage Monitor

Ken Cheung — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 13:03:38 +0000

Texas Instruments announced the LMP92064 IC. It is the industry’s first digital current sensor and voltage monitor with simultaneous sampling and SPI interface. The TI LMP92064 is available now in a 16-pin, 5-mm x 4-mm WSON package for a suggested retail price of $1.99 in 1,000-unit quantities. The LMP92064 is ideal for applications where precise power monitoring is crucial, such as communications infrastructure applications, including telecom, servers and central office equipment.

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Direct Insight Announces TRITON-TXFB ARM Baseboards

Ken Cheung — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 12:57:29 +0000

Direct Insight introduced the TRITON-TXFB production-quality ARM board. The TRITON-TXFB is configurable by changing a tiny (68mm x 26mm) processor module — from ARM9 to quad core ARM Cortex-A9. Unlike the many available community boards, the TRITON-TXFB is fully production-ready, with industrial temperature range support and protected I/O. It is intended for low and medium volume use in end-user products. The baseboards, modules, and Linux, Windows CE and Android software packages are available now.

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Texas Instruments Introduces PGA281 Programmable Gain Amplifier

Ken Cheung — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:05:54 +0000

Texas Instruments announced their PGA281 programmable gain amplifier. The TI PGA281 is a fully differential, zero-drift, 36-V PGA. The PGA281 is available now in a 5mm by 6.4mm, 16-pin TSSOP package, specified over a temperature range of -40 C to +105 C. The device has a suggested retail price of $2.55 in 1,000-unit quantities.

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Accellera Announces IEEE 1685-2009 IP-XACT Standard

Ken Cheung — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 12:49:42 +0000

Accellera Systems Initiative has developed new vendor extensions for IEEE 1685-2009: IP-XACT, Standard Structure for Packaging, Integrating and Reusing IP within Tool Flows. IP-XACT enabled IP is leveraged by a wide range of companies. The vendor extensions reinforce Accellera’s commitment to shape IP standards that promote reuse and speed designer productivity substantially.

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Microchip Unveils SST12CP12 High-Power and High-Gain Power Amplifier

Ken Cheung — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 12:54:28 +0000

Microchip Technology introduced the SST12CP12 power amplifier. The SST12CP12 is a 2.4 GHz high-power and high-gain power amp. The chip supports the 256-QAM ultra-high data rate modulation. The SST12CP12 is available now for sampling and volume production, in a 3x3x0.55 mm, 16-pin QFN package. It is priced at $0.976 each, in 10,000-unit quantities.

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MACOM Introduces MAMF-011015 X-Band Core Chip

Ken Cheung — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 13:30:02 +0000

M/A-COM Technology Solutions (MACOM) introduced their X-Band Core Chip (MAMF-011015). According to the company, it is the industry’s first integrated core chip for the 8 GHz – 11 GHz frequency range. The device offers a unique combination of QFN surface-mount packaging with advanced MMIC design integration to provide a simple and effective solution for next generation X-Band weather radar systems.

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TI Debuts TAS5760xx Four Digital Input, Closed Loop I2S Amplifiers

Ken Cheung — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 13:11:53 +0000

Texas Instruments announced the TAS5760xx family of four digital-input, closed-loop I2S amplifiers. The TI TAS5760xx consists of the TAS5760MD, TAS5760LD, TAS5760M and TAS5760L devices. The TAS5760xx are available in four pin-compatible, 48-pin versions: the TAS5760MD and TAS5760LD with headphone amplifiers/line drivers, and the TAS5760M and TAS5760L non-headphone versions. The TAS5760M and TAS5760L are also offered in 9mm by 6mm, 32-pin packages.

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LDRA Introduces LDRAunit for Automating Unit Tests

Ken Cheung — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:13:33 +0000

LDRA announced the LDRAunit integrated framework for automating the generation and management of unit tests. It is a comprehensive and cost-effective host/target test generation and management solution for the C, C++, Ada, and Java languages. The tool takes over the tedious, error-prone process of manually developing a test harness simply by analyzing the code, generating tests, and applying a range of parameters that ensure against conditions that can cause unexpected results.

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Ams Introduces AS3435 and AS3415 ANC Speaker Drivers

Ken Cheung — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 12:51:11 +0000

ams announced the AS3435 and AS3415 ANC speaker drivers. The devices will enable a new generation of noise cancellation stereo headsets with zero audible hiss. The AS3415 and AS3435 ANC speaker driver ICs are available for sampling now. The AS3435 feedback ANC IC is priced at $3.90 for 1,000 pieces. The AS3415 feed-forward ANC IC is priced at $3.50 for 1,000 pieces. The AS3435 is in a QFN36 package, and the AS3415 in a QFN32 package, both 5mm x 5mm.

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JEDEC Solid State Technology Association Debuts JESD220B UFS v2.0

Ken Cheung — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:06:55 +0000

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association published version two of the Universal Flash Storage standard. JESD220B UFS v2.0 features increased link bandwidth for performance improvement, a security features extension, and additional power saving features over the prior version. Universal Flash Storage v2.0 may be downloaded free of charge.

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TI Debuts TPS7H1101-SP, TPS7H1201-HT Current-sharing LDO Linear Voltage Regulators

Ken Cheung — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:59:15 +0000

Texas Instruments announced the 3-A TPS7H1101-SP and the 0.5-A TPS7H1201-HT current-sharing low-dropout linear voltage regulators. The TI devices are the first LDO linear voltage regulators for harsh environments. The TI TPS7H1101-SP and the TPS7H1201-HT are available now in a 16-pin thermally enhanced ceramic flat pack (CFP).

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Microchip, element14 Team on Raspberry Pi chipKIT Expansion Board

Ken Cheung — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:46:44 +0000

Microchip Technology has expanded their Arduino compatible chipKIT platform ecosystem. This includes the chipKIT Pi Expansion Board, which is a new Raspberry Pi tool that it co-developed with element14. The chipKIT Pi’s advanced features simplify Arduino based application development for the Raspberry Pi.The new expansion board also adds large memory space, fast performance and integrated peripherals for human-interface, audio-processing and advanced-control applications. The chipKIT Pi Expansion Board is priced at $28. Boards are expected to become available in the final week of September.

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Texas Instruments Announces MSP430 USB LaunchPad Evaluation Kit

Ken Cheung — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:09:01 +0000

Texas Instruments introduced their MSP430 USB LaunchPad Evaluation Kit and supporting ecosystem of software and support for TI’s USB microcontrollers. The TI MSP-EXP430F5529LP LaunchPad is based on the ultra-low power MSP430F5529 microcontroller (MCU). It provides engineers and makers of all experience levels more connectivity, memory and performance options for a variety of low-power consumer, industrial, medical and wireless connectivity applications. The new MSP430 USB LaunchPad evaluation kit is available now for $12.99.

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Micron Serial NOR Flash Memory Features RPMC for Ultrathin Devices

Ken Cheung — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 12:44:45 +0000

A replay-protected monotonic counter (RPMC) feature is now available for Micron Technology’s SPI NOR Flash memory devices, which are validated for future Intel Ultrabook platforms. The cost-effective 64Mb density is the sweet-spot solution currently available for immediate platform-enablement activities. The 64Mb serial NOR Flash with RPMC feature is available now in production quantities.

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Texas Instruments Debuts SN65HVD888 Bus-Polarity Correcting RS-485 Transceiver

Ken Cheung — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 12:45:54 +0000

Texas Instruments (TI) announced the SN65HVD888 low-power, half-duplex RS-485 transceiver. The device features fast automatic bus-polarity correction time and is ideal for industrial applications like e-metering networks, DMX512 networks, industrial automation, HVAC systems and process control. The TI SN65HVD888 is available in a standard 8-pin SOIC package. The suggested retail price starts at $1.10 in 1,000-unit quantities.

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TI LMH1256 SDI Reclocker Features Integrated Signal Conditioning

Ken Cheung — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:11:39 +0000

Texas Instruments introduced the four-channel LMH1256. According to TI, the device is the industry’s first 12G ultra-high-definition (UHD) serial digital interface (SDI) reclocker with integrated signal conditioning. The reclocker doubles the transmission rate of competing 6G devices. Samples of the LMH1256 are available now in a 48-pin, 7-mm by 7-mm QFN package. Volume production is expected in 1Q 2104. Pre-production pricing is currently set at $35 in 1,000-unit quantities.

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White Paper: RF/Microwave EDA Software Design Flow Considerations for PA MMIC Design

Ken Cheung — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 12:51:43 +0000

AWR published a new white paper about the design flow and its essential features for most PA design projects. The article presents a design of a simple, Class A GaAs pHEMT monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) PA using AWR’s Microwave Office high-frequency design software. The title of the technical paper is RF/Microwave EDA Software Design Flow Considerations for PA MMIC Design.

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e-con Systems Debuts See3CAM_80 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Camera

Ken Cheung — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:50:29 +0000

e-con Systems introduced the See3CAM_80 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed camera. The See3CAM_80 supports video streaming at resolutions of up to 1080p @30fps and includes an eight megapixel autofocus camera module, the e-CAM80_MI8825_MOD, with an OV8825 CMOS image sensor. The UVC compliant camera is plug-and-play in both Windows and Linux. In Windows, the camera is exposed as a DirectShow device and in Linux, as a V4L2 capture source.

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