Design Features: June 22, 1995

Cover Story
Zero in on X86 derivatives for your embedded PC	x86-processor derivatives have become so abundant that system developers must invest large amounts of time to determine which works best for their embedded PC. Key decision-making factors include cost, performance, longevity, and the degree of CPU integration. -- Markus Levy, Technical Editor
Design Features The hottest new technologies and the latest design techniques to help you work efficiently and effectively.
Smart-sensor standard will ease networking woes	An upcoming hardware-independent, smart-sensor interface standard will allow you to connect a variety of sensors to multiple networks. --Bill Travis, Senior Technical Editor
Self-calibrating ADCs offer accuracy, flexibility	Using converters with built-in calibration eases design of an analog signal chain with greater accuracy and fewer calibration-related components. This calibration affects what you can achieve in accuracy and linearity and the hardware and software effort required. --Sean O'Leary, Analog Devices Inc.
Parallel-printer adapters find new use as instrument interfaces	The venerable parallel-printer adapter has found many uses during its long lifetime. Now, you can use the port as an instrument interface-for connecting a photometer and a PC, for example. --Dhananjay V Gadre, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics
Manufacturing, design partnership reduces PC Card assembly costs	The traditional nuts-and-bolts approach to socket hold-down during reflow soldering gives way to an easier, faster method using metallic solder-retent pins. --Bill Kuypers, Robinson Nugent Inc.
Careful system analysis yields optimum IC-based PCMCIA power control	In designing power-management circuitry into a PCMCIA-standard PC Card, you face an economic trade-off between power-switch on-resistance and power-supply accuracy. --Bob Wolbert, Micrel Semiconductor