Products

Electronic Design Automation

Macrocell provides ASICs with USB capability. You can quickly integrate this silicon-proven USB device controller (UDC) macrocell into an existing or a new ASIC without learning the USB specification. An ORCA FPGA version of the UDC macrocell lets you build prototypes before committing designs to ASICs. The macrocell has a built-in bridge controller to reduce USB housekeeping requirements in the rest of the system. Lucent Technologies, Allentown, PA. (800) 372-2447.

Macrofunction supplies Ethernet media-access control. Joining a line of megamacrocell and megafunction products is the W110, a dual-speed Ethernet MAC. The macrofunction allows cost-effective integration of the MAC function into ASICs for a variety of data-communication applications. The W110 comes as a gate-level Verilog model, which you can convert to VHDL upon request. Oki Semiconductor, Sunnyvale, CA. (800) 654-6388.

Library tool adds Solaris OS support. Running un-der the Sun Solaris operating environment, MasterPort 1.1 enables rapid library development by automatically and accurately migrating cell libraries from one process technology to another. MasterPort 1.1 also adds productivity enhancements, such as menu-driven setup for graf_layer.map and graf_rules files. This interface lets you customize these files to support cell-design styles, such as routing-grid compliance and port-placement files. MasterPort 1.1 runs on workstations from Hewlett-Packard and Sun. Prices start at $180,000. Cascade Design Automation, Bellevue, WA. (206) 643-0200.

Text editor works with VHDL, Verilog, and others. PeakEDIT, a language-sensitive source-file editor, creates a powerful HDL editing environment on the PC. It supports VHDL, Verilog, C/C++, Ada, HTML, Java, and other programming and scripting languages. Al-though the tool integrates with PeakVHDL simulation and synthesis tools, you can easily configure PeakEDIT for other VHDL simulator and synthesis tools. The editor offers advanced source-file editing features, plus automatic entity generation, automatic component declaration, and automatic testbench-template generation. PeakEDIT costs $499. Accolade Design Automation Inc, Duvall, WA. (206) 788-3768.

Software simulates discrete event systems. An add-on module for VisSim 2.0 dynamic modeling and simulation software lets you model, simulate, and analyze systems that can be characterized by a collection of processes. VisSim/Discrete-Event comes with a set of discrete-event blocks for creating, terminating, delaying, and changing the attributes of a task; modeling-system resources and explicit interactions between pro-cesses; and collecting data. VisSim runs under Windows and select Unix operating systems. Prices range from $1200 to $3000 for the Discrete-Event option and from $495 to $3590 for VisSim 2.0. Visual Solutions Inc, Westford, MA. (508) 392-0100.

Software option reads Allegro plot files. CAMCAD viewing software now views, prints, and converts Allegro intermediate plot files (IPFs) without an Allegro system. The IPF contains all documentation and electrical layers for a pc-board file in a highly optimized format. The CAMCAD software translates these files to laser printers, DXF, or Gerber files. CAMCAD viewer for Gerber, HPGL, and DXF is available as shareware on the vendor's home page at http://www.rsi-inc.com or via e-mail at sales@rsi-inc.com. The Allegro plot-file option costs $300. Router Solutions Inc, Newport Beach, CA. (714) 721-1017.

Development kit eases system-on-a-chip design. SystemBuilder, a productivity tool for designing systems on a chip, provides both synthesizable RTL descriptions and gate-level netlists. The development kit contains a comprehensive library of complex system-level ASIC elements comprising soft and hard megacells. It gives instant access to a range of standard functions, including microcontroller, interface, communications, and DSP functions. SystemBuilder is available as an additional NRE cost on a per-design development basis; element prices range from about $5000 to $30,000. GEC Plessey Semiconductors, Scotts Valley, CA. (408) 438-2900.

Tool simulates mixed-signal circuits. This Spice-based simulation tool offers the speed and features of more expensive software, yet costs <$1000. The Electronics Workbench EDA provides a simulation engine that is >103 faster than previous versions. It also supplies 14 analysis functions and >100 analog components with >8000 device models and 200 digital components and ICs. Analyses in-clude Monte Carlo, distortion, and Four-ier. Offered for Windows 95, NT, and 3.1, the Electronics Workbench EDA costs $995. Interactive Image Technologies Ltd, Toronto, ON, Canada. (416) 977-5550.