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Leading EdgeJanuary 16, 1997 |
The MathWorks' new version of Matlab, V5, offers 53 new or improved capabilities in programming and application development, graphics, data analysis, and online documentation. The new version includes a visual editor and debugger and a performance profiler that quickly pinpoints routines that slow program execution. New data structures support N-dimensional and multitype arrays. Visualization features include 3-D displays, lighting, shading, perspective viewing, and true-color support. New differential-equation solvers support extremely large problems. Use of sparse matrices improves memory management.
Versions of Matlab V5 are available for Windows 95 and NT, 68000 and Power PC-based Macintoshes, and Unix systems. Later releases will run under Open VMS and Linux. Migration from V4 is relatively painless: M-files from the older version run under V5, although some may require minor modification to conform to standard syntax. V4 MEX-files run under the new version after recompilation. New versions of Matlab extensions, called toolboxes, exploit V5 capabilities. Prices for V5 begin at $1695 for a single-seat PC or Macintosh license.
--by Dan Strassberg
The MathWorks, Natick, MA. (508) 647-7000, fax (508) 647-7101, e-mail: info@mathworks.com, www.mathworks.com.
The road to processor-driver development becomes smoother with two new Windows-based products from Aisys. DriveWay-360 and DriveWay-MPC860 help you define embedded-system-device drivers for Motorola's 360 and MPC860 em-bedded microcontrollers, and they output C code to control on-chip peripherals for those microcontrollers.
The new products operate within DriveWay 3DE, Aisys' Device Driver Design Environment. DriveWay 3DE provides a graphical representation of your target µC. From selection windows on the screen, you choose the peripherals you want the microcontrollers to control and the functions of those peripherals. You specify desired system parameters with a dialogue window or by letting the DriveWay tool calculate the parameters based on your system requirements. DriveWay then generates documented device-driver C code, initialization routines, test functions, and interrupt-service routines. You can also use an interactive data sheet describing chip information, such as peripherals, operation modes, registers, and pins as a simplified, online chip handbook.
DriveWay-360 is available now, and DriveWay-MPC860 will be available in April. Each product costs $33,000 for a one-year license. You can buy other DriveWay 3DE products to generate device drivers for selected microcontrollers from Advanced Micro Devices (Sunnyvale, CA), Intel (Santa Clara, CA), Microchip (Chandler, AZ), Motorola (Phoenix), and Philips (Sunnyvale, CA).
--by Jim Lipman
Aisys, Santa Clara, CA. (408) 327-8820, fax (408) 327-8830.
When you hot-swap circuit boards in a live backplane, inrush currents can incite glitch-driven malfunctions or even damage circuitry. To eliminate this problem, the LTC1421 from Linear Technology lets you program the current-inrush-ramp rate via an external capacitor. The IC controls two external N-channel FETs for voltages from 2.7 to 12V, as well as a FET for negative voltages. You can use it with power systems supplying combinations such as 3/5V, 5/±12V, and 48/5V (for telecomm systems).
The device detects current values via a sense resistor, typically 0.005 ohms. The IC keeps the higher voltage FET above the lower voltage FET's potential to prevent power-sequencing problems. Other features include undervoltage lockout and a power-on reset input. The 24-pin device comes in SO and SSOP packages and costs $4.90 (1000).
--by Bill Schweber
Linear Technology Corp, Milpitas, CA. (408) 432-1900, www.linear-tech.com.
Early last year, Intel announced a set of new instructions, MMX technology, for future x86 processors and to benefit multimedia applications on PCs. Now, almost a year later, you can actually get these products. The single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) instructions can provide two to eight times better performance for certain applications (see "Multimedia instructions boost host-based processing, EDN, May 23, 1996, pg 67). Last year, the company also announced that next-generation Pentiums would have double the cache (32 kbytes), as well as other microarchitectural enhancements. These enhancements include improved decoding and instruction pairing to more efficiently use the dual pipeline as well as improved branch prediction.
The new Pentiums run much faster than the non-MMX versions for both standard code and applications that independent software vendors have rewritten to include support for the MMX instructions. The 166- and 200-MHz desktop versions cost $407 and $550 (1000), respectively. These devices are available in ceramic or PPGA packaging. The 150- and 166-MHz notebook versions costs $443 and $550 (1000), respectively. The notebook versions are available in tape-carrier packaging.
--by Markus Levy
Intel Corp, Santa Clara, CA. (800) 548-4725, www.intel.com.
The RASsoft platform from Ariel can jump-start the efforts of designers building remote-access servers for the Internet, intranets, and online services. The software includes call-control functions, the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), authentication and billing functions, a Simple Network Management Protocol agent, and all the administration functions that a remote-access server requires. The Hypertext Markup Language-based administration software allows network managers to configure and monitor operation via a standard Web browser. Ariel based RASsoft on the open UnixWare architecture, and the software supports modem clients as fast as 33.6 kbps (V.34+) and integrated-services digital-network clients at 64- or 128-kbps.
RASsoft works with Ariel's T1-Modem, which integrates 24 V.34 modems on a card. You can combine 10 of the cards with RASsoft to support 240 communications in one shelf of a 19-in. rack. RASsoft can support more than 1000 sessions using a full-sized, 19-in. equipment rack with multiple shelves. RASsoft is available now, and prices start at $6000.
--by Maury Wright
Ariel Corp, Cranbury, NJ. (609) 860-2900.
Hewlett-Packard is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its HP 16500 logic-analysis system by giving its customers the presents. Until June 30, 1997, customers can get credits and price reductions on modules and upgrades. Purchase of the HP E2488A system upgrade to improve 16500A or B analyzer performance lets you save $2500 on the HP 16505A prototype analyzer. Upgrade purchasers can also exchange older measurement modules to receive a $3000 credit toward the purchase of a new module.
--by Richard A Quinnell
Hewlett-Packard Corp, Palo Alto, CA. (800) 452-4844, ext 5023.
Appropriate analog filtering is mandatory for achieving meaningful results from your A/D converter. The VM32PAFF from Frequency Devices puts as many as 32 independent filter channels on a single-width, B-sized (6U) VME board. Filters are three-pole, fixed-frequency, Butterworth or Bessel configurations; all channels have the same filter function. You can set each differential-input channel via software with gain values from 12 to +60 dB in 6-dB steps.
Crosstalk between channels, always a concern on a multichannel board, is less than 100 dB. You transfer setup and configuration data to and from the board via a serial port. Boards are available with eight, 16, or 32 channels; with ac-coupled or differential output; and with corner frequencies of 100 Hz to 100 kHz. An eight-channel board costs $432/channel; a high-density, 800-channel configuration costs $206/channel.
--by Bill Schweber
Frequency Devices Inc, Haverhill, MA. (800) 252-7074, fax (508) 521-1839.
Advanced Power Technology (APT) and GAD Semiconductor (Santa Monica, CA) have signed a joint OEM agreement to produce and market GaAs power diodes. The agreement stipulates that GAD will supply high-voltage GaAs diode chips based on the company's proprietary technology. APT will package, test, qualify, and market GaAs diodes through its worldwide sales and distribution network. GAD will market these devices as a second source.
--by Fran Granville
Advanced Power Technology, Bend, OR. (541) 382-8028, fax (541) 388-0364, www.advancedpower.com.
The OM9369SF three-phase brushless motor driver/controller from Omnirel comes in a 43-pin plastic or hermetic package measuring 3.1×2.1×0.385 in. The system supports 25A continuous and 75A peak currents; 500V maximum bus voltage; and a rugged, low-loss power-output stage, including resistive current sensing. It drives motors from fractional to 16 hp, making it suitable for analog, PWM, or position control-loop circuit configurations in rugged industrial or military applications, such as airborne actuator systems, hoists, and submersible pumps.
The device also features user-selectable, two- or four-quadrant operation, TTL/CMOS-logic-compatible inputs, an externally compensated error amplifier, a current-sense amplifier, commutation logic for externally supplied Hall-effect-sensor inputs, and three independent push-pull motor-drive output stages. The OM-9369SF hermetic version costs $816.25 (100).
--by Fran Granville
Omnirel Corp, Leominster, MA. (508) 534-5776, fax (508)537-4246, www.omnirel.com.
Several flash-memory manufacturers have begun offering new packaging technologies for even the most space-conscious designs. For example, AMD now offers several of its flash devices as bare die, and both Intel and Sharp are implementing new chip-sized-packaging techniques based on ball-grid arrays (BGAs).
The low ball count of these flash devices makes it easy for manufacturers to route signals out from the center of the matrix without using multilayer boards, blind vias, and other approaches. Intel claims that it can route all signals from 40-, 48-, and 56-bump pinouts using cost-effective single-layer-pc-board technology. The signal routing for BGA also yields a smaller footprint than does a die implementation, because, with die, the bond-wire connections to the pc board extend beyond the pc-board area that the die defines.
Intel's 1-mm-thick, chip-sized package, MicroBGA, uses a 0.75-mm ball pitch. Examples show that the company's 8-Mbit 0.4-m flash using a 5×8-ball matrix BGA package is 80% smaller and 17% thinner than its 40-lead TSOP counterpart. Intel this year will announce products that use this packaging technology. Sharp's 42-ball package measures 64 square mm and uses a 1-mm ball pitch. Sharp is selling samples of its 8-Mbit SmartVoltage LH28F008SC and 4-Mbit single-voltage flash LH28F004SU in a BGA package for $15 and $10, respectively. For info on third-party development support, check out http://developer.intel.com/design/news/ubga.htm.
--by Markus Levy
AMD, Sunnyvale, CA. (408) 732-2400, www.amd.com.
Intel Corp, Sunnyvale, CA. (916) 356-8080, www.intel.com.
Sharp Electronics Corp, Camas, WA. (800) 642-0261, www.sharpmeg.com.
Avista Design has boosted the performance of the Spectre/XL for RF and Microwave high-frequency simulation tool. The new version of Spectre/XL provides 15 to 20 times faster simulation than the previous version without reducing accuracy. Avista embeds Spectre/XL's circuit simulation in Microsoft's (Redmond, WA) Excel spreadsheet program. The combination lets you analyze and format the simulation results in an easily recognized configuration.
The tool uses a two-stage "large-signal/small-signal" algorithm for nonlinear analysis. You can simulate noise voltage at any circuit node, similar to the RF power spectrum a spectrum analyzer provides. This data is important for designing mixers, oscillators, and other nonlinear circuits. Spectre/XL for RF and Microwave uses standard Spice models for nonlinear components and industry-standard models and formulas to describe linear components. This capability lets you use your own proprietary Spice libraries with the tool.
Spectre/XL for RF and Microwave is available now for $2250. The software runs on PCs with Excel 5.0, 7.0, or 97. A free demonstration version is available on Avista's Web site.
--by Jim Lipman
Avista Design Systems, Folsom, CA. (800) 985-6080, fax (800) 985-6080, www.avista.com.
Energizer's new ELI-18650 lithium-ion batteries target use in portable electronics applications that require maximum energy density from rechargeable power sources, such as portable computers, cellular phones, camcorders, and other handheld electronic devices. The cells operate at 3.6V and offer a 1350-mAhr minimum capacity, making them the highest energy-density rechargeable cells, according to the company. The cells offer an 18-mm diameter and 65-mm length and house a graphitic-carbon anode and a lithium-cobalt-oxide cathode in an organic electrolytic. Typical price for an assembled battery pack containing ELI-18650 cells is approximately $15/cell, including electronic protection circuitry for charge control. Intelligent-charging and fuel-gauge functions are optional.
--by Fran Granville
Energizer Power Systems, Gainesville, FL. (904) 462-3911, fax (904) 462-4726.
Willows Software has developed tools and libraries that allow developers to port Windows applications to virtually any real-time operating system (RTOS). The Willows RT development kit uses a library of functions equivalent to the WIN32 application-programming interface on an abstraction layer mapped to the hardware and OS in use. The combination allows developers with the source code for Windows applications to quickly port those applications to their embedded systems. The full library uses less than 1.5 Mbytes of program space. Typical statically linked applications do not need the full library.
Willows RT is available for QNX, and Willows is porting the software to VXworks under Tornado. Willows Software will make other RTOSs available on customer demand. Developers need not wait until the port is complete, however. The company offers a 16-bit binary emulation of Windows for developers waiting for an RTOS port and those lacking the application's source code.
The software developer's kit for Willows RT costs $5000 per person per RTOS. In addition, the runtime portion of Willows RT has a per-unit cost, which is a function of the end product's value.
--by Richard A Quinnell
Willows Software, Saratoga, CA. (408) 777-1820, www.willows.com
The new Radisys EPC-9, a dual-slot VMEbus board with full PC/AT compatibility, offers field-upgradeable 100-, 133-, 166-, and 200-MHz Pentium-processor modules. A pin-compatible Pentium Pro module will be available by midyear. The board includes 10/100BaseT Ethernet; a SCSI-2 interface; a 1.44-Gbyte IDE hard drive; a USB interface; and two PMC slots for PCIbus peripherals. Board prices start at $3527 for a 133-MHz Pentium with 8 Mbytes of DRAM.
--by Richard A Quinnell
Radisys Corp, Beaverton, OR. (503) 646-1800.
Green Hills Software has developed two new real-time operating systems (RTOSs) that share a common application-programming interface (API). Both RTOSs, velOSity and Integrity, employ a priority-based, pre-emptive scheduler for real-time multitasking. The RTOSs offer always-enabled interrupts, eliminating interrupt latency. Users can set a fixed runtime for processes, have processes run to completion, or use round-robin scheduling for tasks of equal priority.
The velOSity RTOS comprises a library of C-callable routines. Applications invoke RTOS services as subroutine calls. This library structure allows developers to incorpor-ate only those RTOS services they need, minimizing system-memory requirements.
The Integrity RTOS, a stand-alone kernel that is separate from the application, uses the facilities of the hardware's memory-management unit. The application accesses kernel services via a trap mechanism. This access mechanism allows Integrity to enforce access permissions for objects such as memory, semaphores, and pipes.
The royalty-free RTOSs come with the Green Hills Multi development system. The system includes C, C++, Fortran, and Ada compilers; a source-level debugger; an execution profiler; runtime error checking; and source- and version-control facilities. Multi costs $4200/seat and $7900/seat, respectively, for PC- and Unix-based development.
--by Richard A Quinnell
Green Hills Software, Santa Barbara, CA. (800) 500-2580
Datel's DMS-20PC-4/20S loop-powered meter provides a 31/2-digit display with 9.4-mm-high (0.37 in.), red LED display that you can read from 4m (12 ft). The device monitors current in an industrial-control 4- to 20-mA loop. Circuitry with the meter adjusts LED current to maintain constant display intensity even as the loop current varies over the 4- to 20-mA range. Loop drop is 5V. You can adjust the span and offset using 20-turn potentiometers to match your loop. A six-position DIP switch lets you select input-current and display-reading combinations. The 1.38×0.88×1-in. (35×22.4×25.4-mm) unit has screw-terminal connections and costs $72.
--by Bill Schweber
Datel Inc, Mansfield, MA. (508) 339-3000, fax (508) 339-6356
Seva Technologies offers two new classes that highlight complex ASIC- and FPGA-design techniques. The classes, "Advanced FPGA Architecture and Design/Coding Techniques" and "Advanced Architecture and Design of High-Speed/High-Density ASICs Using Verilog HDL," combine two- and three-day seminars with a hands-on lab. You can take these classes either at your company's site or at a Seva training location.
The FPGA course for new or experienced designers teaches procedures for achieving consistent area and timing results to eliminate problems you discover late in the design cycle. The ASIC course, an advanced seminar, covers a range of design and architectural issues. Seva recommends this course for chip architects, senior designers, and design managers. Prices for the two courses start at $895 at Seva's Fremont, CA, site. The price includes workbooks and all course materials.
--by Jim Lipman
Seva Technologies, Fremont, CA. (510) 249-9085, fax (510) 249-9082.
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