Not just your
basic ASIC libraries IC
designers do not live by reusable cores
alone. Libraries of basic logic
functions, memories, datapaths, and I/O
cells are the glue that holds a chip
together. --Jim Lipman, Technical Editor
Design Features
Linear supplies
feel the (lack of) heat from switchers in
low-wattage applications When
batteries are drained--or are unsuitable
for your application--your design must
get its power from the ac line. ICs that
implement advanced supply techniques are
challenging linear supplies by lowering
costs, cutting size, and increasing
efficiency. --Bill Schweber,
Technical Editor
C compilers for
DSPs flex their muscles As
DSPs become more popular, so too has
using the C language to program them. EDN
investigated the quality of code that DSP
compilers produce. So, before you
hand-code your next DSP algorithm, check
out the results of the EDN
compiler benchmark challenge. --Markus Levy, Technical
Editor
Provide ESD
protection for I/O ports ESD
causes many problems: It not only damages
equipment, but also makes equipment
difficult to sell because of stringent
performance standards. Fortunately, you
can take steps to ensure the safety of
some of the most vulnerable components,
the interface ICs. --Brett Fox and Pirooz
Parvarandeh, Maxim Integrated Products
Use a CPLD to
implement an SDRAM controller Engineers
are more familiar with conventional DRAMs
than they are with SDRAMs, and using
SDRAMs requires expertise that only a few
EEs possess. Still, SDRAM-controller
designs need not be especially difficult;
in this design, a CPLD handles the
complex aspects. --Mark Novak, Mark F
Novak and Associates
Simulation
establishes high-power BGAs' thermal
performance Thermal simulation
shows how pc-board copper layers and air
velocity cause wide variations in the
junction-to-air thermal resistance of
225- and 352-pin-out BGA devices that
dissipate up to 6W. Physical measurements
confirm simulation results. --Dr Pavel Valenta,
Alcatel SEL, Germany
Thermal simulation
shows how pc-board copper layers and air
velocity cause wide variations in the
junction-to-air thermal resistance of
225- and 352-pin-out BGA devices that
dissipate up to 6W. Physical measurements
confirm simulation results.