Evaluate, simulate, and prototype 24/7 with the Web
How do online development tools accelerate time to market and optimize design resources?
By Dave Kress, Analog Devices -- EDN, November 9, 2006
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EDN Global Report 3 
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Although one could argue that the advent of the Web has reduced interpersonal interaction, it has had undeniably positive effects on many aspects of technology design and manufacture. While many people immerse themselves in online gaming or spend hours bidding on coveted eBay items, design engineers are using the Internet to save valuable time on their next-generation designs. Indeed, the need to provide worldwide design support 24/7 has long since inspired semiconductor suppliers to adopt the Web as a vital link to engineers. So let's examine how the Web has benefited the design process.
What started off essentially as an electronic repository for data sheets and application notes soon evolved to include parametric search engines that made finding the right product faster and easier. More recently, Web-based tools have begun providing real-time design support and troubleshooting tips that are saving designers the time and hassle of requesting hard-copy data sheets, samples, and evaluation boards over the telephone and then waiting—for weeks in some cases—to receive them. The era of passive online data warehousing has given way to an age where "always-on" support and intelligent tools are key differentiators for component suppliers in their quest to deliver value and customer satisfaction.
So how do online development tools accelerate time to market and optimize design resources? First, they help designers make the best selection possible from among the hundreds of products typically available in each component category. Take amplifiers, for instance. How do you find the right one for your design? Enhanced parametric search engines represent one option, but semiconductor companies have taken such conventional searches a step further.
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System engineers now have access to free, online evaluation tools that not only winnow the component catalog, but also use parametric data to mathematically model the general behavior of the selected IC, virtually configure it within the system or subsystem design, and apply a signal to evaluate the product's general performance. This step reduces tedious hand calculations and removes much of the guesswork from the selection and evaluation process. As a result, engineers can quickly and efficiently conduct real-time simulations and troubleshoot potential problems across various parameters and architectures. Once he has selected the part, the designer retains a blueprint of the circuit—including detailed information on potential system errors and dynamic performance—thereby further simplifying the design process.
Designers also have access to another Web-based option, a continuously evolving online catalog of system configurations. Because these aim to interact with designers, such configurations provide options for building a complete signal chain and can even communicate the component requirements. In many cases, such detailed information allows designers to generate a schematic from which to start the design, a process that is a lot more convenient and effective than beginning with a blank sheet of paper.
The Web will continue to assist in the design process, and, to keep up with the ever-changing nature of technology, it will need to continue evolving. The industry will expect semiconductor companies to usher in these advancements, and these companies will need to work closely with designers to determine next-generation needs.
Author's biography
Dave Kress is the director of applications engineering at Analog Devices.
