EDN back issues from August 1992:
Science by mail. (Editorial)
Aug 06, 1992; ... I remember as a teenager the excitement of getting a package of electronic parts from Lafayette Radio, or a new kit to assemble from Heathkit. It seemed that there was always something interesting in the mail. Today, young people can also participate in "science by mail" through a ...
Speed-resolution tradeoff key to choosing ADCs. (analog-to-digital converters) (Technical)
Aug 06, 1992; ... Many factors influence the choice of an A/D converter for a given application, and among the most important are resolution and speed. To a great extent, the converter's architecture determines the values for these two key parameters and, to a lesser extent, influences other critical ...
Let a GUI accelerator chip make your graphics whiz. (S3 Inc's 86C911 graphical user interface coprocessor) (Product Announcement)
Aug 06, 1992; ... The 86C911 is a graphical-user-interface (GUI) accelerator chip that speeds up Windows or Presentation Manager applications. The accelerator performs essential graphics operations such as moving and resizing windows, operating the cursor, manipulating icons, and generating pull-down ...
Analog peripheral IC simplifies real-world i/o for processors. (input/output) (Micro Linear Corp.'s ML2377 integrated circuit) (Product Announcement)
Aug 06, 1992; ... Packing the equivalent of four analog ICs, the ML2377 microprocessor [(Unkeyable P)] peripheral IC provides a complete analog I/O channel. The device includes A/D and D/A converters, input multiplexers, and S/H circuits. The device operates from a single 5V supply and provides ...
SPARC chip sets provide MBus expandability for high-performance SPARCstations. (Cypress Semiconductor Corp.)
Aug 06, 1992; ... Cypress Semiconductor's SPARCset is the first MBus-module-based SPARC chip set and board design. The set accepts interchangeable SPARC MBus modules, such as those used in the Sun SPARCstation 10 or Sun Galaxy multiprocessor server. The chip set does not include the modules. The board ...
$27 buys a 16-MHz embedded SPARClite microprocessor. (Fujitsu Ltd.'s SPARClite MB6933) (Product Announcement)
Aug 06, 1992; ... SPARC RISC has made the grade for embedded systems. Engineers can now easily design in embedded versions of the desktop standard. These variants include stripped-down versions with specialized interfaces that minimize expensive glue logic. The MB86933, Fujitsu's low-end, 32-bit ...
How C++ works. (includes related articles on compilers slipping hidden code into programs and an editor's analysis) (Technical)
Aug 06, 1992; ...Despite the many similarities between C and C + +, at run time, a C + + program can take some unexpected twists and turns. C + + tantalizes, proffering an easy upgrade to object-oriented programming (OOP). C + + is, with a few exceptions, a suspect of C--an old and familiar ...
Three-step method evaluates neural networks for your application. (includes related article on seven design steps for back-propagation neural networks) (Tutorial)
Aug 06, 1992; ... Characterizing your problem and assessing the available data may lead you to formulating a neural-network implementation. If the problem type fits and the data is sufficient, a neural network can do the thinking for you. Neural networks are the core of many well-known ...
BTL transceivers enable high-speed bus designs. (backplane transceiver logic) (includes related article on Futurebus + ) (Technical)
Aug 06, 1992; ... As bus transfer rates extend into warp speeds, large capacitive loads can behave like anchors. Low-capacitance backplane-transceiver-logic devices offer advantages over their TTL counterparts when you're trying to maximize throughput. Speed is the most important consideration ...
Current loop transmits ac measurements. (EDN-Design Ideas) (Technical)
Aug 06, 1992; ... Process-control applications use current loops to send information as an analog signal over long distances with high noise immunity. Using the 3-chip circuit in Fig 1, you can measure alternating current or voltage and transmit the results on a 4- to 20-mA current loop. The circuit ...
Dual op amp takes absolute difference. (EDN-Design Ideas) (Tutorial)
Aug 06, 1992; ... A traditional implementation of an absolute-difference function comprises a difference circuit followed by an absolute-value circuit; the entire circuit requires at least three op amps. The design problem is complicated in single-supply-only systems, which usually require an artificial ...
DSP ICs abet design choices. (digital signal processor chips offer better performance, but lag behind general-purpose chips in applications and programmability)
Aug 13, 1992; ... Function-specific DSP chips outperform general-purpose parts--but applications and programmability are limited Although sometimes an overlooked alternative, the function-specific, digital-signal-processing (DSP) IC may solve applications puzzles for engineers who are stretching ...
What engineering managers can do to muster motivation: communication is key in boosting productivity. (Tutorial)
Aug 13, 1992; ...Communication is key in boosting productivity Motivation--it's one of those intangibles that can make or break an engineering team. The responsibility to keep the team motivated and productive typically falls on the engineering manager's shoulders. Most experts say, however, ...
Active-connector approach cuts bus-loading effects: Amp Inc takes an uncommon tack with the common board connector. (Amp Active Eurocard Connector)
Aug 13, 1992; ... Amp Inc takes an uncommon tack with the common board connector HARRISBURG, PA--As processors get faster and system-level signal integrity becomes a greater concern, connector design becomes a more complex assignment. For Mansour Zarreii, project manager at Amp Inc's Advanced ...
For MPEG chip, multimedia is the message: complies with CD-I format, benefits from JVC and Philips design input. (C-Cube Microsystems CL450, CL450i Motion picture Experts Group data decoder chip; compact disk-interactive) (Product Announcement)
Aug 13, 1992; ... Complies with CD-I format, benefits from JVC and Phillips design input MILPITAS, CA -- The singlechip CL450 data decoder enables full-motion, color video based on the emerging Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standard to be played on compact-disk-based video systems and ...
Tape-backup system boasts 2-Gbyte native capacity: Panther 2000 poses challenge to DAT. (digital audio tape; Tandberg Data unit implements quarter-inch cartridge format) (Product Announcement)
Aug 13, 1992; ...Panther 2000 poses challenge to DAT WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- With native storage of 2 Gbytes, the Panther 2000 tape-backup system from Tandberg Data uses the Quarter-Inch Cartridge (QIC) recording format. The system features a 300-kbyte/sec data rate and a mean time between ...
System integrates CAD-driven probing and testing of complex ICs; high-end test package combines lab components. (Computer-aided design) (Product Announcement)
Aug 13, 1992; ... High-end test package combines lab components BEAVERTON, OR -- Integrated Measurement Systems Inc (IMS) has introduced an integrated system for probing and testing of complex ICs with computer-aided design (CAD). The Analytical ProbeStation combines an IMS test station with ...
Wanted: EEs to move video conferencing to PCs. (electronics engineers with a wide range of skills are being sought by video-conferencing vendors)
Aug 13, 1992; ... What's needed? All types of skills, from system- to chip-level design Once thought implausible, the concept of video conferencing on PCs is gaining momentum. Companies in the tightly knit video-conferencing industry say they're devoting major engineering resources, in many ...
Units provide extra insurance against electronic disaster: board-level protective devices. (protection against voltage surges incorporated into electronic devices) (EDN-Technology Update: Military Technology) (Buyers Guide)
Aug 20, 1992; ... You can never have too much protection. By augmenting primary system protection with some secondary protection at the pc-board level, you can greatly enhance the reliability of your system. Surges (or transients), be they current or voltage in nature, are a fact of life in any ...
In-circuit programming instruments infiltrate commercial applications. (includes related article about guidelines for using ICP; another related article lists and answers common questions from ICP first-timers) (EDN-Technology Update: Military Technology) (Buyers Guide)
Aug 20, 1992; ... Soldering-in EPROMs and EEPROMs simplifies manufacture and enhances reliability but complicates programming. Commercial in-circuit programming instruments overcome these complications, but require customization and a lot of forethought. A few commercial in-circuit programming ...
Small, rugged memories put data where it's needed. (includes related articles on electronic memory devices implanted in the necks of dogs and on trash-container memory devices) (EDN-Technology Update: Portable Data Carriers)
Aug 20, 1992; ... Cleverly packaged memory devices put data in places where a computer can't go. Some even contain an RF transponder for wireless access. Portable data carriers--nonvolatile-memory devices that perform useful functions away from a computer, rather than inside one--are becoming ...
Low-cost fiber-optic link achieves 1.5-Gbps data rate. (the FTM- and FRM-8500 optical transmitter and receiver modules, from Finisar Corp.) (Hardware Review) (EDN-Product Update)(Product Announcement) (Evaluation)
Aug 20, 1992; ... The FTM- and FRM-8500 optical transmitter and receiver modules have changed the economics of implementing fiber-optic data links. These devices use low-cost optical components and a proprietary method for modulating laser diodes to transmit data at 1.5 Gbps over inexpensive multimode ...
Printer delivers 600-dpi resolution. (the Calcomp CCL 600 laser printer, from Calcomp Computer Graphics Group) (Hardware Review) (EDN-Product Update) (Evaluation)
Aug 20, 1992; ... Calcomp has built a 600 x 600-dpi laser printer, the CCL 600, around a 16-MHz Intel i960KB RISC [mu]P and 82961KD print coprocessor pair. This printer is the first to deliver 600-dpi resolution for both A- and B-size sheets and sells for $4495. Current high-resolution, B-size printers ...
Intel laser-printer i960/coprocessor combination ups performance, cuts logic. (the 82961KD printer controller is used with the Intel 80960 RISC microprocessor) (Hardware Review) (EDN-Processor Update) (Evaluation)
Aug 20, 1992; ... Designing laser-printer controllers is a tough task, combining embedded [mu]Ps, staged data processing, and I/O control. One way to minimize glue logic, speed throughput, and simplify printing is to supplement the printer [mu]P with a specialized printer controller. Intel engineers took ...
Ruggedized computers. (selling commercial, off-the-shelf, or COTS, ruggedized computers instead of custom-built devices that meet full military specifications) (EDN-Special Report: Military Technology)
Aug 20, 1992; ... US military budget cuts may spell financial disaster for weapons manufacturers. But firms that develop and produce ruggedized computers have obtained new customers among prime contractors who no longer have to create computers that meet full military specifications. Although ...
Multirate filters alter sampling rates even after you've captured the data. (includes related article on design and test of DSP systems using graphics-based DSP development tools) (EDN-Design Feature)
Aug 20, 1992; ... You've digitized an analog signal, but the sampling rate is too high--or too low--for your system. Multirate filters can't supply missing information, but they can alter the effective sampling rate after you've acquired the data. With graphical development tools, designing such filters ...
Spice models low-bias op amps correctly. (a technique for correcting the Spice model of a low-bias operational amplifier) (EDN-Design Idea) (Tutorial)
Aug 20, 1992; ... Having correct values for input-bias currents of low-bias operational amplifiers is critical, especially when you model transimpedance circuits. Yet Spice macromodels for operational amplifiers do not always model dc parameters correctly. This Design Idea presents an example of a ...
PC hosts the real-time show; despite drawbacks, DOS platforms are popular for embedded-system developers.
Aug 27, 1992; ... Despite drawbacks, DOS platforms are popular for embedded-system developers For the engineer, the 1980s IBM PC-compatible juggernaut was especially beneficial: The DOS-based PC platform is everywhere, and inexpensive, and it has continually gained in use as a development host ...
Sampled-synthesis strategy forms heart of Aria chip set. (Sierra Semiconductor Corp.'s line of sound processing chip sets) (Product Announcement)
Aug 27, 1992; ... Maker notes "richer" sound versus that produced by FM-synthesis sets SAN JOSE, CA - To generate sound, board- and system-level developers typically choose ICs employing frequency-modulation (FM) synthesis. But Sierra Semiconductor has taken a different approach for its first ...
A hot network-management market means jobs for EEs; among those in demand are EEs who know C++. (electrical engineers, C++ programming language) (includes glossary of networking acronyms)
Aug 27, 1992; ...Among those in demand are EEs wbo know C+ + Engineers experienced in C, C + + , Unix, and network protocols are needed to develop the next generation of intelligent network-management products. Demand stems from corporate America's move toward interconnecting once-isolated ...
GE Consulting Services recruits EEs. (electrical engineers)
Aug 27, 1992 ... ROCKVILLE, MD - Both the San Jose, CA, and Syracuse, NY, offices of GE Consulting Services (GECS) will hire hardware and software engineers. The service helps companies plan, design, implement, and support software for various information systems. GECS, established in 1975, is a ...
Intermedics to add 20. (Intermedics Inc. expands electrical engineering staff)
Aug 27, 1992 ... ANGLETON, TX - Intermedics, a manufacturer of implantable medical devices, will add 20 electrical engineers to its staff. Positions require at least five years of relevant experience. Those with an advanced degree require fewer years of experience. Sulzermedica (Winterthur, ...
Washington, DC, takes a middle-of-the-road stance on hiring; contrary to expectation, the government is hiring. (employment market for electrical engineers)
Aug 27, 1992; ... Moderation is the modus operandi for 1992, and that applies to electronics hiring as, well. In the Washington, DC, area, pockets of activity exist, but overall hiring is still modest when openings are compared with layoffs. Moderation has an up side, though. Even government ...