Test service checks China RoHS compliance

ELECTRONICSTALK

The Independent Weekly Product Information Guide
for Electronics Design, Development and Manufacturing Engineers
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ISSN 1475-2913 - Free subscription
Last week's delivered circulation: 23142
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 308: 06 March 2007
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In this issue:
* Editor's Message
* Our Top new products selection
[1] Power chip scales the peaks for mean design
[2] New EMC Directive explained
[3] Test service checks China RoHS compliance
[4] Twin relay aims for automotive uses
[5] Low-cost printing for compact equipment
[6] RF analyser majors on sensitivity and selectivity
[7] Programmable quad DAC takes on industrial control
[8] Small form factor MCU integrates more circuitry
[9] Powerful processors cut the cost of VoIP
[10] Low-power radio transmitter is easier to apply
* Other industry news
* New technical articles and case studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:

Where there's muck there's brass, or so the old Yorkshire saying goes,
and now the United Nations is spearheading a major initiative to
spread the word worldwide.

So while European manufacturers and legislators are still struggling
to come to terms with the full implementation of the EU WEEE
Directive, tomorrow (7th March 2007) sees the launch of the StEP
initiative, aimed at Solving the E-Waste Problem.

The problem is of course well documented. There has been much
publicity in recent years highlighting illegal dumping of e-waste in
the third world - often under the guise of second-hand technology
exports.

In its favour, StEP is not only global in its coverage, it begins with
extensive support from both industry and the public sector, with
high-tech manufacturers joining UN, governmental, NGO and academic
institutions, along with recycling/refurbishing companies as charter
members.

The initiative aims to address the two sides of the e-waste coin: the
recyclables and the disposables. And while there are already many
smaller schemes that aim to extract valuable components from e-waste,
there remains a need to address the disposal of often toxic
non-recyclable waste both safely and economically.

Importantly, the initiative aims to increase extraction and recycling
of many of the rarer elements used in electronics manufacturing in
addition to the obvious gold, silver and palladium. And recent price
rises of elements such as indium, bismuth and ruthenium mean that
recycling is not only desirable, it is an economic necessity.

If it does succeed in creating a globally replicable system for
dealing with e-waste, StEP could prove to be the most important
initiative in the history of our industry.

I hope you find this issue of our weekly newsletter useful. In
addition to the new products, news and ideas featured here, there are
thousands more on our website and dozens more are added daily, so do
take a look if you can.

Alternatively, the full stories behind all the summaries and headlines
in this newsletter can be retrieved by e-mail alone: see details
below.

In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make
the site or the newsletter better, e-mail me directly.

Best wishes
Laurence Marchini, Editor
mailto:news@electronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP NEW PRODUCT SELECTION
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[1] POWER CHIP SCALES THE PEAKS FOR MEAN DESIGN
(Power Integrations, 06 Mar 2007)

New from Power Integrations, the PeakSwitch PKS607 is an integrated
power conversion IC capable of handling peak demand of up to 127W.
The PKS607 addresses a wide range of applications that exhibit very
high peak-to-RMS (root mean square) power requirements, such as
printers, audio amplifiers, and home entertainment systems.  This
PeakSwitch family provides peak power on demand while allowing
designers to specify a transformer sized for the continuous power
level.  This capability significantly reduces the size, weight, and
cost of the overall power supply design.  PeakSwitch PKS607 handles
almost 50% more peak power than earlier PeakSwitch ICs.  The new
device incorporates a 700V MOSFET and low-voltage control circuitry on
a monolithic IC.

> Request free details from the supplier:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/poo/125/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/poo/poo125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:poo125@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[2] NEW EMC DIRECTIVE EXPLAINED
(REO (UK), 01 Mar 2007)

To help engineers get to grips with the new EMC Directive 2004/108/EC
that will replace the existing EMC Directive on 20th July 2007, REO UK
has published a new handbook which is available as a free download or
can be ordered in hard copy.  One of the main changes is that the
scope of the directive is more clearly defined and it makes a
distinction between two types of equipment - apparatus (a finished
appliance made commercially available as a single function unit and
intended for the end user) and fixed installations (a combination of
apparatus and other devices which is installed permanently at a
predefined location).

> Request free details from the supplier:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/reo/138/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/reo/reo138.html
or send a blank email to mailto:reo138@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[3] TEST SERVICE CHECKS CHINA ROHS COMPLIANCE
(Soldertec Global, 01 Mar 2007)

>From 1st March 2007, all electronic products exported to China are
required to comply with Chinese RoHS regulations.  A new test service
offered by Soldertec Global has been established to help European
exporters comply with this latest legislation.  Many products outside
the current scope of the EU WEEE and RoHS Directive fall within the
scope of the China-RoHS legislation.  In fact, virtually no exporter
of electronic products to China will remain unaffected.

* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/soe/soe117.html
or send a blank email to mailto:soe117@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[4] TWIN RELAY AIMS FOR AUTOMOTIVE USES
(Panasonic Electric Works UK, 05 Mar 2007)

The CJ relay from Panasonic is a subminiature twin relay aimed at
automotive applications such as central door locking, electric seats,
sun roofs and windows.  The reliability and low cost are only matched
by the relay's small size.  The smallest in its class, it is extremely
compact taking up approximately two thirds of the company's previous
twin type CT relay. The case accommodates dual coils with independent
contact arrangements, and with dimensions of only 13.7 x 12.2 x
13.5mm, the relay is no larger than conventional single relays.

> Request free details from the supplier:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/mat/161/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mat/mat161.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mat161@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[5] LOW-COST PRINTING FOR COMPACT EQUIPMENT
(Fujitsu Components Europe, 01 Mar 2007)

Fujitsu Components Europe has released a high-speed 2in thermal
printer subassembly for a variety of mini-kiosk, self-service and
receipt-generating applications.  The printer offers a
high-performance low-cost printing solution for compact equipment.
The FTP-627USL401 series thermal printer features 100mm/s print speed
and 8 dot/mm resolution, offering quiet, fast, high-quality output.
With its compact, 108 x 100 x 94mm form factor that includes a
miniature interface board and an integrated auto cutter, the new
printer saves space and is easily integrated into any OEM design.  The
FTP-627USL401 series thermal printer supports character and general
graphics capabilities, including alphanumeric, kana, international
characters and 2D barcodes, on 58mm wide paper.

> Request free details from the supplier:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/fit/119/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fit/fit119.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fit119@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[6] RF ANALYSER MAJORS ON SENSITIVITY AND SELECTIVITY
(Agilent Technologies Europe, 05 Mar 2007)

Available now worldwide from Agilent Technologies, the N9340A is the
company's first handheld RF spectrum analyser.  Featuring
best-in-class performance and usability from 100kHz to 3GHz, the
Agilent N9340A is ideal for installation and maintenance customers in
a variety of industries, including wireless service providers,
aerospace/defence, spectrum management authorities, and television and
broadcasting.  Spectrum analysis is fundamental to RF testing and
signal characterisation, but engineers and technicians do not always
have the benefit of full development laboratory facilities or a
manufacturing environment in which to work.  The N9340A is an
excellent choice for a portable, high-performance, basic and
affordable spectrum analyser.

> Request free details from the supplier:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/agn/170/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agn/agn170.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agn170@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[7] PROGRAMMABLE QUAD DAC TAKES ON INDUSTRIAL CONTROL
(Linear Technology Corp, 01 Mar 2007)

Linear Technology has introduced the LTC2704-16, a 16bit, quad
voltage-output DAC with six software-programmable output voltage
ranges.  Each of the four DACs can be programmed via a three-wire
SPI-compatible serial interface for one of four bipolar output ranges
(+/-10, +/-5, +/-2.5 or -2.5 to 7.5V) or one of two unipolar output
ranges (0 to 5 or 0 to 10V).  The LTC2704-16 offers excellent DC
performance of +/-2LSB (maximum) INL and +/-1LSB (maximum) DNL.  The
LTC2704-16 operates from dual +/-5 to +/-15V analogue supplies, and a
3 to 5V digital supply.

> Request free details from the supplier:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/lne/329/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne329.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne329@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[8] SMALL FORM FACTOR MCU INTEGRATES MORE CIRCUITRY
(Silicon Laboratories, 06 Mar 2007)

Silicon Laboratories has released what it reckons is the most highly
integrated 8bit MCU combining a 25MIPS CPU, 10bit 500Ksample/s ADC and
an internal +/-2 % oscillator in a 3 x 3mm package.  The C8051T60x
product family adds to Silicon Laboratories' portfolio of over 60
high-performance small form factor MCUs.  The C8051T60x is ideal for
consumer and industrial applications including toys, camera modules,
cellphone accessories, portable devices, home appliances and motor
controllers.  With the highest functional density in the 8bit MCU
market, the C8051T60x enables designers to easily work within space
constraints.

* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/snl/snl161.html
or send a blank email to mailto:snl161@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[9] POWERFUL PROCESSORS CUT THE COST OF VOIP
(Texas Instruments (April 2006-), 06 Mar 2007)

Texas Instruments has announced the immediate availability of samples
of two new digital signal processors (DSPs) - the TMS320C6424 DSP and
the TMS320C6421 DSP - that deliver more than 2.5x price/performance
improvement, helping OEMs lower overall cost per channel of telecomms
enterprise gateway and IP-PBX products.  Additional applications that
are well suited for the C642x DSPs include printers, scanners, copiers
and wireless applications such as pico basestations, home gateways and
wireless entertainment devices.  TI's new C642x DSPs start at only US
$8.95 in 10,000-unit quantities.  Leveraging an effective combination
of integrated peripherals, on-chip memory and high performance, the
C642x DSPs address customers' needs to reduce overall system costs and
improve performance in telecomms and networked DSP applications.

* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/txs/txs275.html
or send a blank email to mailto:txs275@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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[10] LOW-POWER RADIO TRANSMITTER IS EASIER TO APPLY
(Micrel Semiconductor Europe, 05 Mar 2007)

Micrel has added a new member to its QwikRadio RF family, the
MICRF112.  The device is a 1.8 to 3.6V, +10dBm, ASK/FSK transmitter
designed for the 300 to 450MHz band.  The product is aimed at markets
such as telemetry, wireless sensing, environmental monitoring,
consumer entertainment remotes, remote actuation and lighting control,
remote keyless entry (RKE), tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS)
and IR replacement.  The IC is currently available in volume, with
pricing starting at US $0.91 for 1000-unit quantities.

* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mib/mib155.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mib155@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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This week's industry news
=====================================================

FOCUS ON FLASH PAYS OFF WITH RECORD REVENUES
(Kingston Technology, 05 Mar 2007)
Kingston Technology registers revenue increase of US $400 million, far
exceeding sales forecasts and marking the highest revenues in its
20-year history.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kin/kin154.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kin154@fetch.electronicstalk.com

SCOTTISH CENTRE TO RECRUIT MORE THAN 50 ENGINEERS
(Dialog Semiconductor, 01 Mar 2007)
R and D centre responds to growing interest in battery power
management and hi-fi audio products for next generation handheld
electronics products.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dal/dal127.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dal127@fetch.electronicstalk.com

DESIGN WINS DRIVE 50% REVENUE GROWTH
(SiGe Semiconductor, 01 Mar 2007)
SiGe Semiconductor completed 2006 with strong sales momentum and
achieved significant milestones.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sif/sif187.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sif187@fetch.electronicstalk.com

TURKISH DESIGN CENTRE FOCUSES ON TIMING DESIGN
(SpectraLinear, 05 Mar 2007)
Istanbul Design Centre is staffed by mixed signal designers who have
worked on timing circuits in world-leading companies such as Cypress,
Maxim, IMI and LSI Logic.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/spn/spn100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:spn100@fetch.electronicstalk.com

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURABILITY SPECIALISTS TO MERGE
(Blaze DFM, 06 Mar 2007)
Two of the leading providers of design for manufacturability (DFM)
software systems are to merge to provide a comprehensive electrical
DFM system.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bld/bld100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:bld100@fetch.electronicstalk.com

UNIFIED POWER FORMAT BECOMES INDUSTRY STANDARD
(Accellera, 02 Mar 2007)
The Board of Accellera, the electronics industry organisation focused
on electronic design automation standards, has approved the Unified
Power Format (UPF) 1.0 as an Accellera standard.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/acc/acc124.html
or send a blank email to mailto:acc124@fetch.electronicstalk.com

DESIGN CONSULTANCY SEEKS TALENTED INDIVIDUALS
(Plextek, 01 Mar 2007)
Recruitment drive will help Plextek to cope with increasing global
demand for its services.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ple/ple120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ple120@fetch.electronicstalk.com

CHINESE-MADE PCBS COME TO THE UK VIA FRANCE
(Icape, 28 Feb 2007)
French PCB specialist sets up UK subsidiary to market its flexible and
rigid printed circuits and technical parts.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/icx/icx100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:icx100@fetch.electronicstalk.com

SELECTION COMMITTEE PREPARES FOR NOMINATIONS
(Millennium Prize Foundation, 05 Mar 2007)
Five new members have been added the eight-person International
Selection Committee for the Eur 1 million Millennium Technology Prize.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mhh/mhh102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mhh102@fetch.electronicstalk.com

TUNDRA'S CORE BUSINESS REMAINS STRONG
(Tundra Semiconductor, 06 Mar 2007)
Tundra Semiconductor Corp has reported financial results for the third
quarter of fiscal year 2007, which ended 28th January 2007.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tun/tun148.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tun148@fetch.electronicstalk.com

=====================================================
New Technical Articles and Case Studies
=====================================================

DEALING WITH ATCA
(Adax Europe, 05 Mar 2007)
Robin Kent, Director of Operations at Adax Europe, sees operators and
equipment manufacturers plate spinning with telecommunications
standards.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aax/aax130.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aax130@fetch.electronicstalk.com

ANTENNA PIONEER EXPANDS 3D EM SIMULATION
(Flomerics, 05 Mar 2007)
Sarantel has signed a contract worth US $620,000 over three years for
multiple licences of Flomerics' MicroStripes 3D electromagnetic
simulation software.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/flo/flo190.html
or send a blank email to mailto:flo190@fetch.electronicstalk.com
> Request free details from the supplier on MicroStripes 3D:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/flo/190/4

BESPOKE CONVERTOR POWERS LED LIGHTING SYSTEMS
(Powerstax, 05 Mar 2007)
System combines a high-efficiency ultracompact 10W AC/DC
universal-input-voltage encapsulated PSU with a variable LED driver
circuit to vary the intensity of the LED light.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/apc/apc147.html
or send a blank email to mailto:apc147@fetch.electronicstalk.com
> Request free details from the supplier on Custom power supplies:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/apc/147/4

FPGAS HOST MULTIFORMAT HD VIDEO DECODER IP CORE
(Altera Europe, 06 Mar 2007)
Ittiam Systems uses Stratix II FPGA family to develop and deliver its
Trinity multiformat high-definition video decoder soft intellectual
property core.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aeu/aeu228.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aeu228@fetch.electronicstalk.com

TOOLS TO VERIFY COMPLEX MIXED-SIGNAL CHIP DESIGNS
(Mentor Graphics UK, 06 Mar 2007)
Leading international chip companies make use of design verification
software
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/men/men434.html
or send a blank email to mailto:men434@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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Other featured new product news
=====================================================

ULTIMATE PROTECTION FOR HIGH POWER DC APPLICATIONS
(ATC Semitec, 01 Mar 2007)
Fast-acting protection device for high-power DC applications combines
thermal fuse element and resistor on a single substrate.
> Request free details from the supplier on Sefuse D6X:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/atc/105/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/atc/atc105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:atc105@fetch.electronicstalk.com

SIX-SLOT ATCA SHELF HOSTS TEST AND DEVELOPMENT
(Rittal, 05 Mar 2007)
Two new versions of a 5U ATCA shelf feature six horizontal slots at
the front.
> Request free details from the supplier on 5U ATCA shelf:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/rit/212/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rit/rit212.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rit212@fetch.electronicstalk.com

LABVIEW DRIVERS MAKE THE MOST OF BOARD RANGE
(Spectrum Systementwicklung Microelectronic, 05 Mar 2007)
Spectrum has produced all-new LabView drivers for its M2i series of
fast PCI/PCI-X cards.
> Request free details from the supplier on M2i series:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/sct/113/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sct/sct113.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sct113@fetch.electronicstalk.com

SWITCHING MODULES MAKE RF TESTING MORE FLEXIBLE
(National Instruments, 01 Mar 2007)
RF switches offer more choices for optimising test networks around
price performance and improved signal integrity.
> Request free details from the supplier on PXI RF switches:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/naa/314/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa314.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa314@fetch.electronicstalk.com

COUNTER/TIMER DEVICES CONNECT VIA USB
(Adept Scientific, 28 Feb 2007)
USB counter/timer devices emulate Measurement Computing's reliable
PCI-CTR05 and PCI-CTR10 boards, and come packaged in impact resistant
ABS plastic enclosure.
> Request free details from the supplier on USB-4301 and USB-4303:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/ade/180/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ade/ade180.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ade180@fetch.electronicstalk.com

SCANNER TESTS BOARD-LEVEL COMPONENTS
(Clare Instruments, 06 Mar 2007)
Hi-pot flash tester and scanner verifies the functional and quality
validation of a wide range of electronic components.
> Request free details from the supplier on H2 Hal Scan:
 http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/ml/cku/128/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cku/cku128.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cku128@fetch.electronicstalk.com

CHIPSET BOOSTS THE REACH OF COPPER CABLE TO 400M
(National Semiconductor, 01 Mar 2007)
A versatile cable-extender BiCMOS chipset boosts the reach of 0.15 to
1.5Gbit/s LVDS, LVPECL, and CML signals up to 400m  of copper cable
with only 360mW power consumption.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat414.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nat414@fetch.electronicstalk.com

GREEN INVERTERS BOAST HIGH CONVERSION EFFICIENCY
(Power-One, 28 Feb 2007)
Photovoltaic and wind inverters optimise energy harvesting in
installations with multiple PV arrays oriented in different
directions.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pxw/pxw142.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pxw142@fetch.electronicstalk.com

PROTOCOL TESTER ADDRESSES INTEROPERABILITY
(Rohde and Schwarz, 01 Mar 2007)
Interoperability tool suite enables users to establish and simulate a
mobile radio network with a mouse click without having to leave the
laboratory.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/rhd/rhd223.html
or send a blank email to mailto:rhd223@fetch.electronicstalk.com

SCOPE AND MULTIMETER COMBINE IN HANDHELD
(Aspen Electronics, 28 Feb 2007)
Two-channel handheld digital oscilloscope meters deliver a maximum
200Msamples/s sample rate, with an impressive 2.5Gsamples/s repetitive
sampling feature.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ane/ane115.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ane115@fetch.electronicstalk.com

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