Articles – Page 518

Like Flash, But Different

April 7, 2009

As status symbols go, memory chips are about as low as you can get. Even in the nerdy world of embedded chips and software, memories are low on sex appeal, low on differentiation, and low on most designers’ list of interesting devices. They are, in a word, generic.

So what’s new and exciting in the world of embedded memories? Uh… nothing, really. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile reexamining your assumptions about memory and memory types. There’s a decades-old memory technology that perhaps has been overlooked for … Read More → "Like Flash, But Different"

The Twitter of Things?

Developments in Embedded WiFi

by Bryon Moyer

April 7, 2009

The internet has been a massive game-changer for humanity. It started as a way for people to get information, then a quicker way to communicate, then a way to do business. And now… well, perhaps we’ve come full circle back to getting information. But it’s become clear that there is such a thing as too much information. Thanks to ubiquitous access to the many ways of keeping in touch with those people whom you know are interested in your every move, your every thought, your every… synaptic firing, we … Read More → "The Twitter of Things?"

Building ‘Image Format Conversion’ Designs for Broadcast Systems

by Kevin Morris

April 7, 2009

Image format conversion is commonly implemented within various broadcast infrastructure systems such as servers, switchers, head-end encoders, and specialty studio displays.

At the basic level, the need for image format conversion is driven by the multitude of input image formats that must be converted to high definition (HD) or a different resolution before being stored, encoded, or displayed.

The broadcast infrastructure … Read More → "Building ‘Image Format Conversion’ Designs for Broadcast Systems"

Kicking a Dead Horse

FPGAs Going the Distance Against ASIC

by Kevin Morris

April 7, 2009

Imagine seeing the following copy in a modern ad: “The new BMW 5-series sedan outperforms the horse and buggy in every important way. Your family will travel farther in a day and arrive less fatigued thanks to our superior cruising speed, climate-controlled cabin, and luxurious upholstery. It’s so much easier to use as well – no more hitching up the team before you start, and no more watering, feeding, and grooming at the end of the day. You just turn the key and drive away. Simple as that. So, before you snap up that new stallion you’ve been … Read More → "Kicking a Dead Horse"

Finding Waldo

A Look at Silicon Debug – After You’ve Got Silicon

by Bryon Moyer

April 7, 2009

Hey Mike… Come here a sec… We need your help.
Sure. What is it?
Need you to find someone.
OK… who and where?
Name’s Waldo. Here’s his background. He’s in New York City.
New York City?? I’m supposed to find him there? Just like that?
Yup. Oh, come on, don’t look at me like that. You did a … Read More → "Finding Waldo"

Quantum of Solids

A Look at the Rapidly Evolving State of MRRG

by Bryon Moyer

April 1, 2009

The speed of light is a bitch. In America we like to think there are no limits. That’s what allowed the pioneers to conquer the West. That’s what allowed those with foggy bottoms to split the atom. That’s what allowed financial whiz kids to take the 3rd derivative of the anticipated interest rate trajectories of the 12 least-popular indices, integrate them over those periods during maturation when transaction density was expected to be heaviest, insure them based on the peak harmonic components of the betting fluctuation spectra for the next three superbowls, muddle for … Read More → "Quantum of Solids"

Safe, Secure, and ARMed

by Jim Turley

April 1, 2009

It’s a tough world out there. Bad guys try to hack into our computers and embedded systems. Even without the hackers, systems sometimes just crash. Building tough and reliable systems is hard to do. That must be why we get paid the big bucks.

This week, three companies are doing something about that (the security, not the pay). Open Kernel Labs, CPU Tech, and ARM all have new products designed to make secure, reliable, affordable systems easier to design and build.

“Can You Text … Read More → "Safe, Secure, and ARMed"

Retro Revolution

The New Vintage FPGAs

by Kevin Morris

April 1, 2009

Retro is the new new.

Here in the age of ubiquitous high technology, styles and tastes have turned to the past. Vintage clothing, automobiles from yesteryear, pinup models, antique cocktails, and 60s home furnishings are all the rage with today’s hipsters. “Steampunks”, “Rockabillies”, and “Mods” crowd their respective club scenes. In the audio world, it’s vinyl albums, tube amplifiers, reel-to-reel tape, and horn speakers. Culturally-aware engineers who spend their days worrying about leakage current in 32nm transistors go home in the evening and crank the LP version of Louis Armstrong singing St. James Infirmary on … Read More → "Retro Revolution"

Reducing Test Time and Cost for an Advanced Wireless Device

by Bryon Moyer

March 24, 2009

Designing wireless infrastructure chips at 65 nm and below introduced subtle failure mechanisms previously unobserved at larger process nodes. These new failure mechanisms, along with the requirements for better self-test in the field and limitations on available IC pins to interface with automated testing equipment, have resulted in tougher test requirements at STMicroelectronics.

STMicroelectronics’ advanced designs must be of the highest quality for demanding end-product applications. We use in-system test to ensure the device is … Read More → "Reducing Test Time and Cost for an Advanced Wireless Device"

Using Power and Integrity in the Same Sentence

Apache Provides Hierarchical Dynamic Power Integrity Analysis

by Bryon Moyer

March 24, 2009

Power is seductive. It has attracted the attention of universities, designers, tool vendors, journalists, and anyone who wants to be anyone in the silicon and systems worlds. Of course, unlike the situation in so many hallowed halls around the world, the aim here is to reduce power, not increase it (or gather it for oneself). Out of the limelight, however, is the stability of the power infrastructure: how robust is a chip’s power grid in the face of potentially wild gyrations of power draw as a chip is put through its paces? This is the realm of … Read More → "Using Power and Integrity in the Same Sentence"