Friday, September 12, 2008

80-Gbyte SSDs provide fast access times, high MTBF

1.8- or 2.5-in.-form-factor drives feature 250-Mbyte/s read speeds

The X18-M and X25-M SATA solid-state disk drives are built with multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash and provide boot-up and program loads up to nine times faster than an HDD. The SATA revision 2.6-compliant 1.8- or 2.5-in. mounting form factor units come in 80- and 160-Gbyte capacities and target laptop, embedded, and desktop computers. Their typical power consumption is 150 mW average (PC workload) and 60 mW in idle.

The 80-Gbyte drive is said to have an MTBF of 1,200,000 hours, with up to 250-Mbyte/s read speeds, up to 70-Mbyte/s write speeds, and 85-µs read latency. Operating from 0° to 70°C and RoHS compliant, the devices have controllers that feature a parallel 10-channel architecture.

The drives have been tested and validated on the latest Intel-based notebook and desktop platforms. (80-Gbyte version, $595 — available October; 160-Gbyte version available 4th qtr.)

Intel, Santa Clara, CA
Sales 408-765-8080
http://www.intel.com
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Welwyn WHPC thick-film chip resistor with enhanced power rating

TT electronics Welwyn Components has launched the WHPC series of thick-film chip resistors with enhanced power rating. It is available in sizes 1206 and 2010, rated at 0.5W and 1W respectively. Due to limited trimming, both the power rating and the pulse performance are better than for a commodity part of the same footprint.

The WHPC series offers diversity, flexibility and versatility to design engineers facing space restrictions and high-energy pulse requirements.

Thick-film electrodes, resistor material, overglaze and organic protection are screen printed on an alumina substrate. Wrap-around terminations have an electroplated nickel barrier and matt tin plating which ensures outstanding 'leach' resistance properties and solderability. The body protection is resistant to all normal industrial cleaning solvents suitable for printed circuits.

Key features:

• Double the standard power for size.
• Small footprint flat chip.
• Excellent pulse performance.
• RoHS compliant.

More information: http://www.ttelectronics.com/

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Monday, September 01, 2008

BlueAnt Launches Voice-Controlled B'tooth Headset

BlueAnt Wireless has launched its V1 Bluetooth headset, a fully voice-controlled Bluetooth headset.

The V1 features BlueGenie Voice Interface and the company’s proprietary Voice Isolation Technology.

The BlueGenie Voice Interface, from Sensory, is designed to allow users to control their headset with voice commands rather than pressing multiple buttons or looking at the phone. Unlike other headsets that only support voice-dial capabilities through a mobile phone’s voice features, the V1’s voice control is embedded in the headset itself, BlueAnt said, and the V1 lets users control all headset features such as pairing, volume and connection status using only their voice.

Other features include a lightweight form factor that can clip to a shirt or tie, Comply foam tips, rubber ear gels, dual microphones, three charging options and the ability to pair with up to eight Bluetooth devices. It lists a talktime of five hours with 200 hours of standby time.

Suggested retail is $129. It is scheduled to be available by the end of this month.

Source : www.twice.com
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SONY RAISES THE CURTAIN ON NEW WALKMAN PLAYERS THAT DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY AUDIO AND VIDEO

From noise-cancellation for frequent travelers to affordability for customers on a budget, Sony today unveiled three new Walkman® players (series S, E and B) that have something to offer nearly every customer segment.

“Whether the fit and finish, the engineering or the integration of unique technologies, each of these new series has different points of appeal,” said Mitch Li, product manager for Walkman players in the Digital Imaging and Audio Division at Sony Electronics. “These new Walkman players satisfy the need of consumers who don’t want to sacrifice sound quality for the digital music and MP3 experience.”

S-Series Walkman Players

The top-end, format-friendly Walkman S-series broadens options for enjoying tunes from multiple sources, including many download stores and personal music collections. The supplied Content Transfer software even simplifies “drag and drop” transfer of non-DRM music, videos, podcasts and playlists from online music services to Walkman players. If you’re migrating your personal collection of ripped tracks from another MP3 player, there’s no need to re-rip all your tunes from your CDs.

Support for popular audio and video codecs is enhanced because the S-series Walkman devices play Windows Media Video (WMV) files with DRM, allowing you to enjoy rights-protected movies and video clips from other media collections.

Additionally, the S-series Walkman players are the first MP3 players with Sony’s SensMe™ Channels function, which automatically creates channels that can align with a user’s preferences. Based on Sony’s SensMe Channels function, the S-series players analyze a user’s music collection and suggest channels based on each song’s speed, mood and rhythm. They create a choice of 11 themed channels from upbeat pop to emotional ballads.

In-Flight Noise Cancellation

Whether commuting, flying high or just listening to music at home, the new S-series Walkman players help diminish background noise while improving your overall listening experience. The top-end S-series Walkman players feature integrated active noise cancellation with supplied 13.5mm EX noise canceling headphones and an accessory cable that extends the noise canceling functionality of the device. On airplanes, travellers can – for the first time – connect the S-series player directly to a plane’s audio video system with the included accessory cable and enjoy regular in-flight entertainment with the bonus of high-quality noise cancellation.

Just 7.5mm thin, the super-light S-series is the slimmest Walkman player in any of the new series. It has a bright, high-contrast 2-inch QVGA LCD screen (measured diagonally) that has an ultra-quick response time, with smooth playback at up to 30 frames per second and selectable horizontal/vertical viewing. The interface can be personalized with the user’s choice of 10 pre-installed wallpaper images or their favorite digital photo.

E-Series Walkman Players

The E-series combines high-quality video and audio performance to create the perfect device for enjoying favorite photos and video clips. Like the S-series, all E-series models are format friendly, easily playing back ripped tracks from your personal music collection, music store downloads and rights-managed video clips. Non-DRM files can be transferred by “drag and drop” from online music services to Walkman players.

Support for popular audio and video codecs is enhanced because the E-series Walkman players can also support Windows Media Video (WMV) with DRM, allowing rights-protected movies and video clips from other media collections.

B-Series Walkman Players

The affordable entry-level Walkman B-series player offers the high-quality sound that users have come to expect from Sony. The ultra-portable devices can connect to your PC’s USB port for easy “drag and drop” file transfers. Like all other Walkman models, open support for Windows Media Audio (WMA) and MP3 codecs enables users to buy, copy and manage music to fit their needs.

The stylish design is enhanced by an illuminator that pulses in time with the music when the bass button is pressed. The device has an FM radio for enjoying favorite stations and a voice recorder that’s great for capturing memos, shopping lists or random thoughts while you’re on the move.

Battery Life

The battery life is up to 40 hours of music playback for S-series, up to 45 hours for the E-series and up to 16 hours for the B-series. The battery life is up to 10 hours of video playback for S-series, up to 8 hours for the E-series. The battery life is also up to 30 hours of audio playback for the S-series when the noise-cancellation feature is activated. Actual battery life may vary upon usage patterns, product settings, battery and environmental conditions.

Sony’s Open Platform Means More Choice

The E- and S-series Walkman players support an open platform, providing more choices for downloading and managing music and video collections online. The devices can support security-enhanced Windows Media Audio (WMA), as well as non-secure AAC, linear PCM and MP3 music formats plus JPEG files for photos, in addition to the WMV with DRM, AVC (H.264/AVC) Baseline Profile and MPEG-4 video codecs.

Pricing and Availability

The S-series of Walkman noise canceling video MP3 players come in two different storage capacities in black:

* The NWZ-S736F has approximately 4GB of internal storage and will cost about $150.
* The NWZ-S738F has approximately 8GB of internal storage and will cost about $180.

The E-series of Walkman video MP3 players will be available in the following configurations:

* The NWZ-E436F comes in black, red, pink, blue, has approximately 4GB of internal storage and costs about $100.
* The NWZ-E438F comes in black, red, pink, has approximately 8GB of internal storage, and costs about $140.

The B-series of Walkman MP3 players come in two different capacities and four colors:

* The NWZ-B133F player has approximately 1GB of internal storage; comes in black, red and blue and will cost about $45.
* The NWZ-B135F player has approximately 2GB of internal storage; comes in black, red and pink and will cost about $60.

Source : www.sonystyle.com/walkman
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SST adds 1.8V 4Mbit serial flash device

SST has added to its 1.8V 25WF series SPI serial flash memory family the 4Mbit, small form factor SST25WF040 device.

The SST25WF040 has a full voltage range from 1.65V to 1.95V for read and write operations and a fast read speed of 40MHz.

Active read currents are 4mA (typical at 40MHz), standby currents are only 2µA (typical) and maximum write currents are 10mA for both program and erase operations.

The device is rated for industrial temperatures (-40 to +85 deg C) and offers 100,000 read/write cycles minimum per memory block for high-endurance applications. It is available in an industry-standard SOIC package with other smaller package options available later this year.

Source : www.sst.com
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Researchers Develop New Technique For Fabricating Nanowire Circuits

Spearheaded by graduate student Mariano Zimmler and Federico Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering, both of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and Prof. Carsten Ronning of the University of Jena, the findings will be published in Nano Letters. The researchers have filed for U.S. patents covering their invention.

While semiconductor nanowires---rods with an approximate diameter of one-thousandth the width of a human hair---can be easily synthesized in large quantities using inexpensive chemical methods, reliable and controlled strategies for assembling them into functional circuits have posed a major challenge. By incorporating spin-on glass technology, used in silicon integrated circuits manufacturing, and photolithography, transferring a circuit pattern onto a substrate with light, the team demonstrated a reproducible, high-volume, and low-cost fabrication method for integrating nanowire devices directly onto silicon.

"Because our fabrication technique is independent of the geometrical arrangement of the nanowires on the substrate, we envision further combining the process with one of the several methods already developed for the controlled placement and alignment of nanowires over large areas," said Capasso. "We believe the marriage of these processes will soon provide the necessary control to enable integrated nanowire photonic circuits in a standard manufacturing setting."

The structure of the team's nanowire devices is based on a sandwich geometry: a nanowire is placed between the highly conductive substrate, which functions as a common bottom contact, and a top metallic contact, using spin-on glass as a spacer layer to prevent the metal contact from shorting to the substrate. As a result current can be uniformly injected along the length of the nanowires. These devices can then function as light-emitting diodes, with the color of light determined by the type of semiconductor nanowire used.

To demonstrate the potential scalability of their technique, the team fabricated hundreds of nanoscale ultraviolet light-emitting diodes by using zinc oxide nanowires on a silicon wafer. More broadly, because nanowires can be made of materials commonly used in electronics and photonics, they hold great promise for integrating efficient light emitters, from ultraviolet to infrared, with silicon technology. The team plans to further refine their novel method with an aim towards electrically contacting nanowires over entire wafers.

"Such an advance could lead to the development of a completely new class of integrated circuits, such as large arrays of ultra-small nanoscale lasers that could be designed as high-density optical interconnects or be used for on-chip chemical sensing," said Ronning.

The team's co-authors are postdoctoral fellow Wei Yi and Venkatesh Narayanamurti, John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor and dean, both of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; graduate student Daniel Stichtenoth, University of Gottingen; and postdoctoral fellow Tobias Voss, University of Bremen.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the German Research Foundation. The authors also acknowledge the support of two Harvard-based centers, the National Science Foundation Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) and the Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS), a member of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN).

Source : www.fas.harvard.edu
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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Murata offers 1 microF capacitor array

Murata has introduced what it claims is the first 0.9x0.6mm 1.0µF two -element capacitor array.

“This 0302-size two-element capacitor array has achieved 1.0µF per element, which is unprecedented even for a single 0102 [0.6x0.3mm] device,” said Murata. “Due to its structure, a capacitor array can achieve greater capacitance in the same footprint compared to multiple monolithic capacitors.”
The dielectric material has not been revealed, but is described as ‘cutting edge’. The array is aimed at phones, mobile PCs, and digital AV equipment.

Samples are available now.
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