San Jose, California
Micrel, Inc. recently rolled out four high-performance, low-dropout (LDO) regulators in the industry's smallest plastic packaging: the 2-x-2 MLF. The MIC5219/47/52/55 series is part of Micrel's family of popular micropower LDOs aimed at a wide range of portable-electronics applications. The integrated circuits (ICs) are currently sampling with volume quantities available within 10 to 12 weeks. Pricing for MIC5219/47/52/55-x.xBML (2-x-2 MLF) starts at $1.12/$0.47/$0.47/$0.46, respectively, in quantities of 1000.

The MIC5247/52/55 series offers 150-mA output-current capability and low dropout of less than 150 mV typical at full load. The MIC5219 offers 500-mA continuous output current with only 300 mV typical dropout. These devices are the latest additions to Micrel's line of small, 2-x-2-MLF package regulators. Many feature uCap capability—a feature that allows for a choice of either ceramic or tantalum output capacitors. Visit www.micrel.com for more information about these regulators.

San Jose, California
Altera Corp. recently introduced version 2.2 of its DSP Builder development tool, enabling DSP designers to take full advantage of the company's new high-performance Stratix II and low-cost Cyclone II device families. While supporting Altera's rich DSP MegaCore intellectual-property (IP) portfolio, the new version also supports the MATLAB 7 and Simulink 6 software packages included in The MathWorks Release 14. The new release of DSP Builder also includes a color space-converter IP core and an edge-detection reference design featuring a two-dimensional filter to help accelerate the development of video- and image-processing designs using Simulink.

DSP designs implemented in Stratix II FPGAs can deliver 1.3-µs Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) performance and over 300-MHz finite-impulse-response (FIR) filtering performance. In addition, the forward-error-correction (FEC) requirements for the 802.16d broadband-wireless standard can be implemented in the smallest Cyclone II device. This can be done using the Viterbi and Reed Solomon cores available with DSP Builder version 2.2, enabling low-cost wireless design for cost-sensitive markets.

DSP Builder allows engineers to shorten the DSP design cycle by creating the hardware representation of a DSP design in an algorithm-friendly environment. DSP Builder version 2.2 can link with Altera's SOPC Builder tool to design custom FPGA co-processors, which can easily connect to system processors to reduce development time. The new Nios II embedded soft processor is also supported by DSP Builder version 2.2 through its link with the SOPC Builder development tool. That tool is featured in the Quartus II software, which delivers the low development costs for advanced system-on-a-programmable-chip (SoPC) designs.

DSP Builder version 2.2 is available now to customers with a current DSP Builder subscription. DSP Builder subscription pricing is $1995. A one-year license is included with Altera's new DSP Development Kit, Stratix II Edition. A download of the DSP Builder tool is available for evaluation from Altera's DSP solutions center at www.altera.com/dsp. Simulink and MATLAB are available today from The MathWorks at www.mathworks.com.

Melfa, Virginia
Interad Ltd. recently introduced the MCFU-2101 multichannel filter unit. This system, which consists of an eight-channel notch filter, reduces the levels of specific strong input signals to prevent the overdriving of downstream tuner and digitizer equipment. The notch-filtered strong signals are located within time-variable frequency bands.

The model MCFU-2101 receives signals from eight antennas. Those antennas are located within a circularly disposed antenna array (CDCA), which outputs the filtered spectrum for amplification, tuning, and digitizing. The unit provides up to four selectable- and four fixed-frequency notch filters in each channel—any one of which may be bypassed. To maintain amplitude and phase matching among the eight channels, they are all configured with their notch frequencies identically selected.

The MCFU-2101 is intended to be located in the center of the HF antenna array in a climate-controlled building. All of its channels have high dynamic range with amplitude and phase match from channel to channel. Filters are identically selected and tuned in all channels to maintain this amplitude and phase match. The MCFU-2101 multichannel filter unit is available now from Interad Ltd. at www.interadlimited.com.

Sunnyvale, California
Maxim Integrated Products introduced the MAX6697/MAX6698 precision seven-channel temperature sensors in a small, 8.5-x-6-mm, 20-pin QSOP package. With 1°C accuracy, the MAX6697 measures its own temperature as well as the temperature of up to six external locations like CPUs, GPUs, memory devices, and other locations that are important in notebook and desktop applications. The MAX6698 offers temperature measurements of three thermistors and three remote diodes, which are ideal for industrial applications. These devices offer built-in flexibility. The user can program the temperature threshold of alarm outputs, which can serve as an interrupt or be connected to a system fan or other thermal-management circuitry. Small size, high precision, and user flexibility make the MAX6697/MAX6698 an ideal choice for notebook, desktop, and industrial applications, where accurate temperature readings of multiple locations are a must.

The MAX6697/MAX6698 communicate through the SMBus interface. They operate from a 3.0-to-5.0-V supply-voltage range and consume only 500 mA of supply current (only 3 mA in standby mode). The MAX6697/MAX6698 are specified over a wide −40°C-to-+125°C temperature range. Prices start at $3.75 (2500-up, FOB USA). To learn more about these temperature sensors, go to www.maxim-ic.com.

Davis, California
Rabbit Semiconductor's Rabbit 3000 is a high-performance, low-EMI microprocessor designed specifically for embedded control, communications, and Ethernet connectivity. The 8-b Rabbit 3000 outperforms most 16-b processors without losing the efficiency of an 8-b architecture. Extensive integrated features and a glueless architecture facilitate rapid hardware design. At the same time, a C-friendly instruction set promotes the efficient development of even the most complex applications.

The Rabbit 3000 is fast, running at up to 55.5 MHz with compact code and direct software support for 1 MB of code/data space. Typically operating at 3.3 V (with 5-V-tolerant I/O), the Rabbit 3000 boasts six serial ports with IrDA, 56+ digital I/O, a quadrature decoder, PWM outputs, and pulse capture and measurement capabilities. It also features a battery-backable, real-time clock; glueless memory and I/O interfacing; and ultra-low-power modes. Four levels of interrupt priority allow fast responses to real-time events. In addition, its compact instruction set and high clock speeds give the Rabbit 3000 exceptionally fast math, logic, and I/O performance.

For OEMs that need to pass CE and regulatory RF emissions tests, the Rabbit 3000 has several powerful design features that practically eliminate EMI problems (typically <10 dB µm-V/m at 3 m). The amplitude of EM radiation is reduced by up to 25 dB µm-V by the internal spectrum spreader, gated clocks that prevent the unnecessary clocking of unused registers, and separate power pins for the processor core and I/O. An auxiliary I/O bus can be used by designers to enable separate buses for I/O and memory. Or it can be used to limit memory bus loading to reduce EMI and ground bounce problems when interfacing external peripherals to the processor. The auxiliary I/O bus accomplishes this by mirroring the Rabbit's data bus on Port A. It uses Port B to provide the processor's six least significant address lines for interfacing with external peripherals.