Electro-ramblings

Atom is the brand name chosen by Intel for its family of chips for MIDs (mobile Internet devices). Neat and clear, and suitably suggestive of things-and-devices-small?

Well, the picture is clouded slightly by the fact that the branded chip will also feature in simple "Internet-centric computers arriving later this year," according to Intel. It is goodbye Silverthorne and Diamondville, and hello Atom.

But that's not all. Intel also promises a Centrino Atom processor brand for "pocketable devices," to use Intel's term, replacing the previously codenamed Menlow platform...

Checking out Jon Titus' blog on DEVmonkey - the resource site for all things Development Kit - my eye caught the post 'Thanks for the Memories' (We continue to misuse the acronym RAM. Can we get it right or are we stuck with it?)

"I've put on my curmudgeon hat this weekend to jump into the touchy subject of nomenclature," he writes

When we say a computer has 4 Mbytes of "RAM," we actually mean it has 4 Mbytes of read/write memory. So why don't we say "read/write" or "R/W" memory? Beats me, except that somewhere along the line RAM stuck. It's easy to say and people can remember it. That doesn't make it correct. I prefer R/W, because it succinctly notes the type of memory in use, but I won't try to RAM it down your throat.

CeBIT is now underway (4-9 March), and AMD has used it as a platform to demo its first 45nm offerings, for both servers and desktops.

The quad-core chip codenamed "Shanghai" is for servers and the quad-core "Deneb" is for desktop platforms.

AMD manufactured the processors at its 300mm Dresden, Germany, Fab 36 facility, using a 45nm process co-developed with its long-time partner IBM. More recent work between AMD and IBM has produced a working test chip that uses extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lithography for the critical first layer of metal connections across the entire chip.

The latest Q5 interview with Ronald Black, CEO at Wavecom, the French developer and supplier of embedded industrial wireless communications systems, has just gone live.

He reveals his thoughts on the M2M business, the top-three wireless apps for 2008/2009, and the impact of software-defined radio on wireless design.

The five short sharp questions this week are:

* How would you describe the M2M business and its potential for growth?

* Are the number of different wireless standards in the market a threat or an opportunity for suppliers?

The latest Q5 interview with James Gourlay, chief technology officer and founder of Design LED (the Livingston-based specialist in printed light-guides and embedded LEDs), has just gone live.

He reveals his thoughts on the pros and cons of operating a design and manufacturing business out of Scotland, the most exciting application for LED light systems, and when the LED will replace the filament lightbulb in consumer lighting.

The five short sharp questions this week are:

* Can you describe in two sentences the essence of your printed light-guide manufacturing technology?

* In your view which is the most exciting application for LED light systems at present?

Coulombs I can do.

They quantify charge and are proportional to the number of electrons shifted, and not too difficult to visualise as electrons are real little round things.

In a circuit they are being pushed up a gradient against their natural tendency to stay still, if you get my meaning.

Coulombs get an outing in CΔV=IT, that particularly handy formula for sizing reservoir and de-coupling capacitors.

We have updated our Electronics Weekly guide to wireless networking technology. Take a look.

Now each sub-section on a particular wireless standard (or governing body) - WiMAX, Wi-Fi, Wibree (ULP Bluetooth), Bluetooth, ZigBee and Ofcom - has been updated to automatically pull in the latest related news.

The Zigbee section, for example, now has its own dynamic news feed - the latest five relevant stories are displayed as bullet-points, for quick, easy reference.

A bit of fun - we pull together a number of videos on solar cell-powered racing.

Think of speeding cars, racing round a track. Not exactly green, or environmentally friendly, is it? More Jeremy Clarkson than Jonathon Porritt...

But what if you throw more than a little photovoltaic technology into the mix - harnessing sunlight to drive those racing devices? We take a look at the use of Solar Cells to power some interesting racing machines. And just in case, you think people don't take this seriously, just check out the work of the Dutch racing team, Nuon Solar Team and their Nuna racing machine.

I was speaking to someone from a big heritage organisation the other day, and learned that there is a hunt for ways to cut the power consumption of chandeliers.

These, apparently, were usually designed specifically for incandescent bulbs, or have been converted to them from either candles or gas.

At 10 lm/W, incandescent bulbs are not very power efficient, but they weigh very little and most importantly their optical output allows the chandelier to sparkle.

LED and compact fluorescent bulb replacements have been tried, but they failed the all-important sparkle test.

Occasionally I get that I-wish-I'd-thought-of-that feeling.

And these cunning little tins produce exactly that.

The lid is firmly attached until by pressing the centre of the lid, the lid suddenly snaps down.
It moves a millimetre or so and, by distortions in the metal I never expect to understand, the clips around the edge spring apart allowing the lid to be lifted away.

The latest Q5 interview with Tony Milbourn, CEO of Camitri Technologies, which brings to market intellectual property (IP) being created in universities.

He reveals his thoughts on the biggest challenge universities face when trying to commercialise IP, the one design technology with the largest commercial potential and Jeremy Clarkson as an ambassador for engineers.

The five short sharp questions this week are:

* Can you describe Camitri's business in two sentences?

* What is the biggest challenge universities face when trying to commercialise IP?

Make sure you take a look at a new feature on the site, regarding switching-converter topologies for power converters - Flyback transformer enables high power-factor and converter efficiency

Written by one Cecil Deisch, of Tellabs Operations, the article begins:

Several switching-converter topologies exist for power converters that operate from the ac mains and must maintain a power factor of 0.9 or better.

One topology is a boost converter with a control circuit that measures the switch current and adjusts the switching duty cycle so that the input current tracks the rectified input-ac voltage.

Civil engineers that I know are inclined to get a bit grumpy about architects, on account of their artistic flair getting in the way of actually designing buildings that work.

But it looks like one talented architectural student has learned his lesson in practicality early, and will probably check with the engineers before he releases any real designs.

US Virginia Tech student Clay Moulton designed the stunning Gravia concept - a gravity-powered floor lamp.

The 1.2m tall device runs somewhat like a grandfather clock, with just over 20kg of brass weights that descend slowly - in this case running a generator.

More developments on the OLED front - and it seems good news for those seeking the practical application of OLED lighting. Osram has apparently achieved a significant efficiency result in its push towards practical OLED lighting - see Osram hits 46 lm/W in OLED lighting tile
"After only two years of development, Osram has achieved record values in the laboratory for organic light emitting diodes in warm white," said the firm. "With an efficiency of 46 lm/W the organic light emitting diodes for lighting applications (OLED Lighting) have a brightness of 1,000cd/m² and last more than 5,000 hours."

Arthur C Clarke died this morning.

Apart from the science fiction, he should be remembered for the article he wrote describing his idea for a global communication system based on three satellites in fixed positions spaced evenly around the globe.

In this, so one of the editors of Wireless World told me, he described the necessary technology so thoroughly that the article was used years later to defeat an attempt to patent geostationary satellites in the US.

'Alice'

(Pictured: Geostationary communication satellite Galaxy 15 from US firm Orbital. With a launch mass of 1.7tonnes, it is designed to operate for 15 years.)

It was a wistful day in the home workshop yesterday when I got down to the last bit of solder on the only reel I have ever owned.

I have always enjoyed making things, and this particular reel was given to me by my uncle years and years ago when I was a young teenager itching to try electronics.

The last few centimetres went soldering a diode into the wiring loom of my motorbike, which is fitting because on motorbikes is how I remember my uncle.

Now I have a dilemma.

We've updated our collection of "How To" guides for technical engineering problems.

The selection of in-depth, engineer-oriented content already guided you through such areas as:

* selecting the right analogue switch
* optimising mobile power efficiency
* testing high-power LEDs
* choosing the right power supply
* succeeding with ultra-small QFN packages
* reading a semiconductor data sheet

Now, new additions comprise:

You can get a bit blasé about achievements at the various Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany. They are always doing clever things - take a look the ethylene sensor here: Infra-red sensor tunes fruit ripening

But its Institute for Chemical Technology has excelled itself by proving that explosive blasting in miniature can be used to make tools for hologram production.

I have seen explosive forming before - as a way of forcing aluminium sheet into moulds - but nothing with resolution "in the two-figure nanometre range" that Fraunhofer is claiming.

The latest Q5 interview is with James Foster, CEO of XMOS Semiconductor, the Bristol-based developer of proprietary semiconductor IP.

He reveals his thoughts on what makes Bristol an ideal location for a semiconductor start-up, the shortage of high-tech skills in the UK, and what he would say to students to encourage them to consider a career in electronics design.

The five short sharp questions this week are:

* Describe in two sentences the business model being adopted at XMOS.

* What makes Bristol an ideal location for a semiconductor start-up?

Webinars are a bit of a lottery, but I came across an excellent one from National Semiconductor.

It is about white power LEDs, and includes a fair amount of detail on colour rendering.

Most of the information is generic, although Lumileds - a sponsor of the webinar - is the only LED maker featured.

I particularly liked the bit explaining why green leaves look grey when illuminated by 'white' light made using a balance of red, green and blue LEDs.

Just to let you know that the fifth instalment of Warren Savage's monthly column on Semiconductor IP is already live on the site - Warren Savage On: The Next Big Thing

He begins:

About 20 years ago, we saw the emergence of the EDA industry, which combined with the rise of the independent fabs seemed to herald in a new era of unprecedented design productivity. Internal CAD groups were systematically dismantled in favour of buying third-party tools, spilling legions of CAD engineers onto the street who formed new EDA companies. And for about 10 years, all was right with the world.

Then about 10 years ago, the EDA industry started to groan under the burden of keeping up with the design productivity demanded by Moore's law. As EDA's answer, we saw the introduction of new technologies in the area of behavioural synthesis and new system level design tools that were aimed at raising the level of design abstraction. The world more or less yawned.