MILPITAS, CA – February 23, 2010 – Linear Technology Corporation announces the LTC3865/-1, a 95% efficient, dual output synchronous step-down DC/DC controller with 2-pin selectable VOUT programming, a feature that saves 4 precision feedback resistors. The output voltages maintain a tight ±1% accuracy including initial set-point, a -40°C to 125°C operating temperature range and load/line regulation. Nine selectable output voltages ranging from 0.6V to 5V are possible. The 4.5V to 38V input voltage range encompasses a wide variety of applications including most intermediate bus voltages and battery chemistries. The strong on-board N-channel MOSFET driver enables the use of high power external MOSFETs to produce output currents as high as 20A. Applications include point-of-load regulators in medical, industrial, automotive, datacom, telecom and multifunction printers.

A constant-frequency current mode architecture allows a selectable fixed or phase-lockable (PLL) switching frequency from 250kHz to 770kHz. Power loss and supply noise are minimized by operating the stages 180° out-of-phase. OPTI-LOOP® compensation reduces the transient response and can be optimized over a wide range of output capacitance and ESR values, including all ceramic input and output capacitors. Output current sensing is accomplished by measuring the voltage drop across the output inductor (DCR) for maximum efficiency or by using an optional sense resistor. Current foldback limits MOSFET heat dissipation during short-circuit conditions. In addition, the LTC3865/-1 has adjustable soft-start or tracking to control the output voltage start-up characteristics. With capability up to 99% duty cycle, the LTC3865/-1 has a very low drop-out voltage, a useful feature for extending run times in battery powered applications.

The LTC3865/-1 is offered in thermally enhanced 5mm x 5mm QFN-32 and SSOP-38 packages. Pricing for 1,000-piece quantities starts at $2.65 each. For more information, visit www.linear.com.

Summary Features LTC3865/-1

• Two Pin-Selectable (9 Settings) Output Voltage Programming from 0.6V to 5.0V
• Save 4 precision Feedback Resistors
• Synchronous Rectification for up to 95% Efficiency
• Wide 4.5V to 38V Input Voltage Range
• ±1% Total DC Output Voltage Accuracy over -40°C to +125°C
• Dual, 180° Out-of-Phase Controllers Reduce Noise & Input Capacitance
• DCR or RSENSE Current Sense Options
• Strong OnBoard N-Channel MOSFET Driver
• Phase Lockable Fixed Operating Frequency from 250kHz to 770kHz
• Programmable Soft-Start or Tracking
• Adjustable Current Limit
• Current Mode Control
• Power Good Signals

About Linear Technology

Linear Technology Corporation, a manufacturer of high performance linear integrated circuits, was founded in 1981, became a public company in 1986 and joined the S&P 500 index of major public companies in 2000. Linear Technology products include high performance amplifiers, comparators, voltage references, monolithic filters, linear regulators, DC-DC converters, battery chargers, data converters, communications interface circuits, RF signal conditioning circuits, µModule® products, and many other analog functions. Applications for Linear Technology’s high performance circuits include telecommunications, cellular telephones, networking products such as optical switches, notebook and desktop computers, computer peripherals, video/multimedia, industrial instrumentation, security monitoring devices, high-end consumer products such as digital cameras and MP3 players, complex medical devices, automotive electronics, factory automation, process control, and military and space systems.

BEDFORD, MA – February 23, 2010 – GateRocket, Inc., the leading supplier of verification and debug solutions for advanced FPGAs, today announced the availability of the newest version of its RocketVision® debugging software, further enhancing the company’s innovative approach to reducing design time for high-end programmable devices from Altera and Xilinx.

RocketVision 5.0 introduces new capabilities that allow designers to select individual design blocks to run in their simulator or GateRocket’s RocketDrive® hardware verification system, the industry’s only Device Native® approach to debug and verification. The features enable engineers to find and fix bugs faster, and avoid unnecessary re-runs of time-consuming synthesis-to-place-and-route iterations, reducing overall design bring-up time by 50% or more compared to traditional approaches.

The new enhancements improve the overall efficiency of RocketVision, a software-based debugging tool that is used in conjunction with popular simulation tools and GateRocket’s RocketDrive hardware verification product. It provides simulators with visibility into the FPGA hardware and enables automated diagnosis by comparing intended behavior with actual results in the FPGA.  With the new software release, designers now have the ability to move instances of one or more design blocks that were executing in the FPGA to run in the simulator. 

The user can then make changes to the RTL to fix bugs in their design and simulate them in software while the rest of the design executes in the native FPGA hardware in the RocketDrive. 

“The significant increase in complexity and size of leading-edge FPGAs has put a strain on traditional verification and debug methods. GateRocket is focused exclusively on this FPGA debug crisis, providing a unique way to locate design errors, quickly correct them, and re-verify the entire design,” said Dave Orecchio, GateRocket CEO.  “These new enhancements streamline that process even more, allowing designers to fix problems on individual portions of their design without having to go through the entire design cycle each time. This approach has a dramatic impact on debugging efficiency for complex designs.”

New features streamline debug process

The new SoftPatch feature allows engineers to try a “soft” RTL fix to the FPGA without rerunning synthesis and place-and-route, eliminating hours of unproductive waiting time.  Typically, when a bug is discovered, each correction requires a new synthesis and place-and-route cycle, and it can take days to resolve each bug.  This is especially problematic in complex FPGA designs which commonly have large amounts of unfamiliar IP and hundreds of thousands of design elements. The SoftPatch feature provides an intuitive and efficient way to sequence through each bug and test fixes for them without re-building the FPGA.  In this way the user can verify multiple fixes in a single day and then perform an overnight build that encompasses all the changes – saving weeks or months over the course of a project.

The new version of RocketVision also includes an enhanced AutoCompare features that helps identify bugs at the block or full-chip level. It allows designers to automatically compare the signals between the RTL and hardware representations of the complete FPGA design and highlights any differences that occur. This significantly simplifies the debugging process and helps quickly identify the location of each divergence.

Pricing and Availability

Both the latest versions of RocketDrive and RocketVision now support 64-bit versions of the industry’s most popular simulators from Mentor, Cadence and Synopsys.  This enables the use of the RocketDrive with 64-bit simulation servers, which are increasingly necessary to handle the largest complexity FPGA designs.

RocketVision 5.0 is a RocketDrive option and is available immediately with a starting price of $9,500.

About GateRocket

GateRocket, Inc., located in Bedford, Mass., offers electronic engineers the first Device Native® verification and debug solution for advanced FPGA semiconductor devices. The company’s RocketVision® software debug tool and its RocketDrive hardware verification system enables users to verify and debug advanced FPGA designs faster and with higher quality for greatly improved time-to-market, and realize more reliable and predictable results. Learn more about GateRocket online at www.gaterocket.com and sign up for a free webinar.