Articles – Page 215

June 10, 2013

When we first start learning math (or, for those across the pond, “maths” – however many of them there are), we learn about amounts. Simple numbers that describe how much of something there is at a given time. But when we grow up, we start to think about how fast those numbers change, and we enter the bewildering world of calculus and the first derivative. (Through the unfortunate mechanism of epsilons and deltas, which immediately confounds all but the most analytical folks and gives the whole thing a bad name… but I digress.)

A few years ago we … Read More → "Powering Down the First Derivative"

#50DAC

Technology History Trending in Austin

by Kevin Morris

June 6, 2013

The 50th annual Design Automation Conference (DAC) in Austin Texas is a landmark event. It is remarkable to think that engineers have been using computer-aided design for electronic systems for more than half a century now. In honor of DAC’s 50th anniversary, there is a small museum in the front of the show with memorabilia (pronounced “swag”) spanning the five-decade history of the conference. Among the T-shirts, coffee mugs, backpacks, and other era-appropriate giveaways, there are photo scrapbooks of years past and samples of conference proceedings. There is even a copy of the proceedings from the … Read More → "#50DAC"

A Benchmark That Measures Nothing

EEMBC and Volkswagen Add Sanity to Power-Saving Modes

by Jim Turley

June 5, 2013

Well, this is different: A benchmark that doesn’t measure performance. The newest benchmark to come out of EEMBC (the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium) isn’t designed to measure MIPS or megahertz, but instead is geared toward quantifying a chip’s power-saving modes. And Volkswagen and other automakers are deeply interested in the outcome.

Here’s what happened. VW, like all automakers, consumes a bunch of microcontrollers in its cars. In addition to the familiar VW brand, VW also owns Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche, Bugatti, the Spanish brand SEAT, the Eastern European Skoda nameplate, Scania trucks, and … Read More → "A Benchmark That Measures Nothing"

EDA for Sensor Fusion

Movea’s SmartFusion Studio

by Bryon Moyer

June 3, 2013

When you’re building something that’s never been built before, you’ve got a lot more work in store for you than you would if you merely satisfied yourself with what’s already been done. There are lots of unknowns, and you’ve got to explore and solve them before you can proceed.

If you’re doing an everyday human-sized project in your workshop to build something using unusual materials, you have to figure out what adhesives or other fasteners will work, whether any of the materials might interact (aluminum touching iron?), whether paints will cover … Read More → "EDA for Sensor Fusion"

Debate: Automatic Software Updates

Do Software Updates Add Value or Promote Laziness?

by Jim Turley

May 29, 2013

Roses are red;
Violets are blue;
I’m schizophrenic;
And so am I.

This week we’re debating two sides of the topic, “Are automatic software updates a good thing or a bad thing?” But since my learned colleagues aren’t available – or were wise enough to avoid returning my calls – I’ll be handling both sides of the argument myself. Fortunately, I’m of two minds on this subject, so I’ve got no problem straddling the barbed-wire fence.</ … Read More → "Debate: Automatic Software Updates"

Timing is Everything

The Trouble with Timing Closure in FPGA Design

by Kevin Morris

May 28, 2013

Timing closure is the not-so-fine-print of FPGA design.

PowerPoint presentations paint the process as almost trouble free. FPGA design is simple, right? You just code up some HDL, drop it into the vendor-supplied tool suite, press the magic button – and zzzzzip! Your dev board will spring to life – blinking LEDs and detecting button presses with glee and aplomb. You even try it with the supplied sample code. Yep, sure enough. It’s like microwaving a burrito. Pop off the wrapper, run it through the process, and it’s ready to eat.

… Read More → "Timing is Everything"

Transistors on the Fringe

Exotic Thin Channels

by Bryon Moyer

May 27, 2013

What comes after 3D? Going vertical is some folks’ answer to what they perceive as the limitations of planar transistors, but presumably FinFETs will find their finish sometime in the future, so what then? Yet another dimension? (I joke, but these days, nothing would surprise me…)

I saw Prof. Chenming Hu, of FinFET fame, talk at the isQED conference earlier this year. And while he did, of course, talk about his best-known 3D baby, he also discussed work they’re doing beyond the FinFET. And the direction they’re looking is… planar. What’s old is new.</ … Read More → "Transistors on the Fringe"

The Internet of Things is Coming

by Dick Selwood

May 22, 2013

Wherever you turn there are stories about the Internet of Things (IoT). The numbers are enormous, with many trillions of end-point “Things” being casually tossed into the discussions. While the Internet was created for people to use to access information and, then, only later, did it become a channel for people to communicate with each other, so, in ten years’ time the idea that the Internet is primarily for people is going to appear as so old-fashioned: the bulk of the internet connections will have been taken over by machines. (Although, it can be argued, the bulk of the … Read More → "The Internet of Things is Coming"

Zynq-7000 All Programmable SoCs Enabling Smarter Systems

by Kevin Morris

May 22, 2013

The Xilinx Zynq®-7000 All Programmable SoC platform enables the efficient development of Smarter Systems through an optimal combination of two ARM Cortex™-A9 MPCore processors combined with Xilinx’s 28nm programmable-logic fabric. The Zynq-7000 platform also includes an extensive OS, middleware and stack ecosystem and offers the highest levels of security and reliably.

… Read More →

Learning Ability

Superpowers for Engineers of the Future

by Kevin Morris

May 21, 2013

When we choose engineering as a career, we are making a decision to become lifelong students. The crazy pace of technological change means that we must be constantly learning and re-learning our art. The day we stand still and stop checking our assumptions against the latest developments is the day we begin to become irrelevant as engineering professionals.

During the past two decades, however, an amazing shift has occurred. Because of the information revolution, learning itself has changed. In addition to learning new stuff about engineering and technology, we actually have to re-learn … Read More → "Learning Ability"