Articles – Page 254

Size, Reliability and Security The Essential Ingredients for Medical Devices

October 5, 2011

Improved electronics technology will bring a new generation of devices that provide portability, connectivity, lower cost and data security. With the trend towards miniaturization comes the requirement for improved security to maintain patient confidentiality. Reliability is also a requirement, both in terms of product longevity and assurance that the device is working as specified. This is crucial for the rapidly expanding market for devices used in emergency interventions. Microsemi’s nonvolatile customizable system-on-chip (cSoC) devices and FPGAs provide the right combination of features to let equipment makers deliver on all those demands.& … Read More → "Size, Reliability and Security The Essential Ingredients for Medical Devices"

He Sees You When You’re Sleeping…

GPS and Location-Based Services Add Wrinkles to Embedded Design

by Jim Turley

October 5, 2011

Evil geniuses and aspiring global overlords, your prayers have been answered. It’s now easier and cheaper than ever to keep tabs on your legions of subservient minions. From the safety of your secret lair in the hollow volcano, technologies like personal tracking, GPS, and location-based services are yours for the taking. Cackle away, master.

A case in point is a company called Spime, which has just updated and improved its SUPL (secure user-plane location) software. SUPL follows the Open Mobile Alliance’s recommended approach for passing user-location data over a wireless IP network, thus … Read More → "He Sees You When You’re Sleeping…"

FPGA Reliability and the Sunspot Cycle (REVISED)

by Bryon Moyer

October 5, 2011

Engineers design for system-level reliability when creating complex electronic systems. System reliability is dependent on a number of factors, including the reliability of the individual semiconductor devices selected for each design. If a design includes field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), there are environmental influences on reliability that directly impact the reliability of any system they populate, and choices in components can have a significant impact on system-level reliability. One aspect of the operating environment, often overlooked, is … Read More → "FPGA Reliability and the Sunspot Cycle (REVISED)"

A Validated Methodology for Designing Safe Industrial Systems on a Chip (REVISED)

by Bryon Moyer

October 4, 2011

This white paper explores an industrial system on a chip (SoC) to explain how engineers can save up to 18 months of design time in achieving industrial product certification according to IEC 61508. Altera’s Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3) Functional Safety Data Package, which includes a certificate for Altera tools, IP, and device data from TÜV Rheinland, shortens and simplifies development of safe applications according to IEC 61508 while efficiently addressing the needs for low-cost and highly integrated embedded systems.

… Read More →

Happy 1000 Anniversary To Us!

Has it Really Been That Long?

by Kevin Morris

October 4, 2011

It was early October 2003. The internet bubble had just burst. The ink on Techfocus Media’s incorporation papers was barely dry, and the virtual printing presses were fired up and ready to roll. We were about to send Volume 1, Issue #1 of FPGA Journal. We had no sponsorship, no name recognition, no office, 2 people, 2 laptops, a couple thousand trusting subscribers, and no cash flow. Correction: No positive cash flow.

We did have an idea, though. The idea was to create a new kind of technology-oriented trade publication … Read More → "Happy 1000 Anniversary To Us!"

Off Script

Springsoft Provides Access to More Data

by Bryon Moyer

October 3, 2011

At times it’s seemed a sotto-voce religious war.

One side says that a clean user interface aids productivity. The other side says that, well, quite frankly, a graphic user interface (GUI) is a toy, not meant for serious work.

One side says that command-line work is the only real way to do things; the other makes the accusation of engineers trying to keep things obscure and difficult as a form of job security.

It also depends on whether you’re a hardware engineer or a software engineer. Hardware … Read More → "Off Script"

Compiling, Installing, and Running MIPS NDK Native Applications

by Jim Turley

September 28, 2011

Are you working on Android apps development? This app note on the MIPS NDK describes how to build Android applications in native C or C++.

… Read More →

Leveraging OCP for Cache Coherent Traffic Within an Embedded Multi-core Cluster

by Jim Turley

September 28, 2011

Scaling processing performance beyond the frequency and power envelope of single core systems has led to the emergence of multi-core clusters. Data access management within such processing systems becomes essential to ensure behavioral consistency. One solution to provide access consistency is the application of a memory coherence model such as MESI or MOESI within the L1 data cache hierarchy. For the MIPS Technologies MIPS32® 1004K™ Coherent Processing System (CPS), we applied Open Core Protocol (OCP) point-to-point connectivity to establish snoop-based coherence throughout the cluster. Following are principles of this communication … Read More → "Leveraging OCP for Cache Coherent Traffic Within an Embedded Multi-core Cluster"

A Little Extra Power on the Side

With a Little Guy Trying to Exert Some Power of His Own

by Bryon Moyer

September 28, 2011

It was a bit after 5, right around time to go home. Which, of course, has nothing to do with the time when people actually go home in Silicon Valley.

Except this one particular day.

It was Loma Prieta day. The earthquake that interrupted the World Series. I seem to recall finding myself under my desk, trying to grip the carpet to keep from going airborne due to the shaking. Books tumbled from my bookcase onto the chair where I had been sitting seconds before. This one was definitely different.

So, yeah, we went … Read More → "A Little Extra Power on the Side"

What the Heck is FEC?

Focused Expression Coverage Explained

by Raysalemi

September 27, 2011

When you think about it, simulating your FPGA is a lot like exercising on a treadmill. You do both of them because you want to avoid bad consequences. Some people seem to like doing it, though you might not see it that way. And you may or may not yet have seen the positive consequences in your life.

In both the case of the treadmill and of FPGA simulation, the biggest question in your mind is “When can I stop?” This is a tougher question for simulation because you … Read More → "What the Heck is FEC?"