Articles – Page 260

Single-Port Triple-Speed Ethernet and On-Board PHY Chip Reference Design

August 1, 2011

This application note describes two reference designs that demonstrate Ethernet operations of the Altera® Triple-Speed Ethernet MegaCore®functions with on-board Marvell 88E1111 PHY chips. The reference designs provide flexible test and demonstration platforms on which you can control, test, and monitor the Ethernet operations using system loopbacks.

The reference designs are Qsys systems integrating one instance of the Triple-Speed Ethernet IP Core that supports 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet operation. One reference design runs in the Arria® II GX FPGA … Read More → "Single-Port Triple-Speed Ethernet and On-Board PHY Chip Reference Design"

Less Pessimism, Please

POCV is the Latest Salvo in Improving Timing Analysis Accuracy

by Bryon Moyer

August 1, 2011

When I was a teen, I remember someone coming to help my Dad plan a big move of some piece of equipment on our orchard. What struck me was how this guy could pre-visualize all the various scenarios and then consider the consequences and, in particular, all the things that could possibly go wrong for the different cases.

I was pretty impressed. It seemed like such thorough analytical capabilities were a skill and a gift. Over time, however, I’ve noticed that such an ability isn’t always appreciated. Because most of the world likes … Read More → "Less Pessimism, Please"

Methods of Estimating Component Temperatures

Part 3 – Board Temperature

by Bryon Moyer

July 28, 2011

In electronics systems, the board temperature adjacent to the component often is known or controlled as a part of the system design. This means that by measuring the board temperature during operation, you can estimate the component’s junction temperature. You can use the thermal parameter Psi-JB (Ψ_JB) for this purpose since it is unique to a particular device, and is generally provided by the component manufacturer. This Part 3 in this three-part series details the proper method to determine the component junction temperature by measuring the board temperature. By carefully addressing component temperature, … Read More → "Methods of Estimating Component Temperatures"

Going With the Flow

Helping DPI by doing the other stuff

by Bryon Moyer

July 27, 2011

You have a stalker.

He or she is watching you right now. Well, maybe not visually, but that slight muffled sibilant sound you hear? That’s someone sniffing your packets. This someone needs your exclusive attention, distributing a denial of service attack so that you can’t pay attention to any of those other skanks that are trying to lead you astray. Consider your emails read; your privacy is dead. You may have been gifted baby bots that need no love and care from you; they just help your True Love Forever monitor everything you … Read More → "Going With the Flow"

Power to the Masses

PowerPC Celebrates 20 Years of Embedded Success

by Jim Turley

July 26, 2011

“This anthropomorphically named computer defeated two human opponents on television’s Jeopardy!”

“What is Watson?”

“Correct!”

The world sat enthralled (well, mildly interested) as a computer participated on a TV game show, testing its powers of recall against those of two human competitors. IBM’s Watson wasn’t the biggest or fastest computer in the world at the time, but, for a week, it was the best known.

Using a computer to look up facts may not seem like … Read More → "Power to the Masses"

Optimizing Performance, Power, and Area in SoC Designs Using MIPS® Multi-threaded Processors

by Bryon Moyer

July 25, 2011

Hardware-based multi-threading technology has for some time been known in the industry as a feasible technique for improving system performance, but not too many people are aware of just how much traction the technology has gained since its early implementations in the 1960s. This article provides a brief history of hardware based multi-threading and some examples of its commercial adoption so far. It then gives an overview of the fundamental value of multi-threading in hardware, and describes MIPS Technologies’ multi-threading architecture and product offerings. The article also provides … Read More → "Optimizing Performance, Power, and Area in SoC Designs Using MIPS® Multi-threaded Processors"

Preparing for Google TV

by Bryon Moyer

July 25, 2011

Google and partners recently announced Google TV—an open, architecture-neutral platform that will bring the full web experience to television viewing. Given the fact that MIPS licensees lead in the digital home today, it is likely that there will be a large number of future Google TV systems based on the MIPS architecture. Leveraging our work with Android and our ongoing relationship with Google, MIPS is in an excellent position to work with our licensees as Google TV moves beyond initial reference platforms … Read More → "Preparing for Google TV"

3D’s Supporting Players

by Bryon Moyer

July 25, 2011

3D gets lots of attention these days. Whether it’s the massive success of a movie that spawns a gaggle of followers making every possible consumer item 3D, the added dimension of the fin on a FinFET (or tri-gate) transistor, or the stacking of chips using TSVs or other technology, you just can’t seem to go wrong with 3 … Read More → "3D’s Supporting Players"

Methods of Estimating Component Temperatures

Part 2 – Case Temperature

by Dick Selwood

July 21, 2011

In electronics systems, the case temperature (sometimes referred to as top temperature) of a component often is easy to measure. Fortunately, the component case temperature is very close, both physically and thermally, to the component junction temperature. This means that you can estimate the component’s junction temperature by measuring it’s case temperature during operation. You can use the thermal parameter Psi-JT (Ψ_JT) for this purpose since it is unique for a particular component under typical use conditions, and is generally provided by the component manufacturer. This article details the proper … Read More → "Methods of Estimating Component Temperatures"

An iPad for Nerds

A Rotisserie of Summer Options for the Embedded Designer

by Jim Turley

July 20, 2011

Good news, everyone! Tablet computers are all the rage these days, and now there’s a version for the Hubert J. Farnsworth crowd. Now you—yes, you!—can bring leading-edge sex appeal to your embedded systems. Imagine the admiration, respect, and esteem from your puny and unimaginative so-called colleagues as you unveil this beauty. Oh, the humanity! (Batteries not included.)

We’re talking, of course, about the new Panel PCs from WinSystems. These are industrial-grade PCs … Read More → "An iPad for Nerds"