Fish Fry – Page 60

Biobots, Raspberry Pi, and Design Verification

September 13, 2012

This week’s Fish Fry has it all – remote-controlled cockroaches, Raspberry Pis, and some design verification thrown in for fun. I dig into the details of a new neurostimulation system designed to create cockroach biobots, why getting your hands on a new Raspberry Pi computer may get a whole lot easier, and why verification is one of the most challenging engineering problems today. I interview Dave Rinehart (Vice President, Aldec) about how to solve your verification struggles, how Aldec is carving out a nice slice of the EDA pie, and what meal Dave … Read More → "Biobots, Raspberry Pi, and Design Verification"

Sending Mixed Signals

by Amelia Dalton

September 7, 2012

This week we’re talking mixed signals. My guest is Mladen Nizic (Cadence) and we’re talking about a brand new book published just a couple weeks ago called “Mixed-Signal Methodology Guide”. Mladen and I chat about who this book is for, what companies collaborated to make this manual happen, and even where mixed-signal education is headed. Also this week, I check out Altera’s newly released roadmap for 20nm and a new “magic carpet” that can not only map a person’s individual walking patterns but also predict when they are going … Read More → "Sending Mixed Signals"

Priming The Pump

SystemC, Advanced Verification, and Vehicular Wi-Fi

by Amelia Dalton

August 29, 2012

Get your motor runnin’ folks, we’re talking verification this week. In a special Fish Fry interview double-header, I chat with Brett Cline (Forte Design Systems) about what Forte’s SystemC synthesis tools look like, what’s behind their collaboration with High IP, and what his secret ingredient is for the best Bloody Mary. I also talk with Graham Bell (Real Intent) about the struggles of advanced verification, what their tool flow looks like, why Real Intent isn’t just a bug-hunting tool, and why foosball is like accelerated advanced verification signoff.

< … Read More → "Priming The Pump"

Patently Obvious

Patents, IEEE for EDA, and Sting’s Sister

by Amelia Dalton

August 22, 2012

Patent litigation – can’t live with it, can’t survive without it. This week we’re checking out some recent rumblings in patent litigation. We’re even bringing in a council person to help mediate the fight. OK, wait – that would be ‘counsel’. My guest is Dontatella Sciuto, the current president of the IEEE Council for EDA. Donatella and I chat about what the IEEE Council for EDA is all about, what project the council plans on attacking next, and why Donatella can call herself Sting’s sister.

Let’s Get Flexible

by Amelia Dalton

August 17, 2012

What do you think of when I say the word “flexibility?” Yoga? Bendy straws, maybe? Perhaps a Slinky™? I’m going to guess you probably didn’t say batteries and field programmable gate arrays! This week Fish Fry is all about flexibility in electronic design – from the most recent Mars Rover software upgrade, to the newest advancements in flexible battery technology. Then, we’ll even chat a little bit about timing-driven partitioning of your next FPGA design. In another installment of my Fish Fry executive interview series, I chat with Flexras CEO Hayder Mrbet about what FPGA … Read More → "Let’s Get Flexible"

Toolin’ Around

by Amelia Dalton

August 10, 2012

Tools are the name of the game this week. From Synopsys’s acquisition of Taiwanese EDA company SpringSoft to the remarkable debugging capabilities of Vennsa Technologies. This week my guest is Andreas Veneris (CEO – Vennsa). Andreas and I chat about what their flow looks like, how Vennsa fits into Gary Smith’s vision of the future of EDA, and how debugging is going to be more important than ever on your next design. I also talk with Andreas about his former life as a rock journalist and who he thinks was the most fun rockstar … Read More → "Toolin’ Around"

Robots, Emulators and Even More Mega Fun

by Amelia Dalton

August 3, 2012

Have you ever been sitting back in your cube, resting and having a coke after lunch thinkin’ “Hey, I really should get into the emulation business.” Oh, you haven’t? I guess that’s just me then. Yep, there are some certain aspects of electronic design that we should just let someone else deal with. This week my guest is EVE CEO and President Luc Burgun. Luc and I discuss what emulation is all about, where EVE fits into the grand scheme of EDA, and how emulators can help you debug your next … Read More → "Robots, Emulators and Even More Mega Fun"

Three Rings of EE Fun

Black Hats, FPGAs, and GPS Spoofs

by Amelia Dalton

July 27, 2012

Welcome to the Big Top of EE Fun, ladies and gentlemen! We’ve got Black Hat hackers, GPS spoofers, and in the center ring, a serious FPGA heavy hitter. This week I chat with Jeff Waters (Senior VP and General Manager at Altera) about how FPGAs can differentiate your design from the next guy’s ASSP, how FPGAs are making their way into the automotive market, and what make and model Jeff would pick as his dream car.

I also have one more Altera DE0-Nano Development Kit (courtesy of Altera) to … Read More → "Three Rings of EE Fun"

IP Standards, Price-Fixing, and the LCD Cartel

by Amelia Dalton

July 20, 2012

We’re talking standards this week — from the LCD Cartel “standardizing” the prices of their TFTs (otherwise called “price-fixing”) to the standards we all need to employ to make sure our IP works the way we intend. I interview Ian Mackintosh (President – OCP-IP) about why IP standards are important, how OCP-IP can help us all get on the same IP page, and how Ian is trying to help us all become managers in our spare time.

I also have one more Altera DE0-Nano Development Kit (courtesy of Altera) to give away to … Read More → "IP Standards, Price-Fixing, and the LCD Cartel"

The Internets Are Coming! The Internets Are Coming!

by Amelia Dalton

July 8, 2012

It’s coming. You won’t be able to stop it. It’s like the air or maybe a series of tubes. You decide. It’s coming to a design near you (yep, maybe even the one on your lab bench right now) faster than ever before. This episode of Fish Fry is all about how you can Internet your next design… without the usual project logjam. I chat with Paul Hill (Atmel) about the evolution of the Internet of Things and how their new serial EEPROM product families with unique identifiers can ease the design process … Read More → "The Internets Are Coming! The Internets Are Coming!"