» This category always showcases the most diverse and interesting set of products aimed at a variety of applications. However, the requirements of mobility and the steady march of systems miniaturization, as in other categories, do appear to be mothers of invention.

(1)
OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Thin is in with new tri-axis accelerometer module
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Oki claims to have the developed the industry's thinnest, ultra-small, tri-axis accelerometer module by integrating the sensor chip with the control IC. Using micromachined technology in combination with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers also contributed to the small size and high shock survivability of the module, said the company. This is Oki's first product for the MEMS market. The small footprint, measuring 5.0 x 5.0 x 1.4 mm, makes the new ML8950 module suitable for mobile handsets and other mobile equipment. "
Readers say: » "3g impact shock not very interesting. Need higher g range and higher frequency response for most shock applications." » "It is a product that will likely result in numerous new functionalities." » "Might use to detect patient motion on sensitive medical sensors." » "Thin is great, I need smaller footprint and less operating current." » "Should be quite useful in a variety of circuits. We would find more useful if packaging included DIP or SO styles." » "The package makes it somewhat hard to use for one-off designs." » "There are many applications in which this single chip tri-axis accelerometer will thrive. It will be nice to see the price come down even more." » "Good power consumption, no reliability data." » "Similar products exist in the market so I do not know whether this is very significant." » "Would like to see +/- 10g operating range." » "A stunning achievement given its size." » "I see a big potential in using this chip mostly in automotive systems" » "An amazing new product with a lot of applications, vibration analysis etc. Sorry I could not find a datasheet."
USABILITY RANK: 3

(2)
AGILENT
Agilent's new proximity sensor beats the fumble-fingered competition hands down . . . literally
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "You may never have trouble again remembering which button to push for the speakerphone option on your mobile phone thanks to Agilent's new optical proximity sensor, the HSDL-9100-021. Touted as the industry's first optical proximity sensor for mobile applications, this nifty -- and low-cost -- sensor allows cell phone users to automatically switch from speakerphone to earpiece mode and vice versa in cell phones by simply placing the phone near your ear. "
Readers say: » "Looks useful for medical sensors to indicate loss of patient contact." » "Interesting product." » "Many applications besides cell-phones." » "It very much resembles currently available IRDA transceivers. Now I need to experiment with some." » "I don't have an application for it currently but it is interesting to know they exist I should need them in future." » "Looks good for basic needs." » "Very useful, depending on reliability of proximity sensing, which can be tricky at times" » "High priced considering the low-end app." » "Amazing new product, only drawback is supply current needed, even if reduced using PWM"
USABILITY RANK: 2

(3)
MURATA
Murata rolls out high capacitance cap in small package
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Murata claims its new GRM18 series capacitor -- using ultra-thin 1-micron dielectric films -- provides the highest capacitance for ceramic capacitors in a small 0603 case size. After roughly three to four years of development work, Murata has developed a new capacitor that packs 10 μF at 4 volts in an 0603 case size. "
Readers say: » "Ceramic capacitors are often the capacitor of choice, but have been limited. Murata has extended ceramics to a new range of applications." » "More interested in the GRM31 series." » "Any information on reliability testing?" » "When using ultra-thin 1-micron dielectric films are there new concern about ESD?" » "Most important characteristics are not clear" » "10uF in an 0603. Wow! Just need to bump the voltage rating up a couple more volts and this is definitely a winner." » "Very important in today's environment of "less board space" for every product." » "I'm waiting for 12V and 24V versions of this technology." » "Price and the lead time are the most critical issues nowadays. We need these kind of caps for decoupling modern BGAs." » "6 to 8 weeks delivery time is always a problem for me. 100 uF would be useful if and when." » "Amazing new product to help reduce space!"
USABILITY RANK: 1

(4)
KYOCERA
Wireless components tackle size issue in wireless apps
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Kyocera's new 2.4 GHz chip balance filter and 5 GHz chip balun are the industry's smallest for short-range wireless communications. The new 2.4 GHz chip balance filter measures 2.0 x 1.25 x 0.85 mm while the new 5 GHz chip balun sports a package size of 1.6 x 0.8 x 0.6 mm. The devices also feature low insertion loss and high attenuation characteristics."
Readers say: » "Great achievement." » "Good technical achievement,saves the trouble of using multiple components for the same function." » "Kudos for the RoHS compliance."
USABILITY RANK: 4

(5)
TYCO COMMUNICATIONS
LAN connector provides Power over Ethernet functionality
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Tyco Electronics has launched the industry's first LAN connector with Power of Ethernet (PoE) functionality. The new Mag45 PoE RJ-45 connector, which includes integrated magnetics and power management, provides the networking industry with a product that scales from Ethernet 10/100 to Ethernet 10/100/1000. "
Readers say: » "Need specifics on PoE or address compatibility with legacy products" » "No need to upgrade" » "Small size is something waiting for in legazy product" » "Needs to be avaliable in a single-port version for IP phones or other devices" » "Yet another product"
USABILITY RANK: 5

(6)
AVX
Battery connectors provide 50% savings in volume
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "AVX Corp. has launched its newest -- and smallest -- family of SMT battery connectors for mobile applications. Offering an ultra-low profile, AVX's 9155 series connectors feature a contact beam static height of 2.45 mm, which is nearly a 50% savings in "Z" axis height as compared to existing commercial connectors."
Readers say: » "Not reliable enough for our applications" » "Not very new." » "High priced." » "Looks interesting but I would need to do extensive validation."
USABILITY RANK: 7

(7)
COTO TECHNOLOGY
BGA reed relay ups performance, lowers profile
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Offering more than double the bandpass frequency of competitive RF reed relays, Coto Technology claims to have developed the industry's first four-channel planar ball grid array (BGA) RF reed relay in a true surface-mount package. "
Readers say: » "Too costly for a relay." » "Can be useful where impedance matching and low profile are important." » "Price will limit number of applications." » "Looks very interesting, but expensive"
USABILITY RANK: 10

(8)
MOLEX
Molex delivers high-speed connector system for backplane
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Molex Inc.'s new GbX connector system delivers speeds from 6.0 to 10 Gbit/s while providing high-density with up to 69 real differential pairs per linear inch (27 real differential pairs per 10 mm) for leading-edge backplane applications. With its ability to route in two directions and proven, robust mechanical design,it lowers system costs by eliminating PC-board layers and the need for extra, protective mechanical hardware. Offering a cost savings and design flexibility, the system can route out signal pairs in slot-to-slot and card-edge directions. This lowers the total PC-board layer count by allowing more trace escapes from the connector pin field per PC-board layer. "
Readers say: » "Would be nice to have a picture of the board connection side." » "Density is becoming very important in high speed connectors, along with bandwidth. Very good product." » " '...allowing more trace escapes from the connector pin field per PC-board layer...' One wonders at what cost to PCB circuit density?"
USABILITY RANK: 8

(9)
J.W. MILLER
High power inductors stay cool in high frequency applications
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "J.W. Miller's new low loss series of high power toroid inductors is the company's first standard product offering to incorporate Magnetic Inc.'s Kool Mì ferrous alloy powder core. Although typically more expensive than powder iron cores, they offer a key advantage over these lower cost materials by preventing the distributed air gap cores from getting too hot in high frequency applications. "
Readers say: » "Would like to see SMT versions of this part." » "Heat is easier to get rid of if you don't create it in the first place." » "There are already products with ferrite cores that have very low loss. It would be more important to cut copper losses in inductors, not core losses." » "10,500 gauss saturation level of the Kool Mì core is impressive." » "Lower heat means higher reliability and higher efficiency for switching power supplies."
USABILITY RANK: 6

(10)
VITEC
Vitec guarantees tight tolerance for power inductors
eeProductCenter's Gina Roos says: "Driven by changing voltage regulator module (VRM) requirements, Vitec Electronics' new 59P901X series of inductors pack high frequency, high efficiency and low direct current resistance (DCR) in a small package. "
Readers say: » "A difficult feat to achieve, considering that low resistance inductors use thick copper wires which are difficult to wind." » "The max value of 200nH is very small for practical use."
USABILITY RANK: 9