(1) CREE Schottky diode targets desktop PCs eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Cree, Inc. has developed a 2–amp Zero Recovery rectifier operating at 600 volts specifically to meet the increasing need to reduce costs and increase efficiency in power supplies designed for desktop PCs. The 2–amp Schottky diode expands Cree’s Zero Recovery product line, which already includes 1 A, 4 A, 6 A, 10 A, and 20–A diodes.”
Readers say:
» “Several clients of mine might have use for this.”
» “Lower power consumption is always a bonus. Hopefully it works as well as they claim it does.”
» “I would use immediately 5A 1200V ZRR.”
» “Any significant power savings that can be found is in itself significant.”
» “Almost a perfect diode, but cost is prohibitive.”
» “Should be very effecitve in our power supplies designs.”
» “Because it reduces component count, is a relatively small component and runs cooler is a distinct advantage to designers.”
» “By checking the datasheet I have found that they are fast. I should try it.”
» “I’m sure it will have a fast growing market.”
» “Need to test to believe.”
» “Fills in a nice array.”
» “Good product, should get a lot of mileage.”
» “I think this is a fantastic idea.”
» “I would like to see test results from the decrease in radiated EMI.”
USABILITY RANK: 1
(2) CAPELLA Ambient light sensor extends battery life for mobile devices eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Capella Microsystems, Inc. said its Filtron family of ambient light sensors eliminates excessive backlighting in portable products including notebook computers, cell phones, DVD players, PDAs, MP3 players, iPods and GPS, thereby preserving battery life in these devices. These chips detect the amount of ambient light in the environment and adjust the LCD brightness accordingly to virtually match the requirements of the human eye, said the company.”
Readers say:
» “THIS IS NEEDED.”
» “Interesting. Worth a look.”
» “I wish I had one in my PDA/phone.”
» “A useful component. The match to human eyes is important, as is the fluorescent filtering.”
» “This is good stuff.”
» “Battery technology can’t keep up with display requirements, this will help.”
» “This could be great for portable device battery life if applied properly. If, however, the device is easily fooled or it is mis–applied, then it is a death knell unless the ‘backlight auto–dimmer’ feature can be turned off.”
» “Is ‘excess lighting’ a problem?”
» “Now this is nice––I will use this.”
USABILITY RANK: 4
(3) JKL COMPONENTS Wedge–based LEDs replace incandescent lamps eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “JKL Components Corporation has added several wedge–based LEDs to its line of LED lamps. The new models are available in a variety of colors including bright white, amber, red, blue, green, and ultraviolet.”
Readers say:
» “LED’s are the future.”
» “Oooh, shiny.”
» “Technically insignificant, but quite nice from a design flexibility viewpoint.”
» “Not soon enough entire cities’ streets will be lit with LCDs and the power savings will be E–NOR–MOUS!”
» “Huge number of applications/industries for lighting.”
» “YES! I want this!”
» “The use of LEDs in lighting applications is a revolution wating to happen. Consumers are becoming more energy cost conscious and this technology gives them a means to fight back.”
» “Could save a lot of power if used right.”
USABILITY RANK: 2
(4) JARO THERMAL Cooling fans boast 80,000 hour life eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Jaro Thermal Inc. has unveiled its first 80,000–hour brushless DC fan using a unique Sony ‘fluid dynamic bearing’ (FDB) technology, which eliminates all mechanical contact within the fan motor bearing by replacing it with viscous oil. These FDB fans may be used in plasma TVs, servers, power supplies and medical applications.”
Readers say:
» “I’m more impressed by the low noise factor than I am by the life.”
» “LIKE THE 80,000 HOUR LIFE.”
» “Wow this is cool.”
» “We need higher CFM (>100) and voltage (28V).”
» “Nice price...”
» “Test fixtures.”
» “I like the longer life.”
» “Home theater anyone?”
USABILITY RANK: 3
(5) AVAGO 1/5–inch, 1.3–MP sensor improves image quality, enables thinner cell phones eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Avago Technologies has unveiled its latest addition to its CMOS image sensor family, claiming the 1/5–inch optical format, 1.3–megapixel device is smaller and offers better image quality than other 1.3–megapixel sensors in the industry. This also marks Avago’s entry into the emerging small form factor (SFF) market.”
Readers say:
» “Thinner cellphones just crack easier when you sit on them.”
» “Cool!”
» “This technology is simply amazing.”
» “I hate cameras in phones.”
» “It would be interesting to see a demonstration of how this ‘thinner’ technology compares to other 1.3MP modules.”
USABILITY RANK: 6
(6) TOSHIBA AMERICA ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS CMOS image sensors combine small pixel size, image quality for camera phones eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) has expanded its Dynastron image sensor product line with the addition of two new chips, the 3.2 megapixel ET8EE6–AS CMOS image sensor and 2.0 megapixel ET8EF2–AS CMOS image sensor SoC with an integrated image signal processor (ISP). With a pixel pitch of 2.2 microns, which is said to be a significant advance in cell–size miniaturization compared to the 2.7–micron pixel pitch of previous 2– and 3.2–megapixel products, they enable development of smaller camera modules for cellular phones and other camera–enabled mobile devices.”
Readers say:
» “I like the smearless imaging.”
» “Great, more pixelcrack for cellphones.”
» “CMOS that works is the next wave. Canon’s new consumer HD Camcorders are now CMOS based and work as well or better than CCD for less BOM cost!”
USABILITY RANK: 8
(7) FUJITSU COMPONENTS AMERICA Mobile connectors meet Micro SD and ExpressCard standards eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Refocusing its attention on the mobile device market, Fujitsu Components America, Inc. has added two card connectors to its FCN–560 series.”
Readers say:
» “The height is great!”
» “Concern would be over the ruggedness of the case.”
» “Quick flash memory is always a plus.”
USABILITY RANK: 5
(8) ADVANCED THERMAL SOLUTIONS Heat sinks cool Freescale dual–core processors eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Advanced Thermal Solutions Inc. (ATS) has added two active and passive heat sinks to its ‘Alaska’ line of solutions to cool Freescale Semiconductor processors. Both the ATS–405 and ATS–474 heat sinks provide optimal cooling for Freescale MPC8641D Dual–Core PowerPC processors in enclosures such as ATX cabinets, blade servers and 1U to 4U rack–mount chassis.”
Readers say:
» “Could it be used on Intel or AMD processors?”
» “Cool, not limited usage.”
» “Y–A–W–N.”
» “A cool cpu is a happy workhorse.”
USABILITY RANK: 7
(9) IRONWOOD ELECTRONICS 10 GHz socket supports QFP ICs eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “Combining a small footprint with high performance, Ironwood Electronics’ SG–QFE–7000 10+ GHz bandwidth socket (<–1 dB at 10.0 GHz) supports very dense pitch QFP devices. This includes Texas Instruments’ 0.4–mm pitch, 14–mm body power pad QFP ICs.”
Readers say:
» “TEMPERATURE RANGE IS GREAT.”
» “Reducing heat on small packages is desirable by many OEMs.”
» “Interesting...”
» “Seems like a lot of lead inductance.”
» “Nice but expensive.”
USABILITY RANK: 10
(10) FCI FCI’s AirMax VS backplane connector system meets new SBB spec eeProductCenter’s Gina Roos says: “FCI’s AirMax VS 3–pair backplane connector system meets the mid–plane connector interface requirements defined in the recently announced Storage Bridge Bay (SBB) specification. These include the 54–position signal modules, power modules and guide modules.”
Readers say:
» “Great way to connect.”
» “I hate high pin count specialty connectors.”
» “Nice for small areas.”
