Abstract: IC switches and multiplexers are proliferating, thanks to near-continual progress in lowering the supply voltage,incorporating fault-protected inputs, clamping the output voltage, and reducing the switch resistances. The latest of these advancesis the inclusion of precision resistors to allow two-point calibration of gain and offset in precision data-acquisition systems.
PCI ExpressTM Architecture
Add-in Card Compliance Checklist for the PCI Express Base 1.0a SpecificationThe PCI Special Interest Group disclaims all warranties and liability for the use of this document and the information contained herein and assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document, nor does the PCI Special Interest Group make a commitment to update the information contained herein.Contact the PCI Special Interest Group office to obtain the latest revision of this checklistQuestions regarding the ths document or membership in the PCI Special Interest Group may be forwarded tPCI Special Interest Group5440 SW Westgate Drive #217Portland, OR 97221Phone: 503-291-2569Fax: 503-297-1090 DISCLAIMERThis document is provided "as is" with no warranties whatsoever, including any warranty of merchantability, noninfringement, fitness for any particular purpose, or any warranty otherwise arising out of any proposal, specification, or sample. The PCI SIG disclaims all liability for infringement of proprietary rights, relating to use of information in this specification. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property rights is granted herein.
The core voltages for FPGAs are moving lower as a resultof advances in the fabrication process. The newest FPGAfamily from Altera, the Stratix® II, now requires a corevoltage of 1.2V and the Stratix, Stratix GX, HardCopy®Stratix and CycloneTM families require a core voltage of1.5V. This article discusses how to power the core and I/Oof low voltage FPGAs using the latest step-down switchmode controllers from Linear Technology Corporation.
Occasionally, we are tasked with designing circuitry for aspecific purpose. The request may have customer originsor it may be an in-house requirement. Alternately, a circuitmay be developed because its possibility is simply tooattractive to ignore1. Over time, these circuits accumulate,encompassing a wide and useful body of proven capabilities.They also represent substantial effort. These considerationsmake publication an almost obligatory propositionand, as such, a group of circuits is presented here. This isnot the first time we have displayed such wares and, giventhe encouraging reader response, it will not be the last2.Eighteen circuits are included in this latest effort, roughlyarranged in the categories given in this publication’s title.They appear at the next paragraph.
When a system designer specifies a nonisolated dc/dc powermodule, considering the needed input voltage range isequally as important as considering the required performanceattributes and features. Generally, nonisolated moduleshave either a narrow or a wide input voltage range. Narrowinputmodules typically have a nominal input voltage of3.3, 5, or 12 V. For systems that operate from a tightlyregulated input bus—such as those that do not use batterybackup—a narrow-input module is often adequate sincethe input remains fairly stable.Offering greater flexibility, wide-input modules operatewithin a range of 7 to 36 V, which includes the popular12- or 24-V industrial bus. This enables a single module tobe used for generating multiple voltages. These modulesare ideal for industrial controls, HVAC systems, vehicles,medical instrumentation, and other applications that usea loosely regulated distribution bus. In addition, systemspowered by a rectifier/battery charger with lead-acidbattery backup almost always require wide-input modules.System designers who choose power supplies may wantto take a close look at the latest generation of wide-inputdc/dc modules.
