Embedded Zone Blogs

Renesas takes the first steps towards creating an ecosystem of its own

The news that Renesas is to outsource 40nm mcu manufacture to TSMC is not surprising; what is surprising is Renesas' decision to make its proprietary MONOS embedded flash technology available to anyone who wants to use it.

Will ARM’s M0+ core catalyse the ‘internet of things’?

There has been a lot of talk in recent months about the 'internet of things'; a handy phrase which many commentators are reaching for in their attempts to explain the burgeoning world of connectivity.

ARM changes 8bit mcu life expectancy

Despite all the hullaballoo surrounding 32bit mcus, 8bit parts remain firm favourites for many applications and are selected for cost reasons.

Embedded World breaks attendance record

Embedded World has underlined its position as the world's leading exhibition and conference for the sector.

Embedded World Exhibitor List A – F

Here is the Embedded World Exhibitor List A – F

Embedded World Exhibitor List G – N

Here is the Embedded World Exhibitor List G – N

Embedded World Exhibitor List O – Z

Here is the Embedded World Exhibitor List O – Z

Electronics industry is up to the challenges 2012 may present

There's good news for the semiconductor industry as 2011 comes to a close, with Gartner reporting global revenue of $302billion - a year on year increase of 1%.

Manufacturing industry needs to get its 'supply chain house' in order

Still recovering from the impact of Japan's Tsunami disaster earlier this year, the manufacturing industry has been dealt another blow as Thailand recently suffered its worst floods for more than 50 years.

WorldSkills competitors show way forward for engineering

Minister John Hayes talks to Findlay Media about Apprenticeships, craftsmanship and why he is a big fan of WorldSkills London 2011.

The most expensive component in the world

With great apologies to William Shakespeare, "a resistor, a resistor, my kingdom for a 47k, 1% resistor in an 0805 SMT package on a tape and reel dispensor."

Will fpga designers be spoilt for choice?

The programmable logic market is notable not only for its products, but also for the large number of companies which have tried to get a bit of the action. Over the 30 years or so of programmable logic, some 60 companies have tried to break into the fpga business – including some 'big names' – only to fall by the wayside. Of this extensive list, only four could be deemed as having succeeded in any meaningful fashion – in alphabetical order, Altera, Lattice, Microsemi (the new owner of Actel) and Xilinx. The first and last in this list hold the lion's share of the market.

As analogue design gets more complex, what support is available to engineers?

Analogue electronics design is, by common consent, a difficult task. A number of factors conspire to make things more difficult, including time to market, but analogue design is getting harder simply because the components themselves are getting more complex.

Is analogue design getting harder?

A recent survey by New Electronics suggests that 32% of electronics engineers believe analogue design is getting harder because of increasing technology complexity.

Exposed: The secret life of software developers

A friend once asked me what software developers do when they're not creating the next new release of a software application. I thought it was the opening line of an uncharitable joke, but it was actually a serious question.

Would you drink it? – The dilemma of design reuse

It's become a cliché in news or science reports. A water treatment plant manager, or perhaps politician, is enthusiastically promoting the quality of the water that comes out the back end (pun intended) of an elaborate purifying system.

TI, National Semiconductor takeover analysis

It's been a while since there has been a takeover on the scale of that involving Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor. Apart from the cost – $6.5billion – there's a substantial amount of products and an awful lot of people to be dealt with, not to mention production facilities.

Design data management – how to avoid getting tied up in red tape

From a designer's perspective, the best design environment – the 'holy grail' as it were – is one that affords the freedom to think 'laterally', to implement new ideas and to breathe life into old processes. In short, the environment in which to nurture that next cutting-edge electronic product.

Freescale looks to raise $1billion to pay down debt

When private equity investors acquired NXP and Freescale a few years ago, the cost of the deals was placed on the acquired company's balance sheet. In that way, NXP and Freescale paid for the privilege of being bought. This approach worked in good times; unfortunately, the timing of the deals was bad.

The most common telephone number in the world?

An electronics design engineer has discovered the reason why at least 1500 companies share the same telephone number.

First in, Best Dressed ...

We look back fondly to when we were fresh faced, would be engineers. Nothing fazed us. We were invincible, adept at facing anything our professors set before us. Attending lectures by day, juggling multiple course projects by night – and even managing to squeeze in a visit or three to the campus bar! No doubt many of us have attended a class reunion in some shape or form since leaving university or college.

Happy New Year UK electronics – now get off your backside?

In my mind, 2011 brings a wealth of opportunities for "UK electronics", especially for those involved in design and innovation. So far, indicators are looking good and the general climate is one of growing optimism. Even the press are speaking about manufacturing-led recovery (even if they don't really know what manufacturing is).

Change is coming

The market is set to shift as Microsoft embraces ARM based devices.

The 'i's have it

Following the official launch of the 2nd generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors at CES, Las Vegas, the press releases began to come in thick and fast.

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary

Late again – but it's the end of the year and we are going strong! The sheer intensity of the project which is now increasing at a massive pace tends to mean that we are dealing with detail on a minute by minute basis and it takes a break like Christmas to give us a chance to look back to see what has been achieved.