News From Lexis Nexis

11-key capacitive touch controller is ideal for GPS, keyless entry, window control and other in-car automotive applications NUREMBERG, Germany -- EMBEDDED WORLD 2010 -- Atmel(R) Corporation (NASDAQ:ATML), a leader in microcontroller and touch solutions, today announced the first standard product capacitive touch controller in the industry that is fully qualified for the automotive market. Based on the patented QTouch(R) capacitive touch technology for buttons, sliders and wheels, the AT42QT1110 is a ready-to-use 11-key capacitive touch controller that meets all device specification requirements for the automotive industry. These products are ideal for automobile applications such as global positioning systems (GPS), window and mirror control, keyless remote entry and more.

(Taipei, Taiwan) Lanner Electronics, Inc. a leading ODM and OEM of networking platforms, today announced the FW-7565, a new 1U rackmount network appliance built around the new dual-core Intel® Atom(TM) processor D510 supporting 8 GbE ports. The release of the FW-7565 is timed to coincide with RSA Conference 2010, the industry's largest gathering of network security personnel.

WD SiliconDrive(R) N1x SSDs Deliver High Performance, High Reliability for Embedded System OEM Applications LAKE FOREST, Calif. -- WD® (NYSE:WDC) today announced that the company is shipping its new high performance WD SiliconDrive® N1x 2.5-inch solid state drive (SSD) family. The new SSDs feature fast read/write speeds in high capacities and are designed for embedded system OEM applications that require superior performance, high reliability and long product life. The single-level cell (SLC) -based WD SiliconDrive N1x SSDs are an ideal storage solution for a wide range of embedded system OEM applications in growing markets such as automotive and transportation, data center, communications infrastructure, video surveillance and industrial automation. The new WD SiliconDrive N1x family of products complements the recently announced multi-level cell (MLC) -based WD SiliconEdge(TM) Blue(TM) SSDs, which offer a cost-effective alternative for less-demanding OEM applications while still providing high read/write speeds and high random write IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) performance.

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) K-L program completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) and Production Readiness Review (PRR) in El Segundo, Calif. on Feb. 19.

Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (TSE:7211) said Monday that it has signed an agreement to provide electric vehicles to French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen Group under an OEM contract. The production will start in October at a plant in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, with plans to supply an aggregate 100,000 i-MiEVs by the mid 2010s . The car's appearance and interior will be modified to fit the European market and will meet the required safety standards. The vehicle will be sold under the iOn brand by Peugeot and under C-Zero by Citroen. Mitsubishi Motors introduced the i-MiEV in Japan last July. (Nikkei)

FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY, USA - ASCO Numatics, the world's leading manufacturer of comprehensive fluid automation, flow control, and pneumatics solutions, has introduced the ASCO 411 Series miniature solenoid valve that offers up to twice the life of competing products plus higher flow rate performance. The new valve is ideal for applications in pharmaceutical, medical, analytical, and instrumentation products. "Now, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) can receive the benefits of longer life, smaller size, lighter weight, higher flow, and lower power consumption - all in one miniature solenoid valve," said Robert W. Kemple, Jr., Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing - Americas, ASCO Numatics. "The 411 Series dramatically reduces the design tradeoffs and compromises engineers must make in applying valves to their products."

MILPITAS, CA - - Linear Technology Corporation introduces the LTC3890/-1, a high voltage dual output synchronous step-down DC/DC controller that draws only 50µA when one output is active and 60µA when both outputs are enabled. With both outputs shut down, the LTC3890/-1 draws a mere 14µA. The 4V to 60V input supply range is designed to protect against high voltage transients, continue operation during automotive cold crank and cover a broad range of input sources and battery chemistries. Each output can be set from 0.8V to 24V at output currents up to 20 amps with efficiencies as high as 95%, making it well suited for 12V or 24V automotive, heavy equipment, industrial control, robotics and telecom applications.

Minneapolis, Minn. - TURCK's new LI-Q25 series linear position sensors replace magnetostrictive and potentiometer devices to deliver precise, repeatable measurements in metal processing machines, rolling mills or injection molding machines. Unlike magnetostrictive or magnetic inductive position sensors, LI-Q25 sensors do not require a magnetic positioning device; thus, they are unaffected by metal debris. The sensors provide up to 1 µm resolution and can achieve measuring ranges between 100 and 1,000 mm with analog voltage/current, SSI or I/O Link outputs.

Powered by 1.66 GHz dual core Intel[R] Atom(TM) processor D510 andIntel[R] 82801HM I/O controller, 3.5 in. Model ECM-PNV drives 400 MHz graphics engine and enables resolution of 2,048 x 1,036 on VGA mode. Through onboard transferring module, SBC also supports dual-channel24-bit LVDS for large size Panel PC design. Embedded board includes 6 COM ports, 6 USB ports, 2 SATA ports, mini PCI slot, and 200-pin SODIMM socket that supports up to 1 GB DDR2 667 SDRAM. ********************

Featuring input range of 4-60 V, Model LTC3890/-1 draws 50 [micro]A quiescent current when one output is active and 60 [micro]A when both outputs are enabled. With both outputs shutdown, device draws only14 [micro]A. Each output can be set from 0.8-24 V at output currentsup to 20 A with efficiencies as high as 95%. Operating with selectable fixed frequency of 50-900 kHz, step-down DC/DC controller can be synchronized to external clock from 75-850 kHz with phased-locked loop. ********************

BEIJING, Mar. 10 (Xinhua) ? China will set up a joint work group for setting the standards for the Internet of Things industry.

A three-team alliance of Goodrich's Team 70 "More Martians," Milford's Team 67 "Heroes of Tomorrow" and Team 910 "Foley's Freeze" from Madison Heights took first-place honors atthe Kettering University FIRST Robotics District Competition March 5-6. Thirty-eightof the state's top high school robotics teams competed in front of large crowds during the two-day tournament.

California students in grades 4-12 will test their software-enabled Lego robots this week during a live Internet television program sponsored by NASA.

Langen and Nuremberg, Germany - Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe (FME) has expanded its F2MC-8FX family of low-cost, low pin count (LPC) microcontrollers (MCUs). MB95330K is the first Fujitsu 32-pin, 8-bit MCU series to feature motor control functionality. With fast processing, low power consumption and three-phase motor control timers, the devices are targeted for use in a wide range of industrial, medical and consumer applications. The series is powered by Fujitsu's proprietary 8FX CPU core and features embedded dual-operation flash memory with support for E2PROM emulation. This allows a reduction in system area and system cost, as an external E2PROM is not required. Fujitsu's high quality, high-performance embedded flash memory can be re-written 100,000 times and is guaranteed to hold data for 20 years. A flash security function protects customers' software from being read by unauthorised external programs.

Toronto, Canada - GAO RFID Inc. (www.GAORFID.com) has released this UHF Gen 2 RFID reader/writer designed for enterprise-class management and monitoring. It delivers increased application flexibility via new features such as support for Power over Ethernet (PoE), which simplifies deployment and reduces cost by eliminating the need for AC outlet installation at read points. The innovative RFID reader/writer overcomes cable losses, enables read zone containment and eliminates stray reads.

Worldwide semiconductor capital equipment spending is projected to surpass $29.4 billion in 2010, a 76.1 per cent increase from 2009 spending of $16.7 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. "The dramatic semiconductor industry recovery rate over the last three quarters has necessitated a renewed growth for equipment spending," said Jim Walker, research vice president at Gartner. "Spending by the memory and foundry markets, along with the advancement to new technology nodes, will drive the semiconductor equipment segment in the first half of 2010. Quarterly growth will see a slight slowdown in the second half before capacity additions start ramping up the equipment industry again going into 2011." Following the significant declines in 2009, all segments of the semiconductor capital equipment market will experience extremely strong double-digit growth in 2010 (see Table 1).

A versatile and cost-effective choice for applications of low to medium complexity, the new CJ2M range of programmable controllers from Omron (TOKYO:6645) has been specifically designed to help users meet demands for increasing intelligence and flexibility in control systems, while at the same maintaining competitive pricing. The new CJ2M controllers complement the recently introduced CJ2H models, which offer similar benefits in high-end applications. Based on the proven technology of Omron's CJ1 PLCs, which are in use in tens of thousands of applications around the world, the new CJ2M products offer a wider choice of CPUs, faster operating speed, more memory and enhanced communications facilities, including optional integrated Ethernet support. Two more important benefits of CJ2M PLCs, which they share with their CJ2H high-end counterparts, are consistent architecture across the whole range, which means that up- or down-scaling applications is fast and easy, and upgraded support for function blocks. These allow blocks of program to be developed for commonly used functions; the blocks can then be re-used as required, either in the same project or in new projects, leading to big reductions in the time needed for programming and testing.

Digi International introduced the ConnectCore Wi-i.MX51 Digi JumpStart Kit featuring the ConnectCore Wi-i.MX51, a core module designed specifically for low power, wireless multimedia applications, at Embedded World Nuremberg.

The following awards were given at the Granite State Regional FIRST Robotics competition yesterday: Team 509, "Red Storm" from Bedford High School won the Chrysler Team Spirit Award.