Product category:
Programmable Logic Devices
News Release from: Anadigm | Subject: AN121E04
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 10 September 2004
Programmable analogue ICs set the course
Anadigm field programmable analogue arrays are being used in watercraft steering modules manufactured by Teleflex Canada.
Anadigm field programmable analogue arrays (FPAAs) are being used in watercraft steering modules manufactured by Teleflex Canada, where the configurable Anadigm device helps to reduce component count while providing a high level of design flexibility In the Teleflex Canada Seastar steering system, Anadigm's AN121E04 FPAA interfaces to a linear variable distance transducer (LVDT) to sense the position of a hydraulic spool
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 4 Jan 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Designed by Teleflex engineers using the drag-and-drop AnadigmDesigner2 EDA software, the AN121E04 implementation provides a highly accurate synchronised demodulator for the steering application while performing offset and phase adjustments for which external components were previously needed.
"The AN121E04 helped us bring this new system to market very quickly by enabling true hardware and software concurrent engineering".
"The AnadigmDesigner2 EDA software allowed us to create two totally different designs more rapidly than would have been possible with any other solution", said Ray Wong, Design Leader, Electromechanical, at Teleflex Canada.
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"We were also very pleased with the in-depth, knowledgeable application support that Anadigm provided".
Part of the Anadigmvortex product family, the AN121E04 FPAA works with AnadigmDesigner2 and software configurable analogue modules (CAMs) to allow users to greatly reduce the time required to design, simulate, and implement complex analogue functions.
"The traditional analogue design methodology uses many discrete components, which can be difficult and time-consuming in both the design and debug phases of the project", said Bill McLean, President of Anadigm.
"The savings in engineering development time that comes from working at the higher functional level provided by AnadigmDesigner2 and the FPAAs can be dramatic, and this pays off doubly for these companies by getting their products to market sooner while spending less money in the development process".
Typical applications for which the AN121E04 is being used include signal conditioning, filtering, data acquisition, and closed-loop control in RFID, audio, medical, industrial, communications, automatic test equipment, and instrumentation systems.
FPAA technology has the ability to dynamically reprogram the analogue functions while the end application is running.
This gives the designer the flexibility to implement new features such as auto-ranging and auto-calibration, and also to have the device change functionality sequentially over time to support multiple operating modes, thus providing savings in the overall analogue circuit cost.
Another way this can benefit the designer is to use the FPAA to connect to multiple analogue sensors and provide the appropriate interface circuit using one integrated device.
In the Teleflex application, the FPAA provides a robust analogue implementation that avoids the temperature and process drift common to discrete solutions and the up-front costs associated with ASICs.
The AN121E04 features include a 100dB narrowband signal-to-noise ratio as well as an extended bandwidth of DC to 2MHz, depending on the application.
An advanced input/output structure, with four configurable I/O cells and two dedicated output cells, allows the AN121E04 to be programmed with up to six outputs.
For I/O-intensive applications, this means a single FPAA can be used to process multiple channels of analogue signals where two or more such devices were previously needed.
In addition, the AN121E04 allows designers to implement an integrated 8bit analogue-to-digital convertor on the FPAA, eliminating the potential need for an external convertor.
Using this new device, designers can route the digital output of the A/D convertor off-chip using one of the dedicated output cells.
Designers program the AN121E04 using AnadigmDesigner2, a drag-and-drop EDA tool that enables the design and implementation of complex analogue circuits within a matter of minutes.
CAMs provided with AnadigmDesigner2 prepackage common analogue functions for which the user sets the parameters.
Simply by dragging and dropping CAMs, designers can create a complete analogue system on the FPAA, simulate it immediately, and then download it to the FPAA chip for testing and validation.
Packaged in the 44-pin QFP, samples and production quantities of the AN121E04 are available now.
Pricing in 10,000-piece quantities for US delivery starts at $8.95.
A multimedia demonstration of the AnadigmDesigner2 EDA tool can be viewed at the Anadigm website.
A complete evaluation kit with a development board, entry-level software, and updated documentation is now available for $199.
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