milehigh,
you have rightfully questioned a number of my assertions regarding uses of rambus technology other than computers. till now, the only proof i could offer were veiled extrapolations from a variety of sources but admittedly nothing specific. that has been very unsatisfying to both of us.
i do want want to sound dramatic, but this next news release (as vague as it is) is very very important imo. it is the first of what i expect to be become an avalanche. it is the first that i am aware of that mentions a specific product other than a computer, gameset or high speed communications equipment. it is a public indicator to me, that my assertion that many many rambus design wins have yet to be announced, is true. i am framing this one!!
unclewest
Date: 06/26 00:07 EST
Cypress chip pushes spectrum-spreading
Jun. 25, 1999 (Electronic Engineering Times - CMP via COMTEX) -- San
Jose, Calif. - Fresh off its January acquisition of IC Works Inc.,
Cypress Semiconductor Corp. is releasing a chip to enhance any clock
signal with spectrum-spreading, a technique used to reduce peak
electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions.
The Premis (for peak-reducing EMI solutions) family is being aimed
outside the PC industry, at ink-jet printers and set-top boxes, where
faster interfaces to memory have strengthened EMI "spikes," making FCC
compliance an issue.
"A printer looks just like a PC [inside], only it doesn't run Windows,
" said Ian Chen, director of marketing for Cypress' timing technology
division. "I really would expect printers to go to 100-MHz [DRAM
interfaces] or at the really high end, to go to Rambus."
Spread-spectrum techniques add a "wobble" to a clock's regular pulse,
altering the frequency by 1.25 to 3.75 percent, in the case of Premis.
This spreads the clock's EMI emissions across a wider frequency and
lowers its EMI peak substantially.
IC Works and others have been touting spectrum-spreading as a way to
lower EMI to meet FCC regulations.
Premis takes in any clock frequency up to 75 MHz and adds
spread-spectrum effect to it. A feedback loop tells Premis whether the
clock is ahead or behind its original pulse, letting the part control
the "wobble."
Premis parts are available now in 8-, 16- and 24-pin varieties, with
prices ranging from $2.33 to $5.94 in quantities of 1,000.
-0-
By: Craig Matsumoto
Copyright 1999 CMP Media Inc.
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