Circuit Cellar Ink 281
December 2013

Table of Contents

2 Mary Wilson	HTML Editor's Letter Overcome Fear of Ethernet on an FPGA
Questions & Answers 14 Nan Price	Embedded Computing Expert An Interview with Marilyn Wolf Marilyn Wolf has created embedded computing techniques, co-founded two companies, and received several Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) distinctions. She is currently teaching at Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and researching smart-energy grids.
16 CJ Abate	HTML New Product News Skywire small embedded plug-in cellular modem from NimbeLink, LLC RIO I/O expansion card for the Raspberry Pi SBC from Roboteq, Inc. TM Series GNSS receiver modules from Linx Technologies
20 Steffen Mauch	UDP Streaming on an FPGA When implementing a high-performance network device with an FPGA, you don't always have to use a proprietary IP core. User Datagram Protocol streaming is another option -- and it's not as difficult as it may seem. The article shows that a hardware implementation without a processor is a practical solution, even for novices. Download: 281-Mauch.zip
26 David Cass Tyler	Calibration Part 2: Polynomial Curve Fitting The first part of this article series introduced linear calibration and recalibration of A/D conversion readings. It described how to convert A/D readings to real-world engineering unit values. The article also explained how to convert back from those values to the equivalent A/D readings. This article presents a method for fitting a polynomial curve to nonlinear data to perform nonlinear conversions. It also outlines an approach that converts back from the engineering units to the A/D readings. Download: 281-Tyler.zip
34 Faiz Rahman	Emerging Memory Technologies A variety of memory technologies is available for use with embedded systems. This article examines some newer technologies and provides details about phase-change, magnetoresistive, ferroelectric, and resistive memory types.
The Consummate Engineer 42 George Novacek	Impedance Matching According to Jacobi's law, impedance matching is an important design consideration, especially in communications and when working with high frequencies. This article shows a practical implementation in the form of an antenna for a garage door opener.
Embedded in Thin Slices 48 Bob Japenga	Embedded File Systems Part 2: File System Integrity The first part of this article series introduced the topic of Linux embedded file systems. This article discusses file system integrity across power outages and system crashes and describes some integrity assurance solutions.
Programmable Logic in Practice 52 Colin O'Flynn	Connecting FPGA Hardware to Virtual Test Benches FPGA simulators are important when validating and debugging designs. But sometimes a critical design piece only exists in hardware, which limits testing to the physical device. This article introduces hardware co-simulation, which provides the flexibility and power of a computer-based simulation, but connects to a real module running on your physical FPGA.
The Darker Side 58 Robert Lacoste	Amplifier Classes From A to H What is an amplifier and how can you choose the right class type for your application? This article defines amplifiers and describes different classes to help you find the best combination of performance, efficiency, and cost for your design.
From the Bench 66 Jeff Bachiochi	Unleash Your Android Device's Potential Future Technology Devices International's new interface chip turns your Android device into an effective application tool. The chip can be added to any circuit, enabling the Android device to serve as a user I/O device.
74	Crossword Puzzle
75 David Tweed	HTML Test Your EQ - Answers for Issue 280
80 Kyle Granat	Tech the Future Low-Cost SBCs Could Revolutionize Robotics Education

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