Digi-Key Corporation today announced the addition of Lattice’s MachXO2 Programmable Logic Devices.

Lattice Semiconductor’s MachXO2 family of infinitely reconfigurable Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) offers designers of low density PLDs an unprecedented mix of low cost, low power and high system integration in a single device. Combining an optimized look-up table (LUT) architecture with 65 nm embedded Flash process technology, the MachXO2 family delivers an increase in logic density, an increase in embedded memory, and a reduction in static power compared to the prior generation, the MachXO PLD family.

The MachXO2 family offers system designers the benefits of increased system integration, improved system robustness and reduced static power consumption. In addition, the MachXO2 family includes hardened implementations of some of the most popular functions used in system applications (telecom infrastructure, computing, high end industrial, high end medical, etc.) and consumer applications (smart phones, GPS devices, mobile computing, digital cameras, etc.). Through the provision of these features, the MachXO2 family offers designers a “Do-it-All PLD” for system applications.

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Digital PFC ICs elevate performance, help to meet global regulations and solve system design challenges in power supplies used in notebook adapters, digital TVs, PCs and LED fluorescent ballasts

Newark, a leading multi-channel, high-service electronics distributor in the Americas, announced today it is stocking the new CS1501/CS1601 digital power factor correction (PFC) ICs, demo boards and a reference design kit from Cirrus Logic. The ICs offer superior performance and allow for simpler and smaller system designs in comparison to legacy analog PFC controllers.

The new CS1501/CS1601 provide an industry standard pinout to ensure an easy upgrade path from analog controllers, which are nearing the end of their capabilities to meet increasingly strict global regulations of the utility grid. Intended for use in switch-mode power supplies rated up to 300 watts, they offer best-in-class total harmonic distortion, power factor and efficiency across all load conditions, while reducing the size and number of required external components.

“We are committed to stocking innovative solutions that help engineers create cost-effective products for lighting and power supply applications,” commented Jeff Uden, VP, Product Management, Newark. “Engineers will also find a lot of helpful information on our element14 engineering community, including a lighting microsite plus Cirrus Logic white papers and reference designs.”

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Anglia strengthened its analogue power portfolio and its grip on the solid state lighting sector with the announcement that it has been appointed as UK distributor by Supertex Inc., a recognised leader in high voltage analogue and mixed signal integrated circuits. Supertex is widely acknowledged as the number one brand for LED drivers. Anglia now has exclusive distribution rights for the UK and Ireland effective from 1st January 2011.

John Bowman, Marketing Director – Semiconductors, Anglia commented, “Anglia is growing in strength in analogue and has seen particularly exciting growth for its Anglia Lighting business addressing the solid state lighting market. The Supertex product range enhances and complements our technology solutions for powering and controlling solid state lighting applications. Supertex also has a strong product offering supporting the ultrasound sector of the medical market.”

Commenting Juan Sivelo, EMEA Area Sales Manager, Supertex Inc. said, “Our products and technologies align strongly with many applications in the expanding solid state lighting market. Anglia has demonstrated considerable strength in analogue silicon, and established a strong solid state lighting business. We look forward to developing new business opportunities with Anglia and their customers.”

Solid state lighting is creating a significant impact in today’s lighting industry which is seeing the benefits of long lasting, energy efficient LED technology. Anglia Lighting is dedicated to providing a broad range of products to manufacturers, contractors and installers of LED lighting systems with the emphasis on inventory, technical support and design guidance. Anglia Lighting’s in-house design capability can assist manufacturers during the design process, from selecting LEDs, matching them with drive circuitry, cooling components and lenses, through to PCB layout and production. This capability is backed up by Anglia’s in-depth stock profile on key product lines from market-leading suppliers.

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Worldwide Strategic Engagement Offers World-Class Technical Support for Designers Using Intersil’s Innovative Analog, Mixed Signal and Power Products

Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: ISIL) today announced it has strengthened its global distribution agreement with Avnet Memec, a division of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT). Intersil and Avnet Memec will work closely together to increase demand for Intersil’s analog, mixed signal and power ICs. Intersil cited Avnet Memec’s world-class technical resources, logistics, supply chain management and customer support, which are highly complementary to Intersil’s channel strategy, as reasons why it has extended this agreement globally.

“Avnet Memec provides highly focused demand-creation that delivers excellent product and technical support to electronics customers worldwide,” said David Loftus, Intersil Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Corporate Marketing. “Avnet Memec delivers seamless support of design chain and supply chain services globally, and their technical teams deliver exceptional support during design-in. We believe this agreement aligns very well with our highly-differentiated, industry-leading analog and mixed-signal solutions.”

“As our mutual customers continue to do business around the world, the ability to fully service their needs is crucial,” said Harley Feldberg, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing. “This relationship enables Avnet to integrate Intersil’s unique product portfolio into our existing design chain services – strengthening our offering to a global network of customers.”

Following the September 2010 pan-European agreement between the two companies, Avnet Memec is now a key distribution partner for Intersil in EMEA. This move builds upon the North American momentum generated during the 2007 transition of Intersil from the broadline Avnet division to the more specialized Avnet Memec divison. Avnet Memec also supports Intersil in China, Japan and the Asia Pacific markets. These recent expansions have made Intersil one of the leading analog lines for Avnet Memec globally.

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Vinculum-II delivers increased capabilities and memory at a reduced cost

Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest electronic components and technologies, today announced it is stocking the Vinculum-II Embedded Dual USB Host Controller IC from FTDI, a specialist in easily converting legacy peripherals to USB.

Mouser’s stock includes the FTDI Vinculum-II Embedded Dual USB Host Controller IC, the second generation of FTDI USB Host devices. The embedded CPU in the Vinculum-II is dramatically upgraded from the previous VNC1L device, greatly increasing the processing power. It features a powerful 16-bit MCU core with 256KB Flash and 16KB RAM memory. The Vinculum-II is a complete USB system solution that supports a range of flexible interfaces, including UART, SPI, FIFO, plus a PWM output block to control motors and other analog devices. The complete USB protocol data processing is handled entirely by hardware resources within the device, freeing up processing resources for user developed applications. This fully programmable USB Controller is supported with the new Vinculum Software Tool Suite, which provides a royalty-free C based integrated development environment to enable users to easily develop applications for the VNC2. To learn more, visit http://www.mouser.com/ftdivinculum2.

In support of the new Dual USB Host Controller IC, Mouser is stocking the full range of Vinculum-II (VNC2) development modules and tools. The FTDI V2-EVAL is a complete evaluation and prototyping platform for the VNC2. This two board system features a main board with USB connectors and headers to access VNC2 interfaces plus separate daughterboards for connecting 32, 48, and 64-pin variations of the VNC2. The FTDI V2DIP1 and V2DIP2 are VNC2-based development modules with a single USB connector (V2DIP1) or two USB connectors (V2DIP2).

These modules are targeted for prototyping with the VNC2 and for application integration to enable USB capability within a finished product design. The FTDI VNC2 Debug Module consists of a miniature board with a USB miniB connector, which provides USB connectivity to Vinculum-II IDE development tools running on a PC. The VNC2 Debug Module can be used to program and debug firmware running on the VNC2 device.

Mike Scott, Mouser Vice President of Active Products, remarks, “The new Vinculum-II USB IC from FTDI allows designers to create products that take advantage of the significant increase in performance and functionality. We work hard to find the newest products from our suppliers that can enable tomorrow’s designs and are excited to offer this next generation USB controller to our engineering customers.”

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser offers customers the latest, most technologically advanced components for their newest design projects. Mouser Electronics’ website is updated daily and searches over 6.7 million products to locate over 1.7 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses an industry-first interactive catalog, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.

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Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced it has entered into an agreement with  (NASDAQ: EXAR) to distribute the company’s analog and mixed-signal ICs to Digi-Key customers around the globe.

Exar Corporation delivers highly differentiated silicon, software and subsystem solutions for industrial, datacom and storage applications. Exar’s product portfolio includes power management and interface components, communications products, storage optimization solutions, network security and applied service processors.

Exar products are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

“We are excited to be partnering with Digi-Key, a clear leader in on-line distribution with unparalleled worldwide market penetration,” said Bentley Long, vice president, Worldwide Sales, Exar Corporation. “Digi-Key’s robust web capabilities, focused on solving an engineer’s design challenges, include localized websites, technology zones, and dynamic product training modules will accelerate the evaluation and adoption of Exar’s products. We look forward to working with Digi-Key to establish and support new customers and markets.”

“We are very pleased to announce this distribution agreement with Exar Corporation with its strong product offerings in power, communication and interface devices,” said Dave Doherty, Digi-Key’s vice president of semiconductor product. “Digi-Key’s customers worldwide will benefit from their commitment to silicon, software and subsystem solutions.”

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Optimized for Gigabit Ethernet configurations

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, today announced it has stock on Fox Electronics line of application specific XpressO® oscillators.

Pre-configured to precise application-specific requirements in an industry standard 7mm by 5mm package, these oscillators are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

Designed to meet the needs of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10GbE applications, the series is the first to combine Fox’s patented XpressO technology with specific characteristics to meet the demanding needs of 3.3-volt (+/-5% standard) Ethernet-specific applications to ensure the best performance without the wait associated with custom products.

XpressO technology offers fast delivery of low jitter, small package size, and multiple frequency and output options at a low cost. XpressO oscillators utilize a family of proprietary application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with a key focus on noise reduction.

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Avnet Memec has introduced a new line of products for growing energy-related markets from Cirrus Logic Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS). The CS1500 and CS1600 are the industry’s first digital power factor correction (PFC) controller ICs, offering power supply and lighting ballast system designers improved performance and simplified designs compared to legacy analog PFC products. Both ICs are highly integrated and therefore contribute significantly to the reduction of the overall bill of materials.

“PFC is required in many electronic applications around the world, as global regulations push to improve the overall efficiency of the utility grid,” explains Mike Sandyck, Technical Marketing Manager Avnet Memec. “As global regulatory requirements and efficiency standards become increasingly strict, analog PFC chips are nearing the end of their capabilities. New digital solutions enable continued performance and feature improvements designed to meet future market demands.”

Featuring the new EXL Core™ architecture, with over 50 patented and patent-pending digital algorithm technologies, the CS1500 and CS1600 are able to intelligently solve increasingly complex power management challenges unlike previous analog products. Through its patent-pending digital noise shaping technology, both devices enable reduced-size EMI filters, cutting the need for additional high-priced components and circuitry. Additionally, these digital ICs improve energy efficiency across all load conditions, with a distinct performance advantage in light load conditions and simplify system designs by reducing external component count by more than 30 percent.

Product Information and Availability The CS1500 and CS1600 are digitally controlled, discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), active power factor correction ICs intended for use in power supplies rated up to 300 watts. The CS1500 is designed to address compact power supplies, while the CS1600 targets electronic lighting ballasts. The CS1500 and CS1600 are available in an 8-pin SOIC package.

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Premier Farnell plc, in line with the company’s focus on Electronic Design Engineers (EDE), driving business to the web and growth in emerging markets, announces a global franchise distribution agreement with Future Technology Devices International (FTDI), a leading specialist in the design and supply of silicon and solutions for Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectivity.

Premier Farnell customers will now have global access to FTDI Chip’s expansive portfolio of USB ICs and connectivity products including converters for legacy RS232, RS422 and RS485-based applications and technologies that enable USB connectivity within embedded designs. Most products will be offered from stock. In this agreement FTDI will extend their marketing support to Premier Farnell and collaborate on new product information via element14, Premier Farnell’s innovative information portal and online community exclusively created for electronic design engineers to globally collaborate, share and access new information to support them in their design work.

Through Premier Farnell’s global distribution network and element14, FTDI products can be ordered in bulk and are available for next-day delivery. Local language websites and regional offices ensure that Premier Farnell’s customers receive excellent sales and technical support on all its product lines.

FTDI designs and supplies complete silicon, hardware, and software solutions for enabling USB connectivity within customer products. The company’s silicon solutions include their industry leading range of USB converter ICs, providing flexible connectivity to a wide range of devices and applications. More recently, FTDI have expanded their portfolio with the Vinculum II USB Host / Slave controllers designed to provide USB Host level functions and capabilities within embedded applications. FTDI’s mission is to provide designers with complete low-risk, ready-to-use USB connectivity within their products while providing benefits of reduced development cost and faster time to market.

“This global distribution agreement with FTDI is an integral part of our business strategy to enhance the Premier Farnell value proposition by continually developing and growing our already extensive line card of leading technology suppliers to satisfy the evolving requirements of our customers worldwide,” said David Shen, Group Senior Vice President and Global Head of EDE and Technical Marketing of Premier Farnell. “We are excited by the opportunity this new distribution agreement with FTDI affords us to attract new design engineering customers worldwide”.

“FTDI offers solutions that significantly simplify and speed both the migration of legacy designs to USB and the integration of USB into new applications,” said Fred Dart, CEO of FTDI Chip “We offer the easiest route to USB migration by combining USB Serial and USB FIFO silicon solutions with our ready-to-go royalty free USB drivers and our “total” solution offers customers reduced development and debug costs with a quick time to market. Through our new global agreement with Premier Farnell we will be able to support and service the worldwide design community with the technology to address legacy peripherals to UBS for the next generation of innovative technology applications.”

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, and austriamicrosystems, a leading designer of standard and customized high-performance analog ICs, today announced the two companies have entered into an agreement in which Digi-Key will distribute austriamicrosystems products to customers worldwide.

Products from austriamicrosystems are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

“We are very pleased to announce this distribution agreement with austriamicrosystems with its strong product offerings in high performance analog, particularly in sensors, power management, and magnetic encoder technologies,” said Dave Doherty, Digi-Key’s vice president of semiconductor product. “austriamicrosystems has strong European brand awareness that we are excited to expand to engineers globally.”

“We are excited to be partnering with Digi-Key, the clear leader in online engineering solutions and service,” said Heribert Hochrinner, global channel manager for austriamicrosystems. “Our advanced analog technology, combined with Digi-Key’s unique portfolio and capabilities, will bring new choices to design engineers worldwide.”

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