Fujitsu Selects Mentor Graphics Sourcery CodeBench for
next-generation FM3 microcontroller family embedded development

Fujitsu Semiconductor Europe and Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) today announce that Fujitsu has chosen the Mentor^® Embedded Sourcery™ CodeBench for ARM^® EABI (embedded application binary interface) to support Fujitsu's FM3 Cortex™-M3 microcontrollers and hardware evaluation boards.   

Fujitsu's selection is based on providing its customers with a software development ecosystem that incorporates a high-quality GNU toolchain that enables customers to begin compiling and debugging embedded software on evaluation boards within minutes of product installation. The evaluation boards support bare-metal and real-time operating system (RTOS) applications, including consumer and industrial, for Fujitsu's FM3 series of 32-bit general-purpose microcontrollers. 

"Mentor's Sourcery CodeBench is the de-facto standard GNU tool-chain for a broad range of hardware architectures," said Wolf Fronauer, Marketing Manager, Fujitsu Semiconductor Europe. "Our mission was to create an embedded ecosystem for both bare metal and OS development, enabling our customers to compile, debug, and test with greater reliability and speed."

The Mentor Embedded Sourcery CodeBench technology delivers a high-quality and low-cost integrated development environment (IDE). The Sourcery CodeBench tool provides a standardised cross-architecture integrated package containing open source components including the GNU toolchain and Eclipse IDE. This standardisation provides a common ecosystem for Fujitsu processor customers, with the Mentor Embedded team lending essential technical support services.  The Sourcery CodeBench product combined with hardware evaluation boards for Fujitsu FM3 devices offer a complete out-of-box solution to embedded developers.  The Mentor Embedded Sourcery Probes and other JTAG probes supported by Sourcery CodeBench, permit hardware debugging of the evaluation boards from a host system. Thus, developers using Fujitsu devices can compile and debug on these evaluation boards within minutes of installing the Sourcery CodeBench tool.

"Fujitsu is a global leader and its next-generation FM3 family of microcontrollers can be found in factory automation, white goods, industrial and consumer electronics, where developers need to compete with speed and reliability," said Mark Mitchell, Director of Tools , Mentor Graphics Embedded Software Division. "Sourcery CodeBench will help Fujitsu customers realise the productivity and performance gains required for device optimisation, thereby serving as a competitive advantage."

For further information, view website: http://mentor.com/go/cb-fujitsu

Advanced soldering and brazing materials for the global market

Nihon Superior (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., subsidiary of Nihon Superior Co. Ltd., a supplier of advanced soldering and brazing materials to the global market, offer a new expanded range of SN100C products.

The SN100C alloy has more than 10 years of success and innovation. During the decade of  SN100C's service in the industry, SN100C has been finding popularity and providing  superior solutions in numerous markets.

SN100C (030)
SN100C (030) is a high-reliability no-clean flux-cored lead-free solder wire. The wire provides good separation of the solder from the tip with reduced incidence of icicles.

It also provides numerous benefits including less tip and pad carbonizing, less flux splatter, less flux residue cracking, fast soldering and melting, good spread, and substantial cost advantages. Additionally, the wire provides fewer shrinkage defects, reduced copper erosion and a stable intermetalic layer.

SN100C P500
SN100C P500 is a high-reliability no-clean lead-free solder paste with a general purpose.  Because of its high fluidity close to its melting point and fast wetting, SN100C P500 can be used as a drop-in replacement for SAC solder paste in reflow profiles that peak around 240℃. However, it brings to reflow soldering the advantages that have made SN100C such a popular choice in wave soldering, i.e. smooth shiny fillets with no shrinkage defects, high ductility and stable intermetallic with consequent superior performance under vibration, and impact loading. The SN100C P500 no-clean halide-free medium delivers excellent printability, long stencil life, good tack, excellent reflow and wetting on all substrates with no solder balls and minimal clear residue.

SN100C P520
SN100C P520 is a high-reliability no-clean lead-free solder paste optimized to deliver  good reflow with chip components down to 01005 (0402 metric). SN100C P520 improves the joint quality of densely populated boards with filletless, small solder volume chip components and fine-pitch mounting in which a reduction in joint strength is a concern due to the very small joint size. Additional benefits include low residue, excellent reflow characteristics on small pads, good hot slump performance, stable printability on small pads, excelling wetting behavior (even on brass and nickel). As an additional benefit to users, SN100C P520 generally can be reflowed with a profile similar to that commonly used with SAC305 and SAC405 with 240℃ peak. The paste is a compliant alloy that provides impact strength and substantial cost advantages.

SN100C (044)
SN100C (044) is a halogen-free high-reliability no-clean flux-cored lead-free solder wire that does not contain F, Cl, Br and I. This wire provides good separation of the solder from the tip with reduced incidence of icicles. Additionally, it results in reduced cracking of flux residue, fewer shrinkage defects, reduced copper erosion, cost advantages and a stable intermetallic layer.

SN100C P602
SN100C P602 is a halogen-free high-reliability no-clean lead-free solder paste that does not contain F, Cl, Br and I. Designed as a high-reliability solder paste for high-density assembly with stable printability, the paste provides excellent reflow with good wetting and minimum incidence of mid-chip balling, low residue and significant cost advantages. Additionally, it typically can be reflowed with a profile similar to that which is commonly used with SAC305 and SAC405 with 240℃ peak.

As an additional service, Nihon Superior now has a preform capability. It can provide very fine wire/cored wire down to 0.1 mm. Also, the company can provide SN100C as a foil andspheres for BGA.

For further information on the products discussed and other products and services, view website: www.nihonsuperior.co.jp

Nihon Superior Co. Ltd in profile
Nihon Superior was founded in 1966 when it began marketing unique flux products imported from the US. The company made its mark on society by gathering the most advanced soldering and brazing technologies and products from around the world, and supplying them to companies in the metal-joining industry. A turning point for the company came when it started developing its own soldering materials and with the success of its unique SN100C lead-free solder alloy Nihon Superior has become a major player in the global market. To support the growing demand for its products Nihon Superior has established manufacturing and sales centers in Japan, China and other Asian countries and formed business partnerships with companies in other markets.

For further information, view website: www.nihonsuperior.co.jp

SOURIAU´s secure PCB connection for hostile environments

SOURIAU´s secure PCB connection for hostile environments, its 8D Double Flange (38999 Series III) enables the panel fixing to be separated from the PCB connection. This is an elegant, robust, high-performance solution for connecting up PCBs in boxes whilst retaining all the flexibility of a standard interface.

The first flange of the 8D Double Flange is fixed to the panel using a jam nut mounting system, and the second flange is there to hold the printed circuit board in position. This separation between the two means that shocks and vibrations are not transmitted to the contacts, ensuring greater robustness.

SOURIAU can supply MIL-STD-1560 layouts in all sizes (from 9 to 25). The contacts have no shoulder, which means it is also possible to solder them to boards of varying thickness by reflow or wave soldering.

A zinc-nickel protective coating is offered as standard. In addition to being RoHS compliant, it also has the advantage of offering high resistance to salt spray, and keeping ensuring good continuity of electrical contact at the same time.

This means that the ground can be optimally connected to the PCB, helping provide better EMI protection between the connector and the upper side of the PCB.

This will be particularly valuable in the case of a multi-layer PCB with external metallisation.

Finally, SOURIAU can offer its customers a complete 3D CAD (Step) modelling package, to help system engineers achieve accurate sizing of their boxes.

For further information, e-mail: jblavette@souriau.com or view website: www.souriau.com  Refer to page 174