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Many people know that the Federal Reserve sets interest rates in order to loan money to other banks so they can keep cash flowing throughout the U.S. financial system. Mostly, this works great for everyone involved. But, sometimes, banks and thrifts need a little extra cash, mostly so they can meet the reserve requirement (the minimum amount of deposits banks need to be considered in good financial shape).
To meet the reserve, the Fed has what's known as the discount window, which allows banks to borrow money for a short period of time at a higher interest rate (called the discount rate) than the official Federal Funds rate.
It's called a window because it used to be an actual teller window, where banks would go to borrow from the federal government. Now, it's used more as a lender of last resort. In fact, banks prefer to borrow from one another than directly from the discount window, since the interest owed can be cheaper and going to the discount window tends to imply that the bank is in a spot of trouble.
The Fed, too, doesn't like banks borrowing this way, which is why the discount rate is always higher than the target rate. It also requires banks to collateralize the loans, meaning they have to turn over liquid assets, such as loans or CDs, to the Fed in order to get the money. As with any loan, the banks get the underlying collateral back when they pay off the balance.
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Atmel Upgrades 4 Linear Regulator PMU Single Chip to 5V Input Supply
Comtex
ROUSSET, France, Jun 24, 2008 (PR Newswire Europe via COMTEX) ----AT73C237 Integrates 4 Linear Regulators in a 3mm x 3mm QFN Package
Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the release of its AT73C237 Power Management Unit (PMU) compatible with a 5V input supply and generating four regulated output voltages, with programmable output voltage selection and output current up to 70mA.
The AT73C237 has a similar architecture to the established AT73C239 PMU, but supports a 5V supply. It integrates four Linear Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators, three of which provide the high-accuracy supply (programmable from 1.2V to 2.75V) required by RF and analog devices, and one 1.8V regulator for backup battery/capacitor recharging. It integrates a Two Wire Interface (TWI) to allow a microcontroller to program the variable LDO output voltages and manage the enable of each LDO.
"A number of customers have appreciated using the AT73C239 and many of them have requested a direct 5V input. The AT73C237 was designed to answer this requirement," commented Michele Casetta, Marketing Manager for Atmel's Power Management And Analog Companions (PMAAC) Product Line.
"A 3mm x 3mm QFN package integrating a four-channel power supply is a major differentiator in the market and today customers can connect the application supply (Li-Ion battery, AC/DC input, USB port, etc.) directly to the AT73C237, thereby increasing the level of analog integration, and minimizing the BOM cost and product size. The AT73C237 is a universal PMU. Thanks to its extremely small package and high integration, the AT73C237 can be used in a large number of applications from portable devices to PC peripheral boards, from wireless chipset supply (GPS, Bluetooth(R), etc.) to Ethernet powered devices," concluded Michele Casetta.
Pricing and Availability
Atmel offers the AT73C237 in a 3 x 3 mm, 16-pin QFN package priced at US$0.65 in quantities of 100K units. It is available now mounted on a reference design board or as engineering samples.
About Atmel
Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets.
(C) 2008 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel(R), logo and combinations thereof and others, are registered trademarks, or trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.
Information:
Atmel's AT73C237 product information may be retrieved at: http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/devices.asp?family_id=639
Web site: http://www.atmel.com
Peter Bishop, Communications Manager, Atmel Rousset, +33-(0)4-42-53-61-50, peter.bishop@atmel.com, or Public Relations, Helen Perlegos, +1-408-487-2963, hperlegos@atmel.com, both of Atmel
Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire Europe
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