Real World Connected Systems Magazine
First Quarter 2019
Modernizing FPGA Bitstream Authentication Fail-Safe Data Storage for IoT Applications New NVMe Communications Interface/Driver Technology and Encrypted Flash Drives Meets the Needs of Today’s Demanding Applications
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CONTENTS
Real World Connected Systems Magazine. Produced by Intelligent Systems Source
10 Fail-Safe Data Storage for IoT Applications
Nilesh Badodekar
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6 Modernizing FPGA Bitstream Authentication Ryan Kenny, Senior Strategic and Technical Marketing at Intel
New NVMe Communications Interface/Driver Technology and Encrypted Flash Drives Meets the Needs of Today’s Demanding Applications Richard Kanadjian, Business Manager, Kingston Technology
20 Innovative Products
Flexible, Off-the-Shelf SOM for Industrial Applications Leverage the SoC’s dual-core ARM and up to 480KLE user-programmable FPGA fabric to do more embedded processing with 40% less power. 12 high-speed transceiver pairs combined with Critical Link’s on-board memory subsystems make this SOM perfectly suited for the high-speed processing needs of cutting-edge industrial technology products in manufacturing, energy, healthcare, transportation, broadcast, and other industries.
Intel/Altera Arria 10 SoC SOMs & Development Kit
www.criticallink.com RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 3
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Modernizing FPGA Bitstream Authentication Ryan Kenny, Senior Strategic and Technical Marketing at Intel
Brief History of FPGA Bitstream Authentication Stratic Random Access Memory (SRAM) based FPGAs now have almost twenty years of history in the design of embedded and, recently, standard compute platforms. They provide some of the parallelism and hardware acceleration benefits of fixed-function ASIC accelerators, but also some of the advantages of programmable processors in that the same chip can be programmed and reprogrammed to perform many functions. For corporations investing the time, effort, and knowhow into designing FPGAs for their embedded systems, the FPGA design itself increasingly became highly valuable corporate intellectual property requiring protection. So security features were developed by the handful of major FPGA vendors – primary among them being encryption of the FPGA bitfile, protected by a secret key. A history of some of these features can be found in an IEEE survey of security published in 2014. Although protecting the FPGA bitstream from loss or 6 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
theft was achieved, encryption and a handful of other features supporting it did not protect the FPGA bitstream from random or deliberate manipulation or malicious replacement in a system. So Saar Drimer (arguably first) and others proposed or discussed the addition of authentication capabilities to sensitive bitstreams. External solutions were either discussed or offered by companies like Maxim and Infineon. FPGA vendors then made authentication solutions available in the form of symmetric key hash message authentication codes (HMACs) in the bitstream, authenticating modes of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-GCM), then eventually full bitstream signature-based authentication. What HMAC Does and Does Not Do Combining encryption and HMACs in a bitstream have been a standard practice in FPGA security for some time. If they are implemented in the same process (such as the Galois Counter Mode, AES-GCM) then they likely
use a single key for encryption and authentication. If they are separate processes, then it is possible to use two separate keys, although that then creates the need to identify, store, and protect two different keys. When using HMAC for authentication and sharing a key for encryption, a compromised key now allows for both loss of IP as well as malicious exploitation of the system. In addition, symmetric key hashes do not provide a newer security parameter that is addressed in asymmetric key digital signatures: non-repudiation. This is essentially a thread of traceability as to where a compromised bitstream may come from. When layering encryption and HMACs together in a bitstream, it is also important to specify the order of operation in the FPGA configuration process. Decrypting prior to authentication can generate side channel information from the encryption process, allowing for other key compromise attacks. Finally, although initially praised as a ‘dual purpose’ encryption mode, AES-GCM has seen a large number of published vulnerabilities and OpenSSL support security patches over the years that have lowered the overall confidence in its robustness. Experiments in Authenticating Entire Bitstream Some of the difficulties in using asymmetric keys and digitally signing an entire FPGA bitstream were identified in Drimer’s original paper on FPGA bitstream authentication. This is the issue of the size of the bitstreams (getting larger every generation of FPGAs) and inability to buffer all of that data in the FPGA while the signature is being verified. The one bitstream digital signature solution in the FPGA market today exhibits this limitation and incurs that cost on the user: authentication can triple the authentication time of the FPGA.
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Introducing ‘Hash Chaining’ One technology with a rising profile in digital security is the ‘block chain’. Block chain security takes advantage of the idea of creating hashes of one block of data with the hash of the last block of data, and carrying this forward such that the accuracy of each hash blocks depends on no tampering with any of the prior blocks. Although this concept in cryptocurrencies is applied more to ‘transactions in time’ rather than successive data blocks, the utility of ‘hash chaining’ is useful in solving the problem of FPGA bitstream authentication. Blocks similar to the HMACs are still used, but the new ‘hash digests’ will include the hash of current data, as well as the hash of the previous block’s hash digest. This creates a chain of hash dependencies that ensures any tampering or errors anywhere in the authentication process are detected in successive stages. One of the limitations of block chain technology is the raw computing power necessary to add to the block if the system is open-ended. This needn’t be a limitation when the process is limited to a single bitstream authenticated in real-time as part of configuration. Entire Authentication Process for New Intel FPGAs The newest generation of Intel FPGAs take advantage of this hash chain in two distinct ways. The first is providing all of the data integrity advantages of the HMAC process for bitstream authentication with the potential of separate keying from encryption (both encryption and authentication will use multiple keys). The second advan-
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tage is to provide a single hash chained bitstream header to provide as the data to be digitally assigned using an asymmetric authentication method (elliptic curve digital signature, ECDSA). In this way, the entire bitstream is not digitally signed, but the chained hash digest of the entire bitstream is signed instead. This significantly reduces the computational difficulty of verifying the digital signature and drastically reduces the impact on FPGA configuration latency. In the diagram above, the security enclave of the FPGA (Secure Device Manager, SDM) loads its firmware first which is digitally signed by Intel and optionally by the user, and the user bitstream’s header, including the chained hash digest of the entire bitstream, is signed by the user. Conclusion Security solutions, as always, are necessarily incomplete as measured by the moving target of malicious intents and capabilities. FPGA bitstream authentication has evolved and appeared in partial capabilities and limited advances with each new FPGA family. With this latest generational release, hash-based and digital signature solutions are combined for the first time and borrow from commercial block chain concepts to build the next bridge to securing critical FPGA-based intellectual property. References 1. FPGA Security: Motivations, Features, and Applications. Trimberger, Steve. Proceedings of the IEEE. 8 July, 2014. 2. Authentication of FPGA Bitstreams: How and Why, Drimer, Saar. University of Cambridge. 2007.
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Fail-Safe Data Storage for IoT Applications Nilesh Badodekar
For decades, the basic architecture of remote sensing nodes consisted of a controller, sensor, local storage memory, network connectivity interface and battery. This architecture has been replicated in all the systems that interact with real world inputs. In an industrial automation system, controllers monitor several sensors at varying rates, store time-stamped sensor data in local memory or expansion memory, and transfer data via industry standard buses like ProfiBus, etc. For an automotive ADAS system or an Event Data Recorder (EDR) system, several MCUs are simultaneously collecting and controlling the electronics of the car for a better driving experience and fail-safe data logging. A medical system requires similar functionality for life-critical sensor data that either gets recorded locally or is uploaded periodically to a central network. All these systems are trying to solve the fundamental problem of collecting data, storing critical parts of it, and taking appropriate action based on data analytics. 10 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
However, they all have different priorities. Industrial systems tend to capture massive amounts of data in short intervals from a wide variety of sensors and must maintain a detailed log locally as well as remotely. An automotive system might generate data at a slower rate but data retention is critical and in some cases, data loss can be life threatening. Since most cars tend to run for over a decade, the long-term reliability of storage tends to be a critical criterion when selecting the appropriate memory. Portable medical systems, on the other hand, tend to prioritize power consumption when selecting the optimal memory technology. Medical implants or hearing aids are highly optimized to store data accurately while consuming the lowest power possible, as these systems operate on a battery supply. Designing fail-safe data storage, with long-term reliability and low power consumption, is one of the critical challenges facing the designers of medical systems. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), every
device in the field can begin communicating over the network. A conservative estimate predicts that over 10 billion devices will be connected by the year 2020. These include cars, industrial automation equipment, medical implants, and new age devices like wearables, smart homes, etc. Next-generation 5G networks are already being deployed in several parts of the world and are expected to handle a majority of the traffic coming from these devices. But there are several unanswered questions which data scientists and system designers are trying to address today. • Which devices need to be connected to the cloud? • How much information needs to be broadcasted? • How much processing can be done locally? • Who pays for the cloud? A trivial approach is to upload everything to the cloud and handle processing remotely. While this may work for smaller and isolated systems, once the world
becomes more connected and a plethora of systems are trying to upload information, we’ll need to consider the cost of network vs local storage and processing. An autonomous car can generate several gigabytes of data per hour while driving. To anticipate future demand, now is the time to decide what to transfer and what to store locally for compressed transfer later. The same problem will be faced by industrial and medical system designers. Industry 4.0 is already migrating from “upload everything to the cloud” to a “process locally and upload smartly” approach. This makes choosing the optimal local data storage relevant for future systems. These systems will need reliable, low power, fail-safe memories for storing critical data. One approach is to use available Flash memory to log data. Flash technology is designed for efficient read operations and hence it has become ubiquitous for boot code and firmware storage. As Flash is already available to the system, designers may make the easy choice to use a Flash for data logging without understanding the technology limitations of Flash when it comes to performing write operations. A Flash cell can be “programmed” to contain new data only if the cell is erased beforehand. Programming a cell allows a change from logic ‘1’ state to logic ‘0’. During the next update, if the cells needs to hold a logic ‘1’, the cell must first be erased. To optimize erase speed and program times, Flash RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 11
Table 1
manufacturers have created different page, block, and sector architectures. A page is the smallest quantum of data that can be programmed into the Flash at one time. Flash devices contain an internal page size buffer that
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allows for temporary storage of data. Once the transfer from the external interface is complete, the device initiates a page program operation on a page that is already erased in the main array. If this page contains old data,
then it must be erased prior to a program operation. Every time an erase is performed, the Flash cell deteriorates. This phenomenon is quantified as endurance in a Flash datasheet. Typically, the best Flash devices are rated for endurance cycling of one hundred thousand erase-program cycles and are no longer guaranteed to reliably store data after reaching this limit. While this number appears large on paper, we will demonstrate that this device endurance falls short quickly even in low-end data logging systems. Some manufacturers implement byte programming and delayed programming from buffer to Flash memory. While these features do simplify the program operation into the device, they do not alleviate the Flash devices from the underlying technology limitation of endurance. To compensate for these limitations, the system designer is forced to implement a complex file system to handle wear leveling of Flash cells (i.e., spread wear evenly throughout the cells). The software overhead of a file system slows down the system. Let us evaluate scenarios where designers may consider a Flash-based memory for data logging. In industrial automation and asset management systems, sensor nodes tend to capture data several times per second, periodically sampling several different kinds of sensors. The node then assembles the packets for a network
upload. Typically, these data packets can range from 16-bytes to 128-bytes. As there is always a risk of power failure, these packets are stored on a non-volatile memory to avoid data loss. Vibration sensors or stepper motor position sensors provide short bursts of data every few milliseconds while sensors like temperature or humidity provide data once every second, but the logged data packet is comprised of data from several sensors. The tables above provide a comparative analysis of packet size versus sampling rate and how it wears down a Flash memory if it is used for datalogging. This example uses and 8Mbyte of Flash with 10^5 endurance cycles. The graph on the next page provide an interpretation of this data. We observe that for a low-end system, logging 8-16 bytes of data every 1 ms, an 8 Mbyte Flash wears out in under 5 years. An automotive or an industrial system is expected to be in field for over a decade. A low cost, high-risk option of simply adding more Flash memory requires a complex file system to handle wear levelling in Flash devices. If a file system is not implemented, then the system needs to handle the periodic chip erase cycles once the whole memory is rolled over. This problem only gets aggravated in today’s IoT world with ever-increasing data collecting terminals. Flash-based memories are well-suited for boot code and
Graph 1
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firmware storage, where the number of write cycles don’t exceed more than 1000 throughout the lifetime of the product in field. An ideal approach to address the data-logging problem would be to use a high endurance, instantly non-volatile memory which does not put data at risk due to program and erase delays. Ferroelectric RAMs (FRAM) are suited to address these kinds of applications. FRAM offers endurance cycles of 10^14 cycles, has instant non-volatility, and does not require program and erase operations. Any data that has entered the device interface is instantly stored. To put this in context, a 4-Mbit FRAM can log 128-byte data packet Accelerate Your Mission with GPGPU Computing streams every 10us and not wear out for over a thousand years. Up to four NVIDIA® Tesla GPGPU / GRID Cards FRAM memory cells consume power only when they are being Extended temperature operation, MIL-STD 810G written or read, so standby power Short Depth: 20’’, 21’’ and 25’’ consumption is on the order of a few microAmperes. This makes it feasible to operate FRAM memories in devices that run on batteries. Hearing aids and high-end medical wearables designed to sample heartbeats are examples of power-sensitive applications where FRAM can provide the low power and high endurance performance required. In automotive systems, where data is continuously logged into memory, a Flash-based system will fail to capture data during the “program” periods of Flash. In contrast, FRAMbased logging offers high reliability for these systems. The high endurance, ultra-low power consumption, and instant non-volatility of FRAM make it compelling alternative memory for critical data logging in the connected world. Today, FRAM memories are available for specific markets like Automotive and Industrial. FRAM also supports SPI, I2C, and parallel interfaces with densities ranging from 4 Kbits to 4 Mbits. For more details on designing fail-safe data storage for IoT applications, see Interfacing FRAM using SPI and ©2017 Themis Computer. All rights reserved. Themis and the Themis logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Themis Computer. Designing an FRAM Data Logger. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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New NVMe Communications Interface/Driver Technology and Encrypted Flash Drives Meets the Needs of Today’s Demanding Applications
The demand for performance continually increases. Large amounts of data must be strongly secured, easily accessed, and quickly processed. DOD demands adherence to its requirements about the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of components and systems. NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) communications interface and driver, and the use of hardware-based encrypted Flash USB drives are viable solutions. It has been over five years since the Department of Defense initiated its SWaP purchasing push. It basically requires that components and systems bought for military purposes – be they infantry, command, or administrative – be small in size, weight, and lower in power consumption. A noble ideal for sure, and one that continues today. Two critical, technical areas that benefit from the SWaP concept are communications, and the mobile storage and transfer of data via USB Flash drives. The following is a discussion of best practice solutions for each. Richard Kanadjian, Business Manager, Kingston Technology
NVMe Communications Interface and Driver Applications such as big-data analytics, server virtualization, and high-performance databases require ultra-low latency and extreme storage performance to deliver unmatched application results and better ROI at both the server and data center levels. Many of today’s data center architects are forced to use legacy “Good Enough” technologies in order to deliver the high performance required by DOD demands, as well as new and existing applications, while also attempting to lower overall cost to improve ROI. This approach often RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 15
increases complexity without providing the sought-after benefits of improved TCO. Solution providers are looking at newer technologies like NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) and PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), the next generation storage protocol and interface, to replace legacy interfaces such as SATA/AHCI. Replacing these technologies will help reduce complexity and cost, while increasing performance and lowering latency. It is important to understand the number of drives required, the requirements for HBAs, the differences in total power consumption, and the impact on application latency. It is expected that a single NVMe SSD will be able to replace banks of legacy SATA SSDs or worse, Hard Disk Drives, deployed behind host bus adapter cards. NVMe SSDs will reduce complexity, lower power consumption, provide increased performance, and improve data center TCO. Industry testing has revealed a clear advantage of using NVMe-based storage compared to the legacy “good enough” approach of SATA-based storage. Compared to using banks of SATA SSDs behind HBAs, direct connect NVMe SSDs, such as those used in our upcoming KC2000 SSD enable higher performance, higher reliability, lower power, and improved TCO for data centers demanding high-performance SSD storage. What previously required an entire box of SATA devices now can be done with a single card. The benefits derived from using high-performance NVMe SSDs will lead to a natural migration away from legacy protocols towards PCIe and NVMe-based storage. Replacing these technologies will help reduce complexity and cost, while increasing performance and lowering latency. NVMe is a communications interface and driver that defines a command set and feature set for PCIe-based SSDs. It is the most efficient way to increase performance and productivity for enterprise and client needs. It provides increased and efficient performance, and interoperability on a broad range of enterprise and client systems. It was designed for Flash SSDs. It handles communications between the storage interface and the System CPU using high-speed PCIe sockets, independent of storage form factor. Input/output tasks performed using NVMe drivers begin faster, transfer more data, and finish faster than older storage models, such as AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface). Because it is designed for SSDs, NVMe is becoming the new industry standard. Comparatively speaking, PCIe Gen 4 can transfer data 16 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
at a rate of 2,000MB per second (32,000MB per second using 16 lanes) vs. SATA III’s transfer rate of just 600MB per second and is restricted to one lane. In a nutshell, NVMe is designed for SSDs with flash technology, has 64K command queues, can send 64K commands per queue, low CPU cycle commands, has a latency of 2.8 microseconds, communicates directly with the System CPU, and has over one-million IOPs. NVMe technology provides optimal performance. • Superior storage PCIe socket transfer greater than 25x than their SATA equivalent. • Superior speed NVMe begins sending commands more than 2x faster than AHCI drivers. NVMe input/output operations per second exceed one million and are up to 900% faster than its AHCI equivalent. • Superior compatibility NVMe cuts out the middle man by communicating directly with the System CPU. NVMe-based drives work with all major operating systems, regardless of form factor. Secure, Hardware-Based Encrypted USB Drives With capacities ranging from 4GB to 128GB today, tremendous portability and the exceptionally easy ability to be connected to various networks, encrypted USB drives can be used securely as file-sharing and mobility tools, backup drives, and more by agencies and departments of all sizes. Unencrypted USB drives (also commonly known as removable media, flash drives, thumb drives, and other terms), however, pose a major risk. While they have revolutionized data transfers, unencrypted USB drives have also introduced grave security concerns, as they are very susceptible to being lost, breached, and misappropriated. And that leads to the possibility of critical, classified, sensitive data landing in the wrong hands. With their extreme portability, USB drives can turn up anywhere – from jacket pockets to parking lots to bad actors – putting military data and the like at serious risk. With good reason, many parts of the military have restricted the use of USB drives. Unencrypted USB drives single handedly can negate millions of dollars spent on cyber security, whether intentionally or through carelessness. No one, especially the military, should have data on an unprotected drive.
Considering that military workers at every level are producing a wide range and reams of information daily – everything from top-level national security plans to proposed budgets, staffing needs, meeting minutes, strategic positioning, defense strategies, intelligence, and much more – it is no wonder the use of USB drives is a major security concern. Blocking or prohibiting staff from all USB ports may sound like an easy solution, however it may also restrict productivity and lower work efficiency. So, how do you deal with the risks without completely forbidding USBdrive usage and forfeiting all of its conveniences? Secure, hardware-based encrypted USB drives. These flash drives are an essential pillar of a comprehensive data loss-prevention (DLP) strategy. Experts say organizations must insist their members use only hardware encrypted USB drives with 256-bit AES XTS encryption, which combine the productivity advantages of allowing USB access while protecting the information on the drive. Encrypted USB drives are designed to protect even the most sensitive data, using the strictest security regulations and protocols defined by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, and commonly referred to as FIPS 140-2 Level 3 for the most secure drives in the market). Encrypted USB drives are powerful tools in closing security gaps, and helping ensure security and compliance by offering: • Complex password protection • Protection against drive firmware tampering (also known as Bad USB) • Protection against brute-force attacks that limit password guessing • Tamper evident technology that disables a drive when tampered or makes it evident • Remote management to allow for server-based management of all drives, allowing for password resets through remote drive disabling or geo-locating • Wide-capacity range Encryption of USB drives is performed two ways: either through the device’s hardware or software. The most effective way is through the hardware. A self-contained encrypted USB drive protects against external snooping of its internal storage and components. A USB drive with hardware-based encryption is an
Encrypted SSD As with the USB flash drive, newer SSDs provide end-to-end data protection as well. They incorporate advanced 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption, and offer support for Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Opal 2.0 as required by security platforms. This provides the advantage of drive encryption and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software programs to activate and manage TCG Opal, such as Symantec, McAfee, WinMagic and others. These SSDs serve as an important element to security policies when complying with military standards and global regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
excellent, non-complicated, simple solution to protecting data from breaches, while also meeting evolving military regulations. Priced between $40 and $600, depending on capacity, they are an ideal solution for applications throughout the military. Such devices meet tough industry security standards and offer the ultimate security in data protection to confidently manage threats and reduce risks. Hardware-based encrypted USB drives are self-contained and do not require a software element on the host computer. No software vulnerability eliminates the possibility of brute-force, sniffing, and memory hash attacks. Encrypted drives have digitally signed firmware that cannot be altered, as well as a physical layer of protection. Some of these drives come in epoxy-dipped/ filled cases that prevent access to the physical memory. In contrast, a USB drive with software encryption uses software that runs on the host computer and is vulnerable to attacks. The top-of-the-line hardware-based encrypted USB drives (e.g., the Kingston IronKey™ D300 line), use AES 256-bit encryption in XTS mode. This and similar drives reformat after 10 attempts of password guessing to ensure that anyone who finds such a drive cannot access the information. A hardware-centric/software-free encryption approach to data security is the best defense against data loss, as it eliminates the most commonly used attack routes. This same software-free method also provides complete cross-platform compatibility with any OS or embedded equipment possessing a USB port and file storage system. Flash memory in the form of USB drives are perfect for this smaller, faster, lighter push that the military has been going after. Encrypted USB drives provide a way for the military to use them securely in situations where they are needed and can be the best, most secure solution for data transportation and storage. RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 17
Innovative Product World’s smallest active NFC sensor module by DYCONEX DYCONEX AG, an MST company, has developed a novel approach to miniaturized, hermetic and highly reliable smart sensor modules with diameters down to 6 millimeters. They are ideal for use in medical, food processing, pharmaceutical, chemical or industrial applications. The tiny modules are based on Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), a thermoplastic dielectric material with very low water absorption (< 0.04%), high chemical stability and low thermal expansion. LCP is best suited both as a substrate material and as an encapsulate. The permeability for water and gases is the lowest among all polymeric materials. Soak tests with an embedded, moisture sensitive test chip have demonstrated long term stability (> 14 months) and sufficient hermeticity for exposures in harsh environments. Processing techniques for LCP substrates are the same as for other substrate materials. Resolution of lines, spaces and vias are comparable, multilayer structures can be built and part of the metal layers can be used to form a coil for NFC (Near Field Communication). The substrates can be assembled with standard SMT processes as well as connected and sealed without the need for any adhesives by benefiting from its thermoplastic properties. LCP is a homogenous material and can be easily machined with UV lasers with a precision down to the micrometer scale, for example to integrate cavities and openings for recessed components.
Everything you need to evaluate the new best in class NXP i.MX 8 QuadMax processors Congatec releases a SMARC 2.0 Quick Starter Kit for the new NXP i.MX 8 QuadMax processor family. The kit offers everything developers need for the immediate evaluation of the new NXP i.MX 8 processor generation. Developers of vision-based AI applications, in particular, benefit from the natively supported integrated MIPI interfaces and optional pre-configured software support for artificial intelligence. “Developers of highly integrated IIoT, industrial and embedded vision applications can reach the next technology level very quickly and easily with the new NXP i.MX 8 based SMARC 2.0 modules, because they can immediately integrate a credit card sized off-theshelf module into their applications with minimum space requirements. The starter kit is a key complement to our comprehensive i.MX 8 ecosystem of products and services. It enables the rapid evaluation of this brand-new processor architecture, which will open up many new application fields for us in the real-time industrial area as well as in vision-based AI sectors,” explains Martin Danzer, Director Product Management at congatec. “Thanks to the comprehensive design-in services of our Technical Solution Center that come with the starter kit, it really couldn’t be any easier to start developing SMARC 2.0 based i.MX 8 applications.” Services offered by the Technical Solution Center for the new SMARC 2.0 and Qseven modules with NXP i.MX 8X processors range from High Assurance Booting (HAB) implementation, bootloader and OS image authentication through private and public key cryptography and customer-specific BSP adaptation to long-term software maintenance for Linux and Android. The offering further includes selection of suitable carrier board components and design reviews as well as high-speed signal compliance tests, thermal simulations, MTBF calculations, and debugging services for customer-specific solutions. The goal is to always provide customers with the most accessible and efficient technical support – from requirement engineering to mass production.
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Alegion Launches Enterprise Computer Vision Platform that Accelerates Data Preparation for Machine Learning through Efficient Image and Video Annotation New annotation capabilities integrated with ML-assistance and advanced quality control produce high-accuracy training data for machine learning in computer vision Alegion launched its new suite of image and video annotation tools for training data in computer vision initiatives. These new capabilities are specialized for data tasks like image classification, object localization, and semantic segmentation, and are being used by customers across retail, automotive, technology, government, and financial services. Alegion’s enterprise computer vision suite features machine learning-assisted capabilities like object proposal in imagery, object tracking in video, and superpixel algorithms for semantic segmentation that increase efficiency and accuracy in image and video annotations. These capabilities are integrated with other Enterprise platform features like iterative task workflows, complex taxonomy support, nested entity relationship classifications, and machine learning-augmented quality controls, all designed for the most sophisticated computer vision data annotation use cases. “Enterprise-class use cases in computer vision require advanced classification capabilities and feature images and videos that are target-rich, necessitating sophisticated workflows that integrate the best of human annotations with machine learning to efficiently produce accurate results,” said Chip Ray, CTO of Alegion. “The combination of machineassisted annotation, iterative workflows, and machine learning-augmented quality controls in the Alegion platform have proven to be effective at delivering accuracy at scale.” Numerous customers are already experiencing success with new computer vision capabilities from the platform. “High-quality training data is key to the development of our artificial intelligence model. Alegion’s image annotation solution has accelerated our training data preparation and efficiently produces data that meets or exceeds our accuracy requirements. Alegion’s annotation tools, machine learning assistance, and quality control strategies have greatly improved confidence in our AI initiatives,” said Steve Muscarello, Vice President of Product Development at Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc.
MEN releases DIN-Rail Concept for Industrial Applications The DIN-Rail concept is modular and suitable for a wide range of embedded IoT applications. MEN has now expanded the family concept to include a CPU module for industrial automation, an expansion module for serial communication and a memory module for storage intensive applications. DIN-Rail - Focusing on the essentials The DIN-Rail concept is modular and suitable for a wide range of embedded IoT applications. It allows build-to-order configurations: In a modular system, the essential functions are combined in the desired system combination - tailor-made for the application. For this, the individual modules range from the CPU unit to a railway-compatible power supply unit and a series of expansion modules for wireless communication, serial I/O and memory. The CPU - Low Power for Embedded IoT and Network Applications The MC50I computer platform is the ideal partner for embedded applications in industrial automation. The module has an Intel Atom E3900 series CPU and offers low power dissipation and scalability in performance and memory. Additional functions such as the board management controller or the trusted platform module provide extended security for the application. The Mass Storage - Data Repository for Industrial Applications The ME2 data storage module is a modular extension for DINRail systems. The integrated shuttle is suitable for a 2.5” SATA hard disk/SSD. For a higher storage capacity, two ME2 modules with up to 8 TB can be combined in one system. The Interfaces - From Serial to Wireless Communication The ME3 expansion module has additional serial interfaces. With the three COM ports on the front, four UARTs can be addressed. The standard product has one RS232 port, one RS232/ RS422/RS485 port and one RS422/RS485 or IBIS port (master or slave). In addition, the MC50M CPU module, the ME1 wireless communication module (LTE Advanced, WLAN and GNSS) and the MP1 wide-range power supply (24 V DC to 110 V DC) have already been successfully established.
RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 21
Innovative Product The most compact i7-powered fanless NUC available, Logic Supply’s ML100G-31 is built around an Intel Dawson Canyon NUC board and employs the company’s proven Hardshell™ Fanless Technology to ensure unparalleled thermal performance. In response to increasing demand for enhanced processing power at the edge, IoT hardware specialists Logic Supply have released the smallest ever fanless and ventless NUC to feature an 8th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor. Available as part of the company’s ML100 Series, the ML100G-e31 provides a fully solid state, passively cooled computing solution, designed for reliability in demanding environments and measures just 142 x 62 x 107mm, making it the smallest fanless Intel Kaby Lake i7 PC on the market. “There’s an incredibly diverse, and ever-growing, array of computing applications that require a precise combination of small footprint, computing performance and reliability,” says Murat Erdogan, VP of Products at Logic Supply. “Ultimately, we want to provide computer users with the right hardware solution, no matter the job at hand, and an i7 fanless NUC option was a frequent request from our clients. Our team worked very hard to overcome the thermal management challenges, but adding i7 processing to the ML100 provides another level of flexibility to one of our most popular small form factor platforms, and we’re looking forward to seeing what our clients are able to create with it.” Logic Supply, with support from Intel’s thermal design lab, created a proprietary heatsink for the NUC717DNBE motherboard and Quad-Core i7-8650U Kaby Lake CPU. They also collaborated with Intel to identify a way to ensure that the ML100G-31 features the 5 year lifecycle that will allow their industrial computing clients to standardize on the platform. The ML100 is able to cool the processor and other internal components by employing Logic Supply’s proven Hardshell™ Fanless Technology. Through the use of unique exterior fins and specially machined heatsink design, the system is able to maintain an optimal operating temperature without the need for a cooling fan. Removing the fan from the system improves overall reliability and, unlike fanned solutions that are vulnerable to airborne contaminants, allows it to operate in challenging computing environments across a range of industries including manufacturing and automation, industrial digital signage, logistics and remote security and surveillance. “The proliferation of cloud computing has created a need for enhanced processing capabilities at the edge,” says Joel Christensen, General Manager, Systems Product Group of the Intel Corporation. “Having an Intel Core i7 processing option in a compact, fully solid state device, such as he Logic Supply ML100, provides excellent installation and application flexibility while helping to limit bandwidth usage and process latency.” 22 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
MultiTech Introduces Global LTE Category M1/NB-IoT Industrial Router Extended Coverage Options and 2G Fallback, Where Available, Simplify Supply Chain and Logistics With a Single SKU for Global IoT Deployments MultiTech announced the latest addition to its compact, intelligent, full-featured MultiConnect® rCell 100 series of cellular routers. The newest models support both LTE Category M1 and NB-IoT around the world with 2G fallback, where available, for global deployments. The MultiConnect rCell 100 series is now available with your choice of cellular technology from 2G and 3G to 4G-LTE and cellular LPWA – providing a broad device selection to tailor solutions to specific application needs. The latest global models provide all the benefits of the rest of the family, including Ethernet or serial connectors; enhanced security protocols; an intuitive user interface for easy configuration and deployment, and included DeviceHQ® cloud-based device management for over-the-air firmware updates, as needed. “With all its many benefits, LTE, with its 60+ supported bands deployed variously in different geographies, introduced a level of complexity, forcing supply chain managers overseeing global enterprises to manage multiple devices and part numbers in order to support worldwide IoT deployments,” said Duane Wald, Vice President and Managing Director for EMEA and APAC at MultiTech. “These new models significantly reduce that burden by providing worldwide connectivity with a single part number. Pairing that simplicity with the cost-effective and power-efficient profiles of cellular LPWA creates significant value while optimizing total cost of ownership.”
Digi International Unveils Digi Foundations: A Comprehensive IoT Hardware, Management Applications and Technical Support Package Digi International announced the availability of Digi Foundations™, which combines hardware, software applications, services and support in a comprehensive IoT-in-a-box package that simplifies and speeds the process of creating connected digital ecosystems, especially those with mission-critical applications. As wireless data technologies spread throughout every industry, organizations seek to extend connected solutions to multiple sites in order to manage key assets, track inventory and deployments, and ensure compliance and security. Until now, they have been forced to manage multiple providers with disparate hardware, software, data, asset connectivity and infrastructure solutions. Addressing these challenges by providing a complete solution, Digi Foundations touches every element of IoT deployment, including management and analytics. Beginning with the physical hardware, Digi Foundations builds upon edge intelligence. Digi’s offerings place bidirectional data and computation where it makes the most sense – at the sensor, gateway, business center, cloud, or in any combination – while also providing access to data from intelligent edge devices previously beyond reach.
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RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 23
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24 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
Intel, congatec and Real-Time Systems present industrialgrade application server platform for multiple real-time controls Jack-of-all trades server ready to take over industrial controls Intel, congatec and Real-Time Systems showed a live demo of their brand new industrialgrade application server platform for multiple real-time industrial controls at their respective Embedded World 2019 stands. With its extremely fast deterministic behavior on up to 6 cores, the COM Express Type 6 based Intel® Xeon® E2 industrial application server platform is capable to take over the control of multiple real-time and non-real time tasks including smart vision, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics control and – optionally – IIoT-based monitoring, maintenance and management. The application-ready, real multitasking capable industrial control platform utilizes the RTS Hypervisor from Real-Time Systems and targets the next generation of vision-based collaborative robotics, automation controls and autonomous vehicles that have to tackle multiple tasks in parallel, including situational awareness utilizing deep learning based AI algorithms. “We see various application areas for multifunctional and multitasking industrial-grade application servers,” explains Christian Eder, Director Marketing at congatec. “As next-generation industrial controls are connected they need to interact with each other in real time. In many applications we also observe the need to implement vision-based AI. In addition, IIoT-based data exchange is required to monitor the distributed machinery in the various industrial fields. The demo of our industrial-grade application server platform for multiple real-time controls is qualified for exactly these applications.” “We clearly see a trend of workload consolidation all the way down to the machines on the factory floor” adds Gerd Lammers, CEO of Real-Time Systems. “Today’s customers consolidate heterogeneous workloads like AI, Vision and secure gateways in parallel to hard real-time controls and Time Sensitive Networking (TSN). All that OEM engineers require to combine all these tasks in one system is a multi-core embedded server platform and a real-time hypervisor. All companies involved in our workload consolidation demo did an excellent job, and I am sure that there are quite a few industrial customers who will be watching with great interest what we are presenting at Embedded World.” The demo of the COM Express Type 6 based Intel® Xeon® E2 industrial-grade application server platform integrates three application-ready, preconfigured virtual machines. One operates a Basler vision camera, where the vision-based object recognition runs on Linux via the Intel® OpenVino® software and the AI algorithms are executed on an Intel® Arria® 10 FPGA card from Refexces. The two independent real-time partitions run real-time Linux to control the balance of an inverted pendulum in real-time. Visitors can try to disturb the balance of the pendulums – the system will react instantly and with real-time behavior to keep the pendulums in balance. To demonstrate the independence of these applications and the real-time behavior on a single server platform hosting several virtual machines, the Linux partition can be rebooted without any impact on the virtualized real-time system balancing the pendulums. All virtual machines are individually partitionable via the real-time hypervisor software from Real-Time Systems, providing perfectly tailored resources for the manifold real-time and non-real time tasks of next generation robotics, machinery and industrial controls integrated on one single industrial-grade application server platform.
Telit Transforms Wireless Broadband Networking with Blazing Fast 5G Wireless Speeds • Telit announces new data cards based on the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X55 5G modem and RF Front-End solutions, the latest in a series of first to market introductions based on Qualcomm Technologies’ chipsets • Featuring support for 5G in millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-6 GHz spectrum as well as 4G LTE, the new cards are ideal for fixed wireless solutions and high bandwidth enterprise networking Telit announces that it will be among the first providers of data cards based on Qualcomm Technologies’ second generation 5G New Radio (NR) modem, the Snapdragon X55 5G modem and their antenna modules with integrated RF transceiver, RF Front-End (RFFE) and antenna elements, representing an important milestone in the Telit roadmap. The new data cards are ideal for enterprise network appliances, branch and remote office routers, fixed wireless broadband internet access and other bandwidth-intensive applications benefitting from speeds more than 10 times as what a median LTE device can deliver. “Qualcomm Technologies is leading the way in the transition to the 5G era and we’re excited to collaborate with industry leaders such as Telit to enable 5G commercialization in 2019 and beyond,” said Gautam Sheoran, senior director, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The Snapdragon X55 5G modem and RFFE solutions, which are integrated in Telit’s data cards, are innovatively designed to bring 5G to broad range devices and will help expand 5G connectivity well beyond smartphones.” The first use cases for 5G ultra-high speeds will focus on transforming fixed wireless access and on enabling enterprises to grow and reconfigure their networks for improved resilience and speed,” said Manish Watwani, chief product and marketing officer, Telit. “This enables pioneering and unprecedented growth in business models leveraging the ability to create and establish new operating sites, offices and branches in an instant to take advantage of nonforecasted business opportunities that were previously inaccessible among other benefits.” The new 5G data cards are ideal for fixed wireless access applications such as enterprise routers and • VME boards with SATA, USB or SCSI interface gateways, and customer premise equipment (CPE). Also, applications such as video cameras, starting • Fixed or removable options using COTS SSDs today with 4K/HD and evolving to the coming generation 8K video, will also benefit of the high • Removable module rated for 100,000 mating cycles bandwidth provided by 5G, thanks to the aggregated bandwidth of up to 800Mhz supported in the mmWave spectrum; capable of delivering multi-gigabit speeds. • Discrete controlled military secure erase options At least two new data cards variants will be available. The first will support 5G and LTE in bands below 6 • P2 adapters available GHz in time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD) mode. The second will also support 5G in mmWave bands, initially available in the United States in sync with carrier rollout plans.
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RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 25
Innovative Product All-In-One (AIO) Casino Gaming System Provides an Array of Rich Features for Flexibility and Reliability WIN Enterprises, Inc. announces the PL-83240 an All-In-One (AIO), high-performance casino gaming system that supports four displays to deliver an immersive gaming experience. A combination of compact size, i.e., 10.2” (W) x 8” (L) x 3.8” (H), with high reliability helps make the PL-83240 an attractive casino gaming system for developers. WIN Enterprises was an early innovator in AIO platforms for the casino gaming industry. The company recognized the need for casinos to constantly rearrange their playing floors to help maintain player interest. This serves to add interest, but means any add-on cards are prone to loosen and experience faults. However when a rich array of features are provided on-board, as in the PL-83240, the connections remain stable and reliable. This fact, coupled with several security features, provides a reliable casino gaming system that can be trusted. Developers are then free to streamline any unneeded features without impacting system reliability. The PL-83240 All-In-One casino gaming system supports 6th Gen. Intel® Core™ Processors, Skylake-S, plus NVRAM, MRAM, 15W Audio Amp., and I/O gaming security measures. The ability to support multiple independent displays is increasingly a “must have” for today’s casino gaming systems. The PL-83240 supports 4 displays with up to 4K resolution (i.e., 4096 x 2304 pixels) to provide exceptional high-definition for visually-driven play.
Flexible, Off-the-Shelf SOM for Industrial Applications Leverage the SoC’s dual-core ARM and up to 480KLE user-programmable FPGA fabric to do more embedded processing with 40% less power. 12 high-speed transceiver pairs combined with Critical Link’s on-board memory subsystems make this SOM perfectly suited for the high-speed processing needs of cutting-edge industrial technology products in manufacturing, energy, healthcare, transportation, broadcast, and other industries.
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26 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
New and innovative way of navigation for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) in production and logistics thanks to Kontron’s embedded system IEmbedded Box PCs by Kontron which find their way through the factories with the navigation software KINEXON Brain from the Munich-based company KINEXON Industries GmbH. KINEXON Brain guides the transport vehicles precisely and safely to their destination even under harsh conditions. The robust construction and maintenance-free design of the fanless KBox A-series by Kontron allows safe and efficient navigation of automated guided vehicles: ground contamination, unfavorable light irradiation, dust or fumes are no longer a problem. Previous solutions for AGV navigation such as ground markers, lines or magnetic strips are also inflexible, expensive and require intensive maintenance and will not be needed any longer. KINEXON Brain is based on software implemented on an IoT gateway of Kontron’s KBox A-Series. The solution consists of an embedded Box PC with IoT functionalities and the sensors for communication with the sensor network, the KINEXON Vehicle Tags. In addition, there is a fieldbus coupler for communication with external I/Os and other components connected to the gateway, such as motors, laser scanners or a safety controller. The KINEXON Brain installed on Kontron’s KBox acts as a single interface to the hardware platform of the industrial truck. Johannes Feldmaier, Product Manager Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) at KINEXON: “By using Kontron’s KBox, we have succeeded in implementing one of the leading driverless transport system solutions for use in industrial environments within a very short time. Thanks to the offered standards, the scalability and the available interfaces, KINEXON Brain can be easily integrated into the products of various vehicle manufacturers. This allows a wide range of use in various fields of application, for example in the field of intralogistics or, in the future, also in the service robotics sector”. KINEXON decided in favor of Kontron’s KBox at the beginning of 2017, after a brief market survey and positive reports from Kontron customers. “Many of the solutions we looked at previously were significantly larger and heavier than the KBox and used active cooling,” explains Feldmaier. “However, if there is a lot of dust, as is the case in many production facilities and warehouses, these systems, are not suitable for providing precise data. Kontron’s KBox is compact, robust and scalable and has a practical interface layout. The fanless operation, important for KINEXON, allows ambient temperatures of up to 60°C by passive cooling. The system can be operated without a fan. With the necessary certifications and the fully tested system configuration as well as a very good price-performance ratio, Kontron can supply its customers with an adequate product.” Nobert Hauser, Vice President Marketing, Kontron: “By using the box PCs as control computers in automated guided vehicles, Kontron emphasizes its ability to also score points with its products in the world of autonomous vehicles. High-performance and robust industrial PCs are essential for the rapid evaluation of merged sensor data in mobile systems.”
Opto 22’s groov EPIC System Adds IEC 61131-3 Programming Options A free software upgrade adds standard IEC 61131-3 programming methods, increasing options available to controls engineers for ease of use and versatility Opto 22 announces the addition of international standard IEC 61131-3 programming options in its groov EPIC® edge programmable industrial controller. Adding these new programming options to the existing flowchart and custom user-written options in groov EPIC gives control engineers the ability to program using a variety of languages they already know, while taking advantage of the EPIC’s extended capabilities for automation and industrial internet of things (IIoT) applications. All IEC 61131-3 standard languages are supported by groov EPIC, including Function Block Diagram (FBD), Structured Text (ST), Sequential Function Charts (SFC), and Ladder Diagram (LD). Adding the IEC 61131-3 option gives engineers several key advantages. First, they can pick the best software tool for their specific application. Second, they can mix and match several software tools to build control and IIoT solutions on one unified platform. And last, companies can continue to leverage existing employee knowledge in IEC 611313 programming methods, including decades-old ladder logic. RTC Magazine MARCH 2019 | 27
Innovative Product Houston-Based Galen Data Reaches Key Certification Milestone Certification position company’s cloud-based connected medical platform solution for growth Galen announced that it has reached a key certification milestone for its cloud-based platform solution for connected medical devices. The two-year-old company was awarded the ISO 13485:2016 certification following the successful completion of its quality management system audit by global certification firm ECM in late November 2018. The audit ensures compliance with the latest version of the internationally recognized ISO standard. “The ISO 13485:2016 certification is a critical milestone in Galen Data’s mission to provide cloud-based medical device connectivity,” said Chris Dupont, CEO of Galen Data. “Medical device makers are turning to us for a cost-effective alternative to building their own connectivity platform. Now they have the added confidence that our cloud-based solution adheres to the highest industry standard for connected medical Chris DuPont, Chief Execudevices.” tive Officer ISO 13485:2016 is a stand-alone Quality Management System (QMS) standard that includes formal processes for design and change controls, traceability, risk management, verification and validation testing, and regulatory actions, which are relevant to the medical device industry. It supports medical device manufacturers and helps ensure consistent design, development, production, installation, and delivery of medical devices and software that are safe for their intended purpose. “This milestone helps to further strengthen Galen Data’s position in the connected medical device market and demonstrates our commitment to regulatory compliance, said Abbas Dhilawala, CTO of Galen Data. “Manufacturers can benefit from a third-party partner like Galen Data who have built their platform under industry standards and are compliant to FDA, HIPAA and CE Mark requirements.”
Acrosser adding POE to In-Vehicle PC: AIV-Q170V1FL To make system integrators and engineers’ job easier in the Transit and Railway market, Acrosser Technology integrated PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) feature to its new In-Vehicle PC product to not only simplify the deployment process but also enhance the communication quality. Acrosser AIV-Q170V1FL is equipped with the latest Intel Skylake-S 6th Core i CPU, features 4 x POE GbE LAN port with RJ45 connectors (802.3at, total 60W max) , 2 x swappable 2.5” SSD bay, 8 x USB 3.0 ports, and supports 3 x Mini PCI-e (For 4G & GPS module with 2 x SIM card Socket, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, G Sensor, Dead Reckoning , CAN BUS or OBD II J1939,and etc. ), all put together to offer a full-function rugged rolling stock and moving vehicle PC. Having AIV-Q170V1FL running at different customer sites, most customers were elated by the convenience of the PoE (PowerOver-Ethernet) feature which can support PoE cameras via simple wiring, distribute the power directly through the port, and replace the traditional power cords. Simply put, with PoE, users can easily and economically build an internet environment and install surveillance system on vehicles. Besides, Acrosser AIV-Q170V1FL is designed with many essential features for onboard computers such as wide operating temperature, anti-shock, and vibration, fan-less enclosure for higher MTBF, and smart power management. All in all, with all the features mentioned above, Acrosser AIV-Q170V1FL In-Vehicle PC will be adequately fit in Delivery Truck/Service Truck Fleet for tracking and route planning applications, and also can be installed in ambulances to provide better communication with the hospital via 4G LTE/Wi-Fi while implementing Telemedicine. It will also be very suitable to run in any commuter bus/tourist bus as surveillance system and passenger counter.
28 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
Innovative Product The BOXER-6405U from AAEON is a cost effective compact embedded computer built for industrial applications and powered by the Intel N3350 processor and featuring onboard 2G DDR3L memory and up to 32GB eMMC storage. AAEON announce the ultraslim Boxer-6405U, a turn-key rugged embedded PC built to be flexible and adaptable to a wide range of Industry 4.0 applications, including machine vision, AI edge computing, and industrial IoT gateway. The BOXER-6405U is built to be a go-anywhere, work-anywhere solution. Rugged design gives it a wide operating temperature range from -20°C to 50°C. It’s palm-sized compact size, only 37mm thick, allows it to squeeze into tight operating spaces, and it’s wide voltage input range of 9V to 24V allow it to easily integrate with industrial power sources. The BOXER-6405U even comes with wall-mount brackets to ensure it’s ready to install wherever you need it. The BOXER-6405U features an Intel N3350 or N4200 processor with 2G DDR3L 1600 memory and up to 32 GB eMMC storage onboard. The BOXER6405U comes with four USB 3.0 and two Intel i211AT Gigabit Ethernet ports, perfect for machine vision applications. The BOXER-6405U has two internal expansion bays, one full-sized Minicard and one halfsized Minicard, supporting a wide range of options including AI modules such as AAEON’s own with Intel Movidius Myriad X VPU. With support for WiFi or 4G LTE cards, the BOXER-6405U can also be used for remote edge computing or as an industrial IoT gateway. The BOXER-6405U is a rugged turn-key solution that is ready to go out of the box. With AAEON’s manufacturer support, it can even be tailored to meet the specific needs of your application. “The BOXER-6405U is a cost effective solution for tough industrial environments,” said Ken Pan, Product Manager with AAEON’s System Platform Division. “It’s a compact embedded computer built for vertical market applications such as machine vision and industrial gateway.”
30 | RTC Magazine MARCH 2019
Custom-assembled level sensors with guided microwave EGE offers to configure level controllers with guided microwave according to customer specifications. Based on its proven standard level gauge, the German manufacturer is able to adapt the sensors to suit various tank geometries, mounting conditions, or demanding media in no time. Options include angled probes that can be mounted on the side of tanks. EGE employs special materials such as Hastelloy or titanium to manufacture probes for use in aggressive media. EGE also specifically adapts the sensors to dielectric constants and to the temperature ranges of the liquid to be measured to ensure precise results in challenging media and cramped installation conditions.
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