Epdee no 6, the June issue

JUNE, 2013 足 ISSUE NO. 6, VOL. 11

DESIGN & MANUFACTURING

EP&Dee ELECTRONICS

PRODUCTS

&

DESIGN

足

EASTERN

EUROPE

THE EAST EUROPEAN RESOURCE FOR EMBEDDED APPLICATIONS

JUNE 2013 Table of Contents EDITORIAL 3 Sharing success

by Ken Millar, Senior Sales Channel Manager – Europe, Microchip Technology Inc.

DESIGN FEATURES 4 Seven essential Raspberry Pi projects Seven projects for the Raspberry Pi that range from educational to fun via highly useful. This is by no means an attempt at a definitive list and the term essential is somewhat subjective, but if you're stuck for something new to do with your Raspberry Pi there may be some ideas here!

8 Platforms to consider for Motor Control and Robotics Applications From automobile assembly and PCB fabrication, to consumer electronics, robotics is home to some of the most exciting engineering taking place today. Learning about robotics, whether you are an experienced engineer or complete beginner, has never been easier thanks to the application notes, software examples and tutorials available online today.

Win a Microchip PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Board!

EP&Dee is offering its readers the chance to win a Microchip PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Board (DM183032).

The PICDEM PIC18 Explorer low-cost demo board is the main board you need to evaluate Microchips PIC18 MCU families. The PIC18 Explorer features a PIC18F8722 microcontroller, which is the superset of our traditional PIC18 general purpose 5V family.

12 Ambient LED Lighting Advances in Tomorrow’s Vehicle This article will take a closer look at: • the tradeoffs among the methods for controlling LED ambient lighting solutions • the use of control algorithms to enable effective binning, dimming and temperature compensation for LED color • creating driver-preferred lighting scenarios by changing the color and brightness of the LED arrays

20 Hammond. Enclosures for your equipment Virtually, every electrical or electronic equipment, even amateur one, needs enclosure. Why? After all, enclosure is not always necessary for the proper operation of the equipment. There may be multiple reasons for that. Two, most common ones include: protection of users against electrical shock and widely understood protection of the equipment against influence of environment in which such equipment operates.

28 MLC. One mane - three times safer!

Three function classes – Basic, Standard and Extended – enable the most efficient use of devices from simple standard applications to complex controlled special safeguarding processes.

PRODUCT NEWS Embedded Systems (p 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14) (p 16 - 18), (p 22 - 27) Display (p 33)

18

36

LEDs (p 34) Active Components (p 35 - 40) 33 Group Publisher Director Gabriel Neagu Managing Director Ionela Ganea Accounting Ioana Paraschiv Advertisement Irina Ganea WEB Eugen Vărzaru © 2013 by Eurostandard Press 2000

2

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

The board also comes with the PIC18F87J11 processor PIM which is the superset of our PIC18 J-series of 3V MCUs for cost sensitive applications.

The single development board supports dozens of the general purpose PIC18 families using various processor Plug-In Modules (PIMs). PICtail daughter boards enable many different accessory boards to connect to the PIC18 Explorer board for a flexible and complete development environment.

This board is the ideal complement to the MPLAB® PICkit 3 or ICD 3 debugger and programmer for a fullfeatured, economical, PIC18 development environment.

For the chance to win a PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Board, log onto http://www.microchip-comps.com/epdee-pic18 and enter your details into the online entry form.

39 Contributing editors Radu Andrei Ross Bannatyne Consulting Marian Blejan Bogdan Grămescu Mihai Savu

Asian Reprezentative Taiwan Charles Yang Tel: +886­4­3223633 charles@medianet.com.tw

EP&Dee Web page: www.epd­ee.eu EP&Dee Subscriptions: office@epd­ee.eu

EUROSTANDARD PRESS 2000 Tel.: +40 31 805 9955 Fax: +40 31 805 9887 office@esp2000.ro www.esp2000.ro VAT Registration: RO3998003 Company number: J03/1371/1993

EP&Dee (Electronics Products & Design ­ Eastern Europe) is published 11 times per year in 2013 by Euro Standard Press 2000 s.r.l.

It is a free to qualified electronics engineers and managers involved in engineering decisions. Starting on 2010, this magazine is published only in digital format.

Copyright 2013 by Euro Standard Press 2000 s.r.l. All rights reserved.

EDITORIAL Sharing success

By Ken Millar Senior Sales Channel Manager – Europe Microchip Technology Inc. The trouble with working in a high-tech industry is that the focus is almost exclusively on the latest technologies and components. Short-termism is endemic and components are made obsolete with barely a thought for the impact that this has on the customers who designed them in just a few years ago. Microchip’s approach is a little different because, even though we shipped our 10 billionth PIC® microcontroller in 2011, we have never made a part obsolete whilst there was a customer out there who is still using it. Our production lines still produce the PIC16C54/55, which were among the first microcontrollers to be manufactured, whilst our recent acquisition of SST has provided us with the 8051/80C51 family, which preceded PIC® technology. These legacy parts are manufactured next to our latest, state-of-the-art microcontrollers, analogue and memory devices.

Continuity and innovation For Microchip, continuity is as important as innovation and supporting our customers’ procurement teams is as important as the support we give to their engineers. Every aspect of Microchip’s business shares a single goal: To help our customers to succeed. For buyers, we do this by ensuring that we make it as easy as possible to buy Microchip components and that we achieve lead-times which are the shortest in the industry.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS Microchip expands general-purpose 8-bit PIC® microcontroller portfolio with increased intelligent analogue Microchip announces the an expansion to the PIC16F75X family of 8-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) featuring intelligent analogue and core-independent peripherals, making them ideal for general-purpose applications, as well as power supplies, battery charging, LED lighting, power management and power control/smart energy applications. The new PIC16F753 MCU builds on the success of the popular PIC12F752.

DAC, capture/compare PWM modules, high-performance comparators, and two 50 mA-capable I/Os, enabling engineers to increase overall system capabilities and reduce costs.

The PIC16F753 offers all the key features of the PIC12F752, such as the integrated Complementary Output Generator (COG) peripheral that provides non-overlapping, complementary waveforms for inputs such as comparators and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) peripherals, while enabling dead-band control, auto shutdown, auto reset, phase control and blanking control.

Additionally, the PIC16F753 offers an Op Amp with 3 MHz of Gain Bandwidth Product (GBWP), and a slope compensation circuit to help in Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) applications. The new also MCU features 3.5 KB of self read-write programme memory, 128B of RAM, an on-chip 10-bit ADC, 9-bit

for incorporating intelligence into numerous automotive, consumer, commercial or industrial applications, where it enables a smart system infrastructure with increased efficiencies, reduced costs and an enhanced user experience.

View a brief presentation here: www.microchip.com/get/AM5D The PIC16F753 MCU enables efficient power conversion for applications such as LED lighting and power control. It also provides a versatile platform

Prioritised leadtimes The fact that we have our own manufacturing facilities, rather than out-sourcing production to third-party fabs, is crucial because it gives us complete control over our production processes. It enables us to prioritise lead-times more effectively and to have redundancy in our capacity which means that output can be increased or even doubled at very short notice.

Multi-model indirect supply-chain Another important factor in our ability to help customers to succeed is in mixing direct and indirect sales channels. Our indirect sales channel combines global broadline distributors and regional narrowline specialists with internet-based distribution houses. Customers can choose whether to engage face-to-face with a distributor and or to buy components quickly and easily over the internet.

Direct sales and support Microchip was one of the first silicon manufacturers to extend the direct supply channel beyond Tier 1 OEMs by introducing microchipDIRECT. Initially offering an online procurement process, microchipDIRECT is used by customers of all sizes, from credit-card users to major multi-nationals, to order samples, production volumes and device programming, as well as to schedule deliveries and to manage buffer stocks for high-volume orders.

Global support network It is not just engineers who have technical questions, so Microchip provides buyers with 24/7 online support. Our support teams are based worldwide, in Europe, India and North America, and achieve response times which we believe are among the best in the business. Technical forums and blogs also give buyers access to a global community of Microchip customers.

This global approach extends to our support for customers who decide to move their own manufacturing off-shore. Philosophically and culturally, Microchip is geared to be a global organisation. As such we actively help customers to migrate production to off-shore locations rather than take a more protectionist approach which would seek to keep the revenue in the same local business unit.

Conclusion Although we can’t do much about economic climate, we can work with customers, directly and indirectly, to realise our inherent corporate philosophy that we are here to help every one of our customers to succeed. n

The PIC16F753 is supported by Microchip’s standard suite of worldclass development tools, including the PICDEM™ Lab Development Kit (DM163045) priced at $134.99; the PICkit™ 3 (PG164130) at $44.95; and the PICkit Low PinCount Demo Board (DM164130-9) at $25.99.

A free reference design for a high-power LED flashlight is available for this product.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY www.microchip.com/get/6TM0

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

3

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Raspberry Pi

Seven essential Raspberry Pi projects Seven projects for the Raspberry Pi that range from educational to fun via highly useful. This is by no means an attempt at a definitive list and the term essential is somewhat subjective, but if you're stuck for something new to do with your Raspberry Pi there may be some ideas here!

1. Have fun with LEDs LED light chaser project (© SK Pang Electronics Ltd)

is currently being recorded, music is playing or some other useful information.

There are a number of different ways that a display can be interfaced with a Raspberry Pi, and a detailed example by Mikey Sklar shows how to directly drive a 16×2 LCD. 3. Build an energy monitoring server Emoncms (© OpenEnergyMonitor, GFDL)

For many their first Raspberry Pi hardware project will involve blinking an LED, but how about controlling 8 or 16 LEDs via a port expander IC. This will provide a gentle introduction to expanding the Raspberry Pi via the I2C bus, and if you were to use a bar graph LED array it could come in handy for more complex projects where you need to indicate the level of something such as temperature or sound etc.

2. Drive a liquid crystal display Directly attaching a liquid crystal display to a Raspberry Pi (© Mikey Sklar, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Michael Kellett suggests that the Pi-Face may not be suitable for directly switching mains, and you should always check the voltage and current rating of equipment before use and ensure that it is suitably enclosed, earthed where neccessary and fused etc.

Alternatively, Pi-Face and similar expansion boards could be used to control additional switching hardware that is rated for mains, e.g. relay, contactor or triac-based.

The OpenEnergyMonitor project are developing “a fully open-source energy monitoring and control system that is suitable for domestic and industrial application”.

Providing designs for monitoring and display hardware along with accompanying firmware and a web application for processing, logging and visualising data.

The project provide instructions for setting up the Emoncms web application on a Raspberry Pi, which makes for an ideal energy-efficient web server.

4. Automate your home Pi-Face (© University of Manchester)

Given the low cost and small form factor of the Raspberry Pi and that it runs Linux, it is finding use as a tiny server in applications such as a PVR, music player and NAS. What better way to extend such a setup than with a compact display that indicates what TV show

4

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

Add-on hardware such as the Pi-Face allows you to control heavier loads such as lights and motors and can be used to enable the creation of a Raspberry Pi-based home automation system. With lights and appliances [see below] being controlled remotely, according to a schedule, when certain sensors are activated, or perhaps in response to energy consumption.

5. Experiment with interesting sensors The TinkerKit Accelerometer Module

Once you've had your fill of experimenting with simple heat and light etc. sensors why not progress to interfacing a 3-axis accelerometer or ultrasonic rangefinder.

6. Join the Internet of Things Cosm graph from a Raspberry Pi temperature logger (© Mikey Sklar, CC BY-SA 3.0) Once you have interesting data collected from various sensors why not make your Pi part of the Internet of Things by sending it to a real-time web service such as Cosm, so that you can then view this data online and

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS NEWS Future Electronics extends embedded computing offering after signing franchise agreement with TechNexion

applications can consume, process and make use of it in other ways.

7. Hook up a joystick and play old arcade games Raspberry Pi joystick wiring (© Chris Swan)

Take time out from more demanding projects and relive the early days of gaming by creating Raspberry Pi Arcade and wiring up up a joystick to GPIO. n Source: “Ten essential Raspberry Pi projects”, Andrew Back, 12.09.2012 , www.designspark.com

Aurocon COMPEC www.compec.ro

TechNexion’s range of ARM and x86 boards and modules covers a broad range of customer requirements in the embedded and industrial markets Future Electronics announced that it has signed a worldwide franchise distribution agreement with embedded System-on-Module manufacturer TechNexion.

TechNexion manufacturers a wide range of embedded boards and System-on-Modules (SOM) featuring ARM-based processors from Texas Instruments, Freescale, and x86 processors from Intel. The company also supplies complete embedded systems, and touch-interface panel PCs and fanless systems.

For design engineers TechNexion provides ease to use development kits that include tested and verified versions of Linux and Android operating systems and Windows Embedded. This together with detailed high quality documentation, and hardware / software implementation examples assist engineers to quickly validate and implement the latest technology in their end equipment.

TechNexion’s commitment to technology development on behalf of the embedded design community has resulted in the introduction of the EDM standard, an opensource hardware and software interface between a system-on-module (SOM) board and a carrier board. This is the first standard interface to provide pin-to-pin and software compatibility between ARM and x86 SOM embedded modules.

TECHNEXION www.technexion.com

FUTURE ELECTRONICS www.FutureElectronics.com

iC-MHL200: 12 bit universal magnetic position encoder The iC-MHL200 is an integrated system solution for linear and angular magnetic encoder applications. Combined with a target like a magnetic tape or pole wheel an universal and rugged linear or angular incremental encoder can be realized.

The chip housed in a TSSOP20 package includes a linear Hall sensor array which is adapted to the targets’ magnetic pole pitch of 2 mm. The internal signal amplification control compensates for deviations of the sensor signals due to temperature and working gap variations. Incremental (AB quadrature and Z index, 12 bit) and commutating signals (UVW) are provided at the RS422 compatible line driver outputs.

An external reference signal can be used to gate the internal index Z signal to provide an absolute zero pulse. The linear resolu-

tion is configurable up to 4096 steps per each magnetic signal period of 4 mm, which corresponds to an incremental linear displacement of less than 1 micron.

At the fastest incremental output frequency of 8 MHz, linear movements of up to 8 m/s can be tracked with full 12 bit resolution. The UVW commutation signals are

available for two- and four pole linear motor configuration. iC-MHL200 is typically used in industrial, automotive, and medical applications, such as: • Position control and acquisition • Linear / rotary speed control • Motor control • As substitute for optical incremental encoders.

A synchronous serial SSI / bidirectional BiSS-C interface provides additional serial data output. Using BiSS-C allows for setting device configuration. These settings can be permanently stored in an OTP-ROM. iC-MHL200 operates from a supply voltage of +5V (±10%) within an operating temperature range of -40 to +125°C. iC-Haus www.ichaus.com/product/iC-MHL200

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

5

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

First CAN FD plug-fest In the first CAN FD plug-fest, Bosch, Peak, and Vector proofed the interoperability of their CAN FD implementations. The FPGAs implementing the CAN FD data link layer as submitted for international standardization were tested using different network topologies and transmission speeds. All nodes used a 40-MHz

The CAN FD nodes tested on interoperability in CiA’s laboratory used different off-theshelf CAN high-speed transceivers by NXP

clock frequency, an arbitration bit-rate of 500 kbit/s sampled at 80 percent and a data-phase bit-rate of 4 Mbit/s sampled at 60 percent.

The tests were performed with different busloads up to 100 percent. The three nodes communicated in bus-line (9 m) and passive star topologies (2 × 3 m and 1 × 6 m). The passive star was terminated with 60 Ohm at the center point. The next CAN FD plug-fest will take place in September. Parties interested in participation may contact CiA office. CiA plans a permanent CAN FD test environment for interoperability tests.

The CiA working group specifying CAN FD device and system design recommendations proposes a ration of 1:8 for arbitration/dataphase speed. In addition, the group will recommend bit-timings for different topologies as well as configuration registers for the CAN FD protocol controllers. CAN FD implementations should be clocked by 80, 40, or 20MHz in order to minimize timing problems.

CiA

www.can-cia.org

Arbitration and data-phase oscillations with harmonics (star topology at 4 Mbit/s with central termination resistor 60 Ohm)

Design training using the example of MachXO2 devices from Lattice MSC and Elektor are jointly organizing oneday seminars in Eindhoven for easy entry into the FPGA design with VHDL using the example of MachXO2 devices from Lattice.

The “Quick Starter Design Training” is aimed at newcomers to the FPGA Design, switching from ispLever SW to SW Diamond as well as hardware and software developers.

Taught topics are project development and design flow, design entry, generation of IP cores, simulation, constraining, place and route, power analysis, programming and debugging the system.

The seminar will be held on 25 June in Eindhoven from 9:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. and costs € 149 plus VAT (including MachXO2 Breakout board and lunch).

If you are interested in this compact information seminar you can register online at www.msc-ge.com/lattice-seminare MSC Vertriebs GmbH

www.msc-ge.com

MSC and Helion organize a seminar about the universal Camera-Development Kit HDR-60 based on Lattice FPGAs MSC and Helion are jointly organizing oneday seminars for easy entry into the universal Video Camera Development Kit HDR-60.

With the modular HDR-60 Ecosystem camera prototypes can be realized quicker, easier and cheaper. The reference designs provided by Helion together with the preset image processing blocks make it easier for the developer to process the raw sensor data into a finished image. Own development ideas can be implemented in the used Lattice FPGA. At the seminar, different image sensors are introduced in their specific application areas. The advantage of the HDR Ecosystems 60 is that only the so-called IP Sensorport must be adapted to the sensor.

After that, all other IP cores from the Color Pipeline can be used and be adapted to the users application by software. This

6

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

design flow is shown at the seminar.

The seminars are held at the following dates and locations: 11.6.2013 Munich 12.6.2013 Stuttgart 13.6.2013 Wiesbaden 18.6.2013 Duisburg 08.8.2013 Berlin The seminars will be held from 9:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. and cost 69€ plus VAT (including presentation documents and lunch).

Participants preserve special conditions for the HDR-60 Video Camera Development Kit. The seminars are held in German with English-speaking films. Expert speakers from Helion, MSC as well as from ON Semi and Lattice are available

for discussions.

If you are interested in this compact information seminar you can register online at www.msc-ge.com/lattice-seminare MSC Vertriebs GmbH www.msc-ge.com

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Industry’s Smallest 18-Bit Successive Approximation Register (SAR) ADC from Maxim Integrated Saves 70% Board Space

Microchip Announces Arduino™ Compatible chipKIT™ Boards With Prototyping-Friendly 32-bit MCU Packages

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. announced that it is now shipping the MAX11156, the industry’s smallest 12-pin, 18-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Available in a tiny 3mm x 3mm TDFN package, the MAX11156 integrates an internal reference and reference buffer, saving cost and at least 70% board space over competing solutions. With 18-bit resolution, this high-performance ADC features Beyondthe-Rails™ technology, which supports a ±5V input from a single positive 5V input rail. This technology eliminates the need for negative power supplies and simplifies designs. With 18bit resolution and a 500ksps sampling rate, the MAX11156 is ideal for aut omatic test equipment (ATE), industrial control systems, medical instrumentation, and robotics, where high accuracy and tiny size are paramount.

Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, announced from the Bay Area Maker Faire in San Mateo, Calif. the expansion of its Arduino™ compatible chipKIT™ platform ecosystem, with new tools from partners Digilent, Inc., the Fair Use Building and Research (FUBAR) Labs, and Schmalz Haus LLC. These new tools are based on Microchip’s 32-bit PIC32 microcontrollers (MCUs) in prototypingfriendly, low pin count SOIC or SPDIP packages, which were previously more common in 8-bit MCUs, for the Arduino community.

This enables all users - including hobbyists, students and professionals - to benefit from the PIC32’s high performance, memory and integrated peripherals while using the basic hobbyist prototyping equipment that is found in most home workshops.

Digilent’s chipKIT DP32 board features basic I/O and interface components, expanding the 32-bit chipKIT ecosystem while providing a low-cost, Arduino-compatible development platform with a great out-of-the-box user experience.

chipKIT Platform Expands With Prototyping-Friendly PIC32-based Boards From Digilent, FUBAR Labs and Schmalz Haus; PIC32 MCUs With chipKIT USB Bootloader Also Available For those users who wish to build applications without a development board, Microchip is also making the prototypingfriendly PIC32 MCUs in PDIP packages available with the preprogrammed chipKIT USB Bootloader. Specifically, the prepro-

Availability, Temperature Range, and Pricing • Available in a 12-pin TDFN package (3mm × 3mm).

• Specified over the -40°C to +85°C temperature range.

• Pricing starts at $16.90 (1000-up, FOB USA).

grammed PIC32MX250F128B is available in a 28-pin package. The advanced features on this 32-bit microcontroller include 40 MHz performance, 128 KB Flash and 32 KB RAM, along with integrated peripherals for touch sensing, graphics, audio processing, USB and advanced-control applications.

“This chipKIT platform expansion continues Microchip’s long history of providing tools and solutions that are perfect for hobbyists, academics and professional engineers,” said Derek Carlson, Microchip’s vice president of Development Tools. “These new solutions are certain to remove barriers for users who are looking to take their Arduino-based applications to the next level.”

Pricing & Availability The chipKIT Fubarino Mini (part # TCHIP011) from FUBAR Labs and Schmalz Haus is available today for $19.95 each. It can be purchased from microchipDIRECT. Digilent’s chipKIT DP32 board (part # TDGL019) is priced at $23.99 each.

It is expected to be available on May 17 at microchipDIRECT, and in June from Digilent’s e-Commerce site.

The 32-bit PIC32MX250F128B MCU preprogrammed with the chipKIT USB Bootloader is expected to be available on May 24, starting at $5.95 each, in single-unit quantities, from microchipDIRECT.

MAXIM INTEGRATED www.maximintegrated.com

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY www.microchip.com/get/4NG7

Due to its monotonic transfer characteristic, fast settling time, and lack of latency, the MAX11156 is ideal for fast, high-precision digital control-loop systems. In fact, the MAX11156 provides 18-bit resolution with no missing codes; excellent DC accuracy (0.5 LSB DNL and 2.5 LSB INL (typ)); and excellent AC performance (94.6dB SNR and -105dB THD (typ)). Additionally, the MAX11156 communicates using a SPI-compatible serial interface, which can be used to daisy-chain multiple ADCs in parallel for multichannel applications.

This interface can also provide a busy indicator to simplify system synchronization and timing.

The chipKIT Fubarino™ Mini board, from the partnership between FUBAR Labs and Schmalz Haus, also provides a great option for Arduino-compatible development with 32-bit PIC32 MCUs, using a prototyping-friendly board form factor.

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

7

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Platforms to consider for Motor Control and Robotics Applications

by Joe Alderson, Technical Marketing Engineer, Farnell element14

From automobile assembly and PCB fabrication, to consumer electronics, robotics is home to some of the most exciting engineering taking place today. Learning about robotics, whether you are an experienced engineer or complete beginner, has never been easier thanks to the application notes, software examples and tutorials available online today.

The element14 Community, is an encyclopaedic library of information for electronics design engineers and robotics is one of its key technologies. Whatever your preferred embedded platform, be it AVR, PIC or 32-bit ARM, element14 supports a wide range of development boards. This article gives you an overview into some of the most popular boards for motor control and robotics applications.

The Sitara AM3359 ARM Cortex-A8 processor in the newly released BeagleBone Black provides a 1 GHz platform ideal for robotics development. Although the BeagleBone is a “bare bones” version of the BeagleBoard, it

features dual 46-pin headers and plenty of industrial communications capability, along with a new addition of HDMI. The BeagleBone Black is much cheaper than the original version and includes Ångström Linux as standard, making it perfect for high-end robotics applications. It even has 512 MB of DDR3 RAM to support most demanding programs.

The BeagleBone Black is capable of not just interfacing to all robotics motor drivers, location or pressure sensors and 2D or 3D cameras, but also running OpenCV, OpenNI and other image collection and analysis software to recognize the objects around robots and the gestures made to control it. BeagleBone Black is supported with a strong community and is fully open-source, meaning you can utilise its design – if you can get to grips with laying out a BGA package.

Whilst not quite as fast as the BeagleBone Black and featuring an different ARM1176JZ-F Applications Processor, the Raspberry Pi can be used to control a robot or even use a GPS module and USB camera to build an intelligent guidance system for it. With the wide range of expansion boards available for the Raspberry Pi, you can offload many low level tasks to smaller controllers, leaving the main control unit free to focus purely on data processing and task delegation.

In the one year that Raspberry Pi has been available, there have been a large number of

8

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

robotics applications from around the world, including using the Raspberry Pi to control drones. The Raspberry Pi is also great as a learning tool and boards such as the

Gertboard and PiFace Digital are designed to teach motor control and basic robotics. For teaching in schools, the Raspbian operating system makes robotics accessible, whilst the hardware on the Raspberry Pi provides enough GPIO access to make it useful for all but the most demanding robotics projects.

If your robotics project does not require high end Cortex-A series applications processors, and let’s face it, that is probably the case, there are several other options. The Freescale Kinetis Freedom Platform, including the FRDM-KL05Z, FRDM-KL25Z and FRDMK20D50S boards provide a Cortex-M0+ / Cortex-M4 solution for robotics.

INDUSTRY NEWS

You need two PWM channels to run two motors at different speeds, two to three channels to send 10 μs trigger pulse for Ultrasonic sensors and three to five channels to capture the return pulses from Ultrasonic sensors.

Freescale's Robot Kit that operates with the Tower System Mechatronics Board is an easyto-use mechatronics development and demonstration platform. This toolset allows for the science of combining mechanics, electronics, and software into an integrated system.

The Microchip PIC16F684 can be used to create an inverted pendulum robot. By implement-

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

ing a positional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) feedback control with the PIC16F684 can be used in an inherently unstable system.

An inverted pendulum is used to demonstrate this type of control.

The inverted pendulum consists of three main parts: the base platform, the pendulum and the controller board.

Although this demonstrates the capabilities of PIC MCUs in simple control systems, PIC32 MCUs are capable of delivering complex robotics control systems. Microchip provide a wide range of software support which is extremely useful in robotics development.

Finally, for a great introduction to the world of robotics, Arduino provides a wide range of boards. From the 8-bit Atmega328 on the Arduino Uno to the 32-bit SAM3X8E CortexM3 on the Due, Arduino provides a massive selection of software examples and an accessible IDE in an open-source model. The Arduino approach of good design and simplicity has

led to its popularity in robotics. The challenge of utilising 8-bit AVR MCUs for tasks which you might ordinarily turn to a 32-bit processor for can be rewarding and enlightening.

Some of the development boards for the above robot designs can be designed and created using CadSoft EAGLE. CadSoft recently brought out a new version of its design software EAGLE 6.4 featuring new interoperability features and improved design simulation.

All these products can be researched, discussed, bought and supported from bought from www.element14.com n

element14 launches Raspberry Pi eye to the world The eagerly anticipated Raspberry Pi camera board is making its debut with element14 today enabling pictures and video to be taken with the Raspberry Pi which can be used for security and VoIP projects as well as image and video capture. One of a strong pipeline of exclusive Raspberry Pi accessories to be launched this year, the camera board, which retails at $25 is available through Newark element14 and MCM in North America, Farnell element14 in Europe, CPC in the UK and Ireland and element14 in Asia Pacific.

The Camera board is a custom designed add-

on for the Raspberry Pi which attaches to one of the small sockets on the board’s upper surface. This interface uses the dedicated CSi interface, designed especially for interfacing to cameras. The camera board itself is tiny, at around 25mm × 20mm × 9mm.

Key features of the camera board: • 5 megapixel native resolution sensor capable of 2592 × 1944 pixel static images • Supports 1080p30, 720p60 and 640 × 480p60/90 video • The camera is supported in the latest version of Raspbian - Raspberry Pi's preferred operating system Claire Doyle, Global Head of Raspberry Pi at element14, said: “Since the exclusive launch of the Raspberry Pi element14 has led the activity through the phenomenal journey of this little computer. The camera board is the latest in a suit of accessories added to the Raspberry Pi portfolio providing customers with solutions.

It is an exciting journey and the camera board has been so eagerly anticipated we felt we should commemorate the launch with a competition for our customers.”

element14 is calling all budding photographers to enter its Raspberry Pi photography competition to win a supply of new Raspberry Pi accessories throughout the remainder of the year. Anyone owning a Raspberry Pi and camera can enter the competition which calls for images taken with the device to be submitted in four categories: • • • •

Your workshop / den Your Pi project People and Pets Outdoors

Finalists will be selected in each category and these will be uploaded to Facebook for a public vote to select an overall winner. The competition will run from 14 May to 14 June 2013.

With over nine million views of the Raspberry Pi group on the element14 Community the success of the micro-computer is clear for everyone to see. To join the conversation, go to www.element14.com/raspberrypi To take part in the Raspberry Pi camera competition and find out more please visit www.element14.com/picamera www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

9

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Future Electronics sign Global Distribution Agreement with GainSpan

Silicon Labs Introduces Industry’s Smallest, Most Power-Efficient PCI Express Clocks

Future Electronics is pleased to announce its worldwide distribution agreement with GainSpan Corporation. GainSpan is a privately-owned spin-off of Intel, founded in 2006, with its headquarters in San Jose, California.

GainSpan’s products address the market demand for low power and low cost Wi-Fi connectivity. They meet these demands through their ultra-low power chip and 802.11 b and 802.11 b/g/n modules, suite of embedded and Serial to Wi-Fi software and complete solutions and development kits.

The low power technology they developed results in Wi-Fi that uses so little power, products can run for years on standard batteries. Customers can link almost any 8-32-bit microcontroller to their solution and get Wi-Fi quickly and easily. In addition, a

Silicon Labs has expanded its industry-leading PCI Express (PCIe) timing solution portfolio with new one- and two-output PCIe clock generators that offer the smallest footprint and lowest power in the market.

Designed to meet the stringent specifications of the PCIe Generation 1/2/3 standards, the Si52111 and Si52112 clock generator ICs target highvolume consumer, embedded, communications and enterprise applications where board space, power consumption and system cost are critical concerns.

Silicon Labs’ Si5211x clock generators are especially well-suited for spaceconstrained, power-sensitive consumer electronics products such as digital still cameras that require industry-standard PCIe connectivity. Addressing the small form factor requirements of these consumer applications, the Si5211x clocks are available in a 3 mm × 3 mm 10-pin TDFN package – the smallest package available in the PCIe timing market.

These ultra-low-power clock

number of device and module vendors offer solutions based on GainSpan?s technology. With their embedded Wi-Fi solutions, customers across a variety of industries can now develop a whole new class of Internet connected products.

GainSpan’s low power Wi-Fi ICs and modules are a strong solution for long battery life applications within the Health Care and Fitness, Smart Energy, Industrial Controls, Commercial / Building Automation and Consumer markets.

FUTURE ELECTRONICS www.FutureElectronics.com

generators offer up to eight times lower current consumption (less than 15mA) than competing devices, making it easier for designers to meet green power regulations while enhancing system reliability. The devices also meet PCIe jitter requirements with up to 50 percent margin, enabling a lower bit error rate to further improve reliability.

In addition to offering power savings and improved jitter margin, the Si5211x clock generators use an innovative push-pull output buffer technology. Compared to existing solutions in the market today, the Si5211x PCIe clock generators integrate all termination and reference resistors on chip, eliminating the need for additional external components.

SILICON LABS www.silabs.com/pci-express-clocks

RX21A reference platform enables developers to easily design economical, highly-functional smart electricity meters MSC now offers a new reference platform, specifically for the design of economical, highly-functional smart electricity meters, from Renesas Electronics.

The reference platform for smart electricity meter design based on Renesas RX21A 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) offers developers a broad range of options such as a modular design supporting both 3-phase 4 wire and single-phase operation, and configurable sensor types including current transformer. This enables it to operate at nominal 230 V 50 Hz to 60 Hz, with full 100 mA to 100 A measurement range. Accuracy is equivalent to IEC62053-22 (and ANSI C12.20), to at least 0.5 s, and compliant with IEC6205-23, class 2 reactive.

A full set of metrology libraries is provided, enabling precision measurement of voltage and current on each phase, active and reactive power on each phase, and apparent and harmonic power on each phase. Power quality

10

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

measurement functions such as voltage sag are also provided. Key software features include single point calibration for the 24-bit precision A/D converter (ADC) and analogue front-end (AFE), and temperature compensation for the AFE including programmable gain amplifier

(PGA) and ADC, voltage reference, and real time clock. Data exchange can be carried out via the IEC62056-21 optical port and isolated USB virtual COM port. A user-friendly, multi-function graphical display and an intuitive PC graphical user interface allow easy operation.

The RX21A Group of MCUs implements in a single chip functions that previously required separate devices, such as power measurement, meter control, calculation of electricity charges, and data encryption. This reduces the number of external components required for the implementation of a complete smart meter and thus not only simplifies the design, but also helps to lower the overall cost.

The RX21A electricity meter reference platform is available in limited quantities. Detailed information can be requested by sending an email to micros-renesas@msc-ge.com.

MSC VERTRIEBS www.msc-ge.com

INDUSTRY NEWS GreenPeak Enables Low Power and Low Cost ZigBee Smart Home Applications ZigBee PRO sensor nodes around $5 will accelerate Smart Home offerings

by Operators and customer acceptance GreenPeak Technologies, a leading low power RF-semiconductor company, announced the availability of a low cost and low power ZigBee solution for end nodes in the Smart Home, allowing Operators to further accelerate market adoption and enabling ZigBee Smart Home solutions that cover the full home and last for up to 10 years without battery replacement.

Operators will now be able to offer Smart Home service offerings at a very low cost for services like home monitoring, energy monitoring and control, elderly care, etc., enabling profitable business models for both the Operators and their supply chain.

GreenPeak’s newly released low cost, low power and easy to install ZigBee PRO solution runs on coin-cell batteries for up to 10 years, essentially removing the need for battery replacement, allowing ZigBee Smart Home networks to become virtually maintenance free, slashing end user service calls.

With GreenPeak’s superior range and robustness, the devices can guarantee reliable full home coverage. Easy to install, the ZigBee end nodes can be securely installed with a single click, allowing DIY installation by the consumer without requiring technical support.

In this way, GreenPeak’s ZigBee chips allow Operators to address a very profitable 3 Billion dollar Smart Home market. It also helps Operators to further implement the strategy of making the set-top box the center of the Smart Home by enabling customers to reach their devices at home with their smart phones from any location in the world.

“GreenPeak is the first to enable the development of ZigBee end node solutions for Smart Home applications that are robust, virtually maintenance free, low cost, and can be installed with a single click.” says Cees Links, Founder and CEO of GreenPeak Technologies, a market leader for ZigBee silicon. “Operators and service providers will be able to offer Smart Home services at a low initial cost and attractive monthly fees. By using GreenPeak chip solutions, sensor nodes manufacturers can supply devices around the $5 mark, which is 3 to 4 times lower compared to the cost of ZigBee PRO offerings today. This will accelerate the consumer acceptance and increase the ARPU’s of the Operators.”

GREENPEAK TECHNOLOGIES www.greenpeak.com

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS EnSilica launches the eSi-ZM1 System-on-Module for faster, lower risk and smarter embedded systems development EnSilica, a leading independent provider of IC design services and system solutions, has launched the eSi-ZM1, a small form factor System-on-Module designed to facilitate faster, lower risk development of smarter embedded systems that demand real-time hardware performance, all without sacrificing differentiation, integration or flexibility.

The eSi-ZM1 is EnSilica’s first product in a new range of eSi-Modules and is built around the Xilinx Zynq Extensible Programming Platform.

Combining a powerful dual core ARM Cortex A9 MPcore subsystem running embedded Linux together with the Xilinx Series-7 FPGA fabric, it is ideal for developing a range of commercial

and industrial applications for automotive electronics, consumer electronics, industrial automation, broadcast, medical imaging and wired communications.

However, the small form factor, low-cost, high pin count, robust connector, together with availability in commercial and industrial temperature grades, makes it ideal for both volume production and prototyping of a wide range of Xilinx Zynq-based products. The eSiZM1 measures just 82mm by 50mm and is currently being successfully deployed in a number of production products including a radar and media server.

EnSilica provides full firmware and software support for the eSi-ZM1, including a compatible BSP and embedded Linux build pre-loaded on SD-card. Although the module is ready to use out-of-thebox, EnSilica provides a range of complementary custom design and development services both for eSi-ZM1 integration and wider product development.

EnSilica www.ensilica.com

Altera to Deliver Breakthrough Power Solutions for FPGAs with Acquisition of Power Technology Innovator Enpirion Altera Corporation announced it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Enpirion, Inc., the industry’s leading provider of high-efficiency, integrated power conversion products known as PowerSoCs (power system-on-chip). The combination of Altera’s FPGAs with Enpirion’s PowerSoCs will offer customers higher performance, lower system power, higher reliability, smaller footprint and faster time-to-market.

“Power is increasingly a strategic choice for product differentiation in communications, computing and enterprise, and industrial applications,” said John Daane, president, CEO and chairman of Altera. “By adding a power group to Altera, we will bring even more value to system-level designs. Altera’s FPGA roadmap will be enhanced significantly with the addition of Enpirion’s power technologies.”

Ashraf Lotfi, founder and CEO of Enpirion, will serve as an Altera Fellow and chief technologist for Altera’s newly formed Power business unit.

“Joining Altera will enhance the Enpirion team’s ability to solve tough power challenges,” said Lotfi. “Our leadership in high-efficiency power conversion solutions complements Altera’s leadership in FPGAs. Enpirion employees have built an innovative company, and we look forward to building upon this foundation with Altera.”

ENPIRION POWERSOCS www.Enpirion.com ALTERA www.Altera.com www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

11

DESIGN

LEDs

Ambient LED Lighting Advances in Tomorrow’s Vehicle The advancement of Ambient LED Lighting solutions stems from the quest by automotive-OEM interior stylists to add value and make their vehicles more appealing to the driver’s senses, while creating a truly positive driving experience and increasing brand awareness. Electronics continues to be the fastest-growing sector of automotive content, over mechanical, pneumatics and hydraulics. With the increasing number of ambient LED applications - from cluster backlighting to cupholder lights, to map lights, to mood lighting in footwells and door trims, to dome lights - ambient LED solutions, both white and RGB, are differentiators used by automotive OEMs. In fact, research indicates that lighting can enhance the driver’s visual senses.

It remains critical to select the right embedded solution to match the application requirements and enable cost-effective designs with a shorter time to market.

This article will take a closer look at: • the tradeoffs among the methods for controlling LED ambient lighting solutions • the use of control algorithms to enable effective binning, dimming and temperature compensation for LED color • creating driver-preferred lighting scenarios by changing the color and brightness of the LED arrays

by Johann Stelzer / Andreas Reiter / Frank Ziegenhorn Microchip Technology Inc. With the ever-increasing need for networked lighting modules, implementing the best practices for LIN communications in ambient LED lighting solutions can help reduce development costs and cycle times. Because LEDs consume less energy and occupy less space, fuel efficiency is enhanced and the packaging benefits allow stylists to expand their creativity in using lighting to enhance the cabin.

Overall, ambient LED lighting solutions provide OEMs with an opportunity to innovate a comforting atmosphere for both the driver and passenger.

Ambient LED lighting is far more than a gimmick feature. Research on the impacts of interior lighting has widely been ignored in the past few years, while the R&D focus has been on exterior lighting. This is changing. With the

12

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

rapid advancement of LED technology in the past few years, OEMs are in the position to offer not only more colorful interior lighting but also user-adjustable lighting. Drivers are then able to adjust lighting to their mood or taste. Additionally, there is much more potential in interior lighting.

In future car models, interior lighting is poised to become part of the advanced driver information system. The revolutionary idea is to adapt the interior light according to the driving situation. The interior light color could be different for the city, rural roads and highways, for example. Red interior light can increase the driver alertness in the city, while a yellow interior light can help the driver to relax when cruising on a highway. Interior lighting could even warn the driver about an imminent acci-

dent. In many cases, flicker-free interior lighting is associated with a high-value proposition for car makers to differentiate their product in an ever-increasing competitive environment.

Driving the LEDs LEDs must be driven with a source of constant current. Most LEDs have a specified current level that will achieve the maximum brightness for that LED without premature failures. The light output from a LED is proportional to the current passing through it. There are two techniques to control the LED brightness in the circuit. One is to vary the LED drive current. The LED drive current may be controlled using a variable resistor or by using a variable-voltage power supply. Another technique is to apply pulse-width modulation (PWM) or variable-

DESIGN frequency, fixed-duty-cycle PWMs to the LED drive current.

The first method has two major disadvantages: As the current is reduced, the LED efficiency may also be reduced. And, in high-power white LEDs, a color shift may take place with the reduction in current level. The PWM dimming technique always drives the LED at full current. Therefore, problems such as reduced efficiency and color shifts can be eliminated.

To create different color combinations, the duty cycles of the PWM outputs will have to change over time.

Color Control Methods Embedded microcontroller technology allows the color components of a light source to be sensed and actively controlled. Active color control can be used to create a specific color of light, or can be used to create a mix. For example, multiple component colors can be blended to create a specific quality of white light.

LEDs cally requires a resolution of 14-bit to 16-bit and a quite powerful microcontroller (MCU).

The same quality can be achieved with four channels, each with 10-bit resolution, which is typically found in a low-cost 8-bit MCU. In this four-channel scenario, color x brightness multiplication occurs in an external hardware circuit.

The typical logarithmic gradation required for brightness control can also be realized in a sufficiently precise manner on such a low cost 8bit MCU, with approximation via a power function (see Figure 1).

LED temperature is one of the factors that have a significant impact on the LED’s color.

Hence, temperature has to be compensated. A simple, effective and cost-efficient method for temperature compensation is to use a microcontroller’s on-chip comparator and a lowcost Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) thermistor that is positioned close to the LEDs. Another way of gaining control over the LED’s temperature is by measuring its forward volt-

microcontroller, such as a PIC® MCU with nonvolatile memory, inevitable. Furthermore, the need to network those RGB lighting nodes in the vehicle, along with the desire for diagnostics, calls for a suitable low-cost communication protocol. While the first generations of interior lighting were individually wired, the latest generations and recent developments at OEMs make use of the well-known, cost-effective LIN / J2602 communication bus. The LIN communication speed of 19.2k baud is sufficient to support color changing and lighting scenarios without noticeable impact for the driver and passengers.

More recently, LIN communication with autoaddressing capability is being considered for this type of application by some car makers.

There are several known auto-addressing methods, each with pros and cons (see Figure 2).

Common to all of them is that they add costs to the silicon, when compared with standard LIN communication. However, those addition-

Figure 1: Block diagram showing solutions with 3 and 4 PWM channels

Figure 2: Block diagram showing LIN transceivers with and without auto addressing Using three individual color values for Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B), plus an additional value for brightness, supports the generation of the desired color either with three PWM channels or, simpler and more effectively, by three PWM channels—one for each color— and an additional, separate fourth PWM for brightness. The latter approach can be experienced in recent Ford Motor Company models offering mood lighting.

The approach that uses three channels for integrated color and brightness control typi-

age drop. The resolution of a microcontroller’s integrated 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is sufficient for this task. The forward voltage drop measurement has its benefits, as it eliminates the need for additional external components.

Lighting Networks Color correction, temperature compensation, color changing, color mixing, brightness control and the desire by car makers to realize various lighting scenarios make the usage of a

al costs yield reduced logistics costs at the OEM and Tier1 levels.

Addressing Space Constraints Typical interior-lighting applications are very space constrained. Light nodes are embedded in switches, cup holders, door handles, dashboards, seats, reading lights, footwell areas and overhead consoles. Available space for the electronics is often squeezed to an area of 10 mm × 20 mm or less, driving small package solutions in SSOP, QFN and DFN housing. www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

13

DESIGN

LEDs

Ambient temperature and self heating in such environments require careful heat management, for semiconductor devices with low power dissipation and extended operating temperature ranges from -40°C to 125°C. Usually, the nodes are connected to terminal 30 and thus require very low standby current, significantly below 100 μA. Microchip’s Automotive Ambient Interior Lighting Module Reference Design demonstrates microcontroller-based control of RGB LED devices (see www.microchip.com, Application Note AN1074).

This module can be controlled remotely by a master body controller, via the LIN bus. These

troller and RGB LED. LIN commands are interpreted by the module to control color mixing (16,383 colors) and intensity (1023 levels).

The kit ships with four modules to assign as lighting zones in a LIN or J2602 network.

These modules can also be used in conjunction with Microchip’s LIN Serial Analyzer (Part # APGDT001) to quickly create a working LIN RGB network, straight out of the box.

A microcontroller-based solution provides the flexibility and integration required for future RGB LIN-based interior lighting applications.

Carefully considered system architecture designs allow the usage of low-cost 8-bit

FRONT SIDE

tion and enhancing driving comfort and safety.

Features such as approach sensing and capacitive-touch switches are additional functions that are easy to implement at almost no additional cost with PIC microcontrollers, thus further enhancing the value of the system.

References • Application Note: AN-1074, Software PWM Generation for LED Dimming and RGB Color Applications. See www.microchip.com • Microchip’s Automotive Design Center: www.microchip.com/auto • Microchip’s Lighting Design Center: www.microchip.com/lighting

BACK SIDE

Figure 3: Microchip’s PIC16F1829LIN RGB Ambient Lighting Board (Part # APGRD007) modules are offered in a very compact 10x20 mm form-factor board, and are comprised of a PIC16F1829LIN solution, including a LIN transceiver, voltage regulator, 8-bit PIC microcon-

microcontrollers without compromising performance. This enables OEMs to offer color interior lighting in high-volume, mass-market vehicle models, increasing their value proposi-

(Note: The Microchip name and logo, and PIC are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.)

www.microchip.com

Microchip introduces world’s first programmable USB2 controller hubs; adds simultaneous support for USB2 and HSIC, low-power modes Microchip announces the expansion of the USB2 Controller Hub (UCH2) portfolio it gained with the recent SMSC acquisition. The seven new UCH2 ICs, across three families, are the world’s first to provide programmability, enabling the developers of PCs and mobile devices to configure their designs without external memory. Additionally, these are Microchip’s first UCH2s to support both USB2 and USB High Speed Interchip (HSIC) connectivity, maximum battery life via low-power modes such as Link Power Management (LPM), and the ability to replace wall chargers with advanced battery charging modes, such as BC1.2, Apple®, SE1 and China charging. For applications that need to communicate over multiple protocols, these UCH2s feature direct I/O bridging to I2C™, SPI, UART and general-purpose I/O. They also have the flexibility to support the behaviours of multiple operating systems, such as vendor-specific messaging

14

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

and FlexConnect for simple port reversals.

While the PC market is converting to USB3, most market forecasts predict that USB2 will remain predominant in mobile devices until at least 2015. This continued use of both USB3 and USB2 challenges the designers of PCs and mobile devices to ensure interoperability while providing new features and maximum battery life. Microchip’s seven new UCH2s, across three families, address these needs for both PC and mobile manufacturers. Whereas competing USB2 Controller Hubs only offer limited battery charging and require external memory for configuration, Microchip’s new UCH2s integrate “Quad Page” configuration OTP Flash memory, which reserves space for interoperability and other customisations by the designer, including four separate configuration opportunities. Additionally, Microchip makes it easy to generate configuration settings and programme the OTP memory, via its

new ProTouch Configuration Editor software tool, also announced today.

The ProTouch Configuration Editor software tool is available today via a free download from www.microchip.com/get/2M4E. It is bundled with the ProLink programming software.

Also being announced today is the USB2534 Eval Board (EVB-USB2534), which is available now priced at $399 each. This board supports the development of USB charging designs using the new three-member USB253X UCH2 family for mainstream USB2 applications.

www.microchip.com/get/6FJ3

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS Aeroflex LTE-A Expertise on Display at CTIA 2013

Aeroflex Launches 5th Generation Modular Wireless Test System Aeroflex Limited announced that it has launched a new generation of wide bandwidth RF signal generators and analyzers in PXI format with class-leading performance enabling a high performance, flexible, and cost effective solution for RF component and wireless device testing to the latest standards, including WLAN 802.11ac. The PXI 3050A low noise RF signal generator and the PXI 3320 arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) are used together to provide a fully configurable RF signal generator with wide bandwidth vector modulation, low phase noise, and fast frequency and level settling.

The signal generator is available in two frequency range options--from 100 kHz to either 3 GHz or 6 GHz --and with a choice of +10 dBm or +20 dBm output power. A 200 MHz modulated RF bandwidth with low residual error vector magnitude (EVM) of less than 0.5% makes it the ideal choice for wideband standards using high order 256 QAM modulation, such as

802.11ac. Excellent linearity (ACLR) of greater than 70dB 3GPP TM1 makes 3050A ideal for use in test solutions for power amplifiers and repeaters.

Phase noise is best-in-class at -135 dBc/Hz at 1 GHz with 20 kHz offset while maintaining excellent frequency agility with settling times of less than 100 μs.

The PXI 3070A is a high performance RF digitizer with up to 160 MHz of instantaneous IF bandwidth for analyzing wide bandwidth signals. The 3070A is avail-

able in two frequency range options from 250 MHz to either 3 GHz or 6 GHz, with test suites for general purpose spectrum analysis and support for the latest standards including WLAN 802.11a, b, g, n, ac and MIMO. AEROFLEX www.aeroflex.com

Aeroflex Limited is demonstrating its comprehensive range of instrumentation for the design, verification, servicing, and manufacturing test of both LTE-Advanced (LTEA) and LTE networks and mobile devices at CTIA at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

Aeroflex's leadership in LTE-A spans a complete range of end-to-end test systems that cover R&D, performance, service, and manufacturing test applications for both TDD and FDD, from network equipment and mobile devices to RF chipsets.

The Aeroflex TM500 LTE-A Test Mobile was the first in the industry to support carrier aggregation, a showcase technology for LTEAdvanced. The TM500 now supports all the key LTE-A features of 3GPP Release 10, enabling customers to prepare their migration to LTE-Advanced.

The Aeroflex TM500 test mobile is in use with almost every base station manufacturer worldwide, and is regarded as the de facto standard for base station development and testing. It supports both FDD and TDD modes of LTE, and provides backwards compatibility with worldwide 3G

standards. The Aeroflex E500 is the best-selling LTE and LTE-A capacity test system in the US market, incorporating the proven Aeroflex TM500 LTE air interface. The E500 is flexible and scalable in terms of both the number of mobile devices it emulates-from hundreds to tens

of thousands-and the number of cells supported. It offers true end-to-end LTE network load testing over RF including FDDTDD Handover. The E500 supports a comprehensive range of IP data services, providing network equipment vendors and cellular operators with the most realistic lab-based end-to-end test solution on the market.

AEROFLEX www.aeroflex.com

Ericsson Saves Board Space with Surface-Mount Advanced Bus Converter • Ericsson introduces a new surface-mounted version of its second generation of digital Advanced Bus Converter (ABC) products, called the BMR456-SI • High-efficiency, digitally controlled DC/DC converter compliant to full surface-mount manufacturing processes; high-precision tooled pins guarantee high co-planarity and robustness • Highly advanced firmware integrated in the BMR456-SI contributes towards significant reduction in energy consumption • Tightly regulated output voltage (±2%) over the full operational range of 36V to 75V • Output power up to 468W for datacom applications The BMR456-SI is based upon the FRIDA II platform, which was announced last year, both the surface-mount BMR456-SI and the through-hole BMR456-PI quarter-brick 3E* Advanced Bus Converters deliver unprecedented performance to system architects that are developing equipment for ICT

16

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

(Information and Communication Technology) applications. These applications require fast response time, tightly regulated intermediate bus voltages and high efficiency at any point of operation to reduce power consumption. Since the shipment of the first surface-mount version of the company’s FRIDA platform in 2010, the platform has enjoyed significant adoption with the growing demand for high-power DC/DC modules to power highly integrated surface-mount

boards. “Ericsson is the only company in the industry to offer high-power DC/DC modules that are digitally controlled and also offer a surface-mount option,” said Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communication Director, Ericsson Power Modules. “The addition of a surface-mount version to the PMBus compliant FRIDA II BMR456 DC/DC converter family is an indication of the strong market demand for highly integrated power technology that can also make a significant contribution to reducing energy consumption.”

Surface Mount for Increasing Board Density Board density is increasing and to simplify manufacturing processes, power module suppliers need to offer surface-mount alternatives to conventional through-hole versions. Although it is not necessarily an issue at low- and mid-power levels, it can be a significant challenge for high power modules and even more so when these modules require additional I/O. ERICSSON POWER MODULES www.ericsson.com/powermodules

INDUSTRY NEWS CRFS Wins 2013 Queen's Award for Enterprise International Trade CRFS, the world's leading manufacturer of RF spectrum monitoring systems, has been named as the winner of a 2013 Queen's Award for Enterprise, International Trade. The award recognizes the success of CRFS's international strategy in establishing itself as a major exporter of spectrum monitoring and surveillance technology.

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious business awards, designed to recognize and encourage the achievements by businesses in the UK. The awards are granted in the fields of Innovation, International Trade, and Sustainable Development.

“We are delighted that the UK Government has granted us a Queen's Award for Enterprise,” said Alistair Massarella, CEO of CRFS. “This award is an official acknowledgment of CRFS's success in building our business in overseas markets, which we have achieved during a period of challenging global economic conditions.”

CRFS's flagship RFEye is a cost-effective and intelligent radio frequency (RF) sensor that can be deployed either locally in critical buildings or installations or in very large networks (across cities, regions, or even whole countries) to monitor activity in the RF spectrum.

The RFeye captures and analyzes signals across the spectrum up to 18 GHz and rapidly identifies and locates the source of suspicious or interfering signals. It is used to help plan and manage efficient spectrum usage and to resolve interference issues. It also has an important role in alerting for unauthorized or illegal transmissions that may indicate a security breach, public safety threat, or espionage.

The RFeye system is easily configurable and is extremely versatile for a range of different applications. This flexibility has made it possible for CRFS to identify customer opportunities in a range of market sectors, especially in the U.S. where there are a number of significant noncivilian applications in the security and military sectors. One recent deployment of an RFeye network is at the U.S. Army Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, providing rapid detection and radio location of potential interference sources on the installation.

CRFS www.crfs.com THE QUEEN'S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS Silicon Labs to Acquire Energy Micro, A Leader in Low Power ARM Cortex-Based Microcontrollers and Radios Silicon Labs announced that it has signed a Silicon Labs’ 32-bit Precision32™ MCU, definitive agreement to acquire Energy Ember® ZigBee® and sub-GHz wireless Micro AS. Based in Oslo, Norway, the lateproducts and targets a growing embedded stage privately held company offers the market. The acquisition greatly expands industry’s most power-efficient portfolio of Silicon Labs’ MCU portfolio, adding nearly 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) and is 250 ARM-based EFM32 Gecko MCU proddeveloping multi-protocol wireless RF soluucts ranging from extreme-low-power, tions based on the industry-leading ARM® small-footprint MCUs based on the ARM Cortex-M architecture. Energy Micro’s energy-friendly MCU and radio solutions are designed to enable a broad range of power-sensitive applications for the Internet of Things (IoT), smart energy, home automation, security and portable electronics markets. This strategic acquisition accelerates Silicon Labs’ growth opportunities and posiGroup at signing (left to right) tions the company as the fore- Torleif Ahlsand, Chairman, Energy Micro, Northzone VC most innovator in energy-friend- - Tyson Tuttle, CEO, Silicon Labs ly embedded solutions. The - Geir Førre, CEO, Energy Micro growth of the IoT market, cou- Steinar Fossen, Board of Directors, Investinor VC pled with continued deployment of smart grid and smart energy infrastrucCortex-M0+ core to higher-performance, ture, is driving strong demand for energyenergy-friendly MCUs powered by the efficient processing and wireless connectivi- Cortex-M4 core capable of DSP and floatty technology to enable connected devices ing-point operations. The acquisition is in which low-power capabilities are increasexpected to enhance Silicon Labs’ radio ingly important. Industry experts predict portfolio with the addition of Energy that the number of connected devices for Micro’s ultra-low-power EFR Draco radio the IoT will top 15 billion nodes by 2015 products. and reach 50 billion nodes by 2020.

ENERGY MICRO www.energymicro.com Energy Micro’s portfolio complements SILICON LABS www.silabs.com

A Lot of DIAMOND Lattice ECP3 for a Small Price Lattice (Distributor: MSC) extends the ECP3 “Re-surge”-campaign. The promotion is valid until 4 September 2013.

The one-year license Lattice Diamond, the ECP3 Versa Development Kit or each of five IP Suites can be purchased for each $ 99. No chance to get ECP3 development tools for less money.

The LatticeECP3 family is the third generation high value FPGA from Lattice Semiconductor, which offers the industry's lowest power consumption and price of any SERDES-capable FPGA device.

It offers multi-protocol 3.2G SERDES with XAUI jitter compliance, DDR3 memory interfaces, powerful DSP capabilities, high density on-chip memory and up to 149K LUTS, all with half the power con-

sumption and half the price of competitive SERDES-capable FPGAs. Thus PCI Express, Gigabit Ethernet and video applications can easily be built.

MSC VERTRIEBS www.msc-ge.com www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

17

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Starter Kit for COM Express™ Type 6 Modules with AMD Embedded R-Series APUs For quick evaluation and prototyping of embedded systems based on COM Express™ modules with AMD Embedded RSeries Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), MSC Vertriebs GmbH offers a complete starter kit. The intelligent starter kit MSC C6-SK-A7-T6T2 contains a COM Express™ Type 6 baseboard, an active heat sink with fan and two DDR3 memory modules. Users of the kit are free to choose one of four COM Express™ Type 6 computer modules with Embedded R-Series APU from MSC’s MSC C6CA7 product family.

Furthermore, the starter kit is also offered with a 15 inch XGA TFT display with LED backlight. Different display types or touch screen panels are available on request.

The compact baseboard with dimensions of 140 mm x 184 mm offers the module socket and numerous important connectors, above all the newly available Type 6 interfaces defined in the COM Express™ specification V2.0. The interfaces include configurable Digital Display Interfaces (DDI) which

can be used via three each DisplayPort and HDMI connectors and a DVI port. In addition, four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA, HD audio, SATA and even a PCI Express™ x4 slot also found place onboard.

The COM Express™ Type 6

module platform MSC C6C-A7 from MSC integrates an Embedded R-Series APU from AMD and is characterized by very powerful graphics and high parallel computing performance with low power dissipation.

MSC VERTRIEBS www.msc-ge.com

Mouser Stocks Cypress PSoC® 4 Programmable SoC Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stocking Cypress’s PSoC® 4 programmable SoC, which combines Cypress’ PSoC analog and digital fabric, CapSense® capacitive touch technology with ARM®’s Cortex™-M0.

Cypress Semiconductor’s PSoC®4 ARM® Cortex™-M0 Based Programmable SoC architecture combines Cypress’ best-inclass PSoC analog and digital fabric and industryleading CapSense® capacitive touch technology with ARM’s power-efficient Cortex-M0 core. The truly scalable, cost-efficient architecture delivers PSoC’s trademark flexibility, analog performance and integration, along with access to dozens of free PSoC Components™—“virtual chips” represented by icons in Cypress’ PSoC Creator™ integrated design environment. The new PSoC4 device class will challenge proprietary 8-bit and 16-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), along with other 32-bit devices.

Mouser is also stocking Cypress’ PSoC ARM Cortex-M0 Pioneer Kit, which is an easy-to-use and inexpensive development platform enabling you to create unique designs with the flexibility of PSoC 4. Featuring a member of the PSoC 4200 family, this kit gives you the power of an ARM® Cortex™-M0 combined

with the fully customizable analog and digital fabric of the PSoC in the palm of your hands. To learn more, visit www.mouser.com/new/cypressse miconductor/cypress-psoc4/.

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering MOUSER ELECTRONICS www.mouser.com

Kontron announces 4th generation Intel® Core™ processor support for a broad range of systems, boards and modules Parallel to the launch of the 4th generation Intel Core processors, Kontron announces its support of this new microarchitecture on a broad range of long-term available systems, boards and modules. Four intelligent platforms with improved processing and graphics performance as well as energy efficiency are available for evaluation with immediate effect.

Customers benefit from significant time-tomarket advantages, as they can directly start their application developments on their preferred new target platform.

The first Kontron intelligent platforms to feature the 4th generation Intel Core processors will be COM Express, Mini-ITX, 6U CompactPCI, and the Kontron SYMKLOUD Media cloud platforms. Based on the new Intel microarchitecture, formerly codenamed 'Haswell', they integrate new features such as the Intel AVX2 instructions, which dramatically accelerate floating-point-intensive computations and the improved Intel AES-NI, which accelerates data encryption and decryption.

18

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

Graphics-intensive applications will profit from the graphics performance which has been doubled in comparison to solutions based on the previous generation processors, while the thermal footprint has remained nearly the same. Kontron's new platforms with 4th generation Intel Core processor technology provide a performance increase for floating-point intensive and parallel computing with the support of the new Intel AVX2 and OpenCL 1.2. Target applications include digital signal and image processing applications in the medical, industrial automation and MAG (Military, Aerospace and Government) markets, as well as cloud-based video transcoding for content delivery networks. OEMs looking for a compelling visual experience of intelligent systems displaying videos, graphics and

interactive content will enjoy the advantages of increased 3D and media performance as well as the support of DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.x. Another new feature is the support for 4K displays, connected via DVI or HDMI. KONTRON www.kontron.com

DESIGN

ENCLOSURES

Hammond.

Enclosures for your equipment Virtually, every electrical or electronic equipment, even amateur one, needs enclosure. Why? After all, enclosure is not always necessary for the proper operation of the equipment.

There may be multiple reasons for that. Two, most common ones include: protection of users against electrical shock and widely understood protection of the equipment against influence of environment in which such equipment operates.

by Marcin Kajzler

The first important function of enclosure is to prevent from touching elements which are live and ensure that equipment is protected against direct contact. Such protection is the most basic way to ensure protection against electrical shock. If this is the only protection, then such equipment holds zero protection class. In such case, enclosure is made of nonconductive material: dielectric material.

Why can’t this be a conductor? If a breakdown of any of the components happens to the conductive enclosure, it could lead to production of user’s life-threatening potential. Metal enclosure should, therefore be connected to a grounding which is usually protective conductor or protective – neutral conductor.

Such equipment offers the first class of protection. In case of equipment damage, proper grounding will protect the user against voltage dangerous for their life. Enclosures connected to the grounding system, which are made of conductor, have one more advantage: they reduce electromagnetic emission of the equipment and shield it against influence of external interfering fields.

The second important reason of placing appliances in enclosures is the necessity of their protection against influence of environmental conditions, including water and solid bodies

20

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

influence. The most popular system of equipment marking is a code in the IPyz form. A digit in the “y” position shows resistance to penetration by solid bodies, whereas the “z” position – shows resistance to water. A list of respective values and their meaning as per the PN EN 60529 standard are presented in the Table 1.

IP

If a product does not require marking with any of the characteristic digits “y” or “z”, then “X” is placed instead (e.g. IP2X – no specification of water resistance).

Enclosures used in special applications e.g. in equipment designed to operate in explosive conditions, require non-combustibility.

y

z

0

No protection

No protection

1

Back of hand (Φ > 50mm)

Vertically falling drops

2

Finger (12,5mm < Φ < 50mm)

Drops falling at an angle of 15° against the normal position

3

Screwdriver / tool (2,5mm < Φ < 12,5mm)

Drops falling at an angle of 60° against vertical position

4

Wire (1mm < Φ < 2,5mm)

Drops falling from any direction

5

Protection against penetration of dust in the quantities not disturbing operation

Water jet from any direction

6

Complete protection against dust penetration

Powerful water jet or a wave from any direction

7

---

Immersion by 30 minutes (up to 1m depth)

8

---

Continuous immersion and increased water pressure (1m)

9

---

Flooded with a stream of water with the pressure of 80 ÷ 100bar

Table 1

DESIGN

ENCLOSURES

In practice, metal enclosures do not burn, and plastic ones do not burn with flame, however, they melt when exposed to high temperature.

Widely available metal enclosures are practically only aluminum enclosures. Steel enclosures are most often made to customer’s individual order. Popularity of aluminum is due to its low weight, simplicity of machining and natural resistance to corrosion.

In case of plastic enclosures, the selection of materials is much wider. We can choose from three basic materials: ABS, polycarbonate and polystyrene. Below, there is a description of the most popular materials used for production of electric and electronic enclosures. Such list should help while making the selection of enclosure for a given application.

metal, aluminum is very light and easy to machine, however, it is not so much resilient. It reflects electromagnetic radiation very well.

Aluminium Aluminium, when in contact with oxygen from the air is covered with a thin film of aluminum oxide. This film tightly covers the whole surface and protects against diffusion inside the layer of oxygen particles which prevents further corrosion.

Additionally, they protect against external magnetic fields because steel is ferromagnetic. Steel reflects electromagnetic radiation better than aluminum, however, it is more prone to corrosion and sensitive to acids and bases.

Steel Steel enclosures weight more, are more resilient and resistant than aluminum enclosures.

rather cheap enclosures, without any special mechanic properties.

Polycarbonate Plastic with excellent mechanical properties and durability comparable with aluminum.

Polycarbonate is exceptionally transparent for visible light. Since it is quite expensive material, enclosures made of it are less popular than those made of ABS.

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) ABS is a plastic material, one of the most popular materials used to make enclosures. This is a very hard material resistant to scratches and impacts, but at the same time it is susceptible to esters and acids, but also to UV radiation which might cause a change of its colour.

HM-RP1085C

HM-1553BTBUBK

HM-1599TABLGY As one of the few plastics, ABS can be coated with metallic coat. Thanks to this, there is a possibility of producing ABS enclosure that will conduct current.

This phenomenon causes that aluminum enclosures virtually do not corrode thanks to which they do not have to be preserved. As a

Polystyrene This material is quite hard, but brittle. It easily Hades and its transparency leaves much to be desired. This is one of the cheapest plastics to produce that is why it is used for production of

One of the most widely known manufacturers of enclosures in the world is Canadian Hammond which was established in 1917. At the beginning of its business activity, it produced, among others, radio sets and amplifiers. Sudden increase in the popularity of electric devices in the 50’s and 60’s opened new markets. Hammond company started to produce transformers and enclosures.

At present, Hammond offers many different types of enclosures which are available in all shapes and made of various materials. We can choose among enclosures designed for control panels of electronic appliances, console, for devices with displays, dust and water – resistant and many others. The list of available types of enclosures is very long. TME’s offer includes over 500 Hammond enclosures, which means that there is much to choose from. n www.tme.eu www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

21

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Kontron's 6U CompactPCI board with 4th generation Intel Core processors increases performance density and data throughput Kontron introduced today, its latest 6U CompactPCI CPU board alongside the launch of the 4th generation Intel Core processors.

The Kontron CP6005-SA, featuring the Intel QM87 Express chipset, is scalable up to the Intel Core i7-4700EQ processor with up to 4x 2.4 GHz (3.4 GHz in turbo mode).

The CPU board excels with its outstanding performance density and data throughput over the backplane. While keeping to the same TDP and footprint, in comparison to preceding generations, the new CPU board offers up to four times more GFLOP per watt, up to 15% higher CPU performance and double the graphic performance. In addition to Kontron's legacy CP6005-SA, the Kontron 6U CompactPCI CPU board CP6005X-SA offers significantly improved data throughput over the backplane due to PCIe 3.0 and 2x 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Thus,

the new Kontron 6U CompactPCI CPU board primarily targets compute-intense applications such as sonar, radar and video stream analytics in commercial avionics and military. Further application areas can be found in markets such as telecommunication and

medical image processing. New features such as the Intel Advanced Vector Extensions 2 (Intel AVX2) and the extended GPGPU support prove to be particularly advantageous for high performance embedded computing. With the Kontron CP6005-SA, OEMs can now attain DSP performance density with generic x86 technology.

KONTRON www.kontron.com

FleyRay-Extender for IPETRONIK Data Logger IPETRONIK’s division IPEmeasure extends its M-LOG and IPElog data logger series introducing the newly developed galvanic isolated 2-channel FlexRay-Extender.

FlexRay is a serial fault-tolerant field bus system used in many highlevel electronic chassis and driver assistance systems. This bus system is characterized by a significantly higher bandwidth of 10 MBit/s, as compared to the CAN bus, and a deterministic and time-controlled transfer characteristic. As this bus system is now being implemented in production vehicles, analysis in prototype state and trial phase becomes increasingly necessary.

IPETRONIK’s FlexRay-Extender is used as gateway for data conver-

22

sion. It supports time-related data recording of FlexRay signals (FlexRay 2.1 Rev.A, chn A/ Chn B) using three different modes: signal measurement, protocol measurement XCPonFlexRay and asynchronous measurement.

Asynchronous measurements are typically used for benchmark analysis. As bus parameters are determined by the FlexRay-

Extender, users are able to measure “standard signals” at a thirdparty vehicle in a relatively easy way. In protocol mode the extender collects data using the standardized XCPonFlexRay protocol IPETRONIK www.ipetronik.com

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

Laird Unveiled Bluetooth Smart™ Application Powered by Thermal Energy at Sensors Expo Laird Technologies, Inc., a leading global technology company, demonstrated a Bluetooth Smart™ application powered by thermal energy at Sensors Expo 2013. The application uses a Thermobility Wireless Power Generator to provide power for Laird's BL600 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module. The solution offers design engineers the ability to integrate renewable energy sources into their BLE-based remote sensor applications. Thermobility™ Wireless Power Generators are self-contained systems that convert heat into DC power using Laird’s eTEG™ embedded thinfilm thermoelectric modules.

Thermobility generators use differences in temperature to enable power anywhere there is an adequate heat source and eliminate the need to use traditional wired power sources or replaceable batteries. The solution can provide years of maintenance-free operation, thus expanding the possibilities for new wireless BLE-based sensor and security applications in

industrial control, transportation, automotive and building management. BL600 modules provide exceptionally low power consumption with outstanding wireless range. The modules support a variety of ultra-low power saving modes and have a compact footprint, making them suitable for even the smallest

portable devices.

According to industry analyst IMS Research, sales of Bluetooth Smart™ devices should grow from 5.4 million devices in 2012 to nearly 160 million units in 2016.

Laird gave several presentations on energy harvesting during the three-day Sensors Expo conference. Director of Customer Solutions David Blaker presented a tutorial entitled “Integration of Thermal Energy Harvesting in Embedded Wireless Systems”, and Bob Collins presented on “Thermal Energy Harvesting for Embedded Wireless Solutions”.

LAIRD TECHNOLOGIES www.lairdtech.com

Freescale Open Software Sensor Platform Enables Contex To speed and simplify the development of embedded systems that incorporate multiple sensing technologies, Freescale Semiconductor is now offering the Xtrinsic intelligent sensing framework (ISF). The framework provides software infrastructure and programming interfaces that enable Xtrinsic sensors like the FXLC95000CL platform or Freescale’s Kinetis microcontrollers to serve as sensor hubs, eliminating time-intensive sensor integration tasks and allowing developers to focus on differentiating their specific applications.

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly introducing embedded intelligence and

sophisticated sensing technologies to a broad array of industrial systems, medical equipment, consumer devices and other products. While the incorporation of more sensors into product designs enables compelling functionality and promising new applications, it also presents substantial challenges. Embedded developers face increased complexity related to capturing, interpreting and efficiently leveraging disparate information – often collected from multiple sensors – and then appropriately applying this data to different domains and use cases. According to a recent report from analyst firm IHS, the market for MEMS sensors is

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Freescale S12 MagniV Mixed-Signal MCUs Help Solve Automotive Electronics Technology Challenges in China Automobile sales in China are booming, with a 13 percent year-over-year gain for April 2013, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. At the same time, the amount of electronic content per vehicle continues to increase as automakers add features to differentiate themselves in this highly competitive market. To help address the need for cost-effective vehicle electronic systems, the Freescale Semiconductor S12 MagniV mixedsignal microcontroller (MCU) portfolio offers Chinese automakers highly integrated, single-chip solutions that are extremely reliable and easy to develop with, while helping reduce the bill of materials and overall manufacturing costs.

Traditionally, automotive electronic system designs have required multiple components â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some created with a high-voltage process to connect to the battery and power actuator outputs, as well as MCUs created with a lowvoltage digital logic process. This poses a challenge when the end application has space limitations. S12 MagniV MCUs address this challenge by integrating an analog front end and MCU, providing a comprehensive single-chip solution for applications such as anti-pinch window lifts, instrument clusters and brushless DC motors. By combining the latest CANand LIN-based S12 MagniV devices with the latest Qorivva MCU body control module in a networked system, car OEMs

are able to eliminate up to 20 pounds of copper wiring and board components, reducing vehicle weight and further improving fuel economy. Through several joint technology labs in China, Freescale is helping accelerate the introduction of innovative designs into the automotive market. Freescale and Tongji University in Shanghai developed an anti-pinch window lift reference design, which demon-

strates the capabilities of the S12 MagniV portfolio. This reference design is based on the S12 MagniV S12VR MCU and is ideal for the development of power windows and sun roof systems.

In addition to collaborating with Tongji University, Freescale participates in automotive joint labs across China with partners including ChangAn Motor, Chery, Foton Motor, Dongfeng Motor and FAW. FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com

xt Awareness and Data Fusion for the Internet of Things expected to grow 13 percent in 2013 and continue to grow by double digits until 2016, when it will reach $2.21 billion (USD). Pressure sensors, gyroscopes and combination sensors incorporated in intelligent devices are expected to help drive this growth. Software for aggregating and fusing data from the growing number and variety of sensors is increasingly important to support new and advanced applica-

tions. Freescaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Xtrinsic ISF is an open framework that provides a run-time environment for executing custom embedded applications. The Xtrinsic ISF exposes a unified interface for obtaining data from multiple sensor types. ISF sensor adapters handle all of the sensor communication details, making it easy to add new sensors to a system without worrying about the details of sensor communications.

Together with its power management, bus management, command interpreter and host proxy functions, the Xtrinsic ISF reduces integration effort and shortens design time. The Xtrinsic ISF also enables new sensor adapters to be written and integrated to handle additional sensor types for customized solutions.

FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com

Kontron drives costs down, performance densities up for content delivery applications in the cloud Next generation SYMKLOUD Media platform is more energy efficient and supplies more than double the performance for video transcoding in the cloud Kontron, a global leader of telecom, network and cloud infrastructure platform solutions, announced today that the SYMKLOUD MS2900 Media platform now supports the newly released 4th generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor. Expected graphics performance levels are more than double the previous generation with its integrated Intel Iris Pro graphics 5200 (GT3e). This translates into a new order of magnitude of efficiency. The Kontron SYMKLOUD Media platform will be able to handle massive distributed workloads of content delivery such as fixed and mobile video transcoding applications deployed in cloud infrastructure.

Changing demands in the broadcast industry are leading to an ever increasing pressure to explore IP, cloud options, as the viewing experience diversifies across interactive TV sets, tablets, plus on-demand and catch-up video services that are more popular than ever. One of the instrumental network elements in end-to-end distribution is the Encoding/ Transcoding of video for all fixed and mobile devices. The market push is to move this portion into the cloud for all multi-screen deployments. With the multitude of devices comes a multitude of different bitrates, resolutions and codecs. To transcode streams of audio and video from codec to another is compute intensive. The 4th generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor is very well suited to decode and transcode simultaneous video streams with its GT3e graphics engines, thus freeing up the main processor for other tasks such as analytics.

KONTRON www.kontron.com www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

23

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Tiny Kinetis KL02 Microcontrollers from Freescale Now Broadly Available

Gore Announces Enhanced Venting and Cooling Solutions for Improved Performance at CTIA 2013

Freescale Semiconductor is now shipping its Kinetis KL02 family of 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), offering a new level of processing performance and energy efficiency for a range of applications and helping expand the Internet of Things (IoT). The tiny KL02 devices have a small appetite for power – six times more efficient than a leading competitor – making them ideal for ultra-small-form-factor and battery-powered products.

Applications may include portable consumer devices, sensing nodes, wearable devices and even ingestible healthcare sensing. As more of these products add intelligence and become part of the IoT ecosystem, designers need to maintain a small footprint, in terms of size and power consumption, while also delivering a level of connectivity users have come to expect from more traditional connected devices,

At the CTIA 2013™ Mobile Marketplace in Las Vegas Nevada, May 21-23, W. L. Gore & Associates presented its latest venting and cabinet cooling products that enable the telecommunications industry to remain connected and protected. Gore has displayed new venting products and cooling filters that ensure reliability and long-lasting performance across the telecommunication spectrum ranging from mobile phones and small portable devices to small cells, outdoor wireless routers, towermounted antennas, base station cabinets and other telecommunication infrastructure.

Continuing its commitment to enhancing infrastructure performance, Gore presented several new GORE® Protective Vents – the solution for equalizing internal pressure and protecting sensitive electronics inside housings of any size.

The VE9 Series adhesive vent provides the highest level of airflow – approximately five times that of Gore’s existing VE7 Series adhesive vents and features a membrane that is f2 rated by Underwriters Laboratory. The membrane-only construction of the VE9 Series is very flexible, which enables it to be installed

such as tablets and smartphones.

This announcement builds on the momentum Freescale has achieved with the Kinetis L series since its introduction in early 2012. The company currently has 66 Kinetis L series devices in its portfolio and expects nearly double that number this year.

This expansion will provide application designers the industry’s largest MCU portfolio based on the ARM® Cortex™M0+ processor, offering more than 110 ARM Powered® MCU choices with the most package options and greatest scalability.

FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com

Transcend’s mSATA Mini SSD MSM610 now at Rutronik The new MSM610 mSATA mini SSD from Transcend offers a diminutive yet robust form factor, impressive sequential read/write transfer speeds, solid state performance and durability. The product is available in 8GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities at distributor Rutronik as of now.

Fully compliant with the SATA II 3Gb/s specification and built with industry-leading toggle-mode MLC NAND flash chips, the MSM610 mSATA mini SSD boasts blazing fast sequential read and write speeds up to 245 and 48MB/s respectively. This translates into reduced boot up and data transfer times, superior application launch speed and enhanced overall system responsiveness. This is especially useful for dual-drive notebooks and Ultrabooks. The MSM610 comes

24

with advanced features such as TRIM and NCQ support, built-in ECC and wear leveling, intelligent block management, support for enhanced S.M.A.R.T. commands and excellent shock resistance, providing exceptional reliability and data protection. To further protect SSD data, built-in Advanced Power Shield technology directly monitors the host power input to prevent data loss in the event of a sudden power outage.

Measuring only 26.8mm × 29.85mm × 3.85mm, the MSM610 is ideal for spacerestricted embedded applications, e.g. tablets, smartphones, Ultrabooks, eBook readers, navigation systems, set-top boxes, hand held scanners and mini PCs. RUTRONIK www.rutronik.com

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

on either the internal or external wall of the enclosure. As a complement to the VE7 and VE9 Series adhesive vents, Gore introduced two venting series – the VE7R and VE9R – with a more durable adhesive that adheres to rough and uneven surfaces even after exposure to challenging environmental conditions. And the Protective Venting team has displayed the new GORE® PolyVent XL, which

is specifically engineered to improve the integrity and reliability of large outdoor enclosures with a volume exceeding 200 liters by equalizing pressure and blocking contaminants in frequently changing conditions.

W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES www.gore.com

Silicon Labs Introduces High-Performance Oscillators for Silicon Labs introduced a new family of crystal oscillators (XOs) that provide ultra-low jitter reference timing for 10G, 40G and 100G cloud computing and networking equipment. These new Si535 and Si536 XOs leverage Silicon Labs’ proven DSPLL® technology to provide unparalleled performance, stability and flexibility for 10/40G data center core/access switches, storage area networking equipment, security routers, enterprise switches/routers, and Carrier Ethernet switches and routers.

To support the burgeoning demand for cloud computingbased services, data center equipment is migrating to high-

er speed serial data transmission, often 10G or faster. In parallel, there is a significant trend to maximize energy efficiency by consolidating switching, storage and computing resources into fewer components. These trends have given rise to processors, Ethernet switch ICs and FPGAs with integrated highspeed serializer-deserializer (SerDes) technology that requires low-jitter timing references. Silicon Labs’ Si535/536 oscillators provide the ultra-low jitter and ±20 ppm stability required by state-of-the-art cloud computing and networking infrastructure equipment.

The Si535/536 XOs offer excep-

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

New Power Architecture based Kontron VPX board fulfills demanding embedded computing requirements Kontron introduced its latest 3U VPX PowerPC processor board, tailored for rugged embedded systems that need to process compute-intensive applications using the lowest possible power consumption. To meet this requirement, the Kontron 3U VPX processor board VX3240 features the new, power optimized Freescale P2041 QorIQ quad-core processor. The headless VPX design has four 1.2 GHz Power Architecture e500mc cores, which helps engineers to successfully meet current and future challenges of Size, Weight & Power and Cooling (SWaP-C) requirements for constrained environments in the military, aerospace and transportation markets.

Moreover, the integrated hypervisor support enabling the use of low level safety critical virtualization technologies from companies such as Wind River, RTS or Sysgo, makes the VX3240 the ideal SBC for consolidation of multiple applications into a single platform, further improving the SWaP-C balance.

Network-centric applications also benefit from the data path acceleration architecture (DPAA), which offloads packet

handling tasks from the core, providing increased processor performance for critical tasks while the secure boot feature of the CPU can be used for trusted boot implementation, allowing only authenticated code to run on the board.

Applications for the new Kontron 3U VPX processor board VX3240 include,

C4ISR, software defined radio and networked applications that require rugged OpenVPX designs to operate in the most demanding environments. Safetycritical railway applications also benefit from this architecture.

Its wide range of I/Os, including Gigabit Ethernet, GPIOs, USB, SATA and serial interfaces, simplifies integration in new, data- intensive, low-power system designs.

Focusing on the future of the automotive market, Laird Technologies, Inc., a global technology company, showcased automotive electronic solutions at Telematics Detroit 2013. An industry leader in solutions for the automotive market, Laird delivers innovative products to OEMs and Tier 1 companies.

The telematics that will allow cars of the future to “see” and “talk” with each other also will enable medical devices to wirelessly provide valuable data unlike never before, according to Jim Ciccarelli, Segment Director for Telematics at Laird.

“Telematics and wireless technology has significantly changed the automotive industry,” said Ciccarelli.

His presentation, titled “Taking Telematics Beyond Automotive,” discussed how to provide full valueadd to vehicles by tapping into other wireless, M2M ecosystems. Topics discussed included integrating cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® technologies, interfacing to medical devices for first responders and enabling telematics suppliers to move into new wireless verticals through strategic partnerships.

KONTRON www.kontron.com

Cloud Computing tional jitter performance of <200 femtoseconds (fs) RMS jitter (integrated from 10 kHz to 1 MHz) for common Ethernet and Fibre Channel reference frequencies. The Si535/536 oscillators support LVDS and LVPECL output formats at 2.5 V and 3.3 V and offer both

Laird Technologies’ Solution for the Automotive Market: Interactive Vehicle Display

±20 ppm and 31.5 ppm total stability, simplifying interfacing to a wide variety of processors, switches, PHYs and FPGAs. When combined with Silicon Labs’ Si533xx differential clock buffers, the Si535/536 XOs provide low-jitter clock generation and distribution for SoCs requiring multiple high-performance reference clocks.

The Si535/536 oscillators use Silicon Labs’ patented DSPLL technology to provide a low-jitter clock at high-speed differential frequencies.

SILICON LABS www.silabs.com/XO

During the exhibition, Laird highlighted their broad mix of products and solutions for the automotive industry. Antennas, Telematics Devices, EMI, Ferrites, Active Thermal Management, Thermal Interface Materials and Embedded Wireless solutions has been showcased at the booth through an interactive vehicle display. Advanced concepts displayed in the vehicle include low-energy Bluetooth Smart™ modules, LTE/MiMo reception and wireless sensors using energy harvesting.

Laird is an industry leader in the design and manufacturing of performance-critical products for wireless and other advanced electronic applications. The company’s engineer and design teams can develop custom solutions for virtually any application. Solutions are supplied across several industries including automotive, telecommunications, information technology, consumer products, medical and industrial markets.

LAIRD TECHNOLOGIES

www.lairdtech.com

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

25

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Kontron COM Express Computer-on-Module accelerates individual implementation of 4th generation Intel Core processors

Kontron's embedded Mini-ITX motherboard with 4th generation Intel Core processor delivers leading-edge performance in compact size

Kontron announced the launch of the COM Express basic Computer-on-Module COMebHL6 that accelerates and eases the implementation of 4th generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 and Celeron processors into individual application platforms. The new application-ready modules offer increased performance density and up to twice the graphics performance compared to its predecessors. Up to three independent, daisy-chained displays with up to 4K resolution are supported to create stunning user experiences. Further to this, DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.x support paves the way for compelling visuals when videos, graphics and interactive content are being displayed. By integrating the new Intel AVX2 and OpenCL 1.2, Kontron's new Computer-on-Modules additionally not only provide an increase in floating-point performance they also possess improved parallel processing capacities. Typical application areas can be found in

Kontron announced the new embedded Mini-ITX motherboard KTQ87/mITX based on 4th generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors and the Intel Embedded Q87 chipset. The new motherboard offers engineers leading-edge embedded processing performance as well as up to 4K graphics in a compact ATXcompliant footprint. It provides a 35 percent increase in graphics performance compared to its predecessors and a higher floating-point performance as well as improved data en- and decryption while the thermal footprint has practically remained the same. With these improvements and with the longterm availability as well as the high-quality design, the Kontron KTQ87/mITX sets a new benchmark for all mid-range to highperformance embedded applications in markets such as industrial automation, medical, gaming and digital signage. With the Mini-ITX form factor engineers can immediately launch into developing system designs based on the broad, ATX-compliant ecosystem.

By making a Mini-ITX board available parallel to the processor

markets such as digital signage, professional gaming and entertainment, medical imaging and surveillance and security as well as industrial plant and machine line control on shop floor- and

control room-level. Engineers can immediately commence with evaluating these new benchmark Computer-on-Modules on all Kontron COM Express pin-out type 6-compliant starter kits. For customers wanting to instantly leverage the new graphics and computing power in their existing designs based on individual carrier boards, Kontron also offers standardized migration support services to accelerate the designin phase and thus achieve fastest field deployment.

KONTRON www.kontron.com

Mitsubishi Electric Released New Higher Current Automotive IPMs of the J-Series Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced on Power Conversion Intelligent Motion (PCIM) Europe 2013 (May 14-16 in Nuremberg, Germany), the development of higher current rated intelligent power modules (IPMs) mainly for electric- (EV) and hybrid vehicle (HV) applications. Two new models of the J-Series in 3phase inverter configuration (6 in 1) will be introduced, based on low-loss CSTBTTM chip technology.

PM800CJG060G is combining a rating of 600V/800A with a low saturation voltage of typically 1.8V at Tj=25°C. For PM500CJG120G these values are 1200V/500A with a typical saturation voltage of 2.0V. Both are supporting at the same footprint area larger currents than existing types of the J-series, starting from 300A at 600V rat-

26

ing respectively from 150A at 1200V. Additionally, both are equipped with built-in power supplies for IGBT drive and logic circuits. First samples will be available from August 2013

onwards. Mass production of the RoHS compliant modules is expected to begin in 2014.

Power modules for automobiles offer higher reliability than industrial-use modules due to extremely high standards for vehicle safety.

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC EUROPE B.V. www.mitsubishichips.eu

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

launch, Kontron enables simultaneous engineering and roll-out along the entire value creation chain from chip vendor up to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Building a design on a seven year long-term available embedded motherboard ensures that OEM installations will always have the same function and functionality which dramatically simplifies updates and after sales serv-

ice. The high-quality design of the Kontron embedded motherboards with features such as solid capacitors (POSCAP) additionally improves application reliability and availability in the field - even in the harshest of environments. In addition, the embedded feature set contributes to enabling the long-term availability of applications in all the various embedded and intelligent system markets up to cyber physical systems.

KONTRON www.kontron.com

IPETRONIK now provides an 8-Channel Temperature Mea IPETRONIK upgrades the second generation of its M-Series CAN modules by adding MTHERMO2, an 8-channel temperature measurement device connectable to K-Type Thermocouples (NiCr/NiAl).

The redesigned M2-Series

enclosure uses reduced dimensions of 106 mm × 30 mm × 50 mm (W × H × D) and is designed for use in the engine compartment supporting IP67 protection class, as well as the extended temperature range of -40°C to +125°C.

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

SUYIN Optronics presents an ultra-compact mini-camera module with a resolution of 8 megapixels Suyin Optronics offers a highly miniaturized camera module bearing the part number CM 8013 AF05 OV01 that features a maximum resolution of 8 megapixels. Due to its compact dimensions of 8.5 mm (W) × 8.5 mm (L) × 5.91 mm (H), the module is also suitable for use in applications facing particularly tight space restrictions. Integrated autofocus capabilities, combined with a highperformance lens consisting of five plastic elements, ensures outstanding image quality and provides a display that is always sharp, regardless of the distance setting used. The image sensor, an OV8825 CMOS sensor in a PLCC housing, is in the 1/3.2-inch or 1/4 inch format. The size of the active image sensor area (the effective resolution) is 3,296 (H) × 2,460 (V) pixels. Using the standard “serial camera control bus” (SCCB), the images are read out as 10bit RAW RGB (MIPI) files (full-frame, sub-sampled, windowed). The user has comprehensive control over output of the image files with regard to image quality and formatting. The supported image sizes include 8 megapixels, EIS1080p, 1080p, EIS720p, EISQ 1080p, Q 1080p, EISVGA, VGA and QVGA, among others. Depending on the resolution, the maximum image transmission rate is 24fps (8 megapixels), 30fps

(EIS1080p), 60fps (EIS720p), etc. All required image editing functions – such as the exposure setting, white balance, the masking of defective pixels, etc. – can be programmed via the SCCB interface. Black level calibration is performed automatically (ABLC). Among other features, the miniature camera module offers integrated 256-byte one-time programmable (OTP) memory for stor-

Exar Releases High Frequency, Step-Down Regulator for EMC/EMI Sensitive Applications Exar Corporation, a leading supplier of high performance analog mixed-signal components and data management solutions, today expanded its family of low voltage, step down regulators with the addition of the XRP6670.

The programmable operating frequency of the XRP6670 offers power design engineers increased flexibility in optimizing component values, size and performance enabling precise management of electromagnetic interference (EMI) compliance and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

ing serial numbers and similar details, a chip-integrated phase-locked loop (PLL), as well as a built-in 1.5 V voltage controller for the core supply. Signals and power are delivered via a micro connector (24 pins, 3 mm × 2 mm), which is also connected to the module via a highly miniaturized flexible PCP. This miniature module is superbly suited for use in industrial PCs and mobile devices as well as in automotive and industrial electronics applications.

SUYIN www.suyin-europe.com

surement Device in a new M2 Enclosure A supply voltage in the range of 9VDC to 36VDC is required. Typical power consumption is 1.1W. The temperature measurement range of -60°C to +1370°C is digitalized by a 24-bit analog-to-digital converter. Cold junction compensation is accomplished using a PT100 temperature sensor directly at each measurement input socket. A compensation of the AD converter is performed each time before a measurement value is acquired. To achieve the highest possible accuracy, the sensor characteristic is linearized using an internal compensation algorithm. The hardware filter used in IPETRONIK’s M-THERMO2 is a single pol low-pass RC filter with a cut-off frequency of 1 Hz. The resolution is ≤0.087°C (≥14 bits). Accuracy is specified as ±0.035% of the temperature

measurement range at 25°C. The measurement module features channel sampling rates up to 100 Hz and a maximum aggregate sampling rate of 800Hz. Status LEDs at each measurement input indicate open inputs (sensor break detection) and provide information on the channel location during software configuration. The output data is transmitted using CAN bus 2.0B according to ISO 11898-2 with up to 1 MBit/s.

All measurement inputs, CAN bus and power supply are completely galvanically isolated from each other.

As known from the former M-Family, M-THERMO2 provides a toolless mounting technique to attach the modules to each other.

IPETRONIK www.ipetronik.com

Operating from a 2.6V to 5.5V input voltage range, the XRP6670 is capable of supplying up to 3Amps of continuous current with an adjustable output voltage as low as 0.8V. This synchronous Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) voltage regulator can accommodate a broad range of inductor and output capacitor values through its constant 300kHz to 2.5MHz programmable operating frequency.

Additionally, the adjustable frequency range of the XRP6670, which is set via a single resistor, allows the user to optimize size, transient response and efficiency while precisely positioning the fundamental operating frequency and subsequent harmonics. Ideal for industrial, medical, and audio and video equipment, the XPR6670, with its compact form factor and reduced component count, is also ideal for space sensitive applications.

EXAR CORPORATION www.exar.com www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

27

We have combined the newest generation of extremely sturdy Safety Light Curtains under the MLC name. Three function classes – Basic, Standard and Extended – enable the most efficient use of devices from simple standard applications to complex controlled special safeguarding processes. Even the Basic version can be used universally, due to metal end caps, a flexible fastening concept and the option of form-locking installation.

An abundance of benefits - the choice is yours.

Integrated blanking and muting In the MLC 530 (Extended), blanking and muting functions are already integrated and can be very easily called up via a corresponding pin assignment.

Flexible fastening concept Thanks to the integrated 3-zone alignment aid and the integrated LED and 7-segment display, the MLC family is easy to align, set up and operate.

Flexible and easy mounting - and without dead space An optional swivel mount as well as removable mounting cylinders enable very simple assembly or flush mechanical fastening without dead space.

Global availability Due to our global sales network, the MLC Safety Light Curtains can be delivered to your site anywhere in the world in a very short amount of time.

Still more safety expertise for you!

Efficiency is when the whole safety solution comes from a single source. From the simple standard sensor to the high-end system, there are many additional products and services in our extensive range that will also make your processes more efficient. Examples include:

Machine Safety Services • Product and standards trainings • Safety consulting, safety engineering • Start-up support • Safety inspections, stopping time measurements 28

MSI 200 Safety Controllers • Monitoring of 140 safe inputs or 100 inputs and 44 outputs • Transfer of diagnostic data to the PLC via optional fieldbus modules • Easy configuration with PLCopen-certified function blocks

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

MC3x Magnetically Coded Sensors • Not sensitive to dust, humidity, etc.

• Highly tamperproof • Different approach actuation directions • Integrated compact design

Tel. +40 256-201346 Mail office@oboyle.ro Web www.oboyle.ro

Leuze n n n

Optical sensors Sensors for logistic applications Safety at work

Contrinex n n

Optical Sensors Inductive Sensors

ASM n n n

Westec

Linear Sensors Angle Sensors Tilt Sensors

n n n

Selec n n n

HTP

PLCs Temperature Controller Timer

n n n n

Sensor Instruments n n n

Color Sensors True Color Sensors, Spectrometers Gloss Sensors

Kobold n n n

Heavy Duty Industrial Connectors Power and Data Transmission Connectors Aluminium Junction Boxes

Circular connectors M8; M12; M23 Cable and Connectors for Sensors Valve Connectors Distribution Blocks

Visit our online shop www.oboyle.ro

Intertec

Flowmeters Level Indicators and Switches Pressure Sensors and Switches

n n

Linear Solenoids Permanent Electromagnets

AUTOMATION Peratech designs the QTC Ultra Sensor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an ultra-sensitive touch sensor for domestic, commercial and industrial use Peratech, the innovators in touch technology, has developed an ultra-sensitive sensor using its award winning QTCâ&#x201E;˘ technology.

Quantum Tunnelling Composite material changes its resistance when pressure is applied, enabling it to be used to make

pressure sensors that can respond to light touches even through steel or glass. Fitting conventional switches to products always introduces a point of possible failure either within the switch or the fitting of the switch. QTC Ultra Sensor solve this as it can either be fitted as a small piece of QTC sheeting or screen printed on the back of the steel plate as required by the product designer. The design works equally well with other materials such as plastics, glass or wood provided that there is enough flex to activate the QTC switch. It can even be used behind translucent materials

to create secret till lit buttons.

QTC solutions are thinner, smaller, more discrete, less expensive and ultra-reliable as there is no air gap and no moving parts making them ideal for domestic, commercial and industrial equipment. QTC material has nanosized particles of conductive material evenly distributed in a non-conductive polymer. When a force is applied the particles move close enough for electrons to flow between the particles using an effect called Quantum Tunnelling.

PERATECH www.peratech.com www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

29

30

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

Tel. +40 256-201346 Mail office@oboyle.ro Web www.oboyle.ro

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

31

PRODUCT NEWS

DISPLAY

Distec Provides Optical Bonding in New Vacuum Technology

14.9-inch (37.7 cm) IPS TFT display with unique 16:3 aspect ratio and high image quality

Distec GmbH - leading German specialist for TFT-LCD flat screens and system solutions for industrial and multimedia applications now provides optical bonding in new vacuum technology. In this process a protective glass, a touch screen or both are bonded using a high quality optical material onto a TFT display. The result is a display that is rich in contrast, offers exceptional readability, and is well suited for use in direct sunlight. "In close strategic and technical cooperation with the Japanese Taica Group, we invested in the latest generation of optical bonding technology," said Dieter Kiermaier, Head of Sales and Marketing Components at Distec.

"This cutting edge vacuum technology has clear advantages compared to the 'wet bonding' technology currently employed worldwide. When vacuum bond-

Gleichmann Electronics now offers a 14.9-inch transmissive super widescreen IPS TFT display, part name TX38D25VM0CAA, from KOE Europe. The new display features a unique 16:3 wide aspect ratio, wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 170°, a high resolution of 1280 × 242 pixels, a brightness of 450 cd/m² and an excellent contrast ratio of 800:1.

The 14.9-inch display, which is based on KOE's own In Plane Switching (IPS) technology, has an active display area of 372.5 mm (w) × 70.4 mm (h) and mechanical outline dimensions of 386.8 mm (w) × 85.6 mm (h) × 13.1 mm (d). The display can be used in either landscape or portrait mode and

ing, a dehydration process is not needed; as such we avoid material shrinkage related to dehydration and the resulting degradation of optical qualit y. Due to the consistent mechanical conditions when vacuum bonding, so-

called 'yellow spots' are eliminated. Additional advantages of the new process are: enhanced robustness of the bonded TFT displays (important in industrialuse cases and in outdoor installations) as well as accelerated lead time sample production.

DISTEC www.distec.de

Dontech Car-Series™ & VC1-IM-Series™ Dielectrically Enhanced ITO Coatings for Demanding Display Applications Utilizing the latest in thin-film vacuum deposition technology, Dontech’s CAR-Series™ and VC1IM-Series™ index-matched ITO coatings on glass filters provide exceptional optical and electrically conductive properties. For high-end display programs, CARSeries™ coatings are indexmatched to air and VC1-IMSeries™ coatings are indexmatched to lamination to optimize display contrast (e.g., sunlight readability) while providing EMI/RFI shielding and/or transparent heating. Dontech’s indexmatched ITO coatings are used in demanding military, medical, industrial, and avionic applications. CAR-Series™ and VC1-IMSeries™ filters can be fabricated from a variety of glass substrates, such as chemically strengthened (soda lime, Corning® Gorilla®, or Asahi Dragontrail™), borosilicate, fused silica, and optical glasses

(e.g., Schott nBk-7). Customization options include low photopic reflections and tightly toleranced resistances. The CAR-Series™ coatings and VC1-IM-Series™

coatings offer AR coating reflections as low as <0.4%, compared to Dontech non-conductive AR coatings which can be optimized down below 0.1%. ITO sheet resistances range from <1 Ω/□ to 300 Ω/□ with transmittances as high as >96%.

DONTECH www.dontech.com

is suitable for applications such as point-of-sale (POS) terminals, transportation technology and industrial instrumentation.

The display has a single channel 20-pin LVDS data interface and supports 6-bit RGB providing a color palette of up to 262,000

colors. The white LED backlight provides a guaranteed 70,000 hours half brightness lifetime. The operating temperature range is specified at -20°C to +70°C. GLEICHMANN & CO. ELECTRONICS www.msc-ge.com

DSM Computer markets robust electro-luminescent displays from Lumineq (previously Planar) DSM Computer GmbH is distributor of the high-quality thin film electro-luminescent (TFEL) displays made by Lumineq Displays that are particularly robust and ideal for the widest range of applications with extreme environment requirements. Lumineq Displays is a newlyfounded business unit of the Finnish company Beneq that has taken over the “Electro-luminescent (EL)” division of Planar Systems, Inc. based in Finland.

Beneq has set the goal of ensuring that Planar's faithful customers will continue to receive problem-free and long-term deliveries of the existing products as well as comprehensive support. In future, Beneq will also develop new Lumineq display systems, and with innovative display technologies, such as ALD (atomic layer deposition),

and transparent displays intends to capture interesting markets.

Lumineq thin film electro-luminescence (TFEL) displays are designed for operation in a wide range of areas subject to extreme environmental conditions, e.g. for transportation, railroad technolo-

gy, aerospace and safety engineering. Thanks to the implemented Thin Film Electroluminescent (TFEL) technology developed by Planar, the displays can also work at extreme temperatures in the -60° to + 85° C range.

DSM COMPUTER www.dsm-computer.com

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

33

PRODUCT NEWS

LEDs

New ProfiLED lightbars from OMC save cost; provide even illumination

Everlight Electronics Introduces a Cost-Effective 1W High-Power LED for Multiple Lighting Applications

OMC, the pioneer in optoelectronics - LED lighting, backlighting and industrial fibre optic transmission components – has announced the launch of its ProfiLED Lightbar™ product family, which reduce cost and offer an improved appearance, especially in low and medium volume applications.

Unless production volumes are very high, the cost of developing a custom lightbar is prohibitive for most applications. Instead, designers often use several standard square or rectangular units in combination.

However, this approach gives rise to high materials and assembly costs, and the finished product has unsightly dark lines where the arrays join. Using the same approach as it adopts in its ProfiLED Backlight™ range of LCD backlights, which employ LED

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. announces the top-view white 1W high power LED XI3535. This highly cost-effective package provides high lumens and efficacy and is well suited for use in lighting grade high power LED designs such as omnidirectional LED light bulbs, directional lamps, decorative lamps, panel lights and many other general and residential lighting applications. The package material of the XI3535 is competitively priced and thermally efficient, allowing the LED to be driven at higher current for more lumens while maintaining good service life time. High-reliability housing brings low thermal resistance of 15°C/W and other superior quality characteristics. Everlight’s XI3535 is offered in ANSI CCTs

edge-lighting and an acrylic lightguide to achieve uniform, consistent illumination, OMC can now offer alternatives to lightbars in a vast range of colours. Devices can vary from 2mm to 7mm in height and can be produced in a huge range of bespoke shapes and

sizes with little or no set-up cost and very low MOQs. Applications include front-panel displays, back-illuminated stencils and logos, illuminated badges, indicators and signage.

OMC www.omc-uk.com

Everlight Adds Two IRLEDs for Remote Controls and Optical Touch Panels EVERLIGHT Electronics Co., Ltd. expands its product offering of ‘invisible’ light sources for remote control applications with two new SMD infrared LEDs (IRLEDs), the IR26-71C and the IR26-61C. The two IR26-71C models are 940nm side-view SMD IRLEDs that feature superior mechanical (height) and optical (radiant intensity and viewing angle) characteristics which make them ideal for use in remote controls and touch panels. Their height of only 1.2mm allows the target devices to be as slim as possible, even when implemented into portables like mobile phones and tablets. With a radiant intensity of 5mW/sr and 8mW/sr or more at 20mA, they outperform most SMD IRLEDs in the market. The 8.0mW/sr@20mA version catches up with or exceeds 5mm IR diodes, and allows either lower driving currents, to extend the battery lifetime of handheld

34

devices, or increased panel sizes respectively increased transmission distance of remote controls.

A viewing angle of 50° ensures that the remote control does not need to be directly pointed towards the receiving device, but

instead provides a wide operating range. Based on a similar package design, Everlight offers the IR26-61C IRLED series with a narrower viewing angle of 20° and the PT26-71B phototransistor series, which are both matching pairs designated for smallmiddle (5-32”) size optical touch panel applications.

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS www.everlight.com

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

ratings from 2700K to 6500K and features a light efficacy of 109/115 lm/W (warm/cool white) at 350mA and 3V with >80 CRI. A 150mA and 6V version is also available. This top-view white LED has a compact size of 3.5 × 3.5 ×

0.65mm (L×W×H) and a typical viewing angle 115°. It is Pb-free and RoHS compliant and currently undergoing LM80 lumen maintenance testing (already tested successfully to 4,000 hours).

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS www.everlight.com

Everlight Presents New HIR LEDs for ProximitySensors and High-Tech Intelligence Touch Panel Applications EVERLIGHT Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading player in the global LED industry with three decades of experience in optoelectronics, introduces three new 850nm HIR (high efficiency infrared) LEDs featuring a high output power and narrow viewing angles which make them ideal for use in high-tech intelligence touch panel and proximity sensors.

Two of them are top view SMD LEDs especially suited for proximity sensor applications. The HIR89-01C has a viewing angle of 30° and achieves a very high radiant intensity 55mW/sr at 70mA. The HIR91-01C/L297 with a 40° viewing angle reaches an intensity of 40mW/sr at 70mA. Wide viewing angles with high

output power rarely occur with most proximity sensors, making the HIR89 and HIR91 truly ideal for all proximity sensor applications such as smart phones as well as optical touch panels. For sideview touch applications smaller than 80 inches, Everlight’s HIR8301B in a slim SMD package features a radiant intensity of 5mW/sr at 20mA and a viewing

angle of 100°(X)/40°(Y). The asymmetric viewing angle is especially suitable for touch panel applications.

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS www.everlight.com

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

Step-down converters with more than 90% efficiency and current consumption of only 12 μA in standby operation MSC now offers the E522.7x family of step-down (buck) converters from Elmos. The E522.7x family features a high efficiency rate of more than 90% and low current consumption of only 12μA in standby mode, and 8 μA in sleep mode.

The new E522.7x family of converters comprises nine devices and is designed for an input voltage range between 4.5V and 40V. Models with 3V, 5V or variable output voltage from 1.5V up to almost the input voltage at 100% duty cycle are available.

Depending on the model, the maximum output current is 350mA, 500mA or 1A. Due to the integrated power MOSFETs, only a very limited number of external components are required. The Pulse Frequency

Modulation (PFM) regulators operate at up to 1.33MHz and achieve outstanding response times, stability and high efficiency over the entire voltage and output current ranges. The idle

detection automatically switches to the idle mode with a current consumption of typically 8 μA if either no switching activity occurred for longer than typically 110 μs or the duty cycle of the converter falls below a limit of typically 1:72.

MSC VERTRIEBS www.msc-ge.com

Microchip Introduces new Unique ID family of EEPROMs Microchip announces the introduction of a family of serial EEPROM devices that feature a unique, pre-programmed 32-bit serial number for customers requiring unique IDs in their applications. For applications needing longer than 32-bit IDs, the unique ID can be extended to 48-bit, 64-bit, 96-bit, 128-bit and other lengths by increasing the number of bytes read from memory.

Because the 32-bit ID is unique within these devices, any longer bit sequence is also unique. These 2Kb serial EEPROM devices are available in standard busses, such as I2C™, SPI and Microwire, and integrate up to 1.5Kb of memory that can be used as a standard EEPROM. In addition, Microchip has released a 256Kb I2C unique-ID device, which, in addition to the 32-bit serial number, also contains the IEEE EUI-48™

and IEEE EUI-64™ MAC addresses. These IDs are in a write-protected area of the memory, giving users up to 224Kb of EEPROM to use in their applications.

Microchip ensures this 32-bit ID

is unique across the entire family of 24AA02UID, 24AA025UID, 11AA02UID, 25AA02UID and 24AA256UID unique-ID EEPROM devices. Microchip has also added to its existing EUI-48™ MAC-address portfolio by introducing a family with pre-programmed EUI-64™ MAC addresses.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY www.microchip.com/get/TK4D

Murata extends line up of ultra compact DC-DC converters

Compact 1 Watt DC-DC converter complies with UL60601-1 for medical safety

Murata announced additions to its LXDC series of ultra compact DC-DC converters. The new devices comprise the LXDC55F and LXDC55K step down converters. Both models offer a voltage trim function that allows adjustment of the output voltage within the range of 0.8 to 5.3VDC for the 55F and up to 3.6VDC for the 55K converter.

The LXDC55FAAA-203 measures 5.0 × 5.7 × 2.1mm and can support an input voltage in the range of 4.0 to 14.0VDC. Maximum output current is up to 1.5 A. Capable of supporting an output current up to 3A the LXDC55KAAA-205 measures 5.0 × 5.7 × 2.1mm. Input voltage is within the range of 2.7 to 5.5VDC. The converters are constructed on a multilayer ferrite substrate

Murata announced the Murata Power Solutions MEJ1 series of isolated 1 Watt DC-DC converters. Encapsulated in a 7 pin SIP package, the MEJ1 series offers basic and supplementary isolation to the internationally recognized UL60950 standard. The converter is certified to a continuous working voltage of 200 Vrms when operating in a maximum ambient temperature of + 85°C. Input to output isolation is rated at 5,200 VDC for 1 second. The series also complies with the 3rd edition of medical safety standard UL60601-1 and provides the following MOOP (means of operator protection): 2 MOOP based upon a working voltage of 200 Vrms max. and 280Vpkmax., between primary and secondary and 1 MOOP based upon a working voltage of 200 Vrms max., between primary and its enclosure. The series comprises 38 models with

that integrates an embedded inductor and the power IC. Using this approach the LXDC family exhibits good EMI suppression and reduced harmonic noise characteristics. These highly effi-

cient converters use a synchronous rectifier technology. They are idea for applications that require an extremely small DCDC conversion footprint where a discrete approach is not possible due to space limitations.

MURATA www.murata.eu

both single and dual output versions available. Single output models provide 3.3, 5, 9, 12, or 15 Vout. Dual versions provide both positive and negative outputs; 5, 12, 15, or 24 Vin is accommodated across the whole range and single output models

also have a 3.3 Vin option.

Typical energy efficiencies are in the range of 70 to 78%.

The MEJ1 series is designed for low power applications that require a high degree of isolation such as an agency-approved safety barrier for medical equipment, IGBT drivers, and control systems.

MURATA www.murata.eu

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

35

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

2:1 DC/DC modules with 30, 40 and 50 W power PEAK electronics has expanded its proven 2:1 DC/DC converter series with additional 30, 40 and 50 W power types.

The PMT-series P30WG with 30 W and the PMT-series P40WG with 40 W are families of cost effective single and dual output DC-DC modules with a wide input range of 2:1. The input voltage ranges are 9 – 18 V, 18- 36 V and 36 – 72 V. The converters provide regulated output voltages from 3.3 V up to 15 V DC, both for single and dual versions. The 30 W series is also available as PMTW-series P30WG with 4:1 ultra-wide input and single, dual and triple output.

All converters are encapsulated in nickel coated brass 2 x 1 inch metal cases with high performance features: 1.6 kV DC I/O isolation voltage, continuous short circuit protection with automatic restart and tight line / load regu-

lation, over current protection, over voltage protection and over temperature protection.

PEAK electronics’ DC/DC converters PME04-series PE50WG with 50 W power offer a 2:1 wide input range and a single output. The input voltage ranges are 18- 36 V and 36 – 72 V, the

regulated output voltages go from 3.3 V up to 24 V DC. The I/O isolation is 1.5 kV DC. The 50 W converters are available in a 2 x 1 inch aluminum case.

The DC/DC module series with 2:1 and 4:1 inputs are dedicated for applications in industrial control, electrical power, instrumentation, telecommunications etc.

PEAK ELECTRONICS www.peak-electronics.de

Power Integrations Introduces Highly Integrated PFC IC for Compact Consumer Products and PCs Power Integrations, the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, today introduced HiperPFS-2, a new family of highefficiency, active-PFC ICs for offline applications from 100 W to 380 W. HiperPFS-2 ICs combine a boost PFC controller, driver, PFC MOSFET, PFC diode and protection circuits in one package, enabling exceptionally compact designs ideal for small-formfactor power supplies as used in mini-tower PCs, all-in-one PCs, game console adapters and TVs. The HiperPFS-2 controller uses a variable-frequency CCM algorithm providing up to 97% efficiency across the load spectrum from 20% to 100% and power factor greater than 0.9 at 20%

36

load with 265 VAC input for designs over 200 W. Including line-connected sense elements, the new device contributes just 60 mW to a typical high-power adapter’s 300 mW no-load budget. Conducted and radiated EMI

L26 high accuracy, multi-GNSS module consumes only 21 mA in tracking mode MSC now offers the new L26 multi-GNSS module from Quectel. The new L26 module features ultra low power consumption of only 21 mA in tracking mode/29 mA in acquisition mode and a high sensitivity of 165 dBm in tracking operation/148 dBm in acquisition operation. The L26 module is based on the MediaTek MT3333 chip and has 99 acquisition and 33 tracking channels. It enables the simultaneous use of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), the globally available Russian counterpart Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). The high number of available satellites, the Multi-tone Active Interference Canceller (MTAIC) function for efficient elimination of narrow band interference and noise integrated on the MT3333 and the likewise integrated very low-noise amplifier not only ensure rapid first fixes, but also high positioning accuracy.

Thanks to EASY™ (Embedded Assist System), an Assisted GPS technology developed by

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

operating temperature range from -40°C to +85°C make the GPS/GLONASS/QZSS module suited for use in a wide range of consumer, automotive and industrial applications. The L26 module comes in a compact 16.0 mm × 12.2 mm × 2.4 mm form factor.

A comprehensively equipped evaluation board and optional accessories such as micro USB cable and GPS/GLONASS antennas are provided by MSC to allow developers to get started quickly.

MSC VERTRIEBS www.msc-ge.com

Microchip’s new 36V digital potentiometers support wide Key Facts: • Also feature high terminal/ wiper current support and an extended temperature range • Support for 7-bit or 8-bit resistor configurations

are minimized due to the integrated soft-recovery diode and short parasitic inductance loop which results from the highly integrated, compact design.

POWER INTEGRATIONS www.powerint.com

MediaTek and an innate logger function implemented on the MT3333 chip, no additional external memory is required for safe operation of the L26 module.

The ultra low power consumption, the fast and accurate position detection as well as a wide

• Ability to sink/source up to 25 mA on all terminal pins enables driving of larger loads • Ideal for high-voltage and high-temperature applications including industrial, automotive and audio

Microchip announces two new volatile, SPI digital potentiometers (digipots), the MCP41HV31 and MCP41HV51 (MCP41HVXX), which are its first to operate at 10, 12, 18, 24 and particularly 36 volts, for systems requiring wide signal swing or high power-supply voltages.

Additionally, these digipots support both 7-bit and 8-bit resistor configurations, and a high terminal/wiper current, including the ability to sink/source up to 25 mA on all terminal pins for driving larger loads. These features, combined with an extended temperature range of -40°C to +125°C, make the MCP41HVXX well suited to a broad range of

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

Renesas Electronics Announces USB 2.0 Hub Controller Chip with Battery Charging Function Renesas Electronics announced the development of the μPD720115 USB 2.0 hub controller chip, which supports simultaneous USB communication and charging of portable devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs via a single USB connector.

The most important feature of the μPD720115 is its implementation of USB ports with battery charging functionality which supports the USB Battery Charging Specification, Revision 1.2 (USB BC 1.2). The μPD720115 will make it easier to develop products that support simultaneous data communication complying with the USB 2.0 standard and charging portable devices via a single USB connector, such as PCs, digital TVs, and charging adapters. It can help shorten system architecture development cycles and reduce development costs.

In recent years, the USB communication market has become divided into two segments as a result of faster data transfer speeds. The first segment centers around storage devices, such as hard disk drives, which require high-speed data transfer. It utilizes the USB 3.0 standard, which supports data transfer speeds up to 5 gigabits per second (5 Gbps). The second segment includes

applications such as digital TVs, printers, audio components, and industrial equipment. This segment employs the earlier USB 2.0 standard, which supports data transfer speeds up to 480 megabits per second (480 Mbps). USB 2.0 remains a widely used interface for connecting devices of all sorts.

The European Commission (the executive of the EU) has adopted Micro USB

as the standard charger interface for mobile phones, smartphones and tablet PCs sold in Europe. As a result, applications in which the communication USB ports of PCs and docking stations are used for charging such portable devices are increasing. The market for products complying with the USB 2.0 standard in these application fields is growing rapidly, and it is expected to continue to expand moving forward.

RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.renesas.eu

signal swings and high power-supply voltages high-voltage and high-temperature applications, including those in the industrial, automotive and audio markets.

The MCP41HV31’s 7-bit resistor network resolution enables 127 resistors and 128 steps, while the MCP41HV51’s 8-bit configuration supports 255 resistors and 256 steps. Additionally, both digipots provide RAB resistance options of 5, 10, 50 and 100 kohms.

Both The MCP41HV31 and the MCP41HV51 digital potentiometers are available today for samples and volume production, in 14-pin TSSOP and 20-pin, 5x5 mm QFN packages.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY www.microchip.com/get/0PF1

ARM® Cortex™ M3-based FM3 MCUs now also available in compact 32-pin LQFP and QFN packages MSC now offers the new MB9B120J series from Fujitsu. This new series is the first series in the FM3 family of microcontrollers (MCUs) to be offered in compact 32-pin LQFP and QFN package types.

The MB9B120J series of 32-bit RISC MCUs based on the ARM® Cortex™-M3 processor is ideally suited for cost-sensitive inverter and motor controls and is available at operating speeds of up to 72MHz. Furthermore, the series features a wide range of optimized peripheral functions such as a multi-function timer with pulse-width modulation (PWM) generation, flexible ADC trigger functions and a waveform generator with automatic dead time generation, and a 12-bit A/D converter with a sampling rate of up to one million samples per second.

As with all FM3 microcontrollers belonging to the high performance group, the MB9B120J series features a broad supply voltage range extending from 2.7V to 5.5V.

Additional features such as a trimmed on-chip RC oscillator and internal pull-up resistors reduce the number of external components required, thus reducing the space requirement on the circuit board.

In addition to industrial applications, typical fields of application for MCUs of the MB9B120J series include household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and induction cooking appliances. In order to simplify design-in, numerous complete solutions with various application-specific software packages are provided.

Fujitsu provides FMinverter, a complete solution especially for motor controls. The package consists of firmware for different motor and control types, detailed documentation, scenario-specific software examples, dedicated starter kits, support services and a workshop program (QUICKLINK on the MSCGleichmann homepage: 8454). More detailed information about FM3 MCUs belonging to the high performance group can be requested by sending an email to micros-fujitsu@msc-ge.com or via Internet QUICKLINK 8448 on the MSC-Gleichmann homepage.

MSC VERTRIEBS www.msc-ge.com

www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

37

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

EVERLIGHT Unveils Ultra-small Outline ITR Photo Interrupter for Optical Switches, Digital Cameras and Printers EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. has introduced the latest member of its ITR series of photo interrupters for use in optical switches, digital cameras and printers, the ultra small outline slotted type ITR1205ST11A/TR. A slotted type opto interrupter detects an object when it enters the gap of the slotted switch and blocks the light path between the emitter and detector.

EVERLIGHT’s ITR Products consist of an infrared emitting diode and an NPN silicon phototransistor, integrated by a

double molding process. This unique process reduces 74% volume in dimension as compared with conventional photo interrupter product in the market. The phototransistor detector receives light from the IR LED only, and avoids the noise from ambient light.

With a low profile of only 2.7mm, the new ITR1205ST11A/TR has an even more compact size than conventional parts. By using an advanced packaging technology, EVERLIGHT's ITR1205ST11A/TR can be designed to have a gap and slit width of 1.1mm and 0.3mm respectively, thus enabling it to have a higher degree of accuracy or detection sensitivity. This high degree of accuracy is especially needed for digital camera applications. EVERLIGHT’s ITR photo interrupters are Pb/Halogens-free and RoHS compliant.

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS www.everlight.com

Digital differential pressure sensor for highly accurate monitoring Omron Electronic Components BV has added a new digital flow sensor offering exceptionally high accuracy and repeatability in monitoring low air flows. The sensor is an ideal alternative to a differential pressure sensor for optimising energy efficiency in air conditioning and ventilation systems, like variable air volume (VAV) and heat recovery unit systems (HRU) or for use in high quality medical equipment and industrial applications.

Based on Omron's cutting-edge MEMS thermal flow sensor chip, the new Omron D6F-PH provides better accuracy and repeatability than standard differential pressure sensors especially in low flow conditions. It is capable of measuring with superior sensitivity and reproducibility in these environments and with a wider pressure range than the commonly used capacitancetype and piezoelectric-type differential pressure sensors. Embedded ASICs carry out digital correction (linearity and temperature correction) making the D6F-PH more precise and less influenced by temperature than conventional analogue output sensors.

Features of the sensor include a new digital correction algorithm that achieves 3% R.D. precision. The sensor’s flow impedance has been increased, to reduce the influence of the bypass pipe length and diameter and give more stable measurements. The D6F-PH is suitable for use in a bypass configuration where the small differential pressure generated by orifice or flow restrictor is correlated to high volumetric flow in main duct.

The sensor is available from Omron in three versions, with measurement ranges from 0-250Pa, ±50Pa and ±500Pa. Current consumption is just 6mA with no load at supply voltage Vcc of 3.3VDC. The sensor features a digital I2C interface with 12 bit pre-set resolution.

The new sensor is exceptionally compact, with dimensions of just 26mm × 22mm × 18mm as a result of the new flow path design. Omron’s D6F-PH digital differential pressure sensor can optionally be supplied pre-set to provide temperature measurement or failure detection functions.

OMRON http://components.omron.eu

38

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

Freescale delivers six new Airfast RF power solutions for TD-LTE base stations New RF transistors support metrocell and macrocell applications, deliver exceptional gain and linearity for TD-LTE deployments at 2.3 and 2.6 GHz Freescale Semiconductor, the worldwide leader in high-power radio frequency (RF) power transistors, introduces six new Airfast RF power solutions designed specifically for TD-LTE base stations at the 2.3/2.6GHz frequency bands.

High throughput capacity and the ability to support a large number of simultaneous users makes the 2.3/2.6GHz frequency bands preferred for LTE deployments worldwide. Late last year, the Chinese government announced it will allocate 2.3/2.6GHz frequency bands for the deploy-

ment and application of TD-LTE technology, introducing significant growth opportunities.

The newest Freescale Airfast transistors deliver exceptional bandwidth and linear efficiency in a small footprint and are engineered to help drive rapid deployment of TD-LTE networks

Circuit Design, Inc., the leading supplier of low power radio modules, has recently developed and released the WA-TX-03-R and WA-RX-03-R wireless audio modules for the European harmonized 863 ~ 865 MHz audio band.

The WA-TX-03-R / WA-RX-03-R can be set to 15 communication frequency channels within the 863 ~ 865 MHz band. In addition to offering frequency response sufficient for audio transmission, the compander noise reduction system enables wireless transmission of clear sound, with a wide dynamic range of 70 dB or more.

worldwide. The products span a broad range of power points, from 50 W to 200 W, providing solutions for metrocell and macrocell applications.

FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com

Laird Technologies Phantom Elite® Antennas Power Communications for Speed, Safety on V8 Supercars Laird's revolutionary Phantom Elite antennas are state-of-theart antennas for audio and data communications. They are low profile, aerodynamic and weatherproof, making them ideal for outdoor use on racing cars. The ruggedized VHF, UHF, multi-band antennas are used for two-way voice and data communication, cellular (LTE) and wireless broadband network communications for vehicular and mobile applications.

The revolutionary design features field diversity with both vertical and horizontal polarization components. This gives the antennas frequency agility, low visibility, wide bandwidth and a low agile radiation pattern that is superior in most applications.

Laird’s Phantom antennas are not

Announcing 863 ~ 865 MHz multi channel wireless audio modules for the European market.

Model: WA-TX-03-R / WA-RX-03-R 863 MHz

only outfitted on Australian V8 Supercars, but they are also used by public safety, utility and transportation providers.

Through innovation, reliable fulfillment and speed, Laird is a trusted partner and supplier for many of the world’s leading companies. An industry leader in the design and manufacture of antennas for mobile devices and wireless data, Laird possesses end-to-end system knowledge and employs advanced, proprietary design tools to bring novel antenna designs to market. Antenna product offerings consists of Industrial Wireless, Telecom, Public Safety and Enterprise and Small Office antennas.

LAIRD TECHNOLOGIES www.iqdfrequencyproducts.com

By focusing on simple wireless audio transmission processing functions, the product guarantees the user maximum flexibility in developing higher order software. Handshaking between modules uses only RF channels. So for example, if the modules are embedded in a tour guide system, as long as the channel settings match, there is no limit to the number of receivers used.

Reducing the number of components using dedicated IC has given the product a new multi channel capability without any increase in module size. As embedded modules, they include nearly all the parts necessary for audio transmission in a small shielding case, making it possible to develop audio transmission equipment in a short time.

Features of the WA-TX-03-R / WA-RX-03-R - R&TTE and RoHS compliant radio modules - Dynamic range of more than 70 dB thanks to the compander noise reduction system - Frequency response range 50 Hz ~ 13 kHz - 15 RF channels with 125 kHz steps - Variable squelch sensitivity - High sensitivity receiver - Compact (36 × 26 × 8 mm) and light (13 g) - Achieves stable operation with all high frequency circuits required for transmitting and receiving enclosed inside the casing - Reduced impact of interfering waves from external sources through improved shielding effectiveness

WA-TX-03-R block diagram

WA-RX-03-R block diagram

Applications • Audio guiding in museums • Tour guide systems • Wireless conference systems • Voice monitoring systems • Wireless microphone systems CIRCUIT DESIGN www.circuitdesign.de www.epd-ee.eu | June, 2013 | EP&Dee

39

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

Advanced Power Electronics Corp. announces miniature ultra-low RDS(ON) dual load switch Reduce system power in power rail management applications Advanced Power Electronics Corp. (USA), a leading Taiwanese manufacturer of MOS power semiconductors for DC-DC power conversion applications, has announced a miniature, ultra-low on-resistance 6A dual load switch.

Comprising two Nchannel MOSFETs with associated control circuitry, the APE8990-3 has an RDS(ON) of 20mΩ and controlled turn on functionality.

The MOSFETs operate over an input voltage range of 0.8 to 5.5V and each support a maximum current of 6A. Each load switch is controlled by an ON/OFF input (ON), which is capable of interfacing directly with the low voltage control signals. Additional

features include an on-chip 150Ω load resistor for quick output discharge when the switch is turned off. In order to avoid inrush current, the rise time is adjustable

using an external ceramic capacitor on the CTx pin.

The APE8990-3 is available in an ultra small, space-saving 3×2mm 14-pin DFN package with a thermal pad.

ADVANCED POWER ELECTRONICS CORP. www.a-powerusa.com

Avago Technologies Unveils New Gate Drive Optocouplers for High Switching Frequency Applications Avago Technologies (Nasdaq: AVGO), a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, today unveiled two new sets of high speed gate drive optocoupler devices, the ACPL-P/W345 and

ACPL-P/W346. These devices are 1A and 2.5A gate drive optocouplers designed to protect and drive Power MOSFET and Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET for high switching frequency

40

applications such as inverter, motor control, and switching power supply (SPS). Compared to Avago’s previous generation devices, the ACPL-P/W345 and ACPL-P/W346 are twice as fast in terms of propagation delay.

Product Highlights • 120ns Maximum Propagation Delay • 2.5A Maximum Peak Output Current (ACPL-P/W346) • 1.0A Maximum Peak Output Current (ACPL-P/W345) • Rail-to-rail Output Voltage • Under Voltage Lock-Out (ULVO) with Hysteresis • 50kV/μs Minimum High Common Mode Rejection (CMR) • Small Stretched SO6 Package Minimizing PCB Board Space and Cost AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES www.avagotech.com

EP&Dee | June, 2013 | www.epd-ee.eu

CUI Introduces Next Generation 500 mA DC Switching Regulator Series CUI Inc. announced its 2nd generation non-isolated dc switching regulator series rated at 500 mA. The company’s new P7805-S series implements several upgrades, including an increased power density, efficiency improvements and a decrease in ripple and noise, all at a lower per unit cost.

The series delivers efficiencies over 96% and is able to maintain a high efficiency rating across the full input range; still providing up to 95% efficiency at a highline input of 32 Vdc. The P7805-S has been designed as a high performance, drop-in alternative to LMXX78 and LMXX79 linear regulators, eliminating the need for a heat sink.

The devices are targeted at portable devices, battery-fed equipment, and embedded designs where board space is at a premium and energy efficiency is a concern.

The P7805-S series boasts a wide input range (4.75 to 32 Vdc), varying in line with the output voltage configuration.

Output options include 1.5, 1.8, 2.5, 3.3, 5, 6.5, 9, 12, and 15 Vdc. To address LMXX79 applications, CUI has designed all units in the series with the added capability of supporting a positive to negative voltage conversion, increasing the series’ flexibility.

CUI www.cui.com

Avago Technologies Introduces New Dual-Channel Bi-Directional High Speed Optocoupler Avago Technologies, a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, today announced a new dual-channel bi-directional 25 MBd digital optocoupler device, the ACSL-7210. The device is a dual-channel high speed digital optocoupler optimized for bidirectional industrial communication networks using high speed protocols such as PROFIBUS fieldbus and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). The ACSL-7210 utilizes Avago’s proprietary IC and patented packaging technologies to achieve 3,750 VRMS signal isolation in a low profile SO-8 package while supporting high speed fullduplex data communications with data rates up to 25 MBd. ACSL-7210 Product Highlights • Dual-Channel Bi-directional for Full-Duplex Communications • Data Rate from DC to 25 MBd • Low Profile (< 2 mm) SO-8

Package • CMOS Input and Output • 10ns Maximum Pulse Width Distortion • 40ns Maximum Propagation Delay • 20kV/μs Minimum Common Mode Rejection (CMR) at VCM = 1000 V

• UL 1577 Compliant with VISO = 3,750 VRMS per Minute • IEC/EN/DIN EN 60747-5-5 Compliant with VIORM = 567 VPEAK and Reinforced Insulation AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES www.avagotech.com