Electronica Azi International no. 6 - 2020

6/2020

I N T E R N A T I O N A L A PAN EUROPEAN MAGAZINE

https://international.electronica-azi.ro

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PRODUCT NEWS

Industry’s First Highly Integrated Radiation-Hardened Motor Controller Consolidates Essential Functions for the Motor Control and Position Sensing Circuitry of Satellite Elements into a Single Chip

Microchip’s LX7720 device increases reliability while reducing weight and board area The need to reduce size, weight and power (SWaP) on satellites and other space systems continues to challenge the aerospace market. Combining more than 20 commonly used functions into a single chip, Microchip Technology Inc. announced the LX7720 radiation-hardened mixed signal motor controller, the latest addition to its Space System Manager (SSM) product family. As the industry’s first highly integrated radiationhardened by design (RHBD) motor control integrated circuit (IC), the LX7720 significantly reduces weight and board space relative to conventional discrete motor control circuits. By reducing the number of components on a system, developers can inspect and test fewer parts, while also minimizing the physical points of potential failure due to a smaller number of connections and solder joints.

The LX7720 controller offers a unique solution for satellite manufacturers sensitive to board area and weight reduction by consolidating essential functions for the motor control and position sensing circuitry required for robotics, multi-axis pointing mechanisms and precise motion control of optical elements. Microchip’s controller combines four half-bridge N-channel https://international.electronica-azi.ro

Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) drivers, four floating differential current sensors, a pulse modulated resolver transformer driver, three differential resolver sense inputs, six bi-level logic inputs, power drivers via external Field Effect Transistors (FETs), loop control electronics for voltage or current control, position read-back (resolver, potentiometer, limit switches, etc.), fault detection and more into a single device.

“As the reduction of weight and board space on satellites continues to challenge the aerospace market, we are pleased to reinforce our commitment to developing innovative solutions with this highly reliable and highly integrated radiation-hardened motor controller,” said Bryan J. Liddiard, vice president of Microchip’s mixed signal linear business unit. “The LX7720 enhances our ever-growing space product portfolio as we continue to expand a total system solution for our customers building these sophisticated satellites.”

The LX7720 serves as a mixed signal companion IC to the selected digital IC used in the application. Microchip’s Radiation Tolerant (RT) PolarFire® and RTG4™ Field

Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) products and recently announced SAMRH71 radiation hardened microcontroller (MCU) are ideal companion chips, from a single supplier.

The LX7720 is MIL-PRF-38535 Class V and Class Q qualified and has already been adopted by customers to enable various motor control applications in space robotics and human-rated space programs. It is the ideal solution for spacecraft applications involving motor driver servo control, linear actuator servo control and for driving stepper, brushless direct current (BLDC) and permanent-magnet synchronous (PMSM) motors. The LX7720 offers radiation tolerance to 100 krad Total Ionization Dose (TID), 50 krad to Enhanced -Low-Dose-Rate-Sensitivity (ELDRS) exposure and is single event immune.

Development Tools Microchip offers both hardware and software support. Hardware includes the LX7720 Daughter Board (DB) that interfaces with Microchip’s SAMRH71F20-EK Evaluation Kit. The DB can also connect to Microchip’s RTG4 FPGA Development Kit. Microchip Technology https://www.microchip.com 3

Electronica Azi International » TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 | Industry’s First Highly Integrated Radiation-Hardened

30 | For the right sound - Acoustic components in

Motor Controller Consolidates Essential Functions

medical applications

for the Motor Control and Position Sensing

32 | Enabling the World’s Ideas

Circuitry of Satellite Elements into a Single Chip

34 | Renesas Strengthens IP License Portfolio with IP Utilities to Facilitate Device Development

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40 | FlyFocus develops detachable tethered UAV allowing mission critical surveillance 41 | Dragonfly Pictures, Inc. Pioneers a New Class of Multirotor Drones

6 | New milestone in miniaturization: From credit card to postage stamp 8 | Renesas Highlights Optical Communications for Datacom and Telecom at the European Conference 41

on Optical Communication 2020 14 | Increase Intelligence at the IoT Edge with

42 | Farnell further enhances range of educational

Self-Calibrating Analog Smart Microcontrollers

devices with XinaBox

18 | Imperas Extends free riscvOVPsimPlus Simulator for RISC-V

43 | For industrial use: Distec adds KOE TFT displays to its product range

24 | 1980 - a pivotal point in the power industry!

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28 | Renesas Extends Arm Cortex-Based MCU Family with RA4M3 MCU Group for Industrial and IoT Applications

45 | Cutting-Edge Automation Plays Key Role in Mouser Electronics’ Distribution Success 28

29 | Renesas RA Family Adds Ultra-Low Power RA2L1 MCU Group with Advanced Capacitive Touch Sensing for Cost-Effective, IoT Node HMI Applications

47 | Reliable deoxidation under vacuum with active process gases 49 | Martin offers an innovative solution to gently extract residual solder

® Management Managing Director - Ionela Ganea Editorial Director - Gabriel Neagu Accounting - Ioana Paraschiv Advertisement - Irina Ganea Web design - Eugen Vărzaru

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Contributing editors Cornel Pazara PhD. Paul Svasta PhD. Norocel Codreanu PhD. Marian Blejan PhD. Bogdan Grămescu

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Electronica Azi International is published 6 times per year in 2020 by Euro Standard Press 2000 s.r.l.

It is a free to qualified electronics engineers and managers involved in engineering decisions.

Copyright 2020 by Euro Standard Press 2000 s.r.l.

All rights reserved.

Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

New milestone in miniaturization: From credit card to postage stamp SGET presents OSM specification for the world’s smallest Computer-on-Modules SGET e.V. – a technical consortium hosting and developing specifications for embedded computer technology – announces release 1.0 of the new OSM Computer-onModule standard. OSM, which is short for Open Standard Module, defines one of the first standards for directly solderable and scalable embedded computer modules. It also marks a new milestone in the miniaturization of modular COM/carrier designs, replacing credit card-sized modules with postage stamp-sized ones. The new specification aims to standardize the footprint and interface set of low-power and ultra-low-power application processors based on MCU32, ARM and x86 architectures across different sockets, manufacturers and architectures. Target applications of the new module standard include IoT-connected embedded, IoT, and edge systems that run open-source operating systems and are used in harsh industrial environments.

thanks to the BGA design and automated surface mount technology (SMT), which can further reduce production costs in series production.

All OSM modules are also published and licensed under Creative Commons Plus (CC+) dual license. This allows an open licensing model, such as the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license (CC B-SA 4.0) for a defined set of materials, components and software, and a commercial license for everything not included in this set. This ensures that development data, such as block diagrams, libraries and BOMs resulting from the development of OSM modules, will be publicly available. Yet it is still possible to license the Intellectual Properties (IP) of a carrier board design commercially without violating the open source idea.

The new OSM specification expands the portfolio of SGET module specifications with solderable BGA mini modules that are

Like all Computer-on-Module standards, OSM modules simplify and accelerate the design-in of processors. At the same time, applications become processoragnostic, which makes them scalable and future-proof. In addition, they protect NRE investments and extend the longterm availability, ultimately increasing the return on investment and sustainability of embedded systems. Next to these advantages – which OSM modules have in common with all earlier Computer-onModule specifications – the OSM specification offers an extra level of ruggedness

significantly smaller than previously available modules: Even the largest OSM module, measuring 45×45mm, is 28% smaller than the μQseven (40×70mm), a standard also hosted by SGET, and 51% smaller than SMARC (82×50mm). Other module sizes in the new OSM specification are even smaller: OSM Size-0 (Zero) has the smallest footprint with 188 BGA pins on 30×15mm.

OSM Size-S (Small) measures 30×30mm with 332 pins, OSM Size-M (Medium) offers 476 pins on 30×45mm, and Size-L (Large) – as mentioned earlier – measures 45×45mm with an impressive 662 BGA pins.

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SMARC, by comparison, specifies 314 pins and Qseven 230. This means that BGA design makes it possible to implement significantly more interfaces on a smaller footprint – which is groundbreaking, both in terms of miniaturization and the increasing complexity of requirements, and constitutes another unique advantage of the new OSM standard.

The feature set in detail The interfaces vary in type and design depending on the size of the OSM modules. In maximum configurations, OSM modules provide all functions that make up an open programmable embedded, IoT or edge system, including GUI. Modules from Size-S upwards offer video interfaces for up to 1× RGB and 4-channel DSI. Size-M modules can additionally support 2x eDP/eDP++, and Size-L adds 1x LVDS interface for graphics. So all in all, maximum configurations can provide up to 5 video outputs in parallel. All modules from Size-S upwards further offer a 4-channel Camera Serial Interface (CSI). Size-L modules provide up to 10 PCIe lanes for quick connection of peripherals; Size-M offers 2x PCIe x1, and Size-S 1x PCIe x1. In view of their extremely miniaturized footprint, Size-0 modules do not feature any of the I/Os mentioned so far, but offer all the interfaces listed in the following. The OSM specification provisions up to 5x Ethernet for system-to-system communication. In addition, all modules have what is called a communication area, providing 18 pins for antenna signals for wireless communication or the integration of field buses. Next, there are up to 4x USB 2.0 or 2x USB 3.0 (only in Size-L), up to 2x CAN, and 4x UART. Flash storage media can be connected via UFS. Up to 19 pins are further available for manufacturer-specific signals. Finally and to complete the feature set, there are up to 39 GPIOs, SPI, I2C, I2S, SDIO and 2x analog inputs. As a safeguard for the future and to ensure that any future expansions are backward compatible, up to 58 pins are reserved for future purposes.

For further information and to download the Open Standard Module specification visit https://sget.org/standards/osm SGET e.V. https://sget.org Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Security Solution with New Mach-NX FPGA for Next Generation, Cyber-Resilient Systems Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, the low power programmable leader, announced the Lattice Mach™-NX FPGA family, the second generation in its successful line of secure control FPGAs. Building on the capabilities of the Lattice MachXO3D™ family announced in 2019, Mach-NX FPGAs deliver heightened security features and the fast, power-efficient processing needed to implement a realtime Hardware Root-of-Trust (HRoT) on future server platforms, as well as computing, communications, industrial, and automotive systems. Mach-NX marks the third FPGA family developed on the Lattice Nexus™ FPGA platform in a year.

Building on the system control capabilities of the Mach family, Mach-NX FPGAs combine a secure enclave (an advanced, 384bit hardware-based crypto engine supporting reprogrammable bitstream protection) with a logic cell (LC) and I/O block.

The secure enclave helps secure firmware, and the LC and I/O block enable system control functions such as power management and fan control. Mach-NX FPGAs can verify and install the over-the-air firmware updates that keep systems compliant with evolving security guidelines and proto-

cols. The Mach-NX FPGA’s parallel processing architecture and dual-boot flash memory configuration provide the near instantaneous response times needed to detect and recover from attacks (a level of performance beyond the capabilities of other HRoT platforms like MCUs). MachNX FPGAs will support the Lattice Sentry™ solutions stack, a robust combination of customizable embedded software, reference designs, IP, and development tools to accelerate the implementation of secure systems compliant with NIST Platform Firmware Resiliency (PFR) Guidelines (NIST SP-800-193).

Key features of the Mach-NX family: • Secure system control – Mach-NX FPGAs’ logic (up to 11K LCs) and high I/O count (up to 379) enable fast and secure system control. Lattice is a long-standing leader in programmable logic for system control. Mach FPGAs have an attach rate of over 80 percent on current shipping server platforms.

• Robust standards and protocol compliance – the Mach-NX FPGAs’ 384-bit hardware crypto engine supports quick-and-easy implementation of leading-edge cryptography like ECC 384 and industry-standard

security protocols such as NIST SP-800-193 and MCTP-SPDM. Upcoming server platforms will require support for these protocols.

• End-to-end supply chain protection – Mach-NX FPGAs are supported by the Lattice SupplyGuard™ supply chain security subscription service. SupplyGuard gives OEMs and ODMs peace-of-mind by tracking locked Lattice FPGAs through their entire lifecycle, from the point of manufacture, through transport via the global supply chain, system integration and assembly, initial configuration, and deployment.

• Rapidly customizable – the Lattice Propel™ design environment accelerates design of a customized, PFR-compliant HRoT solution. The tool uses a GUI-based development environment that allows developers to create PFR solutions while minimizing the need to write RTL code.

Lattice Semiconductor http://www.latticesemi.com

SEGGER Embedded Studio – New linker significantly shrinks RISC-V application size SEGGER’s Embedded Studio for RISC-V now comes with the SEGGER Linker in addition to the GNU linker. The SEGGER Linker has been developed from the ground up to create executables for Embedded Systems. For RISC-V, it shrinks the size of the resulting programs by up to 15%, shortens link time, delivers a detailed map file and provides more flexibility. Based on the same code as the SEGGER Linker for ARM, which is well-proven in SEGGER’s leading integrated development environment “Embedded Studio for ARM”, it inherited a lot of noteworthy features, such as integrated integrity check generation with a number of algorithms (CRCs and hashes), the ability to automatically place code and data in non-contiguous regions, and prioritize data into fast memories. To achieve this improvement in code density, the new RISC-V linker uses a combination of various optimization strategies. Such techniques include ordering code and data in the most efficient way to use short addressing modes, as well as replacing code sequences with more efficient ones, along with the use of springboarding technologies.

“This new version of Embedded Studio for RISC-V sets a new standard. The code size reduction achieved by the new linker is astonishing,” says Rolf Segger, Founder of SEGGER. “In combination with the included startup code, runtime library and floating-point library emFloat, which are all highly optimized for RISC-V, it is amazing how small and efficient the resulting RISC-V programs can be. Simply re-linking your application with the SEGGER Linker can reduce code size.”

For more information on SEGGER’s linker, please visit: www.segger.com/products/development-tools/embedded-studio/technology/tools/segger-linker.

To obtain more information about SEGGER Embedded Studio, please visit: www.segger.com/products/development-tools/embedded-studio SEGGER I https://www.segger.com https://international.electronica-azi.ro

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PRODUCT NEWS

Renesas Highlights Optical Communications for Datacom and Telecom at the European Conference on Optical Communication 2020 Renesas Electronics Corporation showcased its portfolio of optical communication products at the virtual European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) 2020, which took place December 7-9.

“Over the last several months, data center, network, and telecom infrastructures have navigated significant increases in the demands and requirements placed on their systems, driven by increasing volumes of high-bandwidth data such as live and ondemand streamed content, the deployment of more AI-based systems, and a worldwide shift to the cloud as more consumers depend on connected systems for

connect to MCU, making it easier and quicker to bring their telecom and data center systems applications to market.

Silicon-Photonics drivers, HXT44420 family of DML drivers and HXR45400 series TIAs for PAM4 deployments.

Optical Communications for Datacom As adoption of PAM4 technology increases in data center and 5G, and link bandwidth transitions to 200G and 400G and beyond, demand is growing for PAM4based solutions that are smaller and lower cost while maintaining low power and high reliability.

Featuring the industry’s first CMOS-based PAM4 CDR solution, the new HXT14450 CDR with integrated VCSEL driver and the HXR14450 CDR with integrated TIA are

Optical Communications for Telecom With increased demand from service providers, equipment manufacturers, and enterprise networks, network equipment is feeling the strain. Today’s telecom network and 5G infrastructure providers have expanded the deployment of coherentbased 400G equipment in the backbone, while datacenter operators have started to deploy the 400ZR standard defined by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) to meet this need.

Renesas’ 64 GBaud GX76474 driver family and GX36420 series Coherent TIAs combine exceptional analog performance, low power, and high reliability with high bandwidth and configurability to support the telecom industry’s fastest growing segment – coherent optical communications. These new drivers and TIAs support all the key requirements to support the increased demands of longer range communication including: • Up to 400 Gbps of data speeds using industry-standard 64 GBaud modulation • Scalable solutions for 32G, 45G, and 64G, enabling customers to optimize either for speed or for power and cost, and to adjust key parameters via Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)

their work and daily life,” said Diwakar Vishakhadatta, Vice President of Optical Communication Products at Renesas. “As cloud and networked services become a mission-critical factor in business’ and consumers’ daily lives, we have expanded our optical communications portfolio, adding elements of our leading microcontroller, timing, and power portfolios, to provide customers a one-stop mixed-signal IC solution with all of the elements they need to scale up for today’s systems and beyond.”

Customers can combine these optical communications series with a variety of Renesas microcontroller (MCU), power management, and timing devices for a solution that supplies all of the components customers need, from optical inter8

designed for 200G and 400G links and are also ideally suited for short range (SR) and Active Optical Cable operation for data centers. The series features significantly lower power and smaller size compared with traditional DSP solutions, as well as higher integration – including an integrated MCU – to further simplify system design. The series is certified for the -40°C to 85°C temperature range, making it ideal for optical communications links in 5G mid- and back-haul infrastructure. The standalone HXC44400 CDR is also available, and customers can combine it with Renesas DML drivers and TIAs to enable 200G long range links.

The lineup of high performance optical signal chain products also includes the HXT45411 family of EML drivers, HXT45430

The GX76474 and GX36420 series also cover all the optical modulator technologies currently on the market, including Lithium Niobate, Indium Phosphide, and Silicon Photonics, as well as both the industry-standard Integrated Coherent Receiver (ICR) and Transmitter Receiver Optical SubAssembly (TROSA) configurations.

Availability Renesas’ complete solution set of industry-leading CDRs, drivers and TIAs is available now.

For more information on Renesas’ datacom portfolio, please visit: https://www.renesas.com/datacom For more information on Renesas’ telecom portfolio, please visit: https://www.renesas.com/telecom Renesas https://www.renesas.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Mouser Electronics’ New Intelligent Revolution eBook Explores Role of AI in Public Safety Mouser Electronics Inc. released Artificial Intelligence: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Safety, the second eBook from The Intelligent Revolution series. The new eBook relays stories from professionals who are examining a variety of applications for artificial intelligence (AI) in public safety, ranging from health and medicine to new uses for robotics.

“This year has demonstrated the importance of developing new solutions for public health and safety, and artificial intelligence has led to key breakthroughs in several applications,” said Kevin Hess, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Mouser Electronics. “The newest eBook in The Intelligent Revolution series

explores several of these new AI applications, highlighting how new developments will lead to tangible improvements in public health outcomes and safety practices.”

Mouser’s engaging new eBook series on AI is part of the company’s award-winning Empowering Innovation Together™ program. The eBook, Artificial Intelligence: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Safety, features thought-provoking articles from experienced science writer David Freedman.

The first article highlights how robots and AI have been employed to disinfect grocery stores and food banks as a means of preventing the spread of COVID-19, while in another Freedman examines how machine learning can help staff at eldercare facilities prevent patient falls.

The third fascinating article describes how AI has supported the use of living cells in the development of new drugs and organic compounds. While the process previously required time-consuming programming

efforts, AI has made the system more efficient and less expensive.

The Intelligent Revolution series provides a collection of resources covering new uses for artificial intelligence. In addition to eBooks, the series includes blog posts, polls, and infographics, providing readers with a comprehensive learning experience.

Established in 2015, Mouser’s Empowering Innovation Together program is one of the industry’s most recognized electronic component educational programs.

Previous series have highlighted the process of turning an idea into a product, as well as innovative developments in robotics and smart city design.

To learn more about this and all of Mouser’s Empowering Innovation Together series, visit https://eu.mouser.com /empowering-innovation and follow Mouser on Facebook and Twitter. To read the new Artificial Intelligence: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Safety eBook, go to https://eu.mouser.com/empowering-innovation/Artificial-Intelligence/ai-safety.

Mouser Electronics https://www.mouser.com

Analog Devices launches Quadband VCOs offering Wideband Capabilities without compromising Phase Noise Performance for Microwave Applications Analog Devices, Inc. announced a series of quadband voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) that offer wideband capabilities without compromising phase noise performance. When used in today’s RF and microwave environments, the new quadband VCOs offer a wider RF response and more frequency flexibility

than narrowband VCOs. They also provide lower phase noise than traditional single-band wideband VCOs, while continuing to provide low current consumption. These features enable faster time to market for the end applications.

• View the quadband VCO product pages, download data sheets and order samples: https://www.analog.com/HMC8074 https://www.analog.com/HMC8362 https://www.analog.com/HMC8364 • Learn more about ADI’s VCOs: https://www.analog.com/en/products/rfmicrowave/vcos-plos.html The quadband VCO series offers ultrawideband capabilities with fundamental frequencies ranging from 8.3 GHz to 26.6 GHz. In addition to providing low phase noise, the VCOs do not generate subharmonic frequency tones. This combination of wideband capability and low phase

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noise is essential in many of today’s highend instrumentation and aerospace and defense applications.

Quadband VCO Features and Benefits • Integrate fundamental oscillators, resulting in no sub-harmonic tones being generated by any multiplication effects in the device • Short switching time between VCO bands without voltage overshoot • Low supply current consumption (as low as 60mA Typ) • Lower tuning voltage than traditional single-band Wideband VCOs, and narrower sensitivity versus frequency, reducing the complexity of the loop filter design • Encapsulated in a small 40-lead 6×6mm LFCSP SMT package.

Analog Devices https://www.analog.com 9

PRODUCT NEWS

Imperas releases new RISC-V Processor Verification IP to drive RISC-V adoption forward with a flexible methodology for all SoC adopters Imperas Software Ltd., the leader in RISC-V processor verification technology, announced significant enhancements to its RISC-V processor hardware design verification solutions. This release includes enhanced reference model with System Verilog encapsulation / integration and new test bench blocks, new riscvOVPsimPlus™ free simulator, and a range of Imperas developed RISC-V architectural validation tests for the ratified and soon to be ratified RISC-V ISA extensions.

The Free riscvOVPsimPlus RISC-V reference model and simulator, which has been widely adopted across the RISC-V verification ecosystem, has been updated and extended with additional features including full configurable instruction

trace, GDB/Eclipse debug support, plus memory configuration options. Additionally, included in the updated model are the full standard CLIC features, Debug Module/ Mode, “H” Hypervisor simulation, and also 'near-ratified' ISA extensions for Vector “V”, Bit Manipulation “B”, and Crypto (Scalar) “K” extensions.

To support the SystemVerilog encapsulation of the reference model, the Imperas RISC-V Processor Verification IP (VIP) package includes example SystemVerilog supporting components and modules for interfacing and synchronization between the Imperas RISC-V golden reference model and the RTL core under test in a step-and-compare verification flow. This approach covers the important aspects of

asynchronous events and debug mode operation while also supporting the DV engineer’s active investigation directly at the point of interest during test failure analysis and resolution.

To help developers ensure their processor design meet the RISC-V specifications, Imperas has developed a directed test instruction generator and is now making many architectural validation test suites available. Suites totaling over 3.5 million instructions now available include: • Test suites for RV32/64IMC ratified specifications • Test suite for RISC-V Vectors Configured: spec:0.8, xlen:32, elen:32, vlen:256, slen:256, FP:IEEE654 Contact Imperas for spec version 0.9, 1.0 draft and other configs of xlen, elen, vlen, slen • Test suite for RISC-V Crypto 0.8.0 draft specification • Test suite for RISC-V Bit Manipulation 0.93 draft specification Imperas https://www.imperas.com

Digi-Key Electronics Announces New Global Distribution Partnership with GLF Integrated Power, Inc. Digi-Key Electronics, which offers the world’s largest selection of electronic components in stock for immediate shipment, announced that it has expanded its product portfolio to include a global distribution partnership with GLF Integrated Power, Inc. GLF Integrated Power provides breakthrough, ultra-efficient, ultra-small, silicon power control

GLF Integrated Power, Inc. silicon power control and protection ICs are now available through the Digi-Key Electronics Marketplace 10

and protection integrated circuits (ICs) to the IoT, smart wearable, TWS earbuds, smart medical device, automotive, smartwatch optical modules, asset tracking, and home security markets.

The GLF Integrated Power design team has a proven track record of leading in power and analog design. When the IoT, ultra-portable, and wearable revolution was beginning, they saw the need for a new generation of even more efficient power switch devices. They developed new IP and enabled efficient and differentiated power management solutions that are both cost-effective and simple to design with.

“We are thrilled to add GLF Integrated Power to the Digi-Key Marketplace,” said David Stein, vice president of global supplier management for Digi-Key. “Their ultra-efficient semiconductor offerings provide the IoT, wearable and portable device market next-level options for longer lasting, more efficient designs.”

“As a trusted global supplier of electronic components and a key resource for design engineers and supply chain managers, the Digi-Key Marketplace is a great fit for GLF load switches, power deep sleep protection components, battery protection ICs and power multiplexers,” said Eileen Sun, CEO of GLF Integrated Power, Inc. “We are very excited to be a part of this distribution program.”

GLF launched their first IQSmart™, ultraefficient load switch device in 2016 at APEC in Los Angeles, and achieved design wins at major wearable, SSD and portable device manufacturers. Their portfolio has been rapidly expanding ever since, with a mission to make wearables, mobile devices, smart computing, and IoT products live longer, more efficient lives.

For more information about GLF Integrated Power, Inc. and to order from their product portfolio, please visit the Digi-Key website.

Digi-Key Electronics https://www.digikey.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

JMC adopts Excelfore eSync for OTA updates in Ford and JMC vehicles Ease of migration across different car models saves time and reduces development costs Excelfore, an innovator in connected car technologies, announces that Jiangling Motors Corporation Limited (JMC) has adopted the eSync data pipeline for over-the-air (OTA) updates across five Ford and JMC vehicle models.

JMC now utilizes eSync to update telematics, infotainment, body, powertrain and emissions controls, as well as other technical domains throughout their vehicles.

The first of the JMC China-built vehicles with the eSync platform went into production earlier this year.

The key benefits of eSync for JMC are manifest in the system's structured approach and rapid migration across their many car models, delivering valuable time savings and reduced development costs. The invehicle client-agent structure of the eSync platform means that the client software, which is the central component, effectively remains the same despite being implemented in widely varying types of vehicles.

The defining concept is that eSync agents, distributed throughout the vehicle, manage the edge devices, so that changes to these various devices requires modification just to the agents. Other competing OTA solutions require time-consuming rewriting of their central or master software for each new model vehicle, demanding significantly more effort and cost.

Based in Nanchang, JMC is a joint venture between Ford and Chang'an Motors. It manufactures Ford-branded vehicles as well as cars under its own Yusheng brand and JMC commercial vehicles. JMC employs more than 16,000 people and in 2019 it manufactured more than 280,000 vehicles, achieving total sales revenues of RMB 29.17 billion (approximately US$4.3 billion). eSync is a multi-company specification promoted by the eSync Alliance. It can deliver and update software and firmware over the air, while collecting real-time operational data from in-car devices including ECUs, domain master ECUs, network gateways, and smart sensors. The eSync data pipeline helps carmakers avoid costly and inconvenient vehicle recalls, and enables vehicle software and features to be updated in the field.

Excelfore https://excelfore.com

“Best Performing Design-In Distributor 2020“: Rutronik receives award from SUMIDA Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH gets the award for „Best Performing Design-In Distributor 2020“ from SUMIDA Components & Modules GmbH. Rutronik is thus honoured for its effective design-in support for customers

automotive electronics, renewable energies, industrial electronics, medical technology, consumer goods and household appliances sectors. For Rutronik, SUMIDA is one of the focus manufacturers for inductors and transformers.

for inductive components. SUMIDA develops and produces inductors and modules specialising in customer-specific solutions. The broad and innovative portfolio of the globally positioned company thus meets the demand of customers in the

“In Rutronik we have a partner who has anchored our basic principles of speed, market knowledge and efficiency in its own company philosophy“, says Horst Jellbauer, Senior Director Sales Europe at SUMIDA. “Together we are also working on a regional

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level to offer our customers new products and services. Rutronik is particularly characterised by its deep understanding of their needs“.

“This award shows us that our approach to design-in is the right one. Thanks to our internal network of experienced Field Application Engineers and specialised Product Sales Managers, we can meet almost any customer requirement. It makes no difference whether the customer needs support in selecting an existing product according to technical and commercial criteria or in developing an innovative solution from the ground“, explains Stefan Sutalo, Director Product Marketing Passive Components.

“Thanks to SUMIDA, we can respond to the individual needs of our business partners‘ development departments and meet even complex requirements. What our customers appreciate about SUMIDA is above all the high quality standard of our own products.

This includes excellent technical support and customer service, as well as extensive R&D facilities in Germany“.

Rutronik https://www.rutronik.com 11

PRODUCT NEWS

Mouser Electronics New Product Insider: November 2020 Global Distributor Leads in New Product Introductions As an authorised distributor, Mouser Electronics, Inc. is focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies, giving customers an edge and helping speed time to market. Over 1,100 semiconductor and electronic component manufacturer brands count on Mouser to help them introduce their products into the global marketplace.

Mouser's customers can expect 100% certified, genuine products that are fully traceable from each manufacturer.

Last month, Mouser launched more than 387 new products ready for same-day shipment.

Some of the products introduced by Mouser last month include: • Renesas Electronics RA6M4 32-bit Microcontrollers Renesas RA6M4 microcontrollers boast a 200 MHz Arm® Cortex®-M33 core with Arm TrustZone® technology to unite exceptional connectivity, security, and performance.

• ams TMD2755 Proximity Sensor Module The ams TMD2755 proximity sensor module incorporates a low-power VCSEL emitter (with integrated driver), an IR photodetector, and an ambient light sensor in a narrow, low-profile package.

• Amphenol Air LB Circular MIL Spec Connectors Amphenol Air LB circular MIL-SPEC connectors meet the demands of military, aerospace, and industrial applications.

• OSRAM Opto Semiconductors SFH 4737 IR Broadband Emitter OSRAM Opto Semiconductors SFH 4737 is the smallest near-infrared LED (NIRED) for spectroscopy applications available in the market.

To see more of the New Product Insider highlights, go to https://www.mouser.com /newproductinsider.

Mouser Electronics https://www.mouser.com

TFT Displays with OLED viewing angle Electronic Assemblys brilliant TFT displays offer all-round viewing angles comparable to OLED panels. Thanks to their extraordinary brightness, they are perfectly readable even in extremely bright environments. Conventional TFT displays have one weak point: the more you look at the display at a slant, the weaker the contrast becomes. At a certain angle it can even tip over completely (gray scale inversion

effect). Self-luminous OLED panels don’t have this effect, but they are limited in maximum brightness and life time. The IPS color displays from Electronic Assembly combine the best of both techniques.

Thanks to their AACS (All Angle Color Stability) technology, contrast and colors of these graphic displays remain virtually unchanged even at extreme viewing angles.

With a brightness of up to 1,000 cd/m2,

these displays are also clearly readable in direct sunlight. Whether in the operating room or the outdoor measuring station, these displays are in demand wherever one glance has to be enough. Electronic Assembly offers the compact TFT displays in staggered sizes from 2" to 7". Even the smallest version already has a fine resolution of 240 × 320 pixels and is only 2.2mm thin. All displays can be ordered with capacitive multi-touch surface.

The panels are easy to install with flex cable connection and matching ZIFF connector. They can be controlled via the classic RGB interface (16 or 24 bit). The smaller displays (2", 2.8" and 3.5") additionally via SPI. They are suitable with any kind of microcontroller. The supply voltage is 3.3V. Designed for tough continuous use in industry, the TFT displays operate reliably between 20°C and +70°C. Electronic Assembly guarantees a service life of at least 50,000 operating hours. As with all its products, Electronic Assembly ensures long-term availability from stock for these TFT panels.

ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY GmbH https://www.lcd-module.de

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Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

CML introduces fully integrated RF Synthesiser for low power applications CML Microcircuits is pleased to introduce the CMX940, a fully integrated FractionalN RF synthesiser with VCO that achieves low phase noise and excellent spurious

performance in a low power single-chip solution. The CMX940 surpasses the industry prerequisites for enabling a new generation of private mobile radio (PMR), data

modems, marine radios and other wireless systems. In order to achieve high performance and flexibility in a low power solution, CML has implemented a dual-loop architecture with a highly-configurable reference path, consisting of a separate PLL and VCO, used to minimize close-in phase noise and mitigate integer and fractional boundary spurious.

Managing phase noise and spurious performance are fundamental to meeting international, including ETSI, radio standards such as EN 300 113 and EN 300 086, mandated for narrow-band systems. The CMX940 has a number of design innovation such as a near noiseless clock multiplier technology which will deliver the high

performance needed to meet these stringent requirements. The CMX940 is capable of generating RF signals over a continuous frequency range from 49 MHz to 2040 MHz, with dual single-ended RF outputs to support Rx and Tx sub-systems. Only an external loop filter and clock reference are needed to provide a compact and high quality local oscillator (LO) source.

Many synthesizers targeting these application areas are based on a PLL IC with a large number of discrete external parts to implement the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), which consumes valuable PCB real estate.

CML Microcircuits https://www.cmlmicro.com

New Power-Only USB Type C Receptacle Delivers Power up to 100W CUI Devices’ Interconnect Group announced the latest addition to their line of power-only USB Type C connectors.

The UJC-HP-G-SMT-TR is an 8-pin USB Type C receptacle boasting the full 100 W of power delivery supported by USB Type C with its 5 A current rating and 20Vdc voltage rating. The previously released UJC-HP-3-SMT-TR was a 6-pin, 60W version with 3 A and 20 Vdc ratings, respectively. By removing the data transfer pins, this USB Type C receptacle is a more costeffective solution for designs where charging or power is the sole function.

The UJC-HP-G-SMT-TR is housed in a surface mount package, while featuring high reliability up to 10,000 mating cycles, an

operating temperature range from -25 to 85°C, and reflow solder compatibility. This power-only USB Type C receptacle can also mate with any standard USB Type C plug, further adding to its accessibility and simplified design integration.

The UJC-HP-G-SMT-TR is available immediately with prices starting at $0.79 per unit at 1000 pieces through distribution. Please contact CUI Devices for OEM pricing.

View details for the UJC-HP-G-SMT-TR series CUI Devices https://www.cuidevices.com

Steady Current and Dimmability? - Done already!

With the MagI3C-LDHM (LED Step Down High Current Module) Power Module, Würth Elektronik now has the perfect solution for LED power supply in its portfolio. To make it even easier for develop-

The LDHM Evaluation Board from Würth Elektronik is versatile and offers optimum EMC and temperature performance.

Image source: Würth Elektronik

https://international.electronica-azi.ro

ers to use these DC-DC converters with integrated controller IC, inductors and capacitors—Würth Elektronik now offers an LDHM Evaluation Board. It integrates an efficient and safe LED power and includes analog and PWM dimming functions. The thermally optimized layout meets the EMC requirements of EN55032 / CISPR32 Class B. For quick design-in, the Gerber data are available for free download on the product page.

The power module delivers up to 450 mA to power up to 16 LEDs in series. Würth Elektronik’s Power Module offers developers who have to adapt their LED solutions to a wide variety of power supply situations, the highest degree of flexibility: The input voltages can be in the range of 4.5V to 60V. The MagI3C-LDHM can be used to implement all kinds of lighting solutions both indoors and outdoors (RGBW lamps,

horticulture lamps) - at up to 95 percent efficiency. The protective circuit integrated in the LDHM controller protects the electronics against thermal overload, electrical damage, and LED short circuits.

Jumpers allow an output current of 300 mA, 350 mA, 400 mA or 450 mA to be easily set on the Evaluation Board. An additional pad offers the possibility of setting output current individually between 300 mA and 450 mA by selecting an appropriate resistor.

The Evaluation Board LDHM is available from stock. The corresponding Power Module can also be ordered from stock in any quantity without a minimum order quantity. Würth Elektronik provides free samples of the module.

Würth Elektronik eiSos https://www.we-online.com 13

Increase Intelligence at the IoT Edge with Self-Calibrating Analog Smart Microcontrollers Author: Rolf Horn Contributed by Digi-Key's North American Editors

As Internet of Things (IoT) applications become more complex, designers of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) endpoints are being asked to accommodate more complex computing at the edge.

Edge computing on endpoint sensor data is a practical way to reduce network bottlenecks to the IIoT hub. This reduces network traffic while also reducing the computational load at the main hub processor.

However, the approach has its drawbacks.

For example, a common IIoT edge application is processing of periodic analog-todigital converter (ADC) sensor data. For high-precision analog data, the mathematical processing, interpretation, and interpolation of hundreds of ADC data 14

This article will show developers how to use precision analog microcontrollers from Analog Devices as smart ADC peripherals.

It will explain how the features of these analog microcontrollers make them applicable for use as single-chip data acquisition systems that easily interface to the IIoT endpoint microcontroller and can perform edge processing functions such as ADC data point processing and self-calibration with no performance impact on the main endpoint microcontroller. points can significantly load the edge host processor, potentially impacting the performance of the whole network. In addition, high-accuracy ADCs can require selfcalibration to be performed in the firmware of the IoT endpoint’s host microcontroller, which can delay all edge processing until the calibration is complete.

WHY PROCESS ANALOG SENSOR DATA AT THE EDGE? As IIoT systems are becoming more complex, so too is the data they need to process. For industrial control applications, valves and some motors are moving from open-loop to closed-loop systems where precision analog sensors must detect minute valve or motor positions. For

process control applications, increased processing has led to faster production lines and finer control of temperature, pressure, and actuators in the system.

In process control, the speed of the line (the process) is mostly dependent upon two factors: the mechanical ability of the machines and systems on the floor, and the efficiency of the IIoT networks that control the sensors and actuators in the machines and systems. In some cases, small improvements in process can lead to increased production, but these improvements can be hindered by bottlenecks in the IIoT network. These bottlenecks can be reduced by performing more processing at the edge.

Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

DESIGN SOLUTIONS » Analog Smart Microcontrollers

Edge processing at the IIoT endpoint is especially beneficial for processing analog signals. Processing analog data can be simple during the early stages of the IIoT development, but scalability is an issue: later improvements can lead to increased complexity of calculations.

Sending all the raw analog data over the network increases network traffic and processing all that data at the network hub processor takes up valuable compute time. For this reason, processing the analog data at the edge is a practical way to make the network more efficient.

USE SMART ADCS TO PROCESS ANALOG DATA AT THE EDGE Edge processing of hundreds of samples of ADC data can easily overwhelm the main microcontroller in the IIoT endpoint. For complex analog sensors it’s a smart design decision to have an external ADC that also has its own processing capabilities. This not only takes a significant load off the IIoT endpoint microcontroller, but also makes self-calibration of the ADC easier.

Figure 1

(kSPS) of analog sensor data. The ADuCM360 also has a 12-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for generating accurate voltages for self-calibration. The microcontroller can operate from 1.8 to 3.6 volts and contains an internal 32 kilohertz (kHz) oscillator and an internal 16 megahertz (MHz) oscillator, reducing component count in space-constrained systems.

The ADuCM360 has 128 kilobytes (Kbytes) of flash memory and 8 Kbytes of SRAM. A significant advantage of the ADuCM360 is that the flash memory locations can be written to directly, similar to writing to SRAM. This allows the firmware developer to easily partition blocks of the flash memory as program memory and also as EEPROM. In a data acquisition system, this allows the EEPROM partitioned blocks to be used to store ADC calibration data.

The flash supports direct 32-bit erase and writes (16-bit and 8-bit erases and writes are not supported). The ability to write 32 bits at a time saves significant power in battery-powered applications, as flash write and erase operations draw a lot of current.

(Image source: Analog Devices)

The Analog Devices ADuCM360 is a complete low-power data acquisition system on a chip with an Arm Cortex-M3 core, two 24-bit sigma-delta 4 kSPS ADCs, and a 12-bit DAC. For high-performance capture and processing of ADC data, Analog Devices has a line of precision analog microcontrollers.

The ADuCM360BCPZ128-R7 precision analog microcontroller uses an Arm® Cortex®-M3 to control two 24-bit sigmadelta ADCs (Figure 1). The ADCs are capable of capturing 4 kilo-samples per second https://international.electronica-azi.ro

This is a significant low-power advantage over flash microcontrollers that can only write and erase one block or page at a time.

The flash memory also supports conventional flash erase commands such as page erase, and mass erase of the entire flash memory array. With these capabilities, developers can easily write subrou-

tines that can update the firmware based on commands sent over the serial port from the host microcontroller in the IIoT endpoint. This is important: if the ADuCM360 was unable to easily update its firmware through a serial port, it would severely limit its flexibility in a data acquisition system, as the capability to update the firmware controlling the ADC is just as important as the ADC itself.

AN EFFICIENT SINGLE-CHIP DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM Both 24-bit ADCs are connected to an input multiplexer that supports a total of 11 single-channel or six differential inputs. There are four internal channels that can monitor the internal temperature sensor as well as monitor the output of the 12-bit DAC, and an internal lowdrift bandgap reference. These can be used to perform a self-calibration of the ADCs. The DAC can be programmed to output a series of voltages which can be read by each of the ADCs. The ADCs can also sample the internal bandgap reference voltage. Firmware can process these readings so the ADCs can be calibrated over temperature, and the calibration constants stored in the EEPROM. When used as a single-chip data acquisition system, the ADCs can be programmed to take continuous samples of analog data as fast as 4 kSPS. An 11-channel direct memory access (DMA) controller can transfer that data to SRAM. Firmware can then apply the calibration constants stored in EEPROM to modify the data and correct for temperature if necessary.

Firmware can then process the data as required by the application while the DMA transfers additional ADC data to SRAM. Once data processing on the stored ADC data is complete, the result can either be sent to the serial interface to be transferred to the IIoT endpoint microcontroller, or if multiple data samples need to be transferred, the DMA can bulk transfer the data to the serial interface. In this manner, an efficient data acquisition system can sample and DMA transfer one set of ADC data to SRAM, process a second set of ADC data, and DMA transfer a third set of ADC data to the serial interface, all at the same time.

The analog input signals can be amplified with a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) that can be set to powers of 2, supporting gain values of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128.

15

IIoT EDGE

This allows the amplification of very small voltages for more accurate ADC sampling.

While additional features include a 16-bit six-channel pulse width modulation (PWM), 19 general purpose I/Os (GPIOs), two 16-bit general-purpose timers, a 32-bit wakeup/watchdog timer, and an external interrupt system, it’s important to keep the application firmware focused on supporting its main purpose of ADC capture and data processing. Tasking the ADuCM360 to perform additional functions not related to its main purpose of analog data capture can easily lead to feature creep that interferes with that purpose, while also complicating firmware updates.

ULTRA-LOW-POWER FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS Despite the high-end analog features of the ADuCM360, it is still capable of low power consumption under high performance conditions. In normal operating mode, the Cortex-M3 core draws just 290 microamperes (μA)/MHz. With a system clock of 0.5 MHz, both ADCs taking samples, all timers running, and a PGA gain of 4, when accessed from the SPI interface the microcontroller draws only 1 milliamp (mA). This is with the input buffers off, as the buffer voltage storage adds to the power drain. When in hibernate mode with only the wake-up timer running, the microcontroller draws a mere 4 μA. This

Figure 2

makes the ADuCM361 appropriate for battery-powered IIoT endpoints. For less complex applications that do not require the speed of two ADCs, Analog Devices offers the ADUCM361BCPZ128-R7, which is the

Figure 3

(Image source: Analog Devices)

The Analog Devices EVAL-ADuCM360QSPZ evaluation kit allows evaluation of the ADuCM360 and ADuCM361 analog microcontrollers. It can directly interface to external analog sensors and can be managed by a USB connection. same as the ADuCM360 except it has only one sigma-delta 24-bit ADC (Figure 2).

In applications that do not require the high performance of having two 24-bit ADCs running at the same time, the ADuCM361 lowers system cost and board power consumption. The single ADC is also connected to an input multiplexer that supports a total of 11 single-channel or six differential inputs. It can also self-calibrate using the 12-bit DAC, internal bandgap reference, and temperature sensor.

The ADuCM361 is pin compatible with the ADuCM360. This allows a single pc

(Image source: Analog Devices)

The ADuCM361 is a complete data acquisition system on a chip, similar to the ADuCM360 except it has one 24-bit sigma delta ADC. This saves cost and power in applications that do not require the performance of two ADCs running simultaneously.

16

board layout to be used for both products. This simplifies product development and bill of materials (BOM) as an IIoT endpoint manufacturer can use one pc board for two or more products.

DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT For product development, Analog Devices provides the EVAL-ADuCM360QSPZ evaluation kit (Figure 3). The evaluation board can interface to analog sensors or external voltage sources for firmware development of the ADuCM360 and ADuCM361 analog microcontrollers. The evaluation kit is accessed by a host computer running Windows via a USB port. This allows the onboard ADuCM360 to be programmed with target firmware for testing and debugging.

The EVAL-ADuCM360QSPZ has all pins of the ADuCM360 available on the pc board, including the serial I/O, so the eval board can be interfaced via I2C, SPI, or UART to a host microcontroller for real-time debugging. The host Windows computer can log the ADC data and can also debug the accuracy of the self-calibration routines.

CONCLUSION Many IIoT endpoints used for high-end analog applications such as process control need to do more edge processing on analog sensor data captured using ADCs. The amount of ADC data and the complexity of the edge processing can overwhelm the IIoT endpoint main microcontroller. The main endpoint microcontroller can instead interface via a serial port to an analog microcontroller that is a self-contained data acquisition system. This increases the performance of the endpoint and reduces network traffic, resulting in a more efficient IIoT network.

Digi-Key Electronics www.digikey.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Imperas Extends free riscvOVPsimPlus Simulator for RISC-V

Imperas Software Ltd., the leader in RISC-V processor verification solutions, announced that the Free riscvOVPsim Plus™ RISC-V reference model and simulator, which has been widely adopted across the RISC-V ecosystem, has been updated and extended with additional features including full configurable instruction trace, GDB/Eclipse debug support, plus memory configuration options.

Additionally, included in the updated model are the full standard CLIC features, Debug Module / Mode, Hypervisor “H” simulation, and also 'near-ratified' ISA extensions for Vector “V”, Bit Manipulation “B”, and Crypto (Scalar) “K” extensions. riscvOVPsimPlus is an Instruction Accurate RISC-V processor simulator (ISS) based on the Imperas Open Virtual Platform (OVP) technology with proprietary Just-in-Time Code Morphing simulation technology that executes RISC-V code on a Linux or Windows x86 based host computer. The riscvOVPsimPlus simulator is easy to understand and effective to use.

It is flexible, accurate, and exceptionally fast, often over 2,000 MIPS on a modestly

configured host machine. It is suitable as a platform target to develop bare metal, OS Ports (Linux or RTOS), driver development as well as full application software.

As a member of the RISC-V community of software, verification and hardware innovators collaboratively driving RISC-V adoption, Imperas has developed the free riscvOVPsimPlus simulator to assist RISC-V adopters to become compliant to the RISCV specifications. The Imperas RISC-V reference models and simulation technology has been used within RISC-V International’s compliance test suite since 2018, and also in verification working groups within CHIPS Alliance and the OpenHW Group.

“Software and hardware co-design is essential for modern domain specific devices in applications such as AI and Machine Learning,” said Simon Davidmann, CEO at Imperas Software Ltd. “With the new riscvOVPsimPlus offering, we are enabling adopters to explore the full envelope of the RISC-V Specifications with support for both for early software development and hardware verification.

The RISC-V ISA Specification defines the hardware-software boundary and designers can start innovating now by adopting the free Imperas riscvOVPsimPlus.” riscvOVPsimPlus is configurable to represent exactly the same implementation choices that RISC-V processor implementors choose thus making it an excellent tool for the usage of RISC-V application software and verification and architectural validation / compliance test suites.

The simulator can connect to GDB and Eclipse for source code debug and can be run in batch mode for regression testing and use in continuous integration environments. It also has many trace options to assist in program development. riscvOVPsimPlus has built-in instruction functional coverage measurement and reporting to assess both test quality and progress in test plan metrics. It is used to measure the completeness of the RISC-V architectural tests and test suites.

Imperas https://www.imperas.com

Vicor wins Semiconductor Company Award at 2020 GSA Awards Vicor Corporation won the 2020 Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) Award for Analyst Favorite Semiconductor Company.

Vicor high-efficiency, high-density power system solutions enable advances in artificial intelligence and other demanding applications. Vicor was among five companies nominated in this category including AMD, NVIDIA, Inphi Corporation and SiTime Corporation.

Vicor wins 2020 Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) Award for Analyst Favourite Semiconductor Company 18

Semiconductor financial analysts from two top-tier firms selected their favorite semiconductor company for this award.

The analysts based their decision on historical as well as projected data such as stock price, earnings per share, revenue

forecasts and product performance.

The 2020 GSA Awards recognize leading semiconductor companies that have exhibited market growth through technological innovation and exceptional business management strategies.

Learn more about the award and watch the virtual presentation.

GSA https://www.gsaglobal.org Vicor http://www.vicorpower.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Adapdix secures $8M Series A funding to accelerate growth of AI-powered automation and control software Adapdix Corporation, the digital transformation leader in Edge AI automation and control software, today announced the completion of an $8M Series A funding round, led by WRVI Capital, with participation from Micron Ventures and existing investor X2 Equity.

As the first predictive analytics solution based on an industrial-grade data mesh technology, Adapdix enables ultra-lowlatency, predictive maintenance and control. This means that companies can now take the next steps in the Edge AI per-

formance journey, from simply detecting and preventing faults to enabling control and automating self-correcting actions.

Anthony Hill, Founder and CEO at Adapdix, said, “Enterprise companies are increasingly moving processing power closer to the source of the data to increase model accuracy, reduce network cost and congestion, and latency. The Adapdix EdgeOps™ solution is addressing a significant and growing market need to extract value and control systems at the edge. This investment round will solidify Adapdix’s leadership position in the market and enable more enterprise companies to control their end-to-end operations - and ensure uptime - with real-time predictive analytics.”

Adapdix’s EdgeOps™ is a software-only solution that combines advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) analytics with a distributed, edge-based control platform. By enabling control where the AI data is, the edge, Adapdix enables a distributed data mesh ecosystem that delivers the new foundation for customer-centric Edge AI deployments.

Nicholas Brathwaite, Founding Managing Partner at WRVI Capital, said, “Adapdix EdgeOps™ innovative technology provides a scalable multivariable platform allowing enterprises to operationalize AI/ML across critical infrastructure, improving significant uptime and business profitability as it has not been possible before.”

“Artificial intelligence will transform how enterprises automate and optimize processes in the workplace,” said Andrew Byrnes, director of venture capital at Micron Ventures. “Adapdix has an innovative platform with powerful capabilities to generate data insights that quickly and effectively unlock new levels of productivity and streamlined processes.”

Adapdix’s EdgeOps™ will initially focus on manufacturing customers in the semiconductor, electronics, and automotive industries, with more sectors to follow.

Adapdix https://www.adapdix.com

Silicon Labs selects Imperas RISC-V Reference Model for verification RISC-V processor verification using SystemVerilog UVM test bench with step-and-compare between reference and RTL for dynamic testcase scenarios with coverage analysis Imperas Software Ltd., the leader in RISC-V processor verification technology, confirmed the selection by Silicon Labs of the Imperas RISC-V reference model as part of their RISC-V processor verification work.

RISC-V processor verification can be the most complex of tasks within an SoC verification plan and to address the flexibility and configurability of RISC-V it is important that the reference model supports user and privilege modes plus all the standard ratified RISC-V specification variant options. In addition, to support the chip

design schedules the refence model also needs to maintain configurability options for all the specification subset references as a dependable golden reference model for verification over the full lifetime of the project design phase and support future software development.

One of the attractive options of the open standard RISC-V ISA is the potential to extend or modify the base features into a unique design solution. Adopting a well verified existing open-source RISC-V core

IP as a solid and stable starting point is an approach that offers several advantages over a completely fresh development just stating from the open standard RISCV ISA specification. Clearly any new modification or extension will require detailed analysis and testing, but in the case of a processor cores care must also be taken not to affect any underlying functionality or introduce unintended consequences The Imperas SystemVerilog encapsulated golden reference model supports stepand-compare verification which is essential to address the testcase scenarios associated with dynamic asynchronous events and debug mode operations.

These deliverables are a starting point for adopters to expand and extend the verification plan along with the new core modifications or extensions which may be kept private or shared with others.

Imperas https://www.imperas.com

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PRODUCT NEWS

CoolSiC™ CIPOS™ Maxi: World's first 1200 V transfer molded IPM with SiC Infineon Technologies AG has launched a 1200 V transfer molded silicon carbide (SiC) integrated power module (IPM) and concludes the massive roll-out of SiC solutions for this year. The CIPOS™ Maxi IPM IM828 series is the industry’s first in this voltage class. The series provides a compact inverter solution with an excellent thermal conduction and a wide range of switching speed for three-phase AC motors and permanent magnet motors in variable speed drive applications.

Amongst others, these can be found in industrial motor drives, pumps drives, and active filters for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).

The CIPOS Maxi IPM integrates an improved 6-channel 1200 V silicon on insulator (SOI) gate driver and six CoolSiC™ MOSFETs to increase system reliability, optimize PCB size and system costs. The new family member is packaged in a DIP 36x23D housing. This makes it the smallest package for 1200 V IPMs with the highest

power density and best performance in its class. The IM828 series features an isolated dual-in-line molded housing for excellent thermal performance and electrical isolation. It meets EMI requirements and overload protection of demanding designs.

The rugged 6-channel SOI gate driver of the SiC IPM provides built-in dead time to prevent damages from transients. It also offers under-voltage lockout (UVLO) at all channels and over current shutdown protection functions. With its multi-function pin, this IPM allows high design flexibility for various purposes. Adding to the protection features, the IPM is equipped with an independent UL-certified temperature thermistor. The low side emitter pins can be accessed for phase current monitoring making the device easy to control.

The CIPOS Maxi IM828 series can be ordered now. It comprises 20 A IM828XCC for power ratings of up to 4.8 kW. More information is available at https://www.infineon.com/IPM. Infineon Technologies https://www.infineon.com

Pickering Interfaces announces Partner Program with System Integrators to collaboratively optimize customer test solutions Pickering Interfaces, the leading supplier of modular signal switching and simulation solutions for use in electronic test and verification, has launched its Pickering Partner Program, which is designed to ensure that customers get the support they need from the best available systems integrator in their region for their application or requirements.

“Customers are working on more complex and diverse systems, and they may need a

more complete product or service offering than we can provide,” explains Joe Woodford, Pickering Interfaces’ International Sales and Partner Program Manager. “The Pickering Partner Program will enable end customers in manufacturing sectors such as defense, aerospace, automotive and semiconductor, to capitalize on Pickering’s technology and utilize the systems and technology expertise of a systems integrator which is most closely matched to their application or requirement.”

Customers are encouraged to visit www.pickeringtest.com/partner-program/partners, where they can apply a number of filters – region, technology, market, product, software – which will lead them to the most appropriate Pickering Partner. The page currently contains links to approaching 30 systems integrators who have signed up for the program in the USA, Asia and Europe. Pickering has thoroughly evaluated all partners – many of them have been Pickering customers for many years. By signing up for the Pickering Partner Program, they are formalizing an existing relationship. Systems integrator Partners will benefit from a closer contractual agreement with Pickering. They will have access to a number of resources and tools to help them deliver the best overall solution for their customers.

More details about the program can be found at www.pickeringtest.com/partner Pickering Interfaces https://www.pickeringtest.com

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Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Quarter brick isolated DC/DC converter delivers up to 2450 W for datacom applications Flex Power Modules has introduced a new device in its BMR491 series of highdensity DC/DC converters with built-in digital interfaces. The new BMR491 con-

verter can deliver 2450 W peak power for periods of up to one second, with a continuous output power rating of up to 1540 W, thus making it the highest power density digital DC/DC isolated converter available today.

It operates over an input voltage range of 48 V to 60 V and delivers a nominal 12 V

output, making it suitable for data center applications. Efficiency is 97.5% at 48 Vin at half load, and the BMR491 can provide output current of up to 205 A.

The converter is supplied in an industry standard low-profile quarter-brick format, measuring 58.4 × 36.8 × 14 mm (2.30 × 1.45 × 0.55 in) with baseplate, and is also available with an integrated heatsink with a height profile of 19 mm.

The converter has an operational temperature range of -40°C to +125°C.

The BMR491 uses Flex Power Modules’ proprietary hybrid regulated ratio (HRR) technology, which enables it to deliver extended power capabilities, as well as the efficiency and resilience to voltage transients that would more commonly be expected from a fixed-ratio converter.

Operating lifespan is increased through the inclusion of advanced over-voltage, over-temperature and short-circuit protection mechanisms, and mean time between failures (MTBF) is over 7 million hours. Heat dissipation is helped by the inclusion of a baseplate and the use of enhanced thermal conduction techniques, with an integrated heatsink option also being available.

As with all Flex Power Modules’ DC/DC converters, the new device complies with IEC/EN/UL 62368-1 safety standards.

Input to output isolation is 1500 V. A digital interface is available in either 4 or 7-pin DOSA standard and the BMR491 is supported by the Flex Power Designer software tool.

The BMR491 will be available in OEM quantities in the first quarter of 2021.

Flex Power Modules https://www.flexpowermodules.com

Pickering Electronics signs with Wiselink in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand Pickering Electronics, the reed relay company which has pioneered miniaturization and high performance for over 50 years, has signed a distributor partnership agreement with Wiselink, covering Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Wiselink places strong emphasis on delivering the best to its customers. The company acts as a supply channel partner for over 35 suppliers and more than 2,500 OEM and CEM customers in various industries. Comments Pickering CEO

Keith Moore: “Wiselink is a proactive partner for us in this important region, dedicated to excellence and customer satisfaction.”

Pickering is known for its innovation in reed relays which use instrumentationgrade reed switches with vacuum-sputtered ruthenium plating to ensure stable, long life up to 5x109 operations.

Formerless coil construction and Soft Center™ technology also help to increase reliability and robustness, while the use of Mu-metal magnetic screening (either external or internal), enables ultra-high PCB side-by-side packing densities with minimal magnetic interaction, saving significant cost and space.

More advantages of the Pickering reed relays can be read here.

Pickering Interfaces https://www.pickeringtest.com

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PRODUCT NEWS

Rugged AEC-Q101 MOSFETs from Nexperia offer guaranteed repetitive avalanche performance tested to one billion cycles Nexperia, the expert in essential semiconductors, launched a new AEC-Q101-qualified Repetitive Avalanche Application Specific FET (ASFET) portfolio focused on powertrain applications. The technology has been tested to one billion avalanche cycles and can be used to control automotive inductive loads such as solenoids and actuators. In addition to providing a faster turn-off time (up to 4X), designs can be

simplified through a reduced BOM count.

The Nexperia Automotive Repetitive Avalanche ASFET family of products have been specifically developed to address this issue, by guaranteeing repetitive avalanche functionality tested up to one billion cycles.

In addition, when compared to boost topologies, they can simplify designs by providing up to 30% component footprint efficiency due to a possible reduction of up to 15 board components.

Fully automotive qualified to AECQ101 at 175°C, the new MOSFETs are available in 40V and 60V options with typical RDS(ON) ratings from 12.5mΩ to 55mΩ.

All of the devices are supplied in the company’s spacesaving LFPAK56D (Dual Power-SO8)

copper-clip package technology. The highly robust package features gull wing leads for increased board level reliability, and improved manufacturability including automated optical inspection (AOI).

For more information, including Quick Learning videos, visit https://www.nexperia.com/products/mosfets/applicationspecific-mosfets/automotive-asfets-forrepetitive-avalanche Nexperia launched its Application Specific FET (ASFET) family earlier in 2020 in response to industry’s demands to maximize performance. ASFETs feature a set of MOSFET parameters that have been optimized for a particular application. By focusing on one application, significant improvements can be offered.

Other available ASFET families address hot-swap, Power over Ethernet (PoE), battery protection and motor control applications. More details are available at https://www.nexperia.com/asfets Nexperia https://www.nexperia.com

Nexperia launches AEC-Q101-qualified, leadless CAN-FD protection diodes with industry-leading ESD performance Nexperia, the expert in essential semiconductors, has announced new leadless ESD protection devices for CAN-FD applications. Devices are available in leadless packages with side-wettable flanks that enable AOI tools to be used. Fully AECQ101-qualified, the PESD2CANFDx series parts also offer industry-leading ESD and RF performance, and save PCB space.

Nexperia offers silicon-based ESD protec-

22

tion for the CAN-FD bus in both leaded and leadless packages. The new DFN1412D-3 and DFN1110D-3 leadless DFN packages with side-wettable flanks occupy 80% less PCB space than traditional SOT23 and SOT323 packages. Despite this, products assembled in this package feature improved thermal behaviour due to a larger internal lead frame that includes a heatsink and thermal pad.

PESD2CANFDx diodes are also very ESD robust delivering excellent system level protection performance.

This is because the parts have industry’s lowest clamping voltages of only 33 V at IPP = 1 A and low dynamic resistance of 0.7 Ω.

Nexperia ESD protection devices also offer very good RF

switching parameters featuring a mixed mode insertion loss of just +20 dB at 300 MHz, leading to excellent signal integrity.

Commented Nexperia’s product manager Lukas Droemer: “CAN-FD is an important bus in automotive in-vehicle networks but devices must be protected against ESD. Another essential requirement for automotive applications is the ability to use AOI. Our new devices in leadless packages meet both these requirements, providing a high-performance alternative to leaded SMD packages.

The PESD2CANFDx series fulfils all CAN (FD) specification requirements and exceeds the requirements of AEC-Q101 by two times.”

20 devices are available now in the DFN 1412D-3 and DFN1110D-3 packages for automotive and industrial applications including CAN/CAN-FD, FlexRay, SENT and LVDS. More details are available at https://efficiencywins.nexperia.com/efficient-products/getting-esd-protection-rightfor-CAN-FD.html Nexperia https://www.nexperia.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Part of a High-Performance Power Supply The WE-AGDT series makes a new SMT assembly transformer available, which, at the same time, is part of a power supply solution developed by Würth Elektronik for demanding gate control of SiC MOSFETs.

This gives rise to high common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) of the gate driver system. The WE-AGDT series comprises six transformers, each optimized for its respective reference design. Thanks to

for optimally controlling IGBT and power MOSFETs, and, given a suitable DC-DC converter, even for high-voltage GaN FETs. Würth Elektronik's reference design for a compact, galvanically isolated DC-DC converter for SiC MOSFET gate drivers is available at https://www.we-online.com/RD001

WE-AGDT transformers Image source: Würth Elektronik

The innovative WE-AGDT is a compact transformer in an EP7 package. It features a wide input voltage range from 9 to 36 V, a high saturation current of 4.5 A, as well as very low leakage inductance, and a very low capacitance of 6.8 pF between the windings.

their two separate secondary windings, they allow both bipolar (+15 V, -4 V) and unipolar (+15 V to +20 V, 0 V) output voltages. The input voltage of 9 to 36 V achieves a maximum output power of 3 to 6 W. WE-AGDT transformers are optimized for SiC applications, but are also suitable

WE-AGDT Auxiliary Gate Drive Transformer "With the increasing spread of power semiconductor devices in silicon carbide technology, which work at switching frequencies above 100 kHz, their gate control requirements are becoming more and more sophisticated. With the WE-AGDT series and the associated reference design, we have developed a solution that is as innovative as it is reliable, allowing developers to easily implement a compact, efficient and flexible supply with up to 6 W output power," says Eleazar Falco, Application Engineer at Würth Elektronik eiSos. WE-AGDT is available from stock without a minimum order quantity. On request, free samples are made available to developers.

Würth Elektronik eiSos https://www.we-online.com

XP Power launches new 500W class II power supplies for medical devices including BF applications XP Power has announced a new range of 500W AC-DC power supplies that provide class II safety certification, including BF class insulation, for medical device applications requiring class II (without earth) installation and excellent EMC performance.

The PBL500 series offers power levels up to 500W forced cooled or when fitted with an integral fan and 250W convection cooled.

The series accepts a wide, universal input of 80VAC – 264VAC at 47Hz to 63Hz and offers single output voltages from 12V to 57V. With the same series system designers can cover many applications.

The series is available in two mechanical formats. The U-channel units provide 250W when convection cooled and 450 – 500W with external forced air cooling.

The top fan cover version, including a variable speed integral cooling fan for low audible noise, provides a complete 450 – 500W solution. https://international.electronica-azi.ro

The product has a low patient leakage current and provides 2 × MOPP from input to case, 2 × MOPP from input to output and 1 × MOPP from output to ground. Input to case and input to output isolation is rated at 4000VAC and output to ground is 1500VAC. Both conducted and radiated emissions are class B, and the series is compliant with IEC/ES/EN 60601-1 edition 3.1 and 60601-1-2 edition 4 The PBL500 series includes a 5V standby supply, overvoltage & overcurrent protection, remote sense, and thermal shutdown. Also available is an ‘AC OK’ signal and remote on/off control. The U channel version also provides a 12V 0.3A output suitable for powering system cooling fans.

The PBL500 series is available now from Digi-Key, Farnell, Mouser, RS Components, approved regional distributors, or direct from XP Power and come with a 3-year warranty.

XP Power https://www.xppower.com 23

Voyager 2 – Image source NASA

1980 - a pivotal point in the power industry!

Author: Patrick Le Fèvre Chief Marketing and Communication Officer Powerbox (PRBX)

Although often considered as the last cog in the wheel by system designers, in truth the power supply is probably one of the most important parts of their equipment. From the thyratron tubes used in the type REC-30 power rectifier to supply HV power to teletype teleprinters in 1930 [1] , through to the latest Wide Band Gap semiconductors, without their curiosity and passion, power designers would not have made a lot of things possible.

Voyager 2 is a good example of that, but who remembers what happened in the late seventies and early eighties within the power industry and how leading power engineers changed the face of our industry?

24

October 29, 2020, after seven months of silence due to a major upgrade of the 70 meter wide radio antenna located in Camberra, NASA sent a set of commands to the 43 year-old spacecraft, Voyager 2 that has travelled billions of miles from earth since its launch in 1977. Voyager 2 acknowledged it had received the call and executed the commands without any issue. Interesting for sure - but what is the significance of this to power engineers?

BACK IN TIME TO THE BATTLEFIELD! Launched on August 20, 1977, Voyager 2 was powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) that turns heat from the decay of a radioactive material into electricity. The generated voltage is regulated and distributed to the 14 scientific equipment and to the master control board. The overall power system has been designed to accommodate the RTG and despite the schematic being kept secret, a brand-new technology was mentioned called ‘switching power supply’!

Known since 1930, switching power supply principles have been explored by power designers for decades with the aerospace industry with NASA being the

driving force in research and development.

Considering the astronomical cost of a launch, and also the lifetime of space probes and satellites, space power designers sought for lower weight, higher energy efficiency and compactness.

In the sixties NASA had already used switching power systems in a number of satellites e.g. Telstar in 1962.

In parallel with secret research conducted by aerospace and military organizations to miniaturize embedded power systems, power designers in the civil industry also considered alternative solutions to the old, heavy, bulky conventional architecture of transformer, rectifier, and linear regulation.

Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

DESIGN SOLUTIONS

Who launched the first commercial switching power supply is up for debate, but we can mention RO Associates who in 1967 introduced a 20 Khz power solution, followed by a wave of products e.g. 1970 NEMIC Japan, 1973 HP 500W. For leading power designers, it was obvious that switching power technology was the future. But at that time linear power supplies were the reference and ‘switching’ was considered to be a suspicious technology and some were predicting that the interference field generated by switching could cause major damage to the final application.

We should remember that in the seventies linear power supplies were the norm, and despite Lambda introducing a line of ‘standardized’ linear power supplies, the launch of Power-One’s “H” series is considered by many as the first ‘off the shelf’ power solution, first in USA and then in Europe.

Based on a genius level concept of a folded aluminum plate used as case and power dissipater, Power-One launched an amazing number of variants offering systems designers a ready to use power supply (Figure 1).

Simultaneously in Japan – with very little information coming out from that country – power supplies manufacturers not only launched a complete range of linear power supplies but only few years after, a range of switching power solution. One example is the company ELCO/COSEL, which launched the linear “G” series in 1975, followed in 1977 by a complete range of switching power supplies, the “H” series (Figure 2)! In truth, Japan was really ahead of the curve. Another example being SONY who in 1960 at the time when the TV industry used electronics tubes (valves), were the first to use transistors in their TVs and were probably the first to implement a switching power supply in TV equipment in the early seventies.

We should also remember that in the late seventies and early eighties, the vast majority of companies developing electronics equipment had their own inhouse power departments designing dedicated power solutions for their applications. Not surprisingly, for many inhouse power designers the launch of the Power-One “H” series was perceived as a threat. Many equipment manufacturers adopted standardized ‘off the shelf’ power supplies, refocusing their internal power department’s R&D to the emerging switching power technology in order to stay ahead of their competitors. https://international.electronica-azi.ro

Figure 1: Power One Linear power supplies “H” series

Figure 2: ELCO/COSEL 1975 Linear “G” series (Top) and 1977 Switching “H” series (Bottom)

25

POWER

WITH PASSION, TALENT AND CURIOSITY! The seventies were full of talented engineers researching enhanced switching power solutions and it would require a dedicated article to name them all. Among all of them, to me it is interesting to mention two ‘power gurus’, Robert J. Boschert (Boschert Associates) and Frederick Rod Holt (Apple), both working at the same time on more efficient power solutions. In both cases, as it was in the aerospace industry, they aimed to make the power supplies smaller, lighter and more efficient.

design switching power solutions for space and military aircrafts.

At the same time Steve Jobs, known for his curiosity in new technology, considered switching power technology as being of interest, but due to lack of time the Apple I launched in April 1976 featured a conventional linear power supply.

Never mind, working on the Apple II Rob Holt designed a 38W multi-output offline flyback switching power supply (Figure 4) for which he filled a patent in February 1978 and got it granted in December (4,130,862).

Figure 3: Boschert Associates switching regulators patents 4,037,271 & 4,061,931 According to legend in his kitchen, in 1970, Robert Boschert started to develop a more cost effective, competitive and lighter power supply as an alternative to the bulky transformer and linear regulation model.

He focused on developing a switching power supply for wheel and band printers that he produced in volume in 1974. In 1976 he launched one of the first ‘off the shelf’ switching power supplies and applied for patents 4,037,271 and 4,061,931 to protect its IPR (Figure 3).

The two patents were granted in less than a year, followed by the commercial success of the OL25 switcher that received high profile coverage in the press and media e.g. “Flyback converters: solid-state solution to low-cost switching power supplies” published 21 December, 1978 in Electronics. Robert Boschert was also a pioneer in selling licenses of its IPR and in 1977 Boschert Inc. had more than 600 employees and was certified to 26

Apple II was a success and with volume levels increasing, Apple outsourced the manufacturing of the power supply to ASTEC, beginning the long history of OEM power supplies for computers.

Perhaps anecdotal but nonetheless illustrating the competitive landscape within the power industry which suffered a number of IPR disputes, in Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography it is written that Jobs said: “Instead of a conventional linear power supply, Holt built one like those used in oscilloscopes. It switched the power on and off not sixty times per second, but thousands of times; this allowed it to store the power for far less time, and thus throw off less heat. That switching power supply was as revolutionary as the Apple II logic board was." Jobs later added: “Rod doesn't get a lot of credit for this in the history books, but he should. Every computer now uses switching power supplies, and they all rip off Rod Holt's design.”

For sure, as a good marketer Steve Jobs would like APPLE to enjoy the accolade of implementing switching power supplies in PCs, though many others e.g. IBM and HP followed the same path at the same time, all aiming for higher performance and reduced costs.

However, despite the huge benefits of that technology, its implementation and market adoption has been relatively slow and market analysts have estimated that only 8% of the power supplies manufactured in 1978 were based on switching topology.

MAKE MY TELETYPE SMALLER, LIGHTER AND FASTER! In the introduction I mentioned the thyratron power rectifier type REC-30 powering a 1930 Teletype teleprinter[1]. Few know that, in those days, Teletypes used to be state of the art telecommunication machines and long before the introduction of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5G, a communication system that motivated power designers to invent and innovate.

Besides topologies, one major evolution in the switching power supply industry occurred in 1976 when Robert Mammano, cofounder of Silicon General Semiconductors introduced the first control IC dedicated to switching power supply. The launch of the SG1524 was a major step forward within the power supply community, and its first application was a new generation of Teletype machines marketed as being ‘smaller, lighter and faster’.

Originally developed to solve a Teletype manufacturing problem, the introduction of the SG1524 became the kick-off of modern switching power supplies, opening the way to inventions and innovations that we all benefit from today.

THE RACE FOR SWITCHING POWER IS OPEN! With the development of the personal computer and IT equipment, the demand for high efficiency and low weight increased the demand on power designers to improve performance further.

Despite Steve Jobs’ perception, computer leaders such as IBM had impressive power departments and the launch of the IBM 5150 Personal Computer set the tempo for the design of a dedicated power supply using the NE5560 and later the SG3524 chip. Unique to the PC industry, switching power supplies are specific to a motherboard and are not as such ‘off the shelf’ for common applications use, although the Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

DESIGN SOLUTIONS » Switching Power Supply

snowball effect on contracted manufacturers contributed to boost their own products’ development, launching complete ranges of commercial products.

On the industrial side it is impossible to name all the products and innovations but since we mentioned the Power-One “H” series, it is fitting to mention a young engineer who joined Power-One in the early eighties named Steve Goldman who led the team that designed the new generation of switching power supplies, the MAP series. Anecdotally, MAP stands for the name of Power-One's Chief Engineer/Designer at that time, Michael Archer (Michael Archer Product).

Simultaneously the computing and industrial industries moved towards switching power architectures and although it took years before that technology prevailed over the well-established linear solution, a number of power electronics conventions started all around the world, providing a forum for power engineers to learn and share knowledge about new technologies.

1980, THE PIVOTAL POINT IN THE POWER INDUSTRY! At the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties the power industry forged the foundations of where we are today. Despite the IEEE Power Electronics Specialist Conference (PESC) starting in 1970, power designers and industry leaders considered a different type of forum to share technology knowledge, new ideas and best practices.

POWERCON took place in Beverly Hills, Calif., March 20 to 22, 1975, followed in 1978 by a conference primarily focused on telecommunications called INTELEC. Unfortunately, after nine years POWERCON ceased in 1984 leaving the power community as an orphan.

Back in days when the grandfather of the internet, ARPANET had just adopted the TCP/IP protocol (January 1983), power engineers were still miles away from chatting and blogging, and with the growing demand for tighter cooperation within the power industry the need for a ‘one place to share’ became obvious.

In 1983 the China Power Supply Society (CPSS) was founded[2], and in 1985 the Power Sources Manufacturers Association was incorporated (PSMA)[3].

Both organizations aimed to share knowledge and to facilitate communication within their respective power communities, and 35 years later both are still supporting power engineers.

At the same time that PSMA was formed, a group of eight passionate engineers, Bill Hazen (Prime Computer); Don Drinkwater (DEC); Phil Hower (Unitrode); Jonathan Wood (Data General); Marty Schlecht (MIT); Jack Wright (GE); Trey Burns (Data General) and John Kassakian (MIT) had an idea to create a power conference which would embrace research, applied electronics, and serve to connect electronics engineers to a larger community including industry, and the provision of an exhibition. It was to be called the Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC)[4], and the first edition took place on 28 April to 1 May, 1986 in New Orleans.

AND THE STORY CONTINUES...

The power electronics industry has been through many periods of evolution, disruption and revolution. If the introduction of the Bipolar Junction Transistor was arguably the ‘first’ technological revolution, there is no doubt that the migration from linear power conversion to switching technology was the second, and the beginning of a long evolutionary path.

43 years after it was the launched, Voyager 2 has travelled 14 billion miles into deep space and the power supplies that pioneers designed in the early seventies are still doing their jobs. This is what makes all of us excited by what we do in the power industry and thanks go to all the genius power designers that I have been unable to name in this article that have contributed to make the transition from linear to switching technology possible.

References: [1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Figure 4: Apple II 38W multi-output off-line flyback switching power supply designed by Rob Holt https://international.electronica-azi.ro

Teletype Model 19 Thyratron Power Supply https://youtu.be/WX74GoHuwHk China Power Supply Society (CPSS) − http://www.cpss.org.cn/en/ Power Sources Manufacturers Association was incorporated (PSMA) − www.psma.com Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) − https://apec-conf.org

Powerbox (PRBX) www.prbx.com

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PRODUCT NEWS

Renesas Extends Arm Cortex-Based MCU Family with RA4M3 MCU Group for Industrial and IoT Applications Renesas Electronics Corporation expanded its RA4 Series microcontrollers (MCUs) with the new 32-bit RA4M3 Group of MCUs. The RA4M3 MCUs boost operating performance up to 100 MHz using the Arm® Cortex®-M33 core based on Armv8-M architecture. Featuring industry-leading performance, Arm TrustZone® technology, Renesas’ Secure Crypto Engine, and a suite of new memory enhancements, the RA4M3 Group makes it easy to develop safe and secure IoT edge devices for low-power applications, such as security, metering, industrial, and HVAC applications.

“I am excited about the rapid expansion of the Renesas RA MCU family following our RA6M4 MCU Group introduction last October,” said Roger Wendelken, Senior Vice President of Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit. “While RA6M4 target applications demand superior performance and advanced security, the RA4M3 Group offers a well-balanced combination of performance and power consumption with the same advanced security and safety. In addition, customers can take full advantage of the flexibility for memory expansion options that are typical for a broad range of industrial and IoT applications that require continuous innovation.”

The RA4M3 Group is designed for lowpower IoT applications that require a balance of high performance, strong securi-

28

ty, and higher memory.

The RA4M3 MCUs combine TrustZone technology with Renesas’ enhanced Secure Crypto Engine, enabling customers to realize secure element functionality in a wide variety of IoT designs. The Secure Crypto Engine incorporates multiple symmetric and asymmetric cryptography accelerators, advanced key management, security lifecycle management, power analysis resistance, and tamper detection.

The RA4M3 MCUs drive power consumption down to 119uA/MHz in active mode running CoreMark from flash memory and 1.6mA in standby mode with standby wakeup times as fast as 30 μs – a critical element for IoT applications operating in the field for extended periods. For memory-intense applications, designers can combine Quad-SPI and SD-card interfaces with the MCUs’ built-in embedded memory to increase capacity. The background operation and Flash Bank SWAP option is ideal for memory optimized firmware updates running in the background. The increased embedded RAM with parity/ECC also makes the RA4M3 MCUs ideal for safety-critical applications. The RA4M3 MCUs also feature several integrated features to lower BOM costs, including capacitive touch sensing, embedded flash memory densities up to 1 MB, and analog, communications, and memory peripherals.

Key Features of the RA4M3 Group • 100 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 with TrustZone technology on a 40nm process • Integrated 1 MB flash memory, 128 KB RAM, 8 KB Data Flash and 1 KB stand-by SRAM • Low power consumption delivering an operating current of 119 μA/MHz in active mode and 1.6 mA standby current with 30 μs wakeup time • Background operation and Block SWAP function for the flash memory • Capacitive touch sensing unit • Multiple interfaces including Quad SPI and SDHI memory interfaces, SSI, USB2.0 Full Speed, SCI, and SPI/I2C • Scalable from 64-pin to 144-pin LQFP packages (including LGA- and BGA-ready options) The FSP provides a host of efficiency enhancing tools for developing projects targeting the RA4M3 MCUs. The e2 studio Integrated Development Environment provides a familiar development cockpit from which the key steps of project creation, module selection and configuration, code development, code generation, and debugging are all managed. The FSP uses a GUI to simplify the process and dramatically accelerate the development process.

For more information, please visit: https://www.renesas.com/ra4m3 Renesas Electronics Corporation https://www.renesas.com

Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Renesas RA Family Adds Ultra-Low Power RA2L1 MCU Group with Advanced Capacitive Touch Sensing for Cost-Effective, IoT Node HMI Applications

Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the expansion of its 32-bit RA2 Series microcontrollers (MCUs) with 20 new RA2L1 Group MCUs, increasing the RA Family to 66 MCUs. The general-purpose RA2L1 MCUs use the Arm® Cortex®-M23 core operating up to 48 MHz. The RA2L1 MCUs are supported by the easy-to-use Flexible Software Package (FSP) and Renesas’ partner ecosystem, which offers software and hardware building block solutions that work out-of-the-box. The ultra-low power and innovative touch interface of the RA2L1 MCUs make them ideal for home appliance, industrial and building automation, medical and healthcare, and consumer human-machineinterface (HMI) IoT applications.

The RA2L1 MCUs are designed for ultralow power consumption, with several integrated features to lower BOM costs, including capacitive touch sensing, embedded flash memory densities up to 256 KB, SRAM at 32 KB, analog, communications, and timing peripherals, and safety and security functions. In many batterypowered applications, the MCU spends most of the time in a low-power standby mode waiting for an internal or external event to wake-up the CPU and process data, make decisions and communicate with other system components.

When benchmarked for power consumption, the RA2L1 MCU was certified with https://international.electronica-azi.ro

an EEMBC® ULPMark™ score of 304 at 1.8V, verifying its best-in-class power rating. Users can now minimize power consumption close to the standby levels to extend battery life.

“Continuing the rollout of the RA MCU Family, I am pleased to announce the expansion of the general-purpose RA2 Series for HMI IoT applications,” said Roger Wendelken, Senior Vice President of Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit. “The RA2L1 MCUs were designed from the ground-up to optimize for lowest-standby power, employing an advanced power and clock gating feature, and integrate our second-generation capacitive touch sensing unit with advanced and highly differentiated features.”

The advanced capacitive touch IP in the RA2L1 MCUs provides enhanced operability for a variety of touch and touchless system implementations. For example, it supports sensing through acrylic or glass panels more than 10 mm thick, which is enough for use in household equipment with thick doors or partitions. It also implements proximity sensing (hovering) and 3D gestures. This accommodates hygiene or safety limitations. The RA2L1’s capacitive touch noise tolerance meets the requirements of IEC EN61000-4-3 level 4 (radiated) and EN61000-4-6 level 3 (conducted) to assure reliable operation with minimal sensing errors.

Key Features of the RA2L1 MCU Group • 48 MHz Arm Cortex-M23 CPU core • Support for wide operating voltage range: 1.6V - 5.5V • Ultra-low power consumption delivering an operating current of 64 μA/MHz and software standby current of 250 nA with less than 5 μs fast wakeup • Employs Renesas’ 110nm low-power process for active and sleep/standby modes and special power-down modes designed for battery driven applications • Flexible power modes achieve lower average power for multiple applications • Integrated next generation innovative capacitive touch sensing unit with no external components required, lowering BOM costs • Enables system costs reduction with on-chip peripheral functions, including a high precision (1.0%) high-speed oscillator, temperature sensor, and multiple power supply interface ports • Background operation data flash supporting 1 million erase/program cycles • Scalable from 48-pin to 100-pin LQFP packages For more information and an evaluation board, please visit: https://www.renesas.com/ra2l1 Renesas Electronics Corporation https://www.renesas.com 29

For the right sound

Acoustic components in medical applications Transmission of information from a machine to the end user is of great importance in a large number of applications. It allows rapid feedback based on visual or acoustic stimuli and provides the necessary input for further processing by the user. Especially in the medical industry, where very short reaction times can make the difference between life and death, a high degree of attention must be paid to signal transmission.

Authors: Anne Santhakumar, Product Sales Manager Acoustic Components & Timing Devices, Rutronik Mike Van Den Broek, Senior Applications Engineer, PUI Audio Acoustic signals are particularly suitable for this purpose, since, unlike optical signals, they do not require permanent monitoring and, if the speaker is dimensioned accordingly, can also function across several rooms. This includes not only the transmission of audio signals by the application, but also the recording of information by microphones.

FOCUS ON SAFETY REQUIREMENTS Special safety and testing regulations apply to technical applications in the medical industry and are specified by the DIN standard DIN EN 60601-1-8 or the ISO standard IEC 60601-1-8. The regulation is an essential part and required. In terms to acoustic warnings, the regulations highlight two aspects in particular: • Differentiation between individual devices based on their different tones • A harmonic component in the tone that aids in the location of the device to the operator, audibly 30

Manufacturers of medical devices should therefore consult the DIN standard as early as possible in the design cycle, as it may prescribe a specific set of tones and a specific sound pressure level (SPL) that must be reproduced in the finished application.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SPEAKER There are several components that are capable of processing audio signals.

Speakers, buzzers and microphones are the predominant elements of acousticsbased human-machine communication.

The components to be used in the medical application are selected primarily according to the specifications of DIN EN 60601-1-8. Buzzers are only suitable for reproducing a single, fixed tone frequency, whereas speakers are capable of playing many different tones at once across a specific frequency band.

Due to their wider range of use, speakers are used in most applications.

When choosing a speaker, it is advisable to focus on the lowest tone you need to reproduce and the respective SPL requirement.

Electronica Azi International | 5/2020

DESIGN SOLUTIONS » Choosing the right speaker

In most cases, the frequency will be lower than 500 Hz. The values are indicated in the specification sheet of the respective speaker. However, the way in which these were measured must be taken into account. For example, the SPL depends to a large extent on the input power provided by the speaker and the distance at which the microphone was spaced to capture the SPL. However, there is no set standard specifying at which distance the SPL should be measured. Many speakers are listed at 10 cm or 50 cm away from the measuring device.

In addition to these basic values, the conditions of use must also be taken into account: For instance, the measurable sound pressure changes depending on the distance away from the speaker. A speaker with a listed SPL of 86 decibels (dB) at 50 cm will only output 80 dB when the distance away from the speaker is doubled.

Doubling the input power from 1 W to 2 W, for instance, generates an SPL gain of 3 dB, which represents a sound pressure level of roughly 89 dB at a distance of 50 cm. When dimensioning the speaker, it is therefore important not only to pay attention to the rated values in the data sheet, but also to consider the everyday conditions of use of the finished device. PUI Audio recommends a few basic points that may help here: 1. Invest in a low cost SPL meter or download a suitable SPL app.

2. Perform multiple measurements of the environment to minimize inaccuracies.

3. Build a use-case to determine the actual operating conditions, thereby making a realistic assessment of the speaker dimensions.

4. Target a value of about 15 dB to 20 dB above the specified SPL in order to achieve the prescribed characteristics even at a certain distance.

INTERPRETING A SPEAKER’S POWER RATING CORRECTLY In addition to the performance data, the operating conditions represent another important characteristic value.

PARAMETERS VALUES UNITS Rated Input Power 10 Watts Max Input Power 20 Watts www.international.electronica-azi.ro

All PUI Audio speakers are specified in the data sheet with the rated input power and the maximum input power.

The rated input power is the level at which the speaker was designed to play at continuously. In contrast, the maximum input power describes the ability of a speaker to sustain instantaneous peaks.

If a speaker is intended to reproduce a continuous pure tone (a sine wave), it is important not to exceed the rated input power, as otherwise there is a risk of the component being destroyed.

Use the peak voltage applied to determine how much power a speaker can dissipate. When using a multimeter that displays RMS voltage, multiply the measured value by 1.414 and then square the result. Then divide the resulting value by the speaker’s impedance.

SELECTING THE RIGHT AMPLIFIER An amplifier is essential when using a speaker. Amplifier selection is pretty straight-forward as long as you pay attention to certain specifications. The key criterion is how much power an amplifier can create with a given input voltage condition and impedance load. At the same time, the level of distortion must remain below 1% to prevent any component damage. This is referred to as ‘Total Harmonic Distortion’ (THD). Besides causing an unpleasant sound, distortion can also destroy the speaker. Exceeding 1% distortion with an amplifier drives it into a ‘clipping’ condition. In this case, the amplifier sends DC voltage to a speaker instead of AC voltage, forcing it to its outer mechanical bounds.

This cause the leads to break that connect the input terminal to the voice coil.

EXAMPLE According to the formula, a 2 Vrms measured pure tone signal applied to an 8 Ohm speaker dissipates 1 W of power.

The clipping effect can also occur to a certain extent with an over-sized speaker whose power reserves are insufficient. It is possible to destroy a speaker rated for 5 W with a 4 W clipped signal. As a rule of thumb, PUI Audio recommends selecting an amplifier that has double the power capacity of what you need to prevent components being destroyed by clipping.

Calculating Power to a Speaker: P = (VRMS∙√2)2/R

Voice and music signals do not consist of pure sine waves, since a constant tone is not reproduced. The calculation can, nevertheless, be carried out using the aforesaid formula. It is, however, a good idea to check the signal using an oscilloscope to ensure the peaks of the signal do not exceed the maximum input power of the speaker.

PUI Audio is the leading manufacturer of speakers, among others inthe medical industry. The company’s experience and expertise come from decades of business relationships with medical technology firms, delivering effective client consulting and participating in product developments. Rutronik’s qualified team of application engineers supports customers when selecting the right components for their projects and provides comprehensive support throughout the entire design cycle.

Rutronik www.rutronik.com 31

COMPANIES

Enabling the World’s Ideas Author: Ian Wallace, Director, of EMEA business development, Digi-Key Electronics This year has been a challenging year with radical changes imposed on both our personal and professional lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But these changes have also represented opportunity that we have seen both our customers and supplier partners take advantage of. We’ve seen customers quickly adapt and innovate to combat the impact of the pandemic, by designing and building ventilators, touchless devices, testing and monitoring equipment and more. Production lines from other industries have adapted to medical

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products, and suppliers have been vigilant about production despite their own unique challenges.

Together we have endured and learned many things along the way that we believe will strengthen us all in the future.

There have been some positive signs of growth and momentum in markets such as IoT, 5G, IT infrastructure, communications, robotics, AI, factory and home automation and transportation. Suppliers will also continue to face challenges and there will be extended lead times on certain products. Having said that, Digi-Key is

aggressively ordering ahead and increasing our inventory breadth and depth to support our customers.

The pandemic has been an accelerator for digital transformation this year as well. Even before the pandemic, Digi-Key realized that digital transformation, automation and efficiency would be very important as the business grows and would be critical to our customer base.

We’ve been working to find the most mutually beneficial, effective ways to transact our business together.

Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

Supply Chain API & Order Management API

A few ways that we’re increasing the ease of doing business with Digi-Key include our new 204.000m2 production distribution facility opening in 2021, which will offer additional warehouse space for storing product as well as more efficient shipping to customers. We’re also offering more registered user benefits than ever before, improved inventory search, self-service quotes, leading digital solutions including API, EDI and punchout, scheduled shipments in local currency,

value added services, and quality programs and traceability.

We’ve been very digitally active since Digi-Key jumped into the digital world with the website, we’ve since developed a suite of solutions for our global customers, including EDI, punchout, XML ordering and invoicing, and continuous improvement engagement on all of our existing tools to provide the best user experience for the customer. And we are investing heavily in APIs so that cus-

tomers can be more and more connected to our offerings and get the most accurate data in real-time. Just this year DigiKey launched both the Supply Chain API and Order Management API. The API overview tools on Digi-Key’s website even offer a cost savings calculator for customers to estimate how much they will save after transitioning to APIs. Even though it’s been a very tough year, Digi-Key has continued to invest in inventory and our expanded distribution cen-

ter, and this is so we can support our customers with the inventory they need quickly, typically within 48 hours. And we’re also very much investing in our website in order to make doing business with us even easier in the future.

We’re keen to continue supporting all of our customers, so we wish you well in the new year. Keep innovating – our world needs your great ideas more than ever before!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ian Wallace is Director, EMEA Business Development at Digi-Key Electronics where he leads the company’s global expansion by supporting new and existing customers and supplier partners in the region. Wallace’s career spans 30 years in the electronic component industry. DigiKey is one of the world’s largest, full-service distributors of electronics components, offering more than 11 million products with over 2.6 million in stock and available for immediate shipment, from more than 1,300 quality, name-brand manufacturers.

Digi-Key Electronics www.digikey.ro

https://international.electronica-azi.ro

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PRODUCT NEWS

Renesas Strengthens IP License Portfolio with IP Utilities to Facilitate Device Development Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the release of IP Utilities – a new series of solutions aimed at simplifying the development of devices incorporating Renesas intellectual property (IP). The new IP Utilities include application packages and evaluation kits, as well as expanding Renesas’ growing portfolio of leadingedge IP licenses.

With the emergence of CPUs based on open-source architectures such as RISC-V, the use of licensed IP for device development is becoming more attractive from the cost, time and design risk perspectives. Developing original devices has become very demanding in terms of both the growing number of steps and the time required, due to the need to verify many IP component combinations, such as peripheral functions and applicationspecific functions. Leveraging Renesas’ extensive manufacturing expertise and the new IP Utilities solutions, developers can confidently shorten the development time for their original semiconductor devices based on Renesas’ highly reliable IP and reduce the time to market.

“Our IP portfolio lineup has grown to include more than 80 offerings since Renesas first entered the IP licensing market in 2018,” said Tetsuya Matsumoto, Vice President, Shared R&D Core IP Division at Renesas. “Where most IP vendors offer only individual IP cores, we are providing developers access to rich IP solutions that includes proven CPUs and peripheral IPs. The introduction of the new IP Utilities opens up opportunities to create new IP markets and further expand our business that benefit from our extensive experience in semiconductor design.”

The new IP Utilities offerings include: • Application packages that allow development of original microcontroller (MCU) with a short turnaround time (TAT) Developers can take advantage of the application packages to implement application-specific functions as part of MCU development. For example, the 12-Axis Motor Control Package allows MCU developers to implement multi-axis motor control, which can be difficult to support in general-purpose MCU products. The base package includes a CPU, peripheral IPs, and motor control IPs, all capable of 1234

axis stepping motor control. Developers may customize the system as desired, for example changing the number of axes, switching to brushless DC motor control or switching to a different CPU.

(TCAM) IP that combines advanced functionality and power efficiency. In addition to the conventional network packet processing field, developers can research new solutions with utilized trial TCAM

• Early adopter kit enabling early evaluation of AI accelerator cores Renesas’ early adopter kit allows developers to promote early phase evaluation of the Processing-in-Memory (PIM) AI accelerator IP (Note 1), which achieves superior power efficiency of 8.8 TOPS/W. Support is also available for software development. Developers can use the Raspberry Pi control board to combine PIM functions in a stacked configuration of up to three boards – expanding the scale of inference processing.

front-end libraries in user-defined configurations including advanced technologies, such as the 7 nm process.

• IP core configuration simplification tools Developers can use the new configuration tools to study the specifications of complex IP cores with advanced functionality and optimize their performance in user applications. The first configuration tool is for the PCI Express controller core and enables the user to easily perform simulations involving variables, such as transfer speed, number of lanes, and bus bit width, and easily select the optimal configuration for achieving target performance from over 500,000 variations.

• TCAM front end library to study product specifications Renesas offers a front-end library for the Ternary Content Addressable Memory

• Equivalent EMC design consulting for devices The IP Utilities offering includes EMC design consulting based on Renesas’ extensive experience of EMC design work in Renesas devices. By considering EMC design issues upstream in the system development process, for example with regard to pin assignments, board design, and component layout, developers can reduce the burden of noise-countermeasure following manufacture and reduce the iterations to fix.

Renesas plans to expand its lineup of IP Utilities with future offerings such as an evaluation environment for immediate evaluation of Ethernet TSN performance and an evaluation board mounted with an FPGA incorporating CPU cores.

For more information, visit www.renesas.com/products/ip-products.html Note 1: The PIM IP is scheduled for release in 2021.

Renesas Electronics Corporation https://www.renesas.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Renesas’ Intersil Brand 14-Bit, 1-MSPS ADC Delivers Best-in-Class Radiation-Hardened Performance for Satellites, Manned Spacecraft, and Lunar Space Missions Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the industry’s highest performance singlechip 14-Bit, 1-MSPS successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for radiation-hardened (radhard) space applications. Renesas’ Intersil brand ISL73141SEH delivers best in class dynamic and static performance, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), effective number of bits (ENOB), integral non-linearity (INL) and differential non-linearity (DNL).

The ADC fully resets after every sample, clearing any errors that result from a single

“The ISL73141SEH offers satellite and spacecraft manufacturers the ultimate in ADC performance combined with a best-in-class sensor interface signal chain,” said Philip Chesley, Vice President, Industrial and Communications Business Division at Renesas. “Our space-grade 14-bit ADC delivers significantly better data converter performance than any other competing solution, and it is backed by six decades of leadership in radiation performance testing and characterization that gives spaceflight customers the mission assurance they demand.”

event upset (SEU) due to heavy ion radiation during spaceflight.

The ISL73141SEH is one of the key signalpath building blocks in long duration geosynchronous / geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) communication satellites and manned spacecraft, including lunar space missions. By delivering the industry’s best dynamic and static performance, the new 14-bit ADC accurately captures real-world analog transmissions and converts them for processing in the digital domain. The ISL73141SEH ADC is one of seven ICs, including rad-hard temperature sensor, multiplexer, quad op amp, ADC driver, LDO and voltage reference to form a complete sensor interface signal chain solution that accelerates telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) and flight computer system development.

The space-grade ISL73141SEH is fully characterized for enhanced low dose rate-sensitivity (ELDRS) radiation performance up to 75krad(Si) for total ionizing dose (TID) and linear energy transfer (LET) up to 86MeV*cm2/mg for single event effects (SEE). The SEE testing also shows no single event latch-up (SEL) or single event burnout (SEB). In addition, single event transients (SETs) have also been mitigated by testing at an LET range up to 86MeV*cm2/mg.

https://international.electronica-azi.ro

Key Features of the ISL73141SEH 14-Bit, 1-MSPS SAR ADC • 1-MSPS throughput rate with no data latency and no missing codes • 5V supply, dissipates only 60mW • High SNR of 82.1dBFS at 5V supply operation • Operating from a 3.3V supply at 750-KSPS, dissipates only 28mW

• Single supply operation simplifies system design • Highest dynamic performance of 13.3 ENOB, enabling > 12-bit resolution • Superior linearity: ±0.5 LSB INL and ±0.2 LSB DNL • Full military temperature range of -55°C to +125°C The ISL73141SEH 14-Bit, 1-MSPS SAR ADC is at the heart of the sensor interface signal chain and connects via SPI interface to MPUs, MCUs, and/or FPGAs to

digitize sensor signals in digital TT&C subsystems and flight computers.

System designers are able to build the entire signal chain with Renesas’ Intersil brand analog and power ICs, including: ISL71590SEH temperature sensor; ISL70444SEH quad op amp; ISL71830SEH 16-channel low voltage multiplexer; ISL70517SEH instrumentation amp with ADC driver; ISL75052SEH high voltage LDO regulator; and ISL71091SEH40 precision, low-noise voltage reference.

An evaluation board is available for evaluating device features and performance.

For more information, please visit: www.renesas.com/products/ISL73141SEH Renesas Electronics Corporation https://www.renesas.com 35

PRODUCT NEWS

Vishay Intertechnology Announces the Availability of Modelithics Broadband Microwave Global Models™, Extends the Frequency Range of CH Series Microwave Resistors Up to 70 GHz Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. announced the availability of new broadband Microwave Global Models™ for Vishay Sfernice CH series resistors in the 02016, 0402, and 0603 case sizes. The new models are available within the Modelithics COMPLETE Library™ and mmWave & 5G Library.

Modelithics' measurement-based models

offer part value, substrate, and solder pad scalability. They are validated up to 67 GHz and accurately predict parasitic effects based on the model parameter settings, making them well-suited for high frequency applications.

The Modelithics model libraries integrate seamlessly with popular electronic design

automation (EDA) tools, including Keysight Technologies' PathWave Advanced Design System (ADS), Keysight Technologies' Path Wave RF Synthesis (Genesys), Cadence® AWR Design Environment®, Cadence Virtuoso Spectre® RF, Ansys® HFSS™, and Sonnet® Suites™. As a Sponsoring Modelithics Vendor Partner, Vishay's customers will receive a free 90-day trial of Vishay data in the Modelithics component library.

CH series microwave resistors are unique in their ability to be used up to 50 GHz. Devices in the 02016 case size with ohmic values in the range of 50 Ω to 100 Ω are validated for use at frequencies up to 70 GHz. This unprecedented performance makes the CH series the unique choice for very high frequency needs, such as next-generation millimeter-wave 5G networks and radar applications.

More information on Modelithics is available at http://www.modelithics.com Vishay Intertechnology https://www.vishay.com

Vishay Intertechnology 600V EF Series Fast Body Diode MOSFET Delivers Industry-Low RDS(ON)*Qg FOM for Power Conversion Applications Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced a new device in its fourth generation of 600 V EF Series fast body diode MOSFETs. Providing high efficiency for telecom, industrial, computing, and enterprise power supply applications, the Vishay Siliconix n-channel SiHH070N60EF slashes on-resistance by 29 % compared with previous-generation devices while delivering 60 % lower gate charge. This results in the industry's lowest on-resistance times gate charge for devices in the same class, a key figure of merit (FOM) for 600 V MOSFETs

used in power conversion applications.

With the SiHH070N60EF and upcoming devices in the fourth-generation 600 V EF Series family, the company is addressing the need for efficiency and power density improvements in two of the first stages of the power system architecture totem-pole bridgeless power factor correction (PFC) and soft-switched DC/DC converter topologies.

Built on Vishay's latest energy-efficient E Series superjunction technology, the SiHH070N60EF features low typical on-

resistance of 0.061Ω at 10V and ultra-low gate charge down to 50nC. The device's FOM of 3.1Ω*nC is 30% lower than the closest competing MOSFET in the same class. These values translate into reduced conduction and switching losses to save energy. For improved switching performance in zero voltage switching (ZVS) topologies such as LLC resonant converters, the SiHH070N60EF provides low effective output capacitances Co(er) and Co(tr) of 90pf and 560pF, respectively. The device's Co(tr) is 32% lower than the closest competing MOSFET in the same class.

Offered in the PowerPAK® 8x8 package, the device released today is RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and designed to withstand overvoltage transients in avalanche mode with guaranteed limits through 100% UIS testing. Samples and production quantities of the SiHH070N60EF are available now, with lead times of 10 weeks.

Vishay Intertechnology https://www.vishay.com

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Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Murata’s ultra-thin LW reversed, low ESL chip MLCCs in 0204 inch size design for in-vehicle ADAS applications Murata introduces the ultra-thin LW reversed, low equivalent series inductor (ESL) multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) with a capacitance value of 1.0 μF ±20% for 4 Vdc-rated automotive applications.

With a 0204 inch size (0.5 × 1.0 mm) footprint and maximum thickness of just 0.22 mm, the LLC152D70G105ME01 decou-

pling capacitor can be implemented on the back of a processor package, contributing to lower impedance of a power supply line. It can also sit close to the main processor on the motherboard.

Compared to standard MLCCs, the LW reverse construction flips the electrodes through 90° so they are positioned on

the long side of the rectangular chip. This change in construction reverses the length-to-width ratio, providing effective noise suppression in high-frequency applications.

As advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) continue to evolve to increase safety and, ultimately, deliver self-driving vehicles, ICs for in-vehicle equipment have become increasingly high-performance. To stabilize these ICs, more focus is being put on lowering the power supply lines’ impedance. Thanks to Murata’s proprietary thin layer technology for ceramic elements and thin-sheet formation technology, the LLC152D70G105ME01 LW reversed, low ESL chip MLCCs are effective for achieving a low-impedance design.

For more information about the LLC152D70G105ME01 LW reversed, low ESL chip MLCCs, visit: https://www.murata.com/products/productdetail.aspx?partno=LLC152D70G105ME01%23 Murata https://www.murata.com

Murata offers world’s first ferrite chip beads for automotive applications up to 175°C Murata has announced the release of the BLM18KN_EH series of ferrite chip beads for noise suppression in power lines at temperatures up to 175°C. Target applications are automotive equipment such as engine and transmission electronic control units (ECUs) and turbo motor controllers, with the components meeting AEC-Q200

qualification requirements.

By selecting a ferrite material that does not lose its magnetic properties at high temperatures and an electrode to suppress temperature-related deterioration, Murata’s BLM18KN_EH series conforms to the AECQ200 standard for use up to 175°C. Eliminating design stress for high temper-

ature areas, negates the need to review the mission profile. Energization is possible at 150°C, which increases the degree of design freedom. An additional benefit of the new BLM18KN_EH series is its low DC resistance, which reduces heat generated and therefore increases efficiency.

The new BLM18KN_EH chip beads are available in 0603 inch size with dimensions down to 1.6 mm × 0.8 mm. The devices have low direct current resistance (Rdc) for compatibility with large currents, optimal for low power consumption. Over the wide operating temperature range the rated current is from 740 mA to 4,000 mA (-55°C to +125°C), 490 mA to 2,600 mA (+150°C) and 10 mA (+175°C). Typical impedance at 100 MHz ranges from 26 Ω to 1000 Ω.

For more information about the series, please visit: https://www.murata.com/eneu/search/productsearch?cate=cgsubChipFe rriBead&partno=BLM18KN*EH&realtime=0 Murata https://www.murata.com

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PRODUCT NEWS

Stay Connected

Würth Elektronik publishes its catalog of electromechanical components

The 116-page Electromechanical Components 2021 catalog is now available - presenting Würth Elektronik’s broad portfolio and numerous product innovations in the field of high-quality connection and

(Image source: Würth Elektronik )

switching technology. Interesting new products include an extremely compact high-frequency coaxial connector and an SMT-mountable cable holder made of tincoated phosphor bronze. The program of LED connectors (WR-LECO) and terminal blocks for tool-free cable assembly (WRTBL) has been extended. Besides product information, the catalog also contains further texts that impart plenty of background knowledge and present practical application examples.

The new product WR-UMRF (UltraMiniature RF Coaxial Connector) is a rightangled cable-to-board connector just 2.5 mm high. This connection technology is of particular interest for connecting antennas to radio modules. The "WA-SMCH Surface Mount Cable Holder" is a spacesaving and very stable (with a holding force of up to 370 N) replacement for eyelets glued to PCBs for locating cable ties.

Ingenious details Würth Elektronik introduces a space-saving version of its Flat Flexible Cables (WR-FFC)

with concertina-shaped folds—an ingenious detail that makes the cables more flexible over various distances.

Spacers between circuit boards have traditionally been components that have to be mounted by hand—this makes the SMT mountable spacers from Würth Elektronik extremely popular. This product group too has been significantly expanded in time for publication of the new Electro-mechanical Components catalog. The additional REDCUBE terminals are also soldered over a large area in automated surface assembly which makes them mechanically robust. Another chapter of the catalog is dedicated to switches and push buttons.

The Würth Elektronik eiSos Electro mechanical Components 2021 catalog is available in English and can be found at https://www.we-online.de/eicancatalog ready for download. It can be ordered in print under https://www.we-online.com/catalogorder Würth Elektronik eiSos https://www.we-online.com

Reliability and precision: Susumu URG thin-film resistors at Rutronik Long-term stability for industrial and medical technology: The metallic thinfilm resistors of the Susumu URG series are characterized by lowest tolerances and extreme reliability. Inorganic passivation of the product series protects them sustainably against sulfu-rization and thus ensures a long-term constant resistance value.

Industrial measurement technology, electrical scales, medical applications and high-precision sensor technology are some examples of challenging uses for the URG series. It is available at https://www.rutronik24.com.

Tightest resistance tolerances of only ±0.01 percent characterize the URG thin film resisitors. Their temperature coeffi-

cient is only ±1ppm/°C. They can also withstand an overload of 2.5 times their rated voltage for at least five seconds.

Even under harsher conditions, such as a high ambient temperature (85°C) with 85% humidity, changing switching cycles for at least 1,000 hours cause no problems.

Even extreme temperature changes from 65°C to 150°C can be withstood by the URG series for at least 100 cycles.

The URG elements are SMD resistors, created for a reflow assembly. Accordingly, it is possible to expose them to a soldering temperature of 235°C for at least 30 seconds. Tests according to the specifications of MIL-PRF-55342/JIS C5201-1 confirm their reliability. The resistors of the URG series meet the AEC-Q200 compliance directive for passive electronic components, are lead and halogen free and RoHS compliant.

They are available with 1.6 × 0.8mm (URG1608 series) or 6.40 × 3.20mm (URG6432 series). https://www.rutronik24.de/produkt/susumu /urg6432k-60r0-b-t1/10304675.html Rutronik https://www.rutronik.com

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Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

New gate driver ICs for 5G and LTE macro base stations Infineon Technologies AG introduces the new EiceDRIVER™ 2EDL8 gate driver IC product family to foster the growth in DCDC telecom bricks for mobile network infrastructure. These dual-channel junction-isolated gate driver ICs allow for high power density, high efficiency and robustness in isolated DC-DC step-down convert-

ers/telecom bricks enabling macro base stations for 5G and LTE telecom infrastructures. The 2EDL8 family comprises four variants offering two different pull-up currents and two different input configurations. The 3A version is ideally suited for retrofit designs, while the industry-leading 4A version is recommended to reduce

MOSFET switching losses. The 2EDL802x permits both channels to operate independently. This device is the perfect choice for diagonally driven full-bridges on the primary side, as well as for the synchronous rectification stage on the secondary side to reduce the losses during the freewheeling phase. The 2EDL812x has a differential input structure and built-in shootthrough protection making it the perfect choice for non-diagonally driven primaryside half-bridge stages in DC-DC brick converters. The 2EDL8 features an integrated 120 V bootstrap diode and precise channel-to-channel propagation delay matching of ± 2 ns typically. All products in the family have industry-standard PGVDSON-8 leadless packages and pin-out.

Availability All four product variants of the EiceDRIVER 2EDL family are available now. More information is available at https://www.infineon.com/2EDL8.

Infineon Technologies https://www.infineon.com

EiceDRIVER™ X3 Enhanced family for greater design flexibility and reduced hardware complexity Infineon Technologies AG has launched the EiceDRIVER™ X3 Enhanced analog (1ED34xx) and digital (1ED38xx) gate driver ICs. These devices provide a typical output current of 3, 6 and 9A, precise short-circuit detection, a Miller clamp and soft turnoff. In addition, 1ED34xx offers an adjustable desaturation filter time and soft turn-off current with external resistors.

These features combine to accelerate design cycles due to a lower external component count. 1ED38xx provides I2C configurability for multiple parameters. This increases design flexibility, reduces hard-

ware complexity and shortens evaluation time. These gate drivers are suitable for industrial drives, solar systems, uninterruptible power supplies, EV chargers and other industrial applications.

The EiceDRIVER X3 Enhanced 1ED34xx and 1ED38xx families are designed for IGBTs as well as for SiC and Si MOSFETs in discrete and module packages. The output current of up to 9 A eliminates the need for external booster components.

Exceptional CMTI robustness of more than 200 kV/μs avoids faulty switching patterns. Both gate-driver families feature a

40 V absolute maximum output supply voltage and a tight propagation delay matching of 30 ns (max.), resulting in shorter dead time. The I 2C configurability options for the 1ED38xx include short-circuit detection, soft turn-off, undervoltage lockout (UVLO), a Miller clamp and overtemperature shutdown. This gate driver family also offers a two-level turnoff through software settings (TLTOff).

The 1ED34xx and 1ED38xx gate drivers come in a small DSO-16 fine pitch package with 8 mm creepage. Both are UL 1577-certified for 5.7 kV RMS which, combined with precise thresholds and timings, ensures superior application safety.

They are built to withstand the rugged environments of industrial applications.

Availability The EiceDRIVER Enhanced 1ED34xx and 1ED38xx can be ordered now, as can the EVAL-1ED3491MX12M evaluation board.

More information is available at https://www.infineon.com/gdisolated.

Infineon Technologies https://www.infineon.com

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39

PRODUCT NEWS

FlyFocus develops detachable tethered UAV allowing mission critical surveillance Using Vicor DCM DC-DC converters for heavier payloads or longer flight time

FlyFocus’s new CableGuard is a detachable tethered UAV for civilian and law enforcement markets. In tethered mode, it hovers at altitudes to 70 metres for extended times; however, a remote command detaches the tether cable, allowing the UAV to freely fly and track a suspicious object for up to 30 minutes.

At 5kW, the UAV is rated as the most powerful tethered type available on the market today. This capability is in part facilitated by FlyFocus’s use of Vicor isolated, regulated DCM DC-DC converters within the power delivery network from the tether cable to the UAV’s motors and electronics.

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Detachable tethered UAV challenges and Vicor’s contribution In tethered mode, the UAV’s electric motors and onboard electronics are powered via the tether cable, which delivers 400VDC from the ground station; this lets it perform surveillance virtually indefinitely, with only occasional landings for maintenance inspections. When the UAV untethers for free flight, onboard batteries seamlessly take over the vehicle’s power supply, allowing up to 30 minutes’ flight with a single daylight camera payload, and 20 minutes with a dual thermal plus daylight camera setup. These untethered flight times give FlyFocus a competitive edge for their surveillance applications.

The power capacity allows FlyFocus to use better-quality cameras such as heavy cooled thermal types, or cameras with enhanced zoom. Additional payload modules also become possible.

FlyFocus uses the high 5kW of power available through the tether cable to enhance both the UAV’s performance and its functionality. With eight motors, it can be safely landed even with two motors disabled. The two cameras provided are a full HD type with 10x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, and a night vision IR 640p camera with 4x digital zoom.

Additionally, the DCMs’ power density far exceeds that of any other FlyFocus supplier. Together with their efficient operation, this allows eight 600W modules to be packed into a limited-size pod under the UAV, with just two heatsinks/fans.

Vicor isolated, regulated DC-DC converters are designed into the power delivery network from the tether cable to the UAV’s motors and electronics. They can buck the tether cable’s 400VDC down to the UAV’s operating voltages; accommodating this high voltage reduces cable current and I2R losses.

Accordingly, a much smaller, lighter cable can be used – always advantageous in such airborne applications.

Vicor Corporation http://www.vicorpower.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

Dragonfly Pictures, Inc. Pioneers a New Class of Multirotor Drones Advancing Hover-in-Place Communications and Surveillance Systems powered by Vicor High-Voltage BCMs Fixed-wing drones offer the ability to traverse airspace at high speed, but they are not equipped for applications requiring stationary aerial flight, which is especially important for persistent airborne surveillance and communication applications.

Early experimentation with tethered, unmanned blimps exposed the fundamental challenge which was their relative inability to remain stationary in highwind conditions. A new approach was needed, and Dragonfly Pictures Inc. (DPI)

Overcoming extreme design challenges DPI’s military/industrial-grade Unmanned Multirotor Aerial Relay (UMAR) tethered drone is weatherproofed for rain, snow, dust and heat, and is optimized specifically for saltwater marine environments.

UMAR drones are especially beneficial in that they can provide up to 400+ hours of non-stop uptime and operations – at up to 500 feet altitude – because of the continuous power flow through the tether.

But there are significant design challenges

interconnected PCB circuitry, so any space savings enabled at the power component layer can be repurposed for other value-add components.

When deployed as an airborne RF antenna, the UMAR drones can extend ship radio line-of-sight from 8 miles to up to 30 miles.

Power architecture optimized for power density To meet these aggressive power challenges, DPI is leveraging the Vicor HighVoltage BCM® VIA™ low-profile modules within its UMAR to enable high-efficiency conversion (98%) with only 2% losses and heat from 800V to 50V. The compact footprint and mounting versatility of the BCMs were particularly valuable for achieving an extremely power-dense and lightweight s on-board system.

Dragonfly Pictures, Inc. provides near-instant communications tower for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), communications and video applications.

When deployed as an airborne RF antenna, the UMAR drones can extend ship radio line-of-sight from 8 miles to up to 30 miles. developed a new class of drone, the hover-in-place tethered drone.

Unlike battery powered multirotor drones which require battery changes every 20 minutes, tethered drones receive their power through an electrical cord connected to a base station. This enables them to stay aloft for hours, even days. DPI’s tethered multi-rotor drones are designed to track and follow mobile host platforms including ships, boats, trucks and other unmanned surface/ground vehicles.

They offer several benefits over fixedwing drones, including vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. There is no runway, launcher or recovery equipment required. Unlike a blimp, they also offer the ability to achieve persistent, stationary positioning – even during turbulent weather and fast-changing wind speeds.

Tested extensively in real-world operating conditions, their tethered drones are currently being qualified for use by the U.S. Navy in marine/maritime environments for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), communications and video applications. https://international.electronica-azi.ro

inherent to the tethered architecture. The power needs to be delivered from the host vessel to the multirotor drone at extremely high voltage and low current to enable the use of the thinnest, lightest tether, which in turn enables greater drone mobility and larger airborne payloads.

Operating at power levels from 8 to 10kW, the UMAR drones are extremely powerful and ruggedized to maintain persistent stationary positioning under severe maritime storm conditions. This challenge is often compounded by turbulent waters/waves impacting the positioning of the host vessel. The drones therefore require the power capacity and agility to accelerate rotor speeds for lift and yaw in short or prolonged bursts as needed to maintain altitude with instant response time.

Within the multirotor drone, the high-voltage conversion must be achieved in the smallest possible footprint and light-weight profile. The eight independent rotors on board the UMARs require sophisticated,

There are eight Vicor high-voltage BCMs arrayed to power the DPI UMAR’s eight independent rotors, with the ability to share power among the rotors in parallel for increased redundancy.

There are eight Vicor high-voltage BCM4414 modules arrayed in parallel to power the DPI UMAR’s eight independent rotors, with the ability to share power among the rotors for increased redundancy. The inherently low EMI signature with few high-frequency harmonics, combined with integrated EMI filtering within Vicor BCMs helped to minimize EMI noise adding less size and weight than conventional dc-dc converters. Left unfiltered, this noise could compromise RF communications between the drone and host vessels and/or fail to meet EMI standards.

Vicor Corporation http://www.vicorpower.com 41

PRODUCT NEWS

Farnell further enhances range of educational devices with XinaBox Robust TFT displays from Kaohsiung Opto-Electronics offer high quality and long availability for harsh industrial environments Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has signed a global franchise with XinaBox to broaden its market leading range of educational devices and kits. The XinaBox range provides a low-cost entry into the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and automation and helps educators combine Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning with the experience of physical computing for students from a young age.

Although targeted at education, XinaBox also provides solutions to easily scale beta testing for prototyping new applications.

XinaBox is widely used in secondary schools and colleges across the world due to its ease of use, and suitability for firsttime users right through to more advanced secondary students and makers.

The XinaBox kits include a selection of xChips, designed to fast track a user’s understanding of the IoT. Specialist knowledge of soldering or hardware components is not required as xChips are simply clipped together without wires, soldering

or breadboards, meaning experiments can be setup quickly.

The range of over 80 modular hardware xChips includes cores/CPUs, sensors, power, communication, output and storage. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and LoRaWAN cores have been designed to make it easy to connect projects to the IoT, and other components such as the BBC micro:bit and Raspberry Pi can be easily integrated to supercharge projects. xChips can operate with pre-compiled code or can be programmed from scratch using leading platforms such as MakeCode, Arduino and Python.

and investigate the relationship between data sets such as temperature and atmospheric pressure, temperature and light, temperature and humidity, and visible light and ultraviolet light.

The range of XinaBox kits now available from Farnell include: • XK01 STEM Starter Kit: Suitable for secondary school classrooms, the XK01 STEM Starter Kit enables students to build a simple project and connect to an IoT platform, using the quick start guide. The kit features a Wi-Fi Core, xChip (ESP8266) and includes sensors for temperature, humidity, and pressure, UV index, a miniOLED display, a spacer chip and connectors. The starter kit can be used to collect

Professional users and makers can also use XinaBox to progress their ideas to prototypes much faster, rapidly improving time to market whilst reducing cost of prototyping and facilitating scaled beta testing:

• XK05 micro:bit IoT Kit: An ideal entrylevel product, the XK05 IoT kit for micro:bit is designed to introduce young people to IoT technology. The kit enables the analysis of large data sets in the classroom with no previous experience required. Users can learn how to connect the micro:bit to the cloud and build a smart IoT device with the coding extension, MakeCode.

• XK12 IoT Starter Kit: Powered by Zerynth, the XK12 IoT Starter Kit combines modular electronics with an ecosystem of software tools in Python. The kit contains everything required to build a smart IoT edge device that collects environmental data. An actuator can also be attached to create automation projects such as automated electric gates, garage doors or fans.

Lee Turner, Global Head of Semiconductors and SBC at Farnell, said: “Easy to use tools are key to supporting teachers as they help students develop the computational thinking and complex problem-solving skills needed for a career in a digital economy.

XinaBox provides schools and colleges with accessible tools to introduce STEM and IoT while providing inspiration for hands-on learning in the classroom, enabling students to learn about new technologies in a highly creative and collaborative way. For more advanced students, and even professional engineers, XinaBox provides new options to scale beta testing and reduce time to market through its simple, modular, non-solder structure.”

The complete XinaBox range is available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC. Farnell https://www.farnell.com

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Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

PRODUCT NEWS

For industrial use: Distec adds KOE TFT displays to its product range Robust TFT displays from Kaohsiung Opto-Electronics offer high quality and long availability for harsh industrial environments applications – is expanding its product range with robust, industrial TFT displays from Kaohsiung Opto-Electronics (KOE), a Japan Display Inc. (JDI Group) company.

"The wide range of high quality TFT displays perfectly complements our portfolio for demanding industrial environments", said Leonhard Spiegl, Product Manager Components at Distec, explaining the distribution agreement. "The long availability meets our demand for highest customer satisfaction and quality". KOE has taken over the design, development and production of the small and medium-sized TFT displays from renowned display pioneer Hitachi in 2012. Distec starts with displays in sizes from 7 to 12.3 inches (17.78 to 31.242 cm). The extremely robust displays are particularly suitable for use in challenging environments such as automation, industry 4.0, digital signage, public transport, agriculture and construction.

RELIABLE INDUSTRIAL QUALITY The TFT displays of the KOE Rugged+ series are resistant to vibration and shock.

The extremely wide operating temperature range of -40 to +85°C allows the displays to be operated without problems even in very cold or hot conditions. The displays also offer high brightness and wide viewing angle with IPS technology for perfect readability in bright ambient light and when viewed from the sides.

Distec has a selection of KOE TFT displays in stock to serve customer projects quickly and comprehensively. The entire KOE product range is available on request and customized system integrations are also possible.

More information at: https://www.distec.de/en/products/tft-display-modules/tft-displays/koe-tft-displays Distec GmbH https://www.distec.de

(Copyright: KOE)

Leonhard Spiegl

(Copyright: Distec)

Distec GmbH - one of the leading German specialists for TFT flat screens and system solutions for industrial and multimedia

Distec provides robust TFT displays from Kaohsiung Opto-Electronics (KOE) for harsh industrial use https://international.electronica-azi.ro

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Sensirion Inside: CLEVER Sense – makes air quality visible Sensirion, the Swiss expert for environmental sensors, is pleased to announce that Cleveron AG has chosen Sensirion’s SCD30 CO2 sensor for its new CO2 monitoring device. CLEVER Sense enables effective and smart ventilation in closed rooms and impresses with its top measuring accuracy and reliability. The trend of measuring CO2 concentrations indoors is rising steeply.

More and more studies indicate that CO2 can serve as a good indicator for monitoring the air quality in closed rooms. Since CO2 in indoor spaces almost always originates from humans, conclusions can be drawn about the risk of infection with viral diseases such as COVID-19.

Especially in the cooler months of the year, it is important to keep the air quality high as people stay indoors longer than in summer. When it is cold outside, the windows are mostly closed. This means that the air quality in classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, restaurants and many other spaces quickly becomes poor. Proper ventilation is therefore becoming increasingly important. Many people are already calling it the new hand-washing of infection prevention. If you open the windows for a certain period of time at the right moment, you significantly reduce the risk of infection without the room cooling down excessive-

ly and too much heat being lost from the heating system. But how do you know when to ventilate and for how long?

This is where CLEVERON and Sensirion come into play. With CLEVER Sense, Cleveron AG offers a smart solution for monitoring the CO2 concentration indoors.

It is a CO2 monitoring device with a simple design that can be placed anywhere in the room. With the three levels Red, Yellow and Green, the device, based on a traffic light, shows the air quality in the room at any given time. Operation is user friendly via a web app or the integrated button.

“Thanks to Sensirion’s built-in CO2 sensor, we can guarantee our customers the highest measurement accuracy and reliability,” says Pietro Gagliardi, Co-Founder and CEO of Cleveron AG. “Sensirion and CLEVERON are united by the pursuit of innovation. This idea flows into our products, which are sustainable and are intended to offer additional added value to our customers.”

The sensor used in CLEVER Sense is Sensirion’s SCD30 CO2 sensor. The sensor, based on the established CMOSens® technology, impresses with its top accuracy and reliability as well as a small form factor that allows easy integration into applications.

“CLEVERON is of course one of our customers, and CLEVER Sense is an ideal application for our SCD30 CO2 sensor,” says Hartmut Welte, Area Sales Manager at Sensirion.

“We are convinced that CLEVER Sense is a great help for increasing concentration and energy efficiency through smart ventilation and reducing the risk of virus infection in indoor environments.”

For more information about CLEVER Sense, please visit: https://cleveron.ch/air You can find more information about Sensirion at: https://www.sensirion.com/scd30

Sensirion https://www.sensirion.com

Partner for Power: Rutronik and Comelec join forces for the Italian market Distribution for full energy: Rutronik Italia S.r.l. and Comelec S.r.l., are cooperating with immediate effect in the field of power electronics. Comelec S.r.l. is a distributor for, among other things, power electronics and offers a specialized and customizable allround service that covers the entire supply process like customized connectors, finish sensors and other solutions.

“Our goal is to constantly expand the range of products and services for our customers in order to be able to meet their requirements on a longterm basis. In addition to the connector sector, Comelec has specialized in the marketing and distribution of high quality components such as capacitors, power semiconductors and passive electronic components“, 44

says Loris Cavallotto, Managing Director at Comelec: “With Rutronik as our distribution partner, we can offer our customers beside to Infineon a wider product portfolio of even more top-class manufacturers“.

“For Rutronik in Italy, the cooperation with Comelec creates a strategically important addition to our already existing competencies“, explains Pino Cosenza, Country Manager Italy at Rutronik. “By using synergies, we not only reach a larger circle of potential customers but we will be able to increase the number of specialised solution for our Customers.

We appreciate Comelec‘s extensive experience and technological knowhow in the dynamic power segment“.

Rutronik https://www.rutronik.com Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

INDUSTRY NEWS

Cutting-Edge Automation Plays Key Role in Mouser Electronics’ Distribution Success Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry’s New Product Introduction leader, adds new automation technology to its continuously expanding warehouse to keep hundreds of thousands of global customers supplied with the right products at the right time.

In recent years, the distributor has made substantial investments in state-of-theart automated equipment to process orders with exceptional efficiency and accuracy. Today Mouser employees operate 55 vertical lift modules (VLMs), the most at any company in all of North America. VLMs – essentially giant vertical filing cabinets, complete with shelves and an automated elevator – store tens of thousands of electronic components.

The VLMs deliver the parts directly to the employee workstation, vastly increasing efficiency and floor space.

process results in less bubble wrap usage, equating to the reduction of more than 1.5 million square feet of material each year.

Additionally, Mouser is in the process of adding the OPEX Perfect Pick system, and further warehouse automation advancements are underway with the recent completion of a new 125,000 square-foot addition to the distribution centre.

by IoT technologies, wireless systems and digital tablets, our 1,000-plus warehouse employees are working more efficiently now than ever.”

“Because we deliver single quantities of components, we will always rely on employees for the special handling that those small orders require. Our adoption of start-of-the-art automation acts primarily

as a means of boosting efficiency, productivity, accuracy and speed,” says Shopp.

“These new systems can also be a positive driver of more sustainable operations and improved customer satisfaction, too.”

Mouser has also recently invested in several I-Pack machines – a sophisticated automated packing and boxing system that can process up to 14 orders a minute. The use of I-Pack delivers several operational advantages – reducing time, materials and ‘air’ waste (valuable space on trucks and aeroplanes), and also brings benefit in terms of sustainability. The automated https://international.electronica-azi.ro

“Advances in automation are having a transformative effect on many areas of industry, and warehousing and logistics are certainly no exception,” says Pete Shopp, Mouser Electronics’ Senior Vice President of Business Operations. “Across a broad range of activities such as picking, packing, and loading pallets, robotics is greatly enhancing our operations. Assisted

Mouser’s massive distribution centre, located on the 78-acre campus of its corporate headquarters in Texas, handles a vast inventory of more than 1 million unique SKUs for products from over 1,100 manufacturer brands. “Processing tens of thousands of orders weekly, most within 15 minutes, and combined with a strong commitment to customer service, Mouser employees are handling the technological advancements with great success”, Shopp says.

Mouser Electronics https://www.mouser.com 45

INDUSTRY NEWS

Altus Boost Their Laser-Based Solutions with the Introduction of LPKF Technology Altus, a leading distributor of capital equipment in the UK and Ireland has announced an exciting new partnership with technology and innovation leader, LPKF. The agreement involves the distribution of LPKF’s highly innovative laser-based solutions for the technology industry. This new collaboration will further enhance Altus’ capital equipment portfolio with a range of highly-advanced laser systems that are vital in the manufacture of printed circuit boards, microchips, automotive parts, solar panels and many other components.

As components shrink in size, but quality and precision still paramount to reliability, LPKF’s cutting-edge laser-based depaneling technology is essential to successful production. ‘’Working with LPKF is a perfect match for us at Altus,” said Joe Booth, Altus Director - Business Development and Marketing.

“We are very excited about the laser routing/de-panelling process here in the UK and Ireland, as we see a large increases in flexirigid applications and a growing trend for

PCBAs of this type moving forward. LPKF is the out and out leader in this field with a wealth of application knowledge and highly respected performance. The combination of this new partnership, together with our established customer pool and top quality support, we can only see that number of installations growing. This addition also sees Altus provide the market leading technology in both laser and milling depaneling processes allowing us to offer customers the very best solutions to meet their specific requirements.‘’ Laser depaneling is one of the most innovative processes to separate printed circuit boards from a panel. With traditional depaneling methods, assembled PCBs are cut out of the panel using a mechanical separation process. With laser depaneling, the depanelisation process is performed using a focused laser beam that ablates the material layer by layer. The laser process, especially in case of LPKF equipment, offers considerable advantages over conventional mechanical cutting processes.

Altus Group https://www.altusgroup.co.uk

Eutect introduces service cart for wave soldering modules To simplify maintenance and servicing of wave soldering modules, Eutect GmbH offers a versatile service cart designed for use directly on the machine. Each service cart is tailored to specific customer modules.

The service cart introduced here is suitable for all mini wave soldering modules made by Eutect.

"The IW1 and 2 mini wave modules can be serviced on the service cart itself. Among other things, a nozzle receptacle has been integrated for this purpose, which makes it very easy to clean and maintain the solder nozzle", explains Jürgen Seibert, responsible for service at Eutect GmbH. Once a module has been removed from the machine, it can be placed on the service cart. Thanks to the ideal height of the cart, the secured module can be serviced on site without requiring further transportation. In addition to the complete module, individual parts, such as for instance the nozzles, can also be serviced on the service platform. All necessary tools and cleaning media are located in six drawers below the platform. "This means that the operator has all tools within easy reach," 46

Seibert continues. The carts are adapted to the IW modules used by the customer, as is the nozzle receptacle.

In addition to maintenance, minor repairs or disassembly’s can also be carried out by a trained operator. "Our goal is to maintain a module at its place of use. This means that when maintenance is carried out by our customer, the module does not have to leave the production area, but that the module can be maintained and reconditioned on site by trained personnel," continues Seibert. For this reason, the service cart is equipped as standard with a variety of tools and cleaning media. Where worn out or consumed, these can be replenished easily via the new Eutect GmbH online store.

Eutect offers Level 1 training for customer employees, which is conducted by Seibert and his team. "When putting the systems into service we train the employees. Additional training for new employees or more in-depth training can be ordered from us at any time thereafter", Seibert assures. These training courses ensure that production staff can easily carry out basic maintenance in accordance with Eutect's specifications.

EUTECT https://www.eutect.de Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

INDUSTRY NEWS

Reliable deoxidation under vacuum with active process gases The Nexus vacuum soldering system from Rehm Thermal Systems is perfectly suited to numerous applications – also for deoxidation

A major benefit of the Nexus contact soldering system is that the heating or cooling gradient can be predefined based on predetermined parameters. The gradients can be pre-set as required. Within the specification limits, the temperature is adjusted automatically by the Nexus to ensure these limit values are not exceeded.

This eliminates any possible malfunction in the assembly to be soldered. The heating output of the Nexus has been designed for a uniform heating process when fully loaded with high-mass assemblies, meaning that short cycle times are also no problem. Sensor components determine and verify the temperatures recorded on the goods carrier support.

RELIABLE VACUUM PROCESSES FOR IMPROVED QUALITY Vacuum soldering achieves productivity increases and quality advantages in the manufacturing of power electronics. In this way, the vacuum ensures oxide-free processes, as well as improved wetting and thus better filling of soldered joints. In addition, the vacuum drastically reduces the voids in soldered joints and enables processes such as plasma cleaning and atmosphere exchange in advanced packaging. The reduced pressure helps, among other things, to minimise oxidation on the components and on the joints themselves. Heat is transferred by thermal conduction. Its compact dimensions, high level of user-friendliness and outstanding https://international.electronica-azi.ro

flexibility make the Nexus ideally suitable for use in small-scale and medium-scale production, as well as in laboratories.

INERT GASES AND FORMING GAS Nitrogen (N2) is typically used to protect against oxidation. The forming gas is also used in combination with 5 to 10% hydrogen to reduce oxides. All necessary safety devices are already integrated in the system for this mixing ratio. Forming gases with a hydrogen content from 10% to 100% may require further protective devices and are only used at 280°C or higher. Depending on the process temperature, the use of formic acid can be beneficial. For a stable, reliable, flux-free soldering process, the inert carrier gas (N2) is enriched with formic acid (HCOOH) and routed into the process chamber.

employees – and are subject to greater fluctuations in the filling quantity. More advanced is the new generation of bubblers used by Rehm Thermal Systems – these control and readjust the fill level automatically. By increasing the temperature of the formic acid in the bubbler, a higher accumulation of formic acid in the nitrogen can easily be attained.

Oxides on metals are removed using formic acid as described below. So-called formates of the metal form initially – and from about 200°C these formates are decomposed (Cu) or evaporated (SnO, SnO2). The H+ formed in the second part assists the oxide removal. An oxide-free and highly wettable surface on copper and other metals can therefore be achieved – typically for a subsequent soldering process in the plant or for downstream processes.

(Image: Rehm Thermal Systems)

The Nexus contact soldering system from Rehm Thermal Systems guarantees best results in reflow soldering processes using contact heat under vacuum. This enables the Nexus to meet the highest requirements in the field of advanced packaging and power electronics. The contact soldering system with a vacuum is also bespoke for voidfree soldering of different components (e.g. IGBT) on DBC substrates. The substances are usually joined from different raw materials under vacuum at temperatures of up to 450 °C. This process is an optimal solution for void-free and flux-free applications. The Nexus thus not only benefits the soldering process, but also all other thermal processes.

Nexus FLUX-FREE SOLDERING AND DEOXIDATION For stable, flux-free soldering or removal of oxides, the inert carrier gas (N2) is enriched with formic acid (HCOOH) and routed into the process chamber. To keep the “saturation” of the carrier gas with formic acid constant, the parameters must remain constant while the liquid formic acid is flowing through. These include the flow velocity, flow rate, temperature and the filling capacity of the formic acid tank (bubbler). Thanks to today’s control engineering, the nitrogen flow rate can be monitored easily and reliably – unlike the formic acid level in conventional bubbler solutions. These conventional bubblers must be refilled manually with the acid – with due consideration of the safety precautions for

The application is suitable from process temperatures of 200°C. OXYGEN ANALYSIS FOR PROCESS MONITORING The analyser allows you to permanently monitor the oxygen content in the process chamber during almost all process steps. This ensures that inerting remains effective, while the process chamber remains leakproof.

You can find more information about the Nexus contact soldering system at: www.rehm-group.com/en/processes/contact-soldering.html Rehm Thermal Systems https://www.rehm-group.com 47

INDUSTRY NEWS

Altus Bump Up Their Staff Safety Offering To help companies to ‘work safe’ during the pandemic, Altus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment in the UK and Ireland, has added a number of new key suppliers of safety-related equipment to their portfolio in an effort to support customers. New to the group is Tharsus with the innovative Bump system, a powerful new Personal Motion System that helps people socially distance and unlocks crucial

data to keep businesses running safely during Covid-19. Bump uses a combination of software and hardware with everything a business needs to understand, analyse and design optimal workplace practices and give people the knowledge, control and confidence to work safely.

Free-standing Bump units are positioned at each entrance and exit of a working area. Additionally workers wear a device which uses sophisticated Radio Frequency (RF) technology. The hub recognises when wearers are in the building, and automatically downloads information about any contacts their device has had with other wearers. Bump alerts wearers with sound and lights when they are too close to another person. It also gives smart reminders to sanitise hands to ensure staff are kept safe at all times. Bump helps with social distancing and provides data which

enables track and trace, which UK Government guidance identifies as vital in the fight against Covid-19. Bump also generates information which assists organisations to adjust operations to eliminate high contact risk areas and keep people safe.

Devices worn by colleagues warn them in realtime when they are approaching two metre’s distance from one another by using light and sound. The number of instances triggering a warning are uploaded to a hub. Here workers can see for themselves via a simple interface how many they have experienced since their last upload. The platform is also an operational interface which site managers can use to understand how operational movement can be changed to eliminate risk.

Altus Group https://www.altusgroup.co.uk

Vanilla Electronics Works with Altus to Put Staff Safety First The landscape of the working environment has changed rapidly in order to cope with the pressures of the Coronavirus pandemic. In response, Vanilla Electronics, a market leader in supply chain management for the electronics manufacturing industry, has worked closely with Altus to find safety solutions.

COVID-19 is here for the foreseeable future which means businesses must continue and adapt to new ways of working. To ensure staff and customers are safe when at the Norfolk site, Vanilla Electronics has invested in thermal measurement and temperature monitoring equipment from Hikvision, a world leading IoT solution provider. Human skinsurface temperature is an important indicator of physical health. Using thermographic technology, Hikvision’s Minmoe touch-free access control and temperature screening solution is designed to achieve 48

rapid preliminary screening with high efficiency. It can be easily fitted to a wall at a building’s reception or on a temperature screening terminal with floor standing bracket making it portable.

Dan Croft, Vanilla CEO said: “We underwent extensive research to find a company that could offer us a sustainable method of checking people upon entry to replace the task being completed manually. Altus offered touch-free entry systems that can be installed into our office. We now have a wall-mounted entry system that will measure the temperature of everyone entering the building, as well as being able to detect whether or not people are wearing a mask.

Combined with a door entry control unit, the new system won’t allow anyone to enter with a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius or above. It will also issue a command for you to put a face mask on if you are scanned without one.”

Minmoe has provided us with a safer environment, with smart integration of additional capabilities, all at a cost-effective level. The system integrates perfectly with our other high-tech IOT products throughout Vanilla Electronics, which are now found in all areas of the business from reception to stores automation, and within automated manufacturing services.

Joe Booth, Altus Director - Business Development and Marketing concluded: “We work hard to support our customers with the very best technology available in the market, and that includes safety solutions. The Minmoe system can be installed with ease and integrates seamlessly into a businesses to offer peace of mind and ensure a secure working environment for all.”

An alternative to Minmoe is Hikvision’s walk-through gate. This can be installed to monitor temperature as people walk through the reception. Adopting the thermal imagery technology, the walk-through detector realises non-contact temperature measurement with the face detection function of the camera making an accurate positioning of the measurement. Additionally the detector also supports metal detection making its use multifunctional.

“With Hikvision, you have a thermal measurement solution with the potential of full traceability and analysis. Whether you are looking for a solution to help measure skin temperature, or a touch-free access terminal for your facility, this equipment can work well as a safety solution going forward,” concluded Joe. Altus Group https://www.altusgroup.co.uk Electronica Azi International | 6/2020

LTHD Corporation S.R.L. Head Office: Timișoara - ROMÂNIA, 300153, 70 Ardealul Str., lthd@lthd.com, www.lthd.com Tel.: +40 256 201273, +40 356 401266, Fax: +40 256 490813

.............................................................................. https://international.electronica-azi.ro

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