EP&Dee no 10

NOVEMBER, 2014 足 ISSUE NO. 10, VOL. 12

DESIGN & MANUFACTURING

EP&Dee ELECTRONICS

PRODUCTS

&

DESIGN

足

EASTERN

EUROPE

THE EAST EUROPEAN RESOURCE FOR EMBEDDED APPLICATIONS

NOVEMBER 2014 Table of Contents

Win a Microchip PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Board!

DESIGN FEATURES

6 The lifecycle of an idea In May last year, one of just 200 Apple I computers ever made sold at auction in Germany for more than £400,000. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak designed and hand-built the first machine immediately after going to a meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club in a Menlo Park, California garage.

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

8 Face recognition goes embedded with Omron Vision Module 10 RABBIT Embedded System Kits at Aurocon COMPEC Rabbit Semiconductor is the company which designs and sells the Rabbit family of microcontrollers and microcontroller modules. For development, it provides Dynamic C, a non-standard dialect of C with proprietary structures for multitasking.

14 Freescale Energy-Efficient Solutions: Kinetis L Series MCUs The world’s most energy-efficient entry-level MCUs redefine low power standards.

22 Intelligence Comes to the Commutation Encoder Intelligent rotary commutation encoders offer output options, zeroing ease, simplified BOM, and PC-based insight

32 BPS 300i with large range of bus interfaces With the addition of the Profibus and SSI interfaces, Leuze electronic further expands its new BPS 300i bar code positioning system in the area of connectivity

37 European Engineers Embrace Digi-Key for Online Component Sales as B2B Ecommerce Market Readiness Intensifies

PRODUCT NEWS Embedded Systems (p 4 - 8), p 12, p 18, p 20 (p 26 - 31) Lighting Solutions/Display (p 34, 35) Active Components (p 36 - 39) Sensors (p 40) Connectors (p 41) Passive Components (p 42, 43)

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For the chance to win a PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Board, visit: www.microchip-comps.com/epdee-picdempic18 and enter your details in the online entry form.

43 Group Publishing Director Gabriel Neagu Managing Director Ionela Ganea Accounting Ioana Paraschiv Advertisement Irina Ganea WEB Eugen Vărzaru

© 2014 by Eurostandard Press 2000

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

The board also comes with the PIC18F87J11 processor PIM which is the superset of our PIC18 J-series of 3V MCUs for cost sensitive applications. The single development board supports dozens of the general purpose PIC18 families using various processor PlugIn Modules (PIMs). PICtail daughter boards enable many different accessory boards to connect to the PIC18 Explorer board for a flexible and complete development environment. This board is the ideal complement to the MPLAB® PICkit 3 or ICD 3 debugger and programmer for a full-featured, economical, PIC18 development environment.

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

Contributing editors Radu Andrei Ross Bannatyne Consulting Marian Blejan Bogdan Grămescu Mihai Savu Asian Reprezentative Taiwan Charles Yang Tel: +886­4­3223633 charles@medianet.com.tw

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

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

EP&Dee (Electronics Products & Design ­ Eastern Europe) is published 11 times per year in 2014 by Euro Standard Press 2000 s.r.l.

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

Copyright 2014 by Euro Standard Press 2000 s.r.l. All rights reserved.

INDUSTRY NEWS Secure NFC/RFID Tag Authenticator with Energy Harvesting Protects Sensitive Data Transfer Between Master and Slave Devices Maxim Integrated’s MAX66242 DeepCover® Secure Authenticator authenticates, configures, and collects data from any embedded system through its NFC/RFID wireless data communication and simple I2C interfaces.

Designers can now perform secure wireless data communication on their embedded systems without needing the host microcontroller, but by simply using a single MAX66242 DeepCover® Secure Authenticator from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

The MAX66242 secure authenticator is an advanced tag that combines a wireless NFC/RFID interface with an I²C interface.

Designers can now collect vital system data from portable devices even when the main energy source on the master device is not functional. The I²C and wireless RFID/NFC interfaces make it highly flexible and scalable for a wide range of applications. The MAX66242 is especially useful for applications that require additional external functionality, but do not have the space to place a connector. Ideal applications include secure, wireless transfer of medical data or asset tracking.

The MAX66242 enables wireless, contactless data collection between a host and slave device. The integrated, proven SHA-256 cryptographic engine provides symmetric challenge-and-response authentication based on a secret key for data downloads. Needing no separate controller to write data, the MAX66242’s I²C interface port can operate as a master port or a slave port for secure data exchanges. The MAX66242 comes with multiple memory programmable options which let a user configure a secure master/slave system and set usage limits using the EEPROM emulation mode to create nonresettable counters.

MAXIM INTEGRATED www.maximintegrated.com 4

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS Microchip announces new family of 1.8V low-power 16-Mbit Serial Quad I/O™ (SQI™) SuperFlash® memory devices Microchip announces a new family of 1.8V Serial Quad I/O™ (SQI) SuperFlash® Memory devices: SST26WF016B. These devices offer 16-Mbit of memory and are manufactured with Microchip’s high-performance SuperFlash technology, which provides the industry’s fastest erase times and superior reliability.

The SST26WF016B provides the fastest erase times of any competing device due to the use of SuperFlash technology.

Sector and block erase commands are

low latency execute-in-place (XIP) capability, allowing programmes to be stored and executed directly from the Flash memory and eliminating the need for code shadowing on a RAM device. The SST26WF016B provides faster data throughput than a comparable x16 parallel Flash device without the associated high cost and high-pin count of parallel Flash. The SQI interface also offers full command-set backwardscompatibility to traditional Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol.

completed in just 18 ms and a full chip erase operation is completed in 35 ms.

Competing devices require in the range of 10 to 20 seconds to complete a full chip erase operation, making SST26WF016B approximately 400 times faster. The fast erase times can provide a significant cost savings to customers by minimising the time required for testing and firmware updates, therefore increasing their manufacturing throughput.

The SQI interface is a high-speed 104 MHz 4-bit multiplexed I/O serial interface which allows for high-data throughput in a low pin-count package. This interface enables

Designed for low-power consumption, the SST26WF016B helps to maximise battery life in portable applications.

Typical standby current consumption is 10μA and a deep power-down mode further reduces typical current consumption to 2.5μA. The typical active read current at 104 MHz is 15mA. The combination of 1.8V operation with low-power consumption and small form factor packaging makes the SST26WF016B an excellent choice for applications such as portable medical devices, Bluetooth® headsets, GPS, camera modules and hearing aids. www.microchip.com/get/X7SV

Key Facts: • New NOR Flash memory devices combine industry’s fastest erase times and superior reliability • Full chip erase times around x400 faster than competing devices • Low operating voltage range, from 1.65 to 1.95V, and power-saving modes • SQI™ multiplexed I/O serial interface enables high-data throughput in a low pin-count package

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Renesas Electronics Europe Announces Wireless M-Bus Solution that Adds Communications to Metering Applications Renesas Electronics Europe announced the release of the “Connect it!

– Wireless M-Bus 868 MHz” and “Connect it! – Wireless M-Bus 169 MHz” solution kits. These platforms enable engineers to save time by re-using existing Wireless M-Bus solutions to add communication capabilities to their metering applications.

Wireless M-Bus is fast becoming a standard for bringing communication to existing metering applications, from heat cost allocators to gas and water meters. The benefits of being able to remotely collect meter status and energy usage data are universally recognised.

However, a crucial factor in the effectiveness of wireless solutions is ultra-low energy use, enabling the meter to stay online using only one battery for up to 20 years.

The new “Connect it! – Wireless M-Bus” kits are based on the super low power RL78 family of devices, more specifically the RL78/G13, adding transceivers from Analog Devices ADF7023 and ADF7021-N. The hardware in the solution kit includes the RPB78G13 prototyping board, an adapter board and the transceiver boards mentioned earlier. This Renesas prototyping board (RPB) gives engineers full access to all device pins and can easily be extended to add a custom application. Moreover, the RPB is already equipped with a USB port with an integrated flash programmer for the RL78/G13 device.

A Wireless M-Bus stack that is fully compliant with EN13757-42013 and Open Metering System (OMS) group specifications has been made available by Stackforce GmbH. This software stack comes with a serial API and runs on the RL78/G13. It offers a fully functioning Wireless M-Bus modem as factory default product.

As the software is completely RL78 agnostic, any design based on the RL78/G13, a general purpose RL78 device, can be ported easily to any other RL78 device, to match the target application requirements.

The solution includes an intuitive PC graphical user interface (GUI), providing engineers during the design phase all the feedback they need from the Wireless M-Bus environment.

Renesas will launch the “Connect it! – Wireless M-Bus” kits on its stand at the European Utility Week 2014 show, which takes place in Amsterdam from November 4th to 6th (Hall 4, stand F26). Other kits will also be showcased on Renesas’ stand at Electronica 2014 in November (Hall A6, Stand 243). With the Renesas trade fair theme ‘Connect with Tomorrow’, the kit solutions will be a central focus.

RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE

Tablet, fitness band and other valuable prizes on offer in Future Electronics’ Rubik’s cube challenge at Electronica Future Electronics switched on the green light for its ‘Collect, Control, Communicate’ Rubik’s Cube Challenge at Electronica, announcing the first set of prize sponsors and a prize list including an Apple iPad Mini tablet and a Samsung Gear Fit wristband.

Visitors to the Future Electronics stand A4.259 at Electronica (Munich, 11-14 November) are being invited to take part in the ‘Collect, Control, Communicate’ Challenge, to solve special Internet of Things (IoT) Rubik’s cubes.

The design of the cubes is reflected in Future Electronics’ Collect, Control, Communicate theme for Electronica, which features demonstrations showing how IoT designs can collect data, control nodes or systems and communicate from anywhere to anywhere via the internet.

Any visitors to Electronica who can solve the special Rubik’s cubes will be entered into a prize draw. The prizes have been sponsored by suppliers of components of groundbreaking technologies suitable for IoT designs, including: • NXP Semiconductors, providing a Samsung Gear Fit exercise wristband. NXP’s ZigBee-based home automation solutions are being used in IoT designs to provide for smart lighting and climate control.

• Semtech, providing an Apple iPad Mini tablet, has developed LoRa™, a low-power, long-range ISM-band radio technology for wireless wide-area networking.

• Vishay, providing three GoPro Hero3 action cameras, provides sensors and power devices suitable for the power-constrained sensor nodes found in IoT architectures.

Visitors who wish to take part in the Collect, Control, Communicate challenge should visit Future Electronics at stand A4.259 and request an IoT Rubik’s cube. When they have solved the cube, they must simply show it to Future Electronics at the stand, and provide their name and contact details in order to be entered into the prize draw.

The winning names will be drawn, and the prizes delivered in person to each winner, after the end of the exhibition.

FUTURE ELECTRONICS www.FutureElectronics.com

www.renesas.eu/wmbus www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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INDUSTRY NEWS Altera and MathWorks Deliver Unified Model-Based Design Workflow for Altera SoCs New Workflow Automates the Integration of Hardware and C Code into Altera SoCs Altera Corporation announced new programming support for its ARM-based SoCs using industry-standard workflows from MathWorks. Release 2014b from MathWorks includes an automated, highly integrated model-based design workflow optimized for Altera SoCs. Designers using this flow can accelerate their algorithmic designs in Altera SoCs while staying in a high-level programming environment and save weeks of development time.

The highly integrated hardware/software workflow allows programmers to simulate, prototype, verify and implement algorithms that target both the FPGA and ARM processors integrated in Altera SoC FPGAs. The design flow automatically generates the interfaces between the FPGA, the processor system and the software drivers. Targeted support for Altera SoCs is included in two MathWorks code generation products, the HDL Coder™ and Embedded Coder® tools.

Using a single development environment, engineers use HDL Coder to generate custom IP cores and configure the programmable logic portion of the SoC, while Embedded Coder is used to generate C/C++ code that runs on the ARM-based hard processor system.

A model-based design environment targeting Altera SoCs accelerates the design process by allowing designers to stay in a familiar design environment without requiring designers to be experienced hardware engineers. Designers leveraging Altera SoCs can accelerate their algorithms in the FPGA portion of the device while running the rest of their design in the ARM processors.

Release 2014b includes automated support for Altera’s low-cost Cyclone® V SoCs, including automatic programming of Cyclone V SoC development boards.

ALTERA www.altera.com 6

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

The lifecycle of an idea Author: Steve Vecchialrelli Vice President Supply Chain Solutions Digi-Key

In May last year, one of just 200 Apple I computers ever made sold at auction in Germany for more than £400,000. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak designed and hand-built the first machine immediately after going to a meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club in a Menlo Park, California garage.

Two years later, Apple launched its first volume-sales machine, the Apple II, which was a more advanced and carefully cost-optimised design. To help with customer support, as Wozniak was the only person with first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of the original, the company offered trade-in deals to encourage customers to move to the more advanced machine. It was a recognition of the many factors at play in the construction of an electronic system – the importance of ongoing support in a product’s lifecycle.

To ensure that the launch and ongoing support of a product is as smooth and successful as possible, many functions – and often a variety of people – will be involved throughout the lifecycle. As well as design engineering, marketing, product planning, purchasing and supply management, field support, reliability engineering, production engineering, quality and even key customers will play roles in the development lifecycle.

Historically, many of these functions would have been performed serially.

The lifecycle might start with the familiar “back of an envelope” sketch, quickly moving on to a proof-of-concept design.

This version would not be expected to go into production. Instead, it would go through a series of revisions that focus on improving production cost, reliability and usability. Purchasing and supplychain management plays a key role in this process by focusing not just on component pricing but continuity of supply.

In recent years, many electronics OEMs have embarked on a programme of supplier consolidation, in which they favour a small number of larger suppliers with which they can negotiate better pricing and ensure that all the components they require are available even in times of shortage. This can involve significant redesign to a proof-of-concept version to ensure that components selected by the engineering team fit the purchasing policy or that a waiver has been organised for key parts. Similarly, marketing and sales play key roles in product planning as they have the information available to them on how much they can charge and make reasonable predictions on sales levels assuming the system meets its objectives. If a product is too expensive, it will need to be redesigned to reduce its cost or have its functionality expanded to fit into a higher price bracket.

INDUSTRY NEWS

With information on expected sales, marketing can help purchasing negotiate volume discounts.

Although the various product planning and re-engineering functions can be performed serially, in today’s fast-moving marketplace, it is unlikely to be successful. The entire lifecycle of a product can be just two or three years, from idea to end-of-life. Decisions taken early will have a dramatic effect on the product’s success.

OEMs have to be able to move from design to full production extremely quickly to beat their competition. The time from prototype to production needs to be extremely short and rules out the process of serial redesigns. As a result, design engineering as a function is being tightly integrated with purchasing, marketing and other engineering roles.

Engineers now start out with approved lists of suppliers and perform cost analyses to provide marketing with early guidance on likely end-user pricing levels. This is a laborious process without tools. To support the engineer in making decisions guided by supply-chain issues we have seen the introduction of tools that help build up the bill of materials (BOM).

A BOM management tool, such as the BOM Manager software from Digi-Key, provides instant feedback on component-selection decisions and collates much of the information needed to keep other parts of the team in the loop. The software on its own is not enough. A direct link from BOM management to distribution is vital, because this provides all-important feedback on how easy it will be to source components from prototype to production.

Stocked product at a major catalogue distributor is an important indicator of the ease with which product can be sourced throughout its lifecycle. These are generally products with a large customer base or the prospect of one, which in itself provides high assurance of supply needs being met later on. By selecting stocked product, design engineers can also be sure of receiving parts for the prototype as quickly as possible – within 48 hours with a major distributor. By selecting the distributor with the greatest breadth of BOM, the design engineering team can more easily meet deadlines while selecting components from the supplier list approved by purchasing.

As well as providing feedback on stocking and pricing levels, a sophisticated BOM management tool can inform component selection over the entire lifecycle of a product idea. Because it is tied into the distribution network, it can determine whether a given component is coming to the end of its own lifecycle. If a component is not recommended for new designs, that will be shown in the tool.

The BOM management tool can provide vital information to the marketing team by allowing what-if analyses of volume purchases.

For example, the engineers can quickly determine how per-part component prices will shift as the end product moves into higher volume. At the same time, the BOM management tool will determine the most effective means of packaging for each product. For prototype and early production runs, it will, for example, select cut-tape packaging for components in favour of full reels. The result of these features is a highly effective tool that minimises the amount of rework needed to get from the initial concept and prototype to production.

BOM management in partnership with the supply information that only a leading distributor can provide are becoming essential tools not only in shortening the time from prototype to production but in supporting the entire lifecycle of an idea.

DIGI-KEY CORPORATION www.digi-key.com

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

New Digitally Enhanced Power Analogue controllers from Microchip offer digital power-supply flexibility with easy analogue control loops Microchip announces its latest Digitally Enhanced Power Analogue (DEPA) controllers—the MCP19118 and MCP19119 (MCP19118/9). They provide simple yet effective analogue PWM control for DC-DC synchronous buck converters up to 40V, with the configurability of a digital MCU. They are also the industry’s first devices to combine 40V operation and PMBus™ communication interfaces.

These features enable quick power-conversion circuit development with an analogue control loop that is programmable in the integrated 8-bit PIC® MCU core’s firmware. This integration and flexibility is ideal for power-conversion applications, such as battery-charging, LED-driving, USB Power Delivery, point-of-load and automotive power supplies.

In addition to the rapidly growing popularity of digitally-controlled power supplies, due to their configurability for a variety of operating conditions and topologies, power system designers also have an increasing need for the ability to report telemetry and conduct two-way communication, typically for monitoring and fault reporting, via standard communication interfaces such as PMBus. Additionally, the recently released USB charging specifications, USB Power Delivery and the USB type C connector, include variable charging voltages which allow for rapid device charging, but add potentially difficult hardware requirements.

By integrating a supervisory microcontroller, the MCP19118/9 devices can create programmable power supplies. Key system settings, such as switching frequency from100 kHz to 1.6 MHz, current limits and voltage setpoints, can be adjusted on-the-fly during operation by issuing write commands to the registers in the device. One design can then be reused for additional applications, using firmware updates to change the configuration, which minimises design, production and inventory requirements across multiple platforms.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY

www.microchip.com/get/MME2

www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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INDUSTRY NEWS Renesas Electronics Europe Announces PROFINET Solution Kit Renesas Electronics Europe announced the availability of its “Connect it! - TPS-1 Solution Kit”, a complete evaluation tool for the TPS1PROFINET isochronous real time (IRT) device chip. The new kit includes all the hardware, software and demonstration programs customers need to start their own developments on a PROFINET network.

Renesas’ new “Connect it! - TPS-1 Solution Kit” facilitates integration for customers developing solutions for Europe’s dominant industrial Ethernet market and helps them get their products to market faster.

The comprehensive Solution Kit comes with the following components: • TPS-1 Solution Kit board • IRT-capable PROFINET IRT device stack for TPS-1 • PROFINET Controller software for PC • PROFINET Configurator as engineering tool • TPS-1 Firmware Updater for firmware updates in the field • TPS-1 Configurator This allows customers to develop a PROFINET reference solution quickly, as the kit includes not only the hardware and the royalty-free PROFINET IRT stack, but also all the required software tools and drivers to manage the PROFINET gateway solution in all development and production stages. This extensive set of components, combined with Renesas’ outstanding customer support, make the TPS-1 solution the best-in-class choice for any PROFINET device.

Renesas developed its TPS-1 solution in cooperation with Siemens AG and Phoenix Contact.

The TPS-1 PROFINET IRT device is continuously enhanced with new features by the Phoenix Contact group, ensuring a high quality stack implementation with a feature set that is always up-to-date. In combination with the unique low power consumption, easy integration options, small board space requirements and robust silicon implementation, it ensures best-in-class performance and future-proof extensibility.

RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.renesas.eu 8

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Face recognition goes embedded with Omron Vision Module Face and gesture recognition functionality can be added to any embedded system for medical, industrial control, digital advertising, security and other applications, following the launch by Omron Electronic Components Europe of a Human Vision Component (HVC) module. The module handles all the com-

tion, facial pose estimation, gaze estimation, and blink estimation. In each case the module returns a value together with a degree of certainty, allowing the programmer to configure the response appropriately for each individual application. HVC is designed in a very compact configuration and can be easily integrated into an

Face and gesture recognition functionality can be added to any embedded system for other applications, following the launch by Omron of a Human Vision Component Source: Omron Electronic Components. plexity of seeing and recognising faces, bodies and gestures, all the integrator needs to do is read the data output and programme the system to react appropriately.

The new Omron HVC integrates ten key image sensing functions with a camera in a module sized just 60 × 40mm. Developers can detect a human face, hand or body, and implement face recognition, gender detection, age estimation, mood estima-

established system or implemented as part of a new design.

Commenting, Gabriel Sikorjak, European Product Marketing Manager at Omron Electronic Components, said, “Face recognition and gesture control have been features of high volume consumer electronics for some time. Omron’s new module gives any embedded system developer access to this technology, without needing any understanding of the

INDUSTRY NEWS

complexities of the underlying algorithms or the optical design.

The module is a fully integrated, plug-in solution. The developer can just look at the outputs and configure the system to make appropriate decisions depending on their status.”

The module is based on the Omron OKAO Vision software, a proven set of image recognition algorithms used in over 500 million digital cameras, mobile phones and surveillance robots around the world. HVC embeds OKAO on a hardware platform optimised specifically in terms of its digital and optical design for this application. HVC includes a camera and a processor, and a UART interface to control the module and read data.

Key features of the module include speed and consistency of response, and the distance over which it can take readings. For example, HVC can capture, detect and recognise a face over a distance of 1.3 m in 1.1s and will provide a confidence level with its reading. Blink and gaze estimation takes under 1s.

The module can evaluate the subject’s mood based on one of five expressions. It can also detect a human body up to 2.8m

medical, industrial control, digital advertising, security and (HVC) module.

away and a hand at a distance of 1.5 m. The detection angle of the module is specified as 49° horizontally and 37° vertically.

Image analysis functions provided by HVC can enable smoother interaction between people and machines, and optimise equipment reaction under various conditions in indoor and outdoor applications. Omron is also offering the OKAO vision software separately to developers who prefer to implement their own hardware solution.

OMRON ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS EUROPE http://components.omron.eu/Product-details/HVC www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

RABBIT Embedded System Kits at Aurocon COMPEC Rabbit Semiconductor is the company which designs and sells the Rabbit family of microcontrollers and microcontroller modules.

For development, it provides Dynamic C, a non-standard dialect of C with proprietary structures for multitasking.

RCM4300 DEVELOPMENT KIT

KITS FOR RCM6700

The RCM4300 Development Kit contains the hardware essentials needed to use the RCM4300 module. The kit includes: RCM4300 module; Prototyping Board; 512 MB miniSD™ Card with SD Card adapter; Universal AC adapter, 12 V DC, 1 A; USB programming cable with 10-pin header; Cat. 5 Ethernet crossover cable; 4 CDs - Dynamic C® and Dynamic C FAT File System, RabbitWeb, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) modules - with complete product documentation.

The ultra-compact MiniCore RCM6700 is ideal for today’s smart energy initiatives as well as other applications that require a cost effective web-enabled device server.

Standard Development Kit for RCM6700 Technical Specification: l l l l l l l l l

Kit Type: Development Core Processor: Rabbit 6000 Processor Clock Speed: 200MHz Included Features: Pulse Width Modulator, Quadrature Decoder, Real Time Clock, Watchdog Timer Supported I/O Interfaces: I2C Supported Network Interfaces: 10/100 Base-T Supported Bus Interfaces: PCI, SPI Dimensions: 30 mm × 51 mm × 3 mm Operating temperature: -40°C … +85°C

Technical specification: l l l l l

l l l l l

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Kit Type: Mass Storage Kit Includes: Backup Battery, Core Module, Remote Program Update Core Processor: Rabbit 4000 Processor Clock Speed: 58.98MHz Included Features: Analogue to Digital Converter, Input Capture, Pulse Width Modulator, Quadrature Decoder, Real Time Clock, Slave Interface, Timers, Watchdog/Supervisor Supported I/O Interfaces: GPIO, Parallel Supported Network Interfaces: 10/100 Base-T, RJ45 Supported Bus Interfaces: IrDA, SDLC, SPI Dimensions: 47 mm × 72 mm × 21mm Operating temperature: -20°C ... +85°C RS stock no.: 436-434 EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

Standard Development Kit for RCM6700 RS stock no.: 761-7359 Standard Development Kit for RCM6700 RS stock no.: 761-7368

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

RABBIT Embedded System Kits at RABBIT SEMICONDUCTOR EMBEDDED SYSTEM KIT 101-1156 (RCM4200 RabbitCore® Module Development Kit) This Development Kit contains the hardware essentials needed to use the RCM4200 Ethernet module: Rabbit® 4000 microcontroller 59.98MHz, 512Kbyte Flash memory, 512Kbyte SRAM (program), 512Kbyte SRAM (data); On-board 8Mbyte serial Flash memory; Low-EMI for CE and other RF emissions tests; RJ-45 Ethernet socket; prototyping board, programming cable, universal mains PSU, CD-ROM with documentation. Fully enabled slave port permits easy master-slave interfacing with another processor-based system.

Technical specification: l l l l l

l l l l l

Kit Type: Network & Control Kit Includes: Backup Battery, Core Module Core Processor: Rabbit 4000 Processor Clock Speed: 59MHz Included Features: Analogue to Digital Converter, Input Capture, Pulse Width Modulator, Quadrature Decoder, Real Time Clock, Slave Interface, Timers, Watchdog/Supervisor Supported I/O Interfaces: GPIO, Parallel Supported Network Interfaces: 10/100 Base-T, RJ45 Supported Bus Interfaces: Asynch, IrDA, SPI Dimensions 47 mm × 61 mm × 21 mm Operating temperature: -40°C … +85°C

RS stock no.: 436-430

MINICORE™ RCM5600W WI-FI MODULE The MiniCore RCM5600W series is Rabbit’s most compact Wi-Fi embedded solution, ideal for cost-sensitive applications. With their long-term firmware support and low-risk design features, the RCM5600W and RCM5650W offer an easy path to add reliable wireless network connectivity to any system you design.

Technical Specification: l l l l l l

Supported Protocol 802.11b/g Supported Security Standards WEP, WPA, WPA2 Supported Bus Interfaces CMOS, HDLC, SDLC, SPI Supply Voltage 3,15 → 3,45V dc Dimensions 30 mm × 51 mm × 10 mm Operating temperature: -30°C …+55°C

RS stock no.: 704-3512

Aurocon Compec www.compec.ro www.designspark.com www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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INDUSTRY NEWS MSC Technologies presents COM Express module in Mini form factor MSC Technologies expands its product portfolio with the COM Express™ Type 10 form factor. The new MSC C10M-BT COM Express™ Mini module Type 10 with a size of 55 × 84 mm is best suited for ruggedized applications. All components including up to 8GB DDR3 DRAM memory are soldered onto the printed circuit board.

To increase robustness, the module offers an optional memory error correction (ECC) that delivers a high level of data integrity, reliability and system uptime. The COM Express™ board is specified for use in extended operating temperature ranges of -40 to +85 °C. The module’s high reliability is augmented by its processor’s virtualization technology and a built-in security engine.

The new Type 10 pin-out is a refresh of the COM Express™ Type 1 specification. All Type 10 standard modules use a single 220 pin A-B connector and offer modern display interfaces.

The MSC C10M-BT COM Express™ module family is available in seven processor variants. The most powerful Intel® Atom™ based module integrates the E3845 processor (1.91GHz, 10W TDP) with four cores. There are various compatible modules with dual-core E3827 (1.75GHz, 8W TDP), E3826 (1.46GHz, 6W TDP) and E3825 (1.33GHz, 6W TDP) processors. The single-core E3815 (1.46GHz, 5W TDP) is available for less demanding applications. The computeron-modules with quad-core N2920 (1.86/2.00GHz, 7.5W TDP) and J1900 (2.00/2.42GHz, 10W TDP) Intel® Celeron™ processors have an available turbo boost mode and offer additional computing performance. The on-chip Intel® Gen 7 HD Graphics produce significantly improved 2D and 3D graphics and support DirectX® 1.1, OpenGL 3.2, OpenCL™ 1.1 and a flexible HD video decoding hardware.

Optionally, the MSC C10M-BT module is equipped with up to 16GB eMMC Flash memory for booting or data storage.

The compact COM Express™ module family offers a broad range of modern interfaces like 1x USB 3.0, up to 7x USB 2.0, 3x PCIe x1 Gen. 2.0, Gbit Ethernet, HD audio, LPC and two SATA 3Gb/s channels. For the connection of two independent displays, there is a Digital Display Interface (DP 1.1a, DVI/ HDMI 1.4a) with up to 2560 x 1600 pixels and a LCD interface compliant with the LVDS standard, which alternatively can be configured as embedded DisplayPort (eDP) 1.3.

MSC Technologies offers sophisticated heatspreader and heatsink cooling solutions for its MSC C10M-BT Mini module family. For design support, MSC offers board support packages for Microsoft Windows® and Linux variants.

Please visit MSC Technologies at electronica in hall A6, stand 510.

MSC TECHNOLOGIES www.msc-technologies.eu 12

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Renesas Electronics Europe Announces RX-Based Solution Kit to Accelerate HMI Application Development Renesas Electronics Europe announced the release of the “Display it! – RX HMI Solution Kit”. This is the second “Display it! – RX HMI Solution Kit” after the release of the RZ based kit on 30th October and is part of the Renesas Solution Kit initiative. This new 32-bit MCU RX based solution kit enables engineers to quickly evaluate and demonstrate the leading HMI tools in the industry, accelerating their prototyping and decision-making processes. This second “Display it! – RX HMI Solution Kit” is based on Renesas’ RX63N and RX631 groups of microcontrollers.

The “Display it! – RX HMI Solution Kit” continues to drive innovation for the next generation of connected applications with HMI requirements, helping designers simplify and speed the development cycle by adding a touchscreen TFT for medical, instrumentation, home automation, energy management, fitness and transportation products.

These RX63N/RX631 groups offer up to 256kB embedded RAM and up to 2MB of embedded zero wait state Flash, and run on a 100MHz CPU clock frequency.

In terms of communication capability, the RX631/RX63N offer up to three channels of CAN 2.0B compliant interfaces, two USB full speed (Host Function/OTG Function) and device features and an Ethernet MAC IEEE 802.3 interface, compliant with MII and RMII, for easy connection to a PHY. To cope with the HMI requirement, the RX63N/RX631 groups includes an exDMA peripheral that can transfer data over an external bus independently of the internal bus occupation. This allows these MCUs to easily support TFT solutions for up to WQVGA class TFT panels.

Based on Renesas’ RX63N MCU and the 4.3-inch WQVGA graphic/touch module, the “Display it! – RX HMI Solution Kit” offers a cost-effective platform for rapid GUI development and deployment. Out of the box, the kit provides efficient testing of GUI demo software products from leading Renesas Alliance Partners, including: • emWIN from Segger • GUIX from Express Logic • Guiliani from TES • MicroEJ JVM from IS2T • TouchGFX from Draupner RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.renesas.eu/rxhmi

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KINETIS L

Freescale Energy-Efficient Solutions: Kinetis L Series MCUs The world’s most energy-efficient entry-level MCUs redefine low power standards.

The Kinetis MCU portfolio offers exceptional low-power performance with smart feature integration, peripheral sets and scalability. Kinetis L series MCUs, a recent product launch from the Kinetis portfolio, represents a significant stepchange in capability and efficiency compared with competitive entry-level MCUs and delivers significant energy efficiency gains. Key applications for the Kinetis L series MCU portfolio include consumer devices, smart grid and smart metering, building control and medical/healthcare.

Several Kinetis MCU families, including Kinetis L series, are featured best-in-class examples of Freescale Energy-Efficient Solutions. The Energy-Efficient Solutions mark highlights Freescale products that excel in effective implementation of energy efficient technologies or deliver market-leading performance in the application spaces they are designed to address. Freescale’s energy-efficient product solutions include MCUs, processors, sensors, digital signal controllers and system basis chips optimized for high performance within the constrained energy budgets of their target applications. Our solutions enable automotive, industrial, consumer and networking applications and are truly energy efficient by design.

Learn more at Freescale.com/energyefficiency Introduction Within the new era often referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) - the billions of “smart,” connected applications and devices in use today and expected in the coming decade - embedded technology is no longer just about the mechanical production of basic goods. The Internet of Things is an era of data and control automation, where connected devices and end nodes gather information and communicate with “smart” systems to solve real-time problems (e.g., automatically 14

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adjusting a thermostat when the system senses no one is home). And it is in the roots of embedded technology where sensing, processing and connectivity come together to help the IoT become a reality.

As the demand for this level of functionality, connectivity and portability has increased exponentially, mass-market battery technology has not experienced technological advances to keep pace. And end nodes, often battery-powered, must have extremely long battery life to be reliable and keep

costs low. Despite the critical role of energy budgets in determining the finished designs for new products, the market will not allow manufacturers to compromise on performance. Designers are challenged to do more on the same, or even lower, energy budgets.

Holistic Approach to Energy Efficiency As more “smart technology” products demand a longer list of functionality needs, determining energy efficiency by simply looking at raw datasheet numbers no longer

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provides an adequate benchmark. Energy budgets have to factor in “low power,” or how much current is drawn during specific functions, as well as the larger factor of “energy efficiency,” or power use over time.

In other words, we must examine how much total power is being consumed over time to complete assigned tasks.

In an embedded system where low power is king, the goal is to be more energy efficient across the multiple tasks necessary to complete the application. These tasks can typically be summarized in three phases: Initialization phase, Control phase (which can include data collection, communication and control) and the Compute phase. To reduce energy across these phases the equation is simple: Do more with less power and time (energy = power x time). This is achieved by true optimization of not just one phase, but in all.

There are three keys to achieving energy savings across all phases. First, there must be very low active and standby power consumption. Second, there must be energysaving peripherals that are intelligent enough to collect, process and store data without ever waking up the CPU. Third, processing time in the compute phase must be reduced in order to get back into deep sleep mode and start the whole sequence again.

Freescale examined all phases and aspects of the MCU to answer a bigger question: How can you do more with less power?

Incorporating this holistic view of energy efficiency was still somewhat novel to the marketplace. Freescale worked to help customers capitalize on the advantages in this new approach.

Kinetis L Series: The World’s Most Energy-Efficient 32-bit MCUs Capitalizing on decades of experience in monitoring emerging application trends and developing solutions for customers, Freescale is committed to supplying energyefficient product solutions across a broad spectrum of applications. The Kinetis MCU portfolio offers exceptional, low-power performance with smart feature integration, peripheral sets and scalability. Several Kinetis MCU families, including Kinetis L series, are featured best-in-class examples of Freescale Energy-Efficient Solutions.

Kinetis L series MCUs, a recent product launch from the Kinetis portfolio, represent

KINETIS L

a significant step-change in capability and efficiency compared with competitive entry-level MCUs and delivers significant efficiency gains across the Initialization, Control and Compute phases. Notice the energy savings showing in Figure 1 by comparing the L series energy curve in orange versus other competitive products energy curve in gray.

Breakthrough Design: 10 Flexible Power Modes Traditional MCUs have historically utilized only three power modes: run, sleep and deep sleep. However, this “one-size-fits-all” philosophy is not optimal in embedded products where there are differing power profiles. Freescale design teams conducted a thorough and thoughtful analysis, utilizing

Figure 1: Kinetis L series MCUs are designed to deliver substantial efficiency gains across all phases of the application: Initialization, Control and Compute.

Built on the ARM® Cortex®-M0+ processor, the most energy-efficient ARM processor available, Kinetis L series MCUs take ultraefficiency to unprecedented levels for 32bit MCUs. L series achieves this through an elegantly designed, comprehensive family of solutions that take the low-power features of the Cortex-M0+ processor to the next level, bringing superior flexibility and scalability while delivering even lower lowpower entry points than comparable MCUs. In the development of Kinetis L series, the focus centered around a seemingly simple concept: How do you collect data without CPU intervention, then quickly wake up the MCU, process functions as quickly and efficiently as possible, and go back to sleep?

The result is significant energy reduction under the curve across the board (Figure 1), achieved through a combination of the ARM Cortex-M0+ processor, ultra-lowpower modes for multiple use cases, wattsaving architectural techniques and a range of autonomous, power-smart peripherals.

decades of Freescale experience with MCUs examining a range of potential applications and aggregating scenarios based on common use cases.

The result: Kinetis L series MCUs delivered significant gains in efficiency by expanding the three traditional power modes to 10 flexible modes that support numerous application use cases and thus reduce the area underneath the energy curve. As you move down the deep sleep modes, the MCU begins to power gate more logic and memory and also reduces the energy-saving peripheral functionality.

Efficiency Gains Through System Architecture Innovation Kinetis L series MCUs excel in energy efficiency due in large part to an innovative architecture, which incorporates and improves upon several low-power features of the Cortex-M0+ processor that are often not fully optimized in other MCUs. www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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For instance, to help streamline the initialization phase of the application, there is a bit manipulation engine (BME) which improves cycle time and code size by an average of 40 percent when performing bit-oriented math

KINETIS L

operations on peripherals. The BME encodes functions like OR, AND, XOR, bit field insert and bit field extract. In contrast, a traditional 32-bit processor would require several instructions to execute the equivalent read-

Table 1: Kinetis L series MCUs expand the traditional power modes to 10 flexible modes that support numerous application use cases.

Table 2: Primer on Power Mode Terminology 16

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modify-write operation. Another example of an innovative feature is the low-power boot option, which is included to reduce power spikes during the boot sequence or deep sleep wake-up. This is particularly useful in systems where battery chemistry limits the allowable peak current (e.g., those that use lithium-ion batteries). Safe-stating conditions can also be achieved easily by zero leakage I/O and peripheral clock gating configurations that avoid excess leakage current.

Built using Freescale’s innovative, award-winning flash memory technology, Kinetis L series MCUs offer the industry’s lowestpower flash memory implementation. This improves upon the conventional siliconbased charge storage approach by creating nano-scale silicon islands to store charge instead of using continuous film, thereby enhancing the flash memory’s immunity to typical sources of data loss.

Power-Smart Peripherals Kinetis L series MCUs implement low-power intelligence within the peripherals and allows them to operate autonomously in deep sleep mode with an alternative clock source. L series peripherals function as “mini cores,” able to perform tasks without involving the core or main system, drastically reducing power consumption and improving battery life. For example, Kinetis L series MCUs include an asynchronous DMA (ADMA) wake-up feature that allows certain peripherals to request a DMA transfer in stop and VLPS modes. The ADMA module will execute a data transfer between the peripheral and memory without having to return to run modes or request processor intervention.

This allows continuous operation of the peripheral in a deep sleep state where data can be passed to/from data arrays in SRAM until enough has been collected for processing. Other competitive products would be required to wake-up into full run mode to activate a peripheral and complete the data collection phase later to return to a deep sleep mode. For example, refer back to Figure 1. With Kinetis L series MCUs, the data collection phase starts in deep sleep mode and shows three periodic events triggered by a low power timer.

The timer triggers the start of low power ADC conversions where the result is compared to a pre-programmed threshold value using the built-in compare feature in ADC. A feature like this avoids the need to store a result if the value is not within the desired parameter. Notice the first two events do not trigger the result to be stored. However, the

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last one does and, instead of waking up the CPU to store the data, there is a much smaller energy spike. This is possible because L series energy-saving peripherals supports an asynchronous DMA wake-up feature that can store the ADC result to SRAM for later processing while the CPU is still sleeping.

Once the DMA transfer is completed the MCU automatically returns to the deep sleep mode. Once sufficient data has been collected or transmitted using the low power UART, the CPU can then “wake up” and begin the compute phase. This is just one example of the available energy-saving peripherals of Kinetis L series MCUs. In order to capitalize on the energy efficiency that deep sleep power modes afford, smart integration of peripherals is paramount. In traditional MCUs, the main clock and processor core must be activated to perform even trivial tasks such as sending or receiving data, capturing or generating waveforms or sampling analog signals.

Simplified Software and Tools

KINETIS L

typing and demonstration of Kinetis MCU families. The platform offers an easy-to-use

nificantly greater than its closest rival (see Figure 2 below).

Figure 2: The Kinetis KL02 MCU with its combination of superior processing power with excellent low-power operation shines through with a measured figure of 15.9 CoreMark/mA. Chart Footnotes:

Kinetis MCUs are supported by a marketleading enablement bundle from Freescale and ARM third-party ecosystem partners.

Designed to simplify and accelerate development, this portfolio of software and tools can help further energy savings by offering additional code optimization, power debugging and more. Engineers can speed up their design cycle using these industry-standard development tools, many of which offer evaluation versions.

• CodeWarrior Suite for MCUs V10.x (Eclipse) Integrated Development Environment (IDE) • Processor Expert software • IAR Embedded Workbench®, ARM Keil® MDK, Atollic and GCC development tools • Complimentary Freescale MQX™ Lite RTOS To get started, the Freescale Freedom development platform is a small, low-power, cost-effective evaluation and development system perfect for quick application proto-

mass-storage device mode flash programmer, a virtual serial port and classic programming and run control capabilities.

Kinetis L Series MCUs Wins in Head-to-Head Competition In a head-to-head energy efficiency benchmark challenge with three respected 16-bit low-power MCUs from competitors, L series proves that it is the world’s most energy-efficient entry-level MCU. Each MCU was powered by an identical charging circuit and optimized for low-power operation. MCUs performed a repetitive cycle of EEMBC CoreMark® iterations followed by a five-second deep sleep period, continuing until the last MCU remained active. Kinetis L series MCUs were the last ones standing with superior energy efficiency versus competitors.

Kinetis L series MCUs combination of superior processing power with excellent lowpower operation shone through with a measured figure of 15.9 CoreMark/mA, sig-

Head-to-Head Challenge of July 29 2013 Freescale KL02 Part Number: MKL02Z32CAF4R *CoreMark 1.0 : 106.38 /IAR for ARM V6.50.2 --debug --endian =little --cpu=Cortex-M0 -e -- fpu=None -Ohs --use_c++_ inline/ Code in internal FLASH, Data in internal RAM, Stack/ Processor operating frequency = 48MHz, operating voltage = 3.3V ST Microelectronics STM32L Part Number: STM32L151RBT6 *CoreMark 1.0 : 93.45/IAR for ARM V6.50 --debug --endian=little --cpu=Cortex-M3 -e -fpu=None -Ohs --use_c++_inline/ Code in internal FLASH, Data in internal RAM, Stack, 64bit access enabled/ Processor operating frequency = 32MHz, operating voltage = 3.3V Microchip PIC24 Part number: PIC24FJ128GA310 * CoreMark 1.0: 29.41/ MPLAB IDE v8.31 -g -Wall -O3 -funrollloops/ Code in internal FLASH, Data in internal RAM/ Processor operating frequency = 32MHz, operating voltage = 3.3V TI MSP430 Part number: MSP430F5529 * CoreMark 1.0: 16.23/ Code Composer Studio 5.1.1 -O3--opt_ for_speed=5/ Code in internal FLASH, Data in internal RAM/ Processor operating frequency = 25 MHz, operating voltage = 3.3V

Conclusion With out-of-the-box thinking, Freescale is opening new doors for embedded systems and the promise of the Internet of Things through the proven energy efficiency leadership of Kinetis L series MCUs. Whether the need is for extended battery life, portable performance, reduced energy costs or compliance with energy standards, Freescale’s diverse portfolio of embedded energy-efficient product solutions is enabling a new generation of applications to achieve the perfect balance of power and performance n www.freescale.com www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

COM-based SBCs with Intel Core i7 / Celeron Processors Target Rugged, I/ORich, High Performance Applications Diamond Systems Corporation unveiled its rugged COM-based highly integrated Vega single board computer family. Highlights of the Vega family include interchangeable COM Express COMs for scalability and long product life, high feature density in a compact size, integrated high-quality data acquisition, expandable I/O, conduction cooled thermal solution for improved reliability, and rugged construction.

Designed in the COM Express Basic form factor (125 × 95mm / 4.92 × 3.74 in), the Vega family offers performance scalability with three COM Express processor options: 2.1GHz Intel Core i7-3612QE, 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-3517UE, and 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 827E CPU. The use of interchangeable COM Express modules helps extend product lifecycles or keep up with new market needs by making it easy to replace an obsolete CPU or increase processing performance simply by replacing the COM module. Vega is therefore an excellent choice for applications with expected lifetimes of 10 or more years.

Vega’s two-board COM + baseboard construction yields the highest feature density possible in a given footprint. Vega utilizes a highly integrated baseboard with a wide range of I/O, including a full data acquisition circuit that normally calls for a separate I/O board.

Standard PC-type I/O includes VGA and dual-channel LVDS display, 4 USB 2.0 ports, 4 RS-232/422/485 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet, SATA, and HD audio. Vega SBCs also feature a 7-36V wide range high-efficiency power supply, making them compatible with most common vehicle and industrial power supply voltages.

The integrated data acquisition includes 16-bit A/D and D/A, digital I/O, and counter/timers, all supported by Diamond’s free, industryleading Universal Driver™ data acquisition programming library. An interactive graphical control panel for Windows and Linux is also provided to control all data acquisition features.

Vega SBCs support stackable I/O expansion with EMX I/O modules as well as a dual-use PCIe MiniCard / mSATA socket for additional I/O expansion. I/O modules featuring serial ports, Ethernet, analog I/O, digital I/O, CAN, and WiFi are available from Diamond and other vendors in the PCIe MiniCard form factor, providing low-cost, compact I/O expansion without increasing the total height of the system. For rugged applications, wide temperature mSATA disk modules in either SLC or MLC technologies are available with up to 64GB capacity.

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www.diamondsystems.com

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

RUTRONIK EMBEDDED: Rutronik presents RZ/A1H based industrial CPU module from emtrion emtrion extends its DIMM family with a new industrial processor module, based on the Cortex-A9 RZ/A1 family from Renesas. It is available at distributor Rutronik as of now.

The module is fully compatible with the other modules of the emtrion DIMM series, both electrically and mechanically.

It can be put into operation immediately on one of emtrion’s baseboards. In addition to its attractive pricing, the module convinces with the possibility of using it unmodified in series production, or integrating it with little effort into a custom layout.

The emtrion industrial embedded module with processor RZ/A1 comes without external RAM and uses the built-in 10MB memory. Its temperature range is from -40° to +85°C. The DIMM RZ/Ah1 is now available with BSP for Linux (Yocto) or for ThreadX, other BSPs for FreeRTOS and emboss are following. The BSP gets delivered with the starter kit, each kit contains a DIMM RZ/A1H module, a base board and corresponding development environment. A display is optionally available.

RUTRONIK www.rutronik.com/88750ff3.l

INDUSTRY NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Livingston Enables Drive Testing via Smartphone In order to maximise the optimization and troubleshooting possibilities when deploying next generation wireless networks, test sourcing specialist Livingston now offers JDSU’s RANAdvisor Handheld multitechnology radio access network (RAN) analysis solution.

Complementing the backpack and vehicle based RANAdvisor products from JDSU, this ground-breaking, extremely compact new test product keeps the engineering resource and hardware investment required for implementing mobile communication infrastructure to a minimum. It has a highly intuitive and simple to operative graphic user interface (GUI), plus a unique parallel sequencer, which makes it very straightforward to carry out tests and capture data.

The real-time key performance indictor (KPI) engine incorporated into the unit provides the operative with feedback regarding any problems as they occur.

When used in tandem with JDSU’s CellAdvisor base station analyser, also available through Livingston, the RANAdvisor Handheld can quickly and easily verify that voice, data, and web services are all working correctly. The products that make up the RANAdvisor platform support receivers with up to 8 different frequency bands. The accompanying software simultaneously measures and troubleshoots network RF coverage and service delivery across all existing 2G, 3G and 4G technologies.

In addition to this product offering, Livingston can now provide its customers with RANAdvisor TrueSite - an ultra-portable discrete Android-based solution optimised for testing within indoor environments. Controlled using Bluetooth, this solution eliminates the need for cabling, thus making it easy for operatives to configure and to run tests on. Supporting LTE, WCDMA, GSM, CDMA and EV-DO technologies, TrueSite is targeted at testing small cells and distributed antenna systems (DAS) in indoor settings (like airports, sports stadiums and shopping centres). The solution can be used as a single device held (such as Samsung’s Galaxy S3/S4) in the palm of the operative’s hand, or used in conjunction with a control tablet so that up to 6 devices can be utilised. Location data can be taken directly from the device's built-in GPS. The remote start/stop function means that this solution can be activated/deactivated via SMS. LIVINGSTON 20

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www.livingston.com

Green Hills Software Extends INTEGRITY RTOS and Safety Tools Support for Hybrid Instrument Clusters Market-leading Safety RTOS, Development Tools and Consulting Bring Scalable Solution to New Freescale MAC57D5xx Automotive Processor

Green Hills Software, the largest independent software vendor for the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced its broad product and services support for the Freescale® Semiconductor MAC57D5xx processor targeting automotive instrument cluster manufacturers. The Green Hills offering features the INTEGRITY® safety RTOS, optimised OpenVG support with a rich ecosystem of HMI graphics packages, safety-certified development tools, and services for ISO 26262 ASIL product design and certification. Green Hills solutions are quickly becoming the de facto software foundation used by global Tier 1 manufacturers worldwide to efficiently develop and deliver safety-certified high-performance instrument clusters on the road today.

Freescale's MAC57D5xx processor family targets graphics-rich mid-range instrument clusters that require digital and/or analog human interfaces such as gauges, dials and screens. Its flexible multicore architecture utilises ARM® Cortex®-A and Cortex®-M cores and features the Vivante 2D GPU (OpenVG 1.1), head up display (HUD) warping engine and an integrated stepper motor with powerful I/O processor. Green Hills Software’s comprehensive solution addresses the rigorous cost, performance, safety and quality requirements demanded by automotive manufacturers. Support for Freescale MAC57D5xx MCUs includes the following major components: • INTEGRITY separation kernel for applications demanding safety, reliability and security • Proven ecosystem of graphics partners for HMI displays coupled with GPU-accelerated OpenVG 2D graphics • MULTI integrated development environment featuring multicore debugger, profiler and many other integrated time-saving tools • Software and services compliant to the highest levels of automotive and industrial safety standards including ISO 26262, IEC 61508 and EN 50128 • Integrated code quality tools including MISRA C/C++ and DoubleCheck™ static analyzer GREEN HILLS SOFTWARE www.ghs.com

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ENCODERs

Intelligence Comes to the Commutation Encoder Intelligent rotary commutation encoders offer output options, zeroing ease, simplified BOM, and PC-based insight Author: Jeff Smoot, VP of Motion Control, CUI

New approach opens new opportunities Encoder users traditionally have been reluctant to change - with good reason. Motor control on the factory floor or in an industrial installation is not the place for innovations that make performance and reliability claims but lack a track record and substantive histo-

Figure 1: Rotary encoders provide motor shaft direction, position, speed, and acceleration information 22

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

ry to back them up. Although optical and magnetic encoders are long established, and employ what may seem like “more-tangible� physical concepts, the capacitive encoder also uses fully-tested principles, as proven through many successful years in the field. This alternate approach to motion

sensing, being digitally based, opens up a range of benefits and delivers a new level of intelligence for designers utilizing rotary commutation encoders.

Rotary encoders are critical to nearly all motion-control applications, and the need for them is expanding further due to the

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increased use of brushless DC (BLDC) motors, which brings benefits in control, precision, and efficiency. The encoder's task is simple, in principle: to indicate the position of the motor shaft to the system controller, Figure 1. Using this information, the controller can accurately and efficiency commutate the motor windings as well as determine speed, direction and acceleration – parameters that a motion-control loop needs to maintain desired motor performance.

Encoders can be based on a variety of technologies, all of which provide the standard digital outputs of A and B quadrature signals, plus an index output in some models, Figure 2a. Commutation encoders (described more fully below) also provide U, V and W commutation-phase channel outputs, Figure 2b.

Encoder Technologies The three best-known encoder approaches use optical, magnetic, or capacitive techniques. In brief, the optical approach uses a slotted disk, with an LED on one side and phototransistors on the opposite side. As the disk rotates, the light path is interrupted, and the resultant pulses indicate shaft rotation and direction. Although low cost and effective, the reliability of an optical encoder is degraded by two factors: contaminants such as dirt, dust, and oil can interfere with the light path, and the LEDs have a limited life-

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time, typically losing half their brightness in a few years and eventually burning out.

The magnetic encoder's construction is similar to the optical encoder, except that it

uses a magnetic field rather than beam of light. In place of the slotted optical wheel, it has a magnetized disk which spins over an array of magneto-resistive sensors.

Figure 2a: Standard A and B quadrature signals plus an index signal, shown here for an optical encoder

Figure 2b: The U, V and W waveforms produced by a commutation encoder

Figure 3: A capacitive encoder counts the received pulses resulting from the modulation of the transmitted signal by the rotor that is attached to the motor shaft www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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Any rotation of the wheel produces a response in these sensors, which goes to a signal-conditioning front-end circuit to determine shaft position. While it offers a high level of durability, the magnetic encoder is not as accurate and is susceptible to magnetic interference produced by electric motors.

A third approach, capacitive encoding, offers all the benefits of optical and magnetic encoder designs, but without their weaknesses. This technique uses the same principle as the well-established, low-cost yet precise digital vernier caliper. It has two patterns of bars or lines, with one set on the fixed element and the other set on the moving element, together forming a variable capacitor configured as a transmitter/receiver pairing, Figure 3. As the encoder rotates, an integral ASIC counts these line changes and also interpolates to find the position of the shaft and direction of rotation to create the standard quadrature outputs, and also the commutation outputs that other encoders provide to control brushless DC (BLDC) motors.

The beauty of this capacitive technology is that there is nothing to wear out and it is immune to contaminants such as dust, dirt, and oil, which are common in industrial environments, making it inherently more reliable than optical devices. Capacitive encoders also offer performance advantages derived from their digital control features – this includes the ability to adjust the encoder’s resolution (the pulses per revolution count) without the need to change to a higher, or lower, resolution encoder.

The Best of All Worlds CUI’s new AMT31 series is an example of a state-of-the-art capacitive encoder, providing A and B quadrature signals, an index signal, as well as U, V, and W commutationphase signals. Twenty selectable incremental resolutions between 48 to 4096 pulses per revolution (PPR) and seven motor polepairs from 2 to 20 are available. The AMT31 series also features a locking hub for ease of installation, operates from a 5 V rail and requires just 16 mA of supply current.

However, the benefits of the capacitive encoder go far beyond superior performance, flexibility, and short- and long-term reliability. Unlike optical and magnetic encoders, its digital-output side takes system design into the 21st century, offering 24

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

ENCODERs

many unique system benefits in all phases of encoder use, from product development, to installation, and even maintenance.

Why is this so? The output of the optical or magnetic encoder is functional but "dumb", and offers users no flexibility, insight, or operational advantages. In contrast, the capacitive encoder is digitally based and uses a built-in ASIC and microcontroller to provide additional features and enhanced performance. This smart output changes the user and performance scenario in many ways, while still being 100% compatible with standard encoder outputs.

Substantial, beneficial change is in place Let's look in more detail at the enhancements made possible by the ASIC and microcontroller which are part of a capacitive encoder such as the CUI AMT31 series: • The digital nature of the CUI capacitive encoder enables simple and quick “One Touch” zeroing. The process is straightforward: lock the shaft to the desired position by energizing the proper motor phases, and command the encoder to “zero” at this position; the total time is just one to two minutes and no special instruments are needed.

In contrast, zeroing to mechanically align the commutation signals with the motor windings using an optical or magnetic encoder is a multistep, complex, and often frustrating process. It requires locking the rotor, physical alignment, and then back-driving the motor while using an oscilloscope to observe the back EMF and encoder waveforms for proper zero cross alignment. This is often an iterative process with the steps usually needing to be repeated for fine-tuning and verification, so the entire cycle can take 15 to 20 minutes.

• The digital features of the AMT series also greatly enhance the system design process, providing flexibility, diagnostics and enabling assessment of the motor and motor-controller performance. In particular, since a single capacitive encoder can support a wide range of resolution and pole-pair values, designers can use this programmable-resolution capability to dynamically adjust the response and performance of the PID

control loop during controller and algorithm development without having to purchase and install an entirely new encoder.

The intelligence built into the AMT series also allows for on board diagnostics for quicker field-failure analysis, an industry first. The encoder can be queried to indicate if it is operating properly or if there is some sort of failure due to mechanical misalignment on the shaft or other issues. Therefore, the designer can quickly determine if the encoder is at fault and if not, look for the source of the problem elsewhere, thus ruling out the encoder itself as possible problem.

Furthermore, engineers can use this feature for preventative measures - for example, executing an “encoder good” test sequence before running the application. These capabilities, not available in optical or mechanical encoders, allow designers to keep downtime to a minimum while anticipating issues that might occur with units in the field.

• Finally the digital interface also simplifies the bill of materials (BOM). Since the encoder can be tailored in software to the specific variation (PPR, pole pairs, and commutation direction) needed, there's no need to list and stock the different versions needed in a multi-motor product, or for multiple products, or in the installed location.

Intelligent encoder plus GUI: powerful pairing The Windows PC-based AMT Viewpoint™ software for CUI capacitive encoders speeds development, and also turns timeconsuming mundane tasks, such as identifying model number and version, into simple operations. It requires just a USB cable to interface to the encoder, and implements a simple serial-data format.

The GUI allows the user to tailor and customize the encoder to the application’s needs, Figure 4 A settings screen in the GUI lets users see key encoder waveforms and timing, with automatic adjustments as the encoder options are changed. Programming an encoder through the GUI takes just a few keystrokes and about 30 seconds for the

DESIGN

cycle to complete. Most dramatic, the aligning and zeroing of an encoder for either A, B, index or commutation mode takes only seconds, a sharp contrast to completing this task with a non-programmable encoder.

ENCODERs

In demo mode, users can go through the GUI and also perform encoder-related operations as if an actual encoder is attached, a convenient way to become familiar with the encoders and tools prior to

any purchase or hands-on use. Finally, the GUI also supports creating orderable part numbers for specific encoder versions, which include options in output format, sleeve (bore) adapter, and mounting base, among others.

Summary The benefits of encoders based on capacitive technology offer much more than just improved performance and reliability.

A device like CUI’s AMT31, with its built in ASIC/microcontroller, provides intelligent functionality supporting programmable setup and installation features, enabling operating insight and simplifying inventory management. When these features are coupled with the PC-based GUI, it can provide an easy-to-use yet sophisticated capability, which greatly simplifies all aspects of encoder use from prototype design-in, evaluation, and debug through installation and configuration, to diagnostics and inventory minimization.

And all of this is at comparable cost to other encoders, maintaining compatibility with standard outputs types and formats, while also achieving lower power consumption.

The AMT31 with its easy-to-fit adapters for different shaft sizes, Figure 5, represents the logical next step in leveraging the power of an intelligent interface to provide wideranging benefits that are not available with other encoder technologies.

Figure 4: CUI’s AMT Viewpoint software provides an easy-to-use development interface

CUI www.cui.com

Figure 5: CUI’s AMT31 Encoder provides unique combination of durability and flexibility

www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Atollic adds tight integration with Freescale Processor Expert software configuration tool with latest release of TrueSTUDIO Atollic® announced the latest release of its award-winning integrated C/C++ development platform TrueSTUDIO®. Atollic TrueSTUDIO v5.2 includes a number of notable additions including comprehensive automatic integration with Freescale’s Processor Expert software and extended target and evaluation board support for the latest microcontroller devices from Freescale, NXP, Renesas, STMicroelectronics and Silicon Labs.

Already able to run as an Eclipse plug-in within Atollic TrueSTUDIO, the Freescale Processor Expert software configuration tool lets you design custom peripheral drivers for Freescale’s Kinetis family of microcontrollers with ease. A TrueSTUDIO workspace can automatically detect, configure and update projects, should a Processor Expert configuration change. This much tighter level of integration removes the burden on developers of having to change or set key target and build parameters, source and #include folder paths. With such “zero-effort” integration, developers can get started with their Kinetis-based design much more quickly and work more efficiently.

Now providing support for almost 2,500 ARM®-based devices and out-of-the-box support for over 160 evaluation / development boards, Atollic TrueSTUDIO v5.2 adds even better device coverage including the following: Freescale Kinetis KLx7Z, K11D, K21D and K24 devices; NXP LPC11E6 and LPC11U6 series; Renesas R-IN32M3 series; and the STM32F09 and STM3232F411 families from STMicroelectronics.

Atollic TrueSTUDIO v5.2 also provides support for Freescale’s MQX™ RTOS debug solution. Available as a free Eclipse plug-in from Freescale’s website, embedded developers can benefit from kernel-aware debug support during a TrueSTUDIO debug session. Features also allow inspection of the state of MQX RTOS objects through a variety of debugger views such as by task, semaphore or message queue.

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EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

www.atollic.com

Renesas Electronics Europe Announces RX21A Platform for Smart Meters with Billing Functions Renesas Electronics Europe, announced the release of the “Bill It! – Smart Meter RX21A” polyphase meter reference platform. The reference platform enables engineers to save time by eliminating the need to design their own metrology and calibration routines, required for a billing polyphase meter design, while complying with the most

0.2S, thus exceeding the most stringent IEC metering requirement presently available, the IEC62053-22. Renesas has designed the “Bill It! – Smart Meter RX21A” for a very wide target specification, allowing for easy implementation and eventual downsizing to a billing electricity meter design tailored to the customer’s needs.

stringent IEC norms. The new “Bill It! – Smart Meter RX21A” is based on Renesas’ RX21A group of microcontrollers (MCUs), integrates the metrology front end and the application processor in a single chip. The RX21A group devices are equipped with three, four or seven independent 24-bit delta-sigma analogue-digital converters (ΔΣ-ADC). They are therefore well equipped to accommodate single-phase, splitphase and three-phase plus neutral billing electricity meters respectively. The ΔΣ-ADC channels include a programmable gain amplifier (PGA), which allows the target meter to cover a dynamic range between 10mA and 100A at enhanced temperature range.

By storing calibration data in the flash, the RX21A devices cover applications better than Class

The solution includes an intuitive PC graphical user interface (GUI), providing engineers during the design phase with all the information they need to trim and analyse the data measured by the ΔΣADC channels. This covers both graphical feedback from the ADC data as well as prepared data after the calibration steps, frequency analysis and separation of active/reactive energy use.

Each kit contains the Bill It! Polyphase Meter, a CD-ROM including the embedded metrology and calibration software source code, the PC GUI, the board schematics, the bill of materials, Gerber files, user manual, quick start guide and the electrical connection setup needed to use the electricity meter.

RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.renesas.eu/rx21a

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Smart energy innovator for developing countries joins IAR Systems’ green technology program IAR Systems® announces that Local Energy Appliances, a startup company specializing on smart systems and solutions for electrical grids in developing countries, joins the sponsor pro-

nology for developing countries worldwide that helps to increase reliability, availability and safety of energy supply at a much lower cost than conventional concepts. Development of infra-

gram IAR Green Innovation Program. IAR Green Innovation Program supports innovative development projects in ecofriendly technology. Within this program, IAR Systems provides Local Energy Appliances with free licenses of IAR Embedded Workbench® for ARM®.

Local Energy Appliances (LEA) is based in Augsburg in Germany and their projects include tech-

structure is essential for the economic and social progress of rural and urban areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America. LEA’s smart energy systems include an extremely flexible metering and billing system designed to work in the most challenging environments and without pre-existing communication infrastructure.

IAR SYSTEMS www.iar.com

SEGGER introduces Flasher PRO SEGGER introduces the Flasher PRO, combining the market leading Flasher ARM, Flasher RX and Flasher PPC into one single unit. Flasher PRO can program all supported devices in PC-based mode and most devices also in stand-alone mode. Flasher PRO can be controlled using RS232, handshake lines, USB and Ethernet, providing a high degree of flexibility combined with high speed flash programming.

The Flasher PRO currently supports 27 different target architectures and over 4500 individual devices.

The Flasher’s internal memory can host multiple firmware images for different targets. The high flexibility to integrate it into any produc-

tion environment by connecting and controlling it with PCs or ATEs along with the serial number and

patch programming options make it a perfect tool for mass production environments.

SEGGER www.segger.com

Best-in-Class Metrology Platform Cuts Design Time for Utilities Worldwide Engineers can now design energy meters using one common core that meets worldwide utility standards and saves development time with the ZON™ family of metering SoCs from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. Electricity meter standards vary around the world and utility companies require different types of meters to meet customer and regional needs, so it is no surprise that meter manufacturers need to be flexible and react quickly when the utilities’ requirements change. Meanwhile, metering IC designs today hint at flexibility by offering different memory capacities on the same chip, but changing memory size alone is not a family solution. It does not allow for meter optimization that meets evolving utility standards and models. The ZON family of metering SoCs is a genuine versatile solution because meter manufacturers can use one platform using the same firmware to optimize features and accommodate disparate customer needs.

The ZON family is comprised of two series of products to meet any configuration - M for monophase (single phase) and P for poly-phase (three phase) that have tailored options for low-end, mid-range and high-end meters.

Both product series’ use the same, high-accuracy 32-bit compute engine, which is separate from the meter’s application microcontroller. This reduces the workload on the system core.

It also lets customers port their application code from device to device to facilitate high IP reuse.

Key Advantages • Versatile: one family of products with optimized peripherals, interfaces, and memory capacities address the needs of multiple markets and regions • Unique compute engine: handles measurement independent of main system microcontroller, reducing design time and allowing engineers to focus on added-value development • Highly integrated: includes temperature compensated real-time clock (RTC), touch sensors, and IR encoder/ decoder, reducing BOM cost • Industry proven: based on reliable measurement technology that has been deployed in more than 170 million meters worldwide MAXIM INTEGRATED

www.maximintegrated.com www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

27

PRODUCT NEWS ON Semiconductor addresses high demand for low power, integrated wireless devices to drive connectivity of the Internet of Things ON Semiconductor launched an important new product family that supports high-performance, reliable and efficient communications for the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart metering applications. The NCS3651x family of system-on-chip (SoC) transceivers has been

developed using ON Semiconductor’s expertise in highly integrated mixed signal integrated device technology and radio frequency (RF) design. The company is also an active member of the ZigBee® Alliance.

The NCS3651x is a family of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) ultra-low power wireless transceivers based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2006 standard which support protocols such as ZigBee, 6loWPAN, WirelessHART, and proprietary versions. These solutions are ideal for use in low data rate, intermittent communication IoT applications in smart metering and consumer appliances. All devices are optimized for low power consumption and high efficiency with single supply operation from a standard battery (1.0 volt (V) to 3.6 V) and best in class low receive and transmit currents. This enables growing market demands for alternative energy solutions such as energy harvesting. It also expands support for additional battery types while dramatically increasing battery life.

The NCS3651x incorporates a powerful 32bit ARM® Cortex®-M3 processor as well as various configurations of RAM for data storage and FLASH memory for program storage. This includes a best-in-class full memory configuration which will allow customers to support multiple application and software protocols.

Multiple peripherals enable the design of a complete wireless network with a minimum of external components.

ON SEMICONDUCTOR www.onsemi.com

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EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS MSC Technologies provides first Car2X transceiver module from lesswire for intelligent transport systems MSC Technologies is introducing the first Car2X transceiver module from lesswire called WiBear ITS. The wireless module allows the easy development of electronics for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and Roadside Units (RSU).

The WiBear ITS module based on NXP’s Roadlink SAF5100 chipset supports the standards IEEE802.11p and ETSI ITS G5 as well as the WLAN standard IEEE 802.11a/n. The module uses the frequencies reserved for Car2X applications in the 5.9GHz band for use in Europe and North America.

With a range of over one kilometer, the Car2X module can transmit and receive simultaneously on two channels. Two receive and two transmit sections, dual sections operation by two independent frequency synthesizers, so different incoming and outgoing information can be transmitted in parallel. With an Tx Output power of +25dBm up to 1km radio range can be achieved.

The WiBear ITS is fulfilling the high requirements of the automotive industry and can be used both in vehicles as well

as in traffic infrastructure systems.

Especially the extended temperature range of -40°C to +85°C is fitting to infrastructure applications which are located in an outdoor environment.

Today, the ITS module is based on a dual chip design with a size of 35 x 35mm. A future single chip version is planned.

MSC TECHNOLOGIES www.msc-technologies.eu

MSC Technologies presents its first NanoServer embedded system with the Intel Q87 Express chipset MSC Technologies presents at the electronica 2014 in Hall A6, Booth A6.510, with the model N1-Q87 under the label DSM Computer, the first product from the new NanoServer® embedded systems family. The high-performance Box IPC

integrates the Intel® Q87 Express desktop chipset and a fourth-generation (desktop series) Intel® Core™ i3/i5/i7 processor with on-chip Intel® HD Graphics (e.g. HD4600).

The fast DDR3 1600 SDRAM memory can be expanded to 16 GB. The new NanoServer® family is equipped

with an IO Shield for the simple and flexible integration of different CPU boards in Mini ITX format. All models have the same housing footprint. The standard cover provided for the three available installation heights NN, N1 and N2 has the objective to achieve a low housing price by maximizing the deployment of identical parts of the individual NanoServer® variants. Despite its small installation height of 79 mm, the compact NanoServer® N1-Q87 is ideal for CPUs from the price-optimized desktop series and offers a number of popular interfaces. In addition to the USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces, two GbE LAN interfaces, Serial ATA and HD Audio are present. The DVI-I and dual DisplayPort (DP) V1.2 graphic connections permit the connection of three independent, high-resolution displays.

MSC TECHNOLOGIES www.msc-technologies.eu

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Renesas Electronics Europe Announces Second Generation of its OFDM Powerline Modem Solution Renesas Electronics Europe announced a new OFDM powerline modem, the second generation of its market leading and award winning family of powerline communication (PLC) modem solutions. The Renesas PLC device, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) solution designed for smart metering applications, maintains the flexible concept of the original Renesas PLC chip range. It offers broad-based support for multiple OFDM powerline standards such as G3 and PRIME. The completely software-based implementa-

within the alliance framework to develop a solution that enables its use in the market. The Renesas PLC platform is based on a highly integrated modem system-on-chip (uPD809508), integrating a MAC controller and a high performance DSP for the physical layer (PHY) implementation, combined with an embedded Analog Front End (AFE) including an adaptive gain amplifier. This ensures exceptional signal quality in highly dynamic and harsh network environments, such as those found in metering applications. As a result, the solu-

tion facilitates the design of a single meter platform ready to support multiple standards and multiple frequency bands like CENELEC A, FCC and ARIB as well as worldwide markets. This significantly reduces the design effort and cost. The future proof solution today fully supports global mainstream OFDM powerline communication standards, such as PRIME V1.3.6 and G3, and will be delivered with fully certified libraries. Moreover, it has been designed to support any evolution of the existing protocols and any future introduction of new OFDM based narrowband PLC standards. Renesas already supports the evolution of the PRIME V1.4 protocol and is working RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE

tion shows outstanding robustness and unique sensitivity characteristics. The very low power consumption level helps reduce the overall system power consumption, one of the main criteria for selection by power utilities.

The small 48-pin QFP package saves PCB board space, reducing the BoM cost, and enables engineers to design small form factor PLC add-on modules. In combination with the wide range of Renesas pin, software compatible and scalable microcontrollers, the Renesas PLC device provides an open architecture that allows flexible system partitioning by selecting the best fit application microcontroller to contribute to further BoM cost reduction. www.renesas.eu/powerline

FTDI Chip Unveils Daughter Cards Supporting its Arduino-Compatible EVE Development Boards Enabling a more expansive choice of connectivity options to be utilized Following on from the release of its VM800P development platforms, which facilitate more advanced human machine interface (HMI) implementation using its innovative Embedded Video Engine (EVE) technology, FTDI Chip has introduced a series of accompanying daughter cards (or shields).

The Arduino-compatible VM800P ‘PLUS boards’ are based on the company’s award winning FT800 EVE graphic controller devices, in which display, audio and touch functionality are all integrated onto a single chip. The boards also incorporate an 8-bit ATMEGA microcontroller unit (MCU) and a TFT

display (with 3.5”, 4.3” and 5.0” inch sizes available). The 6 new daughter cards will allow the expansion of the boards’ I/O capabilities in order that they can be implemented into a wider range of application scenarios. They use 1 or 2 MicroMaTch miniature connectors to interface with a VM800P. The VI800A_TTLU is a plug-in accessory for the PLUS boards which enables inclusion of a TTL level UART. This daughter card behaves as an SPI-to-UART bridging mechanism. It is complemented by the VI800A_RELAY, which effectively acts as an SPI-to-relay bridge for PLUS boards, with the SPI slave interface converted into a relay interface.

The VI800A-ETH allows an external Ethernet interface to be connected and the VI800A_PoE enables Power-overEthernet (PoE) functionality to be benefitted from. The VI800A N485U behaves as a SPI-to-RS485 bridge with the VI800A_232U behaving as an SPI-to-RS232 bridge – thereby allowing interfacing with legacy equipment.

FTDI CHIP www.ftdichip.com www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

29

PRODUCT NEWS Symtavision and Renesas collaborate on joint timing analysis methodology for multicore MCUs Closely collaborating with Renesas Electronics, Symtavision has developed an integrated, model- and trace-based methodology for the Renesas RH850 family of multicore MCUs as well as other Renesas target MCU architectures.

Central to the Symtavision/Renesas integrated methodology for multicore ECUs are Symtavision’s SymTA/S tool suite for modelbased timing analysis, optimization and synthesis, combined with Symtavision’s powerful TraceAnalyzer solution for visualizing and analyzing timing from measurements and simulations.

Both SymTA/S and TraceAnalyzer are used extensively in the automotive industry for developing efficient, safe and reliable ECUs, networks and distributed systems.

The methodology involves target tracing to gather fundamental timing data in a realistic environment on the target platform (or one that is predictably related). A range of established tracing tools such as those from Green Hills Software, Gliwa, iSYSTEM or Lauterbach can be used for this purpose.

Symtavision’s TraceAnalyzer then processes this data to visualize and validate the internal scheduling of the device and derive key metrics such as memory access times, runnable execution times and patterns of sporadic interrupts. This allows the simple creation of dedicated RH850 virtual performance models in SymTA/S. These models facilitate an early assessment of design alternatives to ensure that all software can execute in real-time and also provide a basis for the continuous validation of model assumptions versus actual implementation.

SYMTAVISION RENESAS 30

www.symtavision.com www.renesas.com

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS Silicon Labs Launches Sixth Generation of IndustryLeading Silicon TV Tuners Silicon Labs introduced the sixth generation of its high-performance, field-proven TV tuner ICs. Silicon Labs’ new Si2151 and Si2141 TV tuners address the global hybrid TV and digital TV markets, support both digital and analog video broadcasts, and comply with all worldwide terrestrial/cable TV standards. Leveraging Silicon Labs’ industry-leading architecture honed over five generations, the Si2151/41 TV tuners enable developers to enhance their TV and set-top box (STB) designs with unsurpassed linearity and sensitivity, the world’s smallest footprint, the lowest bill of materials (BOM) cost and ultra-low power consumption.

The Si2151/41 family provides an ideal, cost-effective silicon TV tuner solution for the world’s leading producer of TVs: China. According to DisplaySearch, China has led the world in TV shipments four years in a row. Flat-panel TV shipments (both LCD and plasma models) in China are forecast to grow from 57 million units in 2013 to 62 million units in 2017.

Currently, Chinese TV makers provide 23 percent of global flat-panel TV shipments.

Ultra-HD TV sets are projected to surge from 1.3 million units in 2013 to 23 million

units in 2017, and Chinese manufacturers are expected to ship more than half of these TV units. Silicon Labs’ Si2151/41 tuners fully comply with the China GB/T 26686-2011 general specification for digital terrestrial television receivers and achieve significant margin to the minimum performance requirements defined in the GB/T 26686-2011 specification.

Unlike other silicon tuners, which offer a large margin to the China GB/T 26686-

2011 specification only for the VHF-Low frequency band, the Si2151/41 tuners deliver a large margin to this specification for the VHF-Low, VHF-High and UHF frequency bands. The current broadcasts in China use the UHF band (in which the Si2151/41 tuners significantly outperform all other silicon TV tuners), and margin in that band translates into tangible reception benefits for the consumer.

SILICON LABS www.silabs.com

MSC Technologies presents interface card for 2.5K MSC Technologies presents the DIS-812C interface card which meets the requirements of high resolution 2560 × 1600 pixels (2.5K) and high refresh rate for full-HD 1920 × 1080 @ 100 / 120 Hz (3D) displays. In dual board configuration, panels with a resolution of up to 3840 × 2160 (4K × 2K) can be driven.

To offer the necessary bandwidth, the interface card has 2 × HDMI® and DisplayPort V1.1a ports

with HDCP encryption and two 3G / HD / SDSDI inputs. The expansion port provides even more options by additional

input modules. Two independent processing units allow for excellent Picture in Picture presentation (PiP, BbP, PoP) with selec-

PRODUCT NEWS

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

RUTRONIK EMBEDDED: New Fujitsu ATX Mainboard with Intel Xeon® and Intel Core™ i7 Processors Distributor Rutronik presents Fujitsu’s new ATX form factor mainboard D3348-B. Based on an Intel C610 chipset, it is compatible with all Intel processors with LGA2011 R3 sockets. The mainboard is designed for 24/7 continuous operation in applications requiring high CPU performance, such as image and 3D data processing.

By default, the D3348-B features Intel processors from the Xeon E52xx [V3], Xeon E516xx[V3], or Core i7 58xx/59xx series. In addition to the mainboard’s 128GB memory (quadchannel DDR4 2133 SDRAM), some of the available processors also offer RDIMM with ECC support. Despite its significantly enhanced computing power, the Fujitsu D3348-B has a power consumption of 160W TDP, which is only about 10W higher than that of its predecessor. Furthermore, it offers enhanced design options for integrating additional components. It features four PCIe x16 and three PCIex8 slots, as well as

four USB 3.0, nine USB 2.0, and ten SATA(600) ports. The basic layout is largely modelled on the previous generation, allowing customers to design the D3348-B into existing systems with a manageable effort.

The Fujitsu D3348-B is fully compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8, the BIOS is AMI Aptio 4.x (UEFI) by American Megatrends. Fujitsu modified the firmware and added exclusive functionalities, like Logo Boot, as well as convenient and security-related features such as Recovery BIOS, BIOS and CPU Microcode Update, Quick Boot, Quiet Boot, Plug & Play, DRAM and PCIe autoconfiguration, and S.M.A.R.T. support.

RUTRONIK www.rutronik.com/8dbd1082.l

displays table size, position and blending of overlap area. 512MByte DDR3 frame memory provides Motion Adaptive De-Interlace with high image quality.

The responsive, graphic OSM (On-Screen Manager) allows for signal independent OSM rotation and is controlled by a Jogdial (intuitive control), keyboard with dynamic autorepeat or capacitive control units. A high resolution graphic boot logo is displayed at power-up for a selected time or until the custom application software starts.

Panel detection, automatic selection of panel power and timing are fixed automatically.

The Frame Rate Converter ensures that the flat screen is always driven with the specified timing, if low latency frame lock timing would be out of specification for the input source. A high quality scaling engine fits the input image to the required window size (keep aspect ratio, horizontal/vertical fit).

MSC TECHNOLOGIES www.msc-technologies.eu

Energy-measurement Analogue Front Ends offer high accuracy and integration for single-phase smart meters and power monitoring Microchip announces the completion of its high-accuracy, 1-8 channel, single and poly-phase MCP391X energy-measurement Analogue Front End (AFE) family. The new MCP3919 and MCP3912 members integrate three and four channels of 24-bit, delta-sigma Analogue-to-Digital Conversion (ADC), respectively, with industry-leading accuracy of 93.5 dB SINAD, -107 dB THD and 112 dB SFDR for precise signal acquisition and higher-performing end-products. These are the optimal numbers of channels for single-phase energy meters with neutral monitoring (3-channel); or single-phase, three-wire energy meters (4-channel). The high level of integration on the new AFEs also includes a low-drift voltage reference, programmable gain amplifiers, phase-delay compensation and Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC).

As the energy-metering infrastructure is being upgraded worldwide, designers are demanding increased AFE accuracy and integration to develop the latest generation of smart meters. These features are also required by the designers of advanced power-monitoring systems for applications such as server power supplies and power distribution units, electronic circuit breakers, smart power strips and other data-acquisition products in the industrial, commercial and consumer markets. Microchip’s newest AFEs improve application performance with their industry-leading accuracy, high integration and optimal number of channels for single-phase energy measurement. Additionally, the high AFE accuracy facilitates energymeter calibration, which reduces production costs.

Microchip also announced two new tools to aid in the development of energy systems using these latest AFEs. The MCP3912 Evaluation Board (ADM00499) and MCP3919 Evaluation Board (ADM00573) can each be purchased today for $129.99. The MCP3912 and MCP3919 AFEs are both available today for sampling and volume production. Both AFEs are offered in 28-pin QFN and SSOP packages.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY

www.microchip.com/AFE-Page-102114a

www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

31

DESIGN

SENSORS

BPS 300i with large range of bus interfaces With the addition of the Profibus and SSI interfaces, Leuze electronic further expands its new BPS 300i bar code positioning system in the area of connectivity.

BPS 300i systems have been equipped with an integrated Profinet interface since their first delivery; they now feature interfaces for Profibus and SSI as well. RS232 and RS485 interfaces are expected in November 2014. The integrated bus interfaces enable full device configuration directly via the control.

This saves time during installation and money by avoiding the otherwise needed connector units. In industry, Profibus DP and Profinet are used for fast communication between all types of controls and sensors/actuators.

The Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) is an interface for, e.g., position measuring systems, that delivers absolute information about position via serial data transmission. The modularity of the BPS 300i systems allows the device to be equipped with various connection technologies, integrated LED display and integrated

heating for applications to -35°C. The Availability Control function monitors and reports the performance reserve of the total system.

Background information Leuze electronic invented the BPS bar code positioning system more than 10 years ago. The second generation of these established devices is now available in the new Leuze electronic product design. All technology and application experiences from the past ten years have been incorporated in the new BPS 300i product series. With bar code positioning systems, a reader, which is moved along a bar code tape, determines the precise position of the moved part. It is thereby possible to generate absolute values with millimeter precision in microseconds –

meaning that up to 1000 measurement values are processed per second.

The working range of the new BPS 300i systems is unmatched at 50 to 170 mm.

They are, thus, extremely tolerant of mechanical fluctuations that can arise in typical applications in intralogistics and in the automotive industry, for example in high-bay storage devices, telpher lines, gantry cranes or pushing platforms. Even at high traverse rates of up to 10 m/s, the reproducible accuracy is ±0.15 mm.

O’BOYLE www.oboyle.ro

Robust Sensors for position / inclination / angle measurement Cable Extension Position Sensors POSIWIRE®

Tape Extension Position Sensors POSITAPE®

Magnetostrictive Pos. Sensors POSICHRON®

• Measurement range 0 ... 60000 mm • Analog, 4 ... 20mA, SSI, CANopen, J1939 • Protection class up to IP68/IP69

• Measurement range 0 ... 20000 mm • Analog, 4 ... 20mA, SSI, CANopen, J1939 • Protection class up to IP67/IP69

• Measurement range 0 ... 5750 mm • Analog, 4 ... 20mA, SSI, CANopen, J1939 • Protection class IP64 up to IP67/IP69

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EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

Leuze n n n

Optical sensors Sensors for logistic applications Safety at work

Contrinex n n

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Linear Sensors Angle Sensors Tilt Sensors

Selec n n n

PLCs Temperature Controller Timer

Harting n n

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Color Sensors True Color Sensors, Spectrometers Gloss Sensors

Kobold n n n

Flowmeters Level Indicators and Switches Pressure Sensors and Switches

Heavy Duty Industrial Connectors Power and Data Transmission Connectors

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

Visit our online shop www.oboyle.ro

Intertec n n

Linear Solenoids Permanent Electromagnets

AUTOMATION Robust Sensors for position / inclination / angle measurement

O’BOYLE www.oboyle.ro

Magnetic Scale Pos. Sensors POSIMAG®

Angle Sensors and Encoders POSIROT®

Inclination Sensors POSITILT®

• Measurement range 0 ... 30000 mm • HTL, TTL, TTL24V • Protection class up to IP67 • Flat and high profile

• 360° angle sensors • Non-contact, no wear • With external position magnet • Protection class up to IP67/IP69

• 1/2 axes inclination sensors, ±180°, ± 60° • Analog output, CANopen, J1939 • Protection class up to IP67/IP69 IP68 optional

www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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PRODUCT NEWS

Lighting Solutions / Display

Network-enabled / autonomous WiFi temperature and humidity data logger German display manufacturer Electronic Assembly has added the EA WLAN-TH temperature and humidity data logger to its product portfolio. The device captures measurements and transmits the results via a WiFi link to a PC for data analysis.

High precision and long battery life are two outstanding features of the logger.

Temperature measurement on the EA WLAN-TH is accurate to within ±0.3 °C. The maximum error for relative humidity is ±2.0 %. The data is sent over a wireless link to a PC. PC software which is available free of charge or standard spreadsheet

be used to increase the range.

The EA WLAN-TH comes with a rechargeable LiPo battery.

Running in a standard configuration at room temperature transmitting data about every five minutes, the battery can be expected to provide power for more than a year before it needs recharging via a standard USB connection. A cable is provided. Continuous power can also be supplied to the sensor from a USB source.

The PC software provides setup, data recording and data display functions. The sensor name, choice of degrees Centigrade or Fahrenheit, sam-

FCI Introduces Comprehensive Suite of Solution for Lighting Applications FCI, a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect systems, introduced today, a comprehensive suite of solutions for Lighting applications.

The FCI suite of products consisting of Wire-to-Board, Wireto-Wire, Wire-to-Panel and Board-to-Board configurations, are suitable for a variety of lighting applications such as retrofit lamps, indoor/outdoor fixtures, signage, specialty lighting and lighting controls.

The FCI solutions support a range of current rating and voltage rating requirements, as well as a wide range of operating temperature range.

RotaConnect™, Terminal Blocks, Universal Contacts and the newly launched Minitek Pwr™ and Griplet™ are highly suitable interconnects for the Lighting market.

“FCI is fully committed to support the Lighting market with our

comprehensive suite of products.

We want to create a one-stop shop for all lighting applications.

We endeavor to introduce more innovative solutions for this market in the near future,” comments Fabrizio Stango, Commercial

Portfolio Director at FCI. For more information about our solutions for the LED and Lighting application or for a copy of the Lighting Application brochure, please contact us at communications@fci.com.

FCI www.fci.com

EVERLIGHT Electronics unveils new 855nm high-power infrared LED especially suited for CCD cameras and surveillance systems

software such as Excel can be used to display the results.

While installation the sensor searches for an available wireless network during the configuration process. It is also connected via USB cable to the PC. Once this process is complete, the sensor can be placed anywhere within range of the wireless network. If the wireless connection is temporarily lost, the sensor stores the measurement data for up to 120 days at a data acquisition interval of 10 seconds until the connection to the PC is restored. The EA WLAN-TH already has an impressive range. However if necessary, WiFi extenders can 34

ple frequency and the upper and lower temperature thresholds which trigger an alarm are user selectable. The sensor is designed as a free-standing unit but mounting hardware is also provided for wall attachment. A WiFi alarm unit is also available which can be located at the “other end” of the WiFi to generate a loud acoustic alarm as well as an optical alarm when a value above or below the thresholds is detected.

Please visit us at electronica 2014 in Munich Hall A3, booth 201.

ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY www.lcd-module.de

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., a leading player in the global LED and optoelectronics industry, introduces HIR-C19D, a new 855nm high efficiency infrared (HIR) LED that features a low thermal resistance and a high radiant intensity in a very small SMD package. With a wave length which is nearly invisible to the human eye, the new 3W high-power IR LED is a perfect light source for infrared illumination in CCD cameras, night guard security and other discrete surveillance systems.

EVERLIGHT’s HIR-C19DN90/L558-P03/TR series achieves a radiant intensity of 350mW/sr at 700mA with a viewing angle of 90° which provides for an excellent illumination of the area under observation.

The Pb free device is offered in a

miniature SMD package, molded in a water clear silicone with spherical top view lens, with a footprint of only 3.5 × 3.5 × 2.36 mm (L×B×H) and a ceramic PCB housing that ensures a low thermal resistance ( junction to lead) of only 11°C/W.

Sampling and technical support: Available now (upon request) Mass Production: Q1/2015 EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS www.everlight.com

PRODUCT NEWS

Lighting Solutions / Display

Advanced Power Monitoring Solution Aware of the growing need throughout the industry to conduct thorough energy audits and gain more comprehensive knowledge of power efficiency levels, test sourcing specialist Livingston now offers its customer base the Dranetz HDPQ series for intelligent logging of detailed power quality data. Boasting 8 independent analysis channels (4 for differential voltages and 4 for current), these feature-rich 3-phase power monitoring units are capable of measuring a plethora of different parameters - including crest factor, K factor and transformer derating factor. They can deliver up to 512 samples/cycle performance. Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB, Bluetooth communication are all supported, allowing convenient transfer of captured data.

Automated setups provide instant detection of circuits and configurations, so that units are ready ‘out of the box’ to capture power consumption/quality data. Operatives can select

the length and mode of data collection, including troubleshooting, data logging, power quality surveys and load balancing. The Dranetz HDPQ series is fully compliant with IEEE 1159, IEEE 519, IEEE 1453, IEC 61000-4-30 Class A and EN50160 standards.

LIVINGSTON www.livingston.com

MSC Technologies broadens product portfolio with high quality displays for medical systems MSC Technologies offers an extended product portfolio of modern displays with and without touch screen for medical devices. The solution provider focuses on leading display manufacturers and touch technologies developed in-house, in order to fulfil the various customers’ requirements.

The high-class displays for diagnostic and monitoring systems in the medical technology sector offer high resolution, good contrast and realistic color reproduction.

The panel systems meet special requirements with regard to quality to ensure a secure operating and a long lifetime of the medical devices.

Other important criteria include long-term availability of all components and delivery reliability that is suitable for the innovation cycles of the medical sector. Any major change

made to the device requires a new complex, lengthy approval or certification.

Specifically for medical image systems, MSC Technologies supplies the TX18D200VM0EAA TFT display from KOE Europe with a size of 7 inch (17.8 cm) and Full HD resolution. The

panel uses the latest Advanced IPS (in-plane-switching) technology and features 170° vertical and horizontal viewing angles.

Excellent optical performance is ensured with a contrast ratio of 800:1 and a brightness specification of 700 cd/m².

MSC TECHNOLOGIES www.msc-technologies.eu

MSC Technologies presents wide aspect ratio TFT display (letter box format) from KOE MSC Technologies presents at electronica in hall A6, stand A6.510 high performance, wide aspect ratio TFT displays (letter box format) from KOE Europe. The display modules are targeting leisure and entertainment applications including pay per play casino gaming machines. Other applications include AV equipment, consumer information systems, digital signage, retail based pointof-decision displays and industrial instrumentation.

The wide aspect ratio displays are available in three variants: 14.9 inch (37.8 cm) with a resolution of 1280 × 242 pixels, 10.2 inch (25.9 cm) with 800 × 256 pixels and 6.2 inch (15.7 cm) with 640 × 320 pixels.

The 14.9 inch TX38D25VM0CAA is based on IPS (in-plane switching) technology which provides exceptional color characteristics and wide viewing angles. The display provides a contrast ratio of 800:1 and a 16:3 wide aspect ratio with an active display area of 372.48 mm (w) × 70.42mm (h) and mechanical outline dimensions of 386.82 mm (w) × 85.5 7mm (h) × 13.06 mm (d). A white LED backlight with a specified half brightness lifetime of 70 K hours and a brightness of 450 cd/m² ensure excellent image performance is achieved. The 14.9 inch TFT employs a single channel 20-pin LVDS data interface and supports 6-bit RGB providing a color palette of up to 262K colors. The TFT display can be used in either landscape or portrait mode.

Both TX26D25VM2BAA with 10.2 inch und TX16D200VM5BAA with 6.2 inch displays feature a cost effective UWVA (ultra-wide viewing angle) technology which enables wide viewing angles and provides a display image with excellent color saturation, black levels and wide viewing angles. The 10.2 inch display features a contrast ratio of 500:1 and a brightness of 350 cd/m². The mechanical outline dimensions are 260.2 × 96.2 × 10.55 mm, the active display area is 246 × 78.72 mm. The TX16D20VM5BAA has a wide aspect ratio of 8:3 and a contrast ratio of 400:1. The white LED backlight provides a brightness of 400 cd/m².

All three letter box format display modules can be supplied with either projected capacitive (PCap) or analogue resistive touch screens.

Please visit MSC Technologies at electronica in hall A6, stand A6.510.

MSC TECHNOLOGIES

www.msc-technologies.eu www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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PRODUCT NEWS

Renesas Electronics Eases Safety, Security, and Connectivity for the Car of the Future Renesas Electronics is easing the design complexities involved in developing self-driving car and other driver assistance systems that can offer users with a safe, secure, and convenient driving experience. The new RH850/P1x-C Series, a high-end version of the RH850/P1x Series of 32-bit automotive microcontrollers (MCUs), is designed for sensor fusion, gateway, and advanced chassis system applications that will enable the types of advanced systems envisioned in the car of the future.

Functional safety is essential to ensure the driver assistance system is operating safely and normally and, should a fault occur, to ensure that safety is not compromised. Levering its insights and experience with functional safety standardization as the leading supplier of automotive MCUs worldwide, Renesas has designed the RH850/P1x-C Series with a full complement of functions to support functional safety and comply with ASIL D the highest safety level stipulated in the ISO 26262 functional safety standard for road vehicles.

ACTIVE COMPONENTS New IDT Mixer Lowers Distortion, Cuts Power Consumption up to 30% Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT®) introduced a new lowdistortion, low-power radio frequency (RF) mixer, delivering RF technology that reduces distortion in LTE and TDD systems while minimizing power consumption.

The latest addition to IDT’s fastgrowing portfolio of RF products, the F1178 improves IP3O by up to 8 dB and reduces power consumption up to 30 percent vs. competing mixers.

A member of IDT’s “Zero-Distortion” family of dual mixers, the IDT F1178 is a high-performance RF to IF mixer designed to operate with a single 5 V supply.

The mixer is optimized for operation in receivers with RF bands from 3300 - 3800 MHz. The chip is ideal for base station radio cards, repeaters, distributed

antenna systems and microwave backhaul equipment.

Very low power consumption eases heat-sinking requirements on radio cards, and ultra-high IP3 allows for high- gain frontends.

The F1178 delivers fast settling from power up with constant LO impedance, allowing customers

to power the mixer down in between TDD Rx slots, further reducing power consumption.

INTEGRATED DEVICE TECHNOLOGY www.idt.com

Configurable output voltage, high isolation DC/DC converters for IGBT and MOSFET gate drive applications The RH850/P1x-C Series is equipped with fault diagnostic functions ideal for automotive applications. Two CPUs with identical configurations operate in a lockstep system (Note 2).

Error check and correct (ECC) functionality detects and corrects data errors affecting memory, such as flash memory, and the internal buses. Fault detection functions for system diagnostics are also included in the peripheral functions. The builtin self-test (BIST) function can detect faults in the various fault detection function themselves. The error control module (ECM) allows users to manage error signal inputs, based on the circumstances, from the various functions, thereby helping to maintain system safety and reliability.

In the era of connected cars, in-vehicle, vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-infrastructure networks are becoming mainstream.

This connectivity allows systems to obtain information on road conditions and other factors that could impact the driving experience. It also requires robust security measures to ensure the systems are protected from unauthorized external access.

The RH850/P1x-C Series integrates a new hardware security module with a coprocessor supporting data encryption and random number generation to address these mission-critical security requirements, for example building anti-tampering measures into vehicle systems.

RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.renesas.eu 36

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

Murata announced the MGJ3 and MGJ6 series of configurable output voltage, high isolation DC/DC converters from Murata Power Solutions. These 3Watt and 6 Watt surface mounted devices are optimized for use as high-side and low-side gate drivers in IGBT and MOSFET bridge circuit designs.

Providing triple output voltages of +15, +5 and -5VDC, these converters provide optimum switching of IGBT drives for best overall system efficiency. In addition, the outputs are configurable to suit a number of different circuit requirements such as +15 and -5VDC or +20 and 5VDC. Both the MGJ3 3Watt and the MGJ6 6 watt converters are available with a choice of wide input voltages around nominal +5,

+12 or +24VDC inputs. The input ranges cater for 4.5 to 9VDC (+5 VDC nominal), 9 to 18VDC (+12 VDC nominal) and 18 to 36VDC (+ 24VDC nominal).

The MGJ3 measures 23.11 x 22.61 × 14.65 mm and the MGJ6 is 31.24 × 22.61 × 14.65 mm. Both

series can operate over the wide temperature range from – 40 to + 105°C, Short circuit and overload protection features ensure a robust operation during system fault conditions.

MURATA www.murata.com

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

RUTRONIK EMBEDDED: First Swissbit Longevity CompactFlashTM card with maximum long-term availability Distributor Rutronik presents Swissbit’s C-300 Longevity, the first CompactFlashTM card with long-term availability through to at least 2021. Its feature set, which includes an optimised random write speed and backward compatibility, makes the C-300 Longevity the ideal choice for highly-demanding applications in the telecommunications and networking market, as well as applications requiring maximum longevity due to time-consuming and cost-intensive re-qualification processes.

In addition to long-term availability, the C-300 Longevity offers a fixed BOM (bill of material) and an extra-long transition phase of at least 24 months between PCN/EOL notification and the last shipment. Users can enjoy years of guaranteed supply without time-consuming and cost-inten-

sive re-qualification. With TRUE IDE and PC card modes, the Swissbit CompactFlashTM card delivers optimum backward compatibility to older systems, protocols and interfaces. It also features a high random write speed of more than 150 Kbyte/second.

The use of the most reliable SLC NAND flash technology available plus integrated power fail safety guarantee the best possible data reliability.

RUTRONIK www.rutronik.com/8b61104a.l

Automotive Infotainment Companion Chip Supports High-Resolution Multimedia Connectivity And Camera Devices Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has announced a key addition to its extensive portfolio of solutions for the automotive market. The TC358791XBG automotive companion chip was created to drive high-resolution multimedia (audio, video) and camera connectivity for next-generation infotainment applications in the connected car. The new companion chip supports the latest automotive Gigabit Ethernet AVB standard for a wide range of applications, such as front/ rear/surround-view cameras, digital audio and transferring highresolution video content to headunit and rear-seat entertainment systems. The TC358791XBG can also seamlessly interface with and support many leading-edge auto-

motive application processors on the market, thanks to its USB 3.0 and MIPIÂŽ CSI2 and DSI connectivity for both audio and video, and will conform to Automotive Electronics Council reliability specification AEC-Q100 (Grade

3). The TC358791XBG will help to significantly reduce both time to market and overall system billof-materials costs for automotive infotainment systems.

TOSHIBA ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.toshiba-components.com

European Engineers Embrace Digi-Key for Online Component Sales as B2B Ecommerce Market Readiness Intensifies Digi-Key, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability and delivery, today announced an enormous spike in web traffic and online orders placed by design engineers in Europe. Already ranked as the industry's top web resource in North America, Digi-Key announced today that engineers in Germany, the UK, France and Italy, among other regions of Europe, are rapidly embracing Digi-Key as their "go to" resource for electronic component selection and availability. The company also announced today a record increase in European sales with an average of 26-percent year-over-year growth in 2014, as compared to the first three quarters of last year.

After formally announcing its European presence just two years ago, DigiKey has quickly become known for its unmatched selection of electronic components including one million in-stock parts available for next-day delivery. Today, 81 localized Digi-Key websites represent 10 local languages and 16 different currencies. The company attributes over 42% of its sales revenue to customers outside of the United States.

A recent Forrester study validates the trend with a predicted growth rate of 11-percent per year across Europe with strong numbers in 2014 representing the UK and Germany with the next wave of growth coming from Southern Europe, namely Italy and Spain.

Digi-Key's global website receives 6.2 million visits and 70 million page views per month from 4.5 million unique visitors.

The localized websites feature libraries of 'how to' articles, reference designs, video tutorials and a wide range of self-service resources including peer-to-peer online communities for problem solving and idea sharing, along with live web chat and other touch points for the customer.

Designed to support product design from prototype to production, engineers may choose to peruse through a library of reference designs and supporting articles. Then, they can use the Digi-Key BOM tool to compare price and availability and place their order. With over one million products in stock, over 99-percent of Digi-Key orders ship for next-day delivery.

DIGI-KEY CORPORATION

www.digikey.com

www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

37

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

Murata introduces digital 40 Amp 132 Watt Pol DC-DC Converter Murata announced the addition of the OKD series of non-isolated point-of-load (PoL) DC/DC converters from Murata Power Solutions. Available in three different package formats, through-hole, single-in-line, and surface mount, the OKDx-T/40 is a 40Amp, 132 Watt digital

DC/DC converter. These highly efficient (typically 97.2%), fully regulated converters offer a high power density and measure just 30.85 × 20.0 × 8.2 mm.

The PMBus™ interface facilitates power management features not previously available in analog PoL converters. By interfac-

ing the OKD converter to the system’s I2C bus, a systems engineer can monitor critical system-level performance requirements that include Vin, Iin, Vout, Iout, and operating temperature.

The PMBus™ can also be used to set warning flags for temperature, Vin, Vout, and Iout, and allows the user to customize parameters such as Vout, Vin turn on/off thresholds, output over voltage protection, output current limit, and ramp up characteristics, to name a few. Advanced converter design features include digital current sharing (full power, no derating), non-linear transient response, optimized dead time control, synchronization, and phase spreading.

MURATA www.murata.com

Wide Body Transistor Output Photocoupler Delivers 45% Height Reduction Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has announced a transistor output photocoupler in a lowheight, wide body SO6L package, which can be used to replace conventional DIP4 packages.

The new product – TLP385 – offers a high isolation performance. It guarantees a minimum creepage and clearance distance of 8mm and isolation voltage of 5kVrms (min).

With a height of just 2.3mm (max), a 45% reduction from DIP4 type package products, the TLP385 can be used in situations where there are strict height limits, aiding the development of ultra low profile 38

products. It can be used for applications including inverter interfaces and general-purpose power supplies.

Operating temperature range is -55 to +110°C. It is approved to UL, cUL and CQC safety standards and is also available as VDE EN60747-5-5 approved type.

TOSHIBA ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.toshiba-components.com

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

IR Expands StrongIRFET™ Family with New 75V MOSFETs Featuring Ultra-low Rds(on) for Industrial Applications International Rectifier has expanded its StrongIRFET™ M O S F E T portfolio to include 75V devices for a wide variety of industrial applications including power tools, Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) inverters, DC motor drives, Li-Ion battery pack protection, Hot-Swap and Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) secondary-side synchronous rectification.

The new family of 75V StrongIRFET™ power MOSFETs features ultra-low on-state resistance (Rds(on)) for improved performance in low frequency applications, very high-current carrying capability,

soft body diode, and 3V typical threshold voltage to improve

noise immunity. Each device in the family is 100% avalanche tested at industry highest avalanche current levels to ensure the most robust solution for demanding industrial applications. The devices are offered in through-hole packages.

INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER www.irf.com

Smallest 400 Watt convection cooled power supply for medical and industrial applications XP Power announced the CCL400 series of highly efficient convection cooled 400 Watt ACDC power supplies. With a typical efficiency up to 94% and a flat efficiency curve over virtually the entire load range, the CCL400 does not require any forced air cooling. With little heat generated due to the high efficiency, the components within the CCL400 run at lower temperatures, leading to increased reliability and service life. Unlike products currently in the market, the CCL400 can continuously deliver the full 400Watt output with convection cooling over the wide temperature range from -40°C to +50°C and across almost the entire input voltage range. The CCL400 can also be conduction cooled, enabling the full 400W across the entire input range and up to +70°C ambient temperature. Measuring 100.3 × 177.8 ×

39.9 mm (3.95 × 7.00 × 1.57 inches) the CCL400 complies with the standard 1U chassis mount format. An optional enclosing cover is available to order.

The CCL400 range comprises 4 single-output models that provide the popular nominal output voltages of +12, +24, +30 or +48VDC. A user trim function provides output voltage adjustment of ±3% of stated nominal in order to accommodate load losses.

XP POWER www.xppower.com

PRODUCT NEWS

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

IDT Introduces Radio Frequency Switch with Ultra-High Isolation and Linearity Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT®) introduced the F2912 switch, the first in a line of new radio frequency (RF) switch products planned by the semiconductor company. The F2912 has an industry leading combination of low insertion loss, high isolation and linearity making it an ideal choice for base stations (2G, 3G and 4G), microwave backhaul and front haul, test equipment, CATV headend, WiMAX radios, wireless systems and general switching applications.

The F2912 supports the latest system requirements for multiple applications with features that include: • Frequency range of 300KHz to 8GHz, achieving broad bandwidth without sacrificing performance across the entire frequency range.

• Low IL of 0.4dB, providing low path loss without compromising isolation performance.

• High isolation of 60db at 2

GHz to reduce signal leakage between adjacent RF port paths.

• High OIP3 of +64 dBm to reduce intermodulation distortion.

• P1dB of 30 dBm, providing 1W compression point, ensuring rugged operation for a variety of applications.

• 3.3 V and 1.8 V control logic

consistent with common FPGA and microcontroller logic levels.

• Operating temperature range of -55 to 125°C for high reliability in harsh thermal environments.

INTEGRATED DEVICE TECHNOLOGY www.idt.com

Renesas Electronics Delivers Enhanced User Experience with Integrated Automotive Cockpit Solution Renesas Electronics is enhancing the driving experience with robust new solutions for the integrated car cockpit. As the newest member of Renesas’ state-ofthe-art R-Car Series for automotive, the R-Car E2 automotive systems-on-chip (SoCs) and the new R-Car E2 software development board deliver optimized infotainment and display audio for entry-level integrated cockpit systems that support smartphone interoperability and, in combination with other Renesas R-Car Series devices, help achieve the scalability required to bridge the full range of integrated cockpit systems from entry-level to high-end models. In an integrated cockpit, the converged system integrates and analyzes multiple streams of

information and reports the results to the driver in an optimized format, which is increasingly delivered through interoperation with smartphones. This convergence is driving demand

for higher level functionality and greater added value for entrylevel applications.

Display audio systems are one growth area that is well suited for smartphone interoperation.

RENESAS ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.renesas.eu

IR Expands Portfolio of Ultra-fast Trench IGBTs with 650V Devices for Welding, Solar, Industrial Motors, Induction Heating and UPS Applications International Rectifier has expanded its portfolio of insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) with the introduction of a family of rugged, reliable 650V devices optimized for fast switching applications including solar inverters, welding equipment, industrial motors, induction heating and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).

Ranging from 15A to 90A, the IRGP47xx family of IGBTs utilizes trench thinwafer technology to reduce conduction and switching losses to deliver increased system efficiency. Available as discrete devices or co-packaged with a soft recovery low Qrr diode, the new IGBTs are optimized for ultra-fast switching (8KHz-30KHz), offering an increased short circuit rating of 6μs, and positive VCE(ON) temperature coefficient for easy paralleling. The higher breakdown

voltage provides extra reliability during extreme weather variations and AC-line instability, and eliminates the requirement for voltage suppression devices.

Suitable for a wide range of

switching frequencies, the IRGP47xx family features low VCE(ON) of 1.7V (typical) at 100°C and low total switching energy (ETS) to reduce power dissipation. Offered as packaged devices, other key features include maximum junction temperature of 175°C and low EMI for improved reliability.

INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER www.irf.com

Toshiba Expands Family of Ultra-Miniature Gate-Drive Photocouplers for IGBTs and Power MOSFETs Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) is offering two new low-profile IC output photocouplers for directly driving low- to mediumpower IGBTs and power MOSFETs. The TLP5701 and TLP5702 are supplied in ultra-miniature SO6L package with dimensions of just 10mm × 3.8mm × 2.1mm. Despite their small size, the new devices have a minimum isolation voltage rating of 5000Vrms and guaranteed creepage and clearance distances of 8mm. As a result they can be used to save space in designs that require safety standard certification. In addition the couplers offer guaranteed performance and specifications at temperatures ranging from -

40°C to 110°C. Potential applications for the new photocouplers will range from home appliances and inverters to factory automation and control equipment.

The TLP5701 has a peak output current of ±0.6A and is optimised for low-power IGBTs and power MOSFETs. A peak output current of ±2.5A makes the TLP5702 ideal for driving medium-power devices.

TOSHIBA ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.toshiba-components.com

www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

39

PRODUCT NEWS

SENSORS

Disposable liquid flow sensors offer new possibilities for medical devices Sensirion AG is offering new disposable liquid flow sensor solutions for medical devices. The use of intelligent, compact and cost-effective disposable liquid flow sensors will change the field of drug delivery from the ground up and enable solutions to be provided which are safer, more reliable and more mobile for care in the hospital and at home.

The disposable liquid flow sensor LD20-2000T provides liquid flow measurement capability from inside medical tubing, such as an infusion set or a catheter, in a low cost sensor, suitable for disposable applications. Now drug delivery from an infusion set, an infusion pump or other medical devices can be measured precisely and in real time.

Treatments will become more effective, as they become easier

to monitor and control. Patient’s safety is improved by the automatic detection of failure modes like clogging, free flow, air bubbles, or leaks in the tubing connection.

Inside the disposable liquid flow sensor, a microchip measures the flow inside a fluidic channel.

Flow rates from 0 to 420 ml/h

and beyond are measured with a typical accuracy of 5% of the measured value. Inert medicalgrade wetted materials ensure sterile operation with no contamination of the fluid. The straight, open flow channel with no moving parts guarantees an excellent reliability of our measurement technology.

SENSIRION www.sensirion.com

A microthermal mass flow meter for intelligent gas meters Sensirion AG is launching a standard product for gas meters at the European Utility Week 2014 trade fair. The SGM70xx mass flow meter is based on a microthermal measuring principle suitable for applications in

the residential market. With this development, the Swiss company is expanding its knowledge and experience in the field of smart energy. The manufacturer of sensors and sensor solutions has been working on a microthermal solution for industrial and private gas meters for the past fifteen years. The mass 40

flow meter has proven its mettle in the field in Italy and Germany for over three years, not least thanks to the extensive experience brought to bear in its production. The new SGM70xx is the first microthermal gas flow module to be produced as standard by the sensor expert and will be available from March 2015.

The SGM70xx is available for G1.6 and G2.5 gas meters. It boasts impressive reliability, long-term stability, dust and dirt resistance and a compact design that enables easy integration in gas meters. The mass flow meter is digital, temperature-compensated and pressure-corrected. It is also fully calibrated for air and natural gas and has a standard connection and I2C interface.

SENSIRION www.sensirion.com

EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

Highly integrated EOL Programmable Hall Sensor supports Direct Connection into Automotive/ Industrial Designs without need for PCB or discrete components Melexis extends its portfolio of robust factory-programmed Hall effect sensors for use in automotive, industrial and other harsh environments with the introduction of a new device at a very cost effective price point. The MLX90290 is a monolithically integrated magnetic sensor IC, with amplifier, analog output and internal compensation circuits all incorporated. It converts magnetic flux into an analog output and guarantees the critical functional parameters (such as sensitivity, offset and their respective thermal drift characteristics) to absolute levels, thus simplifying integration processes by removing the need for end-of-line calibration. This means that design engineers can confidently deliver cutting-edge position sensing solutions without extra end-of-line testing and

validation, which can prove laborious and time consuming.

They can simply buy off-theshelf versions of the MLX90290 capable of satisfying their sensor requirements. Standard versions

of the MLX90290 when combined with microcontroller units allow fast and accurate rotary, linear or motor commutation applications to be realized. It also be applied to sense DC and AC current when combined with a ferrite toroid core.

MELEXIS www.melexis.com

ON Semiconductor expands PYTHON CMOS image sensor family ON Semiconductor has introduced two new higher resolutions CMOS image sensors to its successful PYTHON product family. The new PYTHON 2000 and PYTHON 5000, with resolu-

tions of 2.3 megapixel (MP) and 5.3 MP respectively, address the needs of general purpose industrial image sensing applications such as machine vision, inspection and motion monitoring, as well as security, surveillance and

intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The PYTHON 2000 and PYTHON 5000 have been designed with a focus on performance, versatility and ease of use. Together with the previously released PYTHON 300, 500 and 1300, this entire family of sensors can be supported from a single PCB, greatly simplifying the design of a broad range of cameras offerings. The result is a hardware scalable product family where all sensors have the same data, control and optical interface, thus allowing camera manufacturers to rapidly roll-out products with multiple resolutions, from VGA to 5 MP, with greatly minimised development effort.

ON SEMICONDUCTOR www.onsemi.com

PRODUCT NEWS

CONNECTORS

New Field Installable Industrial Mini I/O Connector from TE Connectivity exclusively available at TTI Inc The latest addition to TE Connectivity’s Industrial Mini I/O Family, the Field Installable Industrial Mini I/O Connector, is now exclusively available at TTI, Inc., the world’s leading specialist distributor of passive, connector, electromechanical and discrete components.

TTI EMEA is holding advance stock of the new interconnect for immediate despatch in line with its commitment to TE Connectivity’s Industrial Focused Distributor Program.

TE Connectivity’s Industrial Field Installable Mini I/O connector features an innovative piercing termination design which greatly decreases the time required to terminate the wires and allows

easy field assembly with the use of a hand tool. Two points of contact provide highly-reliable connection in demanding industrial and high vibration environments, with a keying interface to prevent mis-mating.

At 11.62mm × 34mm × 8.7mm only one quarter the size of a conventional RJ45 plug - the Industrial Field Installable Mini I/O Interconnect saves PCB realestate and increases design efficiency and flexibility.

TTI, INC. www.ttieurope.com

New Push Push Micro SIM connector from GradConn offers functionality combined with cost effective pricing Ever attempted to integrate a push-push Micro SIM card connector into your design and found the cost too high?

Having listened to customer feedback and in response to these cost limitations, GradConn has launched a brand new Push-Push Micro SIM connector, which delivers functionality, combined with cost effective pricing.

Suitable for 3ff Micro SIM cards the CH03-GB has a 1.50mm profile and measures just .620” × .676”. CH03-GB is available with six or eight contacts and includes a card detect switch feature which allows the user to detect when the card is inserted. It’s rated at 1,500 card insertion cycles and has an operating temperature range of -40° to +105°C. The Micro SIM card is

inserted directly, no separate plastic tray is required. Push Push type SIM connectors allow a Micro SIM card to be pushed

into place, the 2nd push operates a spring which ejects the card, this function removes the need to extract tiny Micro SIM cards by hand. Push-Push technology is normally used in applications where the end user insets a card from outside the equipment, the connector is normally mounted on the edge of a PCB with the mating face accessible via the customer’s panel design.

GRADCONN www.gradconn.com

Molex range of hand tools and semi-automatic production equipment ensure high quality electrical connection available now at TTI Inc A wide range of production equipment from Molex is now available at TTI, Inc., the world’s leading specialist distributor of passive, connector, electromechanical and discrete components.

To ensure high quality electrical connection, the proper tooling from the relevant manufacturer is essential during interconnect production for three reasons: to maintain the manufacturer’s product warranty; to ensure high-quality electrical connection and to meet stringent industry standards.

Molex hand tools are designed for use during prototyping and small volume production (less than one hundred terminations per day), as well as field repair tasks. This range of top quality tools includes handcrimp, hydraulic, battery and air tools for cutting, stripping and crimping operations. The hand crimp tool features precision terminal locators to hold terminals in the correct crimping position and full cycle ratcheting to ensure terminals are fully crimped. The Molex hand crimp tool is easy to use with ergonomic soft grip handles and minimal handle spread to reduce operator fatigue during repeated operations.

Molex’s semi-automatic range of bench top crimp presses suit mid- to high- range production volumes. The applicators adapt to most automatic wire processing machines and are designed to industry-standard mounting and shut height (135.80mm).

Crimp height, track and feed adjustments can be preset in the applicator to reduce set up times and there are independent adjustment rings that allow operators to adjust conductor or insulation crimp height independently of each other.

Molex also manufactures crimp press adapters, crimp press modules, an insulation displacement machine, crimp force monitors and a bench top pneumatic wire stripper.

More details can be found at: http://www.ttieurope.com/page/molex-microsite TTI, INC.

www.ttieurope.com www.epd-ee.eu | November, 2014 | EP&Dee

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PRODUCT NEWS

PASSIVE COMPONENTS

Electronica launch for IQD’s new GPS disciplined OCXO IQD’s newest addition to its range of advanced oscillator modules is its IQCM-110 series of GPS disciplined OCXOs. Being unveiled at Electronica 2014, the new design incorporates an internal GPS receiver with a 1PPS output and is housed in a 14-pin 60mm square package. When coupled to an external aerial via the incorporated SMA connector, in the event of the loss of the GPS signal the highly specified 10MHz OCXO will switch-in with a holdover capability of 1.5 μSeconds for a 24-hour period thereby maintaining lock until restoration of the reference signal.

The standard operating temperature range of the module is -20 to 75 degrees C but other temperature ranges and holdover specifications can be considered upon request. The required power supply is 5V with the output being standard HCMOS.

Current consumption is 2A maximum during warm-up with this reducing to 1A once the steady-state condition is reached. The design incorporates an internal adaptive algorithm which enables the module to ‘learn’ the parameters of the GPS signal after a

period of 2 days of lock so that the holdover function can start in the event of signal failure. An internal alarm is built-in to indicate lock failure and subsequent restoration of signal.

IQD www.iqdfrequencyproducts.com

Resettable fuses from Bourns are available in numerous different versions and can now be ordered through TTI, Inc. TTI, Inc., the world’s leading specialist distributor of passive, connector, electromechanical and discrete components, now stocks Bourns’ Multifuse polymer PPTC resettable fuses for reliable overcurrent protection. The components are UL recognized and AEC-Q200 compliant and are available in a wide range of surface mount, radial through-hole and axial strap type versions.

The fuses come in surface mount foot print sizes of 0603 up to 3425. They range in hold current from 50mA up to 11A. Both standard temperature and high temperature options, as well as a range of voltage options of 72Vdc, 220Vac and telecommunication standards of 250V and 600V are available.

The devices have been designed to be used in a wide range of industrial, consumer electronics, automotive and telecommunication circuits like industrial controllers, security systems, lithium battery cells, USB memory sticks, desktop & notebook PCs, game consoles, set-top boxes, automotive DC motors, car navigation systems, USB/IEEE1394 expansion ports, ADSL splitters, as well as medical devices.

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EP&Dee | November, 2014 | www.epd-ee.eu

www.ttieurope.com

PRODUCT NEWS

PASSIVE COMPONENTS

Bergquist Boosts Thermal Performance of Easy-toUse Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Tape Bergquist is now shipping its latest, highest performing, thermally conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, which cures in ambient temperatures to allow fast and efficient assembly without the need for mechanical fasteners or high-temperature curing.

Bond-Ply® 800 has the highest thermal conductivity of the Bond-Ply range, at 0.8W/m-K, and is ideal for attaching heat spreaders or heatsinks to assemblies like LED light engines, motor controllers, power converters, or high-performance processors. The double-sided tape has a fibreglass carrier and is tough, easy and quick to use in a production environment. The acrylic adhesive ensures high bond strength, and with thermal

impedance of 0.60°C-in2/W (@50 psi) Bond-Ply 800 delivers efficient heat-transfer capability as well as extreme convenience and reliability.

The tape is available in sheet

form, roll form, or as die-cut parts, and significantly reduces labour and materials costs while also helping to boost throughput by eliminating the time needed to attach mechanical fasteners or go through hightemperature curing.

BERGQUIST www.bergquistcompany.com

LEM new LF xx10 current transducers range pushes Hall effect technology to new limits LEM announces the new range of LF xx10 transducers for nonintrusive and isolated nominal measurements of DC, AC and pulsed currents from 100 A to 2000 A with 4 new series: LF 210-S, LF 310-S, LF 510-S, LF 1010-S. A fifth, the LF 2010-S will be available in February 2015. LEM has developed a way to make Hall effect technology realise the performance achieved by fluxgate technology. The result is an ASIC based on Hall effect technology for use in closed loop mode and its first use is in the new LF xx10 transducers range. LEM’s patented spinning technique and specialist integrated circuits (IC) have been significant contributors to these drastic improvements.

The new series break new ground delivering up to 4 times greater global accuracy over the temperature range (from 0.25 to 0.6 % of IPN) versus the previous generation of Closed Loop Hall effect current transducers, and with a maximum offset drift of 0.1 % of IPN.

New at Rutronik: Thin Film Automotive Grade Chip Resistor from Yageo Yageo’s new AT series of thin film automotive grade chip resistors meets the market demand for stability, high precision and accuracy for electric circuit design.

The AT series is available at distributor Rutronik as of now.

The AT series is compliant to AEC-Q200 and combines superior anti-sulfur capability with a robust product design and a high pulse load performance. To eliminate early failures before final testing at taping/sealing, it provides quality assurance through 100% AOI. Built on Yageo’s advanced lithography and sputtering technology, the thin film chip resistors feature enhanced resistance tolerance and temperature coefficient characteristics.

For use in harsh environments, they resist high temperature humidity (85°C; 85% RH), and have an operating temperature range from -55°C to +155°C. Case sizes are available from

0402 to 1206 (EIA), with a narrow tolerance of ±0.1%, ±0.25%, ±0.5% and ±1%. Their resistance range is from 10O to 1MO, and

they feature a low TCR of ±25 and ±55ppm/°C. Therefore, the AT series is ideal for applications including automotive and industrial electronics, medical equipment, test and measurement as well as telecommunications.

RUTRONIK www.rutronik.com/88c70ff1.l

With the products’ performance of fluxgate, customers are provided not only with better control and increased system efficiency, but also with a significantly lower price whilst overcoming fluxgate drawbacks such as noise, starting up with primary current and restarting without delay after an overload.

Operating from a dual supply voltage from ±12 to ±24V (depending on the models), the LF xx10 models can measure higher current range vs the previous generation, up to three times the primary nominal current (LF 510-S model) when responding faster against a di/dt step with a response time of less than 0.5 μs, due to a dedicated special magnetic core and winding design. Another important advantage of the LF xx10 range is its low sensitivity to external AC and DC fields (up to five times better than the former generation), thus allowing an easier product layout in harsh environments applications, as it is not affected by fields created by other components close by.

Their wide operating temperature range from -40 to +85°C also makes the LF xx10 series suitable for use in any industrial or traction applications.

LEM

www.lem.com

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