EPDT_20_01

www.epdtonthenet.net

January 2020

Looking ahead to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020

Why electronic design projects fail – and the road to recovery

IoT &

INDUSTRY 4.0

SUPPLEMENT

www.epdtonthenet.net

January 2020

7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020…

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution

22

Taking the first steps to connectivity

23

12 billion IoT devices – and why design engineers should care…

25

IoT pushes frequency control to new dimensions

26

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27

IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement

Also inside • Advanced tech paves the way for new phased array radar architectures • 7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020…

• Test instrumentation evolution for aero & defence gathers pace

21

Contents 4

Editorial comment: Will 2020 be the year of 5G?…

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FPGA primer: Programmable hardware offers scalable performance

www.epdtonthenet.net | January 2020 IoT &

INDUSTRY 4.0

January 2020

7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020…

As the roll-out of 5G networks & handsets gathers pace, Editor, Mark Gradwell reports on a 5G industry round table and asks if this will be the year of 5G...

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Electronics distributor, Farnell reviews how the latest FPGAs offer unprecedented levels of flexibility & efficiency, providing a system-level solution to rising design complexity.

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SUPPLEMENT

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Advanced technologies pave the way for new phased array radar architectures Semiconductor specialists in data conversion, signal processing & power management, Analog Devices outlines how digital beamforming & rapid advancements in RF integration at the component level are helping drive new phased array radar architectures.

Understanding the Fourth Industrial 12 billion IoT devices –

Revolution

22

Taking the first steps to connectivity and why design engineers should care…

25

to new dimensions

26

IoT pushes frequency control

27

23

IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement EPDT’s biannual look at the world of IoT & Industry 4.0.

Embedded

T&M

IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement 22 23 25 26 27

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution…

Connectivity editor, Paige West tells us about the EPDT sister title’s special print edition, which collects together some of its most popular IIoT content to celebrate its 2-year anniversary.

Taking the first steps to connectivity

Industrial automation experts, Bosch Rexroth explore how & why sensors provide the ideal starting point on the journey to digitalisation.

12 billion IoT devices – and why design engineers should care…

Battery manufacturer, Accutronics looks ahead to 2020 to predict the IoT trends that might affect design engineers in the electronics industry.

IoT pushes frequency control to new dimensions We hear from AEL Crystals about what IoT means for users & manufacturers of frequency control products.

Why electronic design projects fail – and the road to recovery

Test instrumentation evolution for aerospace & defence gathers pace

Embedded electronics & software design experts, ByteSnap Design explore why electronic design projects fail – and how to get them back on track.

T&M equipment rental & leasing specialist, Microlease look at how the evolution of test instrumentation for aerospace & defence is gathering pace.

Mathematical computing software experts, MathWorks review 7 major Industry 4.0 trends for 2020 that will help define the factory of the future.

News & products

34

STEM Matters: Getting to the heart of technology…

www.epdtonthenet.net

January 2020

Looking ahead to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020

Why electronic design projects fail – and the road to recovery

IoT &

INDUSTRY 4.0

SUPPLEMENT

www.epdtonthenet.net

January 2020

7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020…

Our regular STEM column features a guest column from metrology & engineering technologies firm, Renishaw on its Technology Teardown workshops for schoolchildren…

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution

22

Taking the first steps to connectivity

23

12 billion IoT devices – and why design engineers should care…

25

IoT pushes frequency control to new dimensions

26

12 Looking ahead to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020 Show organisers, European Trade & Exhibition Services (ETES) preview the UK’s leading electronics trade show, Southern Manufacturing & Electronics, which takes place at Farnborough in February.

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27

IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement

Cover story

21

Also inside • Advanced tech paves the way for new phased array radar architectures • 7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020…

• Test instrumentation evolution for aero & defence gathers pace

191101_8-2_Mill_EPD_UK_Snipe.indd 1

11/1/19 3:10 PM

Guide to suppliers

EDITOR Mark Gradwell mark.gradwell@imlgroup.co.uk

DESIGN Graham Rich Design www.grahamrichdesign.co.uk

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Richard Woodruff richard.woodruff@imlgroup.co.uk

HEAD OFFICE IML Group, Blair House, 184/186 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1BQ Tel: 01732 359990 E-mail: epdt@imlgroup.co.uk

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Neil Whitaker neil.whitaker@imlgroup.co.uk PRODUCTION Holly Reed holly.reed@imlgroup.co.uk

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7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020

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January 2020

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Editorial

Comment

Will 2020 be the year of 5G?…

H

appy New Year – and welcome to your January issue of EPDT! It seems like industry has been talking about 5G for almost a decade. But as the first 5G network switch-ons took place in the UK and around the world in 2019, accompanied by 5G handset releases – and with many more roll-outs scheduled for this year – will 2020 finally be the year of 5G? To find out more, I recently attended a round table discussion on 5G featuring industry experts from EDA firm, Cadence, semiconductor companies, Analog Devices & Adesto, and mmWave pioneers, Blu Wireless…

Mark Gradwell, Editor

Simon Whittle, Technical Program Manager for the Wireless Systems Group within the Communications Business Unit of Analog Devices, argued that the landscape for the electronics industry was very good, with IoT and the trend towards increasing sensing, connectivity, intelligence and electronic content in all devices presenting lots of opportunity for growth. Automotive in particular will present huge opportunities for innovation, with AVs, v2x and platooning all examples of applications that 5G could enable.

To read more of this round table discussion, visit epdtonthenet.net/ blogs.aspx for a longer version of this editorial…

Inside EPDT this month…

The whole panel agreed that 5G would be about more than just another upgrade in speed and bandwidth – although inevitably, that is still what much of the consumer-facing mobile network operator (MNO) communication focuses on. Other key benefits include lower latency, more comprehensive coverage, lower power and more reliable uptime – enabling massive machine-to-machine communications (essential for IoT) and ultra-reliable low latency communications (essential for real-time and mission-critical applications, such as autonomous vehicles and v2x comms), as well as just enhanced mobile broadband. This is why most panelists agreed that the business and revenue opportunities were bigger in the industrial space, than consumer – with the real innovation likely to come in new business models (as well as unforeseen use cases and killer apps).

Henry Nurser, Chief Business Development Officer & co-founder at Blu Wireless cautioned that we should be realistic about adoption rates.

MNOs need to consider ROI, as a great deal of investment is required to deliver 5G – but the business models will likely look very difference from previous generations. Consumers are beginning to retain smartphone handsets for longer (towards 3-5 years, rather than 18-24 months) – and typically care far more about coverage and reliability than more speed.

And, crucially, they are not sold on needing to spend more to get 5G. Ian Dennison, Senior Group Director, Custom IC & PCB Group at Cadence, emphasised that much of the 5G innovation was in fronthaul, rather than backhaul, technologies that should help address these quality-of-service (QoS) issues. Self-organising small cells, optical through-the-air laser communications and AI assistance throughout the network chain – in the handset, at the edge and in the cloud – will all contribute to improved QoS, he argued.

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January 2020

This month’s issue contains features on Embedded technologies & Military & Aerospace applications, plus EPDT’s regular IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement. Our cover story (p12) looks ahead to the UK’s leading electronics trade show, Southern Manufacturing & Electronics, which takes place at Farnborough in February. For Embedded, we explore why electronic design projects fail – and how to get them back on track (p6); and in an FPGA primer, we review how the latest FPGAs offer unprecedented levels of flexibility & efficiency, providing a system-level solution to rising design complexity (p8). For Military & Aerospace, we outline how digital beamforming & rapid advancements in RF integration at the component level are helping drive new phased array radar architectures (p16). Our bi-annual IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement (p21) opens by reviewing some of the most popular IIoT stories from 2 years of EPDT sister title, Connectivity (p22).

It also explores how & why sensors provide the ideal starting point on the journey to digitalisation (p23), and looks ahead to 2020 to predict the IoT trends that might affect design engineers in the electronics industry (p25). We hear about what IoT means for users & manufacturers of frequency control products (p26) and we review 7 major Industry 4.0 trends for 2020 that will help define the factory of the future (p27). For T&M, we look at how the evolution of test instrumentation for aerospace & defence is gathering pace (p29). And finally, our regular STEM column features a guest post on Technology Teardown workshops for schoolchildren (p34).

Industry has been talking about 5G for almost a decade – but will 2020 finally be the year of 5G?...

epdtonthenet.net

Make the Connection

Connecting to the World, With and Without Wires You face enough challenges in your day. Microchip understands that, so we make adding connectivity to your design easy. Whether you need a robust and reliable wired connection or the mobility and convenience of wireless, Microchip’s broad portfolio will help you make the connection.

For added ease, our MCUs and MPUs are designed to be compatible with our wired and wireless devices. And we can help you get to market quickly with certified modules and production-ready protocol stacks.

Connect with Microchip and learn how to securely connect to the world around you.

Make the connection at www.microchip.com/Connected The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. Š 2018 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. DS00002768A. MEC2231Eng11/18

Feature Embedded

Electronics design rescue: why projects fail – and the road to recovery Even with the best requirements and specifications, electronics design projects can drift. Missed deadlines lead to slower time-to-market, frustration in both technical and management teams, and potential financial and reputational damage if a product isn’t delivered on time. The dreaded words, “stop ship” can cost a company dearly, with knock-on effects leading to financial loss or even penalties from customers. Here, Dunstan Power, Director at electronic & software design experts, ByteSnap Design examines the main causes of project failure, reviews some case studies of rescued projects – and outlines key tips to get back on track.

L

eo Tolstoy’s epic novel, Anna Karenina begins with the line: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”. This well-known quotation has given rise to a principle now known as the Anna Karenina principle, which states that deficiency in any one of a number of factors can condemn an endeavour to failure. Consequently, a successful endeavour (subject to this principle) is one where every possible deficiency has been avoided.

Main causes of project failure In other words, each unsuccessful project has its own unique problems. Sometimes, a single event is the cause; but often, it is a complex, intertwined set of factors that cumulatively result in failure.

ByteSnap Design is an award-winning embedded systems consultancy, and at this year’s Electronics Design Show, we launched a new discreet service designed to put struggling electronics projects back on track.

Each unsuccessful project has its own unique problems: sometimes, a single event is the cause; but often, it’s a complex, intertwined set of factors that cumulatively result in failure.

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Called the ByteSnap Design Rescue Service, it includes a thorough analysis of a project to identify reasons for failure, advice on the best approach for rescue, and provides realistic timelines for delivery. The service was developed for the increasing number of clients looking to troubleshoot ailing embedded electronics and software design projects.

Whether a project is drifting because of staff churn and issues with replacements, internal politics, incorrect component selection caused by lack of specific knowledge within a technical team, or developing a product that is simply too difficult to manufacture, getting a project back on track should be a priority – especially if costs are skyrocketing.

Based on reviews of the projects presented to ByteSnap Design for rescue, the following are the most common issues that lead or contribute to the failure of electronics design projects: 1. Obsolescence – electronics components going obsolete before the design is finished.

Embedded

2. Hardware choices – inappropriate hardware selection.

3. Redesign life limited – obsolescence workarounds are not possible or cost effective.

4. Field trial issues – intermittent failures of equipment in the field.

5. Slipping timescales – “we-can-learn-that” confidence, which is now hindering the design process, adding delays to product launch.

6. Skills leakage – project-critical design engineers leaving the business.

7. Lack of resources – meltdown in another product or a larger, more time-sensitive project, which requires all hands-on deck.

8. OS no longer best fit – operating system is no longer supported or secure.

Sample rescue projects

Let’s look at some sample projects we have worked on to see how they were turned around.

Far East failure A health-tech company had turned to a Far East electronics firm to design a specialist medical device for emergency responders. Six months later, over half the budget had been spent on a non-functioning device. ByteSnap conducted a feasibility study before subsequently carrying out all the hardware design and software design.

Another business had been working with an Original Design Manufacturer in the Far East who put together an architecture for a security camera that was unable to deliver the required performance. ByteSnap updated the architecture and ensured that the core software could still be used to finally get the product to market.

poor and following board review and redesign, it passed with flying colours.

Cutting corners Previous development efforts failed to deliver a working device for a client that originally wanted to customise an off-the-shelf solution, but then engaged a contractor to deliver a bespoke design. However, the resultant development ended with a non-functioning product, and unhappily, the client was “ghosted” by the contractor, who didn’t respond any of their calls and emails. ByteSnap was able to reverse engineer the device to salvage any hardware and software, and to ensure that the product was ready for manufacture.

Labs affected by obsolescence and failing software This company sold a lab device based on outdated software, without the latest security patches. Based on unsupported software, the design was rescued by recommending replacement embedded Linux software to ensure continued sales.

Another scientific firm needed a thorough understanding of why their lab software was failing, repeatedly crashing and rebooting – costing them thousands of pounds each time in lost experimental samples. ByteSnap stepped in to identify the root cause of failure, test the fix and save the client significant expense.

The Design Rescue process is straightforward and includes:

Feature

1. Open communication with those on the project, both technical staff and management. The development team needs to recognise there is a problem. Indeed, the hardest part of the process can often be making a start and admitting that there is a high risk of failure. A brief consultation with a design rescue engineer can establish the problem and understand the device or system involved.

2. Analysis of existing design. Towards the end of an initial free consultation, a design rescue consultant will state whether the project is salvageable, and provide an estimate of the time and cost involved.

3. Detailed design review by Design Rescue engineering experts. Modifying the system and testing the changes to get to the root cause of the problem and identify usable elements of the design.

4. Results verification and planning. The project owner and the rescue engineers discuss the changes and plan the next steps for the project. This could involve verifying the changes with a limited production run, or releasing modified software to a few key customers.

5. Integration. The design changes are pushed into production for implementation and the project owner is supported throughout the entire Design Rescue process.

ByteSnap supports clients throughout the entire Design Rescue process and for more information, please visit: https://www.bytesnap.com/ about-us/design-rescue-service-fixingelectronics-software-product-designs/

For another company, hardware designed in China was being hacked before ByteSnap updated the device to ensure it was secure.

EMC compliance test There have been some cases where the client has approached with a PCB which was failing all EMC compliance tests. Board layout was

The development team needs to recognise there is a problem: indeed, the hardest part of the process can often be making a start and admitting that there is a high risk of failure.

epdtonthenet.net

January 2020

7

Feature Embedded

FPGA primer: Programmable hardware offers scalable performance Programmability underpins the electronics industry, and it’s widely accepted that embedded software development now accounts for the majority of development budgets. However, programmability isn’t limited to microprocessors and microcontrollers. Devices that are configurable at the hardware level are also used extensively, and in some cases, can reduce or remove the need for microprocessors. And as Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at electronics distributor, Farnell tells us, the latest FPGAs offer unprecedented levels of flexibility and efficiency, providing a system-level solution to rising design complexity.

F

ield programmable gate arrays, or FPGAs, are the industry’s answer to custom ICs – without the engineering costs of developing an ASIC. Their architecture supports the implementation of application-specific digital logic that can deliver much higher performance than a microprocessor performing the same function at a software level.

Performance is one of the many reasons why FPGAs are used today but their benefits are much more far-reaching, making them viable in almost any application.

What is an FPGA?

Unlike a conventional integrated circuit, in which the vast majority of the functionality is fixed, an FPGA is a comparative blank canvas. The term ‘gate array’ refers to the logic gates that can be configured to create digital circuits such as shifters, adders or multipliers, which can be combined to create even more complex digital functions. It’s also possible to implement a complete microcontroller in an FPGA fabric, which can lower

Programmability underpins the electronics industry, and it’s widely accepted that embedded software development now accounts for the majority of development budgets.

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the overall Bill of Materials (BoM) and cost of the product.

While the array of gates is representative of what is going on inside an FPGA, in many cases they use look-up tables to mimic the output of a Karnaugh map, used to simplify logic expressions defined using Boolean algebra. The number of elements in a look-up table (often abbreviated by manufacturers to LUT) effectively determines how complex the equivalent Boolean expression can be.

Modern devices can feature hundreds of thousands of LUTs, but thankfully the engineer using the FPGA doesn’t need to do the translation from logic expression to look-up table – the manufacturer’s development environment handles that for them.

It also manages the most important part of configuring an FPGA (from a performance point of view), that of deciding which function will be placed where in the device. This ‘floor

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Feature Embedded

planning’, as it is known, is crucial to not only getting the best performance but also maximising the level of utilisation of a device.

As such, the technology is a closely guarded

by FPGA manufacturers, but the front-end design can often be handled by a range of development environments from other vendors, allowing engineers to use the environment they are most comfortable with.

This extends to the way the design is actually entered. The industry supports two languages designed specifically for developing hardware: VHDL and Verilog. These are termed hardware description languages (HDLs) because they literally describe the logic functions and their connections in much the same way as other high-level languages are used in software development. One of the most popular languages used in software development, C++, has also been adapted and extended to be used as an HDL, known as SystemC. Unlike software languages, HDLs operate concurrently; that is, all of the hardware described is running at the same time, irrespective of where it appears in the listing. This concurrent operation is one of the key concepts developers need to understand when designing FPGAs (or ASICs, for that matter).

As well as HDLs, FPGAs can also be designed using traditional schematic capture.

However, due to their constantly increasing

complexity and capacity it is now often more feasible to design complex FPGAs at a macro level using blocks of pre-designed (and pre-verified) functions that are ‘plugged’ together in the design environment. Leading FPGA vendors, such as Xilinx, offer libraries of logic blocks — or IP (intellectual property), as it’s known — for this purpose. Independent companies also develop IP, and in many cases it is the same IP an ASIC designer would use in a full-custom chip design.

Increasing flexibility, reducing design complexity

Programmable logic devices have been around for several decades and have evolved from being relatively simple to highly complex.

Their regular pattern has even helped the semiconductor industry to innovate, too, as they are often used to help optimise new geometries. As a result, FPGAs are normally the first commercially available ICs manufactured on leading-edge processes, which has helped them stay relevant and competitive.

Their inherently high performance and quick design cycles (compared to a full-custom ASIC) means they are popular choices in applications where performance is key and competition is high, such as the telecommunications industry. However, more recently, FPGA manufacturers have been integrating more and more fixed-functions alongside the

Hardware description languages (HDLs) literally describe the logic functions and their connections, in much the same way as other high-level languages are used in software development.

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configurable fabric. This provides engineers with the flexibility of an FPGA alongside the convenience of pre-configured functionality, making them more suitable in a wider range of applications.

As FPGAs are manufactured using the latest fabrication processes, they are also able to deliver the benefits of those processes. This means higher transistor density, of course, but it also means lower power. One criticism levelled at early FPGAs was their relatively high power consumption, when compared to a fixed-function device; this was unavoidable, given that they would typically use many more transistors to implement the same function.

However, the semiconductor industry has focused on bringing down power density in fabrication processes, in order to integrate more transistors. As a result, modern FPGAs can boast truly low power operation, making them viable in almost any application, even battery-powered devices. As an example, the Spartan-7 FPGA family from Xilinx provides 30% more performance than previous generations, but consumes just half the power.

The many benefits of programmable technology Another example of a programmable solution is the PSoC family from Cypress Semiconductor. These are highly integrated devices that offer a level of configurability most other programmable devices don’t, as they include both digital and analogue configurability.

Rather than being just an array of logic, PSoCs are also able to emulate analogue functions through switched capacitor technology. This is integrated alongside fixed

Embedded

functions and, in the case of the PSoC 6 family, includes dual microcontroller cores (an ARM Cortex-M4 and ARM Cortex-M0+). The PSoC 6 is manufactured on a 40nm process, meaning it can offer high performance without sacrificing ultra-low power.

The trend towards integrating fixed functions means that, increasingly, engineers no longer need to think of programmable devices as an ocean of uncommitted gates. Instead they should be viewed as a system with fixed functions that are tightly integrated and complemented by a configurable fabric.

These devices can normally be customised through a relatively simple ‘drag and drop’ approach which raises the abstraction level, effectively masking the underlying complexity.

It may appear that the benefits of using programmable devices are based primarily on their flexibility, and in many cases that would be enough reason to use an FPGA, instead of an alternative system-level solution. However, their benefits extend beyond flexibility – to include cost and performance.

Feature

hardware executes much faster than software, primarily because all of the hardware operates concurrently. This can easily be scaled up in an FPGA through parallelism; the same functional block can be repeated many times in the FPGA fabric, so that many results can be produced in very few clock cycles. This is most apparent in applications that require DSP functionality. Many FPGAs now integrate dedicated DSP blocks which can be augmented in the fabric through parallelism.

This may include building many hundreds of multiply-accumulate blocks, for example.

feasible to reconfigure the hardware functions of an FPGA, in the field.

Many (but not all) FPGAs are configured at power-up through a (normally external) non-volatile memory device, which contains the bit stream used to configure the device.

This highlights another advantage of FPGAs; they can be reprogrammed after they have left the manufacturer. It is now commonplace to issue ‘over the air’ firmware updates to software running on microcontrollers or microprocessors; in the same way, it is equally

Electronic product design is challenging, and the trend for connectivity in all things is just one reason why complexity is going up. System level solutions like FPGAs can significantly ease that complexity, as they offer a flexible approach to design through high levels of abstraction. FPGAs now offer some of the highest performance-perWatt figures in the industry, making them ideal in a wide range of applications. Flexibility has never been so efficient.

Design security is becoming more important to manufacturers. By putting more of the system in a single device like an FPGA, design security can be increased, while reducing the overall BoM and cost. Advanced security features are now integrated into FPGAs to further protect the customer’s IP, as well as the data being processed by the system.

Conclusion

Traditionally, an FPGA was most commonly chosen as an alternative to designing a full-custom solution, or ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). In this respect, the FPGA offers a much lower NRE (non-recurring engineering) cost, most notably in the verification stage of design (which, for an ASIC, can be extensive). While an ASIC offers a much lower unit cost than an FPGA, the large NRE (which includes the design time needed) would often mean an FPGA made better financial sense.

When compared against standard logic or ASSPs (application specific standard parts), as well as microcontrollers and DSPs (digital signal processors), an FPGA can often deliver greater performance. As explained earlier,

Electronic product design is challenging, and the trend for connectivity in all things is just one reason why complexity is going up.

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January January 2020 2020

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Events Show preview

Looking ahead to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020 Here, we look ahead to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics, which returns to Farnborough from February 11th to 13th 2020, with Phil Valentine, Managing Director of show organisers, European Trade & Exhibition Services (ETES). The show – the largest and longest running annual electronics exhibition in the UK – is already heading toward full occupancy of the 20,000m² Farnborough International Exhibition Centre. With over half the total exhibition space dedicated to electronics, the show offers a comprehensive range of exhibitors from all over the UK, together with off-shore exhibitors from across Europe, Asia and the Far East.

F

or many visitors, the appeal of Southern – according to exit polls from previous shows – is its broad coverage of every aspect of electronics production and test. Within one show, you can find numerous component suppliers, offering everything from passive components to highly specialised ASICs, along with a wide range of production equipment and hardware, including automation and inspection, plus an incredible diversity of service providers and subcontractors. Alongside the latest hardware, there’s a fantastic range of business management aids, including ERP software and Industry 4.0 solutions, not to mention the more mundane items that every enterprise needs – from storage systems to consumables. The theme of this year’s event is “make it better”, and by offering thousands of ways to improve performance, productivity and efficiency, the show aims to do just that…

For many visitors, the appeal of Southern – according to exit polls from previous shows – is its broad coverage of every aspect of electronics production & test.

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Southern Manufacturing is a comprehensive marketplace for electronic components, featuring a huge variety of vendors from across Europe and further afield. Hamamatsu Photonics, a leading Japanese manufacturer of optoelectronic components and systems, will be showcasing a range of products at Southern Manufacturing, including X-ray cameras and sources for NDT, to laser systems for plastics welding, printed electronics sintering and light measuring devices for many LiDAR applications. CODICO is a leading Austrian distributor of high-quality active and passive electronic components and interconnect systems.

CODICO offers a wide range of components and technologies including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IoT, M2M, embedded system-on-modules (SoMs), smart sensors, power management and displays. At Southern 2020, the firm will focus particularly on its power management solutions ranging from discrete components and DC-DC modules through to both open and enclosed AC-DC power supplies. Medical, smart and configurable power supplies will also feature on the Cosel stand. Visitors will see a

Show preview range of single output and configurable output power supplies which offer digital communication as standard. Connected by UART or PMBus, users can monitor and control up to 85 commands on the power supply, including digitally adjusting output voltage, constant current-constant voltage mode and life expectancy.

Closer to home, Easby Electronics returns in force to Southern Manufacturing 2020, showcasing a broad range of products aimed at, amongst others, the industrial, mil-aero, medical and automotive markets. In the expanding EV (electric vehicles) market, Easby and its long-term manufacturing partner, Degson offer several solutions, including 32Amp Type2 sockets to IEC62196-2 and 32amp Type 1 & 2 cables. Displays will feature prominently on the stand in 2020, with Raystar and Team Source both able to offer the latest in IPS TFT displays, OLED displays and traditional STN/FSTN type LCD character and graphics modules.

Smaller components, such as switches and connectors, are also well represented at the show. RJS1NLP switches are the latest edition to RJS Electronic’s ‘low profile’ switch range, available in sizes from 12mm to 25mm, with IP67/IP68 rating and RGB illumination. This entire series has an ultra-low profile of 12.3mm from the underside of the bezel. In a typical 3mm panel, this would mean there is only 9.3mm behind the panel, including switch terminals. Scolmore showcases a raft of new additions to its IEC Lock range. IEC Lock is a unique mechanism for locking IEC connectors and is designed to provide protection against accidental disconnection of computer equipment, servers and most network devices, by way of a unique and patented locking mechanism. E-tec Interconnect’s recently expanded range of waterproof and flexible interconnects will also be available to view at Southern Manufacturing this year. These will include highly reliable IPX7-rated wire-to-wire waterproof connectors, available in 2mm pitch with 2, 3, or 4 contacts.

More specialist components include a new range of LoRa (long range) radio modules and a new range of off-the-shelf products from RF Solutions. The Lambda 62 RF module will be showcased. This 868/915Mhz LoRa transceiver is a cost-effective radio module, featuring Semtech SX1262 LoRa, for a range of over 20km. Coilcraft supplies critical-grade magnetics for RF and power applications.

Amongst other products, the firm will be showing the AExxxRBA family of moulded, space-grade chip inductors from its Critical

Products & Services group. Available in standard 0603 and 0805 footprints, they meet NASA low outgassing requirements (ASTM E595) and are resistant to harsh-chemical/ high-PSI washes.

Production and test hardware on show this year includes five new machines from Automated Cable Solutions, including the Carpenter cut and strip machine, PP3+ stripper crimper, a multi-core wire stripper and digital microscope.

Visitors will be able to see hand tools, mini-applicators, crimping presses, wire pull testers, cable feeders and a whole fleet of machines for cutting cable and tubing.

Meanwhile, Hakko launches a thermal wire stripper, as an alternative to mechanical strippers and hand tools. The FT-802 satisfies the demands of the military, medical and aerospace industries. It ensures the precise, clean-cut removal of wire insulation, even through highly heat-resistant PTFE, says the company, and improved flexibility allows for tangle-free operation. It can also be used for the stripping of insulation from single core wires.

Events

Regular exhibitors returning for 2020 include the award-winning Bytesnap Design, JJS Manufacturing, Selwyn Electronics, K Lacey Cables and Hammond Manufacturing, among many others. Offshore manufacturers represented include Shenzhen X-Mulong Circuit, Volburg, Chinasavvy Manufacturing, Eurokubas Custom Cables and MV Circuit Technology.

In addition to the exhibition and demonstration areas, the free seminar programme is another feature of the show, tremendously popular with electronics and manufacturing professionals.

Two programmes run in tandem in two theatres over three days, devoted to manufacturing and electronics respectively. Topics tackled include technology, innovation, business management, marketing, and a review of ongoing industrial law and regulations. Free access to this variety of high-calibre industry and business knowledge provides a further compelling reason for manufacturing professionals to attend the exhibition.

Instrumentation, electronics and software design specialists, Beam will be presenting its new BMeasure-125i data acquisition, logging and control IoT product, a flexible and powerful system for data capture, data logging and control. Applications include scientific/ engineering research, industrial measurements, vibration measurements and remote sensing.

Farnborough International Conference & Exhibition Centre offers complimentary car parking for 3,500 vehicles, and is well-served by road and public transport links. A regular free shuttle bus service operates from both of Farnborough’s mainline railway stations directly to the exhibition. The venue itself provides a high standard of facilities, including complimentary WiFi service in the foyer area, as well as high quality catering outlets.

Subcontract production services are another key feature of the show, with a wide range of companies offering an equally wide range of services, from design and test through to PCB production and full contract manufacturing.

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020 opens from February 11th to 13th. Admission to the exhibition is free of charge. More information and tickets are available from www.industrysouth.co.uk

Farnborough International Conference & Exhibition Centre offers complimentary car parking for 3,500 vehicles, and is well-served by road and public transport links.

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13

Advertorial Exhibitor preview

Exhibitor highlights at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2020

S

outhern Manufacturing & Electronics brings together an incredible range of global suppliers including major international component vendors, production equipment, automation and Industry 4.0 solutions, consumables and every type of subcontract engineering service, from PCB manufacture to complete box build. Everything your electronics business needs to operate efficiently and profitably can be found at one show.

Circular connectors for huge variety of applications binder design and produce circular connectors for a huge variety of applications across many sectors, including factory automation and industrial data & communications systems. binder will be showing the latest examples from its comprehensive

range of connectors, including M5, M8 and M12 connectors designed for the growing sensors and controls market, and connector systems specifically for the medical and food and beverage sectors.

Stand C110

Easby Electronics approaches 40-year anniversary Easby Electronics has provided customers in markets including industrial, mil-aero, medical and automotive with components, solutions and high levels of service for almost 40 years.

In the expanding EV market, Easby and its manufacturing partner, Degson offer solutions including 32Amp Type2 Sockets to IEC62196-2 and 32amp

Type 1 & 2 Cables. Products are certified to UL, TUV, CE & CB depending on the region. Displays will also feature prominently at the show, with Raystar and Team Source both offering the latest in IPS TFT displays, OLED displays and traditional STN/FSTN type LCD character & graphics modules.

Stand J30

CODICO – the COmponent Design-In COmpany CODICO stands for the design-in and distribution of high-quality active and passive electronic components and interconnect systems. It offers a wide range of components and technologies from franchised partners that includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IoT, M2M,

embedded system-on-modules, smart sensors, displays and power management – ranging from discrete components, DC-DC modules through to both open and enclosed AC-DC power supplies.

Stand E95

BT2000 for sensors, power & wireless Broadband Technology 2000 (BT2000), based in Finchampstead, Berkshire, are franchised suppliers of some of the world’s most innovative electronic products and solutions. Its range of electronic components, modules and

antennas are used in a hugely diverse range of applications, including sensors, power, wireless, IOT & M2M, and semiconductors. Come and find out about our latest new product releases.

Stand P60

Entry is free, there’s free on-site parking and a free technical seminar programme running continuously over the three days of the show. For tickets, simply visit www.industrysouth.co.uk and you can follow all the latest news from the show on Twitter @industry_co_uk #southmanf or on Facebook @SouthernManufacturing

14

January 2020

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FREE SEMINARS FREE PARKING

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Where Industry and Innovation converge Meet over 800 national and international suppliers at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre this February at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics (inc AutoAero) 2020. See live demonstrations and new product launches of machine tools & tooling, electronics, factory & process automation, packaging & handling, labeling & marking, test & measurement, materials & adhesives, rapid prototyping, ICT, drives & controls and laboratory equipment.

Free industry seminar programme online @ www.industrysouth.co.uk The exhibition is free to attend, free to park and easy to get to. Doors open at 9.30am on Tuesday 11th February.

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Feature Military & aerospace

Advanced technologies pave the way for new phased array radar architectures A proliferation of digital beamforming phased array technologies is emerging, spawned by both military and commercial applications, along with the rapid advancements in RF integration at the component level. While much of the discussion centres around massive MIMO and automotive radar, a great deal of recent radar development and beamforming R&D has actually been in the defence industry – and is now being adapted for commercial applications. While phased array and beamforming moved from R&D efforts to reality in the 2000s, Peter Delos, RF & Microwave Technical Lead at semiconductor company specialising in data conversion, signal processing & power management, Analog Devices tells us that a new wave of defence-focused arrays are now expected, enabled by industrial technology offering solutions that were previously cost prohibitive.

F

igure 2 shows a generic beamforming phased array signal flow. The number of elements is chosen at the system architect level, based on aperture size, power and antenna pattern requirements. Frontend modules are behind each antenna element.

Figure 1. Phased array system examples

An analogue beamforming layer sits behind the front-end modules. In classical phased arrays, the analogue beamforming subsystem combines all the elements to centralised receiver channels. An every element digital beamforming phased array has waveform

generators and receivers behind every front-end module, and the analogue beamforming layer is eliminated. In many systems today, some level of analogue beamforming is common. The waveform generator and receiver channels serve to

convert digital data to the operating band RF frequencies. Digital beamforming is accomplished by first equalising the channels, then applying phase shifts and amplitude weights to the ADC data, followed by a summation of the ADC data across the array. Many beams can be formed simultaneously, limited only by digital processing capability.

Analog Devices has solutions for every section of a beamforming system illustrated, and for both analogue and digital beamforming architectures.

Analogue versus digital beamforming challenges The objective of a digital beamforming phased array is the simultaneous generation of many antenna patterns for a single set of receiver data.

Figure 2. Generic beamforming phased array signal flow

A proliferation of digital beamforming phased array technologies is emerging, spawned by both military & commercial applications, along with the rapid advancements in RF integration at the component level.

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January 2020

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Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution IN PRINT

It contains some of the best content published over the last two years, ranging from tutorials, case studies, technical articles, opinion pieces and industry focuses.

Covering topics on Cybersecurity, Big Data, Predictive Maintenance, Robotics and much more, it gives readers a real insight into the Industry 4.0 and IIoT space and acts as an ideal guide to those starting on their Industry 4.0 journey.

YOUR INDUSTRY 4.0 & IIOT GUIDE

To celebrate its anniversary, Connectivity brings you a special print version.

To request your personal print copy please email paige.west@imlgroup.co.uk Or you can view the digital issue here: https://bit.ly/37uU8qB

Feature Military & aerospace

ed Technologies Pave the Way for New Phased Array Radar Architectures

beamforming layer is behind the front-end modules. In clasRF Signal Chains ed arrays, the analog beamforming subsystem combines all Table 1 shows some of the most common receiver architectures in use nts to centralized receiver channels. An every element digital today. The superheterodyne, direct sampling, and direct conversion ming phased array has waveform generators and receivers architectures form the basis of most RF systems. Although only the ery front-end module, and the analog beamforming layer is Figure 3: Digital beamforming antenna pattern 4. Embedded digital features offload FPGA processing receiver is shown, Figure the topologies also apply to the waveform generator . In many systems today, some level of analog beamforming is signal chains.

The waveform generator and receiver channels serve to convert Figureband 3 shows the antenna at is conversion architectures form the basis a to the operating RF frequencies.

Digitalpatterns beamforming Table 1. Receiver Architecture Options hed by firstan equalizing thethe channels, then applying phase element, combined elements in shifts a of most RF systems. Although only the Configuration Benefits Challenges ude weights to the ADC data, followed by a summation of the subarray, and the beamformed data at receiver is shown, the topologies also X Proven and across the array. Many beams can be formed simultaneously, trusted antenna level. apply to the waveform generator signal y by digitalthe processing capability.

LO

vices has solutions for every section of a beamforming system The primary obstacle of the subarrayed and for both analog and digital beamforming architectures.

approach is that beamformed data must be within the pattern of the tive of a digital beamforming phased array is the simultaneous subarray.

Withfor a single n of many antenna patterns a singlesubarray, set of receiver data. simultaneous cannot hows the antenna patternspatterns at an element, the be combined in a subarray, and the beamformed data at theangles. antennaItlevel. generated at widely different ry obstaclewould of the subarrayed approach is that beamformed be desirable to eliminate the be within the pattern of the subarray. and With aproduce single subarray, analogue beamformer an ous patterns cannot be generated at widely different angles. It every element digital beamforming desirable to eliminate the analog beamformer and produce an andsystem with today’s technology, ment digital system, beamforming and with today’s technology, w possible at L- is andnow S-band.

At higher frequencies, size and this possible at Land S-band. straints often necessitate some level of analog beamforming.

At higher frequencies, size and power the quest remains to approach near elemental digital beamoften necessitate some level which placesconstraints significant demands on the waveform generators ers. of analogue beamforming. However, the quest remains to approach beamforming challenges place demands onnear the waveform and receivers to reducedigital size andbeam-forming, power, there is a simultaneous elemental which increase bandwidth for most system applications. These objecplaces significant demandstypically on therequires against each other, as increased bandwidth generators and receivers. current andwaveform additional circuit complexity.

vs. Digital Beamforming Challenges

amforming relies on the coherent addition of the distributed generatorWhile and receiver channels. This challenges places additional the beamforming s on both synchronization of theon many and system place demands thechannels waveform s of noise contributions.

generators and receivers to reduce size and power, there is a simultaneous demand to increase bandwidth for most system applications. These Digitally Beamformed objectives work against each other, as increased bandwidth typically requires additional current and additional circuit Subarray complexity.

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The superheterodyne approach, which has been around for a hundred years now, is well proven and provides exceptional performance.

Unfortunately, it is also the most complicated. It typically requires the most power and the largest physical footprint relative to the available bandwidth, and frequency planning can be quite challenging at large fractional bandwidths.

The direct sampling approach has long been sought after, the obstacles being operating the converters at speeds commensurate with direct RF sampling and achieving large input bandwidth.

The superheterodyne approach, which has been around for a hundred years now, is well proven and provides exceptional performance. Unfortunately, it is also the most complicated. It typically requires the most power and the largest physical footprint relative to the available bandwidth, and frequency planning can be quite challenging at large fractional bandwidths.

The direct sampling approach has long been sought after, the obstacles being operating the converters at speeds commensurate with direct RF sampling and achieving large input bandwidth.

Today, converters are available for direct sampling in higher Nyquist bands at both L- and S-band. In addition, advances are continuing with C-band sampling soon to be practical, and X-band sampling to follow.

Direct conversion architectures provide the most efficient use of the data converter bandwidth. The data converters operate in the first Nyquist, Direct conversion architectures provide the most efficient use of the data where performance is optimum and Figure 5. Analogue beamforming converter bandwidth. The data converters operate in the first Nyquist, Digital beamforming relies on the low-pass filtering is easier. The two where performance is optimum and low-pass filtering is easier. The two Element coherent addition of the distributed data converters work together data converters work together sampling I/Q signals, thus increasing the without thechains challenges of interleaving. The dominant chalwaveform generator and receiver channels. user bandwidth RF signal sampling I/Q signals, thus increasing the user lenge that has plagued the direct conversion architecture for years has This places additional challenges on both Table 1 shows some of the most common bandwidth without the challenges of been to maintain I/Q balance for acceptable levels of image rejection, LO Angle synchronisation of the many channels and leakage,receiver architectures usethe today.

The integration of theinterleaving. The dominant challenge that has and dc offsets.

In recent in years, advanced entire direct conversion signal chain,sampling combinedand withdirect digital calibrations, system allocations superheterodyne, direct plagued the direct conversion architecture for gital beamforming antenna pattern. of noise contributions. has overcome these challenges, and the direct conversion architectureyears has been to maintain I/Q balance for acceptable levels of image rejection, LO The future will bring increased bandwidth & lower power, while maintaining high leakage and dc offsets. In recent years, the levels of performance, and integrating complete signal chains in system-on-chip advanced integration of the entire direct conversion signal chain, combined with digital (SoC) or system-in-package (SiP) solutions. calibrations, has overcome these challenges,

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January 2020

Today, converters are available for direct sampling in higher Nyquist bands at both L- and S-band. In addition, advances are continuing with C-band sampling soon to be practical, and X-band sampling to follow.

epdtonthenet.net

Military & aerospace

Figure 6. A multi-subarrayed analogue beamforming architecture and the direct conversion architecture is well positioned to be a very practical approach in many systems. Here at Analog Devices, we are continually advancing the technology for all the signal chain options described. The future will bring increased bandwidth and lower power, while maintaining high levels of performance, and integrating complete signal chains in system-on-chip (SoC) or system-in-package (SiP) solutions.

Data converter digital assistance

Data converter analogue performance will continue to improve, and these improvements at the analogue level will include increased sampling rates for wider bandwidth, increased channel count and maintaining the key performance metrics of noise, density and linearity. These benefits will drive all of the RF signal chain solutions described, aiding new phased array solutions.

An area of increased importance at the system level is the recent addition of many digital functions (as shown in Figure 4) that can be used to offload FPGA processing and help the overall system. Recently released data converters include digital downconversion and filtering, which potentially reduces the data rate to the FPGA, reducing system power and FPGA processing requirements. Emerging Analog Devices data converters will continue to add functionality, such as equalisation and features at the front end of the digital beamforming processing.

Analogue beamforming

At high frequencies or for low power systems, an every element system is challenged by size and power requirements. The use of analogue beamforming reduces the number of waveform generator and receiver channels required to be digitised.

Feature

Figure 7. Example front-end module block diagram

Analogue beamforming of phased array antennae is accomplished by adjusting the phase of the signal in individual elements to steer the direction of the radiation pattern or beam. Figure 5a shows a generic analogue beamforming example. Phase shifters are provided on both transmit/receive for beam steering, and many elements are combined to a single output. Figure 5b shows a functionally equivalent example, where the phase shifter and attenuator are common to both the transmitter and receiver path enabled by microwave switches. The latter topology reduces the number of phase shifters and attenuators required, but may require more frequent command updates to the devices.

To overcome the constraints of a single subarray, multiple subarrays can be produced with a topology, such as shown in Figure 6.

In this topology the low noise amplifier (LNA) outputs are split to many analogue beamformers, where N number of elements can produce M number of analogue subarray beams. Each analogue beamformer is programmed for a different antenna pattern. By repeating the Figure 6 topology across an array, digitally beamformed patterns can be created at widely disparate angles. This topology is one type of hybrid architecture that can provide the benefits of every element digital system, but with a reduced waveform generator and receiver count. The trade-off in this case is the analogue beamformer complexity.

Traditional analogue beamformers would have required a single function GaAs phase shifter and single function GaAs attenuator for each antenna element. More advanced approaches integrate

the phase shifter and attenuator into a single GaAs front-end IC, that includes the power amplifier (PA), LNA and switch. Analog Devices integrated analogue beamformer chips achieve significant integration in SiGe BiCMOS technology, that incorporate four channels into a single IC with a reduced footprint, and less power dissipation.

Front-end modules

The front-end modules, sometimes called transmit/receive (T/R) modules, provide the interface to the antenna element. The front-end module is critical in terms of transmit power and efficiency, as well as receiver noise. The high power amplifiers (HPA) set the output power. The LNA establishes the system noise performance.

Many systems require provisions for calibration or additional filters, and an example front-end module block diagram is shown in Figure 7.

Summary

Digital beamforming phased arrays are now common, and rapid proliferation is expected with a huge range of frequencies and architectures being developed from L-band through to W-band.

Analog Devices is enabling new system developments with SiGe beamformers, microwave frequency conversion, front-end modules and high speed converters. Our beamforming solutions, combined with our power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers and switch technology enable Analog Devices to be the only antenna-to-bits supplier in the market, offering optimised solutions to our customers’ complex system problems at both the semiconductor and integrated subsystem level.

Its beamforming solutions, combined with power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers & switch technology, enables Analog Devices to be the only antenna-to-bits supplier in the industry, offering optimised solutions to complex system problems at both the semiconductor & integrated subsystem level.

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January January 2020 2020

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IoT &

INDUSTRY 4.0

SUPPLEMENT

www.epdtonthenet.net

January 2020

7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020…

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution

22

Taking the first steps to connectivity

23

12 billion IoT devices – and why design engineers should care…

25

IoT pushes frequency control to new dimensions

26

27

Editorial IoT & Industry 4.0

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution

W

elcome to EPDT’s twice-yearly IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement. As electronics, intelligence and connectivity continue to proliferate throughout consumer and industrial products and infrastructure, EPDT continues to cover them in this biannual supplement, as well as threaded through other features. And for everything you need to know about how to get the best out of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), you should also check out EPDT sister title, Connectivity, over at www. connectivity4ir.co.uk. Meanwhile, as Connectivity celebrates its 2-year anniversary, we’ve invited Connectivity Editor, Paige West to write this guest editorial intro to our supplement…

Many in industry are aware of these concepts, but often also have little or no knowledge of where to start. That’s why, a little over two years ago, we launched EPDT’s sister title, Connectivity (www. connectivity4ir.co.uk). Comprising a daily updated website, a weekly newsletter and growing social media channels, Connectivity offers “thought leadership” from industry experts to UK engineers, highlighting the practical benefits of Industry 4.0 – and takes readers through how best to implement digital IIoT technologies.

According to the Made Smarter independent review of industrial digitalisation, by 2030, the UK will be the global leader in the creation, adoption and export of advanced digital technologies, shaping how the modern world does business. These new technologies will enable faster, more responsive and more efficient processes to deliver improved productivity and higher quality products, at reduced cost.

To celebrate our two-year anniversary, we decided to publish a special 60-page printed edition of Connectivity. It contains the best and most popular IIoT editorial content we’ve produced and featured over the last two years, ranging from tutorials, case studies, technical articles, viewpoints and opinion pieces, and industry spotlights. Covering topics on cybersecurity, big data, predictive maintenance, robotics and much more, with industry focuses on packaging, food & beverage, aerospace and others, it aims to give readers a valuable insight into the IIoT space – and to act as a guide to those starting out on their Industry 4.0 journey.

According to the Made Smarter independent review of industrial digitalisation, by 2030, the UK will be the global leader in the creation, adoption & export of advanced digital technologies, shaping how the modern world does business.

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January 2020

epdtonthenet.net

Paige West, Editor, Connectivity

Access the special edition at: www.connectivity4ir.co.uk I hope you enjoy our special issue and please let me know if there are any specific topics you would like to see Connectivity cover in more detail in the future – you can email me at paige.west@imlgroup.co.uk. Look out for my comment boxes on each article too, as they’ll give you a brief insight into why I selected each piece for inclusion!

Paige West Editor, Connectivity

In this supplement: This edition of your IoT & Industry 4.0 supplement contains features exploring how & why sensors provide the ideal starting point on the journey to digitalisation (p23); looking ahead to 2020 to predict the IoT trends that might affect design engineers in the electronics industry (p25); outlining what IoT means for users & manufacturers of frequency control products (p26); and reviewing 7 major Industry 4.0 trends for 2020 that will help define the factory of the future (p27).

IoT & Industry 4.0

Feature

Taking the first steps to connectivity In this article, Paul Streatfield, Strategic Product Manager at industrial automation experts, Bosch Rexroth explores how and why sensors provide the ideal starting point on the journey to digitalisation – and shares advice on how to realise the business benefits of the internet of things (IoT).

W

ith all the talk of IoT, Industry 4.0 and the wealth of benefits digitalisation can bring to manufacturers, it’s easy to get swept up in the potential and overlook the essential first steps of digital adoption.

With connectivity at its heart, an effective Industry 4.0 set-up brings together people and machines throughout the manufacturing process to enhance flexibility, boost robustness and optimise resource allocation – effectively creating a wastefree value stream which makes businesses more productive and profitable.

Alongside the trend of digitalisation, manufacturers are faced with a host of challenges in today’s fast-paced, global marketplace. Increased international competition, shifting customer demands

and the need to meet stringent environmental goals are all placing ever greater pressure on manufacturers. With Industry 4.0 offering potential solutions which prepare manufacturers to better handle these hurdles, the challenge lies in how to successfully implement Industry 4.0-ready technologies to achieve the best results for the bottom line.

Sensors: the starting point for your digital journey As the front line of the fourth industrial revolution, sensors enable the fundamental collection of data and process monitoring which can empower clear planning decisions, validate connectivity predictions and help to manage the risks associated with change.

As the front line of the fourth industrial revolution, sensors enable the fundamental collection of data and process monitoring to empower clear decision making and help manage the risks associated with change.

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Feature IoT & Industry 4.0 It’s for this reason that the correct installation of sensors should form the first stage of any digitalisation strategy. Fitted onto an assembly cell, machine or tooling equipment – either new or legacy – these sensors can be connected to software which can measure variables such as temperature, pressure, vibration and power consumption.

For businesses experiencing digital connectivity for the first time, sensors deliver a highly controlled, manageable and cost-effective first step to a connected environment.

Equipping those on the factory floor with an inside view into machinery, sensors – together with accompanying measurement and analysis software – gather and interpret data, facilitating a greater understanding of the complex dynamics at play within critical equipment, in real time. With this detailed insight, the digital strategy can be specifically targeted to those areas which will deliver the greatest return on investment (ROI) – either through improved productivity, predictive maintenance or automation of processes.

Defining the problem

With sensors capable of being retrofitted to equipment quickly and cheaply, those in charge of the digital strategy first need to identify where digitalisation can deliver the most effective results. In virtually every production process, there is room for improvement – be it increasing efficiency, improving quality and consistency, or maximising uptime. By identifying these

challenges early on, manufacturers can save both time and money by targeting their digital adoption strategy on specific parts of their processes.

Connecting the inputs

Once the focus areas for initial digital investment are decided, it’s necessary to reduce the complexity of data formats and protocols, which often differ between individual pieces of equipment. Gateway software – such as Rexroth’s IoT Gateway – provides an easy-to-configure solution to help get manufacturers up and running as soon as possible. Featuring open interfaces and manufacturer-independent solutions, Gateway helps future proof systems and make it possible to connect all machinery within a facility quickly and easily.

Leveraging connectivity

Once sensors have been installed and configured to collect the data required within each of the processes being monitored, their functionality can be further enhanced through higher level systems. Enabling data to be transmitted and displayed in real time to a central location, these systems elevate sensors from being simple plug-and-play devices to an integrated system, which is integral to the business’ infrastructure and allows manufacturers to leverage the full suite of benefits provided through connectivity.

With data now visible from a strategic vantage point – rather than just at plant level

– machines and processes can be controlled and optimised to deliver higher levels of performance and productivity for the business. The introduction of smart sensors also facilitates a plant’s requirements to quickly adapt to demand, enabling actions such as rapid product changeovers.

It is these immediate benefits – even at the early stages of a digital adoption strategy – which begin to prove the effectiveness of Industry 4.0 for manufacturers and support the need for additional investment further down the line.

Continuous improvement

Once a network of sensors is in place, it’s not enough to simply take stock of their initial benefits. Rather, by taking a continuous improvement approach, data should be continually analysed for its full potential to be realised.

This is where defining problems in the early stages of digital adoption really pays off.

If a manufacturer’s goal is to cut down on downtime through an optimised digital strategy, data can be geared towards identifying problems which commonly cause downtime – such as abnormal levels of machine vibration or increased operating temperature.

An incremental approach

Rexroth has first-hand experience in implementing such systems through its own Factory of the Future. Based in Homburg, Germany, improvements have already been seen in areas such as product quality, productivity and energy efficiency, while costs associated with downtime have been reduced by 25%.

It is here, in the Factory of the Future, where Rexroth proves the viability of digitalisation and an incremental approach to achieving Industry 4.0 success. For many businesses, the idea of delivering a complete digital overhaul in one go is almost impossible to achieve, requiring considerable levels of investment and a period of shutdown to install new technologies.

Bosch Rexroth’s own Factory of the Future has already achieved improvements in areas such as product quality, productivity and energy efficiency, while costs associated with downtime have been reduced by 25%.

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A more successful alternative is a step-by-step and highly strategic approach, which allows businesses enough time to make well-researched and soberly considered decisions regarding their digital adoption strategy. The key is that Industry 4.0 is an evolution, not a revolution – making sensors the ideal first step to leveraging the benefits of connectivity.

IoT & Industry 4.0

Feature

12 billion IoT devices – and why design engineers should care…

According to Gartner, it was expected that by 2020 there will be more than 12 billion IoT sensors and devices in use. The market is ever growing, with applications in everything from flight path optimisation and tracking production in oil fields to robotic control and vertical farming. Here, Michele Windsor, Global Marketing Manager at battery manufacturer, Accutronics looks ahead to 2020 and predicts the IoT trends that might effect design engineers in the electronics industry.

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he growth in the industrial IoT market shows no signs of slowing down, which means we will see more data used and, in turn, more traffic in 2020. The whispers around 5G are also getting louder and it will become increasingly common to find it in use in industry, particularly in factory control applications.

This in turn means increased security will be a key priority, as the number of devices and users expands.

In a recent series of lectures, Martti Mäntylä, Professor of Information Technology (Enterprise Systems) at Finland’s Aalto University, and head of its industrial networks programme, asked: “Can 5G provide a management and operational architecture for 20+ billion smart devices, providing the right mix of characteristics needed by next generation industrial use cases?”

This question is particularly relevant, given that network developments are ongoing, and both edge and mesh technologies are evolving.

Edge devices continue to perform with efficiency and speed, while mesh devices communicate with each other, utilising a network topology in which each radio node relays data for the network, without a need for internet access at all.

Similarly, advancements in Bluetooth mean that it too is primed for use in an industrial setting, where short bursts of data need to be sent in a noisy environment, in which hundreds of

sensors and devices are also transmitting.

Devices communicating with each other, either via Bluetooth, or on a mesh or edge network, delivers multiple opportunities for designers working on both home and industrial automation devices and networks. However, they also present unique challenges when incorporating batteries, particularly with regards to the frequency with which the device must pulse if it isn’t attached to a power grid. Because of the importance of uptime in network communication, backup power is vital.

It’s of paramount importance that all nodes have sufficient power to deal with the consequent, infrequent high-frequency bursts of energy. The CR123A from Accutronics’ parent company, Ultralife is a long-life battery that works perfectly with all sensors and is equipped to deal with these infrequent and intense bursts, without deteriorating quickly.

These batteries find applications in digital video cameras, SLR cameras, flashes, portable lights, smoke alarms, security systems, beacons and Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT), as well as sensors, handheld electronics and IoT devices.

The voltage range is 1.5V to 3.3V and nominal voltage is 3.0 V, while dimensions are 34.5mm x 17.0mm.

It’s difficult to envisage what 12.9 billion IoT devices looks like; in fact 12 billion of anything is difficult to comprehend. For instance, 12 billion seconds is a very difficult time period to visualise – but, for reference, it’s 380 years!

So, if you want to imagine the size of market opportunity new IoT devices represent for design engineers, just imagine 380 new opportunities every single second for 12 months. With business moving that fast, next year will be here in no time at all!

It’s difficult to envisage what 12.9 billion IoT devices looks like; in fact 12 billion of anything is difficult to comprehend!

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Feature IoT & Industry 4.0

IoT pushes frequency control to new dimensions Much has been written about the Internet of Things (IoT), but what does it mean for users and manufacturers of frequency control products, asks Shaun Mellors, Director at AEL Crystals. IoT or Industry 4.0 represents the rapidly expanding concept of universally linked systems communicating together via the internet, usually with little or no human intervention, often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution.

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oT technology is already driving increased home automation (smart thermostats and connected lighting being examples of early adopters), enabled by the convergence of devices and data across the web. Such devices bring a new dimension to frequency control through their use of multiple wireless protocols, including Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave, 6LoWPAN and, more recently, CSRmesh, Sigfox and Thread, for data handling.

The challenge faced by frequency control product manufacturers is meeting the demand for reliable wireless frequency generation, while at the same time increasing miniaturisation, reducing power consumption (for extended battery life) and providing consistent performance over broad operating specifications.

As more and more mainstream applications look to adopt IoT technologies, AEL Crystals has partnered with one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of MEMs timing technology, SiTime, to add its MEMs oscillators to its range of frequency control products. Its SiT15xx 32.768 kHz MEMS timing solutions are designed for mobile, IoT and wearable applications, where space and power are critical.

One particular area where the SiTime MEMs devices offer significant advantages for IoT applications is the clocking for monitoring circuitry. The real-time clock (32.768 kHz) is always-on, contributing to extended battery life.

The silicon-based MEMS oscillators also offer high levels of integration, new packaging options and space savings. Employing modern packaging technologies, they consist of a MEMS resonator die, mounted on top of a high-performance, programmable analogue oscillator IC, which is moulded into a standard low-cost plastic surface-mount device (SMD) package (with footprints compatible with quartz devices).

Devices are available in a 2.0 x 1.2 mm (2012) SMD package for designs that require crystal resonator compatibility. SiT15xx 2012

One particular area where SiTime MEMs devices offer significant advantages for IoT applications is the clocking for monitoring circuitry – with the always-on real-time clock contributing to extended battery life.

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oscillators have power supply (Vdd) and ground (GND) pins in the centre area, between two large crystal pads.

To support the space demands of ultra-miniaturised applications, they are also available in ultra-small chip-scale packages (CSP).

SiT15xx CSP devices reduce footprint by up to 80% compared to existing 2012 SMD crystal packages – and are 60% smaller than the 1610 (1.6 x 1.0 mm) crystal package.

In addition to real time clock (RTC) products, SiTime offers the SiT8021, the industry’s smallest and lowest power MHz oscillator in a 1.5 x 0.8 mm CSP. This µPower oscillator is ideal for battery-operated IoT applications, with low operating power of 270µA (max) and ≤0.7µA in standby mode.

MEMS devices also offer other advantages for users, such as sample availability from stock in all frequencies, due to a programmable architecture that allows customisation of features, including frequency and supply voltage. This enables buyers and developers to test and implement new designs more quickly.

IoT & Industry 4.0

Viewpoint

7 Industry 4.0 trends for 2020 Industry 4.0 is making manufacturing more productive and profitable than ever before. Jos Martin, Senior Engineering Manager at provider of mathematical computing software for engineers & scientists, MathWorks tells us about seven major trends he expects to see in 2020 that can help professionals foresee the technologies that will define the next decade – and where factory of the future is headed.

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here will of course be challenges along the way, such as meeting increasing demand for personalised and customised goods, reducing waste and handling resources more responsibly, but with creativity and ingenuity, these can be tackled, and the benefits can be realised.

So, what is on the horizon?

1.Standardised protocols for seamless interoperability of connected machines It will be important to ensure interconnectivity, with machines and modules being dynamically rearranged in the factory. Standardised protocols like OPC UA TSN will play a key role in ensuring that equipment from different vendors interoperates seamlessly. Cumbersome

cabling and cable runs will disappear and be replaced with wireless protocols like 5G and its successors. But machines will not only be connected with each other, but also to cloud systems where elastic calculation power is available for running powerful algorithms on business and engineering data.

Industry 4.0 is making manufacturing more productive & profitable than ever before by meeting increasing demand for personalised & customised goods, reducing waste and handling resources more responsibly.

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Viewpoint IoT & Industry 4.0 2. Reinforcement learning goes next level AI (artificial intelligence) programs trained with reinforcement learning (RL) are beating human players in board games like Go and chess, but it’s doing so much more for Industry 4.0. RL is helping engineers implement controllers and decision-making algorithms for complex systems such as robots and autonomous systems, automated driving, control design and robotics. We’ll see successes where RL is used as a component to improve a larger system. Key enablers are easier tools for engineers to build and train RL policies, generate lots of simulation data for training, easy integration of RL agents into system simulation tools and code generation for embedded hardware. RL could power breakthroughs in more autonomous, even driverless, operation of mobile plant equipment within an industrial setting.

3. Collaborative robots work hand-inhand with humans The automation industry has been discussing the vision of “sample size one” for some time – how production lines can produce one of a kind, without running into long changeover-times or other inefficiencies. With Industry 4.0, this vision must eventually come true to meet the requirement of full individualisation in production.

To meet this, machines cannot be set up in a fixed, inflexible manner on the shop floor, where they are commissioned, parameterised and tuned for one specific product that is produced over and over again for months or even years. Tomorrow’s production lines

must be flexible – built from multiple mechatronic modules that can easily be rearranged, with more and more robots or “cobots” (collaborative robots working hand in hand with human workers), and AI that parameterises and tunes the machines according to the next – individualised – item that is manufactured on the line.

4.Simulation makes virtual commissioning a reality As software complexity and the number of possible combinations of modularised software components grows, performing comprehensive tests on the physical machine gets harder and more time consuming, and will eventually become impossible. Given this, it will be vitally important to perform virtual commissioning of the software to verify the absence of errors and to validate if requirements are met, based on simulation models, before the physical production line is even in place. Innovation leaders like Krones, the leading manufacturer of bottle filling lines worldwide, are already using multi-domain simulation models for virtual commissioning today.

5. Predictive maintenance and AI evolve with edge computing As edge computing devices and industrial controllers develop, they are offering a rapidly growing calculation power. In conjunction with the use of cloud systems, they are paving the way for a new dimension of production system software functionality.

AI algorithms will dynamically optimise the throughput of the entire production line,

while minimising the consumption of energy and other resources. This will help teams and their organisations not only minimise waste, and deliver on corporate social responsibility policies, but also crucially save money. Predictive maintenance will evolve and consider data not only from one machine or site, but across multiple factories and across equipment from different vendors. Depending on the requirements, the algorithms will be deployed on non-real-time platforms, as well as on real-time systems like PLCs, as Beckhoff recently demonstrated at Hanover Messe in Germany.

6. Higher quality data removes some hurdles for AI deployment We know training accurate AI models requires lots of data, and analyst surveys do name data quality as a top barrier to successful adoption of AI. In 2020, simulation will help lower this barrier. While you often have lots of data for normal system operation, what you really need is data from anomalies or critical failure conditions. This is especially true for predictive maintenance applications, such as accurately predicting remaining useful life for a pump on an industrial site. Since creating failure data from physical equipment would be destructive and expensive, the best approach is to generate data from simulations representing failure behaviour and use the synthesised data to train an accurate AI model. Simulation will quickly become a key enabler for AI-driven systems.

7. Not only data scientists will rule the roost Out of all the trends, the biggest will be on the human beings working in the factory of the future. By capitalising on technology and tools, more engineers and scientists, not just data scientists, will work on AI. The factory of the future requires engineers who can build models, dealing with large data sets and handling the respective development tools in order to address the above trends. Therefore, companies building and operating industrial equipment need to change their job postings and hire skilled engineers with a completely different profile to be ready for a future in which Industry 4.0 is merely the beginning.

The factory of the future requires engineers who can build models, deal with large data sets and handle the respective development tools in order to address Industry 4.0 trends.

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From collaborative robots working hand-inhand with humans to simulation making virtual commissioning a reality, there are a whole host of trends we will see in 2020 define the factory of the future. Adapting to these changes won’t be easy, but with teamwork and the right tools it is achievable.

Test & measurement

Feature

Test instrumentation evolution for aerospace & defence gathers pace With order numbers continuing to increase for both commercial and military aircraft, Sam Darwish, UK & MEA Sales Director at T&M equipment rental & leasing specialist, Microlease tells us there is added pressure on the test & measurement (T&M) sector to meet the critical requirements of aerospace & defence (A&D) companies.

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&D test engineering departments need access to reliable equipment that can deliver with integrity on a repeatable basis. There is therefore a clear need for suppliers to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the A&D sector and its specific challenges. Suppliers must be able to help manufacturers meet tight project lead times and stay within budget, offering support and flexibility in the procurement phase.

While T&M equipment is evolving fast, the A&D industry is also advancing. To remain at the forefront of technology, the sector is adopting solutions developed for other applications, such as optical interconnectivity. This cross-transfer of technologies is a challenge for A&D manufacturers, as their knowledge of such technologies can be lacking.

Take cyber/network security as an example.

Here, end-to-end testing solutions are already used across numerous industries, chiefly because of the increasing need to provide high performance levels with deterministic results. More and more service providers, network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) and enterprises see the value in undertaking more network testing, measurement and validation, which will likely spread to other industries, including A&D. With regard to network infrastructure, A&D firms are also migrating towards cloud and virtual environments, supported through web

applications. Subsequently, there is also growing demand for the validation and optimisation of networks under realistic conditions.

RF in A&D

In electronic warfare, RF and microwave technologies are playing an increasingly critical role. Among emerging demands in this area is the requirement to move collected or stored RF signal data from one test instrument or sub-element to another, at rates of 10 GB/s (equivalent to 2 GHz RF bandwidth). Several data transfer technologies can be used to achieve this, including 10 Gb LAN; PCIe (PXI) Gen 3 with multiple lanes; optical (a good choice for integrated boxes); or a dedicated peer-to-peer (P2P) local bus or backplane (AXIe).

Thanks to its many advantages, the use of active electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas has become almost omnipresent in radar and electronic warfare systems. AESA antennas use phased arrays, permitting systems to operate in multiple modes, engaging multiple threats or targets, by taking advantage of powerful signal processing capabilities.

For satellite applications, it is well documented that phased array antennas deliver specific benefits in comparison with reflector antennas and can therefore be considered a good option for GEO spacecraft. Here, a single antenna communicates with multiple spatially distributed ground stations by repositioning (hopping) the antenna beam between users.

A&D test engineering departments need access to reliable equipment that can deliver with integrity on a repeatable basis.

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Feature Test & measurement There are, however, growing challenges associated with testing antennas. For instance, there is a clear increase in the element count found within phased arrays.

These elements facilitate more simultaneous functions and a narrower focus of the main lobe in beamforming. Furthermore, digital (broadband) signals are getting nearer to the antenna. Within the A&D sector, there is talk that the only connection to the transmit/ receive (T/R) module for each element will eventually be a digital bus (no analogue).

The many faces of warfare

To attain higher data rates, wider bandwidth signals and higher order modulation formats are being used, which in combination present test challenges.

Until very recently, many signal analysers were restricted to ~100 MHz of analysis bandwidth.

Combining wide bandwidth with higher frequency signals makes it challenging to adopt traditional wideband test equipment, like oscilloscopes, which are perfectly adept at handling wider bandwidths, but not higher frequencies.

Electronic warfare can, of course, take many guises, including signal jamming, radar strikes and discrete signal detection. With regard to T&M solutions, engineers are relying on the latest signal generators and analysers. For instance, it is now possible to simulate increasingly complex signal environments for radar and electronic warfare with enhanced realism and confidence using an agile vector adaptor.

In short, T&M equipment requires good dynamic range to handle the low signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) issues seen typically in satellite testing. In addition, higher order modulation formats mean factors such as compression and small amplitude errors in the channel now have more potential to appear as a bit error. For this reason, test equipment must maintain the dynamic range and leave sufficient margin to help identify these issues.

Turning to the satellite industry, the use of higher frequencies in communications links has become more common. Until now, most satellite communication has been performed in the C, L and Ku bands, which have limited spectrum. Instead, a number of satellite operators are now using, or considering, the Ka band (typically 27 to 40 GHz), as transmitting in this frequency range can be achieved using smaller antennas.

A distinct shift towards smaller, more complicated payloads in the satellite sector is driving the development of more advanced T&M devices, capable of multiple communications strategies and measurements. Here, signal and spectrum analysers that prove most popular are those that can provide optimised sensitivity and low-phase noise, along with high internal and real-time analysis bandwidth.

Among the clear challenges here is the requirement for test equipment that covers higher frequencies, which means more atmospheric attenuation. Uplinks are able to use higher frequencies, because power is available on the ground. Downlinks, on the other hand, are constrained, due to the relative lack of power available.

Numerous mmWave frequencies are deployed for crosslinks between satellites, especially those in high absorption bands, such as 60 to 65 GHz, as beyond the Earth’s atmosphere there are no issues with absorption. Communication using optical lasers is also gaining interest, not just for crosslink communications, but for links through the atmosphere.

Yet another market driver impacting the A&D sector is demand for higher data rates.

During the validation of higher-level integrated assemblies and sub-systems, A&D sector companies opt for integrated test systems featuring both hardware and software.

Examples for satellite testing include payload test stations, power and solar array simulator sub-systems, telemetry tracking and command sub-systems, as well as command and data handling sub-systems.

Software-defined instrumentation delivers flexibility, as it can be used to create a full solution for almost any T&M challenge, without resorting to costly custom systems that are restricted to single use-cases.

Important attributes include: RF data throughput and streaming; channel density and scalability; flexibility in platform form factor; synchronisation infrastructure; and user-friendly access.

T&M rental is particularly useful where project needs change rapidly, offering access to equipment at short notice and for only as long as needed – avoiding unnecessary capital expenditure and allowing investment elsewhere.

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Broadband SATCOM testing is another growing trend. As these bands rise in popularity and need to transmit more data, more rigorous testing is necessary. For broadband SATCOM testing, the latest arbitrary waveform generators are able to generate complex simulated signals, based on optimised sample rate, waveform memory and signal fidelity. Such systems represent a signal stimulus solution for the simple production of ideal, distorted and ‘real-life’ signals.

Ultimately, choosing to work with an established, experienced and reputable technology provider like Microlease can pay real dividends in selecting the right T&M equipment, optimising its use and maximising return-on-investment (ROI). Regardless of whether the T&M equipment is needed for a short or long timeframe, Microlease can offer rent, lease or buy options across an extensive range of new or preowned equipment, as well as the option to use older test instruments in part-exchange. Rental is particularly useful where project needs change rapidly, as it offers access to equipment at short notice and for only as long as it’s needed. This avoids unnecessary capital expenditure, saving much needed capital for investment elsewhere.

The success of an A&D programme can often hinge on gaining access to various T&M equipment acquisition options. Sure enough, technical challenges can prove a headache, but project delays due to budgetary or equipment availability issues can be damaging, either financially or through reputation. Working with an independent expert T&M partner reduces these risks.

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News & Products

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The products pages are the only pages you need to catch up with the latest releases.

To contact us about getting your product on these pages, send an email to richard.woodruff@imlgroup.co.uk

Rugged, modular MIL 83513 1.27mm pitch connector with captive fixings suits thick PCBs and AWG24 cable

New beam angle LEDs from OMC focus light precisely for demanding high-intensity applications

Panasonic Industry Europe presents new Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy Module PAN1740A

Nicomatic’s easy-to-use EMM series suits harsh-environment defense applications

Ultra-narrow 15 degree LED and precision 60 degree LEDs suit signalling, indication, sensing and communication applications

The newly developed low energy PAN1740A Bluetooth 5.0 module features a compact size and fast boot time for IIot and Smart Home applications as well as Remote Controls

September 04 2019 Bon-en-Chablais, France: Nicomatic SA, the leading manufacturer of high-performance interconnect systems, has announced new features for its rugged micro connector, the 1.27 mm pitch EMM series, which targets defense and other high-reliability applications. The MIL 83513-style connectors that require a significantly smaller footprint than the closest industry competitor now feature captive screw fixings and can be used with thicker PCBs and larger diameter cables.

Captive screw fixings provide the fastest locking solution available, since there is no need to tighten alternative sides repeatedly. They also ensure that screws are never lost.

For further information please visit: www.nicomatic.com

November, 2019…OMC, the pioneer in optoelectronics design & manufacture, has introduced two new surface-mount LEDs, an ultra-narrow 15 degree beam LED and a 60 degree beam LED. Both new LEDs are produced by OMC in a range of package styles, beam angles and all popular LED wavelengths, plus infra-red versions. The two new devices join the SMD emitter series launched

by OMC in late 2018, which includes a 30 degree output beam device that has proved very popular.

The two new SMT LEDs provide designers with even greater choice and flexibility for a very wide range of applications.

For further information please visit: www.omc-uk.com

Munich, November 2019: Panasonic Industry launches the successor of the PAN1740 Bluetooth module. The new PAN1740A is the optimized version, offering a quicker boot time and supporting up to eight connections to allow greater flexibility to create more advanced applications.

It can be used as a standalone application processor or as a data pump in hosted systems. The device is optimized for remote control units (RCU) requiring support for voice commands and motion/ gesture recognition.

For further information please visit: https://eu.industrial.panasonic.com/ products/wireless-connectivity/ bluetooth/bluetooth-low-energyfunctionality/series/pan1740a/CS3230/ model/ENW89852A1KF

News & Products

The products pages are the only pages you need to catch up with the latest releases.

To contact us about getting your product on these pages, send an email to Richard.Woodruff@IMLGroup.co.uk

Electric Vehicle “Smart Charging” Solutions from ByteSnap Design Flexibility and customisation are at the heart of V2G and electric vehicle charge point solutions from awardwinning embedded systems consultancy ByteSnap Design.

British-made innovation blazing a trail across land, sea and air in some of the world’s harshest conditions The 677 series LED panel indicator lamp is a robust, resilient, high-performance, British-made product used in some of the most challenging conditions on land, sea, and in the air.

Used in jet fighters, power stations and Formula One racing cars, the 677 series is designed and manufactured

by Marl International, a British business with a global reputation for excellence.

ByteSnap’s smart charge point communications controller and AC charger have been developed with future proofing in mind supporting all the latest EV charging standards.

ByteSnap is continuously creating new technologies to support the rapidly growing electric vehicle industry and help provide a greener future.

“As well as meeting the government’s latest EV charging regulations, our robust products will help manufacturers and installers effectively develop competitive charge points whilst meeting customer demand. They’ll also work well within the existing power infrastructure.” says ByteSnap Director Dunstan Power.

Find out more at www.bytesnap.com/products/smart-charge-pointcommunications-controller/

Marl, based in Ulverston in Cumbria, designs and manufactures long-lasting, world-first products which have proved their worth over more than four decades.

Just Ø8.1mm mounting, weatherproof, vandal-proof, and durable to shock and vibration, 677 series LED panel indicators provide a reliable status indication solution for all types of applications.

More information from: www.leds.co.uk +44 (0)1229 582 430

Spectrum Instrumentation turns 30 Riding the PC instrumentation wave with quality, support and innovation Spectrum Instrumentation, a specialist PC based technology company, has built a global enterprise since it was first founded 30 years ago in December 1989. The company uses a versatile modular design approach to create a wide range of digitizer and generator products as PC-cards (PCIe and PXIe) and stand-alone Ethernet (LXI) instruments.

In 30 years, they have gained customers all around the world, including many A-brand industry-leaders and practically all prestigious universities. The company is headquartered near Hamburg, Germany.

140 Spectrum digitizer cards controlling the shutdown-procedure of the world’s biggest particle accelerator at CERN

The company has one of the largest portfolios of digitizers on the market, giving users a huge choice of different performance levels. For example, Spectrums digitizers are available with sampling rates from 5 MS/s up to 5 GS/s and resolutions from 8 to 16 bits. The cards also offer from 1 to 8 channels and larger multi-channel systems can be effortlessly created by connecting up to 16 fully synchronized units together! info@spec.de

Powering AI with NVIDIA Jetson Nano Display Technology present’s AAEON latest product for AI Edge computing. The BOXER-8220AI box PC powered by NVIDIA® Jetson Nano™. With the latest SoC from NVIDIA built for AI, the BOXER-8220AI offers stable, reliable performance at a price which is competitive and budget friendly.

Powered by the latest in edge computing technology from Nvidia, the BOXER-8220AI’s combines the quad core ARM® Cortex®-A57 MPCore processor with NVIDIA Maxwell™ GPU architecture featuring 128 NVIDIA CUDA® cores.

With the NVIDIA Jetson Nano, the BOXER-8220AI can produce processing speeds up to 472 GFLOPS, giving the ability to operate multiple neural networks or process several high-resolutions images simultaneously. Coupled with the support of up to five input cameras or sensors, and four USB 3.0, the flexibility to integrate with projects is even greater.

The BOXER-8220AI is suitable for industrial use due to its rugged build and fanless design offering long reliable operation, preventing dust or other contaminants from interfering with components.

The operating temperature range for the BOXER-8220AI -20°C up to 60°C. For more information please visit www.displaytechnology.co.uk. info@displaytechnology.co.uk +44 (0) 1480 411600

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MD since 30 years: Gisela Hassler

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For more information www.spectrum-instrumentation.com

News & Products

The products pages are the only pages you need to catch up with the latest releases.

To contact us about getting your product on these pages, send an email to Richard.Woodruff@IMLGroup.co.uk Mouser Announces New USB Type-C Solution Page, Featuring Versatile Products from ON Semiconductor and TE Connectivity

BlaizeTM Emerges from Stealth to Transform AI Computing Blaize, formerly known as Thinci, unveils the first true Graph-Native silicon architecture and software platform built to process neural networks and enable AI applications with unprecedented efficiency News Highlights • Blaize Graph Streaming ProcessorTM (GSP) architecture: the first to enable concurrent execution of multiple neural networks and entire workflows on a single system, while supporting a diverse range of heterogeneous compute intensive workloads • Fully programmable solution brings new levels of flexibility for evolving AI models, workflows, and applications that run efficiently where needed, a breakthrough for dynamic intelligence at the edge • Directly addresses technology and economic barriers to AI adoption via streamlined processing that yields 10-100x improvement in systems efficiency, lower latency, lower energy, and reduced size and cost

November 18, 2019 – Mouser Electronics, Inc., the authorized global distributor with the newest semiconductors and electronic components, is pleased to offer customers a new page dedicated to the comprehensive selection of USB Type-C products from ON Semiconductor and TE Connectivity. USB Type-C cables introduced new design flexibility with interchangeable cable ends, in addition to vastly improved rates of power and data transmission. Mouser’s new application-specific solution page offers a convenient resource for researching and selecting the perfect USB Type-C products for a variety of designs.

The TE and ON Semiconductor USB Type-C page, now available on the Mouser Electronics website, features a wide range of products to support data and power transmission applications.

For further information please visit: https://eng.info.mouser.com/te-onsemi-usbtypec-en.

For further information please visit: https://www.blaize.com/

Award-winning Lattice sensAI Solutions Stack Further Extends Lead in Ultra Low-power AI at the Edge

Updated sensAI Solutions Stack Delivers Highly Accurate, Low Power AI Solutions for Industrial, Automotive, Compute, and Consumer Applications HILLSBORO, OR – October 23, 2019 – Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: LSCC), the low power programmable leader, today announced availability of performance enhancements and new and improved application reference designs for its awardwinning sensAI™ solutions stack. sensAI helps OEMs develop AI and ML experiences for next-generation smart devices with power consumption measured in milliwatts. The performance enhancements include support for more compact/efficient neural network models and deeper quantization support to accommodate larger models for processing higher resolution and/or faster framesper-second images in vision applications.

For more information about Lattice, please visit www.latticesemi.com

Mornsun 30W DC/DC Converter Series URB_YMD-30WR3 MORNSUN URB_ YMD-30WR3 series is designed to meet the requirements of wide input voltage with high power density.

This new series URB_YMD-30WR3 comes in 1x1 inch standard package and its power density increased by 50.4% compared to 2x1 inch package products with the same output power. Besides, this URB_YMD-30WR3 series features 1875V ultra wide input voltage range, efficiency up to 88% and operating temperature range of -40º to +85º. Protections includes input under-voltage, output short circuit, over-current and over voltage. It also meets EN62368, UL62368, IEC62368 standards(CE pending). In addition, the new series URB_ YMD-30WR3 can be widely used in applications of industrial control, power grid, instrumentation, communication, etc.

For further information please visit www.mornsun-power.com.

Tiny Signal Transformers for LAN Interfaces

New Kikusui PWX DC Power Supplies - 750W or 1.5kW, LXI and rack-able

Würth Elektronik is expanding its extensive range of signal transformers: The new series of WESTST Super Tiny Signal Transformers for LAN interfaces features a maximum component height of just 2.9 mm and can be used up to 1000Base-T applications with at least 350 µH inductance.

The WE-STST series of signal transformers is ideally suited for all applications in which small component size and outstanding electronic parameters are paramount. The Super Tiny Signal Transformers from Würth Elektronik are manufactured completely by machine. This enables the dimensions to be kept extremely small at only 4.7 × 3.22 × 2.9 mm and yet offers an insulation voltage of 1,500V / 1min. WE-STST is available in four versions for different applications.

WE-STST is now available from stock.

Further information at http://ow.ly/NBdx30pZl6K

PWX is a new series of DC power supply in only 1U height, for rack or bench use. With outstanding power per volume, all models allow Constant Volts or Constant Current operation. A 19-inch wide geometry allows close stacking on top of each other is achieved by cooling design with air flowing from the front to the back. With USB, RS-232C, and LAN interfaces as standard, an essential for system upgrades.

Two output power specifications are available: 750 W and 1500. A wide range of voltage and current settings can be combined within its output power rating (3 times). Rated output voltage 30V, 80V ,230V and 650V. For more information please visit: www.telonic.co.uk

epdtonthenet.net

January 2020

33

Viewpoint Guest column

STEM Matters:

Getting to the heart of technology Play is an important part of toddlers’ development and some of the most commonly used toys, like building blocks and puzzles, are based on the principle of assembly and disassembly, to help children acquire dexterity and understand cause and effect. The same idea can be applied to the study of technology. Here, Dave Collingwood, Principal Engineer at metrology & engineering technologies firm, Renishaw explains the benefits of its Technology Teardown workshops, where students, aided by engineers, disassemble domestic technology to understand how its component parts work together to perform the function of the product.

Dave Collingwood, Principal Engineer, Renishaw

W

e live in an increasingly throwaway society, so tearing down technology to reveal its design and learn more about the nature and purpose of its components helps young people understand it more. This approach is routinely used in fields such as mechanical, electronic and software engineering, but is also an excellent teaching method to engage young people studying science, technology, engineering & maths (STEM) subjects to help prepare them for an engineering career. time, students have fun discovering the hidden aspects of their favourite technological gadgets.

The learning opportunity can be further enhanced by offering a guided tour of Renishaw’s Innovation Centre and by giving a STEM careers talk to motivate students to consider engineering as a profession, considering all the options from an apprenticeship to studying at university.

For more than ten years, Renishaw’s engineers have been using Teardowns to inspire the young engineers and scientists of tomorrow. These two-hour workshops, where students, under the expert supervision of Renishaw engineers, are encouraged to take apart everyday objects such as printers, phones and laptops to help understand the many facets of modem day products, are designed to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Broken down parts from these Teardowns can also be taken away for further discussion at school and can go on to form part of pupils’ projects.

This experience allows teachers to proactively engage their classes in core aspects of the school curriculum, for instance, learning the properties of materials, and applying this knowledge to product design. At the same

Getting practical

The benefits of a hands-on approach to learning have long been highlighted in education. According to a recent study by Stanford University, students who listen passively during a class retain about 20% of the information they hear. However, this percentage increases to 75% when they are given the possibility to practise what they are learning by simulating a real-world experience.

A hands-on approach like that applied in Teardowns is particularly useful for technology-based subjects. Tearing technology apart helps students recognise patterns in the production of everyday technological gadgets, understand and appreciate their complexity, and see how their many components fit together.

Tearing technology apart helps students recognise patterns in the production of everyday technological gadgets, understand and appreciate their complexity, and see how their many components fit together.

34

January 2020

In addition, pupils develop manual skills by learning how to safely use a variety of tools, such as different screwdrivers, pliers and so on. They also learn the importance of recommended safety procedures, such as wearing safety glasses and protective gloves.

Finally, they are taught to operate patiently and tidily, without losing or damaging any components.

Running practical workshops also acts as professional development for the staff involved. For example, engineers at Renishaw report that Technology Teardowns provide the opportunity to take a fresh look at how products are made. This process can stimulate their analytical thinking and help them come up with new ideas on how to develop technology. Explaining to students why engineering is a rewarding career also helps to motivate employees.

Renishaw’s Technology Teardowns are part of the company’s extensive education outreach programme, which aims to inspire the next generation of engineers. For more information or to book a workshop, visit www.renishaw.com/educationoutreach or contact education@renishaw.com This column is part of an occasional series of guest columns for STEM Matters. If you have an interesting viewpoint on STEM topics to share with EPDT readers, get in touch with Editor, Mark Gradwell at mark.gradwell@ imlgroup.co.uk

Guide to Suppliers ied about the skills gap in STEM, this data is terrifying. Such an rstanding and awareness about the work of engineers and scientists Automation & Consumables so finding that 65% of young people aged 11 to 19 don’t know much For Alland Your 68% SMT equipment and ience do, don’t know much about what those working consumable requirements y have serious and far-reaching implications for all of us...

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Long term stock agreements working for you Flexible delivery around your needs …

Whether you know when you require the stock or not, you can either pre-set the delivery on specific dates, or simply let us know as you need the stock by calling off throughout the period.

1. Quote and order

2. Agreement start

Sourcing, negotiating on your behalf, providing fixed ricing and confirming all costs and options up front including the expected start date.

We’ll inform you when the stock first arrives at our site in Colchester, at which point the agreement period will start*.

3. Pay for what you use, when you use it

4. We’ll keep track for you

We will invoice you when we deliver your goods, with a final invoice for the last delivery with any remaining stock.

We will send you a monthly update informing you of the balance of stock and the period left. We’ll also give you some advanced notice for when the agreement will end.

*Our long term stock agreements are non-cancellable but we will always endeavour to help you with any challenges you have regarding changes in customer demand. Agreements can be renewed.

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