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CONTENTS

Winter 2020 | Volume 18 | Number 2 opsy.st/ECDLinkedIn

FEATURES 6

bit.ly/ECDYouTubeChannel

Why Industrial Operators Need 5G URLLC and How They Can Get There

COVER

By Perry Cohen, Associate Editor

10 Tear Down: Smartwatch Boasts Two Weeks on a Charge

By Rich Nass, Brand Director

12 Selecting an Antenna for Your IoT Project

By Geoff Schulteis, Antenova 16 Testing at the IoT Crossroads

By Cheryl Ajluni, Keysight Technologies 22 Common Blind Spots in Data Acquisition System Design

10

By Mark Bingeman, Nuvation Engineering

24 2020 RESOURCE GUIDE 48 COM-HPC Scales Heterogeneous Embedded Hardware into HighPerformance Edge Computing

By Brandon Lewis, Editor-in-Chief

@embedded_comp

We often discuss embedded technologies as standalone solutions, but they are always part of larger systems.

In the 2020 Embedded Computing Design Resource Guide, we explain how Ambiq Micro’s Apollo2 microcontroller helps the Garmin Forerunner 945 hold a charge for 10 days, introduce you to the new PICMG COM-HPC specification, and showcase dozens of off-the-shelf solutions for your next design in the Resource Guides on pages 24 and 56.

WEB EXTRAS 22

51 Heterogeneous LEGaTO Hardware

By Micha vor dem Berge, christmann IT 52 2,088 Gbps/in – COM-HPC Connectors Increase Speed and Density

By Matt Burns, Samtec

 Four Steps to a Successful Text Analytics Workflow

By Seth DeLand, MathWorks www.embedded-computing.com/home-page/foursteps-to-a-successful-text-analytics-workflow

 Take a Break: The Break Statement in C

2

By Colin Walls, Mentor, a Siemens Business www.embedded-computing.com/home-page/takea-break-the-break-statement-in-c

56 PICMG RESOURCE GUIDE 60 COM Express Type 6 and COM-HPC Client: Two Great Options

By Christian Eder, congatec

EVENTS  embedded world 2021 (Digital) arch 1-5, 2021 M www.embedded-world.de/en

Published by:

6

COLUMNS 5

General-Purpose FPGAs: An Innovation-less Decade

By Brandon Lewis, Editor-in-Chief

4

TRACKING TRENDS

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TRACKING TRENDS

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General-Purpose FPGAs: An Innovation-less Decade

By Brandon Lewis, Editor-in-Chief Some corners of the electronics universe go years or decades without a significant technology upgrade.

Passive electronic components are a good example, as not much more performance or cost can be pulled out of devices like resistors, at least not without a materials revolution. Another is the battery market, where offerings have by and large been optimized to demand.

and even include less RAM and fewer DSP multipliers, they deliver up to 70 percent faster differential I/O speeds, twice the I/O density, and 4x lower power consumption.

Then there’s also the embedded processing space.

That’s right, logic. Specifically, general-purpose programmable logic.

Certus-NX devices achieve these performance and efficiency gains through a trick of Moore’s law. While the Lattice, Intel, and Xilinx FPGAs are all manufactured on 28 nm nodes, the Certus-NX platforms utilize a fullydepleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) process technology that exhibits less parasitic capacitance than bulk CMOS (Figure 1). This allows for body biasing, or the ability to make transistors more performant or power efficient by passing a programmable voltage across the layer of oxide insulation underneath them.

In 2011, both Xilinx and Altera (now Intel) released the Artix-7 and Cyclone V GT, respectively. Each of these devices contained fewer than 100K logic cells (50K for the Xilinx part and up to 77K for Cyclone V devices), but delivered a nice mix of I/O flexibility, logic, and lowpower consumption in applications ranging from automotive subsystems to industrial automation equipment to communications infrastructure.

And then, nothing. For almost a decade, there were no new devices introduced in the low-power, general-­ purpose, sub-100K-logic cell class of FPGAs. Why not? Well, a couple of factors were in play. First, a lot of the end systems that leveraged these devices are long-lifecycle deployments in industries that live by the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra. But the primary reason is that the two major FPGA suppliers strategically transitioned away from traditional embedded markets to capture higher-margin business in environments like the data center, which require devices with 1 million logic cells or more for things like workload acceleration.

In the absence of other competitive offerings, the size, power consumption, I/O speed, I/O density, and soft error rates (SERs) of the Artix-7 and Cyclone V GT remained the status quo for years.

Changing CMOS Is the Only Constant Of course, even in the most static parts of the electronics space, change is the only constant. And change has recently come to the sub-100K logic cell generalpurpose FPGA market with Lattice Semiconductor’s Certus-NX line.

They are also roughly half the size, measuring just 6 mm x 6 mm.

FIGURE 1

FD-SOI process technology enables improved power consumption and performance through techniques like body biasing.

Despite its use of already-established manufacturing techniques, FD-SOI produces smaller die sizes and is higher reliability than standard CMOS. The technology virtually eliminates SERs in SRAM, which contributes to a mean-time between failure (MTBF) on Certus-NX devices that is more than 150x the competition.

Progress for Progress’s Sake Other modernizations in the Certus-NX include support for ECDSA cryptographic algorithms and 3 ms I/O configuration and 14 ms device configuration, all of which combine with the aforementioned power savings to offer a solid foundation for connected and battery-operated devices.

Certus-NX FPGAs are available with between 17K and 40K logic cells, and, like the alternatives mentioned earlier, include hardened 5 Gbps PCIe lanes. But while the Lattice devices are comparable across those parameters

But just as important, the size, performance, reliability, and power improvements also represent a significant step forward for traditional embedded applications, be they legacy deployments or new installations. Let’s not forget the global footprint of these systems, and allow progress for the sake of progress to leave us with another innovation-less decade.

www.embedded-computing.com

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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INDUSTRY FEATURE: 5G

Why Industrial Operators Need 5G URLLC and How They Can Get There

By Perry Cohen, Associate Editor

The 3GPP’s ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) will deliver sub-1 millisecond latencies and six-nines reliability (99.9999 percent). That’s good enough to “cut the cord” in critical automation, manufacturing, transportation, and other applications that have relied on costly, faulty wiring for generations.

With those tethers removed, a new genus of wirelessly-enabled use cases becomes possible, from collaborative robots (co-bots) to fully autonomous vehicles.

H

owever, a recent study titled “5G Edge Cloud Infrastructure: For vRAN, Industrial, and Automotive Applications,” reports that 58 percent of respondents in these industries want to see 5G proven before the jumping on the wireless bandwagon.

You can’t blame operators in critical industries like automation, manufacturing, and transportation for being careful in their transition to a new networking technology. With 5G there are still more questions than answers, particularly concerning how these networks will be implemented in industrial environments that have relied on cords or private LTE deployments for years.

“The fundamental difference between a 5G architecture and LTE is that 5G is

6

being enabled as a virtualized edge technology,” said Paul Miller, CTO at Wind River (Figure 1). “With LTE, typically you’re going to have a monolithic appliance deployed to host that radio frequency entity at the endpoint. That means you cannot place third-party applications on it.

“In critical use cases, you need a real-time connection or near-real-time connection between those entities,” he continued. “Traversing back to the core of the network would bring in too much latency. These scenarios imply that the application that’s managing those devices would need to be deployed in the edge node.

“So, if you need URLLC for an application such as vehicle-to-vehicle accident avoidance or autonomous machinery within factories and warehouses, an evolution to 5G is required.”

The Evolution & Advantages of 5G Network Slicing Advances are needed on several technical fronts to realize the vision of 5G networks, in both critical and non-critical domains: ›› Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) allows operators with large 4G investments to transition their infrastructure to 5G much more efficiently by sharing existing spectrum across 4G and 5G systems.

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

www.embedded-computing.com

INDUSTRY FEATURE: 5G

KT 5G Network Architecture

NETMANIAS ONE-SHOT 2015

October 15, 2015

2020

4G Network

5G Network PDN App.

Centralized 4G Core Dedicated Equipment

PDN

MME S/P-GW

Applications 5G Core (CP/UP)

Central Cloud (NFV)

NFV

PDN: IMS PDN

PDN

Server PDN app./cache 5G Core (UP) CU

app./cache 5G Core (UP) CU

Backbone

Backbone app./cache 5G Core (UP) CU

IP

Centralized 4G DU Dedicated Equipment Dedicated Access (wireless, wireline)

PE L3

Ed

ge

DU Pool

BRAS Internet

IP

IP

ge

Ed

Ethernet

app./cache 5G Core (UP) CU

ge

IP

ge

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OLT

Ethernet

Unified Access

(EPON/ 10G-EPON)

CU: Cloud Unit AU: Access Unit CP: Control Plane UP: User Plane

(PON)

New Interface

CPRI

4G Fronthaul

Ed

Edge Cloud (NFV) Distributed 5G Core

OLT

Dark Fiber or Passive WDM

app./cache 5G Core (UP) CU

5G Fronthaul Macro AU Small

Cell Site Cell Site

4G RU

4G Radio 2 antennas (RU) 20MHz, 10MHz 3-Band LTE-A (CA)

Wi-Fi (hotspot)

Fronthaul: CPRI Interface DU

PDCP RLC MAC PHY

IQ data

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5G AU AU Apartment

AU

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5G Radio Massive MIMO 5G New RAT mmWave Massive Aggregation

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©2015 Netmanias • www.netmanias.com

FIGURE 1 ›› mmWave investments and the publishing of 3GPP Release 16 have made mobility a reality in the 5G standard, and have prompted the development of next-generation user equipment (UE) that can capitalize on the data rates that are possible with this bandwidth. ›› Stand-alone (SA) permits nextgeneration use cases in which the 5G core network and radio infrastructure can be deployed completely independent of 4G LTE. ›› O-RAN looks to extend virtualization into the 5G radio access network (RAN) on top of open standards, which drives flexibility and cost efficiencies in RAN technology via economies of scale.

The biggest architectural difference in 5G networks is that the core network moves from a centralized location to distributed points at the edge. Network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) technologies make it possible to accomplish this using standard networking hardware, which means that orchestration and management applications can run on or near the endpoints that rely on them. www.embedded-computing.com

5G network architectures distribute the core network at the edge (Source: Netmanias).

As a result, latencies associated with communicating back to a centralized core network can be reduced to the sub-millisecond latencies of URLLC. This topology also means that network services and resources can be partitioned into “slices” that are reserved for specific use cases. These slices can then provide domain-specific operators with insight into network and application performance for continuous improvement.

“Network slicing is the idea of taking portion of the network from the core to the edge and dedicating it to certain applications, such as industrial applications,” Miller says. “It’s only available in 5G. The Industrial sector would be a consumer of a network slice.

“A huge amount of analytics and data will be sourced from that new paradigm,” he continues. “With the ability to monitor these ultra-real-time applications or monitor latency throughout the network – across each step as it travels the network – comes a whole host of new analytics data that can help people better operationalize and maintain these environments.

“You can look not only at the infrastructure, but also the applications contributing data in the edge devices themselves,” he continues. “By bringing in artificial intelligence algorithms and running them on an analytics platform, you have the ability to build new applications that do things like predictive outage prevention.”

The Cold, Hard(ware) Facts of Transitioning to 5G Of course, installing or replacing physical networking equipment is a costly and ­time-consuming endeavor, particularly in industrial settings that could suffer from lost productivity, revenue, or safety during system downtime, or simply exhibit an inherent resistance to updating legacy equipment.

Moreover, industry experts don’t expect chipsets and infrastructure that support all of the features of 3GPP Release 16 – the portion of the 5G standard that defines nonpublic network (NPN) features – to be robust or ubiquitous for at least another year.

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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INDUSTRY FEATURE: 5G

A transitionary step is required.

“I don’t think that it’s such a rip-and-replace approach,” said MultiTech’s vice president of strategic development, Daniel Quant. “People are going to start off with 4G, dumb it down by centralizing it and wrapping it up in software that makes it really simple to use, and then use hyperscalers or Kubernetes or Docker containers to start running 5G workloads on edge computers.”

According to Quant, transitionary edge computing equipment capable of running 5G workloads is already available in the form of devices like AWS Snowcone (Figure 2).

“You’ve got processing power, you can put your core network on this, you can connect base stations on this, you can put it in your house, you can put it in a commercial building, you can put it in a mine or a factory,” Quant explains. “And what you’ve created is a completely standalone network deployment. This is exactly what they’ve created the Snowcone to do: To be able to deploy your own CBRS, completely onprem network.

“That’s how a lot of these ultra-reliable low latency features have been manifested.”

Snowcone is a small, 4.5 lb. rugged cube outfitted with dual processors, 4 GB of memory, 8 TB of storage, trusted platform module (TPM) security chips, Wi-Fi or wired 10 GbE network access capabilities, and powered by a USB-C cable or battery.

In other words, an operator could drop a cube onto the factory floor, connect it to their local network, and start hosting applications locally in an “edge cloud.”

Snowcone-based “edge clouds” can plug directly into industrial-grade on-prem “base stations” like the MultiTech MultiConnect rCell 600 series to bring an entire core network to the factory floor (Figure 3). As a result, data can be shared from one side of the factory floor to the other at URLLC speed and determinism, without ever touching traditional elements of a core network or even leaving the ­factory environment.

And Amazon isn’t the only company creating such devices. Quant notes that MultiTech is a certified supplier of CBRS/private LTE infrastructure for Microsoft’s Azure Edge ecosystem.

Proving Out the Paradigm Shift with 5G Testing The shutdown of legacy cellular networks, paired with the ultra-reliability, low latency, and lower cost per GB available from 5G, means that every organization that relies on cellular technology will undergo a network transition sooner or later. Network testing will be critical in all of these deployments, but in safety- and security-critical industries it may be the most important phase of the development lifecycle.

The 3GPP and entities such as the O-RAN Alliance, 5G-ACIA, PTCRB, and GCF are defining test plans for RANs and UE. At the moment, these tests focus primarily on ensuring that air interface standards are implemented correctly in devices, gNodeB (gNB) radio nodes, and the like.

FIGURE 2 AWS Snowcone is capable of running 5G core network services at the far edge to deliver URLLC performance in industrial environments (Source: AWS).

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Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

FIGURE 3

The MultiConnect rCell 600 CBRS Cat 12 cellular router can be easily configured as a private LTE broadband wireless and Ethernet router, and supports up to 128 concurrent Wi-Fi connections (Source: MultiTech).

But Roger Nichols, Program Man­ager, 5G/6G at Keysight Technologies, says it’s early.

“Now that Release 16 is complete, the requests and demand for testing capability and validation of the RAN and user equipment is growing,” Nichols observed. “What will be more interesting is the end-to-end testing. How does the entire system work under normal loading and extreme circumstances?

How will the system handle downtime of a gNB or some other network entity?

How can one verify the system after new software loads?

“It is key to realize that latency and reliability are impacted by the entire network: Capacity/loading, UE performance, RAN performance, interference, network architecture, application-specific distributed computing, etc.,” Nichols continued. “All must be considered to implement a network that will meet the demands of mobile-edge computing and other capabilities unique to 5G.” According to Nichols, systems that test the 5G air interface can be used to validate URLLC capabilities, but must be able to address the fast state transitions in the air interface protocol. URLLC communications complicates this because its self-contained subframes and dynamic time-division duplex (TDD) duty cycles increase the demand on architectures and protocol stack performance.

In order to test these devices, as well as how an entire network would operate www.embedded-computing.com

You CAN get it...

FIGURE 4

Hardware & software for CAN bus applications

Keysight LoadCore is a comprehensive 5G testing software suite that simulates network performance from the core network, through the radio access network, and out to user equipment.

It can scale to millions of devices (Source: Keysight Technologies).

PCAN-MicroMod FD Motherboards

under various loads, Keysight offers the LoadCore 5G core testing software (Figure 4).

The solution is now being used to test SA 5G networks.

Configurable I/O modules with CAN FD interface.

Available in different versions designed for analog or digital I/O applications.

“We must be in a position to test network performance in and beyond the RAN,” Nichols explains. “These demands require new thinking, since the system itself will have to meet some kind of service-level agreement (SLA) between the network operator and the client. Such testing will require higher level feature testing at the network and application level.

“Our user equipment emulation (UEE) systems have to emulate many UEs with varying demands on these URLLC capabilities,” he continues. “LoadCore is now functional to test SA networks, which are necessary for full 5G implementation of [the industrial IoT] “corner” of the 5G triangle.”

Keysight has been an active participant in defining 3GPP, GCF, PTCRB, O-RAN, and 5G-ACIA UE and gNB test plans. Working to shape the 5G roadmap reassures customers that their investments in development infrastructure are not wasted during this period of rapid feature change and constant evolution in the standard itself.

PCAN-Gateways Linux based product line for long distance connections between different CAN busses via IP networks.

Available in different versions.

5G: The Other 28 Percent Surprisingly, in the same study mentioned previously, some 28 percent of respondents in critical industries reported that they are already supporting 5G architectures.

So, what is this 28 percent seeing that the 58 percent is not?

“The 28 percent will typically be the early adopters, first market movers,” said CTO at Wind River Paul Miller. “They see the technology’s value and gravitate towards testing and deploying it. The majority, however, want to see it proven. They are not necessarily against it or see something wrong in the technology, they just want validation that this is indeed a reliable and proven solution, and that it will truly produce the expected value.

PCAN-miniPCIe FD CAN FD interface for PCI Express Mini slots. Available as single-, dual-, and fourchannel version with drivers for Windows and Linux.

“We expect that as the early adopters have success in this space, the competitive pressures emerge,” Miller continues. “The early adopters will experience lower operational costs, driving higher profit margins, more flexibility, and faster time to market.

Then we will see the “show me” crowd shift to execution as well.

“This is a typical, healthy new technology, early adopter paradigm.”

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Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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ULTRA-LOW POWER

Tear Down: Smartwatch Boasts Two Weeks on a Charge

By Rich Nass, Brand Director Figure 1. The Garmin Forerunner 945 packs just about every feature you can think of into this tiny space.

I was recently showing off my new Garmin Forerunner 945 Smartwatch (Figure 1). My friends were impressed, as it offers just about every feature that’s available on any other smartwatch. They were blown away by the one feature that I held out until last – it goes more than ten days on a charge. Their watches get three days at best.

T

he feature list is quite extensive. To be honest, I only use a handful of them. But those that I do use, I really enjoy.

The two key applications for me both require use of the GPS, which, as you’d expect from Garmin, works flawlessly.

The first is the ability to track a run. The GPS knows exactly where I am, where I’ve been, and can map the route nicely.

It tells me all the fitness-related stats associated with my run.

The second application that I take advantage of is the distance finder and scorecard when playing golf. With a game like mine, you take any advantage you can get. And knowing the distances to the hole within a yard or so is quite helpful. It also records all my scores, which helps keep me honest.

Maximized Battery Life Circling back to what really separates the Forerunner 945 from competitive devices is the battery life. The biggest reason for that, aside from some remarkable engineering, is the use of an Ambiq Micro Apollo2 ultra-low power microprocessor. The 2.5- by 2.5-mm Apollo2 is a second-generation part that operates at 10 μA/MHz, far better than the previous generation,

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which ran at 34 μA/MHz. Note that there’s a newer device now available, the Apollo3 Blue, that pulls the power spec even lower, as low as 6 μA/MHz, and increases the amount of on-chip SRAM. The “Blue” designation relates to the device’s dedicated second core for ultra-low power Bluetooth 5.0 lowenergy connectivity.

At the heart of the Apollo2 MCU is Ambiq’s patented subthreshold power-optimized technology (SPOT) and an Arm Cortex-M4 processor with a floating-point unit. The device integrates up to 1 MB of flash memory and 256 KB of RAM to accommodate radio and sensor overhead while still leaving space for application code and algorithms.

I’m told that the Xiaomi Mi Watch Color is designed with the same processor, but I haven’t had opportunity to dissect one of those (yet), so I can’t confirm. Note that it also boasts a two-week run time, so I’m guessing that has something to do with the presence of an Ambiq processor. I’ll save that one for another article.

Interesting side note: The Matrix PowerWatch, which also contains an Ambiq processor, is powered by an embedded solar

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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ULTRA-LOW POWER

cell. Hence, it never needs charging. That’s pretty cool. I got a peek at this one at the most recent CES.

FRONT

BACK

How do I know exactly which processor is inside the Garmin Forerunner 945? As you can see from in Figure 2, I took the watch apart. As much as it pained me to do so, I had to see what was inside that allowed the watch to run so long on a single charge.

The Forerunner 945 watch is mostly designed in-house by the team at Garmin, which is split between the U.S. and Canada.

I was impressed that the watch can be used underwater. The specs claim it can be used down to 50 m. I’ll take their word for that one. It’s also designed with Corning’s Gorilla Glass DX on the face. The bezel is constructed of fiber-reinforced polymer.

I can see why it was so difficult to get apart. A vise, a hammer, and a sharp screwdriver were (unfortunately) the tools of choice.

Mostly Local Processing The Apollo2 MCU handles the sensor processing for the watch, and then processes that data locally. Being able to keep the data within the watch (and not have to go out to the cloud for processing) offers many benefits. The biggest benefit is that the data can be processed and displayed in near-real-time. It also means that the watch needn’t always be in “connected” mode, chewing up battery power.

Keeping data local eases users’ security concerns, as the data needn’t ever go out to a third-party. Users can go for a run, play a round of golf, or do some other form of exercise, and have the fitness calculations displayed immediately upon completion. In general, the only time the watch ventures back to the cloud is when it syncs with another device, like a phone, a tablet, or a PC to retain the data long term.

Note that there’s a second processor, an NXP MK28. That device drives the display, meaning it runs a higher-level operating system as well as the applications that are associated with the display. As you can see from Figure 1, the display provides ample information, and is controlled by five buttons.

They help switch between the various applications and control the backlight. The sunlight-visible, trans-reflective memory-­ in-pixel (MIP) LCD can display 240 x 240 pixels. An MCU from STMicroelectronics handles the GNSS functions.

One of the design considerations that Garmin engineers had to keep in mind, as is often the case with a part that employs an internal voltage regulator, is that you want to have the capacitors and inductors as close to the processor as possible with very short traces.

Ample Memory Other components include a pressure sensor for altitude measurements, a heart-rate monitor, and the GPS. A Winbond 128 Mb SDRAM offers some unique features to keep the power consumption to a minimum. For example, it supports special functions like partial-array self-refresh (PASR) and automatic temperature-compensated self-refresh (ATCSR). www.embedded-computing.com

FIGURE 2

With space at a premium, the Garmin designers really packed the devices in. The first figure shows the front side of the board, while the second shows the back side with the battery peeled away. The Ambiq device appears on the backside, in the upper left-hand corner of the figure.

There’s a 128 Gb NAND flash memory from Kioxia America ­ (formerly Toshiba Memory America) placed on the backside of the board. That’s how the watch can store its 1,000 songs. The memory device runs in a fully synchronous mode, and operates from a 1.8V supply. And of course, there are antennas for each of the various radios (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ANT+, and GPS).

According to the technical folks at Ambiq, the Garmin designers did their homework and really maximized the potential of the Apollo2 processor. They claimed that the two companies worked closely together throughout the design process, even on a weekly basis during critical parts of the design.

Ambiq provided the Garmin engineers with an SDK that included a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) as well as the lowlevel interface drivers for the peripherals. Because the Apollo2 is based on a standard Arm Cortex-M4, it should be pretty familiar to most engineers. Ambiq uses standard compilers and development interfaces, and tools such as a J-Link interface.

The majority of the power consumed by the Forerunner 945 comes from two areas: the backlight, which generally isn’t on for long, and the GPS, which could be on for extended periods during workouts like runs, walks, bike rides, and golf outings (yes, some people consider golf a workout). The device’s transreflective display doesn’t require a backlight when it’s used in bright lighting, so that’s a power savings. The LEDs used for heart monitoring are generally on all the time, although that is user configurable.

Finally, there’s a 3.8V, 255 mAh battery glued to the backside of the PCB. The designers did a nice job squeezing the battery in and ensuring that it doesn’t pose a heat problem to the watch, as it sits directly on top of the components.

The bottom line is that designing a watch with so many features into the available volume is tricky at best. Maximizing the potential of each of the components was a must, and the Garmin designers were clearly up to the task.

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ULTRA-LOW POWER

Selecting an Antenna for Your IoT Project

By Geoff Schulteis, Antenova

IoT projects rely on wireless connectivity to link devices, but the best type of connectivity, and therefore antenna technology, depends on the application in question.

W

i-Fi might be a good choice for access points, portable devices, or IP cameras, while industrial applications such as remote monitoring, smart meters, smart buildings, smart cities, manufacturing automation, smart agriculture, and tracking are more likely to use LP-WAN networks such as NB-IoT, LoRa, SigFox, ISM 791-960MHz, or cellular. There is a wide variety of embedded antennas for every type of network.

an informed choice of antenna and a design that accommodates its requirements will get the design off to a good start.

This article discusses the options available and some of the factors affecting your choice of antenna.

Chip, or surface-mount device (SMD) antennas, have become extremely popular for small devices. Here we review the main types of SMD embedded antennas.

Antenna Selection Your chosen antenna should fit neatly into the PCB layout and stack-up. Besides this, it must operate to the required range, perform without interference, and use a reasonable level of power. All these performance factors will be verified when the design reaches the testing stage, but

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At first sight, an antenna with a smaller form factor may appear promising, but there is more to consider. The topology of an antenna determines its efficiency, bandwidth, radiation pattern, and gain, so the smallest antenna may not be the best choice.

There are plenty of design factors to consider as well, including the antenna’s proximity to other components, the antenna’s position on the board, the ground plane requirement of the antenna, and the level of interference in the environment where the device is to be used.

SMD Antennas SMD antennas require a ground plane – a space of a certain size that the antenna uses to resonate – below or adjacent to the antenna. This means that the antenna footprint must be free of other components that might interfere with the antenna’s radiation, and there should be similar clearance through all layers on the PCB. Only the antenna pads and connections to the feed and ground are present in the clearance area (Figure 1, 2). The ground plane requirement for each antenna will be explained in the manufacturer’s datasheet.

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FIGURE 2

SMD, FPC, and terminal antennas.

or even patch. In practice, they can be difficult to tune, as small changes to circuit board materials or component layout can affect their performance, and they cannot always be optimized for your device.

Ceramic Patch Antennas Ceramic Patch Antennas have been popular for positioning applications and can work well in vehicles, but their popularity has declined for a number of reasons.

First, they are highly directional, and must point directly to upwards to the sky to operate effectively. Small ceramic patch antennas can be expensive, but their performance varies due to the shortage of ceramic material available to transmit and receive RF energy.

Smaller patch antennas tend only to support narrow frequency bands, so where a wider frequency is needed, other kinds of antenna are preferable.

PIFA Antennas PIFAs have become the de-facto wireless solution. They are now ubiquitous in handhelds, wearables, and small IoT devices, primarily because they can deliver high levels of performance combined with a small form factor, but also because they are widely available and inexpensive. They are resonant at 1/4 wavelength and yield good ­specific absorption rate (SAR) properties.

All this makes them a convenient choice for designers. They are easy to integrate, and circuit matching just involves a simple matching circuit. There is one more advantage: They can be placed on top of the PCB ground plane to allow components to be placed underneath the antenna. PIFA is currently the most popular antenna topology thanks to its small form factor and ability to offer high levels of performance.

FIGURE 1

This antenna, the Latona chip antenna for LP-WAN, requires clearance of 20.0 x 11.0 mm, which is simply the same size as the antenna.

Electrically Small Antennas ESAs, or electrically small antennas, are much shorter than their designated wavelength. Whereas some antennas work on 1/4 or 1/2 of a ground plane, ESAs can be as small as 1/10th of a wavelength.

Trace Antennas Trace antennas used to be the obvious choice. They were relatively inexpensive and could be reproduced quickly at scale.

Some of the world’s first antennas used this topology and their performance has recently improved drastically in terms of gain, bandwidth, and field pattern. These antennas can be tiny, maybe smaller than 20 mm. They are relatively immune to proximity and detuning, and can use a technique called beam steering to scale their system capacity relatively easily.

However, they can take up as much as ten times the amount of space on a circuit board as a modern chip antenna. As they are purely two dimensional, they cannot offer the same space-saving features as a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA), chip,

Magnetic Loop Antennas Finally, there are magnetic loop antennas, which couple to the magnetic field wave in the region near the antenna. They work perfectly in ultra-small devices that require high levels of performance within a compact form factor. They are resistant to detuning and are a good choice for wearable and handheld devices where PCB space is at a premium and performance is critical.

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Other Antenna Types and Topologies SMD is not the only solution for embedded wireless; there are other antenna topologies that may be useful for certain IoT and embedded designs.

There are flexible and external antennas, which both offer advantages. The flexible antenna does not sit directly on the PCB and does not require a ground plane. External antennas are situated to the exterior of the device, work well with various ground plane sizes, and effectively operate in free space, which simplifies antenna integration.

Flexible Antennas If there is not much space within the device, a flexible antenna (FPC) may be a good choice (Figure 3). The FPC need not be placed on the actual PCB – it is connected to the system by its own integrated I-PEX cable.

The FPC does not require a ground plane to radiate, so it may be tucked inside the housing of the device. This can help save space on the PCB, but the integration of an FPC antenna needs care as the cable actually becomes part of the antenna when it radiates.

Terminal Antennas Where an application requires mission-critical wireless performance, terminal antennas may offer opportunities to obtain the highest levels of performance – particularly in environments where there is other RF noise. These antennas are much larger and are placed to the exterior of a device.

They can achieve outstanding performance in free space without any in-device tuning or matching.

Board Size and Layout: Saving Space The size and layout of your PCB design will probably dictate your choice of antenna.

Space is always at a premium, so a compact, low-profile antenna is usually a good choice.

Remember that the antenna should be placed away from other “noisy” components such as batteries, motors, and metal parts of the design, which could cause interference and affect the wireless performance of the device. The outer casing for the device may cause issues if it is manufactured from metal, so plastic is often a safer choice.

FIGURE 3 An SRFC025 flexible antenna placed inside the housing of a tracking device, and connected to the board by its cable and I-PEX connector.

REMEMBER THAT THE ANTENNA SHOULD BE PLACED AWAY FROM OTHER “NOISY” COMPONENTS SUCH AS BATTERIES, MOTORS, AND METAL PARTS OF THE DESIGN. The ground plane requirement will be a factor in determining the layout of the board. If space is tight, a chip antenna designed to operate on one of the edges or a corner of the PCB may be a good option and save a useful amount of space on the board.

If the antenna is designed for a corner, it may be available in left and right options to offer the designer more choice of position on the PCB (Figure 4).

The manufacturer’s datasheet will explain exactly how the antenna should be situated and integrated into the design.

The IoT Environment Finally, a good wireless design should be created to operate in the environment where it will be used.

IoT solutions are often found in commercial and industrial settings. There are IoT applications in factory automation, vehicle and container tracking, and metering solutions for smart buildings.

However, these may not be good environments for RF. When there are metal objects close by, or motors, or other wireless devices, or even people, the wireless performance may be affected.

Testing the design in an anechoic chamber will show how the device will perform in a perfect environment, but every prototype should also be tested in its real-world working environment.

Testing is the first step to achieving a working design and gaining regulatory approval.

FIGURE 4 14

This antenna operates on a corner and offers left and right options to give designers more choice of position on the PCB. Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

Geoff Schulteis is Senior Antenna Applications Specialist with Antenova Ltd. www.embedded-computing.com

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TEST & MEASUREMENT

Testing at the IoT Crossroads

By Cheryl Ajluni, Keysight Technologies

The world we live in has changed. Horse and buggies have been replaced by the modern car. Landlines have given way to smartphones. And, analog devices have been supplanted by digital counterparts with an ever-increasing level of intelligence.

T

oday, these intelligent digital electronics form the foundation of the Internet of Things ecosystem, and their growth trajectory is exponential. Spurred on by the availability of inexpensive electronics and continual emergence of wireless technologies, IoT devices are reframing how we live, work, and play.

While the extent of IoT’s impact is still up for debate, it’s clear these devices are at a crossroads as they transition from “nice-to-haves” to “must-haves” that people will increasingly depend on for mission-critical, and sometimes, life-critical applications.

Enabling IoT devices and the IoT ecosystem to successfully make this transition will require designers to overcome several key challenges.

Advancing the Mission-Critical IoT Nowhere is the advance of the IoT into the mission-critical space more evident than in the healthcare sector. Here, manufacturers of medical equipment are producing a range of innovative connected devices, from surgical robots, dermally-implanted sensors, and tracking pills, to a variety of wearable devices like infusion pumps that collect and transmit key medical data. This so-called Internet of Medical Things is enabling a fundamental transformation of healthcare delivery, reducing costs while increasing clinician effectiveness and improving patient outcomes.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The mission-critical IoT is also advancing into other key industrial sectors, such as connected cars and Industry 4.0.

Autonomous vehicles are one of the most high-profile applications benefitting from the IoT. In this application, sensors are used to detect and communicate with other vehicles, the road, highway infrastructure, and even pedestrians. In smart factories, the use of IoT is enabling the realization of Industry 4.0. It has meant the implementation of autonomous robotics and augmented reality on the factory floor. It has allowed machines, systems, and human operators to communicate and operate together on the assembly line, while also providing actionable insight.

But these advances come at the price of new, more stringent performance characteristics and requirements as defined by the industry in which the IoT will operate. A list of the most common requirements is summarized in Table 1. These characteristics make mission-critical IoT applications more demanding than consumer applications, and it forces players in the IoT ecosystem to address growing concerns over interoperability, security, and reliability.

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Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

As with any emerging market, the solution to these concerns lies in appropriate regulation and definition of standards.

However, because the IoT is still in its infancy, there is currently no single standard that governs IoT device operation in all applications. Instead, IoT standards are fragmented, with several organizations (e.g., ITU, ETSI, IEEE, and IETF, and industry bodies such as oneM2M and GCF) working around the world to balance regulation with the needs of an innovative market.

Against this evolving regulatory landscape, device designers must continue to design their IoT devices and systems to comply with mission-critical requirements. Likewise, each component in the device or system needs to be designed to meet the specific challenges posed by its environment. Plus, it must be thoroughly tested for optimized performance and reliability using a comprehensive and transparent testing approach.

Understanding the Challenges Ahead Within the IoT ecosystem, designers face challenges at three key levels: IoT Device IoT devices (sensor modules) are typically designed around a microcontroller unit with analog and digital interfaces, depending on the needs of the application. An RF transceiver interface is also required for communication with the outside world (Figure 1). www.embedded-computing.com

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Within the device, size and power management are common challenges for designers, with many sensors having to operate for extended periods of time on battery power or using harvested energy. The RF interface is potentially a significant consumer of battery power.

Low-power wireless protocols (e.g., LP-WANs) have been developed to provide a compromise between transmission range and power consumption. In some environments, such as smart factories, power consumption may be less of an issue than sensor density when multiple devices must communicate without interference. Here, signal integrity becomes a key priority. Additionally, in industrial environments where heavy machinery is commonplace, electromagnetic interference (EMI) compliance is essential.

Requirement

Description

Reliability

The ability to perform to specification in hostile environments, often for many years.

Precision

Assembly line and other applications require the repeated placing of components within very fine tolerances.

Real-Time Performance

Many applications, particularly in factories and other industrial processes, require a real-time response to events.

Scalability

Modern sensor and other networks may contain tens of thousands of devices and must therefore scale appropriately.

Security

The proliferation of connected devices on a network can also represent a growth in points of vulnerability and unwanted access. Security must be designed into solutions to protect both end-point devices and networks.

Interoperability

Interoperability is a key requirement in large solutions that may integrate devices from multiple manufacturers, often from different regions.

TABLE 1

Typical performance characteristics and requirements for mission-critical IoT applications.

FIGURE 1

A block diagram of a typical IoT sensor module.

By far, one of the biggest challenges at the IoT device level is battery life.

Designing an IoT device with an optimized battery life requires an accurate power consumption profile and accurate characterization of the device’s dynamic load. Understanding the relationship between the load demands, the amount of current required, and for how long it’s needed is an important aspect of determining likely battery life.

The battery’s operating characteristics, whether a non-rechargeable coin cell or a rechargeable LiPo battery, also need to be understood and factored into a complex power management routine to prolong and optimize battery life.

Being able to accurately track the load on the battery, and what is demanding it, can help.

Designers can use this information to develop a robust power management process. The designer might determine, for example, that during operation, an IoT device’s current spans a very dynamic range, from hundreds of mA when the wireless transceiver initiates a link, down to sub-µA when the transceiver is off, the microcontroller is in its www.embedded-computing.com

most optimal sleep mode, and the sensor is not active. With such insight, the designer can then sequence high-current-consumption program functions so they do not occur at the same time.

Wireless Communications Wireless communication is essential for IoT devices. To enable this communication, designers can choose from a wide range of protocols such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, NB-IoT, and many more, depending on the characteristics of the application. In mission-critical scenarios, IoT devices must perform in the presence of multiple users, with different wireless technologies, in the same spectrum. Verifying that a device can handle this load is critical to ensuring robust wireless connectivity.

In large buildings, such as hospitals, where dense device operation is a given, reliable wireless communication is mandatory. Here, medical equipment, patient monitoring devices, smart lighting, security systems, and even wearable devices carried in Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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TEST & MEASUREMENT

by visitors must operate simultaneously and unimpeded by interference from one another. This can be especially problematic in hospitals, where medical monitoring devices share the 2.4 GHz ISM band with the likes of cordless phones, wireless video cameras, and microwave ovens. Making sure an IoT device’s operation can work as anticipated in this type of environment is crucial.

The Network With the arrival of 5G, more and more applications will take advantage of the improved cellular network performance to “offload” computational workloads to the data center, placing more importance on network security and stability. All manner of devices can be expected to connect to the network, some of which may, intentionally or otherwise, represent threats to network integrity and security. Network management tools and systems must, therefore, be developed to mitigate these issues and other such risks.

Conclusion IoT capability is now being designed into ever more mission-critical applications across all industrial sectors. Success in this arena demands that designers follow a well-thought-out process to design, test, and validate their smart devices and systems.

That process must involve test and measurement at the device, wireless communications, and network level.

Fortunately, designers now have access to a wide range of test options to help verify the functionality of the various layers in the IoT ecosystem (Table 2). However, conducting the right tests alone is not enough. To ensure an IoT device or system is Ecosystem Layer

Network & System

TABLE 2 18

built to survive and thrive in missioncritical applications, designers must choose the right tools for the right job, and those tools must be accurate, high performance, and flexible.

Tools

Description

Simulation & Design

• Understand device operation/performance expectations • Determine performance/functionality tradeoffs

Battery Drain Analysis

• Measure device’s dynamic current range over time • Determine the optimal balance between functionality and battery life

Signal Integrity Test

• Evaluate high-speed serial interconnect • Validate and correlate actual versus simulated signal integrity

Power Integrity Test

• Analyze power conversion and delivery from source to load via the power distribution network

Wireless Conformance Test

• Verify design and pre-conformance to appropriate wireless standard

EMI Simulation and Modelling

• Simulate radiated emissions and determine actual levels versus standards

EMC Compliance

• Ensure compliance with relevant EMC standards

Wireless Connectivity Test

• Test and troubleshoot receiver • Verify interoperation of wireless IoT standards • Verify that IoT devices can handle multiple standards

Coexistence Test

• Ensure that IoT devices can function correctly in the presence of multiple users with different wireless technologies in the same spectrum

Network Simulation

• Test real-world performance and compliance of IoT devices during integration, interoperability, and carrier acceptance testing

Network Readiness

• Verify wireless coverage and network quality

Network Performance Assessment & Monitoring

• Verify, quantify, and troubleshoot network performance

Network Infrastructure Performance Test

• Test peak network performance

Network Validation

• Validate protocol compliance and interoperability

Applications & Network Security Test

• Harden network and security performance by modeling security attacks/malware • Validate network, data center,, and service provider networks

Device

Wireless

IOT DEVICES MUST PERFORM IN THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE USERS, WITH DIFFERENT WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES, IN THE SAME SPECTRUM. VERIFYING THAT A DEVICE CAN HANDLE THIS LOAD IS CRITICAL TO ENSURING ROBUST WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY.

Test and measurement tools for the IoT ecosystem.

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One of the key tools to consider is battery drain analysis, which helps designers accurately determine their device’s current use and the duration of each of its operating modes (Figure 2). Signal integrity and power integrity tools can be used to evaluate high-speed serial interconnects and analyze how effectively power is converted and delivered from the source to the load within a system. An accurate EMI simulation and modeling tool can help estimate emission levels before hardware is developed. And, to ensure an IoT device can communicate effectively, wireless connectivity and coexistence testing are essential.

Without a doubt, there is a wealth of opportunities in the mission-critical IoT. Whether designers succeed or not will depend heavily on the choices they make and how they address the challenges that arise.

Making the right decisions up front, like picking the right design tools, can go a long way in helping designers outpace their competition.

FIGURE 2

Using the right tools to analyze battery drain in wireless IoT devices is essential to optimizing battery life. Keysight’s N6705B DC power analyzer and N6781A 2-quadrant source measurement unit are examples of tools that can be used to characterize battery drain and provide insight into a device’s battery load over time.

Cheryl Ajluni is Director of the Electronics Industrial System Group and Software Solutions at Keysight Technologies.

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Common Blind Spots in Data Acquisition System Design

By Mark Bingeman, Nuvation Engineering

This “Blind Spots” article puts a few of the avoidable data acquisition system design issues under a magnifying glass.

It continues by offering considerations that should be included early on in engineering planning to help avoid them.

Most data acquisition systems require calibration, sometimes even more than once during a product’s lifetime. Precise calibration ensures that a device consistently behaves predictably and with the level of accuracy needed to ensure target outcomes.

During the early stages of engineering planning, it is important to assess the level of complexity that may be involved in the system calibration process and the degree of precision required to ensure the outcomes the device must deliver.

If this assessment is not performed up front and with sufficient diligence, the result can be that it must be retroactively designed for at later stages of the project. This can lead to an expansion of the project scope and duration, or even require an expensive redesign.

Understanding the Underlying Physics Most data acquisition systems consist of one or more sensors that convert an environmental measurement (for example, light, sound, pressure, temperature, etc.) into an electrical signal that can be

22

conditioned by an analog front-end (AFE) circuit and then sampled by an analog-to-­ digital converter (ADC). It is important to have a general understanding of the underlying physics of these systems in order to identify the environmental or electrical conditions that can affect the precision, accuracy, and repeatability of the sensor measurements.

While a detailed understanding of the applicable area of physics is rarely required, a high-level understanding is very beneficial. Once the fundamentals are understood, strategies can be developed to mitigate environmental or electrical impacts on sensor measurements and performance.

For instance, Nuvation Engineering had to understand the electromechanical properties of a flow cytometer device for a life sciences application. The system required a high-speed and high-precision AFE with a low noise floor. System calibration was essential to meet the measurement performance requirements.

Calibration Procedure It is important to define the calibration procedure early in the product design phase.

This includes asking high-level questions such as: ›› ›› ›› ››

Will special equipment be needed to perform calibration?

Will calibration be performed only in the factory, or also in the field?

How often will calibration need to be performed?

Will the calibration require user assistance, or can it be performed internally (with no user interaction)? ›› What measurements need to be performed in the calibration procedure, and how will the product architecture provide access to these measurements? ›› How can the calibration results be verified? ›› What are the pass/fail criteria for the calibration?

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Considering the answers to these questions is the first step in designing the calibration procedure and ensuring that the product architecture can accommodate calibration.

In some cases, the calibration procedure requires special equipment and needs to be performed at the production facility.

For example, Nuvation Engineering de­signed a stereoscopic camera for a retail analytics application. The camera required alignment of the image sensors and lenses to ensure proper stereoscopic imaging.

Nuvation developed and provided a calibration test fixture to the production facility, where it was used to perform alignment during volume production.

Calibration Data Handling In addition to defining a calibration procedure, calibration data handling also needs to be addressed. This includes the calibration process, start-up configuration, run-time operation, post-calibration tracking, and data analytics.

During the calibration process, measurements are obtained and calculations are performed to obtain runtime parameters for the data acquisition system.

The electronic design team must analyze the complexity of these calibration calculations and determine whether they can be performed by the device itself or if they need to be performed by an external computer. If the calculations will be performed externally, the design must account for data bandwidth, processing latency, and data encryption and security.

ings and error-handling procedures must be defined to handle scenarios where internal parameters or environmental conditions exceed their expected ranges. For example, if the internal device temperature changes (relative to the calibration temperature), can the system compensate for this change (either in the AFE or in the data processing that occurs after the analog-to-digital conversion)? At what temperature thresholds should user warnings or error messages be issued? Should the system take preventative steps to try to prevent potential hardware damage if certain environmental or internal parameter thresholds are exceeded?

Nuvation Engineering had to implement critical preventative measures when designing a data acquisition system for a satellite. Although the conditions inside a satellite are different from that of the harshness of outer space, the environment is still considered to be harsh, and high-reliability design is a mission-critical requirement.

Nuvation’s engineers included extensive self-diagnostic features to ensure the system was continuously operating within the designed operational conditions. If a situation arose that could potentially lead to hardware damage, Nuvation’s designers had the device initiate preventive actions to safeguard the system, such as shutting down sensitive electronics until safe operating conditions had been restored.

In addition to the calibration data usage by the data acquisition hardware, external data handling also needs to be considered. Will calibration results be stored in an external database? What kind of data analytics will be performed on the calibration database? Can the data be used to predict maintenance issues, or to schedule factory re-calibration?

Calibration data can also play an important role in warranty claims. Data acquisition systems can have delicate sensors and other components that require operation within defined environmental or electrical ranges. Operation outside of these ranges can impact performance or cause damage to the hardware. Calibration and healthmonitoring data can be used to determine if equipment has been operated outside of specified operational ranges and is therefore not eligible for a warranty claim.

Conclusion Calibration plays an important role in data acquisition systems. Key factors to consider include: ›› ›› ›› ››

Understanding the underlying physics that drive the need for calibration Defining the calibration procedure Designing the system architecture to accommodate calibration Exploring the use case scenarios for calibration data

Normal operation of a data acquisition system typically starts with a device configuration stage. During this stage, parameters are retrieved from non-volatile memory and used to configure the system.

Error-checking and parameter range checking are required to confirm that parameters have not been corrupted in memory.

Factoring these considerations into the early design phase of an electronic design project ensures that the calibration portion of the data acquisition system development effort does not negatively impact the overall project schedule and budget.

During runtime operation of a data acquisition system, health-monitoring is required to confirm that the system is operating within expected ranges. Warn-

Mark Bingeman is an electrical engineer with 20 years of experience in FPGA-based image processing, hardware architecture, system design, and project management.

He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is currently working at Nuvation as an Engineering Manager.

www.embedded-computing.com

With over 20 years of experience in electronic design, Nuvation Engineering has encountered all the common pitfalls of engineering projects and developed processes to ensure they are avoided. This learning has resulted in an impressive track record of “first-time right” electronic designs.

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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Embedded Computing Design

2020 Resource Guide AI & MACHINE LEARNING

HARDWARE – Continued

Enclustra GmbH

25

Innodisk 36

Vecow Co., Ltd.

26

Opal Kelly Incorporated

37-38

AUTOMOTIVE Winmate Inc.

INDUSTRIAL 27

ACCES I/O Products, Inc.

38-39

congatec 39

DEV TOOLS AND OS

Dolphin ICS

40

Agnisys, Inc.

27

Kontron 41

AZ-COM Inc.

28

Litemax Electronics Inc.

Lauterbach, Inc. Quantum Leaps, LLC

28-30 30

PEAK-System Technik GmbH

EDGE COMPUTING

IOT 31

42-43, 45

Vector Electronics & Technology, Inc.

Crystal Group, Inc.

40

ADL Embedded Solutions, Inc.

44

46

HARDWARE Apacer Memory America Inc.

24

SECURITY 32

wolfSSL 45

Avnet Integrated

33-35

Cincoze Co., Ltd.

34

STORAGE

Dolphin ICS

36

Virtium LLC

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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www.embedded-computing.com

Jump-start your AI-based FPGA application It has never been so easy to jump-start AI applications. Thanks to FPGAs, like the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoCs, the power of AI can now also be used offline and on the edge. Be it image detection or classification, pattern or voice recognition for manufacturing, health care, automotive or financial services: the combination of an Enclustra SoC Module with the Vitis AI development tools provides users with the tools to develop and deploy Machine Learning applications for Real-time Inference and make it a snap to integrate AI in your application. of multiple interfaces and sensors, and the flexibility to adjust to new neural network architectures (see table). The FPGA’s inherent reconfigurability also makes it possible to take advantage of evolving neural network topologies, updated sensor types and configurations, as well as updating software algorithms. Using an SoC guarantees a low and deterministic latency as needed, for example, for real-time object detection. At the same time, SoCs are also very power efficient.

With a standard System on Module (SOM), like the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC-based Enclustra Mars XU3 module, in combination with the Xilinx AI tools, it has never been so easy to utilize the power of AI offline and on the edge.

How machines are learning Artificial Intelligence is conquering more and more applications and areas of life: image detection and classification, translation and recommendation systems, to name just a few. The volume of applications being built on Machine Learning technology is large and growing.

By utilizing a standard System on Module (SOM), that combines an FPGA with an ARM Processor, it has never been so easy to utilize the power of AI offline and on the edge.

Tell me what you see An Artificial Neural Network is a computational model that is inspired by the human brain. It consists of an interconnected network of simple processing units that can learn from experience by modifying their connections. The classification of an input can either take place in the cloud or at the edge on a SoC module (mostly offline). While the processing of data through the neural network often requires a dedicated accelerator (FPGA, GPU, DSP, or ASIC), additional tasks are best handled by a CPU, which can be programmed with a traditional programming language. That is where an FPGA with an integrated CPU – a so-called System-on-Chip (SoC) – often excels. SoCs combine the accelerator for the inference (FPGA array) and the CPU in one chip.

The CPU runs the control algorithms and the dataflow management.

At the same time, FPGAs offer many advantages compared to a GPU – or ASIC-based solution – amongst others, the easy integration

Enclustra GmbH

www.enclustra.com www.embedded-computing.com

Choose the right tools

A lot of tools are available today which lower the hurdle to realize a first AI project.

The Vitis AI development tools from Xilinx, for example, provide users with the tools to develop and deploy Machine Learning applications for Real-time Inference on FPGAs. In combination with a standard System-on-Module (SOM), like the Mars XU3 from Enclustra (which is based on the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC), inserted into the Mars ST3 base board, industrial AI applications can be implemented faster than ever before.

The SoC module not only runs the neural network inference, but can also handle numerous other tasks in parallel, like communication with a host PC and other peripherals. Moreover, controlling all kinds of high dynamic actuators at the same time is where the FPGA technology is playing to its strengths. For example, adding the Enclustra Universal Drive Controller IP Core to control BLDC or stepper motors would be a snap. It has never been so easy to utilize the power of AI on the edge – so start your project today!

Comparison of different technologies for AI inference applications.



info@enclustra.com

 + 41 43 343 39 43

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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Embedded Computing Design

AI & Machine Learning

Embedded Computing Design

AI & Machine Learning

One-Stop AIoT Solution Service Vecow is a team of global embedded experts. We are dedicated to designing, developing, producing, and selling industrial-grade computer products. All of our products are leading in performance, trusted in reliability, exhibit advanced technology, and innovative concepts.

Vecow offers AI-ready Inference Systems and Solutions, AI Computing Systems, Fanless Embedded Systems, Vehicle Computing Systems, Robust Computing Systems, Single Board Computers, Industrial Motherboards, Multi-Touch Computers, Multi-Touch Displays, Frame Grabbers, Embedded Peripherals and Design & Manufacturing Services.

Vecow aims to be your trusted embedded business partner. Our experienced service team is dedicated to creating and maintaining strong partnerships and one-stop integrated solutions. Our services are specific and consider each partner’s unique needs in regards to: Machine Vision, Autonomous Car, Robotic Control, Rolling Stock, Public Surveillance, Traffic Vision, Smart Automation, Deep Learning, and any AIoT/Industry 4.0 applications.

VHub AI Developer: The Future of Vision Computing

Ą FEATURES Ą Simplified Solution

VHub AI Developer is an end-to-end solution which system integrators and solution owners can use to accelerate their AI development and deployment. By taking a platform-based approach, Vecow delivers both hardware and software already integrated with each other for a wide range of applications, including Smart Retail, Traffic Vision, Smart Factory, Access Control, and Public Surveillance.

Artificial Intelligence is the critical technology that will enable next-generation IoT systems across every application and industry. AI makes it possible to implement advanced capabilities quickly and efficiently to reduce development costs and speed time-to-market.

The most difficult part in the design process is training the AI models. Model training has a significant impact on system cost: the more efficient the model, the fewer resources required to use it. Designing an optimal model for a specific AI scenario, however, can be time-consuming and challenging. These models are the key to next-generation computer vision and image recognition systems such as machine vision, intelligent surveillance, and vehicle computing.

Ą

Speedy AI Enabler

Ą

Less Total Cost of Ownership

Vecow VHub AI Developer provides a one-stop solution for key AI capabilities, including deep learning, model training, and labeling. It achieves this by bringing together a comprehensive set of development tools combined with pre-trained models.

By using Vecow VHub AI Developer pre-trained models, it will save up to 60% of development time, with additional savings of 20% to 40% for model training. With VHub AI Developer, system integrators can expect up to a 25% reduction in overall system design time.

Powered by workstation-grade 10th Gen Intel Xeon/Core i9/i7/i5 processors, 11th Gen Intel Core i7/i5 processors, or optional running with multiple independent NVIDIA Tesla/Quadro/GeForce graphics engines, Vecow AI-ready Computing System makes critical AI Computing tasks possible.

With leading performance, optimized power solution, system-oriented protection, and one-stop AI solution service, Vecow is your trusted partner for Edge AI applications.

VECOW CO., LTD. www.vecow.com

26





sales@vecow.com www.linkedin.com/company/vecow-co.-ltd

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

 +886 2 22685658 twitter.com/VecowCo



www.embedded-computing.com

M133WK 13.3" Ultra-rugged durable tablet computers

M133WK boasts a robust set of features designed to withstand industrial use while providing high tech solutions that increase productivity, improve safety, and reduce operational costs. With processing power coming from 8th Gen. Intel® Core™ i5-8265U Whiskey Lake processor, the M133WK features a sunlight-readable 1920 x 1080 PCAP touchscreen with wide viewing angle and direct optical bonding technology. The built-in kickstand allows the device to stand firmly on nearly any surfaces to become an ultra-rugged, yet compact mobile workstation with reliable performance.

FEATURES Ą Ultra-rugged durable tablet computers designed for vehicle diagnostics

applications.

Ą Intel® Core™ i5-8265U Whiskey Lake processor Ą 13.3" 1920 x 1080 IPS wide viewing angle LED Panel Ą Magnesium alloy housing with all-around elastomeric rubber Ą Built-in kickstand usable as carrying handle (indefinitely adjustable) Ą Optical bonding technology Ą IP65 waterproof and dustproof www.winmate.com/newsletter/Strong_and_Sturdy_for_the_Automotive_Industry.html

Winmate Inc.



sales@winmate.com.tw

 +886-2-8511-0288 @WinmateHQ

 www.linkedin.com/company/winmate

www.winmate.com



Dev Tools and OS

System Development Using Agnisys

FEATURES Ą Use an executable specification as the single source of information across all your project teams Ą No duplication of information means no wasted time, money, or resources and no chance for multiple representations to get out of sync as the project evolves Ą Changes to the specification require only the push of a button to update all generated files Ą Generate output files in dozens of different formats to support the diverse users in your teams Ą Produce high quality, repeatable results that automate the embedded system development process Ą All tools are available independently or as a complete flow backed by a highly responsive support team Ą Provide real value to architects, designers, verification engineers, software developers, technical writers, and chip testers

Agnisys, Inc.

www.agnisys.com www.embedded-computing.com



marcom@agnisys.com

Agnisys Inc. is a leading supplier of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software for solving complex design and verification problems for system development. Its products provide a common specification-driven development flow to describe registers and sequences for system-on-chip (SoC) and intellectual property (IP) designs, enabling faster design, verification, firmware, and validation. Based on patented technology and intuitive user interfaces, its products increase your productivity and efficiency while eliminating system design and verification errors.

The key idea that links all our products and solutions is using an executable specification as the single source of information across all your project teams. From a single specification, you can generate design RTL, complex programming and test sequences, UVM testbench models for simulation, portable stimulus standard (PSS) models, assertions for formal verification, C code for firmware and device driver development, CSV files for automatic test equipment (ATE), and end-user documentation in multiple formats. We support a wide range of specification formats, including industry standards such as IP-XACT and SystemRDL, popular tools such as Microsoft Word and Excel, and our own specialized editors. Our current products are IDesignSpec™, Specta-AV™, ASVV™, SoC Enterprise™, SLIP-G™, and DVinsight™.

 www.linkedin.com/company/agnisys/

 1 (855) VERIFYY (1-855-837-4399) twitter.com/Agnisys



Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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Embedded Computing Design

2019 Resource Guide Automotive

Embedded Computing Design

Dev Tools and OS VPX-20-06-1U VPX 3U Full Access Open Frames are designed to aid in

development and testing of VPX 3U bus cards. Patented Full Access Open Frame allows easy access to both sides of the VPX cards. Frame can be placed on any of four sides allowing easy access to desired sides of the boards. Current sensing resistors simplify power consumption measurement. ON/OFF switch controls ATX power supply. Reset is activated by push-button and by ATX power supply. A small breadboard area can be used for adding custom circuitry.

2mm headers allow for current and voltage monitoring and for monitoring / injecting all UTILITY signals. Cooling FANS can be added to help cooling. Conduction Cooling mounting is available. Backplane can be populated with any combination of standard connectors and Viper, Multigig RT 2-R and Hypertronics connectors making high performance rugged products development much less expensive when compared to using rugged chassis. Of-the-shelf products have Power Only backplanes. Custom backplanes with custom fabric and up to 5 slots are available. VPX cables can be used to instantly create custom configurations.

FEATURES Ą Full access to both sides of developed bus cards Ą ATX Power coonnector, ON/OFF switch, Reset generation Ą Current and voltage monitoring, P0 Utility Interface, GA selection Ą Meritec shrouds option for custom backplane connections Ą MULTIGIG RT 2-R , Hypertronix and VIPER connectors versions Ą Optional cooling fans and conduction cooled mounting Ą VPX, cPCI, cPCI Serial and cPCI Express versions available

AZ-COM INC

www.az-com.com

For information about other backplane versions and 6U versions contact sales@az-com.com



sales@az-com.com

 925-254-5400

Dev Tools and OS

TRACE32 Multi Core Debugger for TriCore Aurix Lauterbach TriCore debug support at a glance: For more than 15 years Lauterbach has been supporting the latest TriCore microcontrollers. Our tool chain offers: • Single and multi core debugging for up to 6 TriCore cores • Debugging of all auxiliary controllers such as GTM, SCR, HSM and PCP • Multi core tracing via MCDS on-chip trace or via high-speed serial AGBT interface The Lauterbach Debugger for TriCore provides high-speed access to the target application via the JTAG or DAP protocol. Debug features range from simple Step/Go/Break up to AutoSAR OS-aware debugging. High speed flash programming performance of up to 340kB/sec on TriCore devices and intuitive access to all peripheral modules are included.

Lauterbach’s TRACE32 debugger allows concurrent debugging of all TriCore cores.

• Cores can be started and stopped synchronously.

• The state of all cores can be displayed side by side.

• All cores can be controlled by a single script.

Lauterbach, Inc.

www.lauterbach.com

28

FEATURES Ą Debugging of all auxiliary controllers: PCP, GTM, HSM and SCR Ą Debug Access via JTAG and DAP Ą AGBT High-speed serial trace for Emulation Devices Ą On-chip trace for Emulation Devices Ą Debug and trace through Reset Ą Multicore debugging and tracing Ą Cache analysis

info_us@lauterbach.com  508-303-6812 

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

www.lauterbach.com/bdmtc.html

www.embedded-computing.com

TRACE32 JTAG/ETM Debugger for ARMv8 Lauterbach ARMv8 support at a glance: More than 17 years of experience in ARM debugging enable Lauterbach to provide best-in-class debug and trace tools for ARMv8 based systems: • Multicore debugging and tracing for any mix of ARM and DSP cores • Support for all CoreSight components to debug and trace an entire SoC • Powerful code coverage and run-time analysis of functions and tasks • OS-aware debugging of kernel, libraries, tasks of all commonly used OSs Lauterbach debug tools for ARMv8 help developers throughout the whole development process, from the early pre-silicon phase by debugging on an instruction set simulator or a virtual prototype over board bring-up to quality and maintenance work on the final product.

FEATURES Ą

Full support for all CoreSight components

Ą

Full architectural debug support

Ą

Support for 64-bit instruction set and 32-bit instruction sets ARM and THUMB

Debugger features range from simple step/go/break, programming of on-chip-flash, external NAND, eMMC, parallel and serial NOR flash devices, support for NEON and VFP units, to OS-aware debug and trace concepts for 32-bit and 64-bit multicore systems.

Ą

32-bit and 64-bit peripherals displayed on logical level

Ą

Support for 32-bit and 64-bit MMU formats

TRACE32 debuggers support simultaneous debugging and tracing of homogeneous multicore and multiprocessors systems with one debug tool.

Ą

Ready-to-run FLASH programming scripts

Ą

Multicore debugging

Ą

On-chip trace support (ETB, ETF, ETR)

Ą

Off-chip trace tools (ETMv4)

Start/Stop synchronization of all cores and a time-correlated display of code execution and data r/w information provides the developer with a global view of the system's state and the interplay of the cores.

High-tech company with long-term experience Technical know-how at the highest level Worldwide presence Time to market

Lauterbach, Inc.

www.lauterbach.com www.embedded-computing.com

Ą

Auto-adaption of all display windows to AArch32/ AArch64 mode

AMP debugging with DSPs, GPUs and other accelerator cores

About our Products

Our Company Philosophy • • • •

Ą

• • • • •

Everything from a single source Open system Open user interface for everything Long-term investment through modularity and compatibility The full array of architectures supported

 info_us@lauterbach.com  508-303-6812

www.lauterbach.com/bdmarmv8a.html

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Embedded Computing Design

Dev Tools and OS

Embedded Computing Design

Dev Tools and OS

Lauterbach Debugger for RH850 Lauterbach RH850 debug support at a glance: The Lauterbach Debugger for RH850 provides high-speed access to the target processor via the JTAG/LPD4/LPD1 interface. Debugging features range from simple Step/Go/Break to multi core debugging. Customers value the performance of high-speed flash programming and intuitive access to all of the peripheral modules.

TRACE32 allows concurrent debugging of all RH850 cores.

• The cores can be started and stopped synchronously.

• The state of all cores can be displayed side by side.

• All cores can be controlled by a single script.

All RH850 emulation devices include a Nexus trace module, which enables multi core tracing of program flow and data transactions. Depending on the device, trace data is routed to one of the following destinations: • An on-chip trace buffer (typically 32KB) • An off-chip parallel Nexus port for program flow and data tracing • A high bandwidth off-chip Aurora Nexus port for extensive data tracing The off-chip trace solutions can store up to 4GB of trace data and also provide the ability to stream the data to the host for long-term tracing, thus enabling effortless performance profiling and qualification (e.g. code coverage).

Lauterbach, Inc.

www.lauterbach.com

FEATURES Ą AMP and SMP debugging for RH850, GTM and ICU-M cores Ą Multicore tracing Ą On-chip and off-chip trace support Ą Statistical performance analysis Ą Non intrusive trace based performance analysis Ą Full support for all on-chip breakpoints and trigger features Ą AUTOSAR debugging

 info_us@lauterbach.com  508-303-6812

www.lauterbach.com/bdmrh850.html

Dev Tools and OS

QP™ Real-Time Embedded Frameworks Quantum Leaps' QP™/C and QP™/C++ real-time embedded frameworks (RTEFs) provide modern, reactive software architecture that combines the event-driven model of concurrency known as active objects (actors) with hierarchical state machines (UML statecharts). This architecture inherently supports and automatically enforces the best practices of concurrent programming, which results in applications that are safer, more responsive and easier to manage than the raw threads of a traditional Real-Time Operating System (RTOS).

FEATURES Ą Lightweight, event-driven QP™ RTEFs for embedded

microcontrollers such as ARM Cortex-M (M0-M7)

Ą Built-in real-time kernels for standalone operation and

ports to third party RTOSes and OSes (Linux/Windows)

Ą Free, graphical QM™ modeling tool for designing UML

statecharts and automatic code generation based on QP™ frameworks Ą Comprehensive suite of tools for software tracing, unit testing, monitoring and prototyping of deeply embedded systems

Quantum Leaps, LLC

www.state-machine.com

30



info@state-machine.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/quantum-leaps

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

 919-360-5668

www.embedded-computing.com

Reliable computing for the future of energy As the U.S. Smart Grid expands to accommodate the ever-growing demands for more, uninterrupted power, seamless operations of the more than 70,000 substations across the country is imperative.

With rugged hardware built to withstand the most extreme elements, meet IEEE and IEC standards, process massive amounts of data, and protect against potential breeches, the Crystal Group ES™ Energy Series delivers.

Using aircraft-grade aluminum, our rugged servers and embedded computers are designed and built to deliver unwavering performance in the harshest, most unpredictable and remote conditions. Additional security features, such as TPM, tamper-resistant screws, tamper-evident seals and chassis intrusion switches, are incorporated to ensure the software and data on the inside is just as secure as the outside. And with the exceptional processing power of Intel technologies, the Crystal Group ES™ ensures rugged, reliable performance where traditional computers fail.

ES1012 Rugged Embedded Computer

ES373S17 Rugged Substation Server

Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

Compact construction – 2.4"H x 16" x 11" footprint Panel or rack mounting options Six Intel® Xeon® D-1528 CPUs Dual 2.5" SSD hard drives Billet construction from milled and strain hardened 6061-T6511 structural aircraft aluminum Ą IEEE 1613 and IEC 61850-3 certification ready Ą Fanless, no moving parts, high reliability

Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

ES232S19 Rugged Embedded Computer

ES374L24 Rugged Substation Server

Compact construction – 2U H x 19" x 19" footprint Standard 19" rack mounting options Four or eight core Xeon® D CPUs Up to six 2.5" SSD hard drives Billet construction from milled and strain hardened 6061-T6511 structural aircraft aluminum Ą IEEE 1613 and IEC 61850-3 certification ready Ą Fanless; no moving parts drives higher reliability

Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

Light-weight aluminum construction – 35-40 lbs.

Easily mounted – Delrin glides Up to 512 GB of memory Versatility with up to nine SATA/SAS 2.5" drive bays Expandable with seven slots Five-year warranty Intel® Cascade Lake family CPUs 17" depth; Modular I/O

Light-weight aluminum construction – 40-45 lbs.

Easily mounted – Delrin glides Up to 1.5 TB of memory Versatility with up to twelve SATA/SAS 2.5" drive bays Expandable with seven slots Five-year warranty Dual Intel® Cascade Lake Xeon® Scalable processors 24" depth; Modular I/O

www.crystalrugged.com/products/CG-Energy-Series/

Crystal Group, Inc.

www.crystalrugged.com

www.embedded-computing.com





info@crystalrugged.com www.linkedin.com/company/crystal-group

 800-378-1636 twitter.com/CrystalGroup



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Embedded Computing Design

Edge Computing

Embedded Computing Design

Hardware

Industrial SD/microSD/CF/CFast/CFexpressCards Apacer designs and manufactures products that deliver strong performance, high reliability, and top quality for the embedded industry. The available compact and removable storage devices for this industry are SD, microSD, CF, CFast, and CFexpress.

Apacer industrial SD and microSD are compatible with various SD card versions. Both SD and microSD can alternate communication protocols between the SD mode and SPI mode. Apacer industrial CF cards are compliant with the CF standard compatible specifications. The data transfer mode is up to PIO Mode 6, Multiword DMA Mode 4, and Ultra DMA Mode 7. Apacer CFast 2.0 is the latest enhancement of the conventional CFast form factor and delivers various technological advantages. For data efficiency, Apacer CFast 2.0 delivers data transfer rates up to 560 MB/s in sequential access and 66,000 IOPs in 4KB random access. Apacer Industrial CFexpress provides full compliance with the latest PCIe Gen3 x2 (two-lanes) and NVM Express 1.3 interface specifications, which allows the SSD to deliver exceptionally low latency and high performance with read and write speeds of up to 1,770 MB/s and 1,265 MB/s respectively.

FEATURES

Ą Industrial SD card: S.M.A.R.T., Global wear-leveling and block management, Auto standby and sleep mode, Low power consumption, Extended temperature range available, SLC/MLC/TLC technology offered. Ą Industrial microSD card: S.M.A.R.T., SD mode and SPI mode supported, Global wear-leveling and block management, Low power consumption, Extended temperature range available, SLC/MLC/TLC technology offered. Ą Industrial CF card: Global wear-leveling and block management, Built-in ATA secure erase and S.M.A.R.T. functions, intelligent power failure recovery, Extended temperature range available, Lock switch design for write protection available, SLC/MLC/TLC technology offered. Ą Industrial CFast card: Global wear-leveling and block management, Built-in ATA secure erase and S.M.A.R.T. functions, Intelligent power failure recovery, Extended temperature range available, Lock switch design for write protection available, SLC/MLC/TLC technology offered, AES256 and TCG Opal 2.0 option. Ą CFexpress card: Supports LDPC ECC, Thermal throttling technology, End-to-End Data protection, Lock switch design for write protection available.

APACER MEMORY AMERICA INC.

https://industrial.apacer.com/en-ww

 408-518-8699



ssdsales@apacerus.com

Hardware

Industrial DRAM module solutions Nowadays, as industrial memory products have been widely used in various applications, the need for memory modules that can maintain highly stable operating performance in harsh conditions is remarkably increasing.

FEATURES Ą Available for DDR4 and DDR3 technologies in DIMM, SODIMM, ECC DIMM, ECC

SODIMM, and Registered DIMM.

Ą Temperature solution: Wide temperature

Ą Dust and Moisture solution: Conformal coating Ą Corrosion solution: Anti-sulfuration

Ą Built-in temperature-monitoring thermal sensor to prevent overheating and

improve the memory module’s reliability is available upon request for ECC DRAM modules Ą JEDEC-compliant design

APACER MEMORY AMERICA INC.

https://industrial.apacer.com/en-ww

32

Manufactured with the highest quality original DRAM chips, stringently tested for quality assurance, and verified for compatibility, Apacer industrial DRAM modules are high performance memory modules that are extremely stable and compatible.

As an industrial solution veteran and leading memory brand, Apacer takes an outside-in perspective and strives for new breakthroughs, providing many value-added solutions and technologies for extreme environments to ensure product reliability, stability and durability.

 408-518-8699

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020



ssdsales@apacerus.com www.embedded-computing.com

MSC C6C-TLU The MSC C6C-TLU module is based on the 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processor generation (codename ”Tiger Lake UP3“). Built on 10nm process technology the processor integrates the next generation Intel micro architecture and graphics accelerators, memory controller and rich I/O functionality into a single package.

The board is ideal for mission critical applications, that require the durability of a well-designed board including memory-down, 24/7 continuous operation, extended temperature specification, shock and vibration product performance and optional conformal coating.

It provides significant performance gains over previous Intel Core generations allowing for technology upgrades within existing power and cooling requirements defined by the system design. Typical applications are industrial IoT, medical equipment, on-board units, way-side controllers and outdoor POS terminals.

The MSC C6C-TLU can drive up to four independent displays with a maximum of 4k resolution. The COM Express Type 6 interface allows direct access to display interfaces including DisplayPort, HDMI and the choice of LVDS versus eDP. With a maximum capacity of 32GB fast LPRRD4X memory soldered to the board the product satisfies even demanding applications. Optional in-band ECC capabilities allow for protecting code and data kept in memory. High speed IO includes up to nine PCIe Gen 3 lanes and four USB 3.1 interfaces. Mass storage can be supported via two SATA channels.

FEATURES Ą Ą Ą Ą

Intel® Core™ 11th Generation Quad and dual core variants Rugged module design Integrated Intel Gen12 graphics, max. 96 execution units

Ą Extended temperature variants Ą Up to 32GB LPDDR4X memory,

chip-down, dual-channel

Ą DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6,

OpenCL 1.2/2.x driver support

https://www.avnet.com/c6c-tlu

Avnet Integrated



www.avnet.com/integrated



integrated@avnet.com  +1 480-643-2000 https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/18980630/

Hardware

MSC SM2S-IMX8PLUS The MSC SM2S-IMX8PLUS module features NXP’s i.MX 8M Plus processors that are based on latest 14nm FinFET technology to allow high computing and graphics performance at very low power consumption combined with a high degree of functional integration.

MSC SM2S-IMX8PLUS offers dual- or quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processors in combination with the ARM Cortex-M7 real-time processor, GC 7000UL multimedia 2D/3D GPU and a Machine Learning Accelerator (2.3 TOPS). It provides fast LPDDR4 memory, up to 256GB eMMC Flash memory, 2x Gigabit Ethernet with IEEE 1588 support and one of them with TSN support, PCI Express Gen. 3, USB3.0, USB 2.0, an on-board Wireless Module (WLAN/BT), the Image Signal Processor supports 2x MIPI-CSI (4-lane), as well as an extensive set of interfaces for embedded applications.

The module is compliant with the new SMARC™ 2.1 standard, allowing easy integration with SMARC baseboards. For evaluation and designin of the SM2S-IMX8PLUS module, Avnet Integrated provides a development platform and a starter kit. Support for Linux is available (Android support on request).

FEATURES Ą Dual or Quad core ARM Cortex-A53 Applications Processor up to 1.8GHz Ą ARM Cortex-M7 Real Time Processor at 800MHz Ą GC7000UL 2D/3D Graphics Processor with OpenCL and Vulkan support Ą 1080p60 H.265 decode, 1080p60 H.264 encode (VPU not available on ”Plus

Quad Lite“)

Ą Machine Learning Accelerator (2.3 TOPS) (NPU not available on ”Plus Quad Lite“) Ą Hifi4 Audio DSP, operating up to 800MHz Ą Image Sensor Processor (ISP) supports 12MP@30fps, 4kp45, or 2x 1080p80

https://www.avnet.com/sm2s-imx8plus

Avnet Integrated

www.avnet.com/integrated www.embedded-computing.com





integrated@avnet.com  +1 480-643-2000 https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/18980630/

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Embedded Computing Design

Hardware MSC SM2S-RYZ The MSC SM2S-RYZ module is the smallest embedded platform for the AMD Ryzen Embedded Low Power V1000/ R1000 processor family. This versatile system-on-chip (SoC) technology combines processing, graphics and I/O functionality on a single die, allowing for outstanding compute performance in environments with constrained space, power and cooling. The configurable Thermal Design Power (TDP) ranges from low 6 W to 15 W. The integrated ”Vega“ graphics processor unit with three up to 1.200 MHz fast compute units stands for highest graphics performance.

The new MSC SM2S-RYZ drives up to 4 independent 4k displays and offers up to 16 GByte fast DDR4 2400MT/s memory, USB 3.0 and PCI Express Gen.3 on a power saving and cost-efficient SMARC 2.1 Short Size module.

FEATURES Ą Ą Ą Ą

AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V1404I, R1606G, R1505G, R1305G, R1102G Integrated AMD Vega GPU with up to 8 Compute Units Ą SATA-III interface (6Gbps) Up to 8GB DDR4 2400MT/s SDRAM Ą Dual DisplayPort++ interface Up to 64GB eMMC Flash Ą Up to 4x PCI Express x1 Gen. 3

Different SOCs with quad-core (8 threads) and dual-core (4 threads) processors are supported by this design. In addition to an extensive set of interfaces it features hardware based security compliant to the requirements of TCG (Trusted Computing Group) and TPM 2.0 capability.

For evaluation and design-in of the MSC SM2S-RYZ module, Avnet provides a suitable SMARC 2.1 development platform.

A complete, ready-to-run Starterkit is also available. https://www.avnet.com/sm2s-ryz

Avnet Integrated



www.avnet.com/integrated



integrated@avnet.com  +1 480-643-2000 https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/18980630/

Hardware

Rugged Compact GPU Computer – GM-1000 The GM-1000 is a rugged GPU computing platform supporting embedded MXM GPU expansion. It has all the features required for a compact, reliable, and high-performance computing system for field applications in machine vision, image processing, and artificial intelligence.

Based on the latest Intel® Coffee Lake-R platform, GM-1000 is able to equip with 9th/8th generation Xeon®/Core™ processor up to 8 cores that can deliver outstanding computing performance.

The compact GPU system, sized at 260 mm x 200 mm x 85 mm, can accommodate 1 x standard MXM 3.1 Type A/B GPU module. It allows GPU-accelerated technology from NVIDIA® or AMD® or other MXM GPU from various manufacturers up to 160W. GM-1000 is designed with a power budget up to 360W which provides sufficient power for CPU and GPU to operate simultaneously.

To handle tremendous heat, which is generated from high computing power, the system adopts a unique thermal design including independent cooling systems for CPU and GPU, copper heat pipes and a special aluminum extrusion case. An optional external fan kit with 4 x individual fans is also available to create an active airflow.

Cincoze Co., Ltd.

www.cincoze.com

34



FEATURES Supports 9th/8th Gen Intel® Xeon®/Core™ Processor up to 8 cores Supports 1x MXM 3.1 Type A/B upgradable GPU module expansion 2x DDR4 SO-DIMM sockets, up to 2666MHz, 64GB Supports wide operating temperature (-40°C - 70°C) and vibration/shock tolerance (5G/50G) Ą High-speed I/O: 4 x USB3.2 Gen2 and 2 x GbE LAN. Plus 2 x 10 GbE LAN and 4 x GbE LAN/PoE through CMI/CFM expansion Ą Versatile expansion capability: 1) M.2 E key (CNVi), full-size Mini-PCIe and M.2 M Key (NVMe SSD) 2) Proprietary CMI interface for various I/O expandability 3) Proprietary CFM interface for PoE+ or Power Ignition Sensing

Ą Ą Ą Ą

info@cincoze.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/cincoze

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

 886-2-2918-8055 @cincoze1



www.embedded-computing.com

Intel Atom x6000E series modules With the arrival of the new multi-core Intel Atom x6000E Series processors, Avnet Integrated is expanding its standard module families based on the Intel Atom, Intel Pentium, Celeron N and J series processors.

Avnet Integrated has incorporated the new Intel Atom® x6000E series processors into all four established embedded standards COM Express™ Type 6 and Type 10, SMARC 2.1™ and Qseven 2.1™.

With the availability of ready-to-use embedded modules and suitable design tools, the new processor technology is available at an early stage for the development of innovative applications.

Built on 10nm process technology and formerly codenamed “Elkhart Lake”, the new Intel Atom x6000E series processors feature significant gains in computing and graphics performance compared to previous generation models with the same number of CPU cores and power dissipation.

Avnet Integrated’s Intel Atom x6000E series processor based embedded module families are designed for applications which need a cost-optimized decentral computer performance and a high connectivity. For demanding network systems, the boards offer special Real-Time functions and the support of TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking). The modules integrate high-speed USB 3.1 and PCIe Gen 3 interfaces and fast LPDDR4 memory.

The new modules are as follows: SMARC – MSC SM2S-EL • The new MSC SM2S-EL offers triple independent display support with a maximum of 4k resolution, DirectX 12, fast LPDDR4 memory with up to 16GB and optional IBECC capabilities, fast UFS 2.0, USB 3.1 and PCIe Gen3 on a power saving and cost-efficient SMARC 2.1 Short Size module.

Qseven – MSC Q7-EL • Different SOCs with dual- and quad-core processors are supported by this design. In addition to an extensive set of interfaces and features, the MSC Q7-EL offers 1 Gigabit Ethernet with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and 1 CAN-FD interface. For evaluation and design-in of the MSC Q7-EL module, MSC provides a suitable Q7 2.1 development platform. A complete, ready-to-run Starterkit is also available.

COM Express – MSC C6C-EL • The COM Express Type 6 interface allows direct access to digital display interfaces including DisplayPort, HDMI and the choice of LVDS versus eDP. With a maximum capacity of 32GB fast DDR4 memory the board satisfies even demanding applications. Optional in-band ECC capabilities allow for protecting code and data kept in memory. High speed IO includes up to eight PCIe Gen 3 lanes and two USB 3.1 interfaces. Mass storage can be supported with the optional on-board UFS Flash and via two SATA channels.

The next generation Intel Atom processors.

On modules that fit in your hand.

FEATURES Ą Intel Atom x6xxxRE, Real-time Embedded SKU’s, dual/quad-core (6W-12W) Ą Integrated Intel UHD Graphics (Gen11) Ą Up to 16GB LPDDR4 SDRAM with IBECC (only Atom SKU’s) Ą Up to 256GB UFS 2.0 Flash (optional) Ą LVDS / Embedded DisplayPort and MIPI-DSI

Ą Triple Independent Display support Ą DirectX, OpenGL 4.5, OpenCL 1.2, Vulkan v1.1 Ą Up to 4x PCI Express x1/x2/x4 Gen. 3 (SMARC) Ą 2x Gigabit Ethernet with TSN/TCC Ą UART, SPI, I2C, SMBus Ą Trusted Platform Module (optional)

www.avnet.com/wps/portal/integrated/products/embedded-boards/intel-modules/

Avnet Integrated

ww.avnet.com/integrated www.embedded-computing.com





integrated@avnet.com www.linkedin.com/showcase/18980630/

 +1 480-643-2000

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Hardware

MXH93X Gen4 Adapter card MXH93X Adapters come in various formats supporting transparent and non-transparent operations. Based on Microsemi Switchtec® Gen4 PCI Express bridging architecture, the MXH93X adapters include advanced features and clock isolation. The cards combine 256 Gbit/s performance with an application to application latency below 500 nanoseconds.

The MXH930 Gen4 PCIe Host Adapter is Dolphin’s clustering product that supports the full Dolphin eXpressWare™ software stack. Inter-processor communication benefits from the high throughput and low latency of Gen 4 PCI Express. Advanced DMA features enable fast data transfers to host and device memory. In addition, Dolphin’s SmartIO technology enables sharing of remote GPUs, FPGAs and NVMe drives.

Using the latest SmartIO technology software GPU/Cuda applications can now stream data to remote GPUs at the same speed as to local GPUs. The MXH932 Gen4 PCIe is Dolphin’s Transparent Host/Target Adapter for connecting servers to external I/O subsystems. Based on Microsemi® Gen4.0 PCI Express bridging architecture, the MXH932 adapter enables reliable transparent PCIe cable connections and clock isolation. For high performance application, such as GPU farms, test and measurement equipment, medical equipment, and storage subsystem, the MXH932 delivers flexibility and performance with extremely high data quality.

Dolphin ICS



FEATURES Ą PCI EXPRESS 4.0 SPECIFICATION COMPLIANT Ą ONE X16 PCIe EDGE PORT and FOUR X4 PCIE CABLE

PORTS

Ą 256 GBIT/S PERFORMANCE with <0.5 MICROSECOND

LATENCY Ą QUAD SFF-8644 CONNECTOR SUPPORTING PCIe 4.0 OR MINISAS-HD CABLES Ą NON-TRANSPARENT AND HOST/TARGET TRANSPARENT BRIDGING Ą PCIe eXpressWare SOFTWARE SUPPORT

info@dolphinics.com

 469-482-2140

 www.linkedin.com/company/dolphin-interconnect-solutions

www.dolphinics.com

Hardware

InnoAGE™ 2.5" SATA SSD 3TI7 The InnoAGE™ SSD comes with a Microsoft Azure Sphere inside, and is further integrated with Innodisk’s customized firmware, software, and hardware technology. This new solution enables multifunctional management: smart data analysis and updates, data security, and remote control through the cloud, while benefitting from the power of the Azure Sphere to guarantee secured communications between the SSD and the cloud.

The InnoAGE™ SSD delivers an easy-to-use interface with its customized cloud management platform. In technical terms, the Innodiskdeveloped firmware receives commands from the Azure Sphere via a second connection to Azure. Therefore, it is able to execute SSD debugging messages as well as monitor read/write behavior patterns to increase the storage device’s lifespan. Most importantly, system operators can quickly revert to the default settings from the cloudbased dashboard in the case of a device or system crash.

FEATURES The World’s first hybrid SSD with an Azure Sphere inside Ą Encrypted End-to-end security from edge to cloud Ą Hardware level allows easy and simple development Ą Supports out-of-band network management and diverse platforms Ą Supports wireless 2.4/5GHz dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Ą Supports Ethernet Ą

www.innodisk.com/en/products/flash-storage/ssd/25_innoage_ssd

Innodisk

www.innodisk.com

36



sales@innodisk.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/innodisk-usa/

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

 510-770-9421

 @innodisk_corp www.embedded-computing.com

XEM7310MT Reduce time and effort on product development by integrating the XEM7310MT into your next design. A production-ready module with a highly-capable Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, 1 GiByte DDR3 SDRAM, and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 host interface utilizing Opal Kelly’s FrontPanel SDK, the XEM7310MT offers a small form factor for easy integration with your product.

With ample logic resources, 136 user I/O and three Samtec connectors for high-performance peripheral connectivity, the XEM7310MT is wellsuited to a wide variety of applications such as high-end data acquisition required for LIDAR, RADAR, advanced metrology, remote sensing, and software-defined radio.

Opal Kelly’s FrontPanel SDK provides real-world transfer rates in excess of 340 MiB/s. FrontPanel includes a multi-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux) API, binary firmware for USB controller, and lightweight atomic HDL modules to integrate into your FPGA logic. FrontPanel is the industry’s most full-featured, high-performance, turnkey solution for professional-grade USB connectivity. https://opalkelly.com/products/xem7310mt/

Opal Kelly Incorporated

FEATURES Xilinx Artix-7 (A75 and A200 densities available) Ą 1-GiByte DDR3 SDRAM, 2x 16-MiB serial flash Ą 136 user I/O including 5 MRCC pairs, 6 SRCC pairs, and 1 XADC pair Ą 1 multi-gigabit transceiver quad Ą Low-jitter 200 MHz clock oscillator Ą Three 0.5mm Samtec board-to-board connectors Ą Complete Application Programmer’s Interface (API) in C, C++, C#, Ruby, Python, and Java Ą



sales@opalkelly.com

 opal-kelly-incorporated

www.opalkelly.com

 217-391-3724

 @opalkelly

Hardware

XEM7360 The XEM7360 Kintex-7 based FPGA module offers a turnkey SuperSpeed USB 3.0 host interface using Opal Kelly's FrontPanel SDK. System integrators can build fully-operational prototype and production designs quickly by integrating this device into their product. Manufacturers of high-speed devices such as JESD-204B data acquisition devices can launch fully-functional evaluation systems without the costly design and maintenance of an evaluation platform.

With ample logic resources, the Kintex-7 is well-suited for signal processing, image processing, and other logic-heavy acceleration tasks.

Memory-hungry applications enjoy access to 2 GiB of on-board DDR3 memory with a 32-bit wide data bus.

Celebrating over 10 years of USB FPGA connectivity, Opal Kelly’s FrontPanel SDK fully supports the XEM7360 for real-world transfer rates in excess of 340 MiB/s. FrontPanel includes a multi-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux) API, binary firmware for the on-board Cypress FX3 USB controller, and atomic HDL modules to integrate into your design. FrontPanel is the industry's most full-featured, high-performance, turnkey solution for professional-grade USB connectivity.

Opal Kelly Incorporated www.opalkelly.com

www.embedded-computing.com

FEATURES Xilinx Kintex-7 XC7K160T or XC7K410T Ą 2 GiB DDR3, 2x 16 MiB serial flash Ą Two Samtec QSH-090 expansion connectors Ą Up to 193 user I/O + 8 Gigabit Transceivers Ą Low-jitter 200 MHz and 100 MHz clock oscillators Ą Integrated voltage, current, and temperature monitoring Ą Small form-factor: 100mm x 70mm x 19.65mm Ą

https://opalkelly.com/products/xem7360/ 

sales@opalkelly.com

 opal-kelly-incorporated

 217-391-3724

 @opalkelly

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Hardware

XEM8350 The XEM8350 Kintex UltraScale based FPGA module offers a turnkey dual Super-Speed USB 3.0 host interface using Opal Kelly’s FrontPanel SDK. System integrators can build fully-operational prototype and production designs quickly by integrating this device into their product. Manufacturers of high-speed devices such as JESD-204B data acquisition devices can launch fully-functional evaluation systems without the costly design and maintenance of an evaluation platform.

As an industry first, the XEM8350 features two fully-independent SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports for high-bandwidth applications requiring duplex operation or over 650 MB/s bandwidth. The FrontPanel SDK includes a multi-platform API (Windows, macOS, and Linux) and very low logic utilization on the FPGA.

FEATURES Ą Dual SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports for high-bandwidth data transfer Ą Xilinx Kintex UltraScale XCKU060 or XCKU115

Memory-hungry applications enjoy access to 4 GiB of on-board DDR4 memory with a 64-bit wide data bus and ECC.

Ą 4 GB DDR4 SDRAM with (64-bit with ECC)

Typical applications include ultra high-performance data acquisition such as: • Remote Sensing • LIDAR and RADAR • Photonics • Video / Image Capture • Advanced Metrology • Software-Defined Radio (SDR) • Data Ingestion Acceleration • 5G Systems

Ą 28 multi-gigabit transceivers

Opal Kelly Incorporated

Ą Over 330 I/O pins on three Samtec QTH connectors Ą Small form-factor: 145mm x 85mm Ą On-board programmable oscillator

https://opalkelly.com/products/xem8350/ 

sales@opalkelly.com

 217-391-3724

 opal-kelly-incorporated

www.opalkelly.com

 @opalkelly

Industrial

mPCIe-ICM Family PCI Express Mini Cards The mPCIe-ICM Series isolated serial communication cards measure just 30 x 51 mm and feature a selection of 4 or 2 ports of isolated RS232/422/485 serial communications. 1.5kV isolation is provided port-to-computer and 500V isolation port-to-port on ALL signals at the I/O connectors. The mPCIe-ICM cards have been designed for use in harsh and rugged environments such as military and defense along with applications such as health and medical, point of sale systems, kiosk design, retail, hospitality, automation, and gaming.

The RS232 ports provided by the card are 100% compatible with every other industry-standard serial COM device, supporting TX, RX, RTS, and CTS. The card provides ±15kV ESD protection on all signal pins to protect against costly damage to sensitive electronic devices due to electrostatic discharge. In addition, they provide Tru-Iso™ port-to-port and port-to-PC isolation. The serial ports on the device are accessed using a low-profile, latching, 5-pin Hirose connector. Optional breakout cables are available, and bring each port connection to a panel-mountable DB9-M with an industry compatible RS232 pin-out.

The mPCIe-ICM cards were designed using type 16C950 UARTS and use 128-byte transmit/receive FIFO buffers to decrease CPU loading and protect against lost data in multitasking systems. New systems can continue to interface with legacy serial peripherals, yet benefit from the use of the high performance PCI Express bus. The cards are fully software compatible with current PCI 16550 type UART applications and allow for users to maintain backward compatibility.

ACCES I/O Products, Inc. www.accesio.com

38



FEATURES Ą PCI Express Mini Card (mPCIe) type F1, with latching I/O connectors Ą 4 or 2-port mPCIe RS232/422/485 serial communication cards Ą Tru-Iso™ 1500V isolation port-to-computer and 500V isolation

port-to-port on ALL signals

Ą High performance 16C950 class UARTs with 128-byte FIFO for each

TX and RX

Ą Industrial operating temperature (-40°C to +85°C) and RoHS standard Ą Supports data communication rates as high as 3Mbps – 12MHz with Ą Ą Ą Ą

custom crystal Custom baud rates easily configured ±15kV ESD protection on all signal pins 9-bit data mode fully supported Supports CTS and RTS handshaking

contactus@accesio.com

 linkedin.com/company/acces-i-o-products-inc.

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

 858-550-9559 twitter.com/accesio



www.embedded-computing.com

USB3-104-HUB – Rugged, Industrial Grade, 4-Port USB 3.1 Hub Designed for the harshest environments, this small industrial/military grade 4-port USB 3.1 hub features extended temperature operation (-40°C to +85°C), locking USB and power connections, and an industrial steel enclosure for shock and vibration mitigation. The OEM version (board only) is PC/104-sized and can easily be installed in new or existing PC/104-based systems as well. The USB3-104-HUB makes it easy to add USB-based I/O to your embedded system or to connect peripherals such as external hard drives, keyboards, GPS, wireless, and more. Real-world markets include Industrial Automation, Security, Embedded OEM, Laboratory, Kiosk, Military/Mission Critical, Government, and Transportation/Automotive.

This versatile four-port hub can be bus powered or self (externally) powered. You may choose from two power inputs (power jack and terminal block) to provide a full 900mA source at 5V on each of the downstream ports. Additionally, a wide-input power option exists to accept from 7VDC to 28VDC. All type A and type B USB connections feature a locking, high-retention design.

ACCES I/O Products, Inc. www.accesio.com



FEATURES Ą Rugged, industrialized, four-port USB 3.1 hub Ą USB 3.1 Gen 1 with data transfers up to 5Gbps (USB 2.0 and 1.1 compatible) Ą Extended temperature (-40°C to +85°C) for industrial/military grade applications Ą Locking upstream, downstream, and power connectors prevent accidental disconnects Ą SuperSpeed (5Gbps), Hi-speed (480Mbps), Full-speed (12Mbps), and Low-speed (1.5Mbps) transfers supported Ą Supports bus-powered and self-powered modes, accessible via DC power input jack or screw terminals Ą LED for power, and per-port RGB LEDs to indicate overcurrent fault, High-Speed, and SuperSpeed Ą Wide input external power option accepts from 7-28VDC Ą OEM version (board only) features PC/104 module size and mounting compatibility

contactus@accesio.com

 linkedin.com/company/acces-i-o-products-inc.

 858-550-9559 twitter.com/accesio



Industrial

More edge computing power What industrial IoT applications need today is a combination of high-performance low-power processor technology, robust real-time operation, real-time connectivity, and real-time hypervisor technologies. Featuring the very latest Intel Atom, Celeron, and Pentium processors (aka Elkhart Lake), congatec boards and modules offer more power for low-power applications in every aspect.

Target markets include automation and control – from distributed process controls in smart energy networks and the process industry to smart robotics, or even PLC and CNC controls for discrete manufacturing. Other real-time markets are found in test and measurement technology and transportation applications, such as train and track systems or autonomous vehicles, all of which also benefit from the extended temperature options.

The new low-power processor generation is also a perfect fit for graphics-intensive applications such as edge-connected POS, kiosk and digital signage systems, or distributed gaming and lottery terminals.

FEATURES Ą Intel Atom x6000E Series processors, Intel Celeron and Pentium N & J Series

processors (code named “Elkhart Lake”)

Ą Intel® UHD Graphics (Gen11) for up to 3x 4k @ 60fps and 10-bit color depth Ą Extended temperature range from -40°C to +85°C is supported Ą Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), Intel Time Coordinated Computing (Intel

TCC) and Real Time Systems (RTS) hypervisor support

Ą Up to 4.267 MT/s Memory Support with Inband ECC Ą UFS 2.0 for higher bandwidth and data processing

congatec

www.congatec.us www.embedded-computing.com



sales-us@congatec.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/congatec

 858-457-2600 twitter.com/congatecAG



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Embedded Computing Design

Industrial

PXH82X Gen 3 XMC Module PXH82X XMC Adapters come in various formats supporting transparent

and non-transparent operations. PXH82X brings up to 128 GT/S connectivity and advanced connection features to embedded computers and carrier cards that support XMC mezzanine cards. The cards provide external connectivity with a quad SFF-8644 connector that supports standard MiniSAS-HD or PCIe 3.0 cables.

The PXH822 and PXH826 are Dolphin’s transparent host/target adapters. These quad SFF-8644 cable adapters support the new PCI SIG External Cabling Specification 3.0 enabling connections to compliant Dolphin products and third-party PCI Express cabled systems. The adapters can act as either hosts or targets when connecting to expansion chassis.

The PXH820 and PXH824 are Dolphin’s non-transparent host adapters. They come with Dolphin’s comprehensive PCIe NTB eXpressWare™ software suite that reduces time to market. eXpressWare™ software includes several components to support connecting systems, SOCs, FPGAs, and GPUs. It comes with a shared memory API (SISCI), sockets API, SuperSockets™, and a TCP/IP driver. These components create a robust and powerful programming environment for easy use of shared memory in multi host/root systems and removes the traditional network bottlenecks by taking advantage of high performance of the PCIe interconnect. eXpressWare™ delivers extremely low latency starting at 540 nanoseconds.

Dolphin ICS



FEATURES Ą VITA 42.0 XMC 1.0/VITA 61.0 XMC 2.0 SUPPORT Ą UP TO 128 GBIT/S PERFORMANCE Ą X4, X8 OR X16 PCI EXPRESS HOST PORT Ą QUAD SFF-8644 CONNECTOR FOR X4, X8 OR X16

PCIe CABLING

Ą UP TO 9M COPPER AND 100M FIBER CABLES Ą TRANSPARENT AND NON-TRANSPARENT BRIDGING Ą PIO AND DMA RDMA SUPPORT

info@dolphinics.com

 469-482-2140

 www.linkedin.com/company/dolphin-interconnect-solutions

www.dolphinics.com

Industrial

Performance at the edge In 2020, the worldwide market for IoT solutions will reach $7.2 trillion USD 85% of existing industrial embedded devices are unconnected. As a result, the business opportunities for the IoT will be multiplied times 30 and there will be more than 50 billion sets of networked devices or components used in the world by that time. With three optimized form factors for designers to choose from, Litemax delivers a simple, efficient way to harness the benefits of Intel® CoreTM processor for IoT. These products draw from Litemax’s deep expertise in embedded and industrial design to offer an enriched feature set, along with long product availability, hardware customization, and value-added design support.

Specially designed for embedded use conditions in which space and power are limited, Intel® CoreTM processor provides high performance for edge devise with up to four cores. Litemax products based on these processors provide an impressive level of computing performance and allow these products to power many AI and edge computing applications. With high processing and integrated graphics performance, combined with the optimized Intel® Distribution of OpenVINOTM toolkit, these processors improve inference capabilities like facial recognition, license plate recognition, people counting, and fast and accurate anomaly detection on manufacturing lines.

Litemax Electronics Inc. www.litemax.com

40



FEATURES Ą The latest Intel® CoreTM i7, CoreTM i5, CoreTM i3 and Celeron® embedded

processors with a long-term availability of 10+ years.

Ą Support a total of 3 independent 60Hz UHD displays with up to

4096x2304 pixels.

Ą USB 3.1 Gen2 with transfer rates of 10 Gbps is supported natively,

which makes it possible to transfer even uncompressed UHD video from any vision sensor.

sales@litemax.com

 +886-2-8919-1858 @LitemaxCorp

 www.linkedin.com/company/18048978/admin/ 

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

www.embedded-computing.com

Kontron D3633-S mITX Industrial Motherboard Industrial Motherboard ”Designed by Fujitsu“ supporting the 8th and 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9/i7/i5/i3 processors.

Specifications: • cTDP – Easy & flexible reduction of CPU TDP • Supporting Intel® AMT 12.0 / vPro • Dual Channel LVDS & eDP • M.2 SSD & Mini-PCIe Socket onboard • ATX PSU or Single 12 V Supply The Motherboard D3633-S mITX offers the perfectly rightsized solution for all industrial needs and supports the powerful Intel® Core™ i9/i7/i5/i3 (8th/9th Gen) and the Intel® Pentium®/ Intel® Celeron® processor series. It is equipped with the highly performant Intel® Q370 Express Chipset and guarantees highest functionality on a small-sized surface with Intel® AMT 12.0 and vPro support, 2x Intel® GbE LAN and BIOS configurable PCI Express® Lane. It is designed and approved for enhanced operating temperature range up to 60 °C and for 24/7 continuous operation.

FEATURES Ą

Processor: Intel® 8th & 9th Gen. Core™ i9 / i7 / i5 / i3 Processor Series or Intel® Pentium® / Intel Celeron® processor series

Ą

Chipset: Intel® Q370 Express Chipset

Ą

Main Memory: 2x DDR4 2666 SO-DIMM up to 32GByte

Ą

Graphics Controller: Intel® UHD Graphics, DX12

Ą

Display: 2x DP V1.2, 1x DVI-D

Ą

Audio Controller: Realtek® ALC671

Ą

Audio: 5.1-channel, High Definition Audio Codec

Ą Ą

Ą Ą

Ethernet: Intel i219LM & i210AT with 10/100/1000 MBit/s, AMT 12.0 / vPro Support USB: 4x USB 2.0, 2x USB 2.0 (by header), 2x USB 3.1 Gen1, 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 (by header), 2x USB 3.1 Gen2, 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 stick socket Serial: 1x RS232, 1x RS232/422/485 (by header) Watchdog: 3 Level HW Watchdog (BIOS POST / BIOS BOOT / OS)

www.kontron.com/products/boards-and-standard-form-factors/motherboards/mini-itx/d3633-s-mitx.html

Kontron

www.kontron.com www.embedded-computing.com





sales@us.kontron.com www.linkedin.com/company/kontron/

 888-294-4558 twitter.com/kontron



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Embedded Computing Design

Industrial

PCAN-PC/104 FEATURES:

Ą Form factor PC/104

Ą Multiple PC/104 cards can be operated in parallel (interrupt sharing) Ą 14 port and 8 interrupt addresses are available for configuration

using jumpers

Ą 1 or 2 High-speed CAN channels (ISO 11898-2) Ą Bit rates from 5 kbit/s up to 1 Mbit/s

Ą Compliant with CAN specifications 2.0A (11-bit ID) and 2.0B

(29-bit ID) Ą Connection to CAN bus through D-Sub slot bracket, 9-pin (in accordance with CiA® 303-1) Ą NXP SJA1000 CAN controller, 16 MHz clock frequency Ą NXP PCA82C251 CAN transceiver Ą 5-Volt supply to the CAN connection can be connected through a solder jumper, e.g., for external bus converter Ą Optionally available with galvanic isolation on the CAN connection up to 500 V, separate for each CAN channel Ą Extended operating temperature range from -40 to 85 °C (-40 to 185 °F)

PEAK-System Technik GmbH

www.peak-system.com/quick/PC104-1



CAN Interface for PC/104 The PCAN-PC/104 card enables the connection of one or two CAN networks to a PC/104 system. Multiple PCAN-PC/104 cards can easily be operated using interrupt sharing.

The card is available as a single or dual-channel version. The opto-decoupled versions also guarantee galvanic isolation of up to 500 Volts between the PC and the CAN sides.

The package is also supplied with the CAN monitor PCAN-View for Windows and the programming interface PCAN-Basic.

info@peak-system.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/peak-system

 +49 (0) 6151-8173-20

 @PEAK_System

Industrial

PCAN-PC/104-Plus FEATURES:

Form factor PC/104 Use of the 120-pin connection for the PCI bus Up to four cards can be used in one system 1 or 2 High-speed CAN channels (ISO 11898-2) Bit rates from 5 kbit/s up to 1 Mbit/s Compliant with CAN specifications 2.0A (11-bit ID) and 2.0B (29-bit ID) Ą Connection to CAN bus through D-Sub slot bracket, 9-pin (in accordance with CiA® 303-1) Ą NXP SJA1000 CAN controller, 16 MHz clock frequency Ą NXP PCA82C251 CAN transceiver Ą 5-Volt supply to the CAN connection can be connected through a solder jumper, e.g., for external bus converter Ą Extended operating temperature range from -40 to 85 °C (-40 to 185 °F) Ą Optionally available with galvanic isolation on the CAN connection up to 500 V, separate for each CAN channel Ą PC/104-ISA stack-through connector Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

PEAK-System Technik GmbH

www.peak-system.com/quick/PC104-2

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

CAN Interface for PC/104-Plus The PCAN-PC/104-Plus card enables the connection of one or two CAN networks to a PC/104-Plus system. Up to four cards can be operated, with each piggy-backing off the next. The CAN bus is connected using a 9-pin D-Sub plug on the slot bracket supplied.

The card is available as a single or dual-channel version. The opto-decoupled versions also guarantee galvanic isolation of up to 500 Volts between the PC and the CAN sides.

The package is also supplied with the CAN monitor PCAN-View for Windows and the programming interface PCAN-Basic.

info@peak-system.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/peak-system

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

 +49 (0) 6151-8173-20

 @PEAK_System

www.embedded-computing.com

PCAN-PC/104-Plus Quad FEATURES:

Form factor PC/104 Use of the 120-pin connection for the PCI bus Up to four cards can be used in one system 4 High-speed CAN channels (ISO 11898-2) Bit rates from 5 kbit/s up to 1 Mbit/s Compliant with CAN specifications 2.0A (11-bit ID) and 2.0B (29-bit ID) Ą Connection to CAN bus through D-Sub slot brackets, 9-pin (in accordance with CiA® 303-1) Ą FPGA implementation of the CAN controller (SJA1000 compatible) Ą NXP PCA82C251 CAN transceiver Ą Galvanic isolation on the CAN connection up to 500 V, separate for each CAN channel Ą 5-Volt supply to the CAN connection can be connected through a solder jumper, e.g., for external bus converter Ą Extended operating temperature range from -40 to 85 °C (-40 to 185 °F) Ą Optionally available: PC/104-ISA stack-through connector Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

PEAK-System Technik GmbH

www.peak-system.com/quick/PC104-3



Four-Channel CAN Interface for PC/104-Plus The PCAN-PC/104-Plus Quad card enables the connection of four CAN networks to a PC/104-Plus system. Up to four cards can be operated, with each piggy-backing off the next.

The CAN bus is connected using a 9-pin D-Sub plug on the slot brackets supplied. There is galvanic isolation of up to 500 Volts between the computer and CAN sides.

The package is also supplied with the CAN monitor PCAN-View for Windows and the programming interface PCAN-Basic.

info@peak-system.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/peak-system

 +49 (0) 6151-8173-20

 @PEAK_System

Industrial

PCAN-PCI/104-Express FEATURES:

PCI/104-Express card, 1 lane (x1) Form factor PC/104 Up to four cards can be used in one system 1 or 2 High-speed CAN channels (ISO 11898-2) Bit rates from 5 kbit/s up to 1 Mbit/s Compliant with CAN specifications 2.0A (11-bit ID) and 2.0B (29-bit ID) Ą Connection to CAN bus through D-Sub slot bracket, 9-pin (in accordance with CiA® 303-1) Ą FPGA implementation of the CAN controller (SJA1000 compatible) Ą NXP PCA82C251 CAN transceiver Ą Galvanic isolation on the CAN connection up to 500 V, separate for each CAN channel Ą Supplied only via the 5 V line Ą 5-Volt supply to the CAN connection can be connected through a solder jumper, e.g., for external bus converter Ą Extended operating temperature range from -40 to 85 °C (-40 to 185 °F) Ą Optionally available: PCI-104 stack-through connector Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

PEAK-System Technik GmbH

www.peak-system.com/quick/PC104-4 www.embedded-computing.com



CAN Interface for PCI/104-Express The PCAN-PCI/104-Express card enables the connection of one or two CAN buses to a PCI/104-Express system. Up to four cards can be stacked together. The CAN bus is connected using a 9-pin D-Sub plug on the slot brackets supplied. There is galvanic isolation of up to 500 Volts between the computer and CAN sides.

The package is also supplied with the CAN monitor PCAN-View for Windows and the programming interface PCAN-Basic.

info@peak-system.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/peak-system

 +49 (0) 6151-8173-20

 @PEAK_System

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

43

Embedded Computing Design

Industrial

Embedded Computing Design

Industrial

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cPCI, PXI, VME, Custom Packaging Solutions VME and VME64x, CompactPCI, or PXI chassis are available in many configurations from 1U to 12U, 2 to 21 slots, with many power options up to 1,200 watts. Dual hot-swap is available in AC or DC versions. We have in-house design, manufacturing capabilities, and in-process controls. All Vector chassis and backplanes are manufactured in the USA and are available with custom modifications and the shortest lead times in the industry.

Series 2370 chassis offer the lowest profile per slot. Cards are inserted horizontally from the front, and 80mm rear I/O backplane slot configuration is also available. Chassis are available from 1U, 2 slots up to 7U, 12 slots for VME, CompactPCI, or PXI. All chassis are IEEE 1101.10/11 compliant with hot-swap, plug-in AC or DC power options.

FEATURES Ą

Made in the USA

Our Series 400 enclosures feature side-filtered air intake and rear exhaust for up to 21 vertical cards. Options include hot-swap, plug-in AC or DC power, and system voltage/temperature monitor.

Embedded power supplies are available up to 1,200 watts.

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Most rack accessories ship from stock

Series 790 is MIL-STD-461D/E compliant and certified, economical, and lighter weight than most enclosures available today. It is available in 3U, 4U, and 5U models up to 7 horizontal slots.

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Card sizes from 3U x 160mm to 9U x 400mm

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System monitoring option (CMM)

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AC or DC power input

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Power options up to 1,200 watts

All Vector chassis are available for custom modification in the shortest time frame. Many factory paint colors are available and can be specified with Federal Standard or RAL numbers.

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Modified ‘standards’ and customization are our specialty

For more detailed product information,

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE!

please visit www.vectorelect.com

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or call 1-800-423-5659 and discuss your application with a Vector representative.

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Vector Electronics & Technology, Inc. www.vectorelect.com

44



Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

inquire@vectorelect.com

 800-423-5659

www.embedded-computing.com

PCAN-PCI/104-Express FD FEATURES:

PCI/104-Express card, 1 lane (x1) Form factor PC/104 Up to four cards can be used in one system 1, 2, or 4 High-speed CAN channels (ISO 11898-2) Complies with CAN specifications 2.0 A/B and FD (ISO and Non-ISO) CAN FD bit rates for the data field (64 bytes max.) from 20 kbit/s up to 12 Mbit/s Ą CAN bit rates from 20 kbit/s up to 1 Mbit/s Ą Connection to CAN bus through D-Sub slot bracket, 9-pin (in accordance with CiA® 303-1) Ą FPGA implementation of the CAN FD controller Ą Microchip CAN transceiver MCP2558FD Ą Galvanic isolation on the CAN connection up to 500 V, separate for each CAN channel Ą CAN termination and 5-Volt supply to the CAN connection can be activated through a solder jumper Ą Extended operating temperature range from -40 to 85 °C (-40 to 185 °F) Ą Optionally available: PCI-104 stack-through connector Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą Ą

PEAK-System Technik GmbH

www.peak-system.com/quick/PC104-5



CAN FD Interface for PCI/104-Express

The PCAN-PCI/104-Express FD allows the connection of PCI/104Express systems to CAN and CAN FD buses. Up to four cards can be stacked together. The CAN bus is connected via 9-pin D-Sub connectors to the supplied slot brackets. There is a galvanic isolation between the computer and the CAN side up to 500 Volts. The card is available as a single, dual, or four-channel version.

The monitor software PCAN-View and the programming interface PCAN-Basic are included in the scope of supply and support the new standard CAN FD.

info@peak-system.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/peak-system

 +49 (0) 6151-8173-20

 @PEAK_System

Security

wolfBoot wolfBoot is a secure bootloader that leverages wolfSSL’s underlying

wolfCrypt module to provide signature authentication for the running firmware. wolfBoot is easily ported and integrated in existing embedded software projects. wolfBoot is designed to be a portable, OS-agnostic, secure bootloader solution for all 32-bit microcontrollers, relying on wolfCrypt for firmware authentication. wolfBoot is entirely written in C and ARM assembly language and does not use any dynamic memory allocation, making it usable in safety-critical environments. Due to its interoperability with the wolfCrypt Module, wolfBoot has support for DO-178, MISRA and FIPS 140-2! wolfSSL offers current OS-independent HAL Support for: • SiFive HiFive1 RISC-V • STM32F4

• Nordic nRF52 • Atmel SAMR21 • TI cc26x2

• NXP Kinetis • Aurix

For more information, please contact wolfSSL Inc. at: facts@wolfssl.com Checkout wolfBoot on Github at: github.com/wolfssl/wolfboot

wolfSSL

www.wolfssl.com www.embedded-computing.com



FEATURES Ą Multi-slot partitioning of the flash device

Ą Integrity verification of the firmware image(s)

Ą Authenticity verification of the firmware image(s) using

wolfCrypt’s Digital Signature Algorithms (DSA)

Ą Highly reliable, transport-agnostic firmware update mechanism Ą Minimalist Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) interface to

facilitate portability across different vendors/MCUs

Ą Copy/swap images from secondary slots into the primary slots

to allow firmware update operations

Ą Contains an ECC/Ed25519 key generator, image signing tools,

wolfBoot test applications and much more!

www.wolfssl.com/products/wolfboot/

facts@wolfSSL.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/wolfssl/

 +1 425-245-8247

 @wolfSSL

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

45

Embedded Computing Design

Industrial

Embedded Computing Design

IoT

ADLEPC-1700 Compact Industrial PC The newly-released ADLEPC-1700 is a rugged, compact industrial-grade computer constructed from 6063 aluminum, with thick-walled design and a fanless, conduction-cooled CPU for industrial temperature operation.

Its compact size and light weight make it ideal for a variety of industrial applications and environments ... whether on the factory floor or in rugged external conditions.

Customizable High Performance At the heart of the ADLEPC-1700 is a compact Intel® Atom™ E3900-series SBC with a host of onboard and mPCIe expansion features. The compact chassis design has a very small footprint at only a 3.3" x 4.6" ... the approximate size of an index card ... making it ideal for embedded use in IIoT applications or retro-fitting into high-value assets and infrastructure.

Custom I/O and Power The ADLEPC-1700 is highly customizable and can easily be adapted for particular customer needs including Wi-Fi, CAN, RS232/422/485, MILCOTS power, MIL-STD-1553, ARINC, and much more.

Our staff of system designers and engineers can custom tailor embedded solutions to meet your broad range of specific space, power, electrical or environmental requirements.

FEATURES

APPLICATIONS

Ą Small, compact footprint

Ą Industrial IoT (IIoT) network and cloud computing

Ą Wide Temperature

Ą Secure networking (routing, traffic monitoring and gateways)

Ą Intel® E3900-Series Atom processors

Ą Cyber security edge devices for ICS and SCADA threat security

Ą Up to 15-year availability

Ą Intelligent machinery and equipment controllers

Ą Onboard and mPCIe expansion features available

Ą Unmanned or autonomous vehicle mission / payload computing

Ą Custom System Design Services available

Ą Custom options: Company logos, paint and designs available

Ą Traffic Engineering, Transportation mobile computing Ą Wind turbine datalogging and collision avoidance Ą Oil and Gas IPC controller applications

ADL Embedded Solutions - Smarter By Design CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

ADL Embedded Solutions, Inc. www.adl-usa.com

46

sales@adl-usa.com  855-727-4200  twitter.com/ADLEmbedded  www.linkedin.com/company/adl-embedded-solutions 

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

www.embedded-computing.com

®

Solid State Storage and Memory

Industrial-Grade Solid State Storage and Memory Virtium manufactures solid state storage and memory for the world’s top industrial embedded OEM customers. Our mission is to develop the most reliable storage and memory solutions with the greatest performance, consistency and longest product availability.

Industry Solutions include: Communications, Networking, Energy, Transportation, Industrial Automation, Medical, Smart Cities and Video/Signage.

StorFly® SSD Storage includes: M.2, 2.5", 1.8", Slim SATA, mSATA, CFast, eUSB, Key, PATA CF and SD.

Features

Classes include: MLC (1X), pSLC (7X) and SLC (30X) – where X = number of entire drive-writes-perday for the 3/5-year warranty period.

• 22 years refined U.S. production and

Memory Products include: All DDR, DIMM, SODIMM, Mini-DIMM, Standard and VLP/ULP. Features server-grade, monolithic components, best-in-class designs, and conformal coating/under-filled heat sink options.

New! XR (Extra-Rugged) Product Line of SSDs and Memory: StorFly-XR SSDs enable multi-level protection in remote, extreme conditions that involve frequent shock and vibration, contaminating materials and/or extreme temperatures. Primary applications are battlefield technology, manned and unmanned aircraft, command and control, reconnaissance, satellite communications, and space programs. Also ideal for transportation and energy applications. Currently available in 2.5" and Slim-SATA formats.

Include: custom ruggedization of key components, such as ultra-rugged connectors and screwdown mounting, and when ordered with added BGA under-fill, can deliver unprecedented durability beyond that of standard MIL-810-compliant solutions.

XR-DIMM Memory Modules have the same extra-rugged features as the SSDs, and include heatsink options and 30μ" gold connectors. They also meet US RTCA DO-160G standards.

Virtium

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• A+ quality – backed by verified yield, on-time delivery and field-defects-per-million reports • Extreme durability, iTemp -40º to 85º C • Industrial SSD Software for security, maximum life and qualification • Longest product life cycles with cross-reference support for end-oflife competitive products • Leading innovator in small-formfactor, high-capacity, high-density, high-reliability designs • Worldwide Sales, FAE support and industry distribution

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

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

47

Embedded Computing Design

Storage

SPECIAL FEATURE: PICMG COM-HPC

COM-HPC Scales Heterogeneous Embedded Hardware into High-Performance Edge Computing

By Brandon Lewis, Editor-in-Chief “According to analysts, by 2023, 75 percent of data will be created outside of the data center,” said John Healy, Vice President of the Internet of Things Group and General Manager of Platform Management and Customer Engineering at Intel. “And more than 50 percent of that data will be processed, stored, and analyzed at the edge.”

E

fficiency, durability, and determinism are all factors to consider when migrating to an edge computing paradigm. They are often so top-of-mind, in fact, that it’s easy to overlook the sheer amount of processing performance that’s needed for modern applications like 5G networking, autonomous vehicles, and even retail selfcheckout systems.

“Consider today’s self-checkout point-of-sale terminal at your local grocery store.

It’s using multiple compute systems to run various applications such as checking the weight, identifying bar codes, etc.,” Healy said. “The newer self-checkout terminals are integrating additional functionality such as recognizing the object scanned.

“These trends are driving the need for higher compute and memory along with requirements to connect to higher speed I/O accelerators,” he continued. “However, current COM solutions have limited scaling to server CPUs and are unable to support newer I/O technologies such as PCIe 5.0 and connectivity speeds like 25 or 100 GbE. “COM-HPC builds upon the success of the COM Express specification and addresses the compute, memory, and I/O needs of emerging use cases. The COM-HPC specification supports larger sizes to accommodate high-powered server-class SoCs, more memory, and more I/O,” Healy added.

Introducing COM-HPC for Edge Clients and Servers PICMG’s COM-HPC specification represents a new class of computer-on-module (COM) technology for high-performance edge computing and edge server use cases, defining five different form factors and two pinouts: one designed for Client use cases and the other for Server deployments (Figure 1). The two COM-HPC pinouts offer a large number of high-speed interfaces, including 25 Gbps Ethernet and PCI Express Gen 5.0 links, and potentially beyond.

“The COM-HPC Client modules have up to four video outputs, a lot of audio stuff, and user interface-related stuff. There is more user or video interaction on this,” explained Christian Eder, Director of Marketing at congatec and Chairman of the COM-HPC Subcommittee. “Servers are headless, and that’s why the COM-HPC Server type was defined with a maximum of 64 PCI Express lanes.

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Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

“PCI Express Gen 4, Gen 5, and even Gen 6 are on the roadmap here, but won’t be possible with COM Express,” he continued. “So in a nutshell, we’re going to have about 10 times more performance available on COM-HPC.” Because COM-HPC defines a maximum power consumption of 358 W of DC power in addition to high-speed interface support, the modules are capable of accepting fast CPUs that range from Intel Atom and Core processors (Client modules) to PCIe 5.0-enabled Xeon (Server products).

A Form Factor for Heterogeneous Compute The high-speed interfaces and provisions that allow COM-HPC modules to host PCIe targets also mean that the specification can support compute architectures ranging from Arm CPUs to GPUs to FPGAs and more.

Given the variety of workloads present at the edge, support for a wide selection of processor technologies will enable COM-HPC users to maximize performance per watt. These devices can be implemented as either co-processors added to the system as standard plugin cards or directly onto the COM-HPC carrier board, or as hosts. www.embedded-computing.com

FIGURE 1

The COM-HPC specification defines a Client and Server pinout across five different module sizes.

“COM-HPC takes care to implement vendor and architecture-independent interfaces, for example, by replacing LPC by eSPI, which allows easy integration of non-x86 architectures into COM-HPC,” noted Jens Hagemayer, a researcher at the University of Bielefeld. “Because FPGAs and GPUs are different in terms of underlying hardware architecture compared to CPUs, they can be used as accelerators in combination with an x86-based CPU, but also in a standalone manner. Used in the right way, those heterogeneous architectures can help tackle the challenges imposed by the end of Dennard scaling 15 years ago, as well as the progressed slow down of Moore’s law that we see now and in the coming years.

“In addition, ARM64 has proven to be a vital alternative to x86, especially for edge applications, due to its instruction set being better suited for low-power,” Hagemayer added. “With RISC-V, there is another promising architecture alternative.”

Hagemayer and other researchers at the University of Bielefeld are already implementing heterogeneous COM-HPC modules into microservers as part of the LEGaTO project, a publicly-funded framework that aims to simplify the programming of energyefficient IoT infrastructure (Sidebar).

High-Speed Signaling for High-Performance Computing None of this would be possible without significant advances in connector technology that carries signals from modules to a carrier board and beyond. COM-HPC defines a pair of 400-pin connectors that double the amount of available I/O and maintain signal integrity at data rates above 16 Gbps NRZ. “Theoretically, using only differential pairs in a ground-signal-signal-ground pattern, the connector supports a max aggregate data rate of 4096 Gbps, or 2088 Gbps/in2,” observed Burrell Best, Industry Standards Manager, Signal Integrity Group at Samtec.

“The 10 mm mated connector was designed to specifically support PCIe 5.0, while the 5 mm connector was designed to support even higher data rates including IEEE 802.3cd and OIF 56G PAM4 Ethernet Standards. It will also likely support PCIe 6.0, which is expected to use 64 GTps PAM4 encoding.

“All if this offers a future proof path for technology improvements.” he added.

But dealing with high-speed signals can get tricky for engineers developing a carrier board, too. Stefan Milnor, Vice President of Engineering at Kontron and Editor of the www.embedded-computing.com

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

49

SPECIAL FEATURE: PICMG COM-HPC

PICMG COM-HPC specification, noted that the Subcommittee is producing extensive reference documentation.

“If a design supports interfaces such as PCIe Gen 5, designers will have to adapt to practices appropriate for these speeds,” Milnor asserted. “This includes symmetric stripline pair routing between ground planes, the choice of suitable high-speed PCB materials, and no-stub vias that are either back-drilled through vias or blind or buried vias.

“These topics are covered thoroughly in the COM-HPC specification document,” he said. “COM-HPC has also incorporated an Intel-defined initiative for Ethernet KR sideband signaling known as the ‘Common Electrical Interface,’ or CEI, which is covered in the PICMG COM-HPC Carrier Design Guide.”

A short-form preview spec is publicly available on picmg.org, and the Carrier Design Guide will be available after specification release in early 2021.

COM-HPC: At the Intersection of Edge and Enterprise To bridge the gap between enterpriseclass performance and the realities of edge environments, COM-HPC integrates a range of additional features. These include a flat, rugged mechanical design that supports heatsinks and a subset of the Intelligent Platform Management Inter­face (IPMI) specification that supports the implementation of Redfish profiles and iKVM solutions so that a single carrier can act as the central management instance for multiple modules. All of this is the result of thousands of man hours donated by 22 companies who contributed to the specification.

“About a dozen of companies have initial designs, and products are planned to be released in early 2021. However, that is the tip of the iceberg,” said Jessica Isquith, President of PICMG. “We receive weekly calls from members not on the technical subcommittee and nonmembers ready to design and manufacture products as soon as they can access the specification. The interest is coming from traditional COM vendors as well as server manufacturers and large data centers.

“The ecosystem will be in high growth mode for many years,” she continued. “The fact that it accommodates x86, FPGAs, GPUs, and other CPUs and accelerators increases the available market for the spec, and the list of potential applications is overwhelming.”

One of those applications might be a selfcheckout system at a store near you.

“New POS terminals will consolidate all of their functionality onto a single, highperformance compute system for potential capital and operational savings,” Healy projected. “A checkout terminal vendor can use a COM-HPC architecture to scale performance based on system needs, and integrate next-generation compute modules without a full system redesign.

“COM-HPC provides the scalability and flexibility in system design choices that are unavailable on single board architectures,” he added.

For more information, visit picmg.org/ com-hpc-overview.

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Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

www.embedded-computing.com

SIDEBAR

HETEROGENEOUS LEGATO HARDWARE

By Micha vor dem Berge, christmann IT At the time of writing, the fastest supercomputer in the world is capable of calculating 442 petaflops. However, the official goal of various high-performance computing (HPC) centers is to achieve more than twice that: 1 exaflop, or 1018 floating-point operations per second.

If today’s most efficient supercomputer, the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, would be scaled in size to deliver 1 exaflop of performance, it would consume 38 megawatts of power. That is about the average power consumption of six small towns with 10,000 citizens each.

Meanwhile, the demand for computational power and data centers is growing continuously to serve not only big companies and research institutions, but also the general public via websites, ­multimedia streaming, etc.

This example clearly shows that data centers’ energy efficiency needs to be increased drastically, which is the primary ambition of the LEGaTO project. While big HPC centers of the world are targeting the maximum total performance of supercomputers, the LEGaTO project aims to solve the challenge of energy-efficient computing.

LEGaTO develops, deploys, and demonstrates a software stack to support energy-efficient heterogeneous computing, using a naturally energy-efficient, task-based programming model coupled with a dataflow runtime while simultaneously ensuring security, resilience, and programmability. Four LEGaTO use cases in the areas of healthcare, machine learning, and IoT for smart homes and cities were able to demonstrate an increased energy efficiency between 5x and 15x, with one specific part even providing gains of more than 800x.

The massive increase in energy efficiency is possible thanks to the combination of software that has been optimized with LEGaTO tools and carefully selected heterogeneous hardware that is custom-tailored to the specific use case. LEGaTO uses the modular RECS|Box cluster server (called RECS|Box Arneb and RECS|Box Antares) as a baseline for supporting arbitrary mixtures of high-performance Arm server processors, low-power Arm embedded/mobile SoCs, traditional x86 processors, GPUs, and FPGAs in a heterogeneous, densely integrated environment, and coupling it with a powerful communications infrastructure.

This modularity is achieved by plugging different microservers (or computer-on-modules (COMs)) onto two different versions of carrier blades: • A COM Express carrier blade that supports three COM Express type 6 or type 7 modules that boot from a local M.2 SSD and can be extended with a PCI Express card or additional 2.5-inch HDD/SSDs. • O n the low-power side, the second carrier-blade supports 16 NVIDIA Jetson TX2 microservers.

As the COM Express standard is widely used in the industry, there are numerous third-party microservers that can equip the Durin or Deneb barebone chassis, which support a wide range of Intel www.embedded-computing.com

SIDEBAR FIGURE 1: The LEGaTO project accepts two carrier cards that support COM-based microservers like PICMG’s new COM-HPC standard.

and AMD CPUs. More specialized microservers integrating FPGAs from Xilinx and Intel, as well as server-grade ARM64 microservers, have been developed in-house and are available for the RECS|Box systems.

Besides the RECS|Box system, which is focused on cloud applications, LEGaTO partners Bielefeld University and christmann IT developed a new edge server to allow a blend of heterogeneous compute architectures: the christmann t.RECS. For this, they leveraged the PICMG COM-HPC industry standard to allow better integration of microservers into LEGaTO’s edge server. The t.RECS provides three slots for COM-HPC microservers, supporting COM-HPC Client B and C microservers and COM-HPC Server D microservers. Apart from COM-HPC, other COM form factors like COM Express or Nvidia Jetson AGX are supported. Each microserver has a local M.2 SSD; multiple 10 GbE connections; and a high-speed, lowlatency PCI Express network connection. This PCI Express network is attached to a central PCIe switch that connects PCI Express cards to one or more microservers via I/O virtualization. The microservers can also communicate with each other using this switch in a special host-to-host mode, which is also scalable across multiple t.RECS systems.

The biggest advantage of these modular designs is the ability to equip different microservers with heterogeneous architectures.

This provides the flexibility to tune a platform to the exact needs of the application, in both edge and cloud environments.

Furthermore, it offers an easy upgrade path to the latest chip technology by allowing users to replace some or all of the microservers and leaving the rest of the chassis, SSDs, GPUs, networking, etc., the same. Upgrading a system after 3-5 years massively reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to traditional servers that must be replaced entirely.

For more information, visit https://legato-project.eu.

Micha vor dem Berge is Team Manager for Server Development at christmann IT.

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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SPECIAL FEATURE: PICMG COM-HPC

2,088 Gbps/in – COM-HPC Connectors Increase Speed and Density 2

By Matt Burns, Samtec

2,088 Gbps/in2. That is a unique metric that may not mean much at first glance, but means the world to the edge computing industry.

N

ext-generation embedded applications, from medical imaging and AI to 5G and edge computing, demand high-speed performance. Scalability and density are a must. The soon-to-be-released PICMG COM-HPC specification targets next-generation, high-performance computer-on-modules (COMs) for such applications.

COM-HPC is a natural extension of the existing COM Express standard, which has been a cornerstone embedded computing form factor for more than 15 years. But while COM Express solutions are still popular and timely, the use cases mentioned are pushing the limits of their performance.

That’s where COM-HPC comes in. The COM-HPC specification defines connec-

52

tors that support high-speed PCIe 5.0 and 100 GbE protocols, while increasing system density using two 400-pin multi-row interconnects.

So, how do COM-HPC connectors enable 2,088 Gpbs/in2? To answer that question, we have to understand the basic design features of COM-HPC connectors and how they contribute to that metric.

COM-HPC Connectors: The Basics The COM-HPC specification offers system and interface flexibility by adopting a pair of 400-pin connectors (800 pins total) based on Samtec’s AcceleRate HP High-Performance Arrays. AcceleRate HP is an incredibly dense board-to-board interconnect system with high pin counts, a compact footprint, and low-profile stack heights (Figure 1).

COM-HPC connectors feature a flexible, open-pin-field array. This unique design provides maximum grounding and routing flexibility by allowing system architects to route high-performance differential pairs, single-ended referential signals, and power via the same interconnect. The inherent routing flexibility of COM-HPC connectors enables the different COM-HPC Server and COM-HPC Client pinouts.

COM-HPC connectors offer 400 pins in a four-row, hundred-pin-per-column configuration. This nearly doubles the pin count from COM Express. With a small 0.635 mm

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SPECIAL FEATURE: PICMG COM-HPC

FIGURE 2 COM-HPC recommended differential pair breakout

FIGURE 1

COM-HPC connectors

pitch, the COM-HPC connectors feature an ultra-micro footprint compared to COM Express solutions.

The connectors’ female Module Receptacles are employed at a standard height. The male Carrier Plugs vary to allow for either a 5 mm or 10 mm stack height. COM-HPC connectors also utilize industry-standard ball grid array (BGA) termination, which simplifies the assembly process by leveraging standard surface-mount technology (SMT) manufacturing techniques.

COM-HPC Connectors: Key Design Features The COM-HPC connector also uses Samtec’s Edge Rate Contact Systems, which provide a 1 mm contact wipe. Edge Rate is a rugged contact designed for high-speed, high-bandwidth platforms like COM-HPC. The contacts are positioned in a plastic body to minimize the parallel surface area and reduce broadside coupling and crosstalk. Edge Rate contacts have also been designed, simulated, and optimized for 50 Ω referential and 100 Ω differential signal types.

Edge Rate contacts mate on the smooth milled surface of the contact. This contributes to reduced wear and increases durability, allowing for higher cycle life and superior electrical properties.

This contact design also offers lower insertion and withdrawal forces, while enabling “zippering” when mating and unmating the connectors.

Other connector design strategies contribute to improved signal integrity (SI) performance. For the COM-HPC connectors, careful attention was paid to www.embedded-computing.com

the contact design to enhance differential coupling and control impedance variations in the mating interface.

Additionally, the COM-HPC connectors use a 2.2 mm / 2.4 mm / 2.2 mm row pitch.

The increased center row-to-row spacing allows PCB designers more room to route differential signals. Also, crosstalk is improved with the increased space and the ability to add more ground vias around the differential signals. More on this topic later.

COM-HPC Connectors: Recommended Differential Pair Breakout Here is where the rubber hits the road. How do COM-HPC connectors support 2,088 Gpbs/in2? In addition to the key design features discussed previously, we also have to consider how differential pairs break out from the COM-HPC connectors to the module or carrier.

Figure 2 details the recommended differential pair breakout as defined in the COM-HPC specification. The detail in the breakout may be a bit overwhelming to some, but Samtec’s team of SI experts have honed these layout techniques for many high-speed applications.

The connector balls are the smaller, color-filled circles arranged in horizontal rows.

Ground signals are green and high-speed differential pairs are red. The signal pairs are the “J” shaped images. They are on inner stripline layers. The two curved portions of the “J” traces in a pair have the same arc length. The larger circles are the trace vias, connecting the stripline pairs to the short dogleg surface traces that tie into the connector balls. The white patterns in the figure illustrate the relief (“antipad”) on the GND layers.

The recommended layout offers many benefits. Signal density is maintained using ground-signal-signal-ground (GSSG) routing, and more ground vias can be added.

Crosstalk is also reduced. The approach results in fewer trace bends and drastic excursions, which eases routing and cuts PCB design time.

So, how do COM-HPC connectors support 2,088 Gpbs/in2? Theoretically, using only differential pairs in a GSSG pattern, the connector supports a maximum aggregate data rate of 4096 Gbps or 2088 Gbps/in2.

The aforementioned features contribute to optimized SI at PCIe 5.0 and 100 GbE data rates. The 10 mm mated connector was designed to specifically support PCIe 5.0, while the 5 mm connector was designed to support even higher data rates including Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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SPECIAL FEATURE: PICMG COM-HPC

IEEE 802.3cd and OIF 56G PAM4 Ethernet Standards. The COM-HPC connectors will likely support PCIe 6.0, which is expected to use 64 GTps PAM4 encoding.

All of this offers a future-proof path for technology improvements.

COM-HPC Connectors: SI Performance In addition to PCIe 5.0 and 100 GbE, the COM-HPC specification and the connectors themselves support any number of additional protocols. These include USB, SATA, HDMI, and DisplayPort, among many others.

The COM-HPC SI Subgroup within the COM-HPC Technical Committee was tasked with determining loss budgets for all high-speed interfaces. That required building SI models (S-parameters) from across the COM-HPC signal channels. Key components included module and carrier cards, connector models, and stripline models. The S-parameters were then concatenated to build the entire channel topology. Models were shared between COM-HPC SI Subgroup members to ensure consistency.

Figure 3 illustrates the insertion loss (IL) of the COM-HPC connectors. Results are shown for both the 5 mm and 10 mm stack heights. PCIe 5.0 supports 32 GTps data

IN ADDITION TO PCIE 5.0 AND 100 GBE, THE COM-HPC SPECIFICATION AND THE CONNECTORS THEMSELVES SUPPORT ANY NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL PROTOCOLS. THESE INCLUDE USB, SATA, HDMI, AND DISPLAYPORT, AMONG MANY OTHERS. rates, which has a Nyquist frequency of 16 GHz. With an IL of less than -1 dB and a flat curve beyond 30 GHz, Figure 3 gives confidence that COM-HPC connectors will perform as advertised.

Figure 4 illustrates the return loss (RL) of the COM-HPC connectors. Results are shown for both the 5 mm and 10 mm stack heights. A good SI rule of thumb is to look for where RL equals -10 dB. That will give you a good idea of a maximum Nyquist frequency. The figure shows that to be greater than 35 GHz, also providing confidence that COM-HPC connectors will perform as advertised.

FIGURE 3

Connector-only insertion loss

COM-HPC Connectors: Ready for Prime Time So, is 2,088 Gpbs/in2 real? Theoretically, yes, it is.

The combination of the design features of COM-HPC connectors, the recommended differential pair breakouts, and the simulated and tested performance across all signal channels provide confidence to the edge computing industry that COM-HPC connectors increase speed and density.

FIGURE 4 54

Connector-only return loss Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

Matt Burns is Technical Marketing Manager at Samtec. For more than 20 years, he has been a leader in design, technical sales, and marketing in the telecommunications, medical, and electronic components industries.

Mr. Burns holds a BSEE from Penn State University. www.embedded-computing.com

EMBED DURABILITY

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We understand the risk and challenges of bringing new products to market, which is why technology decision makers choose to partner with WINSYSTEMS to help them select the optimal embedded computing solutions to embed success in every product.

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Embedded Computing Design – COM-HPC

2020 COM-HPC

Resource Guide PICMG COM-HPC Avnet Integrated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Advantech Embedded Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 congatec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Seco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Samtec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

PICMG COM-HPC MSC HCC-CFLS The MSC HCC-CFLS module is the first member of the new COM-HPC product family. It enables a PICMG COM-HPC Client interface and features size C module format. The Client interface offers a wide range of I/O, including multiple graphics interfaces, 1G and BASE-T Ethernet as well as PCIe and USB data paths.

Designed for the 9th Generation Intel® Core™ S-Series Processor family, the module comes with the greatest scalability, from cost efficient Celeron up to most performant Xeon and Core i7 processors. Depending on selected processor variant up to eight cores with sixteen threads can be utilized by most demanding applications. A total of 64GB of main memory with optional error correction (ECC) provides extended and reliable space for data intensive tasks.

FEATURES Ą Ą Ą Ą

Intel® Core™ i7-9700E, i7-9700TE, i3-9100E, i5-9500E, i5-9500TE, i3-9100TE Ą Up to 64GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM Intel® Celeron® G5400T Ą Two SATA 6Gb/s mass storage interfaces Intel® UHD Graphics Ą Up to three DisplayPort/HDMI/DVI interfaces Intel® chipsets Q370 or H310

The graphics units on the MSC HCC-CFLS provide highest level graphics acceleration and hardware based video en-/decoding.

They connect to three DDI interfaces and one eDP display port allowing for a maximum of three independent displays at up to 4k x 2k resolution. The 16 lane width PEG port based on PCIe Gen 3 gives system designers the possibility to integrate external graphics and AI accelerators into their application.

Further I/O include additional PCIe lanes, USB 3 Gen1 and 2, SATA, 1G and BASE-T Ethernet and GPIOs. For lab evaluation, rapid prototyping and application development Avnet Integrated offers the MSC HC-MB-EV, a COM-HPC Client carrier.

https://www.avnet.com/comhpc

Avnet Integrated

www.avnet.com/integrated

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integrated@avnet.com  +1 480-643-2000 https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/18980630/

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SOM-8990 Modular Design Enables Quick Deployment and Easy System Migration COM-HPC, a future-proof next generation solution, supports unified server and client pinout types. This COM doubles the I/O interface on a single COM-HPC module to ease configuration in different systems. Additionally, COM-HPC delivers greater performance and extension capabilities to meet bandwidth requirements and supplement computer-on-module solutions. This new industrial standard retains the benefits of computer-on-modules; and facilitates the optimization and adoption of next generation solutions without changing carrier board designs/system architectures.

via 8x pcs long DIMM memory capacity. Size C offers 128GB via 4x pcs SODIMM (Figure).

High Core Count and Memory Capacity Delivers Excellent Performance To facilitate power input and improve I/O expansion capabilities, all 5 COM-HPC models (A ~ E) feature 800 pin definitions via 2x 400pin board to board connectors. The available board sizes facilitate the adoption of high-level processors. Larger model COM-HPC are compatible with 4 ~ 8 pcs long DIMM memory expansion.

Additionally, the system’s TDP supports 110W processors.

COM-HPC accepts power inputs over 300W to deliver excellent performance with powerful devices. Size E features 1TB memory

FEATURES

Advanced Data Transmission and I/O Expansion COM-HPC supports higher bandwidths via innovative board to board connectors. These solutions offer up to PCIe Gen 5 (32GT/s), and can be scaled up to 65 lanes. They feature ports for 4x USB 4 or USB 3.2 Gen. 2 x2, up to 10GBASE-T and 8x ports 25GBASE-KR with sideband signals. COM-HPC also features more low power I/O such as 12x GPIO, SPI, IPMB, I2C, and SMBus for intelligent system management.

Intel® Xeon® D 16Core/TDP 110W processor Ą Up to 512GB memory with 8pcs 288pin RDIMM/LRDIMM Ą Up to 45 lanes PCIe Gen. 3 (x16, x8, x4, x1), 4x ports USB 3.0, & 2x ports SATA III Ą Up to 4x ports 10GBASE-KR, and 1x port 1000BASE-T Ą Pinout: COM-HPC Server type Ą Dimensions: Size E 200 x 160 mm (0.65 x 0.52 in) Ą Low power I/O such as 12x GPIO, SPI, IPMB, I2C, and SMBus Ą

www.advantech.com/resources/news/advantech-com-hpc-a-next-generation-computer-on-module

Advantech

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Embedded Computing Design – COM-HPC

PICMG COM-HPC

Embedded Computing Design – COM-HPC

PICMG COM-HPC

New design options on COM-HPC and COM Express The first COM-HPC Client size A module and a next generation COM Express Compact Computer-on-Module provides engineers the choice to further scale the performance of their existing systems or develop the next generation of products utilizing COM-HPC’s broader array of interfaces. OEMs will benefit from the substantial performance improvements as well as communication enhancements that the new modules based on 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors deliver to the highend computing sector. Typical applications can be found in many high-end solutions, from embedded systems and edge computing nodes to network hubs, and local fog data centers to core network appliances, as well as ruggedized central cloud data centers for critical government applications.

FEATURES Ą conga-HPC/cTLU COM-HPC Client Size A module and conga-TC570 COM Express

Compact module will be available with new scalable 11th Gen Intel Core processors.

Ą Both modules are the first to support PCIe x4 in Gen 4 performance to connect

Ą Ą Ą Ą

congatec



peripherals with massive bandwidth. In addition, designers can leverage 8x PCIe Gen 3.0 x1 lanes.

COM-HPC module offers latest 2x USB 4.0, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, and 8x USB 2.0, the COM Express module offers 4x USB 3.2 Gen 2 and 8x USB 2.0.

COM-HPC modules offer 2x 2.5 GbE for networking, whereas COM Express modules execute 1x GbE, with both supporting TSN. Sound is provided via I2S and SoundWire in the COM-HPC version, and HDA in the COM Express modules.

Comprehensive board support packages are provided for all leading RTOS’s, including hypervisor support from Real-Time Systems as well as Linux, Windows and Chrome.

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11th Gen. Intel® Core™ Processors in COM-HPC® Form Factor The CHP-C77-CSA is SECO’s first COM-HPC® / Client module Size A (95 x 120 mm), featuring the 11th Generation Intel® Core™ processors.

Aligned with the current pre-release version of the COM-HPC® specification, this innovative solution enriches SECO’s product portfolio with a new standard developed to bring next generation computing solutions into the embedded space.

The CHP-C77-CSA supports up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 memory on two DDR4 SO-DIMM Slots with IBECC (In-Band Error Correction Code). It comes with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics with up to 96 execution units, and a range of video interfaces (3x DP++, eDP, HDMI) which can manage up to four high-resolution displays, as well as integrated SoundWire Audio interface. Connectivity-wise, this board is plentiful: 4x USB 4.0 / USB 3.2; 4x USB 2.0; 8x PCI-e Gen3; 4x PCI-e Gen4; up to 2x 2.5GbE. As for OS, this solution supports Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, VxWorks 7.0, Wind River Linux, Yocto, and Android (post launch).

Also available in industrial temperature range, the CHPC-C77-CSA mainly target high-end industrial applications, but it is also suitable for Healthcare and Medical applications, Digital Signage and Infotainment, HMI, Edge Computing, Gaming, Robotics, and Transportation.

SECO

www.seco.com

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marcom@seco.com

FEATURES Ą 11th Generation Intel® Core™ processors, Dual or Quad Core

Ą Intel Iris Xe Graphics Core Gen12 GPU with up to 96 EU, up to

4 independent displays

Ą Two DDR4 SO-DIMM Slots supporting DDR4-3200 ECC Memory Ą 4x USB 4.0 / USB 3.2; 4x USB 2.0; 8x PCI-e x1 Gen3; 1x PCI-e

x4 Gen4; up to 2x 2.5GbE

Ą COM-HPC® / Client standard form factor Size A (95 x 120 mm) Ą Available in industrial temperature range (-40°C ± +85°C)

www.seco.com/en/products/chpc-c77-csa

 @SECO_spa

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 www.linkedin.com/company/seco-spa/ www.embedded-computing.com

Samtec COM-HPC® Interconnect Solutions The development of the COM-HPC® specification exceeds the demand for high-speed performance in embedded computers. COM-HPC coexists with the COM Express® specification, providing the scalability and enhanced performance for next-gen embedded system design.

COM-HPC offers system and interface flexibility by adopting a pair of 400 pin connectors (800 pins total) based on Samtec’s AcceleRate® HP High-Performance Arrays. Samtec COM-HPC interconnect solutions support existing and future interfaces such as PCIe® 5.0 (32 GT/s) and up to 100 Gb Ethernet.

The female Module Receptables are employed at a standard height. The male Carrier Plugs vary to allow for either a 5mm or 10mm stack height.

Depending on the application, the connector pinouts are optimized for Client or Server modules as defined in the COM-HPC specification.

FEATURES Ą High-performance, flexible open-pin-field array Ą High-speed PCIe® 5.0 (32 GT/s) and 100 Gb Ethernet capable Ą 400 pin BGA mount Ą 4 rows x 100 columns Ą 2.2 / 2.4 / 2.2 mm row pitch Ą 0.635 mm pitch Ą Up to 300 W at 11.4 – 12.6 Volts Ą Module Receptacle J1/J2 – Samtec ASP-209946-01 Ą Carrier Plug P1, P2 (5 mm Stack) – Samtec ASP-214802-01 Ą Carrier Plug P1, P2 (10 mm Stack) – Samtec P/N ASP-209948-01

Applications • • • • • •

Datacom & Telecom Embedded Edge Servers Industrial Medical Imaging 5G Wireless Infrastructure 5G Connected Vehicles

ASP-209948-01

ASP-214802-01 ASP-209946-01

BGA mount increases density and performance

Samtec, Inc.

www.samtec.com/COMHPC www.embedded-computing.com





5 mm Stack

10 mm Stack

Module Receptacle ASP-209946-01

Module Receptacle ASP-209946-01

Carrier Plug ASP-214802-01

Carrier Plug ASP-209948-01

COMHPC@samtec.com www.linkedin.com/company/samtec-inc

 +1-812-944-6733 @samtecinc

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PICMG COM-HPC

SPECIAL FEATURE: PICMG COM-HPC

COM Express Type 6 and COM-HPC Client: Two Great Options

By Christian Eder, congatec The Garmin Forerunner 945 packs just about every feature you can think of into this tiny space.

For the first time in many years, high-end embedded processors are available in two computer-on-module (COM) form factor options: COM-HPC Client and COM Express Type 6. The arrival of the 11th generation Intel Core processors (codenamed “Tiger Lake”) presents developers with the opportunity to decide which form factor most closely matches their project requirements.

New Questions COM Express has dominated the highend embedded computing field. But now the arrival of COM-HPC (High Performance Computing) is raising new questions for anyone evaluating their next high-end embedded project. One question is whether COM Express and COM-HPC compete with one another.

The answer is no, as their specifications are designed to supplement each other – that is why both form factors support 11th generation Intel Core processors.

Another question, now that both form factors are options, is whether to scale existing COM Express investments or switch to a new module standard with the need to design a new carrier board as well. The scale or switch decision is particularly relevant for developers who have so far relied on COM Express. They may also wonder, “Does the beginning of COM-HPC also herald the end of COM Express? How long will COM Express continue to be available? Do I have to switch to COM-HPC now, or can I wait?”

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Another consideration is how a switch to COM-HPC would affect OEMs’ and customers’ competitive positions. To answer these questions, it is important to know what COM-HPC Client modules have to offer and how they differ from COM Express Type 6 modules.

FIGURE 1

The COM-HPC Client specification defines three different footprints, just like COM Express. As the smallest, Size A is more compact than COM Express Basic modules so developers can easily switch from COM Express Basic to COM-HPC Size A.

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www.congatec.com

TWITTER

@congatecAG

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Developers who use COM Express Basic in order to integrate processors more powerful than those available on COM Express Compact can opt for the COM-HPC Client Size A form factor.

However, there is no COM-HPC Client option for the COM Express Compact size layout (Figure 2). This shows clearly that the two specifications are complementary options.

Basic and Size A: Only Marginal Footprint Differences COM-HPC Client, like COM Express Type 6, is a PICMG COM ­specification.

It is part of the new COM-HPC s­ tandard.

This also specifies COM-HPC Server modules, but these do not need to be considered further in this article because they are server-oriented and headless, while COM-HPC Client modules, like COM Express Type 6 modules, support graphics.

COM-HPC Specifies Higher TDP Just as they offer larger footprint options compared to COM Express, COM-HPC modules also generally allow a higher power budget. With up to 200 W thermal design power (TDP), COM-HPC Client modules can have approximately three times the current performance of the most powerful COM Express Type 6 options. Compared to COM Express Basic, at its upper limit of 137 W TDP, COM-HPC Client TDP is 46 percent higher. For developers needing more TDP and processor power now or in the long term than COM Express allows, COM-HPC is a must.

COM-HPC Size A modules, such as the new 15 W conga-HPC/cTLU with the 11th generation Intel Core processor, will be

COM-HPC Client modules come in three footprints of 120 mm x 160 mm (Size C), 120 mm x 120 mm (Size B) and 120 mm x 95 mm (Size A), shown in Figure 1.

So, the smallest COM-HPC footprint is almost identical to COM Express Basic at 125 mm x 95 mm. COM Express Compact at 95 mm x 95 mm is around 21 percent more compact. As the COM-HPC Size A form factor is only 4 percent smaller than COM Express Basic, changing from COM Express Basic to COM-HPC Size A is therefore no problem with regard to footprint.

The larger Size B and Size C COM-HPC Client modules are sized such that they would typically sit above COM Express Type 6 modules and therefore address high-performance applications that cannot be implemented with COM Express. www.embedded-computing.com

FIGURE 2

The conga-TC570 COM Express Compact module with a Intel Tiger Lake UP3 processor can be plug-andplay mounted onto existing COM Express carrier boards – regardless of whether they are designed for COM Express Basic or Compact.

They are therefore ready for immediate use.

more comparable in performance to previous COM Express modules (Figure 3).

In addition, COM Express designers will find COM-HPC has the advantage of offering massively more data bandwidth than COM Express Type 6, as evident from the number of signal pins.

Nearly Doubling the Pin Count Increases Bandwidth Two further key differences between COM Express Basic Type 6 and COMHPC Client Size A are the connector and the number of signal pins connecting the module to the application-specific carrier board. Like COM Express, COM-HPC is based on two connectors, but now each COM-HPC connector has 400 pins. The two COM Express connectors have 220 pins each. The expansion to 800 signal pins makes it possible to connect approximately 80 percent more interfaces.

Designed for the latest high-speed interfaces, the COM-HPC connector is also compatible with the high clock rates of PCIe 5.0 and 25 Gbps Ethernet. COM Express currently only extends to PCIe Gen 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 in compatibility mode, making the connector a limiting factor. However, there are efforts to replace the COM Express connector

FIGURE 3

The conga-HPC/cTLU COMHPC Size A module requires a completely new carrier board.

The COM-HPC evaluation board is available now.

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SPECIAL FEATURE: PICMG COM-HPC

with one that is fully mechanically compatible with PCIe 4.0 but electronically more powerful. This connector replacement bodes well for the future of COM Express.

Memory Capacity Depends on Footprint Both COM-HPC and COM Express use SO-DIMMs or soldered memory for RAM capacity. As noted earlier, the footprints of COM Express Basic and COM-HPC Client Size A differ only slightly. It’s already been shown by COM Express Basic that RAM capacity currently tops out at 128 GB, so given how close Size A is to COM Express Basic, the RAM capacity for Size A would be similar.

Developers whose designs require more RAM must use larger form factors.

Although COM Express does specify larger modules above the Basic form factor, in practice these have been virtually irrelevant. The expectation therefore is that larger modules will be developed primarily based on the COM-HPC standard. And this is likely to happen soon because COM-HPC Server modules address solutions up to the mid-performance server class that can never have enough RAM. They can host eight fullfledged SO-DIMM memory modules and thus currently provide up to 1 TB of RAM. Comparing the newly launched Tiger Lake UP3 COM Express Type 6 Compact and COM-HPC Client Size A modules, the latter provides more memory.

However, this potential of more memory has not been used; both modules offer two SO-DIMM sockets for 3200 MTps and 32 GB DDR4. So, 64 GB RAM in total. The reason for this unused potential is simple: The Tiger Lake UP3 cannot support more. All other things being equal, a change driven by the need to get more RAM invariably means opting for a larger form factor than COM Express Basic or COM HPC Size A. But with memory density continuously increasing, RAM capacity is unlikely to become a limiting factor for targeted multi-purpose applications in the future.

Same Graphics, New Audio The graphics support is also the same for both standards. COM-HPC Client and COM Express Type 6 both support

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FIGURE 4

COM-HPC Client interfaces differ from COM Express Type 6 mainly in the number and bandwidth of PCIe lanes, Ethernet interfaces and USB ports. In addition to its interface differences, COM-HPC Client, unlike COM Express Type 6, has extended remote management support (yet to be specified).

up to four displays via three digital display interfaces (DDIs) and one embedded DisplayPort (eDP).

For multimedia interfaces, COM-HPC replaces the HDA interface previously available with COM Express with SoundWire. SoundWire, a new MIPI standard, requires only two lines and operates at rates of up to 12.288 MHz. Up to four audio codecs can be connected in parallel over these two lines, with each codec receiving its own ID to enable evaluation, a plus for applications where sound plays an important role.

PCIe and GbE Support COM Express Type 6 modules have a maximum of 24 PCIe lanes as compared to 49 in COM-HPC Client modules. One COM-HPC Client PCIe lane is reserved for communication with the carrier board’s board management controller (BMC).

The COM-HPC Client module specification also offers direct connection of two 25 GbE KR- and up to two 10 GbE BaseT Ethernet interfaces. COM Express Type 6 supports a maximum of 1x1 GbE, but additional network interfaces can be connected via PCIe and executed via the carrier board (Figure 4).

However, the full potential of the specification is not exhausted by today’s’ 11th generation of Intel Core processors.

Both modules offer a PCIe x4 Gen 4 interface for extremely-high-bandwidth connections to peripherals. In addition, developers can also use 8x PCIe Gen 3.0 x1 lanes with both modules. So, there is no processor-related difference in this respect. However, the COM-HPC modules offer 2x 2.5 GbE native connectivity, while COM Express modules only support 1x GbE natively. COM Express designers therefore must bear the expense of obtaining carrier board components to produce the same GbE functionality as that of COM-HPC modules.

Both modules also support Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) for real-time communication via Ethernet. So, apart from 2.5 GbE being available only with COM-HPC modules,

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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DEVELOPERS OF HIGHPERFORMANCE SYSTEMS MAY WANT TO CONSIDER THAT IT IS EASIER TO SCALE DOWN WHEN USING ONE STANDARD – AN ARGUMENT FOR IMPLEMENTING EVERYTHING IN COM-HPC. OTHERWISE, THE MOTTO IS, “NEVER CHANGE A RUNNING SYSTEM” the differences regarding PCIe and GbE are currently not that significant.

High USB Bandwidth and Native Camera Support Designed for the faster new USB standards, COM-HPC Client specifies up to 4x USB 4.0 interfaces, supplemented by 4x USB 2.0 interfaces. COM Express Type 6 modules, on the other hand, can execute up to 4x USB 3.2 and 8x USB 2.0. With four fewer USB 2.0 ports than COM Express Type 6 modules, COM-HPC Client devices nevertheless offer greater bandwidth because the USB 4.0 transfer rate is 40 Gbps.

COM-HPC natively supports up to two MIPI-CSI interfaces. In addition to being cost-efficient, the two interfaces make it easy to integrate cameras for many application types and enable 3D vision.

Potential use cases for modules with two MIPI-CSI interfaces include user identification, gesture control, and augmented reality for maintenance. Additional possibilities are video surveillance and optical quality assurance, situational awareness for autonomous vehicles, and collaborative robotics.

MIPI-CSI interface support is thus a clear COM-HPC strength. The conga-HPC/ cTLU offers these two MIPI-CSI interfaces. What’s more, the extended x86 instruction set in Tiger Lake UP3 provides the conga-HPC/cTLU with AI/DL instruction sets, Vector Neural Network Instructions (VNNI) support, and other www.embedded-computing.com

features that leverage up to 96 execution units from the new processor’s integrated Intel Xe graphics engine (Gen 12).

COM-HPC further offers 2x SATA interfaces to connect traditional SSDs and HDDs, along with industrial interfaces such as 2x UART and 12x GPIO. 2x I2C, SPI, and eSPI complete the feature set.

All in all, COM-HPC Client features are comparable to those of COM Express Type 6 modules, although a CAN bus support option is available with the latter.

Experience Shows There’s No Rush to Switch The similarities and differences for COM-HPC Client and COM Express Type 6 described here indicate that the majority of designs will be well served by COM Express for at least the next 3-5 years. Another factor in that prediction is that COM-HPC Client does not introduce a new system bus. This is different compared to previous changes from ISA to PCI and from PCI to PCI Express. Here it was absolutely necessary to define a new pinout.

It’s also worth remembering that COM Express modules did not replace ETX modules as the best-selling modules until 2012 – a good 11 years after the introduction of ETX – and seven years after the introduction of COM Express. And ETX modules are still available today. PCIe generations are backwards compatible, enabling PCIe Gen 3.0 designs to live on for a long time, even after PCIe Gen 4.0 is established across all processor levels.

There is definitely no need to switch if a design’s interface specifications and bandwidths are sufficient.

Who Should Opt for COM-HPC? All those who require their module to natively support one or all of the following interfaces must switch to COM-HPC today: full USB 4.0 bandwidth, 2.5 GbE, SoundWire, and MIPI-CSI. Those who expect to need more or higher-performance PCIe or Ethernet interfaces with up to 25 GbE in the future should also give preference to COM-HPC. Besides, developers of high-performance systems may want to consider that it is easier to scale down when using one standard – an argument for implementing everything in COM-HPC. Otherwise, the motto is, “Never change a running system,” partially because COM Express can be made available with a brand new, PCIe 4.0-compliant connector.

Remote Management for Edge Server Modules is Coming As part of the COM-HPC launch, an extended remote management interface is also planned. This interface is currently being developed in the PICMG Remote Management Subcommittee. The goal is to create a subset of the complex Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) feature set available for the remote management of edge server modules. With this new feature set, OEMs and users will be able to easily ensure server-grade reliability, availability, maintainability, and security (RAMS).

A board management controller, to be implemented on the carrier board, makes it possible to expand remote management functionality to individual carrier board and further system demands as needed. This provides OEMs with a consistent basis for remote management, which they can modify according to their requirements.

COMclusion COM Express has a great future at an existing performance level, thanks in part to growing digitalization. COM-HPC can fulfill a broad range of upcoming, computeintensive applications where bandwidth-intensive data streams must be processed in a compact edge device.

Christian Eder is Director of Marketing at congatec and Chairman of the PICMG COM-HPC Subcommittee.

Embedded Computing Design RESOURCE GUIDE | Winter 2020

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