TimesTech Dec 2019 by TimesTech

timestech.in

December

Year 2020 Dedicate to

STARTUP

SMBs & SMEs, Why? a comprehensive look into the

ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY Shedding New Light on AC-to-DC Line Drive of LEDs Demystifying the paralleling of In-Conversation

PICMG unveils new standard for Computer-on-Modules

IGBT modules

Christian Eder PICMG COM-HPC

Official Media Partner

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO REACH YOUR AUDIENCE

Digital Online

TIMESTech.in Call Us on +91-9058843174 or mail : sales@timestech.in We are Social

Global sourcing re-defined

MERCURY ELECTRONIC CORPORATION Master in Technology Distribution, Consolidation & Kitting Customer satisfaction is not just our job but our priority Our Market Segment

OUR SERVICE q Kitting q Bonded Inventory Management q BLDC Motors (up to 300Kw), Drives & Controls, Power

q q q q q q q

Management Products (DC/DC converters), Test Rigs, Battery Management System (all chemistries), Battery Chargers (Lithium Ion) Prototype Support. Will submit quotation within time line We can support all kinds of Electronics Components for 01 Nos to Mass Production. PDI (Pre-Dispatch Inspection) â&#x20AC;Ś for ensuring proper quality parts shipments to customers. Liquidate the excess inventory for our customers to ease up the cash flow. Source the Critical Product ( EOL or on last time buy). Strategic sourcing of all types Electronic Components like Active Components and Passive Components & Cables and Peripherals like Memory, Processors and SSDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Energy Meter Automotive Power Supply Networking HMI Industrial POS / Hand Held Terminals LED Lighting Solar Industries Defense Market

q q q q q q q q q

Space Market Avionics Market Vehicle Tracking System EMS Manufacturers Wireless Medical UHF/RFID White Goods Telecom

Company Overview q Established in 2010 as electronics and sourcing solutions. q 8 Research and development engineers and 5 sourcing specialist for

client customised solutions. q 50 million-dollar projects managed by founder. q Application based solutions for EMS, LED, Solar, Wind, Telecom,

Industrial power sectors E vehicles, Aerospace, Medical, Home appliances and automotive Industries. Complete Import Solutions for doing business in India.

Products Sourcing Line

Authorised Distributors:

Authorised Distributors (Sub-Distributor Var)

Consolidation Authorised Distributors

Our Focus Brands

Corporate Office:

MERCURY ELECTRONIC CORPORATION 1233, 6th Block, Sir M. Vishweswaraiah Layout, 100 Feet Ring Road, Near Ullala Lake, Area-Ullala Upanagara. Bangalore-560056, Karnataka, India. Call Us: +91-9844777334 | Email: asha@mymecindia.com, info@mymecindia.com / sales@mymecindia.com

Ed torâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Voice

@JitendraSagar15

he past couple of years have deflected some welldeserved attention towards Tier II and III cities of India: both the needs of the consumers in India and the many startups that are popping up in the non-metros. Investors have begun showing a real interest in startups based out of Tier II and III cities, with the number of deals and the quantum of funding seeing steady growth. In 2016, investments in startups from India stood at just $42 million, which saw a tenfold rise to $447.64 million in 2018. Similarly, the number of deals too have doubled: from 32 in 2016 to 63 in 2018. Within the first few months of 2019, the startups had raised $165 million across 18 deals. A reason behind this thrust in recent times is the fact that startups in India are clued in on what the users need in the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which is seeing rapid smartphone and internet adoptionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and are innovating for problems unique to the hinterlands. Increased number of accelerators and funds There is no doubt that there is a need and the impassioned will to address it with startups in India. But entrepreneurs lack the sort of mentorship and the relatively easy access to funding that their counterparts in the cities have. To change this status quo, several accelerators and funds are being set up in the region. The IIM-K alumni fund, for instance, while not particularly working only with startups in India, has been set up in Kerala's Kozhikode. AIM Smart City Accelerator, born out of Ashoka University in Sonipat, Haryana, in 2016, was launched to empower startups primarily working in three domains - healthcare, sanitation, and waste management. However, like other accelerators, it also offers the same mentorship and support to startups from Tier II and III cities in India. These accelerators offer crucial support that is missing in India: mentorship, backing in terms of product design, access to professional network, an office space, market strategy, and fundraising. Increased government push

and has been conducting several events and sessions to bring Kerala-based startups to the forefront. Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan are among the many states that are focussed on conducting different events and mentorship sessions to bring their entrepreneurs to the forefront and make the ecosystem attractive enough to retain them in their state. Growing consumption patterns Last year, we saw that a number of products were launched in Tier II and III cities first. Flipkart launched 2GUD in August 2019 as a platform for selling refurbished goods. 2GUD has served close to a million customers from over 3,000 towns, with about 60-65 percent of the orders coming from Tier II and III markets. Amazon says more than 80 percent of global sellers on its platform belong to Tier II and III cities, with many coming from manufacturing zones like Surat, Ludhiana, and Lucknow. Vinod Murali, Managing Partner, Alteria Capital, had said earlier that in a broader scheme of things, Tier II and III cities are where most startups are headed. But in order to succeed in these markets, they need to pace themselves. At present, startups in the space are just starting to bloom and grow, but the market they are addressing is vast and holds much potential as more of India comes online. With technology developing at breakneck speed and vernacular content becoming a preoccupation for startups and investors alike, 2020 may just be the year that small-town startups will finally have their spot in the limelight.

A lot of pieces/columns/articles keep an in depth focus in the ESDM sector. And scholarly design ideas for our niche readers and profounders. We sincerely hope you enjoy reading the December issue of TimesTech.

Jitendra K Sagar Editor jitendra@timestech.in

While different states have already established their startup policies and focus, there will be increased activity from the government. IAN itself has invested Rs 40 crore in 10 startups from cities like Nagpur, Belgaum, Kochi, Madurai, and Ahmedabad. This year, many of the plans and policies will see fruition. Kerala Startup Mission for one is looking to bring investors, mentors,

04 December 2019

TIMESTech.in

Year 2020 Dedicate to TIMESTech COVER STORY

LED STARTUP Drivers SMBs & SMEs Anatomy Applications & Future

, Why?

tech journalism with tech mind

Editor Jitendra Kumar Sagar Director Marketing Ashok Kumar Sub Editor Palak Kalra Business Development Manager Vipin Aggarwal Marketing Manager (Mumbai Region) Nisha Talreja

COVER STORY

INSIDE PAGE

Technical Advisor Mahesh Verma Sales & Marketing Irfan Ali Design & Print Production Shailender Kumar Web Development Kashish Kalra

08 Tech News

Legal Advisor Mukesh Kumar

18 Industry Focus A Comprehensive Look Into the Electronics Industry Regd. & Corporate Office: #24, 1st Floor, City Plaza, Railway Road, Hapur (Delhi-NCR)-245101, U.P., India

22 Tech Insight Shedding New Light On AC-to-DC Line Drive of LEDs

Editorial enquiries E: edit@timestech.in

26 Design Demystifying the paralleling of IGBT modules

Advertisement enquiries E: sales@timestech.in

30 T&M 5G New Radio Tipping Point: How Standards and Conformance Tests Shape the Future of 5G

Events/Media Partnership Ashok Kumar E: ashok@timestech.in

34 In-Conversation PICMG unveils new standard for Computer-on-Modules

36 Security Addressing the Challenge of Insider Risk

38 Tech Focus The Importance of Theory and Computer Science

40 New Products

Christian Eder Chairman | PICMG COM-HPC

Editor, Publisher, Printer and Owner make every effort to ensure high quality and accuracy of the content published. However he cannot accept any responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor and publisher. The information in the content and advertisement published in the Magazine are just for reference of the readers. However, readers are cautioned to make inquiries and take their decision on purchase or investment after consulting experts on the subject. TimesTech Print Media holds no responsibility for any decision taken by readers on the basis of the information provided herein. Any unauthorised reproduction of TimesTech Magazine content is strictly forbidden. Copyright ÂŠ 2019..... All right reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. Subject to Hapur Jurisdiction.

TIMESTech tech journalism with tech mind

Tech News

Enough Spectrum to Start 5G Services: Ravi Shankar Prasad Ÿ TRAI has recommended a price of Rs 492 crore per MHz

for 5G radiowaves Ÿ The spectrum available for 5G auction include 3300 to

3400 MHz and 3425 to 3600 MHZ According to a report by BS, telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that there is ‘enough’ spectrum available to start 5G services. The report said that while replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, he said that the value of unsold spectrum as on date according to valuation by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its recommendations on auction of spectrum in 700 MHz, 800MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3400 MHz, 3400-3600MHz bands dated 01.08.2018 is Rs 4.9 lakh crores. The spectrum available for 5G auction include 3300 to 3400 MHz and 3425 to 3600 MHz. The report also said that Broadband India Forum, in their representation to the government said that the amount of 5G spectrum that has been allocated for the 5G spectrum auction to be held shortly is not enough for a big country like India. Rs 492 crore per MHz for 5G radiowaves As per the report,TRAI has recommended a price of Rs 492

IIT Hyderabad To Team Up With Its EV to Develop Lithium Ion Batteries

IIT Hyderabad is planning to develop lithium ion batteries for various applications, including electric vehicles in collaboration with Japanese company ItsEV. That the partnership aims to come out with a lithium ion battery that will be superior to the other existing batteries in India. A research group led by Surendra K. Martha, associate professor, department of chemistry, IIT Hyderabad has shown that high-energy lithium ion batteries have double the energy of similar batteries produced in 2018. The researchers also demostrated that 100-200 mAh sodium-ion cells at the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory, in Hyderabad. The report also said that ItsEV will provide full technical support for training technicians, students and scientists in Japan. This will be done to ensure that lithium ion batteries can be developed indigenously to increase EV production in India claimed the report.

08 December 2019

crore per MHz for 5G radiowaves. Airwaves in the 3,3003,600 MHz 5G band will be auctioned in the block size of 20 MHz. The report also said that Trai recommended a base price of Rs 4,651 crore for paired spectrum in the 800 MHz band in 19 circles, Rs 1,622 crore per MHz for the 900 MHz band covering 7 circles, Rs 3,399 crore per MHz in the 2,100 MHz band covering 21 circles, and Rs 821 crore per MHz in the 2,500 MHz band covering 12 circles.

Whatsapp Invests $250,000 in The Indian Startup Ecosystem WhatsApp has announced an investment of $250,000 in the Indian startup ecosystem. The company aims to help the Indian entrepreneurial community connect with their customers and grow their business through this move. To be eligible for this incentive, the startups have to be at an early traction or scalable stage and must be recognised by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Through a partnership with Startup India, WhatsApp will give 500 startups $500 each of Facebook ad credits. With these ads, the startups will be able to create ads to invite customers to click to open a chat on WhatsApp to increase sales. Abhijit Bose, head of WhatsApp India said, “Startups and small businesses are the lifeblood of Indian communities and are a powerful driver of local economies. India’s entrepreneurs are at the forefront of bringing impactful social and economic change, and we at WhatsApp are committed to providing them support in achieving success.” According to the company, 5,000,000 businesses globally, of which 1,000,000 are in India, are actively using the WhatsApp Business app to interact with their customers. The recently launched catalogue feature allows small businesses to have a mobile storefront to show their products and services.

TIMESTech.in

Tech News

Government Sets Up Task Force to Bring IIT, IISC to Work on Futuristic Defence Technologies According to a report by ET the government has set up a national task force to help bring in the country’s top- most technical and scientific institutes to work on ‘futuristic defence technologies’ to look into defence and security requirements of the country in an indigenous manner. The report said that the people aware of the development said that the task force on “DRDO-Academia Interaction for achieving leadership in futuristic technologies” was set up last week to identify niche domains and technologies in a dual manner for current and futuristic requirements of defence and security. The task force will also look at identifying higher education Institutions that can work on developing these technologies. The task force is chaired by the director of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. It has director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, director of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur, vice chancellor of University of Hyderabad and top officials of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on board. DRDO has identified more than 60 specific projects out of which many would give armed forces access to cutting edge technology

Govt Plans to Boost up Electronic Manufacturing to Reduce Import Bill: Report

as per the report. Some of the projects under discussion are bullet proof vests that are at least 25 per cent lighter, robotic exoskeletons and full body armours to help soldiers operate very swiftly. The projects also include advanced weaponisation for Hindustan Aeronautics’ Dhruv helicopters, artificial intelligence (AI)based cyber defence system and technology for automatic change detection used in satellite imagery as per the report.

Govt gives a nod to setting up of Cyber Defence Agency

According to a report by the New Indian Express, the government plans to increase electronic manufacturing by attracting global players, go for local production of defence equipment, chemicals used in pharmaceuticals manufacturing and specialised steels to reduce the import bill. The report says that the top commerce ministry officials said that in preliminary discussions, the government has identified these as major items which should be made to increase production to cut down on import bill as the economy is going through a slowdown and it will not be easy to increase exports. As per the report the ministry is acting in consultation with other ministries and has identified goods like electronics including mobile phones and their parts, defence equipment, specialised steels, chemicals required for pharmaceuticals manufacturing, gold, coal and natural gas where production can be boosted or indigenised. The report also said that the officials said that the government is trying to attract the top electronics manufacturers to set up base in the country and also get more chip makers to manufacture locally instead of importing chips from Taiwan, China and Korea.

10 December 2019

According to a report by PTI, Union Minister Shripad Naik said that the government has approved setting up of a defence cyber agency. The report also stated that in written response to a question in Lok Sabha, minister of state for defence said that to solve the issue of cyber threats, all the three services of the armed forces have set up their respective Cyber Emergency Response Teams (CERT). The report also said that adequate safeguards have been implemented in the form cyber audits, physical checks and policy guidelines for a strong structure of the armed forces. The government is also allocating a part of the budget for cyber operations and capability development. On asked whether India has developed deterrence capability against adversaries who attack Indian satellites, Naik said that that information is strategic and sensitive in nature and it cannot be disclosed in the interest of national security.

TIMESTech.in

Tech News

ST and Audi AG Cooperate to Develop and Deliver Next-Generation Automotive Exterior Lighting Solutions Ÿ Next-generation lighting design will enable more

customized and animated lighting patterns through control of hundreds of individual OLEDs Ÿ Technology will give unique design styling to Audi

cars and provide additional value in safety to customers STMicroelectronics announced its collaborative efforts with Audi to conceive, design, industrialize, manufacture, and deliver the next generation of innovative automotive exterior OLED lighting. The first demonstration of this effort was the showing of nextgeneration digital OLED technology presented by Audi at the 2019 International Symposium on Automotive Lighting (ISAL). The parties target to release this new technology in future car models of the Audi AG. ST has been a member of Audi’s Progressive Semiconductor Program (PSCP) since 2012, with the long-term strategic relationship initially focusing on reduction of CO2 emissions, safety and security, and infotainment and comfort. The current cooperation expands the relationship and builds on Audi’s creativity and success in automotive lighting solutions and ST’s broad expertise in automotive semiconductors, and specifically controllers and drivers for automotive lighting applications. The next-generation lighting design will enable more customized and animated lighting patterns, by controlling and diagnosing hundreds of individual OLEDs. In addition to the flexibility to give unique design styling to Audi cars, the animated patterns will provide additional value in safety to customers. In the recent ISAL demonstration presented by Audi, ST contributed a complete plug-and-play system to control and continuously adjust the brightness of the

numerous individually energized OLED pixels by means of an innovative high-speed automotive communication layer, specifically adapted by ST for lighting architecture and embedded in the actuator IC. “With Audi’s long history of innovation and success in the premium automotive market, it was important to work with a semiconductor company who could bring their expertise in converting our ideas into robust, reliable chips that would meet our customers’ demanding expectations,” said Dr. Klaus Büttner, Executive Vice President Electrics/Electronics, CarIT of the Audi AG. “Having worked closely with Audi for many years, ST has had the opportunity to lend our expertise, customer focus, and manufacturing reliability to many products in their outstanding vehicles; we know the quality and creativity they demand and appreciate Audi’s continued confidence and the recognition of our contributions that this new cooperation represents,” said Marco Monti, President, Automotive and Discrete Group, STMicroelectronics.

Panasonic is Leaving The Semiconductor Business According to a report by The Associated Press, Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic is leaving the semiconductor business after the sale of its last business in that domain to a Taiwanese company. The report also said that Panasonic said that it was transferring its semiconductor business operated by Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co. to Nuvoton Technology Corp. As per the report, terms of the deal have not been disclosed but the move will be completed next year. In recent years, the company has sold its semiconductor plants in Singapore,

12 December 2019

Indonesia and Malaysia. The report said Panasonic said in a statement that the competitive environment surrounding the semiconductor business has become severe due to aggressive expansion of competitors, huge investments in the focused area and industry reorganisation. The company had transferred another part of its semiconductor business to Japanese company Rohm Co which is scheduled to be completed this year.

TIMESTech.in

TECHNOLOGY EMPOWERING

TIMESTech.in TimesTech Print Media

E: sales@timestech.in | info@timestech.in M: +91-9719619468

An Investment in TimesTech Pays the best interest

Cover Story

Year 2020 Dedicate to

STARTUP

SMBs & SMEs, Why? - TimesTech Editorial Team

eing today the biggest market in the world, India had the heritage of innovation from its Vedic times. Not going that far, Indians have the unique property of rolling things at an abstract way with immense costeffectiveness and scalability. From food, to apparels, Indian startups have taken it all. In recent times, tech startups have seen miraculous growth given Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support, schemes and the bullish market and growing FDI or foreign investment in the indigenous market. The Indian startup ecosystem has evolved dynamically over the last two decades. Some startups were founded in the 2000s, but the ecosystem was still immature as only a few investors were active and the number of support organisations such as incubators and accelerators was limited. Some successful exits occurred in the late 2000s and in the last ten years, the number of startups increased fast and more support has become available in all dimensions. Bangalore has emerged as Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary startup hub, but significant founding activity is also taking place in Mumbai and the National Capital Region (NCR), as well as some smaller cities.

14 December 2019

TIMESTech.in

Cover Story

Startup India Scheme

SMEs –The Economic Powerhouse Influx in domestic and foreign capital and rise in disposable income and consumption among many other positive attributes have impacted the growth of SMEs. One other major factor that is being touted as the backbone of India's economy is Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector. SMEs are mushrooming in a myriad of sectors across the country. Statistics show that SME accounts for 45% of industrial output and 40% of the total exports in India. It generates employment for 60 million people and creates 1.3 million jobs every year. Given that a majority of India's population lives in villages and Tier-1/Tier 2 cities, the SME sector has also emerged as a key factor to urbanize rural India.

The Startup India Scheme is an initiative of the Government of India in 2016. The primary objective of Startup India is the promotion of startups, generation of employment, and wealth creation. The Startup India has initiated several programs for building a robust startup ecosystem and transforming India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers. These programs are managed by the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DPIIT). Any company which fall into below list of category will be called as “Startup” and eligible to be recognised by the DPIIT to avail the benefits from the Government of India. Ÿ Age of the Company – The Date of Incorporation should

not exceed 10 years Ÿ Type of Company – Should have been Incorporated as a

Private Limited Company or a Registered Partnership Firm or a Limited Liability Partnership Ÿ Annual Turnover – Should not exceed Rs.100 crore for any

of the financial years since its Incorporation Ÿ Original Entity – The company or Entity should have been

formed originally by the promoters and should not have been formed by splitting up or reconstructing an existing business Ÿ Innovative & Scalable – Should have plan for

development or improvement of a product, process or service and/or have a scalable business model with high potential for the creation of wealth & employment

In spite of its contribution to the socio-economic growth of India, SMEs face a number of challenges: Ÿ Lack of capital due to inadequate access to finance and

credit Ÿ Inability to attract talented and tech-savvy manpower Ÿ Poor infrastructure and utilities resulting in low production

capacity Ÿ Lack of innovation Ÿ Technology and digital knowledge gap Ÿ Lack of marketing know-how

Due to these challenges, the Indian SMEs are unable to scale to their full potential, rise up to the standards of their international peers and become self-sustainable. On the positive side, these challenges should be perceived as untapped opportunities for the SME sector. These challenges offer a broad scope to strengthen the foundation of SMEs in India. NASSCOM, India's industry association for the IT and IT-enabled products has formed SME Council for its SME members who account for 80% its total member-base. NASSCOM aims to empower SME to grow the next level and provide end-to-end assistance in terms of knowledge dissemination, best industry practices, networking, policy advocacy and brand building.

Challenges Within The Indian SME/SMB Sector

Under the Startup India Initiative, the companies which are registered under DPIIT are eligible to receive the following benefits: Simplification and Handholding – Easier compliance, easier exit process for failed startups, legal support, fast-tracking of patent applications and a website to reduce information asymmetry. Funding & Incentives – Exemptions on Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax for eligible startups; a fund of funds to infuse more capital into the startup ecosystem and a credit guarantee scheme. Incubation & Industry-Academia Partnerships – Creation of numerous incubators and innovation labs, events, competitions and grants.

TIMESTech.in

It has taken over 50 years of collective effort from both the government and the people of India to facilitate the growth of the SME sector so far. However, along the way, some industry

December 2019

Cover Story

experts identified clearly defined problem areas within this space that require immediate resolution in order to ease business operations in India: Difficulty in procuring finance and credit instruments – Unlike Tier I cities, where most businesses have easy access to various finance and credit instruments, enterprises based in Tier II and Tier III cities find it significantly harder to procure the same. However, the gravity of this issue varies across different regions of the country. According to a study conducted by FICCI – a whopping 83 percent of enterprises in the city of Chandigarh stated difficulty in the procurement of credit instruments as a major challenge, while only 77 percent from Mumbai cited this issue as a growth inhibitor. Lack of basic infrastructure – lack of comprehensive infrastructure is perhaps the biggest drawback faced by businesses within the SMB/SME ecosystem. Since there is still a significant percentage of SMEs that operate within the unorganized space, the lack of basic facilities and absence of marketing platforms makes it extremely difficult for such businesses to thrive and/or compete with stronger players in the market.

The Solution Nowadays, thanks to the efforts put by the Indian government on promoting digital payment services, several local shopkeepers are equipped with the means to receive online payment from various sources, eliminating any requirement to stand in long lines or queues to withdraw cash. Even local grocery vendors are now able to show every transaction in the bank and get a working capital loan if required based on the same. Moreover, easy access to finance and credit instruments are gradually boosting the entire SMB financing system as well as facilitating small ticket loans via NBFCs and microfinancing companies. Several fintech companies like Zest money and LendingKart are gradually becoming viable sources for small businesses to access loan facilities on a digital platform. More than anything else, such digital transactions are playing a key role in helping cash-based transaction businesses to record their income and avail loans without any hassle.

16 December 2019

Availability of exclusive marketing platforms and distribution networks is another improvement that is being witnessed by many in the SME sector that are enabling many entrepreneurs to augment their businesses across a wider margin and achieve greater growth. Although it certainly takes time to implement reforms at the level of governance and allow its effects to trickle down, several startups have begun to develop ‘disruptive’ solutions that directly enable SMEs at the grassroots level. These days, location-based online and offline discovery platforms are playing a key role in helping smaller businesses get discovered locally by increasing their online visibility and subsequently enable business growth.

2020 – The Startup Year As many as 11,500 startups would come up in the country employing over 2,50,000 people by 2020, according to key findings of India Start-up Report 2014 of industry body Nasscom. Unveiling the findings here today, Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar said 300 VC/PE (venture capital and private equity) and 225 angel investments deals amounting to over $2 billion had been made in India. He said over 20 mergers and acquisitions worth $1 billion were done in last three years. As many as 3,100 startups are present in India which is the third largest base in the world, Chandrashekhar said. Also, 800 plus startups are being set up anually, he told reporters at the eleventh edition of NASSCOM's annual flagship Product Conclave here.

Startup Trends to Focus: Ÿ Artificial Intelligence: AI is more a concept but a reality with major all companies are opting AI for future competitiveness. It's in your marketing tools, your analytics, your digital ads, your customer service platforms, and your smartphone. 3% of people actively using AI right now don't even realize they're using it. That's because AI doesn't look like what we once expected: a robot from a science fiction movie. Instead, it's working in the background of our systems to make processes faster, more efficient, and more accurate. Ÿ Remote Work: Today people working in 1st tier cities are opting to work from anywhere. This new trend has given

TIMESTech.in

Cover Story

so large that traditional computational software tools cannot analyze them. In order to draw value from the data, new tools, like AI, must be applied to find patterns and trends. In a business sense, Big Data refers to the large quantities of data that businesses are inundated with daily. This includes customer data, market trends, and inter-operational data. Most businesses are successfully harvesting this data, but few are making use of it. According to one study, 43% of the companies surveyed said they obtained little benefit from their data. immense benefits in quality, resiliency and productivity. A good chunk of new firms and even big firms are opting this working techniques to bringing productivity in-out-across the company. This seems to get big in 2020. Omnipresent Internet and broadband services to every major city in the country, as well as the digitization of office tasks is backing this growth. Many long-established companies still depend on traditional office spaces, but startups around the world are tapping into remote work to get into the game faster. There are several benefits to relying on remote workers. For one, your talent pool is as large as the world itself. If a candidate has a viable internet connection, they can work for you. And lastly, remote workers tend to be happier and more productive than commuters. They enjoy more flexibility and don't have to worry about commuting to an office. In 2019, startups that choose to save and stay flexible with remote work will be able to overcome their more sluggish competitors. Ÿ Voice Recognition Technology: Consumers were intrigued by Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, when it was released with the iPhone 4S in 2011. One of the most interesting features was that fact that you could speak to Siri to open apps, search the web, and complete other tasks. Now, voice recognition technology is entering our homes, our cars, and our businesses. According to one report, 39 million Americans now own a smart speaker, like the Amazon Echo or Google Home. Virtual assistants are no longer a commodity—they're commonplace. Startups don't necessarily need to come up with their own voice recognition device. There are plenty of opportunities to develop apps, proprietary algorithms, and other functionalities within the voice technology space.

Ÿ Edge Computing: Once a buzzword (and perhaps it still is), we're well into the cloud computing era. Cloud-based hosting environments can string together hundreds of machines to provide a stable computing environment with minimal downtime. Consumers and businesses alike have access to centralized services, such as cloud storage and communication tools, anywhere there is an internet connection. Cloud computing may sound like the decentralized computing environment that the internet promised us, but it isn't.

Ÿ The Internet of Things: Alike 2019, IoT technology will provide startups with some of the best opportunities to make an impact in the marketplace. Referred to as “The Next Industrial Revolution” and “Industry 4.0,” The internet of things is a system of computers, machines, digital systems, objects, and even people that can transfer data over a network. As you can probably imagine, when every object in our world is a potential computer, IoT has almost limitless applications. At present, plenty of entrepreneurs have tried to develop their own IoT product. Few have seen success.

Ÿ Big Data: People often mistake the term “Big Data” to simply mean “large sets of data.” In fact, it refers to data sets

TIMESTech.in

December 2019

Industry Focus

a comprehensive look into the

ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY Arshi Gupta | Technology Correspondent | TimesTech

he electronics industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India, both in terms of production and exports. The Indian electronics products demand is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 41 percent to touch US$ 400 billion by 2020.

The Indian electronics industry saw growth in the early years of the 21st century, encouraged both by the government policies, incentives and by the international investment. Its key and most resource-intensive segment, the semiconductor industry benefitted from the domestic demand inclining briskly. Semiconductors were required by a large number of industries, including telecommunications, information technology, industrial machinery and automation, medical electronics, automobile engineering, power and solar photovoltaic, defence and aerospace, consumer electronics and appliances.

18 December 2019

TIMESTech.in

Industry Focus

Setting Trends in Electronics

Government Initiatives

Manufacturers and machine builders are facing tremendous challenges because electrical devices enter the market within very short intervals of time. A separate line usually has to be built for each product and then dismantled again after short production cycles. Machine builders not only need to be able to deliver their new machines in a very short period of time but also they have to be able to adapt them to short – term changes. The commissioning phase of machines and lines as well as changing from manual to automated production both offer the potential to save a significant amount of time and to meet the challenging time constraints of the electronics companies.

To promote overall growth and open job opportunities, projected to be more than 28 million by attracting investments worth $100 billion, the Indian cental government has sought to reduce the country’s electronics import bill from 65% in 2014-15 to 50% in 2016 and gradually to a net zero electronics trade by 2020. India has persued a twopronged strategy of import substitution and export encouragement, through the Make in India campaign coupled with the Digital India campaign, along with the Startup India and the Skill India campaigns. The government has fostered an environment conductive to foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in a number of ways, as outlined in the National Electronics Policy and the National Telecom Policy.

Exports and Imports

India is a net importer of electronics goods, with the majority of India’s imported electronics coming from China. In 2015, electronics overtook gold and is placed immediately after crude oil as the second most valued category of imports to the country. In 2019, Prof. Vikram Kumar, emeritus professor in physics at IIT Delhi revealed that India is spending more money on the import of the semiconductor than oil. EXPORTS Electronics exports from India were estimated to be around $7.66 billion in FY13, a slight decline from $8.15 billion in FY12, although in INR terms, they grew from 44,000 crore rupees to 46,300 crore rupees in the same period, owing to the depreciation of the rupee. The telecom segment dominated the India’s electronics components, instruments, consumer electronics and computing. Technological improvements and competitive cost-effectiveness are thought to be the key drivers behind the growing demand for Indian electronics products abroad. In rupee terms, Indian electronic hardware exports almost doubled from 109940 crore in 2009-10 to 196103 crore in 2013-14. IMPORTS From 2016, local manufacturing of electronics has risen, beginning a turnaround at a time when the Indian exports have been relatively weak. In January 2016, electronic imports, which accounted for 27% of India’s yearly trade deficit, shrank by 2.2% to $3.2 billion, while electronic exports rose 7.8% to $0.5billion.

TIMESTech.in

• Increased liberalization of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through an automatic route. • Relaxation of tariffs. • Establishment of Electronic Hardware Technology Parks (EHTPs) and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). • Implementation of Preferential Market Access (PMA). • Imposing basic customs duties on certain items falling outside the framework of the IT free trade agreement. • Exempting import-dependent inputs/components for personal computer manufacturing from a Special Additional Duty (SAD). • Incentivising the export of certain electronics goods in the Focus Products scheme under the Foreign Trade Policy. • Funding 3000 PHD students in electronics and IT across the Indian universities. • Imposing an education cess on imported electronic products for parity. • To offer incentives of upto $1.7 billion by 2020 to electronics hardware manufacturing entities setting up shops in India to help offset disadvantages of developing the new industry in the country, a Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) has been initiated. • The establishment of Greenfield and brownfield Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) is encouraged under the EMC scheme. Some 200 EMCs are projected by 2020, of which 30 are already in the

December 2019

Industry Focus

process of establishment.

grow on the back of these high consumption –led industries. Currently, almost all the semiconductor demand is met by imports from countries like the USA, Japan and Taiwan. In the semiconductor sector, India has a significant human-capital pool which is currently concentrated in design, in the absence of an end-to-end manufacturing base. But the nascent ESDM segment in India is premised on the competent domestic research by the Indian universities and institutes across the entire semiconductor manufacturing value chain, namely, chip design and testing, embedded systems, process-related, EDA, MEMS and sensors etc, which have contributed to a voluminous number of research publications.

Initiatives In The Semiconductor Industry

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), a policy think-tank under the Indian central government, has suggested in a draft report that a policy be adopted to provide a tax holiday for a period of ten years to firms investing US$1 billion or more that also create 20,000 jobs. The report, hinting at a policy tilt toward the Information Technology Agreement-2 (ITA-2), also suggests that India should re-strategize its defensive policies regarding Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and aggressively persue exportoriented policies to utilize these FTAs as opportunities to obtain duty-free access to the electronics markets of its FTA partners.

Semiconductor Industry With the newly heralded era of Internet of Things (IoT) dictating that the new generation of interconnected devices to be capable of smart computing, Indian semiconductor industry is set for a stable upsurge with bright prospects provided India’s generic obstacles like redtape-ism, fund crunch and infrastructural deficits are adequately addressed.

Statics And Trends The fast growing electronics system design manufacturing (ESDM) industry in India has vibrant design capabilities with the number of units exceeding 120. As stated by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) approximately 2,000 chips are being designed in India every year with more than 20,000 engineers currently employed to work on the various aspects of IC design and verification. According to a NOVONOUS report, the consumption of semiconductors in India, mostly importbased, is estimated to rise to $52.58 billion by 2020 at a dynamic CAGR of 26.72%. The report estimates that the consumption of the mobile devices will grow at a CAGR of 33.4% upto the year 2020. Moreover, the telecom segment is also expected to rise at a CAGR of 26.8% upto the year 2020. The information technology and office automation segment are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 18.2% upto the year 2020. The consumer electronics segment also is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.8% over the seven years. The automotive electronics segment is expected to grow at 30.5% CAGR upto the year 2020. The EDSM industry will also

20 December 2019

The government allows 100% FDI in the ESDM sector through an automatic route to attract investments including from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs) and those relocating to India from other countries, in addition to EMC, MIPS and other incentives and schemes provided to the electronics sector. The Department of Electronics and information Technology (DeitY), in line with Skill India campaign has launched an INR 49 crore scheme for capacity building in ESDM. Infineon Technologies, a German semiconductor firm partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to enhance skill and manpower in semiconductor technology, aimed at boosting the ESDM ecosystem in India. The India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA) has announced a SPEED UP and SCALE-UP of its talent development initiative to be implemented through the Centre of Excellence with Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) and an MoU with the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and the RV-VLSI Design Centre to build human capital in the ESDM field. ESSCI, which has developed over 140 Qualification Packs (QP)/National Occupation Standards (NOS) across 14 sub-sectors of which Embedded System Design and VLSI are the key domains absorbing engineers, established their first-ever Centre of Excellence (CoE) at BMS college of Engineering for VLSI and embedded system design. IESA signed an MoU with Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (TEEMA) to encourage cooperation in technology and knowledge transfer alongwith investment commitment to domestic ESDM sector that can benefit both Indian and Taiwanese companies. IESA also entered into a MoU with Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA), with an objective to forge trade and technical cooperation tie-ups between the electronics and semiconductor industries of both the countries. The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has established an Electronics Development Fund (EDF) managed by Canara Bank (CANBANK Venture Capital Funds or CVCFL) to provide risk capital and to attract venture funds, angel funds and seed funds for incubating R&D and fostering the innovative environment in the sector. The establishment of “Fund of Funds for Start-ups” (FFS) approved by the union cabinet as part of the EDF for

TIMESTech.in

Industry Focus

contribution to the various Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) or daughter funds, registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) which would extend the funding support to the start-ups, in line with the Start-up India Action Plan unveiled by the government which would be beneficial for the startups in the ESDM space, according to the IESA. The National Centre for the Flexible Electronics (NCFlexE) at IIT Kanpur, the National Centre for Excellence in Technology for Internal Security (NCETIS) at IIT Bombay and the Centre for Excellence for Internet of Things at NASSCOM, Bengaluru have been set up to promote the development of national capability in ESDM.

Recent notable achievements in ESDM (Electronic System Design & Manufacturing) Research and Development Hyderabad based semiconductor chip design services entity SoCtronics completed the first 28nm design chip to be developed in India. Bangalore-based Indian company Navika Electronics has designed GNSS/GPS SoC (System on Chip) chipsets based on ARM core processors under its own brandname for the portable applications like receiving/down conversion and amplification of the GPS and Galileo signals.

developed an indigenous Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) which can function with Bi-CMOS (Bipolar Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). Analog or mixed chips based on various digital Bi-CMOS technology with integrated analog high frequency BJT based amplifiers are essential for IoT and space applications like high frequency communications as they reduce form factor, power consumption, weight, size dimensions and cost etc.

The Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc, Bengaluru, in collaboration with KAS Tech, a Bengalurubased electronics manufacturing company, has developed ‘Ocean’, a highly integrated and portable chemical vapour depositor that can commercially produce various two dimensional materials including graphene, in an easy ‘plug and grow’ approach which can have various novel applications in the ESDM sector, for both academia and industry alike. It could be viewed as a breakthrough for the country’s electric automobile programme as well as indigenous electronics manufacturing, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) together have developed and validated through tests, using ISRO’s state of art cell technology, a lithium ion battery prototype for application in electric vehicles and looks forward to commercializing the technology through mass production by partnering with the automotive companies. Currently India’s lithium ion battery requirements are completely met by import as there is no domestic manufacturing of these batteries. While the raw material for the batteries still has to be imported, rest of the value chain can be synthesized domestically at competitive cost, if the project clears all the batteries. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), in collaboration with the ISRO’s Semi-Conductor Labs (SCL), Chandigarh has

TIMESTech.in

December 2019

Tech Insight

Shedding New Light on AC-to-DC Line Drive of LEDs L

EDs need direct current (DC) to operate; however, alternating current (AC) is the most efficient way to deliver power over distance. Due to this reality it is important for design engineers to cope with the challenges involved in taking readily available direct line AC and properly converting it into DC for use in LED lighting applications. This article will shed new light on today's AC-to-DC Line Drive issues, and how electronic component suppliers are presently addressing it, enabling LEDs to have their required DC in an AC world.

Paul Golata, Mouser Electronics

John Perry, Texas Instruments

22 December 2019

Background The simplest way to operate an LED system would be to have a readily available DC power supply such as a battery available from which to drive current. Using a battery as a DC supply has the advantage of allowing the design of relatively simple and easy circuits that can be operated at relatively safe voltages, depending upon the specific voltage of the LED being used. Many discrete lighting-class LEDs being deployed today have nominal voltages of approximately 3 VDC, which can be arranged in series, parallel or series-parallel combinations to achieve the desired light and closely match a DC supply. While DC is a great way to power LEDs, DC distribution systems are seldom available for general illumination lighting.

TIMESTech.in

Tech Insight

In contrast, AC is generally ubiquitous in homes, industry, offices, and structures— generally placing it in close proximity to where LED lighting systems are often deployed. AC systems inherently require a more complicated circuit design than DC because a conversion of AC-to-DC must take place. This transformation of AC-to-DC line drive is a common challenge the LED lighting industry presently faces as it works towards the implementation of LEDs in almost every application as it supplants other technologies such as incandescent, fluorescent and halogen. How is it being Done? A number of electronic and LED companies are presently working to meet the challenge to offer LED related products that support the direct transformation of alternating-to-direct current for LED lighting applications. One of the first companies to come to market with a product was Seoul Semiconductor with their Acrich product line. Presently shipping is the Acrich2 , which is a fully integrated module combined with IC for power conditioning. It is designed for AC drive applications and does not need a traditional switch mode converter, as it can be directly connect to AC power via two wires. It employs a tapped linear topology. These LED modules also have a high power factor that can provide the best energy saving effect in many lighting applications. Seoul Semiconductor has announced Acrich3, which will provide additional improvements including a reduction in flicker.

coincides with the desire for higher LED lighting system efficacies. These higher-voltage LEDs often operate in the range of 10 - 50VDC.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

ENERGY

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Figure 2 PNNL-SA-94791 (March 2013)

One such example is the new generation of high-voltage LEDs from Cree called the XLamp® MH-B. They are a new generation of high-power LEDs that deliver a more-effective way to achieve low-cost systems than mid-power (@ 0.5W, typ) LEDs. They are packaged within a 5 mm x 5 mm footprint and has a typical forward voltage (VF) of 37VDC @ 0.12A and maximum drive current (Imax) of 0.175A (7W, max). Due to the higher voltages inherent in AC line drive systems, a host of new electronic products can transform AC-to-DC and output higher DC voltages to accommodate these newer LEDs being developed. For example, approximately four (4) of these products wired in series approximate the peak of an AC line in the United States (4 x 37VDC = 148VDC). An Innovative Way Forward

Figure 1 Seoul Semiconductor Acrich2 AC LED Modules

A design engineer should be aware of how much LED current ripple can be tolerated in the application. Flicker is a common problem that has been noticed by customers regarding AC-to-DC Direct Line solutions. Flicker is a result of the frequency of the AC line signal, which as stated previously is 50 - 60Hz, depending upon the country. 100% current ripple as found in 'tapped linear' solutions causes stroboscopic (flicker) effects, which create both physiological problems and is dangerous in work environments where there is rotating machinery. The U. S. Department of Energy has published Solid-State Lighting Technology Fact Sheet: Flicker, noting that "LED flicker characteristics are primarily a function of the LED driver.” Higher-voltage LEDs have been introduced over the past several years and are greatly represented in the LED lighting space. The introduction of such higher-voltage LEDs

TIMESTech.in

One company that has been working hard on the issue of AC-to-DC line drive is Texas Instruments. Texas Instruments has a full portfolio of award-winning LED drivers and solutions that give lighting developers the flexibility to optimize their designs to satisfy the demanding challenges of this dynamic market. Recently Texas Instruments has introduced a pair of products to provide a better and easier way to enable and transform AC-to-DC for LED lighting systems. The clear advantage of the Texas Instruments AC solution versus all known competitors today is that it can achieve low LED current ripple thus eliminating flicker as an issue. Texas Instruments TPS92411 100V Floating MOSFET Switch is a high-performance solution for driving LEDs from AC Mains that provides high power factor (PF), low total harmonic distortion (THD), and low current ripple. It was designed to address and reduce the physiological and safety issues that result when flicker is present. It addresses this issue by using only AC, and then adding storage capacitors within its internal design to buffer the generated energy creating a transformation of AC current into DC current in a controlled manner under a binary switching structure, producing a reduction in the modulation depth. One of the desirable benefits of this approach is a reduction in the flicker index — providing a reduction in the potential for physiological and safety issues. In a tapped linear design current is "stepped" based upon "on" current sink. This

December 2019

Tech Insight

generally provided good PF correction (> 0.9), but typically poor THD (<30%). Texas Instruments' switched linear design draws continuous true sinusoidal current yielding good PF correction (> 0.9) and low THD (<15%). The TPS92411 also takes advantage of unique 2n switching step design, allowing the designer to control the resolution. This means if four (4) parts are employed one can achieve sixteen steps (ex: 24 = 16 steps). The result for the user is higher LED utilization and better tracking of AC line. It employs a floating architecture wherein each TPS92411 operates independently so that there is no need for communication between ICs, while additionally being slew-rate controlled switching for low electromagnetic interference (EMI).

additional control and protection functionality. No magnetic components are required for energy conversion or EMI filtering. The TPS92410/11 tandem achieves > 0.95 PF, good line regulation, and efficiencies of greater than 80%. Designers seeking added reliability can take advantage of the thermal fold back functionality, which automatically decreases LED current when temperatures get too high. Facilitating intelligent, IoT connected lighting is a snap as there is analog dim input for easy light intensity control from a traditional or RF microcontroller (MCU). To gain further control, features, and benefits designers can consider adding additional intelligent control in the form of an MCU-based light fixtures using the ultra-low-power MSP430F5172 16-bit mixed signal microcontroller or SimpleLinkâ&#x201E;˘ ZigBeeÂŽ CC2530 System on Chip (SoC) solutions for 802.15.4, ZigBee, and RF4CE applications. These products enable design engineers to employ many useful communication, control, and dimming capabilities.

Figure 3 TPS92411 100V Floating MOSFET Switch

The Texas Instruments TPS92410 Switch Controlled Direct Drive Linear Controller compliments the TPS92411. It is a highly integrated 450V linear current controller that works in conjunction with the TPS92411 floating switches to provide

24 December 2019

Figure 4 TPS92410 Switch Controlled Direct Drive Linear Controller

TIMESTech.in

Tech Insight

To conclude, it has been noted that LEDs require DC to operate in what is largely an AC world. Suppliers involved with LEDs and electronic drivers have tackled this issue by developing various solutions, including (1) direct transformation of alternating-to-direct current by tapped linear AC drivers, (2) offering a wide range of platform voltages for LED packages, and (3) developing highperformance discrete electronic component solutions specifically aimed at reducing flicker. Advances in both LEDs and AC line drive circuits are converging nicely to further simplify the creation of LED lighting. As a Technology Specialist, Mr. Golata is accountable for driving the strategic leadership, tactical execution, and overall product line and marketing direction for solid-state lighting and other advanced technology products. Prior to

Explore India's #1 B2B Tech Website

TIMESTech.in TIMESTech.in

Mouser Electronics, he served in various Marketing and Sales roles for various high technology companies. Mr. Golata holds a BSEET (DeVry) and MBA (Pepperdine). Mr. Golata may be reached at paul.golata@mouser.com. ohn Perry is the Marketing Manager for Texas Instruments Lighting Power Products working LED drivers and lighting for four years. An employee of TI for 14 years, John has held an number of marketing and management positions in Texas Instruments since joining the company in 2000. John holds a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Reprinted with permission by Mouser Electronics. website: www.mouser.com.

Go to active pages on TimesTech.in with upcoming technology and be brief. TimesTech.in, India's #1 growing B2B website on Electronics and Technology is exploring the editorial opportunity for companies/firms working in the EMS Industry. TimesTech.in is India's leading web portal, which is catering and addressing the industry hunger for electronics and technology information. We are hereby committed to giving our readers exhaustive information on electronics technology and revolutionary innovations in the field that will define the trajectory of coming times.

December 2019

Design

Demystifying the paralleling of

IGBT modules Dr. Thomas SchĂźtze Infineon Technologies

Paralleling power devices is of general interest. It helps to increase the power rating of inverter systems very easily. Paralleling becomes even more essential for the new modular semiconductor concept of XHP2 and XHP3 which open up a new degree in flexibility.

Dr. Matthias Wissen, Infineon Technologies

This type of module supports and simplifies the design of new converters by enabling an easy scalability of the output power. Besides the power module characteristics, the system and bus bar design, the routing of the load conductor and the gate-driver characteristics have significant impact on the current sharing between paralleled devices. A certain deviation of losses, resulting in different junction temperatures among the power modules, is the result. A current derating will be defined in order to operate the paralleled power modules safely within their specification. Below, an analytical approach will be described, which, by means of key influential device parameters, provides e.g. the maximum deviation of

26 December 2019

switching losses dependent on the number of paralleled modules. By determining the maximum current imbalance and considering the safeoperating-area (SOA) limits, a corresponding derating can be defined.

Design of experiments for n=2 In order to evaluate the most influential parameters and to assess collectorcurrent mismatch and differences in the switching losses, a design of experiments (DoE) with two XHPâ&#x201E;˘ 3 modules in parallel has been executed. The dependencies between device parameter deviations and resulting loss mismatches are summarized in figure 1.

TIMESTech.in

Design

conditions, the differences in total IGBT and diode losses as well as the junction temperatures can be calculated. Knowing the distribution of the parameters, they can be applied to a Monte-Carlo simulation, and their impact on switching and conduction losses quantified. Furthermore, the adherence of the SOA by mismatched currents can be verified.

Analytical approach for n ≥ 2

Figure 1: Differences of switching losses for two modules in parallel with respect to the most influential parameters

Derec = f (DVF)

(1)

DEon = f (DVF, DVP )

(2)

DEoff = f (DVCE, Dtdvoff )

(3)

The turn-off delay time tdvoff is the time between 90% VGE and 10% of the rising VCE during IGBT turn-off. The difference between two modules Dtdvoff has only a slight impact on DEoff, but a significant impact regarding the safe operating area (SOA) of the IGBTs.

Determining the current mismatch for paralleled modules with regard to their individual characteristics via a DoE is manageable as long as the number of paralleled devices is rather low. In order to predict the mismatch for multiple paralleled modules, an analytical approach is needed. A figure of merit fX (4) has been defined describing the deviation for a given parameter X. fX reaches its maximum for the smallest Xavg and the largest DX. The minimum Xavg for n modules is given by equation (5). (5) inserted into (4) results in (6), which is a universal equation for fXmax in dependence of n. For n→∞, the limiting value is obtained according to (7). Figure 3 shows fXmax in dependence of n for a difference of 5% and 10% between Xmax and Xmin. fx =

X –X ∆X = maxX avg Xavg avg

Xavg = Xmax + ( n – 1 )∙Xmin n Xmax – Xmin fXmax = Xmin+ Xmax n–1 fXmax = Xmax – Xmin Xmax

(4) (5) (6) (7)

Figure 2: Difference in turn-off current DIcoff,dyn depending on the difference in turn-off delay time Dtdvoff

In figure 2 the difference in turn-off current DIcoff,dyn, i.e. the current at which VCE equals the DC-link voltage, is shown as a function of Dtdvoff, revealing an almost linear dependency. With increasing Dtdvoff, the DIcoff,dyn increases due to a voltage difference between the modules that leads to a circulating current and a corresponding current mismatch. In order to stay within the SOA, the Dtdvoff has to be limited. The set of regression functions (1) to (3) describes the differences of dynamic losses for two modules switched in parallel. The differences in conduction losses are described by the differences in output characteristics of the IGBTs and diodes. With respect to the chosen values for the selection parameters DVF, DVCE, DVP and Dtdvoff, and taking into account a certain duty cycle, thermal impedances and cooling

TIMESTech.in

Figure 3: fXmax=f(n) describes the worst-case fX according to (4)

The on-state current mismatch between two modules is determined by their output characteristics. In case of a positive di/dt, the voltage drop across the corresponding leg inductances of the paralleled device results in a negative feedback. The higher the positive di/dt, the higher the inductive voltage drop, and therefore, the lower the mismatch. Negative di/dt will result in a positive feedback, however, declining currents in the on-state are in general less critical in terms of losses or SOA.

December 2019

Design

Hence, for a worst-case on-state scenario, the leg inductance is negligible. According to ), the difference in onstate currents of n modules reaches its maximum fimax if (n-1) modules with Rd1=…=Rd(n-1)=Rdmax are carrying a low current in parallel to a single module with Rdn=Rdmin carrying a higher current. ) can be rewritten as ), an expression that depends on the individual module currents and the number of paralleled modules n. imax – imin fXmax = i (8) min + i max n–1 Rd and V0 are sufficiently linear depending on the VCEsat or VF, and therefore can be obtained for differing on-state characteristics by a linear regression function. (8) delivers the maximum current mismatch for n paralleled modules. According to figure 3, the maximum current mismatch for n=6 modules and Di=imax– imin=10% amounts to fimax≈8%. Assuming a typical selection of modules with various Rd and V0 values, the individual module currents can be calculated according to Kirchhoff's law, and the current mismatch fi is given by (4). Once the individual Rd and V0 have been determined, the mismatch of switching losses can be determined too.

Figure 5: Correlation of fEoff for n=2 modules of the analytical approach (x axis) and the regression function obtained by the DoE (y axis). The module parameters were diced randomly according to their distribution.

In figure 5, the correlation of fEoff for n=2 of the regression function determined via the DoE and the analytical approach are shown. The slope is almost one, indicating a sufficient correlation and validity of the analytical approach. Nevertheless, the correlation reveals an increasing scattering for larger fEoff. This is due to the fact that the analytical approach does not consider the impact of Dtdvoff on DEoff, which is rather low, but essential for the DoE regression function in order to achieve a sufficiently good fit. Furthermore, the Dtdvoff has not been restricted to a certain value in the diced configuration of parameters, which is required in order to stay within a defined SOA. Secondary effects, such as a circulating current between paralleled devices during switching as an effect of VCE differences, cannot be considered. In measurements, they are inevitably included. Considering them is challenging, and would unnecessarily obstruct the simplicity of the suggested analytical approach.

Figure 4: a) Simplified on-state characteristics for two modules with different VCEsat; b) Trade-off curve; c) Eoff=f(iC) for two modules with different VCEsat

Figure 4a shows the output characteristics of two IGBTs with different VCEsat, i.e. with different Rd and V0. The difference in VCEsat leads to different Eoff values due to their trade-off characteristics (figure 4b) at the same current, e.g. ICnom. Hence, module-specific Eoff=f(iC) values are obtained (figure 4c). By determining the worst-case module currents of the parallel IGBTs (iCmax and iCmin), also Eoff,max and Eoff,min, hence fEoff can be calculated. This approach is sufficient as long as the desired value depends mainly on one variable. In this example, it has been assumed that Eoff depends only on VCEsat. This approach is also valid for determining DErec and fErec. Since DEon depends on DVF as well as DVP (figure 1), a trade-off Eon=f(VF, VP) has to be considered for determining the appropriate relation Eon=f(iC).

28 December 2019

Probability of a worst-case set of n=6 modules Based on end test data of XHP™ 3 half-bridge modules, the probability of occurrence for fEoff, fErec and fEon has been calculated. A worst-case set of e.g. six modules is obtained, when fX in (4) reaches the maximum, i.e. five modules have a VCEsat or VF at the lower limit while the sixth module has a respective value at the upper limit. For the selection criteria applied here, data of sets of six XHP 3 half-bridge modules were investigated. fEoff, fErec and fEon are calculated and depicted in figure 6. The respective values on the x-axis are given in %. The analysis reveals that the difference in switching losses within the sets of six modules is always < 10%. Since the losses are distributed similar to that of a Gaussian distribution, it is possible to define an upper limit for fX to fulfil a probability of occurrence, e.g. ≤ 100 ppm. For the data shown, this is fulfilled for fEoff ≤ 11.6%, fErec ≤ 9.4% and fEon ≤ 8.4%.

TIMESTech.in

Design

of the load cable, gate-drive parasitics, or the cooling concept can have an impact on the mismatch among the paralleled devices. They should be carefully evaluated as well. Summary By means of a DoE, the most influential parameters describing the differences in module behavior due to paralleling have been determined. Besides the differences in on-state characteristics which impact static current sharing, differences in switching delay time have to be considered to comply with the SOA. All differences in voltage between paralleled devices, either in on-state or during switching, provoke current imbalances due to circulating currents among the modules. An analytical approach has enabled us to predict the behavior of multiple devices connected in parallel, and to define selection criteria to ensure the reliable use of paralleled modules. Infineon XHPâ&#x201E;˘ devices for paralleling are grouped and supplied according to these criteria. Author Short Bios Matthias Wissen received his PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Wuppertal in 2007. He gathered first experience in the product development of small signal transistors and diodes. In 2011 he joined the department for High Power IGBT module development of Infineon Technologies AG in Warstein. Today he is still occupied in the field of High Power IGBT modules and is responsible for innovative product developments for IGBT modules in the voltage class from 3300V up to 6500V.

Figure 6: fEoff, fErec and fEon calculated according to (4) for sets of six module

Beside the deviations in device characteristics, the surrounding conditions like DC busbar symmetry, placement

Explore

India's #1 B2B Tech Website

Dr. Ing. Thomas SchĂźtze has studied electrical engineering at the Technical University of Berlin where he also obtained his PhD in power electronics. He started to work at AEG developing traction drives for trams and metros. An occupation, which he followed for five years. At Infineon Technologies AG he has been working for 23 years as marketing manager. Thomas SchĂźtze is responsible for the technical marketing and customer application support for high power IGBT modules with focus on the voltage classes 3300, 4500 and 6500V.

TIMESTech.in TIMESTech.in

December 2019

Test & Measurement

New Radio Tipping Point:

How Standards and Conformance Tests Shape the Future of 5G

Sheri DeTomasi 5G New Radio Solutions Lead Keysight Technologies, Inc.

Merriam-Webster Definition of Tipping Point: The critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place.

he development of 5G standards and their commercial rollout appears to be on a fast track. Mobile operators and network equipment makers have been conducting field trials and the first smart phones are expected out early this year. According to “The State of 5G” market study, “nearly half of global businesses are already deploying 5G networks, or plan to deploy them within the next 12 months.” Are we at the tipping point? What exactly is a tipping point, and why might we be there? The MerriamWebster’s definition says that a tipping point is a point of no return, after which significant transformation occurs. 5G New Radio (NR) has come a long way with Release-15 standard frozen in June 2018. You may hear some industry experts say the standards are complete, but are they really? Will 5G NR products live up to consumer expectations? If they do not live up to expectations, what is the impact on the industry and product development? Let’s explore where we are in the 5G NR rollout with respect to required tests, challenges, and risks.

5G Required Tests 5G products and components require testing through the ecosystem, including modems, antennas, subsystems, and fully assembled end-user devices. All of these devices and base stations will follow with a similar testing workflow: research and development (R&D), design validation, conformance, and device-acceptance testing. With many rules and regulations to

30 December 2019

follow in order to bring a mobile wireless communications product to market, testing is performed throughout a product’s lifecycle to ensure the end product meets Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications and delivers the quality of service mobile operators aim to deliver to their customers. Conformance tests are mandatory tests that must be completed to release a device. Conformance tests are a key requirement and involve connecting a device to a wireless test system and performing the required 3GPP tests: • Radio frequency (RF) transmission and reception performance – minimum level of signal quality • Demodulation – data throughput performance • Radio resource management (RRM) – initial access, handover, and mobility • Signaling – upper layer signaling procedures. 3GPP Standards identify a minimum level of performance for user equipment (UE) terminals and base stations (gNB). These requirements are defined in the RAN4 and RAN5 technical specifications (TS): • RAN4 defines minimum requirements for base stations and UEs. It also specifies test cases and test methods for base station conformance tests. • RAN5 defines the UE conformance test specifications and test methods. 5G NR products can operate in two

TIMESTech.in

Test & Measurement

Minimum Requirements Base Station

TS 38.104

Conformance Tests Ÿ TS 38.141-1: Part 1: Conducted conformance testing for FR1 Ÿ TS 38.141-2: Part 2: Radiated conformance testing for specific

base station configurations in FR1 and FR2 User Equipment

TS 38.101

Ÿ TS 38.521-1: Range 1 Standalone – FR1 Conducted tests Ÿ TS 38.521-2: Range 2 Standalone – FR2 Radiated tests Ÿ TS 38.521-3: Range 1 & 2 Interworking operation with other ratios

– FR1 Conducted and FR2 Radiated frequency ranges – frequency range 1 (FR1: 450 MHz to 6 GHz) or frequency range 2 (FR2: 24.25 to 52.6 GHz), or both FR1 and FR2. Testing in FR1 below 6 GHz is firmly established with well understood test methods and associated uncertainties. Given that FR1 below 6 GHz operates under the same characteristics, tests in FR1 will be similar to that of LTE with most conformance tests performed with a cable connected to the device, and antenna characteristics, and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) performance completed over the air (OTA).

connectivity with 4G LTE that will be implemented. Testing must be performed for the many different use cases. Furthermore, it involves signaling and RF tests, including testing for full end-to-end performance with real-world impairments like excessive path loss, multi-path fading, and delay spread. Testing these functions requires an OTA test solution that can emulate base station protocols and channel conditions to understand the true performance of Ues.

FR2 at millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies adds a completely new twist on OTA since all measurements in FR2 will be tested OTA. You can find the minimum requirements and the conformance test specifications and test methods for all frequency ranges in the following 3GPP documents: Conformance tests are performed by third-party test labs to determine if a product is compliant. These tests are expensive, driving most companies to conduct their own preconformance tests to ensure their product will successfully pass these tests at independent laboratories. Currently, these tests are still in development and will be defined over the next year for different use cases.

New Features Mean New Test Challenges 5G NR introduces many new features that increase test complexity. Higher frequency operation, wider channel bandwidths, flexible waveform structure, and the increasing number of test cases that need to be validated all impact test design. For the most part, testing designs under 6 GHz in FR1 is similar to that of LTE. The key challenges lie in testing designs operating between 3.5 GHz and 6 GHz that use wider bandwidths and massive MIMO, and designs operating in FR2 because they require OTA tests methods. OTA introduces many new challenges not yet experienced by UE and base station designers, and has big implications for the test environment. User Equipment Test Challenges: 5G NR needs to accommodate many different usage scenarios from very high throughput to low packet size, to very low latencies with high reliability. To support such a wide variety of use cases, the 5G NR physical layer was defined with high flexibility, changing the way signals are created and operate. In addition, there are seven different system architecture options and dual

TIMESTech.in

Figure 1. Simplified OTA solution with a network emulator and channel emulator.

The drastic increase in the number of test cases that need to be validated during development, for conformance, and device acceptance testing, directly increase test complexity and test times. Ensuring that you are testing to the latest specifications and getting regular 5G NR test software updates are critical to minimize the risk of parallel development, reduce costly rework, and ensure that designs meet evolving 5G NR requirements. Base Station Test Challenges: The active nature of 5G beam steering and beamforming requires validation in an OTA setting. Key aspects such as antenna gain, side lobe, and null depth for the full range of 5G frequencies and bandwidths can have a major impact on system performance. In particular, 3D antenna beam measurements introduce many complexities into the test. While increased path loss and signal impairments were not an issue at 6 GHz and below, such phenomena are problematic at mmWave frequencies. Therefore, test solutions for mmWave frequencies not only need to accommodate higher frequencies with wider channel bandwidths, but also address higher path loss at mmWave frequencies. To that end, a test solution must have adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to accurately detect and demodulate 5G signals.

December 2019

Test & Measurement

When testing transmitters, SNR is critical in the test analyzer to make accurate error vector magnitude (EVM) and adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) measurements, and even more so for those testing at mmWave frequencies. To improve SNR in a test solution used to test receivers, the use of signal generators with higher output power per EVM and ACLR becomes important. In addition, system-level calibration is also critical to correct for system level phase and magnitude shifts over the bandwidth of the measurement. See how a corrected waveform will correct for channel response at the device under test (DUT) plane below.

However, incomplete and evolving targets are putting significant pressure on developers who need to ensure that their designs and tests are flexible enough to handle future requirements. Designs and test systems will need to scale to new higher frequency bands, potentially with higher channel bandwidths, and implement lower latency and co-existence with unlicensed bands.

5G Tipping Point Will Come with Critical Applications So, given that 5G NR Release-15 is frozen, are we at the 5G tipping point? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on the precipice: We are at a point where specifications are finalized for 5G NR release-15 and designs are planned for introduction in early 2019. But is it a point of no return? No.

Figure 2. Correcting for channel response provides improved measurement accuracy.

Risks and Consequences How well will the 5G NR RAN perform? Will devices connect flawlessly from one base station to another, and provide dual connectivity with 4G LTE? Will devices, base stations, and the complete ecosystem deliver on key performance indicators (KPI) such as 20 GBps in the downlink (DL) for UHD video streaming? Will they provide the expected low latency for driverless automobiles? And will they deliver the high reliability required for no-fail applications? These are just a few of the questions keeping design engineers up at night. Low quality products can cause higher repair costs, return rates, and result in lower market share and shrinking profits for your company. A product introduced with an underperforming operation model, inefficient process, or expensive tests, can also decrease production output or lead to low product quality, and have dire consequences on reputation and sales for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) across industries â&#x20AC;&#x201D; semiconductors, communications, automotive, or medical. Meanwhile, even though 5G conformance tests are key milestones in the product lifecycle, these tests remain incomplete. Protocol conformance baseline systems and test cases specifications for OTA test are yet to be specified. However, the most relevant test cases for RAN5 are expected by mid-2019 and the remaining tests will likely come out the following year. This will help phase in new capabilities in new products and limit risks.

Most vendors working on 5G NR are planning to phase in their 5G capabilities. Initial releases such as dual-connectivity mobile phones will rely heavily on 4G for critical applications and use 5G for supplemental high-speed downloads. 5G NR Release-15 focuses on specifying the underlying foundation for the flexible air interface and enables the enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) use case for high data throughput. These capabilities are very focused, giving the first 5G products greater leeway to withstand a rocky start. The real test for 5G products is farther down the road when critical applications that have higher consequences are introduced. It will be important for companies developing 5G products to engage with a test partner who has been working with leaders across the wireless ecosystem and has already faced most of the difficult problems involved in verifying compliance and capability. About the Author Sheri is the 5G New Radio Solutions Lead. In her 30 years at Keysight, HP, and Agilent Technologies, Sheri has held a variety of technical positions in engineering, quality, business development, product marketing and management. In 2015, Sheri led the business teams to deliver Keysightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first 5G reference solutions for channel sounding and millimeter wave signal analysis. Sheri uses her domain knowledge to communicate how Keysight addresses the challenges associated with 5G and has authored technical articles and papers about 5G Channel Sounding, MIMO and beamforming, multi-channel test, as well as other wireless communications topics.

In addition to the updates to 5G NR release-15, 3GPP has already started work on release-16 focusing on new types of services, devices, deployment models, and spectrum bands with an emphasis on ultra- reliable low latency communications (URLLC) enhancements for industrial internet of things (IIOT), utilization of unlicensed bands, vehicle-to-everything communications (V2X), and UE positioning and power efficiency.

32 December 2019

TIMESTech.in

Subscribe India’s #1 Magazine on electronics & technology Period

Issues

1 Years 2 Years 5 Years

12 24 60

Cover Price ( `)

By Unregistered Post

YOU PAY

` 600

` 400

` 1200

` 800

` 3000

` 1500

Name Company Name Mailing Address

City State

Pin Phone/Mob.

E-mail Please find enclosed a sum of Rs. ...................................... by DD/Cheque * bearing the No. ........................................ dt. ........................... In favour or “TimesTech Print Media ” payable at Hapur, (You can also attached your Visiting Card which have complete contact information) Send this filled-in form or its photocopy to TimesTech Print Media, #24, 1st Floor, Railway Road, Hapur-245101(U.P.) India T: +91-9719619468, 9045684936 E: info@timestech.in W: timestech.in

In-Conversation

PICMG unveils new standard for Computer-on-Modules Christian Eder congatec

The new COM-HPC standard for high-performance Computer-onModules is about to be ratified by the PICMG. In this interview, Christian Eder, chairman of the PICMG COM-HPC technical subcommittee, reveals important details about the new COM-HPC modules, first samples of which are expected to hit the market during the first half of next year.

TimesTech: What are the key differences between COM-HPC and COM Express? Christian Eder: Computer-on-Modules based on the new COM-HPC standard promise considerably higher transmission performance, many more high-speed interfaces, and significantly faster network connection, besides other benefits. This is down to a completely redesigned, more powerful new module to carrier board connector. While COM Express establishes this connection with 440 pins, the COM-HPC specification provides 800 pins. This doubles the maximum number of PCIe lanes from 32 for COM Express Type 7 to 64 for COM-HPC/Server. And while COM Express supports a maximum of PCIe Gen 3.0 with 8 Gb/s per lane, a COM-HPC module achieves up to 32 Gb/s per lane via PCIe-5.0 – that's four times the data rate of COM Express. COM-HPC modules will therefore be used in particularly performance-hungry applications, for instance to embed artificial intelligence with deep learning in embedded systems, or even to implement tactile Internet at the edge server level. TimesTech: Speaking of edge servers: What performance enhancements can be expected from COM-HPC modules in terms of Ethernet connectivity? Christian Eder: The enormous speed increase has an immense effect on the connectivity performance. Current COM Express modules (Type 7) at edge server level offer a maximum of 10 Gb Ethernet per signal pair. COM-HPC, on the other hand, specifies 25 Gb Ethernet (and more). With up to eight network connections, it then becomes possible to achieve transfer rates of 100 Gbit/s, and theoretically even 200 Gbit/s. Such rates are needed in the first instance for high-performance edge server solutions at the edge of telecom networks. Here, fast up, down and crosslinks in all directions must be established: i.e. north in the direction of the central cloud; east and west in the direction of neighboring edge fogs; and also south in the direction of industry 4.0 controls at process level. Another important aspect of high-performance computing is the amount of memory available. Depending on the selected module footprint, the COM-HPC standard offers up to eight DIMM banks on a single module to allow for substantial DRAM memory expansion, something which is often required for server applications.

34 December 2019

TimesTech: You are talking about different module footprints. Does the new COM-HPC standard specify several module classes? Christian Eder: Yes, just as there are currently Type 6 and Type 7 high-end specifications for COM Express, we have also planned two module classes for COM-HPC that address different application and performance requirements. In addition, there are two different form factors within these two module classes, similar to COM Express Basic and COM Express Compact. To be precise, we currently distinguish between server and client modules, in analogy to client/server computing. As mentioned earlier, COMHPC/Server modules are tailored for use in edge server environments and require the largest possible memory capacity, a particularly powerful network connection, and the option to provide many cores for consolidating high workloads. These Server-on-Modules will host the mentioned eight DIMM sockets on a 200x160mm footprint, while the smaller 160x160mm server modules will integrate up to four DIMM sockets. The COM-HPC/Client modules have a slightly more compact design, are also planned in two footprint variants with 120x120mm and 160x120mm, and are designed for use in high-end embedded computing applications. Unlike the server modules, they provide a maximum of 2x GbE interfaces (via NBASE-T) for Ethernet connection. In addition, COM-HPC/Client modules integrate video interfaces such as DDI and eDP/MIPI-DSI, which – in contrast to COMHPC/Server modules – can be used to control up to four independent high-resolution displays.

Fig. 1: The PICMG COM-HPC technical subcommittee already approved the pinout of the new high-performance Computer-onModule specification.

TIMESTech.in

In-Conversation

While it is possible to use COM-HPC/Client modules comparatively power efficiently if necessary, the COMHPC/Server modules designed for maximum connectivity and workload performance naturally come with a higher power draw. The client modules can be supplied with up to 200 watt, the server modules with up to 300 watt. For this purpose, each COM-HPC module specifies an impressive 28 power pins on the primary connector. TimesTech: Does this mean the powerful COM-HPC modules will soon replace the COM Express standard? Christian Eder: Certainly not. First of all, the reason for the development of a completely new COM module standard was of course the need to provide the hardware capacity required for the latest high-performance computing applications. When it comes to Server-on-Module applications at edge level, or machine learning with ultra-fast connections to graphics processors, even the fastest COM Express modules on the market today are reaching their limits. And it is exactly in these high-performance computing and top-level applications where the new, extremely powerful COM-HPC modules are being used, since COM Express modules simply cannot provide the performance required here.

patent-free, open-standard specifications for telecommunications and industrial applications. The PICMG COM-HPC working group, founded on October 23, 2018, is a technical subcommittee of the PICMG and currently consists of 20 member companies. Since the group's inception, the contents of the new COM-HPC standard are being planned, discussed and defined in weekly meetings. Next to the University of Bielefeld, PICMG COM-HPC members include Adlink, Advantech, Amphenol, AMI, congatec, Elma Electronic, Emerson Machine Automation Solutions, ept, Fastwel, GE Automation, HEITEC, Intel, Kontron, MEN, MSC Technologies, N.A.T., Samtec, SECO, TE Connectivity, Trenz Electronic and VersaLogic. Adlink, congatec and Kontron are also committee sponsors. I am the chairman of the COMHPC committee and was previously involved as draft editor in the development of the current COM Express standard. Stefan Milnor from Kontron and Dylan Lang from Samtec support me in their respective functions as editor and secretary of the PICMG COM-HPC committee. TimesTech: When is the standard expected to be fully ratified? Christian Eder: The final pinout has just been released. From this moment onwards, there will be no more changes to the pinout. This means that the members of the COM-HPC working group will be able to start prototype designs promptly without having to wait for the final ratification of the standard, which is planned for Q1 2020. The first COM-HPC modules or previews can therefore also be expected to launch in Q1 2020.

Fig 2: COM-HPC/Server modules offer extensive memory capacity with up to eight DIMM sockets and 64 PCIe lanes for connecting additional GPGPUs and many NVMe SSD hard disks. Available in two form factors, they can be scaled to meet a wide range of requirements.

This also explains why the COM-HPC standard will by no means replace the current COM Express standard. Instead, both specifications are likely to exist in parallel for many years and decades to come, depending on the field of application and its requirements. Remember â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when the new COM Express standard was introduced 15 years ago, this did not lead to a rapid switch from ETX to COM Express either. Even today, there are new ETX modules on the market that continue to be used on carrier boards, some of which have been in operation for 15 years without a single relevant design change.

Fig 3: COM-HPC/Client modules come in two footprints with one or two SO-DIMM sockets and can control up to four high-resolution displays. The module to carrier board connectors are of course identical to COM-HPC servers.

TimesTech: Who is responsible for the standardization of COMHPC? Christian Eder: COM-HPC is backed by the standardization organization PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group), which is also responsible for numerous other open standards in the embedded computing market. In it, more than 140 companies are working together on developing

TIMESTech.in

December 2019

Security

ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF INSIDER RISK

Rajesh Maurya Regional Vice President, India & SAARC, Fortinet

hile cybercrime continues to escalate, many of today's most damaging security threats are not the result of the traditional perception of malicious outsiders breaching a network to deliver malware. While that risk is real, a growing number of organizations are concerned about security risks resulting from insiders â&#x20AC;&#x201C; individuals known to the organization â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who have access to sensitive data and systems. This insider risk challenge is highlighted in a recent report on Insider Threats. Insiders who introduce risk into an organization can generally be broken down into three broad categories: Malicious insiders. These are users who willfully cause harm through such activities as fraud, data theft, IP theft, and sabotage. Malicious insiders can include disgruntled employees with a grudge, an individual with a political agenda, a compromised user being leveraged to commit cyberespionage or cyberterrorism on behalf of a competitor, political group, or nation state, or simply someone who is behaving badly for monetary gain. When queried, 60% of companies indicated that they were concerned about this

36 December 2019

threat. Negligent users. 65% of companies expressed concerns about this insider risk. This is an individual who, while not malicious, is still willfully side-stepping policy for the sake of productivity. These activities can range from creating a secret backdoor into the network so they can do things like troubleshoot systems or work remotely, to implementing an easy-to-compromise password system for networked devices, to failing to check configurations for errors that then get duplicated to other devices. The risk from these users is high since they almost always have privileged access to systems and devices, such as databases and file servers. While they may not intend to harm the organization, their negligence can have a significant impact on the organization. Improperly secured systems, for example, are much more likely to be discovered and compromised by attackers and malware. And improperly configured devices on their own can cause critical systems to fail.

TIMESTech.in

Security

Careless users. These individuals have simply made a careless mistake that leads to an inadvertent system failure, data breach, or accidental breach. This can be something as simple as clicking on a malicious attachment inside a phishing email or browsing malicious websites, to forgetting to secure a public-facing router or server. Like negligent users, the more privilege a user has the bigger the impact that can result from their carelessness. And because this behavior is entirely inadvertent, it is much more difficult to prevent or prepare for. Which is why 71% of organizations worry about this challenge.

can subscribe to a cloud service that IT isn't even aware of and then store data there, something known as shadow IT, the potential for the negligent or even malicious compromise of data continues to escalate. The biggest challenge with these threats is that they are so difficult to identify. These insiders already have credentialed access to the network and services, so few if any alerts are triggered when they begin to behave badly. And given the increased amount of data already leaving the traditional network perimeter, it is easier to hide data theft than ever before.

People Posing the Most Risk

10 Things Your Organization Can Do

As explained previously, privilege is directly related to the potential impact of an insider threat. At the top of the list are privileged IT users and administrators. Not only do they have greater access to the inner workings of systems and devices, their behaviors can result in far more damage than that caused by others. However, even a regular employee can have a significant impact on a network, as can contractors, service providers, and privileged executives.

There is no magic pill to make this challenge go away. It requires planning, implementing and repurposing technologies, and gaining a holistic view across your network – at a time when many organizations are suffering from visibility challenges resulting from digital transformation and vendor sprawl. Here are 10 strategies that can be implemented to minimize the risk of insider threats:

Many of today's modern attacks are designed to escalate privilege, so even a temporary worker with severely restricted access can still create serious havoc inside an organization. That threat can be compounded when more than one risk is present, such as a user who introduces malware into a network that also has implemented weak passwords or users misconfigured devices. Resources Most Likely to be Targeted In addition to the general mayhem that can be caused by an insider, there are specific systems that are the most likely to be targeted. Because the majority of attackers are financially motivated, financial systems are at the top of the list of resources at risk. However, for industrial espionage attacks, research and development resources and customer support systems are top targets. The one thing almost all attacks have in common, however, is the targeting of data – whether to steal it or destroy it. And the king of data is customer information. User PII (personally identifiable information) that can be extracted and sold on the black market can generate significant financial rewards for an inside attacker. Close seconds are intellectual property that can be sold to competitors or held for ransom and financial data that can be used for such things as insider trading. Insider Threats on the Rise Concerns about insider threats isn't just a fire drill. Over twothirds of organizations believe that insider attacks have become more prevalent over the past year, with nearly half of companies reporting having experienced between one and five critical cyber incidents caused by an insider in the past twelve months. The reasons range from a lack of employee awareness and training to insufficient data protections in place. One of the most concerning trends, however, is the amount of data that now moves outside the traditional data center perimeter due to the growth of mobile devices, an increased reliance on web applications, and the rapid transfer of data to the cloud. And given that a well-meaning employee with a credit card

TIMESTech.in

1. Train employees to see and report suspicious activity. In addition, run background checks on users being given privileged access to digital resources. 2. Deploy tools that can monitor user behavior and activities – including policy violation and leverage machine learning to detect unusual behavior. 3. Segment the network to limit activity to specific network regions. For more sensitive operations, a zero trust model can be especially effective. 4. Implement configuration management tools that can quickly assess and identify improperly configured device. 5. Monitor data access and file transfers, and invest in file tracking technologies. 6. Implement a data loss prevention (DLP) process and related technologies. 7. Strengthen identity and access management (IAM), including the use of multi-factor authentication. 8. Encrypt data in motion, in use, and at rest. Invest in technologies that can inspect encrypted data at business speeds. 9. Use a SIEM tool to correlate threat intelligence gathered from across the network to identify those needle in a haystack events that are impossible to detect using manual correlation. 10. Use deception technologies and honeypots to detect activity that strays from assigned tasks. Addressing Insider Threats Requires Proactive Efforts Attackers continue to apply pressure across the entire attack surface looking for a lapse in protection of vulnerabilities to exploit. By combining deterrence and detection with automation, however, organizations can take a much more proactive approach to detecting and mitigating insider threats – while keeping critical security personnel focused on higher order tasks such as strategic planning and threat analysis.

December 2019

Tech Focus

The Importance of Theory and

Computer Science

Anand Kumar Keshavan Chief Architect, Extentia Information Technology

hat differentiates a good programmer from the average, and a great one from the good? Many people, especially management and executivelevel folks ask me this question very often. My invariable answer is: â&#x20AC;˘ A good programmer has more than working knowledge of the system that he is attempting to program while an average programmer may not have much of a clue about such matters. A bad programmer will not be aware of it at all and will probably show no interest in learning about such stuff. â&#x20AC;˘ A great programmer, on the other hand, also attempts to understand why a program's environment works the way it does. This enables them to avoid errors and find errors faster than their counterparts who do not try to understand these vital aspects of the discipline called programming.

38 December 2019

For some strange reason, the usage of theoretical aspects of computer science invites cynicism within software development organizations. Computer science is considered tedious, abstract, and far removed from the world of real programming. It would be interesting if such an attitude were found amongst doctors! The other day, I found a developer struggling with a progressive web app that would break every time the user clicks on the refresh button of a browser while being offline. (I encourage the reader to figure this out, a very trivial understanding of how browsers work, and some common sense is needed). The real problem is that if you are a frontend developer or a programmer, you are no longer programming a computer; instead you are programming a browser. And hence if anyone wants to be a 'good' web developer, then it is vital that they spend some time understanding the environment that they are trying to

TIMESTech.in

Tech Focus

program – in this case the browser. A great programmer will probably know the theory behind how the DOM has been developed and how it has evolved over a period, and hence understand the difference between different browsers and their approaches towards the lifecycle of the DOM. If a frontend developer doesn’t know what the DOM is, then that is a developer not worth hiring. I have seen this pattern over the last three decades or so. In the DOS days, the good programmers had more than a working understanding of the interrupt handlers (21Hex, anyone?) of DOS. In case of Windows, the better developers always knew how DLLs get loaded, how Bit blit works, how events get propagated, and so on. And a similar case can be made for other environments such as Unix and Linux. Better Java developers (if one is Java developer, one is programming the Java Virtual Machine), usually have a good handle on how the Java Virtual Machines handle memory, how threads are to be programmed, and such stuff. The great Java programmers are extremely comfortable with generic programming i.e., using generic types to build reusable code. This applies to C#, as well as Typescript – the new powerfully typed version of JS. Typescript is a language that has been built using the foundations of type theory (the dreaded word, 'theory') and unless someone has more than the average understanding of type-level programming, generics and mapping domain entities to types, the person will never be very good at it. For example, Typescript supports algebraic data types (ADTs) which can be used to define very powerful type systems for defining domain entities. Now, Algebraic Data Types (ADTs) come from mathematics, and if one is not prepared to learn about it, then one is missing out on one of the most powerful features of the language. If, on the other hand, one has a working understanding of these topics, one can write fairly error-free code – code that is free of clutter and is readable as well as maintainable. If not, then one is better off using the plain old JavaScript where type mismatches always result in run time errors. Frameworks like Angular and React have been built on the strong mathematical foundations of functional programming (more specifically Functional Reactive Programming), and if a front-end developer is using Angular without a working knowledge of these ideas, he/she is likely to get into trouble sooner or later. Both Angular and React encourage the use of

TIMESTech.in

Typescript as their choice of programming language. In case the developer is ignorant of the foundations of Typescript and these frameworks, then this will more than likely result in comical code. Comical code that is tragic in the areas of readability, extensibility, and maintainability! Generic classes and functions are powerful features of languages such as Java and C#. The idea of generics comes from the functional world and type theory. Since many developers are not conversant with the theory behind generics, they end up creating poor generic types or avoid them completely. Even in the context of application modules such as domain entity validators, REST API controllers, and API consumers, generics can reduce the size of the code – thereby making the code much more testable and maintainable. But for some odd reason, generics are popular only among framework and library developers. For engineering managers, and people who have some say in the selection of language/frameworks, tools, etc., it is desirable that they acquire at least some basic ideas about the theoretical foundations of some of these areas. By that, I do not mean that they must be able to solve the theoretical problems of computer science – what I mean is that they should know enough to understand the pros and cons of the technical decisions that are being taken by their team or by any other stakeholder. In my opinion, this plays an important role in the way one hires team members and how technical decisions are taken by the team. When I am looking for developers, it is no surprise that I look for people who have a good understanding of their environment – the browser, JVM, JS engine, OS, and so on. Occasionally, I am surprised by folks who show more than a passing knowledge of the internals the environment/language, in other words, the underlying theoretical foundations. That really makes my day, but unfortunately those are becoming few and far between. About Extentia Information Technology A global technology and services firm that helps clients transform and realize their digital strategies. With a unique Experience Centric Transformation approach, Extentia’s ground-breaking solutions are in the space of mobile, cloud, and design. The team is differentiated by an emphasis on excellent design skills that they bring to every project. As an SAP ISV-OEM Partner, Extentia’s SAP Practice creates innovative solutions leveraging various features of the SAP Cloud Platform. Focused on enterprise mobility, cloud computing, and user experiences, Extentia strives to accomplish and surpass their customers’ business goals. The company’s inclusive work environment and culture inspire team members to be innovative and creative, and to provide clients with an exceptional partnership experience. www.extentia.com

December 2019

New Products

Mouser Stocking NXP S32K MCUs with ISELED Communication for Next-Gen Smart LED Lighting

Mouser Electronics stocking the S32K ISELED-enabled microcontrollers from NXP Semiconductors. Part of NXP’s family of S32K automotive-qualified microcontrollers, the S32K ISELEDenabled devices offer the same feature set, but add the ISELED communication protocol. ISELED is an open alliance dedicated to providing next-generation smart LED lighting technology specifically geared toward automotive and industrial applications. The ISELED protocol avoids expensive external processes and ensures wellbalanced light parameters with tighter calibration and greater processing control for RGB LEDs. The NXP S32K ISELED-enabled microcontrollers provide the 32-bit Arm Cortex-based processing power and access to this ISELED ecosystem to offer a complete hardware and software solution that enables engineers to create the dynamic sequences and light parameters demanded by nextgeneration smart LED lighting applications. The S32K ISELED-enabled devices, available from Mouser Electronics, are automotive-qualified microcontrollers with either an Arm Cortex-M0+ core (S32K11x families) or an Arm CortexM4F core (S32K14x families) that include a production license and a dedicated driver to run the ISELED serial communication protocol. The ISELED software driver runs within the production-grade SDK included in the S32 Design Studio IDE or in the AUTOSAR environment. Each microcontroller can serve as a single external master controller within the ISELED ecosystem due to its robust feature set and superior performance processing capabilities. For more information: www.mouser.in

40 December 2019

Infineon CoolSiC MOSFET evaluation board for motor drives up to 7.5 kW

Silicon carbide (SiC) is en route to mainstream for applications like photovoltaic and uninterruptable power supplies. Infineon Technologies AG is now targeting the next group of applications for this wide bandgap technology: The evaluation board EVAL-M5-E1B1245N-SiC will help to pave the way for SiC in motor drives and help strengthening Infineon’s market position as #1 for industrial SiC. It was developed to support customers during their first steps in designing industrial drives applications with a maximum of 7.5 kW motor output. The evaluation board comprises an EasyPACK 1B with CoolSiC MOSFET (FS45MR12W1M1_B11), a 3-phase AC connector, EMI filter, rectifier and a 3phase output for connecting the motor. Based on the Modular Application Design Kit (MADK) the board is equipped with the Infineon standard M5 32-pin interface which allows the connection to a control unit such as the XMC DriveCard 4400 or 1300. Its input voltage covers the range of 340 to 480 V AC. The new member of the MADK family is optimized for general purpose drives as well as for servo drives with very high frequency. It features the EasyPACK 1B in Sixpack configuration with a 1200 V CoolSiC MOSFET and a typical onstate resistance of 45 mΩ. The power stage contains sensing circuits for current and voltage; it is equipped with all assembly elements for sensorless field oriented control (FOC). The EVALM5-E1B1245N-SiC has a low inductive design, integrated NTC temperature sensors and a lead-free terminal plating, which makes it RoHS compliant. For more information: www.infineon.com

STMicroelectronics release Distortion-Cancelling High-Voltage LED Driver

STMicroelectronics is facilitating smarter city and industry infrastructures through the combination of powerline and wireless communication in its market-proven smart-meter chipset. Already widely used in smart electricity meters, ST’s ST8500 powerline communication (PLC) chipset now enables smart meters to communicate through existing power cables or radio frequency (RF) waves, combining the strengths of both types of connection. Where power lines may be too noisy for PLC, or where local regulations dictate, equipment makers can now implement wireless and PLC quickly and efficiently using the ST8500. In addition, the builtin RF capability lets equipment designers leverage the ST8500’s high feature integration and ease of use in other smart devices such as gas and water smart meters, environmental monitors, lighting controllers, and industrial sensors. ST will exhibit its ST8500 chipset and demonstrate smart-meter, smart-home and -building, and smart-infrastructure customer solutions at European Utility Week in Paris, November 12-14, booth J160. Learn more at st.com.

World’s first Wireless Oscilloscope Probe from Ikalogic not at element14

element14, has added Ikalogic to its test and measurement range,

TIMESTech.in

New Products

extending its portfolio of competitively priced logic analysers and handheld oscilloscopes. Designed with engineers in mind, Ikalogic products will be welcomed by electronic design and firmware engineers, embedded designers and makers, enabling them to capture and analyse signals with ease. Offering a high degree of flexibility in use, Ikalogic’s product range includes both wireless and battery operation (enabling isolation from mains voltage) and software which runs on Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems. The standard USB connection turns any computer into a measuring system allowing processing of hours of high frequency signals and identification of rare events. State of the art hardware guarantees reliable measurements and open-source add-on scripts offer indepth analysis. For more information: in.element14.com

Renesas Expands RA MCUs Ecosystem with Ready to Use Partner Solutions

Renesas Electronics announced the first 10 ready to use partner solutions that support the Renesas Advanced (RA) microcontroller (MCU) Family of 32-bit Arm Cortex-M MCUs. RA MCUs deliver optimized performance and ease of use with the Flexible Software Package (FSP) and partner building block solutions that work out-of-box to address a range of Internet of Things (IoT) endpoint and edge applications. The RA MCU ecosystem today has more than 30 partners with continuous investments planned. Each partner’s building block solution will be labelled with the RA READY badge and is designed to solve real-world customer problems. Ready to use RA solutions accelerate time to market by providing plug & play options that enable a variety of IoT capabilities like security,

TIMESTech.in

connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and human machine interface (HMI). Because the RA FSP is an open architecture, it allows customers to re-use their legacy code and combine it with software examples from Renesas and ecosystem partners to easily implement complex IoT capabilities.

Allegro Launches First Magnetic Gear Tooth Sensor IC Designed for Traction Motors

For more information: www.renesas.com.

Vishay AC and pulse film capacitors for hybrid and EV

Vishay Intertechnology new series of Automotive Grade AC and pulse metallized polypropylene film capacitors for hybrid and electric vehicles. With a maximum operating temperature of +125 °C (observing voltage derating), Vishay BCcomponents MKP385e series devices ensure compliance with IEC 60384-17 and AEC-Q200 Revision D while withstanding temperature humidity bias (THB) testing of 60 °C, 93 % RH for 56 days at rated voltage. The radial potted capacitors released today are designed to ensure high and stable pulse strength and ripple current capabilities over a long service life under harsh environmental conditions. Offered in compact packages to increase density, the robust devices are ideal for onboard and inductive charging, battery management, and keyless systems; snubbering; resonant converters; and power supplies. The MKP385e series is available in eight rated voltages from 400 VDC to 2500 VDC. Capacitors with voltage ratings of 630 VDC and below feature a mono construction, while devices with voltages above 630 VDC offer a series film construction. The capacitors offer rated capacitance from 0.001 µF to 15 µF, low ESR down to 4 mΩ, and high ripple current capabilities up to 19.3 A. RoHS-compliant, the devices can be customized by Vishay on request. For more information: www.vishay.com.

Allegro ATS17501, the industry’s first gear tooth sensor IC designed to provide incremental position for electric vehicle traction motors operating up to 30k RPM. The device addresses engineers’ most pressing traction motor challenges—including vibration at startup and running mode, high rotational speed, mechanical space constraints, high operating temperatures, and ISO 26262 safety requirements. Market-leading features include: Ÿ High speed switching up to 40kHz (30k RPM operation) Ÿ Advanced algorithms to suppress undesired output pulses at startup and running mode Ÿ Patented integrated magnet package reduces design complexity and enables smaller motors Ÿ Operating temperature up to 160°C Ÿ ASIL-B compliance (pending assessment) EV are becoming increasingly prevalent as original equipment manufacturers OEMs are required to comply with air quality, fuel efficiency, and vehicle safety standards. With the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle market forecasted to explode within the next few years, the use of traction motors to address these requirements presents new challenges to engineers designing electric motor control systems. The ATS17501 is at the forefront of addressing these challenges. Ÿ Addresses high rotational speed with market-leading bandwidth Ÿ Solves for traction motor vibration at startup and running mode Ÿ Fully integrated package solves for space constraints Ÿ Built to stringent safety standards, addresses emissions mandates

December 2019

New Products

ROHM New 200V Ultra-low IR Schottky Barrier Diodes

ROHM 200V ultra-low IR Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBD) optimized for automotive applications including powertrains and xEVs. The RBxx8BM/NS200 expands on the RBxx8 lineup of SBDs enabling high temperature operation that have already been proven in the automotive market in Japan. This new series offers ultra-low leakage current (IR) characteristics to achieve high withstand voltage of 200V. Replacing Fast Recovery Diodes (FRD) and rectifier diodes typically used in vehicle systems with ROHM’s new SBDs make it possible to improve forward voltage (VF) characteristics significantly (11% lower than conventional FRDs). This reduces application power losses and allows smaller package designs by reducing heat generation, contributing to greater space savings. ROHM has been offering the RBxx8 lineup of ultra-low IR SBDs that withstand up to 150V compatible with high temperature automotive environments. This latest series adds 200V models to meet the new automotive requirements. ROHM will continue to enhance its lineup and contribute to lower power consumption and greater space savings in a wide range of applications in the industrial and automotive fields. Diodes PCIe switches Incorporated Meet Automotive Demands for Advanced Features Diodes I7C9X2G304EVQ and PI7C9X2G404EVQ PCIe 2.0 packet switches, offering 3-ports/4-lanes and 4-ports/4-lanes, respectively. The packet switches are automotivecompliant for use in telematics/ADAS, navigation systems, in-vehicle wireless routers, and emerging applications

42 December 2019

such as V2V and V2X communications. The parts are designed to provide a simple solution to increase the fan-out of PCIe ports on SoCs, ASSPs, MPUs, and FPGAs, supporting advanced features in the automotive industry. The devices are qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade 2, offer an operating temperature range of -40°C to +105°C, are PPAP capable, and are manufactured in IATF 16949 certified facilities. Interoperability at the system level is guaranteed through compliance with the PCI-SIG PCIe Rev 2.1 standard. At the component level, pin-compatibility with existing Grade 3 solutions from Diodes Incorporated provides an easy migration path to higher performance for existing designs. Advanced features include an integrated clock buffer and support for peer-to-peer traffic, delivering greater system performance. The low-power operation is complemented by link power management, including activestate power management L0 and L1, device-state power management D0, D3Hot and D3Cold. Power dissipation in L0 is 300mW (typical), dropping to 35mW in PCI-PM L1.1 D3Hot PM substate mode. For more information: www.diodes.com.

New Yorker Electronics released the newest medical electronics product from Polytron Devices Low-Leakage, High-Efficiency Converters Attain Maximum Level of Safety Standards for Electrical Medical Products. Polytron Devices has recently introduced a family of 2- and 3.5-watt DC-DC converters for medical applications. The 2:1 input range MTWA2 and MTWA4 2-watt and 3.5-watt DC-DC

converters feature a low leakage current of 2μA and offer 5000V AC input to output isolation and 2 x MOPP patient protection —the highest level according to IEC 60601-1 safety standards for electrical medical products. They also offer up to 82 percent efficiency, remote ON/OFF and a high operating altitude of 5,000 meters. Safeguards include over voltage, short circuit and under voltage protection with no minimum load requirement. The devices cover an extra-wide input range of 4.5V to 12VDC as well as 9V to 18VDC, 18V to 36VDC and 36V to 75VDC input ranges. With their low leakage current and their availability in miniature DIP16 (0.95 x 0.57 x 0.41 inches) and SMD16 (0.95 x 0.57 x 0.40 inches) packages, the MTWA2 and MTWA4 are especially desirable for use in portable devices with low wattage requirements. Features & Benefits: Ÿ 2:1 Wide Input Voltage Range: 4.512Vdc Input, 9-18Vdc and 18-36 Vdc and 36-75Vdc Ÿ 5000Vac Input to Output 2MOPP Isolation Ÿ Remote On/Off Ÿ Low Leakage Current Ÿ Operating Altitude: 5000 Meters Ÿ High Efficiency Ÿ Over Voltage, Short Circuit and Under Voltage Protection Ÿ No Minimum Load Required Ÿ Miniature DIP16 Package (0.95in × 0.57in × 0.41in) Ÿ Miniature SMD16 Package (0.95in × 0.57in × 0.40in Ÿ IEC 60601-1 Medical safety approval Ÿ RoHS Compliant to 2011/65/EU For more information: newyorkerelectronics.com

TIMESTech.in

think further away, think digital with TimesTech eMagazine Experience India's #1 tech Magazine on a click

explore the elaboration of

electronics

TIMESTech.in India's #1 Tech-Webstite

What is TimesTech eMag Read it on any device that you have. Experience the HD and easy to read our platform. Easy download magazine. It's absolutely Free!

To read free eZine scan above code or vist timestech.in/emagazine

TimesTech Print Media info@timestech.in +91-9719619468

Go to active pages on TimesTech.in with upcoming technology and be brief.

Explore

India's #1

TimesTech.in, India's #1 growing B2B website on Electronics and Technology is exploring the editorial opportunity for companies/firms working in the EMS Industry.

B2B Tech Website

TimesTech.in is India's leading web portal, which is catering and addressing the industry hunger for electronics and technology information. We are hereby committed to giving our readers exhaustive information on electronics technology and revolutionary innovations in the field that will define the trajectory of coming times.

TIMESTech.in