Discovery series logic analyzer offer 1GS/s speed on all 16-channels

Logic Analyser

We have already seen several logic analyzers, but an Indian startup, Prodigy Technovations, the leading provider of innovative protocol analysis solutions, has launched a Logic Analyzer for Embedded Interfaces. The Discovery series logic analyzer, also identified as PGY-LA-EMBD, offers a Logic analyzer plus Protocol analyzer in a single product. Building a robust embedded system requires a lot of debugging to make it successful. With PGY-LA-EMBD, the process of capturing and debugging digital signals becomes even more effortless than ever. Together with a small form factor and an easy-to-use GUI, the Discovery series logic analyzers are well suited for hobbyists, small engineering teams, and startup enthusiasts.

“Current generation embedded designers need to collect data from multiple interfaces such as I2C, SPI, UART, I3C, SPMI and RFFE and process it to achieve optimal performance of their designs. Embedded design teams need to take timely action to meet the intended objectives of the product,” says Prodigy Technovations on the product page. “PGY-LA-EMBD simultaneously decodes I2C, SPI, UART, I3C, SPMI and RFFE bus and displays the protocol activity with timestamp information. PGY-LA-EMBD is an ideal instrument to debug the hardware and embedded software integration issues and optimize the software performance.”

Features of Discovery series logic analyzer

Discovery Series Logic Analyser

The Discovery series logic analyzer provides a sampling speed of 1 GS/s on all of its channels. In addition to that, it comes with a state speed of 100MHz (synchronous capture). Discovery series logic analyzers can perform simultaneous protocol analysis of I2C, SPI, UART, I3C, SPMI and RFFE interfaces in embedded system designs. With this functionality, the user can simultaneously capture data from all the protocols and view them in a time-correlated view.

Discovery series logic analyzers provide advanced triggering capabilities. These include Auto, Pattern, Protocol awareness (UART, SPI, I3C, SPMI, RFFE and I2C), and timing (pulse width and delay). PGY-LA-EMBD also supports smart continuous streaming of data to the HDD/SSD of the user’s PC through a USB3.0 interface.

PGY-LA-EMBD supports logic levels between 1.2V and 5V. It supports external triggers through an SMA connector and also has a connector for a flying lead probe cable. The status LEDs on the top indicate different conditions such as Trigger found, Trigger set, Capture start, and Capture Stop. Logic analyzers have dimensions of 140x100x35mm and weigh 200 grams in total.

A look into the software part of Discovery series logic analyzer

The software interface for the Discovery series logic analyzer is simple and to the point, making the configuration very easy. The interface displays all the information on a single page about all the connected input channels. Furthermore, it gives the users the flexibility to select sampling rates which allows them to investigate glitches in their designs. Users can capture glitches of up to 1ns with the Timing PlotView.

Video

After capturing and analyzing the data, the user can export the report in either CSV or PDF format. The protocol activity window gives system-level insight to the design team. There are separate decode windows for each interface to provide better insights.

Discovery series logic analyzer retails for $1500. To learn more about it, you can visit the product page or request a demo before buying one.

Seeed Studio introduces SSD202 SoC powered ultra-small system on module

IDO-SOM2D02-V1-2GW SoM

We have already seen several modules coming to the market by Seeed Studio that was based on the SSD202 SoC, which integrated Arm Cortex-A7 processor core running at a clock frequency of up to 1.2GHz. Since this SoC is widely used in smart display applications, Seeed Studio has introduced yet another ultra-small system on module (SoM), IDO-SOM2D02-V1-2GW SoM, designed with 128MB DDR3 RAM and 2GB NAND flash storage.

With the small form factor, the system on module supports Wi-Fi communication through a dedicated Sigmaster Wi-Fi chip, SSW101B that can wirelessly transmit data over 500 meters in open space. This gives the user high performance for several wireless communication IoT and smart display-based applications.

“This SoM has a single-sided layout which means the back of the PCB is completely flat and has no traces. This helps to get rid of any interference when using this board with a carrier board.”

IDO-SOM2D02-V1-2GW SoM Back

Specifications:

  • CPU: SigmaStar SSD202 SoC integrated Arm Cortex-A7 dual-core processor, clocked up to 1.2GHz
  • Video Processor: Support for maximum resolution of 1920×1080 at 60fps decoding, H.265/HEVC Decoder, I/P/B slices
  • RAM: 128MB DDR3 memory
  • Storage: 2GB SPI flash storage
  • Operating system: Linux OS
  • Wireless network: Sigmaster Wi-Fi chip (SSW101B) capable to transmit over 500 meters in open space
  • Audio: 1x Mono AMIC, 1x Dual channel DMIC, 1x LINEOUTR/L, support 8K/16K/32K/48KHz sampling rate
  • Video: Supports MIPI/RGB interface MIPI TX DSI 4-lane with max, 1.5Gbps, and output up to FHD 60fps
  • Dimensions: 29.5mm x 29.5mm
  • Peripherals: 4x UART, 1x SDIO2.0, 2x I2C, 1x I2S, 1x SPI, 4x PWM, several GPIOs
  • Weight: 8 grams
SigmaStar SSD202 SoC
Image Credit: CNX-Software

Designed for smart displays, IoT gateways, and smart homes, it comes with support for audio and video interfaces. Audio support has a sampling rate of up to 48KHz giving it better audio quality and processing capabilities. Video support has output support of 1920×1080 at 60 frames per second, signifying the use-case for smart home applications.

For more information on the product, head to the official product page where it is priced at $15.00.

Adafruit QT Py RP2040 Development Board Features Large Storage Memory

Adafruit QT Py RP2040

With the growing popularity of the Raspberry Pi’s RP2040 and its powerful features, many third-party manufacturers have come up with hardware based on this chip, such as the Adafruit’s Feather RP2040, ItsyBitsy RP2040, and Pimoroni Tiny2040. The company has turned its attention to bringing the same chip to a new form factor, Adafruit QT Py RP2040, the latest Adafruit tiny board incorporating the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller. It is twice as fast as the original QT Py and has significantly more storage memory.

Adafruit QT Py RP2040 is a compact board with dimensions of 21.8mmx 17.8mm and a weight of 2.2 grams. Hence, this makes it ideal for wearable applications like fitness trackers and watches. The board comes with a USB interface, which is compatible with all operating systems. Power, data, and programming are all accessible through the USB Type-C connector. This connector helps in incorporating it into small projects like wearables as a reversible connector. Hence, making it easier to access and user-friendly. Many USB HID devices, such as mouse/keyboard shortcuts, and MIDI, are powered by the board.

Top View Adafruit QT Py RP2040

Speaking more about the hardware design, the Adafruit QT Py RP2040 has two push buttons on the topside: boot and reset, for quick restarts. The addition of these buttons avoids unplugging and replugging to reload the code. It also features a built-in NeoPixel RGB LED on the top of the board, which serves as a status indicator and notifies us when our code has issues.

Technical Specifications of Adafruit QT Py RP2040

Turning the board over, besides the 264KB of storage offered by the RP2040, the board also has an 8MB SPI flash memory to store project files and CircuitPython/Micropython codes. While using C/C++, you receive the whole flash memory. While using Python, you get the remaining 7MB for storing code, files, images, fonts, etc.

However, unlike SAMD21-based QT Py, this QT Py offers 13 GPIO pins, including four 12-bit ADCs, two I2C channels, and two SPI and UART peripherals. Additionally, it has PWM output on every IO pin for servos, LED’s, etc, and 6 GPIO in consecutive order for PIO compatibility. It has also got a 3.3V pin, a powerful voltage regulator capable of providing 600mA of power to the onboard electronics.

The highlight of QT Py RP2040 is the Stemma QT connector located opposite the USB C port.
“STEMMA is a plug-and-play board and sensor system that lets you quickly plug together various devices and accessories. Including OLEDs and inertial measurement units, without any soldering! Use any SparkFun Qwiic boards! Seeed Grove I2C boards will also work with this adapter cable.”

The Pimoroni Tiny 2040 and Adafruit QT Py RP2040, include a dual-core Cortex-M0+ processor running at 125MHz, a USB-C port, two buttons, several I/O ports, and all of the Raspberry Pi RP2040’s features. CNX Software’s post has brought to our attention that both the boards are almost similar with the same specifications and functionalities, except for the I/O’s.

Bottom View Adafruit QT Py RP2040

Programming on the Adafruit QT Py RP2040

In terms of programming, you can program this board like the pico or any other RP2040 board. It is C/C++ compatible and comes with official MicroPython and CircuitPython ports. Adafruit provides more intensive support for CircuitPython, thus it is preferred for QT Py RP2040 as well. However, there is no Arduino core support for the chip on this board.

The board costs $9.95, but it is temporarily out of stock. To know more about the Adafruit QT Py RP2040, you can visit the product page. Images and technical specifications have also been taken from the Adafruit store’s product page.

TIDEP-01004 – Machine learning inference for embedded applications reference design

This reference design demonstrates how to use TI Deep Learning (TIDL)/Machine Learning on a Sitara AM57x System-on-Chip (SoC) to bring deep learning inference to an embedded application. This design shows how to run deep learning inference on either C66x DSP cores (available in all AM57x SoCs) and Embedded Vision Engine (EVE) subsystems, which are treated as black boxed deep learning accelerators on the AM5749 SoC.

This reference design is applicable to any application that is looking to bring deep learning/machine learning inference into an embedded application. Customers looking to quickly get started with a deep learning network or to evaluate their own networks performance on an AM57x device will find a step-by-step guide on how to use TIDL available as part of TI’s free AM57x Processor SDK.

Features

  • Embedded deep learning inference on AM57x SoC
  • Performance scalable TI deep learning library (TIDL library) on AM57x using C66x cores only, EVE subsystems only, or C66x + EVE combination
  • Performance optimized reference CNN models for object classification, detection and pixel-level semantic segmentation
  • Full walk-through of TIDL development flow: training, import and deployment
  • Benchmarks of several popular deep learning networks on AM5749
  • This reference design is tested on AM5749 IDK EVM and includes TIDL library on C66x core and EVE subsystem, reference CNN models and getting started guide

more information: https://www.ti.com/tool/TIDEP-01004?HQS=epd-pro-jac-am57x-asset-rd-ElectronicSpecifier-eu&DCM=yes&dclid=CPm9qtj3pfECFWpc5Qod5bYHZA#2

Meet the ALL NEW Radxa Zero, An Alternative To Raspberry Pi Zero

Radxa Zero Front

After the launch of the cheapest Raspberry Pi’s single-board computer, Raspberry Pi Zero, we have seen several alternatives coming to the market. With the same form factor and minimalistic design, this board integrates an Amlogic S905Y2 SoC with quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor core running at a clock frequency of 1.8GHz. Some similar alternatives include the popular Banana Pi M2 Zero that came with Allwinner H2+ SoC but the clock frequency of Radxa Zero outperforms all these alternatives.

With the same form factor, the device comes with a rich set of physical connectivity through 40-pin GPIOs, a USB 2.0 Type C OTG, and one USB 3.0 Type C host. Along with this, the small hardware also supports HDMI 2.1 for video output at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. On the wireless connectivity, similar to Raspberry Pi Zero W, Radxa Zero also supports WiFi4/BT4 or WiFi5/BT5 depending on the variant.

Radxa Zero

Features of Radxa Zero

  • CPU: Amlogic S905Y2 SoC with quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor core @ 1.8GHz
  • GPU: Mali G31 MP2
  • RAM: LPDDR4 512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB
  • Flash storage: eMMC 5.1 flash storage of 8/16/32/64/128GB with MicroSD up to 256GB
  • Wireless connectivity: WiFi4/BT4 or WiFi5/BT5
  • HDMI: Micro HDMI, HDMI 2.1, 4K@60 HDR
  • Video: H265/VP9 decode 4Kx2K@60
  • Peripherals: 1x USB 2.0 Type C OTG, 1x USB 3.0 Type C host, 40Pin GPIO, ADC/UART/SPI/PWM

Given the high performance on such a small board, the manufacturer has designed this with Mali G31 MP2 GPU and integrated RAM options (LPDDR4 512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB). When it comes to choosing an SBC that can deliver high performance along with low cost, then this can be a better alternative as this supports a maximum of 4GB LPDDR4 RAM which is 8x more than the Raspberry Pi Zero W. But it is important to note that, this comes with a drawback if in case you plan to use Raspberry Pi HATs, then this won’t be able to support it.

Radxa Zero v/s Rasberry Pi Zero
Radxa Zero v/s Rasberry Pi Zero

When it comes to storage, the Radxa Zero comes with eMMC 5.1 flash storage of 8/16/32/64/128GB and an optional MicroSD card that is expected to support storage up to 256GB. The board adds on with a cryptographic accelerator that performs computationally intensive cryptographic operations. The hardware supports Android 9, but since the manufacturer has already done Armbian booting, it will be the official OS.

The board starts from $15.00 for 512MB LPDDR4 RAM with WiFi4/BT4 and goes up to $45.00 for the 4GB LPDDR4 RAM with 16GB eMMC, WiFi5/BT5 variant. More details are available on the Radxa community page.

STMicroelectronics VL53L5 Time-of-Flight Mini Depth Camera

STMicroelectronics VL53L5 FlightSense™ Time-of-Flight Mini Depth Camera integrates a SPAD array, physical infrared filters, and diffractive optics (DOE) in a miniature reflowable package. These features allow the VL53L5 to achieve the best ranging performance in various ambient lighting conditions with various cover glass materials. The use of a DOE above the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) allows a square FoV to be projected onto the scene. The receiver lens focuses the reflection of this light onto a SPAD array.

The STM VL53L5 FlightSense Time-of-Flight Mini Depth Camera utilizes a direct ToF technology that allows absolute distance measurement, whatever the target color and reflectance. The ToF technology provides accurate ranging up to 400cm, and the 32bit MCU with extra HW accelerator can post-process the histogram and stream ready-to-use depth information at fast speeds (60Hz).

Features

  • Fully integrated miniature module
    • Emitter: 940nm invisible vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and integrated analog driver
    • 61° diagonal square system field of view (FoV) using diffractive optical elements (DOE) on both transmitter and receiver
    • Receiving array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in both transmitter and receiver apertures
    • Low-power microcontroller running firmware
    • 6.4mm x 3.0mm x 1.5mm Size
  • Fast, accurate distance ranging
    • Parallel multi zone output; either 4×4 or 8×8 separate regions of interest (ROI)
    • Up to 400cm ranging
    • 60Hz frame rate capability
    • Histogram processing and algorithmic compensation minimizes or removes impact of cover glass crosstalk
    • Fully autonomous device with on-board histogram and ranging processing running on ST in-house 32Bit MCU
    • Dynamic crosstalk compensation for fingerprint smudge via latest patented ToF techniques
  • Easy integration
    • Flexible power supply options, single 3.3V or 2.8V operation or combination of either 3.3V or 2.8V AVDD with 1.8V IOVDD
    • Compatible with wide range of cover glass materials
    • I²C or SPI interface
    • Low-power pin and two general purpose inputs (GPIOs) for interrupt and synchronization
    • Full set of software drivers (Linux and Android compatible) for turnkey

more information: https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/imaging-and-photonics-solutions/time-of-flight-sensors/vl53l5cx.html

TDK launches 3 new MEMS microphones for mobile, IoT and other consumer devices

TDK Corporation introduces three new MEMS microphones as part of the SmartSound™ family of products for mobile, IoT and other consumer devices. Each of these high-performance microphones push the boundaries of microphone acoustic performance, providing advanced feature sets with very low power in small package footprints. The SmartSound family of MEMS microphones from TDK are designed for a multitude of applications in a variety of dynamic environments. Our High AOP, high SNR and wide dynamic range microphones are ideal for environments that shift from very quiet to very loud, such as far-field voice pickup barge-in for Smart Speaker applications.

T5919, the world’s first PDM digital output microphone with built-in Particle Ingress Filter (PIF):

The T5919 is a multi-mode, low noise digital MEMS microphone in a small 3.5 x 2.65 x 0.98 mm bottom port package. The PIF filter is embedded in the microphone package, providing protection to particles and moisture. T5919 includes multiple modes of operation: High Quality, Low-Power (AlwaysOn), and Sleep. The T5919 microphone boasts high SNR in all operational modes. The microphone maintains 135 dB SPL AOP in High Quality Mode and 120 dB SPL AOP in Low-Power mode.

T4086, an ultra-small analog output MEMS microphone:

The T4086 analog microphone is designed to achieve high SNR and AOP at low power in a tiny 2.75 × 1.85 × 0.9 mm bottom port package to support very space constrained applications/devices.

T3903, a very low power wide dynamic range PDM MEMS microphone:

The low power T3903 enables the transition of microphones from analog output to digital output to support ‘AlwaysOn’ applications in smartphones, tablets, remote controls, smart TVs, Bluetooth headsets, and digital still/video cameras. The T3903 is a multi-mode, low noise, bottom ported MEMS microphone with -37dBFS sensitivity, 66dBA SNR and 133dB AOP in a 3.5 × 2.65 × 0.98 mm package.

“TDK continues its commitment to bringing to market a broad portfolio of disruptive, high performance and innovative SmartSound solutions,” said Omar Abed, GM and VP of microphone business unit at InvenSense, a TDK group company. “By applying several new MEMS technological breakthroughs, we developed microphones designed for a multitude of applications in a variety of challenging and dynamic environments, thus enabling our customers to create a differentiated audio experience.”

The TDK T5919, T3903 and T4086 are available from multiple distributors and are part of a fully compatible and multi-grade SmartSound portfolio of microphone products.

More information please visit https://invensense.tdk.com/smartsound/

Learn more about Amlogic S905X3 SOC for Multimedia Applications

Amlogic S905X3 SOC

A couple of weeks ago, SinoVoip Co. Limited introduced a Banana Pi BPI M2 Pro that was powered by the Amlogic S905X3 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor. The next-generation 12nm design, Amlogic S905X3 comes with an ARM 64-bit processor clocked at 1.9GHz that makes the SOC the best-in-class for several multimedia applications. The SOC integrates an ARM-based Cortex-M4 processor with a neural network accelerator function for virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Now.

With a 12nm design, each processor core runs at a frequency of 500MHz and CPU utilization of 17%. Thanks to the manufacturing process as it boosts performance, providing low power consumption. Along with the powerful CPU cores, there is an integrated GPU, Mali-G31 MP2 that has a maximum speed of 650MHz and delivers performance up to 1.3Gpix/s per core. This famous GPU also comes with the support for OpenGL ES 3.2 and Vulkan 1.0, which brings performance and graphical improvements for complex processing tasks.

Amlogic S905X3 SOC Block Diagram
Image credit: CNX-Software

When it comes to multimedia applications, the vision processing unit is an important piece of hardware in the SOC. To support this, Amlogic S905X3 comes with the advanced video engine generation 10 for decoding that supports H.256 and V9 codecs with various HDR formats. Using this SOC, the user can take videos up to UHD 4K at 75 frames per second. Thanks to the HDMI 2.1 video output for automatic refresh synchronization.

Features of Amlogic S905X3 SOC:

  • CPU: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 Processor with ARM Cortex-M4 for Neural engine
  • GPU: Mali-G31 MP2 at 650MHz and performance of 1.3Gpix/s per core
  • NPU: 1.2 TOPS (Optional)
  • VPU: Support H.256 and V9 with various HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, Advanced HDR10, HDR 10+, HLG, Prime HDR
  • Application: Multimedia
  • Manufacturing process: 12nm
Amlogic S905X3
Image credit: AndroidpcTV

Speaking of performance, it is always relative in nature that it is in terms of another SOC sharing a similar price range and features. The benchmarking done by AndriodpcTV using various tools shows some insightful results. From the benchmarks done on ANTUTU V6.0, we can see that Amlogic S905X3 has outperformed Amlogic S905X2, S905X-H, S912 SOCs. Even though it isn’t the most powerful SOC in the market, it can aid most multimedia applications and can be used in a TV box.

For more information on Amlogic S905X3 SOC, visit the official product page.

Meet the ALL NEW Tiny Acoustic Development Board for $99.00

μMoth

When it comes to recording audio in wildlife or nature, you require something with a small form factor that does not harm the environment. There are several wildlife species that produce noise in ultrasonic frequencies like bats, moths, etc. Here comes the name for the credit card-sized open-source sound recording deviceμMoth” – designed to listen to audible frequencies, as well as ultrasonic frequencies.

As mentioned, the size of the device is just 25 x 36mm and weighs only 4 grams making it best for remote applications that are located in wildlife forests. This full-spectrum acoustic development board is based on the Silabs’ EFM32 Gecko processorthat is an ARM Cortex-M3 core running up to the clock frequency of 32 MHz. The SOC is integrated with up to 128kB flash memory and up to 16kB of RAM is specially designed for battery-operated applications that require high performance and low power consumption.

μMoth Size

The tiny acoustic development board, μMoth is capable of recording at sample rates up to 384kHz, which means you can record uncompressed audio directly to the SD card with a sampling rate of 8,000 to 384,000 per second. The files are stored in the Waveform Audio File format which is an accurate and lossless audio file format.

The μMoth audio recording device features an analog MEMS microphone which is typically used when the analog output is fed to the input of an amplifier for analog processing. One of the other reasons for choosing an analog MEMS microphone can be the power consumption, which is significantly lesser than the digital MEMS microphone. The device is also manufactured with an onboard real-time clock that keeps track of time in UTC.

μMoth Views
Image credit: Alex Rogers

If you have known the other devices manufactured by Open Acoustic Devices, then this μMoth shares the existing software and firmware as the AudioMoth. The hardware is powered by the Li-Ion battery that is connected through the standard 2-pin JST-PH connector. The manufacturer notes that the SparkFun battery is compatible with the development board.

The crowdfunding campaign is live on GroupGets, but the backing is currently disabled due to the production shortage. But we expect the product to be in stock soon at a price of $99.00.

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