A future-proof, open standard formfactor of rugged industrial grade design with up to 15 years longevity and software portability through NXP® Semiconductors eIQ™ AI SDK
ADLINK Technology Inc., a global leader in edge computing, has launched the LEC-IMX8MP SMARC module, the first SMARC rev. 2.1 AI-on-Module (AIoM) that uses NXP’s next-generation i.MX 8M Plus SoC for edge AI applications. The LEC-IMX8MP integrates NXP NPU, VPU, ISP and GPU computing in a compact size for future-proof AI-based applications across industrial AIoT/ IoT, smart homes, smart cities and beyond.
The powerful quad-core Arm® Cortex®-A53 processor runs up to 1.8 GHz with an integrated neural processing unit (NPU), delivering up to 2.3 Terra Operations Per Second (TOPS) for machine learning inference at the edge, suited for applications that require machine learning and vision systems paired with smart sensors to enable industrial decision-making.
“The i.MX 8M Plus AI-on-module in the SMARC form factor from ADLINK is great for industrial edge applications,” says Robert Thompson, Director of MPU Ecosystem, NXP. “We are trying to provide competitive solutions, such as this embedded module with AI capabilities, and the long-standing partnership and collaboration with ADLINK will enable us to continue driving more future market innovations.”
“As long-standing partners in an industry where our customers rely on us for top-of-the-line solutions, SMARC AI-on-Modules (AIOM) are the future of AI, with ADLINK at the forefront of this technology so critical to industrial edge applications,” says Henri Parmentier, Senior Product Manager, ADLINK. “Our LEC-IMX8MP SMARC 2.1 module will allow developers of AI-based smart embedded systems to implement cost-effective and future-proof designs built specifically for rugged environments that require higher-performance machine learning inference.”
The LEC-IMX8MP SMARC module features:
LVDS/DSI/HDMI graphic output, dual CAN bus/USB 2.0/USB 3.0, dual GbE ports (one with TSN), and I2S audio interface – in a low power envelope that is typically below 6W
Rugged design can sustain operating temperatures of -40°C to +85°C, and high shock and vibration environments for reliability in harsh industrial applications
Standard BSP support for Debian, Yocto and Android, including MRAA hardware abstraction layer (HAL), allows engineers to substitute modules, sensor HATs and port code written in Raspberry Pi or Arduino environments to the I-Pi
NXP eIQ machine learning software with consecutive inference on CPU cores, GPU cores and NPU. Support for Caffe, TensorFlow Lite, PyTorch and ONNX models. Enablement for models such as MobileNet SSD, DeepSpeech v1, and segmentation networks. Arm NN fully integrated into Yocto BSP, supporting i.MX 8
Delivering edge intelligence, machine learning and vision for a smart world, the LEC-IMX8MP SMARC 2.1 module is an excellent platform for AI-based applications, removing cloud dependency and preserving individual privacy. Targeted uses include smart homes and home automation, smart cities, logistics, healthcare diagnostics, smart buildings, smart retail, and industrial IoT including machine vision, robotics, and factory automation.
A ready-to-run I-Pi SMARC prototyping platform based on the LEC-IMX8MP module can be ordered online at ADLINK’s I-Pi SMARC theme and support site.
Find more information about the LEC-IMX8MP module here.
Maxim’s MAX33012E is part of a family of +5 V CAN (control area network) transceivers with integrated protection for industrial applications. It is equipped with extended ±65 V fault protection on the CAN bus for applications where overvoltage protection is necessary. The CAN family also incorporates high ±45 kV ESD HBM (human body model) protection and an input CMR (common-mode range) of ±25 V, exceeding ISO11898 specification of -2 V to +7 V. It is suited for applications where ground planes from different systems are shifting relative to each other.
Texas Instruments’ controller is suitable for applications such as body electronics and lighting
Texas Instruments’ LM74500-Q1 is an automotive AEC-Q100 qualified controller which operates in conjunction with an external N-channel MOSFET as a low-loss reverse polarity protection solution. The wide supply input range of 3.2 V to 65 V allows control of DC bus voltages such as 12 V, 24 V, and 48 V automotive battery systems. The 3.2 V input voltage support is particularly well-suited for severe cold crank requirements in automotive systems. The device can withstand and protect the loads from negative supply voltages down to -65 V.
The LM74500-Q1 does not have reverse current blocking and is suitable for input reverse polarity protection of loads that can potentially deliver energy back to the input supply such as automotive body control module motor loads. The LM74500-Q1 controller provides a charge pump gate drive for an external N-channel MOSFET. The high voltage rating simplifies the system designs for automotive ISO7637 protection. With the enable pin low, the controller is off and draws approximately 1 µA of current, offering low system current when put into sleep mode.
AEC-Q100 qualified:
Ambient temperature range Grade 1: -40°C to +125°C
Digi-Key Electronics is introducing Part Tracing on select cut tape products to further enhance traceability and product customization offerings, and make it easier for customers to visually verify cut tape products. This new Part Tracing feature will enable engineers to better organize their components and also improve traceability.
Across the electronic component industry, the traceability of cut tape products is a frustration. Once the product is out of the labeled bag from the distributor, it can be difficult to identify. As the leader in SMD cut-tape distribution, Digi-Key wants to solve this challenge. Now, with the Digi-Key cut tape showing this information, not only does it help customers visually verify their cut tape, but they can also access the Digi-Key Traceability portal and look up further information as they need it.
Digi-Key is the first distributor in the industry to offer this level of customization and enhancement and expects the offering to be available on 36,000 parts by June 2021. The following information is available to be printed on 8 mm-wide paper carrier tape products: sales order, invoice, line item (detail ID), date code, lot code, Digi-Key part number, manufacturer part number, manufacturer name, quantity, country of origin, the catalog description, customer reference, and PO number. Orders must be a minimum length of 200 mm (about 8 inches), which equates to about 50 parts for 4 mm pitch tape, or 100 parts for 2 mm pitch tape. The part tracing information will be printed in English.
“We’re thrilled to begin offering this enhanced service to our customers,” said Jim Ricciardelli, executive vice president of digital business for Digi-Key. “We know having this information available on cut tape will be significantly helpful to the designers, makers, and builders of tomorrow’s innovations. An engineer will quickly be able to scan any cut tape part to determine exactly what product it is, where it came from, and so much more information, that leads to enhanced traceability and decreased confusion.”
Part tracing is now available on 8 mm paper tape products, and the offering will expand over time. Digi-Key will closely monitor customer demand as they consider adding additional SKUs and sizes to the offering. This service is provided at no additional cost as long as required order minimums are met.
David Johnson-Davies published a new project on his blog. This project is a simple frequency meter capable of measuring frequencies up to 100MHz with an accuracy of 0.002%. Based on an ATtiny414, it demonstrates the use of Timer/Counter TCD0 and the Event System:
I recently wanted to design a frequency meter that would measure up to 100MHz, so you can use it to test processor clocks and crystals. There are many designs for microcontroller-based frequency meters on the web; after all, it’s one of the applications that the timer/counters in most microcontrollers are designed for. However, most of them don’t go as high as 100MHz because the microcontroller’s own clock usually imposes an upper limit of half the clock frequency.
AAEON, an industry leader in AI Edge hardware solutions, announces the latest entry in their UP Bridge the Gap brand, the UP Squared Pro. The UP Squared Pro offers developers an updated platform based on the popular UP Squared platform, offering greater expandability and I/O features. With support for 5G modules and AI accelerators, the UP Squared Pro takes AI Edge computing to the Pro level.
The UP Squared Pro (UPN-APL) is an updated rebuild based on the popular UP Squared board. Powered by Intel® Celeron® N3350, Pentium® N4200 and Atom™ E3950 processors (formerly known as Apollo Lake), the UP Squared Pro maintains the same familiar ecosystem allowing developers to easily migrate any projects built on the UP Squared platform. UP Squared Pro also features on-board physical TPM 2.0, to enhance data security. Altogether, the board offers the performance and efficiency to power a range of edge applications, including drones and autonomous robots.
The UP Squared Pro provides greater expandability thanks to three M.2 slots, including M.2 2230 E-Key, M.2 2280 M-Key, and M.2 3042/3052 B-Key. This lets developers and users to quickly add on functionality such as Wi-Fi and AI accelerators such as the AI Core XM2280 module featuring two Intel® Movidius® Myriad™ X VPUs. The UP Squared Pro also supports 5G cellular cards, allowing developers to take advantage of lower latency and higher speeds for wireless network deployment. The UP Squared Pro features a 40-pin HAT expansion as well, and offers expandable storage with SATA III connectors.
The UP Squared Pro also offers an upgrade in I/O features. Developers can now take advantage of faster internet speeds with two Intel® i210 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and wide voltage input (12V~24V) allows the UP Squared Pro to be deployed to industrial environments. Also featured on the board is an Audio Jack allowing both input and output, as well as three USB3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB2.0 headers and two COM port headers. The UP Squared Pro also features HDMI, eDP and DP video outputs, and is capable of supporting up to three independent displays, perfect for Smart Surveillance and Retail applications.
UP Squared Pro is compatible with the Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO® Toolkit, providing powerful software to help developers get their projects up and running quickly. AAEON and UP Bridge the Gap also work closely technology partners to create an ecosystem designed to provide end-to-end solutions to meet the needs of different vertical markets. For clients with more specific needs, AAEON also offers OEM/ODM services and customization. Already, the UP Squared Pro has seen success in powering real-world applications, including facial mask detection and an application which can enforce proper social distancing in enclosed spaces.
UP Squared Pro is available for pre-order on the UP Shop, and will be shipping in March 2021. The UPN-EDGE Pro, a compact system solution based on the UP Squared Pro, will also be available later this year. From industrial automation to powering AI Edge Computing, the UP Squared Pro helps take embedded computing to the Pro level.
Chinese-based Longan Labs has started developing the Squama series, which is primarily designed for IoT-based applications. The first product in the series of Squama boards was launched – Squama Ethernet – Arduino W5500 Ethernet Board. The board is integrated with a high performance MCU based on Cortex M0+ and an Ethernet control chip W5500 that will help developers to design ethernet-based applications.
The board is integrated with 32-bit ATMEL’s ATSAMD21G18 chip that is an ARM-based Cortex-M0+ microcontroller running at up to 48MHz. The chip features a 256KB in-system self-programmable flash memory, a 32KB SRAM memory along with power-on reset (POR) and brown-out detection (BOD). The BOD feature is usually disabled on the microcontroller that monitors the supply voltage level during operation.
Specifications:
MCU: ATMEL ATSAMD21G18 – ARM Cortex-M0+ CPU running at up to 48MHz with 256KB flash memory and 32KB RAM
Interfaces: High-Speed Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI MODE 0, 3), Grove connector for I2C and UART, RJ45 Connector
Power Supply: 5V via USB and 48~57V via PoE
Output Current @ 5V: 2A
Size: 62×30 mm
Weight: 15g (without PoE), 20g (with PoE)
Indicative LED: WS2812B LED
Onboard buttons: Reset Button and User Button
Compact form-factor board that is sized at just 62x30mm, has support for PoE (Power Over Ethernet) that is capable of delivering power as well as data over one cable. The hardware is designed to use the Arduino Zero-like bootloader that allows the users to use Arduino IDE for programming.
To get started with the product, you need to first have Arduino IDE that can be installed on Windows, macOS and Ubuntu-based systems. From the file menu, go to preferences and search Longan. With this, you can download the latest Longan SAMD board and then select the Squama Ethernet board.
Lately, we have seen several development boards that support LoRa, a low-power wide-area network modulation technique. You may have seen the latest release Arduino Potenta Vision Shield – LoRa that was built on the multicore 32-bit ARM Cortex processor. With these new developments, SeeedStudio has come up with a new addition to their LoRa-supported development boards by introducing the LoRa-E5 mini development board and LoRa E5 development kit.
The compact-sized LoRa-E5 mini has the powerful SeedStudio’s LoRa-E5 STM32WLE5JC Module that has everything you can imagine. The module is packed with ARM Cortex-M4 core and Semtech SX126X LoRa chip to support the LoRaWAN protocol. This spectacular STM32WL module LoRa-E5 STM32WLE5JC module is an ultra low power, extremely compact-sized design offering the high performance of TXOP equal to 22dBm at 868/915MHz.
It becomes very important to note here that when LoRa-E5 mini dev board is compared to the newly launched Potenta Vision Shield- LoRa, the former is equipped with ARM Cortex-M4 that achieves lower power consumption because of the smaller number of instructions to realize a certain operation with respect to the ARM Cortex-M0+ (in Arduino’s dev board).
With the existing support for the LoRaWAN protocol, the LoRa-E5 is capable of ultra-long-range transmission at low power consumption over a range of up to 10 km. The development board provides all the GPIOs that come with the LoRa-E5 STM32WLE5JC module that has UART, ADC, SPI, IIC, and many more. The manufacturer has designed it with a good set of interfaces required for the user. You can power the board with USB Type C or through the port of 3.7/5V on the hardware.
To add on more complex interfaces and explore the efficiency of the LoRa-E5 STM32WLE5JC module, the manufacturer has launched an upgraded version of LoRa-E5 to release the LoRa-E5 Development Kit. This includes more sets of GPIOs to add RS-485 and Grove interfaces allowing you to prototype at a faster rate.
Either board has the same MCU that provides some basic features that are required to smoothen the user experience. With the availability of USB to UART function on the board, you can now connect the hardware to your PC with a USB type C cable. In addition to this usage of the UART function, you can interface the board to another mainboard via UART.
According to the designer, with all these features this can be one of the best choices available in the market for your IoT device development in smart agriculture, smart office, and smart industry. The Mini Development Board and development kit is currently sold at $19.90 and $24.90 on the official product page.
Back in time, we have seen several tiny laser engravers powered by ESP32 or even Arduino. However, with the new technological advancements, more laser devices see the light, and today we have a China-based manufacturer specializing in the development of laser engraving equipment to launch a new affordable laser engraver project for crowdfunding the DJ6 Laser Engraver. The company says:
“Laser engraving turns everyday objects extraordinary, and has endless applications for business, art and production. Our goal with DJ6 was to create a user-friendly solution that would be easy enough for anyone to use. With DJ6 users can easily create any pattern or design and begin engraving in seconds. The special open-frame design of DJ6 allows larger objects to be engraved and it’s portable enough to go anywhere. It is the perfect engraving solution for beginners as well as advanced users and it’s affordable enough for anyone.”
With a new affordable laser engraver on the market, the manufacturer has provided everything one can imagine to get a creative design on wood, glass, colored ceramics, painted metal, food, acrylic, leather, fabric, plastic, and many more. We have recently seen one such engraver, the Cubiio 2 that was launched on Kickstarter a couple of months back and was cost inefficient yet provided as many features as possible. Then the DJ6 Laser Engraver came to the game to introduce another option.
When compared to Cubiio 2, we can notice the huge cost inefficiency after looking at this affordable, powerful laser engraver designed for all levels of users that require patterns, designs, logos, and images on virtually any materials. If you are an artist looking to engrave a design on any fabric, this will make your job easier.
The manufacturer has designed DJ6 Laser Engraver in such a way that is portable, which is very important in the context of an artist. With these portable capabilities, this engraver is the perfect customization tool for creating designs. Thanks for the feature that offers it to work with any material that has been the limitation of the product available in the market.
Through cost efficiency and portability, this becomes a user-friendly, powerful engraving solution that lets anyone achieve a professional level of engraving. In the world of bulky and complicated laser engravers, this device is small, portable, and easy to use, giving all the features one would imagine.
Specifications
According to the specifications provided, the company says that the laser wavelength is about 450nm at 3W giving a maximum focus of 100mm. Even though the maximum focus might be wider, the advised focus range is about 30-50mm. Through a rich set of interfaces, the device takes 24W of input power with a supply voltage of 12V at 2A. Designed with ABS and aluminum alloys, the engraver comes with a power port and USB type B data port.
The DJ6 has powerful features at an affordable price, it’s built around a 3,000mW laser that gives it 1.5mm cutting thickness performance, and lets users engrave on multiple material types. In order to provide a more versatile engraving experience, it uses an open-frame design for the work area so that creations are no longer limited by size issues. Any horizontally stable object can be engraved quickly and easily.
Additionally, you don’t have to worry about the size limit as the design ensures a flexible engraving experience through the open-frame design. In layman’s language, any horizontal object can be engraved with this hardware at a minimal cost of setup. To make it easy for the users, the manufacturer has provided support for all the major operating systems, including Windows, MacOX, iOS, and Android.
Demo
Our first print was our Electronics-Lab.com logo. All we had to do was to install the included drivers and the Windows software. Then we launched the program and waited for it to connect to the device. At first, it seemed that it refused to connect as the connection icon didn’t change in color so we were a little bit disappointed. We tried pushing the buttons, loading a file but nothing happened. Then, boom the connection was established out of the blue. It seems that we had to wait a few moments for this to happen. This may take some minutes to complete so be patient.
Next, we loaded our logo in .jpg format and we set up the parameters a little bit. Nothing special as the software is pretty basic and lacks features, but we are sure it will do the job. We centered the card paper under the laser and hit the start button. After a few seconds of processing the engraving started.
The laser turned to full power and the head started moving over the cardboard. The speed the laser head was traveling was quite slow and definitely slower than any type of injecting printer if we can compare the laser with injecting heads. We assume this is to ensure the design prints as accurately as possible without leaving any traces behind. Then overall engraving of our logo took about 8-10 min and the results were satisfying as you can see in the photo below.
During the engraving process, it’s advisable not to look at the beam as it may harm your eyes and there is not reverse on that. We also noticed that the fine dots that the design is comprised of are smaller than the edge of a needle. These tiny dots are burned one by one all over the surface of the material to form the entire design and are really tiny, so the whole design looks even.
Final Thoughts
Through easy interfacing, you can now design and create any patterns on your smartphone using the APP that offers multiple image formats. Some of the mentioned image formats that are supported by the hardware include .jpg, .gif, .png, .svg, and .dwg. If you are not sure about the design, the device is provided with an option to preview the pattern before engraving begins. This allows the user to get an idea as to how the design looks on the selected material, and “also prevents placement errors that are common with other engravers”.
DJ6 is perfect for those new to laser engraving with an intuitive user interface and software that is compatible with Windows, MacOs, iOS, and Android. With the included app, users can easily design and create any pattern using different devices and across multiple image formats.
For customization, you can control the head of the engraver by moving it in four different directions. It also gives you the option to pause and re-start the engraving process.
When it comes to the security aspect, it becomes very important for every professional user to check the safety protocols. The manufacturer has received FDA, FCC, and other certifications to ensure that the engraver meets the standards for laser requirements. Since the laser used is 3W, it is designed with a safety shield and motion detection in mind.
With the motion detection feature, the device pauses when there is a movement of the hardware detected to ensure safe usage. Additionally, there is a ventilating fan to lower the internal temperature.
And, with a useful preview mode that shows the approximate engraving area of the pattern before engraving begins, reliable results are achieved. DJ6 is FDA and FCC certified
says the company.
Video
Availability
As expected, the DJ6 Laser Engraver has been funded above goal and is still available on Kickstarter. There are several levels of pledging, but I would recommend getting $169 that gets you a laser engraver that is expected to ship by May 2021.
Full HD @ 120 fps | Color Global Shutter|AR0234CS CMOS sensor| ON Semiconductor® | USB 3.1 Gen1
e-con Systems Inc., a leading embedded camera solutions company adds yet another exciting product to its wide portfolio of industrial USB cameras by introducing the Full HD color global shutter USB 3.1 Gen1 camera, See3CAM_24CUG. The camera is designed to capture moving objects and rapid motion sequences with superior image quality and accuracy. See3CAM_24CUG is based on the 1/2.6″ AR0234CS image sensor from ON Semiconductor® with a pixel size of 3.0 µm and a dedicated image signal processor (ISP). It comes with an innovative global shutter pixel design optimized for reliably capturing moving scenes and objects with a resolution of up to 120 fps.
See3CAM_24CUG produces extraordinarily clear and sharp images with the AR0234 color global shutter sensor. Also, its ability to capture both continuous video and single frames makes it the perfect choice for a wide range of applications including license plate recognition, autonomous mobile robots, gesture recognition, robotic vision, drones, barcode scanner, factory automation, conveyor monitoring cameras, and traffic monitoring systems.
”Ever since we launched the MIPI interface version of the AR0234 based 2MP color global shutter camera for NVIDIA Jetson family for edge computing on Feb 3, 2021, we have witnessed the huge demand from our embedded vision customers. Taking forward this lead, e-con launches See3CAM_24CUG the first-in-the-world USB3.0 UVC color global shutter camera using AR0234 sensor”, said Ashok Babu President of econ Systems, Inc. “With 120fps capability and zero motion artifacts, this camera is an ideal camera for autonomous mobile robots for marker reading, Visual SLAM, barcode scanning/object recognition for smart carts and smart checkouts, inventory management drones, Driver Management Solution etc”, he added.
Features and benefits:
A combination of global shutter and high frame rate helps to capture moving objects with no rolling shutter artifacts and close to zero motion blur.
Onboard ISP helps to bring out best-in-class video output in both uncompressed UYVY and compressed MJPEG formats, and offloads image processing tasks and reduces CPU usage.
FHD at 120fps helps to minimize frame-to-frame distortion.
Low noise capabilities help to produce clear and sharp images.
Its external trigger support makes it suitable for applications requiring synchronization of multiple cameras.
Availability
Customers interested in evaluating this FHD color global shutter USB camera can purchase See3CAM_24CUG from e-con Systems’ online store.
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