Page 293 – Electronics-Lab.com

18650 LiPo Battery Manager for Remote Applications

Posted on 9 March, 2021 by Abhishek Jadhav

The 18650 LiPo battery manager comes with a fuel gauge and a dual-rail power supply. The dual-rail power provides a 5V rail along with a 3.3V rail dedicated to powering the microcontroller and the display ports of the system. It is termed as an “all-in-one single-cell LiPo battery manager” by Manuel Alfonso for its flexible compatibility with all types of single cells and its various functionalities for battery monitoring operations. However, the 18650 LiPo Battery Manager is dedicated to a form factor that can act as an add-on at the back of the 18650 battery box. Hence, it can be used as a power bank for various projects.

18650 LiPo battery manager features a bq24075 IC from Texas Instruments for battery management and monitoring functionality. The maximum charge current can be controlled via the DIP switch, which outputs 1A, 500mA, and 100mA current readings. The combination of the pin status determines the maximum current value is shown in the table below:

The bq24075 chip’s Dynamic Power Path Management (DPPM) makes the output active “whenever a source is connected to USB or BAT, guaranteeing power to the project even if the battery has died. The input current from USB is shared and balanced between charging the battery and powering the system load at OUT.” In Battery Supplement Mode, if the output current exceeds the limit configured by the DIP switch during the charging process, then the battery provides the system load without any regulation. Hence, the maximum current can be drawn in any condition.

The 18650 LiPo battery manager supports the BQ27441-G1A fuel gauge featuring the Impedance Track Technology. It efficiently predicts battery capacity and other operational characteristics with utmost accuracy. There is a delay of a few seconds for the display of accurate data after powering the board because the IC is in sleep mode and it takes some time to wake up. When there is no load on the output pins, the actual consumption by the MCU and OLED display is shown on the display.

The source code for the system is written on STM32CubeIDE. Toolchain and IDE could be altered from the project manager tab for switching the IDE using a different file from STM32CubeMX. For more information regarding software support, you can visit the GitHub repository for 18650 Manager.

The 18650 LiPo battery manager board is available for $20 USD on Tindie. For more information, visit the product page on Tindie.

E-radionica’s Inkplate 10 is suited for your e-paper typewriter

Posted on 9 March, 202122 March, 2021 by Abhishek Jadhav

After raising 926% funding on e-radionica’s new design of its first e-paper display – Inkplate 6, the manufacturer has continued its product range to announce the Inkplate 10, an upcoming low-power, easy-to-program open hardware that can come with Wi-Fi support. This upgraded e-paper display is listed for crowdfunding on CrowdSupply with the goal of $12,900.

Compared to its predecessor, the hardware comes with a 9.7-inch display and high screen resolution of 1200×825 pixels with 1.61 second refresh time in black & white mode, and 1.81 second refresh time in grayscale mode. This powerful and energy-efficient design is based around the famous ESP 32 WROVER module, a dual-core microprocessor providing 8 MB RAM, 4 MB of flash memory, and support various wireless communication protocols, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

With its minimalistic design, the e-paper display packs a rich set of interfaces including the USB Type-C port that can be used for programming as well as to power the hardware. The display has additional GPIO pins that come along with support for I²C, SPI, and easyC/Qwiic connectivity. To increase storage, you get an optional MicroSD card reader for storing images to be displayed.

Thanks to the low power consumption that achieves 22 µA sleep states allowing it to last for months on a single battery. To add more to the hardware part, boost with three capacitive touchpads – usable through the optional enclosure. At just 23 x 18 x 1 cm and weighing 260 g, it adds more features than you would ever want at $139.

With easy-to-use experience in mind, the designer has supported the display with Arduino IDE, MicroPython, ESP-IDF, allowing you to just “plug in a USB cable, open the IDE, pull up some sample code, and click upload”.

If you like a good old-fashioned Arduino IDE, our library will have you rendering your own images in five minutes. For higher level programming, we also maintain a MicroPython module that’s just as easy to use. And for the hardened ESP32 programmers out there, we also support ESP-IDF.

If you are interested, the product is up for crowdfunding via Crowd Supply, priced at $179 for the display with a 3D printed enclosure.

This Compute Module 4 Hunter is set to challenge Official CM4 Carrier Board

Posted on 9 March, 20219 March, 2021 by Abhishek Jadhav

Swiss-based founder of Quick-Pick AG, Andreas Eberle, has designed a complete Raspberry system with hardware and software utilizing the power of Raspberry CM4 that lets you use interfaces and industrial communication protocols without the need to buy any additional HATs. This Compute Module 4 Hunter is up for crowdfunding via Kickstarter with the goal of $15,490.

The release of the Raspberry Pi CM4, integrated with the quad-core Broadcom BCM2711 Cortex-A72 chip, lead to the unveiling of the official carrier board to cover all features required. However, the aim of the CM Hunter project is to extend the functionalities through a smaller form factor.

This 4 layered PCB, sizing 79x97mm integrates all the common communication protocols used that include,

RS485/Modbus isolated
CAN 2.0B isolated
1-Wire isolated
HDMI 2.0
ETHERNET Gigabit
USB 2.0
2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac wireless /some CM4 versions/
Bluetooth 5.0, BLE /some CM4 versions

Supporting all the above protocols gives the user a wide scope of use in various domains.

“You could use this platform for reading sensors, protocols and sharing data files between all communication modules, storing data on USB stick, Cloud servers, etc.”,

the designer notes.

To power the board, the manufacturer provides a 5V USB power adapter like the one you get with your smartphone (delivers at least 2A current). The carrier board is marketed under the highlight of ‘Isolated Communication Modules‘. The integrated MCP2515 CAN controller is used as a serial communication bus for robust and flexible performance in undesired environments.

If you are working on heavy applications there is a high possibility that requires full CPU power. This, however, leads to heating of the hardware and eventually loses its efficiency. To avoid overheating in such scenarios, the hardware gets a fan driving circuit on board. A 5V 30x30x6mm Maglev FAN that is capable of keeping the CPU temperature below 50 degrees Celsius can be attached. Important to note that the cooling fan is not included in the package and needs to be bought separately.

As mentioned earlier, the Compute Module 4 Hunter is listed for crowdfunding on Kickstarter with a pledge level starting at €10 with no benefits. Going forward, you can get the carrier board for €99 and more.

Quick Prototyping with Seeed’s Grove Shield for Raspberry Pi Pico

Posted on 9 March, 2021 by Saumitra Jagdale

There has been a lot of discussion about the new Raspberry Pi Pico, as it comes with a powerful RP2040 chip and costs just $4 USD. Hence, Pico is an ideal choice for beginners due to its variety of applications at a very low cost. So, the applications have to be first prototyped before making permanent connections. As any mistake while making a connection can cost us the whole device.

Grove Shield for Pi Pico v1.0 supports quick prototyping before building permanent applications with Raspberry Pi Pico. The shield comes as the base on which the Pico board is assembled for increasing the connectivity and scope of usage of the Raspberry Pi Pico board, The Grove Shield for Pi Pico is a “plug-and-play” kind of shield which supports many types of Grove Connectors. This includes I2C, UART, digital and analog ports.

Key Features of Grove Shield for Pi Pico

Quick Prototyping with easy debugging function with plug and play feature for grove connectors and SWD pins.
Dynamic connectivity with many peripherals. This includes 2 × I2C, 2 × UART, 3 × Digital, 3 ×Analog, SPI, and SWD Debug interface.
No need for soldering as it has all pin led out. The plug-and-play Grove connectors support multiple data protocols, including IIC, UART, and analog or digital.

Demonstration of Use Cases

The Grove Shield is just a component to explore the endless possibilities and applications that could be built using Raspberry Pi Pico. Thus there is a need for sensor components for prototyping specific use cases. If the prototype use case works properly, then an end-to-end product can be built from the same. Hence, the Grove Shield comes as a single board for $3.90 as well as for $44 which is a development kit that comes with temperature sensors, relays, LEDs, buttons, and an LCD screen all using the Grove connector standard.

The article on Tom’s Hardware has unveiled the overall review of the Grove Shield along with its use cases with the development kit. However, there is also an official youtube video by Seeed Studio demonstrating all the applications. These can be designed using this development starter kit with various sensors that are compatible with Grove connectors. Some of these include ‘Blinky’ using LED and button, temperature and humidity monitoring on OLED display, and rotary angle switch to control the buzzer.

The Grove Shield for Pi Pico thus opens up many options for building various use cases and applications. It allows quick prototyping of projects without the need for soldering and using jumping wires. The Grove Shield is available for $3.9 USD on Seeed Studio’s website. For more information visit the official product page. Images and technical specifications have also been taken from the product page.

New ITX-M-CC452-T10 Board with Built-in Storage Spans microSD, SATA and mSATA

Posted on 6 March, 2021 by mixos

WINSYSTEMS Debuts Industrial-Rated Mini-ITX Form Factor Carrier for COM Express Type 10 Mini Modules

U.S.-made ITX-M-CC452-T10 board provides extensive connectivity for Type 10 mini-module designs and a production-ready -40C° to +85°C edge computing solution with COMeT10-3900 cards

Grand Prairie, Texas, March 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Leading industrial embedded computing designer and manufacturer WINSYSTEMS today introduced its first Mini-ITX form factor carrier board to complement and support its COMeT10-3900 COM Express Type 10 mini modules. The ITX-M-CC452-T10 carrier platform is designed with industrial components for testing products in development and to deliver highly reliable performance in operating environments with temperatures of -40°C to +85C°.

“Our new industrial COM Express carrier provides a reference point for customers when testing and troubleshooting their own or another COM Express Type 10 carrier design,” said WINSYSTEMS’ Technical Sales Director George T. Hilliard. “And, because it supports all interfaces from our recently introduced COMeT10-3900 COM Express modules, these two products can be readily deployed as a complete embedded edge computing platform.”

WINSYSTEMS’s newest COM Express market entry offers the assurance of a USA-designed and manufactured product fully backed by expert technical guidance, BIOS customization, and convenient customer service based in the heart of Texas. This translates to superior quality and better support for greater confidence in the end product – coupled with rapid, more predictable delivery for shorter lead times and reduced time to market.

As an industrial-rated reference board, the ITX-M-CC452-T10 carrier’s design ensures that it operates over the full specifications of the COMeT10-3900 COM module so the combination can be proven at temperature. The carrier features dual Ethernet – USB 3.0 and 2.0 – four serial ports, three Mini-PCIe expansion options, multiple display options – and more when combined with WINSYSTEMS’ COMeT10-3900 Express Module.

Flexible connectivity for power, speed and graphics

This American-made carrier supports all the performance differentiators within a product family enabled by the COM approach: multiple processor options for single, dual or quad CPU cores along with various RAM and onboard SSD sizes. The industrial reference design also complements the -40°C to +85C° temperature range with a wide-range power input (5-20 V DC).

The ITX-M-CC452-T10 carrier supports up to two independent displays: one DisplayPort with 4K resolution and one LCD with backlight and touch control. Additional connectivity and I/O capabilities include four GPIs and four GPOs. Built-in storage spans microSD, SATA and mSATA.

An optimal mix of capability and reliability

“WINSYSTEMS’ ITX-M-CC452-T10 COM carrier satisfies the rigorous quality and security imperatives for Industrial IoT applications within the medical, industrial automation, military/aerospace and transportation markets,” assured Hilliard. “Equally important, it provides product designers with abundant connectivity to distinguish their products in the market and the cost-effectiveness and predictable delivery they require to reduce development risk.”

ITX-M-CC452-T10 https://www.winsystems.com/product/comet10-3900/Mini-ITX form factor carriers will become available Q1, 2021, and will ship from WINSYSTEMS’ Texas headquarters with access to the accompanying product manual, a carrier design guide, COM modules and thermal solutions (the latter two items sold separately).

ON Semiconductor NTx015N065SC1 silicon carbide MOSFET

Posted on 6 March, 2021 by mixos

Silicon Carbide Technology has a better thermal conductivity (3x times) and a higher breakdown field strength (10x times) over traditional Silicon technology

Silicon Carbide Technology has a better thermal conductivity (3x times) and a higher breakdown field strength (10x times) over traditional Silicon technology. This enables higher current density, lower capacitance hence faster-switching frequency, and low ON-resistance at a device level. Benefits for systems employing Silicon Carbide devices are consequently reduced losses, higher temperature operation, and optimized system size & weight performance.

Key features

Rated to 650 V
Typical RDS(ON) of 15 mΩ
D2PAK and TO247 Packages
Industrial and Automotive Grade versions

Additional features

Superior characteristics over conventional traditional Silicon technology
D2PAK 7-lead package
TO247 4-lead package
High Junction Temperature Tj = 175C
100% UIL Tested
Pb-Free and RoHS Compliant
AEC Qualified and PPAP Capable NV-suffix versions available

more information: https://www.onsemi.com/products/wide-bandgap/silicon-carbide-sic-mosfets/ntbg015n065sc1

TLV62595 2.5 V to 5.5 V Input 4 A Step-Down Converter

Posted on 6 March, 2021 by mixos

Texas Instruments’ converter offers 1% output accuracy in 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm QFN package

Texas Instruments’ TLV62595 is a high-frequency synchronous step-down converter that is optimized for a compact solution size and high efficiency. The device integrates switches that can deliver an output current up to 4 A. At medium to heavy loads, the converter operates in pulse width modulation (PWM) mode with a typical 2.2 MHz switching frequency. At light-load, the device automatically enters power-save-mode (PSM) to maintain high efficiency over the entire load current range with a quiescent current as low as 10 µA.

Based on the DCS-control topology, the TLV62595 provides a fast-transient response. The internal reference regulates the output voltage down to 0.6 V with a high feedback voltage accuracy of 1% over the junction temperature range of -40°C to +125°C. The entire solution requires a small 470 nH inductor, a single 4.7 μF input capacitor, and three 10 μF or single 47 μF output capacitors. The device is available in a 6-pin 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm QFN package, offering a solution with high power density.

Features:

Efficiency: up to 97%
Low R_DS(ON) power switches 26 mΩ / 25 mΩ
Input voltage range: 2.5 V to 5.5 V
Adjustable output voltage: 0.6 V to 4 V
DCS-control topology
PSM for light-load efficiency
Duty-cycle for the lowest dropout: 100%
Operating quiescent current: 10 μA
Switching frequency: 2.2 MHz (typ.)
Short-circuit protection (HICCUP)
Active output discharge
Power good output
Thermal shutdown protection
Feedback voltage accuracy: 1% (full temperature range)

more information: https://www.ti.com/product/TLV62595

Latest Micro Rotary DIP Switches are IP67 Rated

Posted on 4 March, 2021 by mixos

CUI Devices’ Switches Group today announced the addition of micro rotary actuator types to its DIP switches product line. Housed in compact 7.2 x 7.2 x 2.9 mm packages, the RDS-7229 series features 4, 10, or 16 positions, a 5.08 mm pitch, and surface mount or through-hole mounting styles. Thanks to their compact footprints and IP67 ratings, these rotary DIP switches are ideal for a range of space-constrained industrial, commercial, or telecommunication applications where moisture and environmental contaminants are major concerns.

To meet a variety of design requirements, the rotary DIP switch models offer multiple termination types, including gull wing, angled gull wing, and J-hook gull wing as well as PC pin and crimped PC pin. The models also feature raised or flat actuator levels with arrow, cross, or slotted actuator styles. Carrying operating temperature ranges from -40 to 85°C, the micro rotary DIP switches hold 50 Vdc switching/non-switching rated voltages and 100 mA switching/non-switching rated currents.

The RDS-7229 models are available immediately with prices starting at $1.69 per unit at 500 pieces through distribution. Please contact CUI Devices for OEM pricing.

Cost: $1.69 per unit at 500 pieces through distribution

View details for the RDS-7229 series

ST’s FP-AI-VISION1 for Edge Computer Vision Applications

Posted on 4 March, 20214 March, 2021 by Saumitra Jagdale

Computer vision applications have tremendously increased since the progress in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence. These applications come at the cost of high-end hardware or cloud support for advanced computations and processing. Hence, STMicroelectronics has announced a new AI software support along with the camera-module hardware, for building affordable applications. The system now supports Edge AI for operating computer-vision applications on the device itself, thus replacing the expensive cloud support for similar high-end applications.

ST’s FP-AI-VISION1 is a STM32Cube function pack that comes with various code instances. This can run computer-vision applications in the environment supporting convolutional neural networks for deep learning on STM32H747. The function pack is flexibly compatible with all STM32 MCUs. Hence, the developers need not start from scratch if they want to switch their STM-based hardware. The firmware also gives an option for using various neural networks with almost every dataset according to the choice of users. Although, the dataset needs to be manipulated so that it is compatible with the neural network.

Features of ST’s FP-AI-VISION1

Complete software support on ROM to develop computer vision applications on STM32 microcontroller
Image pre-processing library, STM32_Image for initial stages of the applications
Neural Network library optimized for STM32 (STM32_AI_Runtime) generated by means of the X-CUBE-AI Expansion Package for STM32CubeMX
Food recognition and Person presence detection application based on Convolutional Neural Network
USB webcam application for computer vision enabling the STM32H747I-DISCO board to capture video when connected to a host’
It comes with libraries which allow the function such as testing, debugging and validation of the embedded application
It supports features like camera frame capture to allow image dataset collection, which is a precise way of extracting frames from a video.
Sample implementations are available for the STM32H747I-DISCO Discovery board connected to the B-CAMS-OMV camera module bundle

The B-CAMS-OMV camera bundle is compatible with FP-AI-VISION1 firmware. It provides the hardware with optimized training and deployment features. The bundle also comes with ST’s MB1379 5-Mpixel OV5640 color camera module fitted to an adapter card. It can work with all STM32 Discovery and Evaluation boards with a ZIF connector. The software support of Waveshare and OpenMV connectors allows the users to connect multiple third-party infrared and visible-spectrum cameras to address a wider range of computer-vision applications

ST’s FP-AI-VISION1 firmware supports:

“various frame-buffer processing functions, camera drivers, and software for image capture, pre-processing, and neural-network inference. Several neural-network models are available, including a floating-point-based model and a quantized model generated by X-CUBE-AI, ST’s optimized C-code generator for artificial neural networks.”

The function pack is available for download on the STM website. The B-CAMS-OMV camera-module bundle is available for $56 on the website and other distributors. For more information visit the press release. Images and technical specifications have been taken from the product pages.

Automatic pill dispenser For The Elderly and Disabled persons.

Posted on 4 March, 20214 March, 2021 by Tope Oluyemi

Many people usually forget when it’s time to take their pills, this has led to the invention of pill dispensers. You can find two types of these dispensers, which are: non-electric, and automatic ones. Most of them are featuring a reminder mechanism, and both types usually need someone to organize the pills daily or weekly in different compartments. This makes a patient over-dependent on a caregiver to help with his or her drug, making the patient a dependent person. This has led a team of engineers to create a smart pill dispenser called SmartPill, which doesn’t need a handmade pill organization. It is accessible to disabled people and has the capacity to help patients be more independent.

SmartPill system features two subsystems:

Smartpill Dispenser: A physical device that organizes, stores, and dispenses the pills. It also acts as the main interface for the patient.
Smartpill Web App: This is a web user interface that will enable the doctor or caregiver for the patient to configure and track patient intakes.

The web application features a nice friendly user interface, which enables the doctor to configure up to 4 different pills for each Smartpill Dispenser, and will select up to 3 intakes per day for each pill. This feature enables the doctor to change the dosage remotely whenever it is needed.

SmartPill system is designed taking into consideration the circumstances of some patients, like patients with senile dementia, Alzheimer or visual or audible impairments. Due to these health limitations, the dispenser is fitted with a large-format screen that will enable the patient to fill the pills in a comfortable way. It also features audible and light feedback that will remind the patient to take the pills at the right time. The patient does not have to worry about the placement of different pills in their position, the device Features a smart mechanism that distributes the pills inside the pill dispenser and dispenses the required dose at the right time. SmartPill Dispenser enables a wireless Internet connection to the AWS Cloud via the WiFi connection of the Microchip AVR-IoT board so that it can be remotely monitored and configured through the web application. The app also shows when the pills have been taken and will notify the caregiver if the pill is not taken.

The AVR-IoT is connected via AWS IoT Core by MQTT protocol. This enables bidirectional connectivity between the Cloud ecosystem and the hardware itself. This communication sends the dispensing message to the Dispenser, and also the confirmation events from the dispenser to the cloud. The SmartPill Web App helps to enhance the experience that entails configuring an electronic device and controlling someone’s else medication. The core of the device is an Arduino Mega that controls the servo motors that dispense the pills, and also the Nextion touch screen, the Real-Time Clock (RTC), the sound effects, and the AVR-IoT communications board. The AVR-IoT is connected to the Arduino Mega via a Serial UART connection, and the Servo motors are controlled by PWM. The RTC is connected to the Arduino Mega by I2C, and IR barrier Sensor for detecting the pills is connected to the analog pins of the Arduino board.

The dispensing system work features various sections with different parts and functionality. The image above breaks down the various parts and they are explained below:

Base: The base supports the rest of the dispenser. It features two holes which enables the motion sensor functional. It also contains a flap which brings the pills into the cup.
Slider: The top of the slider supports the pill containers. You can find a slope underneath it, in which the pills travels all the way down to the flap. On the bottom of the slider, there is a gap designed to put all the electronics in it.
Side parts: The side parts are used to protect the hardware and pills from humidity, temperatures, dirt and dust.
Nextion NX8048T070: This is the screen interface between the dispenser and the user.
Top parts: The top part is used to protect the hardware and pills from humidity, temperatures, dirt and dust, and it also separates the drum from the pill containers
Parallax Servo 900-0005: It is a 360º electric motor which places the drum in the right position
Drum: The drum is a connection tube between the outside and the pill containers. It rotates in order to get to the right container.
Back door: The back door helps to get in and out the pill containers with the slider.
Speakers: Used for communicating to the user all the information needed.
Ultrasonic Sensor – HC SR04 : This device helps detect when the cup has been moved away.
Pill containers: The container houses the pills and, they dispense them at the right moment with the right quantity. We should note that as a prototype, the pill dispenser is designed with 4 containers. However, it can be adapted to a larger capacity.

You can get more information about the project here.