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STWIN SensorTile Wireless Industrial Node development kit and reference design for industrial IoT applications

Posted on by Micael Coutinho

What is not to love about aggregating boards? They ease the development process, giving you a necessary time boost because you have a board with some of the components you may need right there, ready to be used in your new application! This is why you need to take a look at the STWIN SensorTile.

But what exactly is the SensorTile? As you may have guessed by the name, it is a development kit that features a wide range of industrial-grade sensors, developed to simplify the prototyping and testing of some advanced IoT applications, such as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. In this development kit, you can find sensors ranging from a 3D accelerometer to a MEMS motion sensor, paired with a low power microcontroller from ST and even connectivity options, granted by an on-board BLE module and other options, such as Wi-Fi (through an external expansion board) or even RS485 serial communication. The kit also includes an STMod+ connector, to which you can connect other small, compatible and low-cost ST daughter cards and contains a 480mAh Li-Po battery, a ST-Link debugger and a plastic enclosure.

Looking closely to the specs of this sensing beast:

  • Ultra low power ARM Cortex-M4 MCU (120MHz with FPU, 2048kbytes of Flash memory)
  • MicroSD card slot
  • On-board Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2 (BLE) module and Wi-Fi available through expansion board + RS485 and USB OTG wired connectivity
  • Sensors: Ultra-wide bandwidth, low noise, 3-axis digital vibration sensor, 3D accelerometer + 3D gyroscope with machine learning core, ultra-low-power MEMS motion sensor + 3-axis magnetometer, digital absolute pressure sensor, relative humidity and pressure sensor, low-voltage digital local temperature sensor and industrial grade + wideband analog MEMS microphones
  • Modular architecture, with STMOD+ and 40-pin expansions + 12-pin connectivity expansion + 12-pin sensing expansion
  • 480mAh Li-Po battery
  • STLINK-V3MINI debugger
  • Plastic enclosure
System block diagram of the STWIN SensorTile
System block diagram of the STWIN SensorTile

Regarding the software, you are greeted with an interesting set of packages and optimized libraries, as well as a cloud dashboard application, ready to help you speed up your next development cycle. And if you ever worked with ST microcontrollers before, you know how easily you can set up new projects on the STM32CubeMX software. Lastly, it also is an AWS qualified device, meaning it works with the AWS IoT core, FreeRTOS and other AWS tools.

Right now, you may be wondering: this thing isn’t cheap. Well, by the value you are getting through the number of components by squared inch. This board has practically everything you need to get started on a wide range of projects, and it comes at a cost of only $98.

What do you think about this kit? Will it be a part of your next IoT development cycle? It certainly has the potential to do so!

STWIN SensorTile link: https://www.st.com/en/evaluation-tools/steval-stwinkt1.html?icmp=tt14874_gl_bn_apr2020#overview

iWave Launches Industry Latest High-End FPGA SOM Based on Arria 10 GX FPGA

Posted on by mixos

iWave Systems, a global leader in the design and manufacture of cutting edge FPGA solutions, is launching a new System on module based on the powerful Intel Arria 10 FPGA GX devices. The Arria 10 FPGA SOM is power-packed with up to 1150K Logic Elements, duel DDR4 RAM with 64 bit and 32-bit storage capabilities. A wealth of high speed I/Os and interfaces that enable the module to fulfill complex data integrity requirements while ensuring faster throughput, reduced latency, and low power execution, accelerating the development of FPGA-based applications in industrial, aerospace, and medical domains.

The SOM is designed to help developers and OEMs with a powerful and well-integrated FPGA platform that help reduce design cycles and accelerate innovations in applications such as “Test and measurement equipment, Control and intelligence equipment, Diagnostic medical imaging equipment, Wireless infrastructure equipment, RADAR, Automation and Military applications.”

At the heart of the Arria 10 FPGA module from iWave is the Intel Arria 10 GX FPGA, which features 20 nm technology on an F34 package. The module supports seven GX models — GX270, GX320, GX480, GX570, GX660, GX900, and GX1150 which provide varying levels of FPGA logic elements (LEs) ranging from 270K to 1150K, offering a range of options for customers to select the best fit FPGA that serves their applications.

With 500MHz logic core performance, the GX models support 24 transceiver lanes and run on up to 40 per cent lower power, which guarantees data integrity and high performance in power and resource-constrained applications. Up to 189 user I/Os and 24 multi-gigabit transceivers each offering a data transfer rate of up to 17.4 Gbit/sec is available on two 240 pin high-speed board to board connectors.

The module can support interfaces like PCIe Gen3 x8, SATA Gigabit Ethernet, USB3.0, etc providing a range of flexible options that help customers towards various use cases. The module’s up to 4 GByte large DDR4 SDRAM facilitates faster throughput and an ultra-low latency data path for real-time executions.

For quick prototyping and time to market, iWave supports a development platform, which includes a powerful configuration of the Arria 10 FPGA SOM with a custom form factor carrier board. Arria10 FPGA Development board supports a wide range of high-speed interfaces like Dual FMC (HPC) Connectors, M.2 SATA, 10G SFP+, 3G/12G SDI In & Out, USB 3.0 TypeC connector and, one PCIe connector to validate Arria10 FPGA high-speed transceivers and other on-board connectors to validate the Arria10 FPGA I/Os. The LPC/HPC FMC connectors provide expansion options on the carrier board, which is compatible with a wide range of plug-in cards such as ADCs, DACs, motor control cards, RF links, etc.

iWave provides full product design engineering and manufacturing services around the Arria 10 FPGA SOMs to help customers quickly develop innovative products and solutions. iWave also offers a comprehensive ecosystem for the Arria 10 FPGA SOM, offering all of the hardware, software, and support materials making it easy to jump-start application development using the Arria 10 GX FPGA.

For further information or enquiries please write to mktg@iwavesystems.com

AAEON: Next Generation Embedded Solutions Powered by Intel Technology

Posted on by mixos

AAEON, a leader in embedded solutions, announces up-coming products featuring the 11th Generation Intel Core processors (formerly Tiger Lake) and Intel Atom x6000E series processors, Intel Pentium and Celeron N and J series processors (formerly Elkhart Lake). These next-generation solutions provide greater performance, flexibility and a host of Intel technologies to power computing at the edge.

The 11th Generation Intel Core processors, now the third generation of Intel’s 10nm microarchitecture, provide performance above the current industry standard 8th and 9th Generation processors. These processors also open up access to cutting edge technologies, featuring the Intel Iris Xe graphics (Gen 12), PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, USB4, DDR4 and LPDDR4x memory, and Deep Learning Boost on select SKUs.

AAEON brings the 11th Generation Intel Core processors in several key embedded form factors, with the PICO-TGU4, GENE-TGU6, and COM-TGUC6. These boards are designed to provide performance and flexibility on a range of compact form factors designed to make installation and deployment quick and easy. With industrial-grade construction, AAEON’s embedded boards offer stable and reliable performance no matter where they’re deployed. AAEON will also bring the 11th Generation Intel Core processors to the UP Board line up with the UP Xtreme i11 (UPX-TGL01), providing makers and independent developers access to this new generation of Intel processors.

AAEON also has two new products coming soon, based on the Intel Atom x6000E series processors and Intel Pentium and Celeron N and J series processors. The PICO-EHL4 brings these efficient processors to the PICO-ITX form factor, along with a strong compliment of I/O features, including four USB3.2 Gen 2 ports, two HDMI ports, and two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. AAEON will also bring this family of Intel processors to the UP Board line up with the UP Squared Pro 2 (UPN-EHL01), featuring M.2 3042/3052 slot designed for 4G and 5G support.

“With the release of these two families of Intel processors, AAEON will provide developers and users with a broader range of products to power applications from kiosks and digital displays, to edge computing IoT networks and AI applications,” said Kevin Chiu, Vice President of AAEON’s Embedded Computing Division. “Thanks to our partnership and working closely with Intel, we look forward to providing cutting edge solutions to our customers, and expanding our lineup of products featuring these innovative processors,” Kevin Chiu added. “AAEON will also sell the Intel Customer Reference Board for Intel Pentium and Celeron N and J series processors through our eShop.”

“The new Intel Atom x6000E series processor and Intel Pentium and Celeron series processor demonstrate Intel’s commitment to our customers by delivering an IoT centric, highly integrated processor that can handle a variety of workloads, form factors and use conditions. This allows AAEON to enable next-generation performance and new capabilities across their broad portfolio of products,” said Mandy Mock, Vice President of IOT Platform Management, Intel.

AAEON will release these platforms over the coming months and continue to expand its lineup of embedded solutions. For more information about these products, visit AAEON’s website or contact an AAEON sales representative.

Geniatech XPI 3128 RK3128 SBC is Equipped with an NXP WIFi 5 Module

Posted on by Micael Coutinho

Your first reaction to the Geniatech XPI 3128 SBC may be “I have seen this somewhere… Is this related to the Raspberry Pi 3?”, and you are right, the board is strikingly similar to the ever-so-popular Raspberry Pi, but do not let the looks deceive you!

The XPI 3128 is the new addition to the Geniatech‘s family of SBC’s, and this board fits into the cheap media player category, bringing some features you would expect in one, such as an IR receiver, Full HD 60 fps HDMI output, Wi-Fi 5 connectivity, among other things, while also providing decent processing and graphical capabilities, such as HEVC hardware, supporting H.265 decoding. Of course, we can’t shake the similarity between this board and the Raspberry, but its premise seems slightly different.

Regarding its specs, we are looking at:

  • Rockchip RK3128 ARM Cortex-A7 processor (quad core, clocked up to 1.2GHz)
  • ARM Mali 400 MP2 GPU
  • 1GB (2GB optional) DDR3L and 8GB (16/32/64GB optional) EMMC Flash internal memories, expandable through a MicroSD card slot
  • HDMI video output up to 1080p/60fps + H.264/H265 video decoding
  • 4x USB 2.0 ports (one with OTG support) + 1x Micro USB port + 1 ethernet connector
  • 40-pin GPIO header compatible with Raspberry Pi (access for UART, I2S, PCM, I2C, GPIO, PWM, …) + 4-pin pitch header for serial console
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5.8GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity
  • IR receiver
  • 12V/3A power supply, standby mode <0.5W
A look to the side of the board. Shouldn't the IR receiver be located on the other side?
A look to the side of the XPI 3128 board and its hardware

From a hardware standpoint, you are not very limited, as the connectivity is what is expected from media players and you also have some expandability options. One thing worth noting is that the step towards 4k was not given, limiting the content streaming capabilities on higher-end televisions. This can be an advantage if the product is not priced accordingly. To this date, there is no information on pricing, but the XPI 3128 is expected to become available soon on Geniatech’s shop.

Regarding the software possibilities, you can count on the support for Linux and Android 7.1, arguably the most popular OS’s used in media players nowadays, so it’s aligned with our expectations.

When considering possible competitors, there is not a lot that can differentiate this board from others on the market, aside from the connectivity, as there are already similar boards when it comes to specs and located at a fairly decent price tag. We will have to wait and see how this board performs on the market, but I’m missing a more differentiating factor here.

What do you think? Will you pick it up as your next media player, or were you expecting something more? We would love to hear your opinion in the comments section.

Fifth gen Banana Pi (Banana Pi BPI-M5) is on the verge

Posted on by Rik

SinoVoip has listed specs for an upcoming Banana Pi BPI-M5 SBC with the same quad-core Cortex-A55 Amlogic S905X3 SoC. It is repeating many of the features from Hardkernel’s $50 Odroid-C4. This new SBC is the next-gen for the company’s most recent Banana Pi BPI-M4, based on a quad A53 Realtek RTD1395.

The 12nm fabricated Amlogic S905X3 is equipped with 4x, up to 2GHz Cortex-A55 cores, and a Mali-G31 GPU. As mentioned earlier, this board is similar to the Odroid-C4, is an open-spec, Raspberry Pi style board. It comes with 40-pin GPIO, 4GB LPDDR4, and support for Android and Linux. Other common features include 4x USB 3.0 host ports, a MicroSD slot, a GbE port, an HDMI 2.0 port with 4K@60Hz support.

Other misc I/O ports are listed as audio jack, IR, serial debug, and a USB Type-C port for 5V power. With the dimension of 92 x 60 mm we can conclude that this SBC is a bit larger than the Odroid-C4 or even Raspberry Pi. It is unfortunate to see that BPI-M5 lacks the support for the M.2 slot. PoE, and built-in WiFi/Bluetooth whereas the previous generation, BPI-M4 include them.

Banana Pi BPI-M5

Hardware spec for the Banana Pi BPI-M5 :

  • Processor: Amlogic S905X3 (4x Cortex-A55 @ up to 2GHz)
  • GPU: Mali-G31 GPU @ up to 650MHz
  • Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • Storage : 16GB eMMC with optional up to 64GB, MicroSD Slot
  • Networking: 10/100/1000 Mbit/s Ethernet
  • Media I/O: HDMI 2.0 port for up to 4K@60Hz with HDR, CEC, EDID, 3.5mm audio jack
  • Other I/O: 4x USB 3.0 host ports, USB Type-C port for power, Serial debug header, 40-pin GPIO header (UART, I2C, SPI or PWM, 5V, 3.3V, GND, 28x GPIO)
  • Power: 5V DC via Type-C; power, reset, and boot switches
  • Dimensions & Weight : 92x60mm, 48g
  • OS Support: Android, Linux

The company says it will provide Android and Linux images with source code. We’ll have to keep an eye on pricing once the board comes out. Further information can be obtained from the company’s wiki page.

Mobile, Open-Hardware, RISC-V System-on-Chip (SoC) Development Kit

Posted on by Micael Coutinho

By looking at the Precursor you may wonder “Are we not through with these phones yet?”, but who said this was a regular phone? Its deceiving looks hide an open hardware development platform for mobile communication and computation in a secure environment. Intrigued?

The Precursor is described by the developers as a device for everyday use that compromises nothing as a development platform. It is powered by an FPGA-hosted, soft-core System-on-Chip (SoC), giving the developers a lot of freedom when it comes to the customization of the platform, but it doesn’t end there. It was designed from the ground up with one main goal: security. It can be considered a strong starting point for your projects. The developers describe some interesting things you can apply with the platform:

  • Secure communication – With an easier-to-verify hardware design, self-provisioning and support for modern crypo primitives, you are in for a treat if secure communication is what you’re looking for! It uses the Silicon Labs WF200 for Wi-Fi connectivity and contains a headphone jack, allowing for end-to-end encrypted voice communications.
  • Key protection – Its security characteristics make it particularly interesting when it comes to developing two-factor authentication solutions, crypto wallets and other critical applications. Since supply chain attacks are devastating in these cost-conservative targets, you may consider building your own SoC and firmware from the ground up to limit the attacking surface, where the Percursor was conceived to ease this process.
  • CPU emulation – Even though its FPGA ships with a 32-bit RISC-V CPU, you can easily configure it to emulate a comprehensive library of retro CPUs, such as the 6502 from the NES or the Z-80. You can even turn it into a retro pocket-sized console with some creativity!
The Precursor's hackable hardware
The Precursor’s hackable hardware

Regarding some of the specs of the system:

  • Xilinx XC7S50 primary System on Chip (SoC) FPGA (-L1 speed grade for longer battery life) + iCE40UP5K secondary Embedded Controller (EC) FPGA (manages the power, standby and charging)
  • 16MB external SRAM + 128MB Flash memories
  • Dual hardware TRNG
  • Physical keyboard (modular keyboard PCB, customizable to add sensors or swap for touch surface), black and white LCD (200ppi, 226×536 resolution)
  • Audio: Integrated 0.7W speaker, vibration motor and headset jack
  • Integrated Wi-Fi (hardware-sandboxed WF200C chipset)
  • USB type C port + 1100maH battery
  • Anti-tamper features

Its small form factor, quite similar a phone from the 2000’s, accomodates a built-in display, a physical keyboard and an internal battery on the inside, while remaining lighter than the average smartphone. But don’t get deceived by its looks, as it provides hooks for harware modifications, where the keyboard is an I2C-based PCB and the battery cavity exposes GPIO pins, allowing you to swap battery life for extra hardware functionalities. Every bit of the Percursor is hackable, including the mainboard, daughtercards and case, the SoC implementation and firmware, the secondary embedded controller and even an OS that is on the works.

The project will be available soon on Crowd Supply, where you can get an even more detailed view over the Percursor, including a full hardware spec list. Which project do you see the Precursor shine on?

Precursor Crowd Supply Link: https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/precursor

MUSTOOL G1200 Microscope Quick Review

Posted on by Tope Oluyemi

MUSTOOL team has released a new microscope the G1200. This is an upgrade to the G600, addressing several shortcomings like the small screen, the not rotating bracket, and not having a high enough resolution. This time, the new G1200 features a 7-inch HD LCD Screen, the bracket can be rotated at any angle forward and backward to suit your needs, while the lens supports 1-1200x continuous zoom (although this is not the real magnification). These new features will be a good helper for your daily work and soldering. Apart from the features mentioned above, the G1200 also features an HD 12-megapixel sensor, a 7-inch HDLCDy, and a 1-1200 x continuous amplification system. The LCD screen has a good size but we will see that the image quality is not that sharp and you may have some difficulty locating details on it. Also, the screen looks whitish with blacks not looking in contrast. Let’s jump in.

Box Contents

The microscope comes in a carton box and includes:

  • The microscope and LCD assembly
  • A metallic base
  • USB power supply
  • USB cable
  • Socket adaptor
  • Quick StarManualal

The distance between the object is 10mm to infinity (different distances correspond to different magnifications). It also features a built-in ultra-lithium battery, which allows you to work continuously for 4-5 hours (when not in the video recording mode), and sixteen language systems: English, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Hebrew, Portugal, German, French, Italy, Turkey, Czech, Poland, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese.

First Power ON

I mentioned above that the G1200 is an improvement to the G600, let’s see some of the significant improvements:

The vertical microscopes (G600) have a serious setback, it is easy to lose sight of the details of the objects due to reflection. Because they are used in many applications such as solder on PCBs, the model designation of some tiny chips and metals requires distinct sight of the details of the objects. However, the G1200 specifically solves this problem because it is an angle-adjustable digital microscope that solves the problem of high reflection. It’s a great experience in the electronics maintenance industry, and it’s important to note that this machine has a larger operable space than the others. It is very convenient to use tweezers, electric soldering iron, and others under this microscope.

Most microscopes are two-gear magnification, either too large or too small. It’s hard to find a suitable view. However, the G1200 is advertised with continuous zoom, and a wide range of viewing options compared to other microscopes, ranging from 1 to 1200 times magnification, although this doesn’t seems real, we noticed that the zoom is almost fixed, and we need to move the microscope closer to the object in the table to get a bigger image. The center knob is only used to focus on the image. These seem improved in comparison to G600 but still luck quality features and a real zoom feature.

The microscope base

The microscope base looks like it’s from aluminum but I am not sure. The build quality is what to expect for a low-priced microscope and we could also notice a left inclination of the base arm, that was not so straight. You can notice that inclination on the photo below and it seems there is no way to adjust this.

Below we can find the specifications of the G1200. They include:

  • Screen size: 7 inches
  • Screen resolution: 1024X600
  • Screen saver: Off · 30 sec · 1 min · 2 min (optional)
  • Automatic shutdown: Off. 3 minutes. 5 minutes. 10 minutes
  • Hz light source: 50 Hz · 60 Hz
  • Language options: 16 Languages
  • Date adjustment: year, month, day | hour, minute, second
  • Format: YES/NO
  • Default: YES/NO
  • Resolution: 1080FHD, 720P, VGA
  • Circulating camera: Off/3 minutes/5 minutes/10 minutes. When the flash memory card is full, the foremost video data will be deleted and the video will be saved.
  • HDR high dynamic range: On/Off (When power on, the video recording function will be turned on automatically if any object moves under the lens without manual operation.)
  • Exposure compensation: 7 grades for option
  • Date Label: Display/Close-Date and Time can be selected on the screen
  • Photograph delay: Single. 2 seconds. 5 seconds. 10 seconds.
  • Photo pixels: 1.3 M · 2 M · 5 M · 8 M · 10 M and 12 M
  • Continuous shooting: 3 consecutive shots
  • Photo quality: Quality · Standard · Compression
  • Sharpness: Strong · Standard · Soft
  • Color: Nothingness · Black and White · Nostalgia
  • ISO: Automatic · 100 · 200 · 400
  • Exposure compensation: 7 grades for option
  • Photo assist: Anti-hand shock on/off
  • Date label: On/Off
  • Watch: Up,Down,Delete,Protection
  • Mode switching: recording mode / camera mode / playback mode
  • Power supply: DC interface (Micro USB)/ Built-in large 3000mah capacity lithium battery
  • Flash card socket (MicroSD): support 1-128GB. Class10 + speed
  • Light brightness regulator
  • Highlight 8 LED lamps with a continuous service life of up to 100,000 hours

Inspecting some parts

The photo below shows how an SMD LED looks under the microscope. After adjusting the center focus knob, you get the most shard image that is available from the CMOS sensor. In the case of this SMD LED, the focus is good and you can identify small details as there is enough contrast in the scene.

But, when looking at some SMD IC Pins, where the contrast is not very good, you can clearly note that you can’t tell for sure if the pins are soldered or not. In this case, you may have to turn the microscope to another angle to get a better view. This is something that is supported by the available base. Also, it is clearly noted that the LCD contrast is less than enough. We will look just below that the photos captured on the SD card, look much better than the LCD screen.

Sample Photos

Below you can see some sample captures on the SD card, directly from the microscope. In these photos, you can see the real capabilities of this microscope. It seems the CMOS sensor has some limitations in terms of image quality, but this is something to expect from a low-end instrument. This may not be a serious issue on some applications but may pose a limit on more detailed tasks, where a sharper and clearer image is needed. The maximum image resolution is 1280x720px and it’s as you see below.

Conclusion

The MUSTOOL team has gotten the new G1200 in the right direction but has some distance to cover to gain the prestige of a serious tool. It is indeed correcting the flaws we show with the G600, therefore making it easier to work on your project and help you with SMD soldering and inspecting and it has quite a fair price. The G1200 is available for $68.99 on Banggood.

STMicroelectronics Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs

Posted on by mixos

STMicroelectronics (SiC) MOSFETs feature very low RDS(on) area for the 1200V rating combined with excellent switching performance, translating into more efficient and compact systems. They have increased switching efficiency and operating frequency with the lowest Eoff vs.

Features

  • Slight variation of switching losses vs. temperature
  • Very high operating temperature capability (200°C)
  • Very fast and robust intrinsic body diode
  • Low capacitance
  • Easy to drive

more information: https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en.html

First Bizen quantum tunnelling transistors launched

Posted on by mixos

A UK startup is to ship its first 1200V power devices using a new silicon architecture called Bizen that fits into TO247 or TO263 packages. by Nick Flaherty @ eenewseurope.com

The first devices to use the Bizen process technology include three parts rated at 1200V/75A, 900V/75A and 650V/32A, available in the industry-standard TO247 or TO263 power MOSFET packages. These are made using standard silicon substrates on conventional, larger-geometry silicon processing lines. The initial pilot line for testing the Bizen technology was set up at Semefab in Scotland.

“To get this level of performance from traditional silicon-based MOSFETs, the device size must be much bigger. 1200V/75A in a TO247 housing can be achieved using wide bandgap materials like silicon carbide, but this approach has other well-known issues,” said David Summerland, CEO and founder of Nottingham-based Search For The Next (SFN) which developed the Bizen technology. This is being used for the parts, called Quantum Junction Transistors (QJT), from subsidiary Wafertrain.

“SiC, for example, takes much longer to process and has a significant manufacturing carbon footprint. Also, regardless of the meilleur casino en ligne roadmaps, SiC does not scale like silicon, and the economic argument that SiC can match silicon does not take into account the advances made possible by Bizen. By contrast, the data we have obtained from physical wafer tests proves that by using Bizen on silicon substrates, our QJTs deliver the same performance as SiC or GaN. Yet the production equipment required to make a QJT is exactly the same as for a standard silicon MOSFET, and the Bizen process adds no extra manufacturing complexity.”

Bizen applies quantum tunelling to a traditional bipolar wafer process. The result is a very rugged and reliable device with the heritage and pedigree of traditional bipolar silicon technology. Bizen also reduces leadtimes from 15 weeks for a CMOS device (although not a SiC MOSFET) to less than two weeks, and halves the number of process layers. The QJTs use these same eight-layer bipolar process.

Wafer tests also show that the Bizen process exhibits an effective current gain of over 1 million, says Summerland. This will enable direct connection between the 1200V/75A QJT power transistor and a low voltage, low current CPU output port such as a PWM for a monolithic design.

“The QJT is the first power device on the Bizen family roadmap. This will shortly lead to the PJT (Processor Junction Transistor), an integrated Bizen device with its own processor which can also be produced on a manufacturing cycle time of eight days, heralding a new era of intelligent power devices,” he said.

SFN has also released other comparative performance metrics for a 1200V/100A part – also in TO247 – which is on its short-term roadmap. The losses at rated current will be a quarter (<300mV) of those exhibited by the SiC device, and its input capacitance will also be four to five times less (< 1pF).

In July Semefab also started making 1200V Schottky diodes on an SiC process and is planning 1700V devices.

more information: www.wafertrain.com/blog

High-end FPGA SOM based on Arria 10 GX FPGA

Posted on by mixos

iWave Systems is introducing a new System on Module (SOM) that is based on Intel’s Arria 10 FPGA GX devices.

iWave Systems, a global leader in the design and manufacture of cutting edge FPGA solutions, is launching a new System on module based on the powerful Intel Arria 10 FPGA GX devices. The Arria 10 FPGA SOM is power-packed with up to 1150K Logic Elements, duel DDR4 RAM with 64 bit and 32-bit storage capabilities. A wealth of high speed I/Os and interfaces that enable the module to fulfil complex data integrity requirements while ensuring faster throughput, reduced latency, and low power execution, accelerating the development of FPGA-based applications in industrial, aerospace, and medical domains.

The SOM is designed to help developers and OEMs with a powerful and well-integrated FPGA platform that help reduce design cycles and accelerate innovations in applications such as “Test and measurement equipment, Control and intelligence equipment, Diagnostic medical imaging equipment, Wireless infrastructure equipment, RADAR, Automation and Military applications.”

Highlights

  • Arria10 FPGA device compatibility
  • GX270, GX320, GX480, GX570, GX660, GX900, GX1150
  • With up to 1150K Logic Elements and 24 High-Speed transceivers
  • 4-GB DDR4 RAM (64bit) from FPGA
  • 24 high-speed transceivers @ 17.4Gbps
  • 48/96 LVDS from BANK 3B & 3C
  • 93 SE from BANK 2A & 3A
  • Dual 240 Pin Board to Board Connector
  • Variable IO voltage support from PMIC
  • Industrial Grade operation

At the heart of the Arria 10 FPGA module from iWave is the Intel Arria 10 GX FPGA, which features 20 nm technology on an F34 package. The module supports seven GX models — GX270, GX320, GX480, GX570, GX660, GX900, and GX1150 which provide varying levels of FPGA logic elements (LEs) ranging from 270K to 1150K, offering a range of options for customers to select the best fit FPGA that serves their applications.

With 500MHz logic core performance, the GX models support 24 transceiver lanes and run on up to 40 percent lower power, which guarantees data integrity and high performance in power and resource-constrained applications. Up to 189 user I/Os and 24 multi-gigabit transceivers each offering a data transfer rate of up to 17.4 Gbit/sec is available on two 240 pin high-speed board to board connectors.

The module can support interfaces like PCIe Gen3 x8, SATA Gigabit Ethernet, USB3.0, etc providing a range of flexible options that help customers towards various use cases. The module’s up to 4 GByte large DDR4 SDRAM facilitates faster throughput and an ultra-low latency data path for real-time executions.

For quick prototyping and time to market, iWave supports a development platform, which includes a powerful configuration of the Arria 10 FPGA SOM with a custom form factor carrier board. Arria10 FPGA Development board supports a wide range of high-speed interfaces like Dual FMC (HPC) Connectors, M.2 SATA, 10G SFP+, 3G/12G SDI In & Out, USB 3.0 TypeC connector and, one PCIe connector to validate Arria10 FPGA high-speed transceivers and other on-board connectors to validate the Arria10 FPGA I/Os. The LPC/HPC FMC connectors provide expansion options on the carrier board, which is compatible with a wide range of plug-in cards such as ADCs, DACs, motor control cards, RF links, etc.

iWave provides full product design engineering and manufacturing services around the Arria 10 FPGA SOMs to help customers quickly develop innovative products and solutions. iWave also offers a comprehensive ecosystem for the Arria 10 FPGA SOM, offering all of the hardware, software, and support materials making it easy to jump-start application development using the Arria 10 GX FPGA.

 

iWave also provides a development platform that includes a powerful configuration of the Arria 10 FPGA SOM with a custom form factor carrier board. The Arria10 FPGA Development board supports a wide range of high-speed interfaces to validate the Arria10 FPGA high-speed transceivers and other on-board connectors to validate the Arria10 FPGA I/Os.

more information: https://www.iwavesystems.com

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