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easySwitchBox – The long-range LoRa® wall switch

Posted on 20 June, 201921 June, 2019 by mixos

easySwitchBox by easySensors is a long-range LoRa® wall switch powered by coin cells and the Arduino IDE. easySwitchBox enables you to remote control your appliances from long distance as easy as the push a a button.

The easySwitchBox does one simple thing – it sends on\off signals to any relay, actuator, or other project. It can be used to trigger any event wirelessly and from a distance (even up to a couple kilometers using LoRa®). It’s easy to program using the Arduino IDE, and communication is secured by an authentication chip. The easySwitchBox not only makes your project more effective, it also looks more professional.

Features & Specifications

IDE Control: Fully compatible with the Arduino IDE
- Enumerates as an Arduino Pro Mini @ 8 MHz
- Compatible with all RFM 69 \ 95 compatible open source libraries available
Radio Transceivers: Three transceiver options are available
- HopeRF RFM95 LoRa® 433/868/915 MHz (long-range version)
- HopeRF RFM69-HCW 433/868/915 MHz (mid-range version)
- HopeRF RFM69-CW 433/868/915 MHz (low power consumption version)
Security: On-board Atmel/Microchip ATSHA204A crypto-authentication chip
- Provides secured handshakes
Antennas: Tuned PCB antenna options that are soldered to the main board
- 915 MHz – United States, Canada, Australia
- 868 MHz – Europe
- 433 MHz – Europe
Interface: Long-run soft-touch buttons similar to high-quality home switches
- Each button has a built-in LED for message delivery confirmation
Power: Utilizes two CR2032 coin cell batteries
- On-board coin cell holders
- Reverse polarity protection
- High-efficiency power converter
- Batteries can last as long as two years with daily use
Mounting: Two options are provided for mounting
- Pre-applied adhesive tape on the back
- Screws through holes in the back plate
Open Source Hardware: For all your hacking desires

Nano Radio Shield

Some easySwitchBox kits ship with an Arduino Nano radio shield that allows you to easily receive signals from easySwitchBox using an Arduino Nano. This shield:

Will come with the same radio configuration as the easySwitchBox you order (RFM69-CW/HCW, RFM95)
Allows jumper wire access to all Nano pins, even with the Nano installed
Contains an Atmel/Microchip ATSHA204A crypto authentication chip (as does easySwitchBox)
Has an SMA connector for antenna (antenna is included)
Has an on-board 5 V to 3.3 V level converter for the radio and Flash
Features a microSD card slot

Quality and Versatility

RFM 95 has miles of coverage. RFM 69 is great for indoor use (for example: RFM69CW can easily cover large 5-story building). Since easySwitchBox is 100% compatible with Arduino IDE, anyone who loves Arduinos can use it in their projects. The easySwitchBox also comes with example code, to help get you started.

Finely-Tuned and Tested

Each easySwitchBox is tested and tuned while inside the enclosure and with a hand in front of it so that the resonance and Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) can account for these blockages.

Easy to Program

It has both open source hardware and software parts. The project is based on popular RFM 69/95 radios. There are lots of open source drivers and software available for RFM 433/868/915 MHz radios. It is easily programmable, using the popular ATmega328P, and is Arduino IDE compatible.

The project is live on CrowdSupply and has 22 days to go with pledges starting from 31 USD.

First dev-kits available for mosaic, Septentrio’s new high-precision GNSS module

Posted on 20 June, 2019 by mixos

mosaic is Septentrio’s most compact high-precision GPS/GNSS receiver module. This next-generation receiver is now available for trial with its newly released development kit.

Septentrio announces today that the mosaic development kit is available for testing and integration. mosaic is Septentrio’s most compact next-generation, high-precision multi-frequency GPS/GNSS module. This receiver brings precision and reliability of high-end multi-frequency GNSS to mass market applications. It is designed to fit into the assembly line process, which allows mosaic to be favorably priced for high volumes.

Its light weight and low power consumption helps extend battery life of robotic devices increasing operation time and efficiency. This makes mosaic ideal for applications such as robotics, automation, telematics and wearables.

“We see a growing demand for reliable high-precision positioning,” said Chris Lowet, Product Manager at Septentrio. “A few years ago, this demand was concentrated in professional applications, for example survey, high precision mapping and machine control. Today, with expansion of robotics, automation and IoT, a wide range of devices need high-precision positioning, from Ag robots to IoT gateways to autonomous vehicles. We designed mosaic to answer these market needs.”

Some of mosaic’s highlights include:

Centimeter positioning in tough environments with multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS technology
Best-in-class Advanced Interference Mitigation (AIM+) allows you to continue working despite radio interference from other electronic devices or jamming
Extensive corrections support for high-accuracy positioning: SBAS, PPP, SSR, RTK
RAIM+, integrity engine needed for safety-critical applications such as autonomous vehicles
Tracking all current and future GNSS satellite signals for enhanced RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) performance and guaranteed RTK network compatibility
100 Hz update rate, ideal for robotics and fast-moving vehicles

The development kit assists Septentrio customers with integrating mosaic into their system. It supports connectivity through internet, COM ports, USB 2.0 as well as an SD Card slot. Would you like to try out mosaic in your system? Contact Septentrio to request your development kit here.

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) miniaturizes CO2 sensor XENSIV™ PAS210

Posted on 20 June, 2019 by mixos

City dwellers often spend a large amount of their time indoors, either in an office, at school, or simply at home. Urbanized spaces, however, tend to trap and develop bad air quality as they get more insulated for energy efficiency purposes. The concentration of CO ₂ is an indicator for bad air quality. Today´s market solutions for monitoring this odorless and colorless gas are bulky and costly or simply not good enough for a widespread adoption. Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) has developed a disruptive CO ₂ sensor technology based on the photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS).

XENSIV™ PAS210 makes use of this new technology. It implements a high sensitivity MEMS microphone as a detector and enables significant miniaturization of CO ₂ sensors. For this reason, it is ideal for smart home applications and building automation i.e. demand controlled ventilation, as well as various indoor air quality IoT devices such as air purifiers, thermostats, weather stations, and personal assistants. The sensor helps to improve the indoor air quality in a timely and energy efficient manner. Based on an extensive portfolio of patents around the PAS technology, PAS210 will not only enable high volume and cost sensitive CO ₂ sensing applications but will also pave the road for the detection of other gases in the future.

On a single PCB, the CO ₂ sensor integrates the photoacoustic transducer including the detector, the infrared source and the optical filter. It also holds a microcontroller for signal processing and algorithms as well as a MOSFET to drive an infrared source. All the components are developed and designed in-house according to Infineon´s high quality standards, leading to the best-in-class price/performance. For instance, XENSIV PAS210 uses the high SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) MEMS microphone XENSIVE IM69D130 as a detector. The sensor thus benefits from Infineon´s long record of accomplishments in acoustic technology and related applications.

PAS210 is a real CO ₂ sensor in an unprecedented small form factor, enabled by the unique PAS detection principle. The sensor saves more than 75 percent space in customer end products compared to commercially available real CO ₂ sensors. Its direct ppm readings, surface mounting capability and simple design allow for an easy and fast integration in low and high volume applications alike.

The integrated microcontroller converts the MEMS microphone output into a ppm reading, which is available either via the serial I²C, UART or PWM interface. XENSIV PAS210 CO ₂ measurement capabilities cover a range from 0 ppm to 10,000 ppm with an accuracy of ± 30 ppm or ±3 percent of the reading. In a pulsed mode, the XENSIV PAS210 CO ₂ sensor is designed to have a lifetime of ten years.

Availability

The XENSIV PAS210 CO ₂ sensor will be showcased at Sensor+Test in Nuremberg and at Sensors Expo in San Jose (California), USA. Early samples are being validated in selected targeted applications. Engineering samples are planned to be available in the first half of 2020, Infineon aims at starting the production in the second half of the same year. More information is available at www.infineon.com/PAS210.

X-FAB Introduces Highly-Sensitive SPAD and APD Devices Based on its Modular 180nm Process Technology

Posted on 20 June, 2019 by mixos

X-FAB Silicon Foundries, the leading analog/mixed-signal and specialty foundry, continues to develop ground-breaking semiconductor solutions to address the most difficult of design challenges. It has now announced the availability of avalanche photodiode (APD) and single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) products for implementation in scenarios where there are extremely low light conditions to contend with and augmented sensitivity is required, as well as tight timing resolutions involved.

Based on the company’s popular 180nm high-voltage XH018 (https://www.xfab.com/technology/cmos/018-um-xh018/) process, these function block devices deliver a combination of elevated performance parameters and straightforward integration. The APD has a strong linear gain figure, and is fully scalable – going from just ten to several hundred micrometer dimensions. The proprietary X-FAB quenching circuit used in the SPAD results in a dead time of less than 15ns – thereby supporting high bandwidth. In addition, its low dark count rate (<100 counts/s/µm²) means that it is far less susceptible to thermal noise. The high photon detection probability (PDP) of the SPAD ensures that a much higher proportion of incident photons trigger an avalanche, and this is maintained across an extensive range of wavelengths (e.g. 40% at 400nm).

The X-FAB APD and SPAD can be utilized in a broad spectrum of different applications – including proximity sensing, LiDAR, time of flight (ToF), medical imaging (CT and PET) and scientific research. Being AEC-Q100 compliant, they are suitable for deployment within automotive systems. Furthermore, the low breakdown voltage (<20V) that has been achieved facilitates their incorporation onto customer dies. As integral parts of the X-FAB design kit, they are fully characterized, and can easily be combined with other modules featured in the XH018 process. Models for optical and electrical simulation, along with a specific application note, will help designers to integrate these devices into their circuitry within a short time period. As well as being supplied in a function block format, a quenching reference circuit that fully demonstrates the capabilities of the SPAD is also available.

Members of the X-FAB team will be able to discuss the new APD and SPAD products when the company exhibits at Sensors Expo (Booth #546, McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, 25th-27th June). https://www.sensorsexpo.com

Teledyne e2v’s Emerald 67M, high-resolution image sensor

Posted on 19 June, 2019 by mixos

Teledyne e2v, a Teledyne Technologies company and global innovator of imaging solutions, and TowerJazz, the global specialty foundry leader, announces that Teledyne e2v’s Emerald^™ 67M image sensor, designed for ultra-high resolution electronics inspection, high-end surveillance and microscopy is now available.

The sensor is a member of Teledyne e2v’s Emerald family and features TowerJazz’s smallest in the world 2.5µm low-noise global shutter pixel, on TowerJazz’s 65nm platform, in its Uozu, 300mm Japanese manufacturing facility. The pixel is integrated with a unique light pipe technology, offering superb angular response, more than 80dB shutter efficiency, in a significantly small size, and extremely low noise (one electron). This unique pixel architecture provides cutting edge performance that enables improved manufacturing yields, through detection of smaller defects.

The Emerald family of sensors, solely manufactured by TowerJazz, provides customers with an unprecedented set of features and are all suitable for high-speed interface systems including 10GigE, CoaXPress, Camera Link, and Camera Link HS. Special features include HDR modes with up to 120dB dynamic range and also a unique Region Of Interest (ROI) mode which allows multiple ROI to be captured under different exposure conditions, further improving the dynamic range of an image.

Emerald 67M has a square shape with 8k resolution per side, enabling 95% utilisation of the image area for the next generation of display manufacturing, gen 10.5. The ultra-high resolution optimizes vision system movements in large product inspection, reducing system complexity and removing instabilities. It is available in two different speed grades (ultra-high speed, 60fps and high speed, 30fps).

Rafael Romay, Vice President of Professional Imaging at Teledyne e2v, said “The Emerald 67M is the first sensor of its kind and is enjoying strong interest in inspection applications due to its ultra-high resolution and fast speed. It also shares many of the smart features within other Emerald sensors making it easier to deploy within vision systems. The great technology innovation and support from TowerJazz allowed us to bring to market this best-in-class solution, customized to product and application needs.”

Dr. Avi Strum, TowerJazz Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Sensor Business Unit said, “Teledyne e2v’s design and supply chain along with TowerJazz’s state of the art 65nm process have again brought a game changing sensor to machine vision applications. We are proud to have developed this together and look forward to further collaboration with Teledyne e2v to serve the machine vision market.”

For sample and evaluation kit requests or more information visit the product webpage. You can also see a live demo of the sensor at the Image Sensing Show 2019, 12-14 June in Yokohama, Japan. You can find us exhibiting with our partner, the IPN Corporation, on booth 19.

For more information about TowerJazz’s CMOS image sensor technology offering, please visit here.

MYIR MYC-JX8MX Module supports Linux on i.MX8M COM

Posted on 19 June, 2019 by Tope Oluyemi

MYIR has launched its first board based on one of NXP’s high performance i.MX8 processors. The 30 to 80°C tolerant “MYC-JX8MX CPU Module” runs Linux on a quad -A53 i.MX8M with 1GB or 2GB LPDDR4 and 8GB eMMC, with a “MYD-JX8MX” dev board adding 5x USB 3.0 plus mini-PCIe and PCIe x4 for NVMe. The $99 upward 82 x 52mm MYC-JX8MX CPU Module features i.MX8M COM, and connects via a 314-pin MXM 3.0 edge finger to the $279 MYD-JX8MX dev board. The module is designed for applications like scanning/imaging, building automation, and smart home, HMI, and machine vision.

MYIR has released several embedded modules and SBCs that features NXP’s low-power, Cortex-A7 based i.MX6 UL and i.MX6 ULL, like the MYC-Y6ULX module and MYD-Y6ULX-HMI dev board. The MYC-JX8MX CPU Module accompanies several sandwich-style i.MX8M offerings like Phytec’s phyCORE-i.MX 8M, phyBoard-Polaris SBC and Google’s AI-enabled Coral SOM and Coral Dev Board. The module features a Yocto Project-based stack with Linux 4.9.88 on the quad-core version of the Cortex-A53 based i.MX8M, which is clocked to 1.3GHz. The i.MX8M also includes a Vivante GC7000Lite GPU and VPU and a 266MHz Cortex-M4 MCU. Powering at 5V/0.5A, the MYC-JX8MX CPU Module enables 1GB or 2GB LPDDR4, 8GB eMMC, and 256Mb QSPI flash. Available also is a Gigabit Ethernet PHY and a PMIC on board.

The MXM 3.0 connector manifests the wide array of industrial and media interfaces obtainable on the general-purpose i.MX8M, of which many are available on the optional MYD-JX8MX development board. The MYD-JX8MX dev board is equipped with a microSD slot, GbE port, 4x USB 3.0 host ports, and a USB 3.0 Type-C host/device port. The dev board offers a wireless module with 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO and Bluetooth 4.2 support, with dual antenna mounts. A 4G LTE module can be incorporated using the single USB-based mini-PCIe interface and SIM slot, with also a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface that supports NVMe SSDs. Display feature includes an HDMI 2.0a port with 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz video, plus an HD ready MIPI-DSI interface and dual LVDS connectors. Available also is a capacitive touchscreen interface with backlight support.

Additional media features include dual audio jack and 2x 4-lane MIPI-CSI interfaces alongside an optional, 5-megapixel MY-CAM003M camera which sells for $29. The 12V/3A, 180 x 110mm “MYD-JX8MX” dev board is equipped with dual RS232 and single serial debug connectors and also 40- and 30-pin expansion connectors. It is further equipped with an RTC with battery holder plus LEDs and reset user and power buttons.

The module and dev board ships with extensive documentation, but they seem not to ship with schematics like MYIR’s Rico and Z-turn SBCs. The MYC-JX8MX CPU Module is available at $99 for 1GB or $119 for 2GB, and the MYD-JX8MX development board with module goes is available at $279 for 1GB or $299 for 2GB.

More information can be found on MYIR’s MYC-JX8MX announcement and product page and MYD-JX8MX product page.

PHILIPS Projection launches a new PicoPix Collection for nomads

Posted on 19 June, 2019 by mixos

Philips Projection design and manufacture pico projectors and home cine projectors for the mainstream market. As part of its strategy to extend and renew the current PicoPix portable devices, Philips Projection is unleashing the brand new PicoPix Collection. The collection is composed of 2 new micro DLP projectors bringing vivid images, wireless connectivity and a battery, packed in a pocket friendly design, accentuated by a black ceramic glossy effect, made for a touch of elegance. The new PicoPix Collection, along with NeoPix and Screeneo, bring Philips Projection with the widest projection range in the market.

PicoPix Nano: Pico Size, Mobile Experience!

Smaller than your phone, smaller than your Bluetooth speaker, smaller than ANY projector on the market! Meet our PicoPix Nano, the tinniest plug and play projector featuring Wireless connection and Multi Media Player. Ideal for ultra-nomads, the PicoPix Nano is equipped with a battery and the latest TI DLP LED to project up to 80mins of your sporting feats. Shot videos or pictures on your action cam and directly watch it on a 60” screen thanks to the microSD card reader. Got content in your smartphone, laptop or tablet and want to share it? The PicoPix Nano has a wireless mirroring function to display movies, pictures, office documents or streaming content.The mighty design is accentuated by a black ceramic glossy effect, made for a touch of elegance.

PicoPix Micro: Pico Size, Mobile Experience!

PicoPix Micro is smarter and brighter. With 150 Color Lumens, WVGA resolution and a weight of 225g, PicoPix Micro is the powerful and pocket companion to share your content. The upgraded Wi-Fi chip will smoothly connect to any devices and share videos & pictures straight away thanks to wireless screen mirroring. PicoPix Micro now offers a built-in multimedia player to play any content from the USB port. Its HDMI connectivity offers you the possibility to connect notebooks, game consoles, or any other HDMI output devices. With its built-in speaker and battery, feel free to project when you want and wherever you are. The mighty design is accentuated by a black ceramic glossy effect, made for a touch of elegance.

Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Philips Projection, on Monday 17 June, 2019. For more information subscribe and follow http://www.pressat.co.uk/

New XENSIV KP276 absolute pressure sensor series covers a range of 10 kPa to 400 kPa

Posted on 18 June, 2019 by mixos

Infineon Technologies’ new XENSIV KP276 absolute pressure sensor series covers a range of 10 kPa to 400 kPa, is highly accurate and has fast measurement and communication.

The new digital sensor is intended for applications such as the measurement of manifold air pressure (MAP) in aspirated or turbo (Turbo MAP) diesel and gasoline engines as well as exhaust gas recirculation.

Featuring an accuracy error of 0,77% (full scale span, FSS) over lifetime, XENSIV KP276 products are the most accurate digital Turbo MAP sensors made by Infineon. An even more precise (0,5 percent FSS) ISO26262-ready product version is already planned.

XENSIV KP276 sensors integrate the signal processing for an external NTC temperature sensor to provide both the pressure and the temperature signal on only one digital interface. The devices have a SENT interface with a short frame length of 846 µs and a short NTC start-up time of typically 10 ms.

The sensors are available in a robust SMD-8 package and are suitable for the harsh conditions. They are qualified for a temperature range from -40°C to 150°C and protected against aggressive media like iodine and exhaust gas condensate.

More information

Elk New Development Board For Building Blockchain-Connected Devices

Posted on 18 June, 201918 June, 2019 by Tope Oluyemi

The creators of “1Sheeld“ are set to launch a new development board for building blockchain-connected devices known as “Elk”. Just like using an Arduino, the board enables a user to engage projects and interface them with Swarm, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Whisper, Status IM, and a host of other decentralized technologies. Only little details are available about the board’s hardware; It features a dual-core 32-bit MCU, a 1GHz microprocessor (512Mb RAM/4Gb storage) with the OS preloaded, a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi module (with embedded antenna), a micro SD card slot, a micro USB port, and breadboard-compatible pins. It also features many I/Os (3.3V and 5V tolerant), and also several buttons and LEDs.

The SDK is plug-and-play, and the team notes that “with only a few lines of code, you’ll be able to build blockchain-connected devices to do things you never thought possible.”

According to “Elk” creative team, the development board will be available with a plug-and-play Arduino-like SDK which provides an inbuilt interface for redistributed platforms and will offer a development experience 10X more seamless for building blockchain-connected projects. The Arduino-based SDK board can be used with most shields and other Arduino add-on boards as well. The SDK is expected to be open source, and additional support will be included for decentralized technologies as they become accessible. The “Elk” can be applied to building platforms that enable a user to send and receive cryptocurrencies, like homebrew ATM or even vending machines, design privatized communications systems, or create IoT devices that allow you upload sensor data to Swarm or IPFS.

Since the board utilizes an Arduino-compatible SDK, it is possible for you to take advantage of all supported libraries. The team that created the ELK says:

“What intrigues us about the domains of blockchain and decentralization is how quickly they’re evolving, and likely the use-cases that people will build with Elk and find most valuable won’t be use-cases that come to mind for us today. Past projects we’ve built include an electric socket that can be rented with Ethereum, a treadmill that accepts Bitcoin deposits that you can only get back when you work out, and serverless home automation systems that respects your privacy using the Whisper messaging protocol. The possibilities are truly endless.”

The Elk blockchain development board is set to crowdfund on Kickstarter around June, and there is no information yet on price, but it is likely there will be early bird specials or discounts. Elk will host a Blockchain for IoT Bootcamp. Interested parties can attend a series of live seminars that will disseminate helpful information regarding decentralized protocols, coding, and projects using the development board. The webinars will begin on June 16th and will span for the next two Sundays, culminating on June 30th. If you can’t attend the Blockchain IoT Bootcamp, Elk will host the material on their community platform, which you can access at any time.

Introduction Video

There is no word on pricing yet for the development board, but those interested can sign up for email updates on the Elk.cc website.

Broadcom AFBR-S4N66C013 NUV-HD single silicon photo multiplier

Posted on 18 June, 201910 October, 2019 by mixos

The Broadcom® AFBR-S4N66C013 is a single silicon photo multiplier (SiPM) used for ultra-sensitive precision measurement of single photons.

The active area is 6.14 × 6.14 mm2

Key features

High PDE of more than 55% at 420 nm
High fill factors
Excellent SPTR and CRT
Excellent uniformity of breakdown voltage

Additional features

High packing density of the single chips is achieved using through-silicon-via (TSV) technology. Larger areas can be covered by tiling multiple AFBR-S4N66C013 chips to an array almost without any edge losses. The protective layer is made by a glass highly transparent down to UV wavelengths, resulting in a broad response in the visible light spectrum with high sensitivity towards blue- and near-UV region of the light spectrum.

Features:

High PDE of more than 55% at 420 nm
High fill factors
Excellent SPTR and CRT
Excellent uniformity of breakdown voltage
Excellent uniformity of gain
With TSV technology (4-side tilable)
Size 6.14 × 6.14 mm2 n Cell pitch 30 × 30 μm2
Highly transparent glass protection layer
Operating temperature range from –40°C to +85°C
RoHS and REACH compliant

Applications

X-ray and gamma ray detection
Gamma ray spectroscopy
Safety and security
Nuclear medicine
Positron emission tomography
Life sciences n Flow cytometry
Fluorescence – luminescence measurements
Time correlated single photon counting
High energy physics
Astrophysics

more information: www.broadcom.com