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Programmable light controller with ATmega8 and DS1307

Posted on by mixos

designed and build a programmable light controller that is able to turn ON and OFF a LED at predetermined time of each day. All the design files and source code related to this project are available at https://github.com/dilshan/programmable-light. The complete documentation of this project is also available at Github Wiki.

To meet the above requirement I designed this controller using ATmega8 MCU and DS1307 RTC. The driver stage of this light controller is intended to work with commonly available 7W LED modules. The core component of this programmable light is ATmega8 low power CMOS microcontroller. The main reason to select this microcontroller is it’s lower cost and higher availability. Except for the above two reasons this microcontroller also bundled with a rich set of peripherals which including 23 GPIOs, 3 independent timers, Two-wire serial interface, EEPROM, etc. Apart from ATmega8 microcontroller, this system uses DS1307 real time clock to maintain system time. Like ATmega8, DS1307 is also a very popular RTC in the market.

Programmable light controller with ATmega8 and DS1307 – [Link]

Samsung Develops Industry’s First 3rd-generation 10nm-Class DRAM

Posted on by mixos

New 8Gb DDR4 based on most advanced 1z-nm process enables DRAM solutions with ultra-high performance and power efficiency.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed a 3rd-generation 10-nanometer-class (1z-nm) eight-gigabit (Gb) Double Data Rate 4 (DDR4) DRAM for the first time in the industry. In just 16 months since it began mass producing the 2nd-generation 10nm-class (1y-nm) 8Gb DDR4, development of 1z-nm 8Gb DDR4 without the use of Extreme Ultra-Violet (EUV) processing has pushed the limits of DRAM scaling even further.

As 1z-nm becomes the industry’s smallest memory process node, Samsung is now primed to respond to increasing market demands with its new DDR4 DRAM that has more than 20-percent higher manufacturing productivity compared to the previous 1y-nm version.

Mass production of the 1z-nm 8Gb DDR4 will begin within the second half of this year to accommodate next-generation enterprise servers and high-end PCs expected to be launched in 2020.

Our commitment to break through the biggest challenges in technology has always driven us toward greater innovation. We are pleased to have laid the groundwork again for stable production of next-generation DRAM that ensures the highest performance and energy efficiency, said Jung-bae Lee, executive vice president of DRAM product & technology, Samsung Electronics.

As we build out our 1z-nm DRAM lineup, Samsung is aiming to support its global customers in their deployment of cutting-edge systems and enabling proliferation of the premium memory market.

Samsung’s development of the 1z-nm DRAM paves the way for an accelerated global IT transition to next-generation DRAM interfaces such as DDR5, LPDDR5 and GDDR6 that will power a wave of future digital innovation. Subsequent 1z-nm products with higher capacities and performance will allow Samsung to strengthen its business competitiveness and solidify its leadership in the premium DRAM market for applications that include servers, graphics and mobile devices.

Following a full validation with a CPU manufacturer for eight-gigabyte (GB) DDR4 modules, Samsung will be actively collaborating with global customers to deliver an array of upcoming memory solutions.

In line with current industry needs, Samsung plans to increase the portion of its main memory production at its Pyeongtaek site, while working with its global IT clients to meet the rising demand for state-of-the-art DRAM products.

TDK claims smallest point-of-load DC-DC converter

Posted on by mixos

µPOL DC-DC converters bring highest power density to space-constrained apps

TDK Corporation announces the new series of µPOL™ DC-DC converters, the industry’s most compact and highest power density point-of-load solutions for applications such as big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G cells, IoT and computing enterprise.

Rather than using side by side discrete integrated circuit (IC) and discrete inductor (L) the new FS series integrates the IC and inductor in a compact configuration which offers a high-density solution for space-constrained applications requiring a low-profile power source.

At 3.3 x 3.3 x 1.5 mm, they minimize the required external components, retaining the highest possible performance while offering a simplified design for ease of integration. This family can deliver a high density solution of 1 watt per mm3, while offering 50% less solution size than the other products available in its class. As a result, this minimizes system solution cost, reduces board size and assembly costs, as well as BOM and PCB costs. It operates at a broad junction temperature range, from -40 °C to 125 °C. Mass production of FS1406 is expected to begin in Q3 2019.

TDK has been developing patents related to these innovations (US 9,729,059 and US 10,193,442) over several years. µPOL™ were developed by TDK’s group company Faraday Semi. These new solutions incorporate high-performance semiconductors in advanced packaging technologies such as semiconductor embedded in substrate (SESUB) and advanced electronic components to achieve unique system integration in a smaller size and lower profile by 3D integration. This integration allows TDK to deliver higher efficiency and ease of use at a lower total system cost to what is currently available today.

μPOL™ technology includes a DC-DC converter placed in the vicinity of complex chipsets such as ASICs, FPGAs and others. By minimizing the distance between the converter and the chipset, the resistance and the inductance components are minimized, allowing fast response and accurate regulation with dynamic load currents.

The product family is rated for industrial application, is lead free and has ROHS compliance.

more information: www.global.tdk.com

Grove HAT for Raspberry Pi Features A New RISC-V-Based AI Chip

Posted on by Tope Oluyemi

New Grove AI HAT for Edge Computing is released from SeedStudio

Seeed Studio announced a Grove HAT for Raspberry Pi based on the Sipeed RISC-V MAix. This follows after Sipeed launched their 64-bit RISC-V MAix module, crowdfunding a series of boards on Indiegogo at the end of last year. The MAix module is based on Kendryte’s K210 processor, which features two 64-bit RISC-V CPU cores, each core with a built-in independent FPU, and 8Mb of SRAM. It is further equipped with an onboard neural network processor (KPU) for enhancing machine vision applications at up to 60fps for QVGA and 30fps for VGA. Also, there is an audio processor (APU) which supports up to 8 microphones at sampling rates up to 192KHz, with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) hardware acceleration.

Core Module: Sipeed MAIX-1 without WiFi

The Grove HAT has two versions that will be released. One is based on the Sipeed MAix-I with Wi-Fi, and the other version is without networking. Both boards can be utilized as a Raspberry Pi HAT, or function autonomously. The HAT is designed to offer an onboard 12-bit ADC, a display interface, a camera interface, and six Grove connectors—2×digital, 1×I2C, 1×UART, and 2×analog. Power option for the HAT will be through a USB-C connector. The HAT will utilize the Espressif ESP8285 to provide Wi-Fi support for the wireless version of the HAT.

Seeed Studio is coming up with “the basic layout” for the upcoming HAT but wants to ask the community what features they would like to see before production will progress. Seeed Studio says

Check out the basic layout we have so far and let us know what features you would like to see and have the chance of making it to the final product. If your idea makes it to mass production, we will send you a free sample with your name customized onto the board! These products are designed for you and the rest of the community, so it only makes sense for us to listen to what you want for your next AI project.

If you have any bright idea about what should be featured on the board, you should get in touch with Seeed Studio, and if they like your idea, you might get yourself a free board with your name customized on it.

Visit Seeed Studio product page to get more information on the Sipeed MAix-I HAT.

Update 06/05/2019 – Seeedstudio has revealed specifications and photos of the board and it’s now on pre-order.

Grove AI HAT specifications:

  • AI Module – Sipeed “MAIX” M1 with Kendryte K210 dual core RISC-V processor @ 600 MHz, KPU Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) hardware accelerator, APU audio hardware accelerator, 8 MB general purpose SRAM including 5.9MB usable as AI SRAM memory
  • Camera I/F – DVP camera support; two mounting locations (top and bottom of the board)
  • Display I/F – Supports for Sipeed 2.4″ QVGA LCD display
  • Audio – Built-in microphone
  • USB – 1x USB 2.0 Device type C for power and programming
  • Expansion
    • 40-pin Raspberry Pi connector with  I2C/UART/SPI/I2S/PWM/GPIO.
    • 6x Grove connectors: 2x analog, 1x UART, 1x I2C, 1x PWM, 1x digital
  • Debugging – 8-pin UART/JTAG header
  • Misc – Boot & reset buttons, boot (user programmable) & power LEDs,  switch for RPi 5V, on-board 3-axis accelerometer
  • Power Supply – 5V via USB type-C port, or Vin pin on Raspberry Pi header
  • Dimensions – 83 x 55 mm (4x Raspberry Pi HAT mounting holes)

Pre-order price is $24.50 after which it will be $28.50, and shipping is scheduled for mid-June. Seeed Studio is also planning to release a kit with the camera and an LCD as found in the company’s Sipeed MAIX BiT kit.

(UPDATE 20/05/2019) more information and tutorials can be found on wiki.seeedstudio.com

ESP-WROOM-5C is a Side-Mounted ESP8285 WiFi Module

Posted on by mixos

Seems we don’t have enough ESP8266 or ESP8285 WiFi modules in the market, and based on an FCC listing, we now know that Espressif Systems has been working on another ESP8285 WiFi module – ESP-WROOM-5C – designed to be side-mounted on a PCB.

ESP-WROOM-5C specifications:

  • SoC – Espressif Systems ESP8285
  • Wi-Fi802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 @ 2412 MHz ~2462 MHz;
  • Station/SoftAP/SoftAP + Station modes
  • WPA/WPA2 security with EP/TKIP/AES encryption
  • PCB antenna
  • Peripheral interfaceI2C/IR Remote Control
  • GPIO/PWM
  • Operating voltage – 2.7V ~ 3.6V
  • Operating current – Average: 80 mA
  • Minimum current delivered by power supply – 500 mA
  • Dimensions – 19 x 16 x 3.2 mm
  • Temperature Range – -40°C ~ 105°C
  • Reliability Tests – HTOL/HTSL/uHAST/TCT/ESD

The module supports firmware upgrade over UART or OTA (Over-The-Air). Software development can be done with the IDF SDK for custom firmware, but “Cloud Server development” is also possible, and an Android/iOS app can be provided for user configuration.

There isn’t more information about ESP-WROOM-5C publicly available and you can find the user manual (PDF) for more technical details.

Avnet Silica Presents New Renesas Synergy low power S5D3 MCUs

Posted on by mixos

Design your next IoT solution using the Synergy S5D3 MCU

The S5D3 adds a new tier to the S5 MCU group for applications that require a high-performance Cortex M4F core at a very attractive price point, that does not require on-chip graphic acceleration or Ethernet connectivity. The S5D3 is built on a highly efficient 40nm process, and fully supported by the Synergy™ Software Package (SSP). From a solution approach S5D3 offers a nice suitable specification which fits different IoT application requirements like Security, large embedded RAM and power consumption.

Key Features

  • 512-KB code flash memory
  • 256-KB SRAM
  • Capacitive Touch Sensing Unit (CTSU)
  • USBFS
  • SD/MMC Host Interface
  • Quad Serial Peripheral Interface (QSPI)
  • Security and safety features

[BUY NOW]

Miniduino – Arduino USB board

Posted on by mixos

Miniduino is a small (19x40x3,5 mm, pin-strip and USB connector excluded) Arduino board with minimal hardware, but with access to all I/O like the Nano board and equipped with a USB connector with direct insertion integrated into the PCB: practically an Arduino Pen Drive.

The board is based on the Atmel ATmega32U4 microcontroller, which is the same one used on the Arduino Leonardo, Micro and other boards; not for nothing, thanks also to the bootloader written by means of the ICSP connection, once inserted in the USB socket of a Personal Computer it is recognized as Arduino Leonardo.

The ATMega32U4 has the USB device, so it is possible to load the sketch without having to use a USB/TTL converter. It can also simulate a keyboard or mouse, which is useful on many occasions.

In addition, the typical Arduino LEDs are available, ie those that show the serial activity (LD1 and LD3) and the LED for general applications (LD2).

The board is designed to be powered via USB or through a nominal 3.7V lithium battery (to be connected to the +/- BAT contacts). The battery is charged when the card is inserted into the USB socket of the PC (or connected to it via a USB-A / USB-A extension cable) or in a charger with USB output. The current supplied for the battery charge is about 100 mA.

You can purchase the board on store.open-electronics.org for 17 EUR.

HiFive1 Rev B – An open source, RISC-V development platform with wireless connectivity

Posted on by mixos

HiFive1 Rev B – The Second Generation HiFive1 Dev Board and the Freedom Everywhere SoC, FE310

SiFive launched an upgraded Freedom Everywhere SoC and corresponding development kit, the HiFive1 Rev B, powered by SiFive’s E31 CPU, the FE310-G002. A small yet mighty 68 mm x 51 mm, the HiFive1 Rev B can connect to Arduino-compatible accessories and is a great platform for real-time embedded applications.

Since the launch of the original HiFive1 and the FE310 in 2016, we have received lots of great community feedback. The FE310-G002 is an upgrade to the Freedom Everywhere SoC, that adds support for the latest RISC-V Debug Spec 0.13, hardware I²C, two UARTs, and power gating the core rail in low power sleep modes. Like the original FE310, the FE310-G002 features SiFive’s E31 CPU core complex, a high-performance, 32-bit RV32IMAC core with a 16 KB L1 instruction cache, a 16 KB data SRAM scratchpad, and hardware multiply/divide. Running at 320+ MHz, the FE310 is among the fastest microcontrollers on the market.

The HiFive1 dev board has also been upgraded. Powered by the FE310-G002, the new HiFive1 Rev B has wireless connectivity through an onboard Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module. The USB debugger has been upgraded to Segger J-Link, with support for drag & drop code download. In favor of driving GPIO directly from the FE310, the HiFive1 Rev B supports 3.3 V I/O only.

Differences from previous version

You can preorder your HiFive1 Rev B today at https://www.crowdsupply.com/sifive/hifive1-rev-b

60GHz RF antenna module uses optimised antenna beamforming

Posted on by mixos

Murata has released a high gain antenna module that facilitates communication up to 4.62 Gbps. The new millimeter-wave RF antenna module will contribute to the creation of next generation wireless networks that utilise the 60 GHz frequency by supporting the IEEE802.11ad millimeter-wave wireless LAN standard.

The need is growing for faster internet communications in line with the increase in bandwidth required by internet contents such as ultra-high definition (HD, 4K) video, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). In addition, constructing wired networks that cover wide areas requires enormous amounts of cables and labour, and the costs of constructing and maintaining this infrastructure are also considerable.

Dubbed LBKA0ZZ1NH-317, the new module is anticipated to be utilised in a wide range of applications such as for communication between mobile phone base stations including next-generation 5G wireless communication, for communication between Wi-Fi hotspots, and for use in wireless communication networks in smart cities.

Murata’s RF module realises optimised antenna beamforming using a proprietary low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) circuit board capable of facilitating high-precision 60 GHz band communication. In addition to communication via a standalone module, by combining multiple modules it is possible to extend the communication range and link outdoor base stations several hundred meters apart for multi-gigabit communication. The LTCC circuit board’s high heat resistance and low moisture absorption ensure excellent operational reliability and enable use even in outdoor base station environments.

The highly efficient antenna module operation realises low transmission line loss between the IC and the antenna thanks to the low-loss material characteristics of the LTCC. The modularised RFIC and antenna package eliminates the need to design new millimeter-wave RF circuitry, which reduces the amount of labour required for developing new network equipment.

The module exhibits a high gain of 37.5 dBm typical EIRP with CW signal and saturated power. The RFIC in the module is able to support multi-tile RF module operation. It helps users get higher output power, better Rx sensitivity and longer communication distance.

more information: www.murata.com

F&S i.MX8X SoC Features optional industrial temp support

Posted on by Tope Oluyemi

F&S Elektronik Systeme has announced specs for its “efus MX8X” module, which runs Linux on a dual- or quad-core -A35 i.MX8X SoC, and offers up to 2GB RAM and 64GB eMMC plus dual GbE, WiFi/BT, 4K video, and optional industrial temp support. The 2 x 47 x 11mm, 15-gram efus MX8X module is designed based on NXP’s low-powered i.MX8X. A host of efus-branded modules exploits the power-sipping NXP SoCs, like the i.MX6 UltraLite in the efus A7UL.

The module will support industrial automation and control, HMI, robotics, building control, display/audio, infotainment, and telematics applications. The efus MX8X will feature dual-core DualX or quad-core QuadXPlus models, which features 1.2GHz Cortex-A35 cores, multi-format VPU with 4K decode, Tensilica HiFi 4 DSP, and a 266MHz Cortex-M4F MCU which is supported with FreeRTOS. The efus MX8X seems to be the first board based on the i.MX8X by the company, which can be found in several new computer-on-modules, like Kontron’s Qseven-Q7AMX8X.

The efus MX8X is equipped with up to 2GB RAM, up to 512MB SLC NAND flash, and up to 64GB eMMC storage. The module is fitted with 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 BLE (and 2.1 + EDR), and an antenna socket. Available also are dual GbE controllers. The module will ship with a Yocto/Buildroot Linux stack with U-Boot. The image provided shows a Windows CE tag, but we are yet to see the aging Windows CE listed as an i.MX8X option. The announcement says that the module will ship with the DualXPlus, but the product page says it will ship with the DualX. The DualXPlus has a 4-shader, unlike the DualX’s 2-shader Vivante GPU. The efus MX8X enables single USB 3.0, 2.0 ports plus 2x CAN, 4x UART, 4x I2C, and 2x SPI.

A matrix keyboard is also mentioned, as well as PWM, SDIO, and PCIe interfaces. Media I/O option is a 230-pin MXM2 connector which includes MIPI-DSI and 24-bit LVDS along with analog resistive and PCAP touch support via I2C. The module is further equipped with MIPI-CSI and I2S audio. The product page says the 5V module will be available in 0 to 70°C, -20 to 70°C, and -40 to 85°C models, while the announcement says 0 to 70°C and -20 to 85°C. The module runs at 4W, with long-term availability support extending through 2028. F&S plans to ship the efus MX8X in Q3 2019 at an undisclosed price.

F&S Elektronik Systeme plans to ship the efus MX8X in Q3 2019 at an undisclosed price. More information can be found on the announcement and product page.

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