Page 619 – Electronics-Lab.com

CH3330N – Small and Cheap USB-Serial Converter IC Needs No Crystal

Posted on 18 October, 201819 October, 2018 by Rik

Recently the hobbyist market has seen the appearance of the Air602 low-cost ARM WiFi module. This module might be a potential competitor of ESP8266, another low-cost powerful WiFi module, that took the electronics hobbyists by storm long ago and is still extremely popular. But what’s more interesting about the Air602 module is the usage of a completely new USB to Serial Chip – WCH CH330N. This chip has features similar to CH340, but fewer pins (e.g. DTS, and CTS are missing), and available in a tiny SOP8 package.

Here is a brief explanation about USB to Serial chip and what is its usage. A USB to Serial converter converts USB (Universal Serial Bus) signal to UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) signal and vice-versa. Most 8-bit and 16-bit low-cost microcontrollers do not feature built-in USB stack, rather they have UART peripheral. So, in order to establish communication between a PC that features USB and a microcontroller that only has UART, a converter is used.

UART Signal - Captured using logic analyzer — UART Signal – Captured using a logic analyzer

USB Signal - Captured using logic analyzer — USB Signal – Captured using a logic analyzer

CH330N is catching the attention of tinkerers for its small 8-pin-only form factor, built-in crystal oscillator, and compatibility with CH340 drivers. The CH340 (or CH340G) is yet another USB to Serial converter IC that has been popular for a long period of time. It has a higher pin count compared to CH330N and also supports CTS and DTS, but requires external oscillator circuitry in order to work. The CH330N, on the other hand, is way cheaper than the CH340 and requires only a few external components. This USB to Serial converter supports baud rate from 50 bps to 2 Mbps. The following schematic diagram shows the application of CH330,

This little fellow costs only $0.3535 when order quantity is within 10 pieces, but if you purchase more than 120 pieces, it becomes $0.2829 only. You can purchase from LCSC – a China-based electronics components seller and my personal favorite for their wide range of products, lower price range, and very low shipping charge. The datasheet is in Chinese and can be found here.

NanoPi NEO4 The World’s Cheapest and Smallest RK3399 Board

Posted on 18 October, 201818 October, 2018 by Tope Oluyemi

FriendlyELEC has announced a new board with NanoPi NEO4, the smallest and cheapest RK3399 board on the market presently. The NanoPi Neo4” SBC is a 60 x 45mm footprint, WiFi/BT, GbE, USB 3.0, HDMI 2.0, MIPI-CSI, a 40-pin header, and -20 to 70℃ support, but only 1GB of RAM.

The SBC is set at $45 promotional price ($50 standard). The similarly open-spec, Linux and Android-ready NanoPi Neo4, however, is not likely to outdo the NanoPi M4 on performance, as it has only 1GB of DDR3-1866 instead of 2GB or 4GB of LPDDR3. This is the first SBC built based on the hexa-core RK3399 that doesn’t offer 2GB RAM at a minimum.

The NanoPi Neo4 has a pair of up to 2GHz Cortex-A72 cores and four Cortex -A53 cores clocked to up to 1.5GHz plus a high-end Mali-T864 GPU. The size was probably a major factor in limiting the board to 1GB coupled with its price. The 60 x 45mm size, places the RK3399 into new space-constrained environments. The Neo4 is Still, larger than the earlier 40 x 40mm Neo boards or the newer, 52 x 40mm NanoPi Neo Plus2, which is based on an Allwinner H5.

The NanoPi Neo4 is different from other Neo boards due to the fact that it has a coastline video port, in this case, an HDMI 2.0a port with support for up to 4K@60Hz video with HDCP 1.4/2.2 and audio out. Another Neo innovation is the 4-lane MIPI-CSI interface for a 13-megapixel camera input. A variety of Linux and Android distributions can be booted from the microSD slot or eMMC socket (add $12 for 16GB eMMC).

A native Gigabit Ethernet is also available. There’s also a wireless module with 802.11n, limited to 2.4GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. The NanoPi Neo4 is fitted with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 host ports plus a Type-C power and OTG port and an onboard USB 2.0 header. The latter is found on one of the two smaller GPIO connectors that supports the usual 40-pin header, which like other RK3399 boards, has no claims of Raspberry Pi compatibility. Other features include an RTC and -20 to 70℃ support.

Specifications for the NanoPi Neo4 include:

Processor: Rockchip RK3399 (2x Cortex-A72 at up to 2.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz); Mali-T864 GPU
Memory: 1GB DDR3-1866 RAM, eMMC socket with optional ($12) 16GB eMMC, MicroSD slot for up to 128GB
Wireless: 802.11n (2.4GHz) with Bluetooth 4.0; ext. antenna
Networking: Gigabit Ethernet port
Media: HDMI 2.0a port (with audio and HDCP 1.4/2.2) for up to 4K at 60Hz 1x 4-lane MIPI-CSI (up to 13MP);
Other I/O: USB 3.0 host port, USB 2.0 Type-C port (USB 2.0 OTG or power input) USB 2.0 host port
Expansion: GPIO 1: 40-pin header — 3x 3V/1.8V I2C, 3V UART, SPDIF_TX, up to 8x 3V GPIOs, PCIe x2, PWM, PowerKey, GPIO 2: 1.8V 8-ch. I2S, GPIO 3, Debug UART, USB 2.0
Other features: RTC; 2x LEDs; optional $6 heatsink, LCD, and cameras
Power: DC 5V/3A input or USB Type-C; optional $9 adapter
Operating temperature: -20 to 70℃
Dimensions: 60 x 45mm; 8-layer PCB
Weight: 30.25 g
Operating system: Linux 4.4 LTS with U-boot 2014.10; Android 7.1.2 or 8.1 (requires eMMC module); Lubuntu 16.04 (32-bit); FriendlyCore 18.04 (64-bit), FriendlyDesktop 18.04 (64-bit); Armbian via third party.

More information can be found on NanoPi Neo4 product page and wiki.

2.13″ 212 x 104 Three Color E-Ink Paper with SPI

Posted on 18 October, 201818 October, 2018 by mixos

DisplayModule introduced a tiny 2.1″ E-paper display with 212×104 pixels resolution and three colors. The display can be interfaced using SPI and a Raspberry Pi shield is available for the ones that what to connect it to the popular SBC.

Main features

Three Color E-Ink
2.13 Inch is suited to E-Label.
212×104 resolution E-Ink raw display
No back-light, keeps displaying content forever even no power supply
Easy to use, displays any contents via SPI interface, including geometric graphics, texts, and images
Ultra low power consumption, basically power is only required for refreshing
It is easy working on Respberry Pi with DM-ADTPI-013 (RESE:A; BS:0)

more info: www.displaymodule.com

UP AI CORE X – Neural network accelerator for AI

Posted on 18 October, 201818 October, 2018 by mixos

Neural network accelerator for AI on the edge. Up to four trillion ops/sec with just a few watts. Neural Networks are the future of AI and these boards comes into play to help you develop your intelligent visual system with ease.

UP AI CORE X is a complete product line of neural network accelerators for edge devices. Whether the automation you are creating is for identifying and tallying items in a shopping cart, alerting airport security to unattended luggage, or monitoring traffic congestion ahead of an autonomous vehicle, the AI CORE X let’s you embed the real-time computational power you need directly where you need it.

The AI CORE X is powered by the recently released Intel® Movidius™ Myriad™ X, a third-generation vision processing unit (VPU) that is the first in its class to include a Neural Compute Engine – a dedicated hardware accelerator for deep neural networks, trainable with industry-standard tools.

AI CORE X is available with one or two Myriad X chips in a variety of form factors. With your choice of MiniCard/mPCIe, M.2 2230, M.2 2242, M.2 2280, or a custom form factor, embedding deep learning capabilities has never been easier.

The UP AI Core X is currently raising on Crowd Supply, with pricing at $94 for the single-core mPCIe, M.2 2230 E key, and M.2 2242 B+M key, AI Core X and XM boards, and $144 for the dual-core M.2 2280 M+B key AI Core XM board.

Ultra small DC-DC Converter with integrated inductor

Posted on 17 October, 201817 October, 2018 by mixos

The XCL206 series is a synchronous step-down micro DC/DC converter which integrates an inductor and a control IC in one tiny package (2.5mm×2.0mm, H=1.0mm). A stable power supply with an output current of 600mA is configured using only two capacitors connected externally. Operating voltage range is from 2.0V to 6.0V(XCL20xG:1.8V-6.0V). Output voltage is internally set in a range from 0.8V to 4.0V in increments of 0.05V. The device is operated by 3.0MHz, and includes 0.42ΩP-channel driver transistor and 0.52Ω N-channel switching transistor. As for operation mode, the XCL206 series is automatic PWM/PFM switching control , allowing fast response, low ripple and high efficiency over the full range of loads (from light load to heavy load). During stand-by, the device is shutdown to reduce current consumption to as low as 1.0μA or less. With the built-in UVLO (Under Voltage Lock Out) function, the internal driver transistor is forced OFF when input voltage becomes 1.4V or lower. XCL206B(G,F)series provide short-time turn-on by the soft start function internally set in 0.25 ms (TYP).XCL206B(C,G,F) integrate CL auto discharge function which enables the electric charge stored at the output capacitor CL to be discharged via the internal auto-discharge switch located between the LX and VSS pins. When the devices enter stand-by mode, output voltage quickly returns to the VSS level as a result of this function.

Features

Ultra Small: 2.5mm×2.0mm, H= 1.0mm
Input voltage: 2.0V -6.0V(A/B/C Type) 1.8V -6.0V(G/F Type)
Output voltage: 0.8V -4.0V (+2.0%)
High Efficiency: 90% (Vin= 4.2V, Vout= 3.3V)
Output current: 600mA
Oscillation Frequency: 3.0MHz (+15%)
Maximum Duty Cycle: 100%
Capacitor: Low ESR Ceramic
CE Function Low ESR Ceramic Active High Soft-Start Circuit Built-In CL High Speed Auto Discharge
Protection Circuits: current Limiter Circuit Built-In (Constant current & Latching)
Control Methods: PWM/PFM Auto(XCL206)
Operating Ambient Temperature: -40°C to 85°C
Environmentally Friendly: EU Rohs Compliant, Pb Free

[PDF Datasheet] – Price for 1 unit is 1.23€ on AVnet

Libre Computer Project launches Open Source La Frite SC

Posted on 17 October, 2018 by Tope Oluyemi

Libre Computer has successfully launched a smaller, less powerful follow-up to its Le Potato SBC, the “La Frite SBC. The La Frite SBC is a small version of the Le Potato SBC, that has a quad -A53, HD-only Amlogic S805X, a Raspberry Pi A+ footprint and GPIO connector, and mainline Linux support. The 64 x 55mm La Frite is roughly modeled on the 65 x 56mm Raspberry Pi Model A+. The new board has a different layout and more real-world ports than the Pi model A+, although it has a similar 40-pin expansion header like the A+.

The La Frite comes in different configurations, that starts at just $10 or $15 for models with 512MB or 1GB DDR4, respectively. Fully fitted models with 8GB eMMC, HDMI cable, and a 2.5A power supply with LED and power button go for $30 or $35. Shipments will start in November 2018. The La Frite is powered by a 1.2GHz S805X version of the quad-core, Cortex-A53 Amlogic S900. This is lower power, compared to the 1.5GHz S905X model found on Le Potato. The SoC has the same Mali-450 GPU but is limited to 1080p video encode and decode rather than 4K on Le Potato.

Other features include a low-profile 10/100 “Fast” Ethernet port plus 2x USB 2.0 ports and a micro-USB OTG with power input. The display port is listed as HDMI 2.0 port on the product page but listed as HDMI 1.4 port on KS. There’s also an IR receiver, but for WiFi connectivity you have to use one of the USB ports.

La Frite supports Ubuntu, Debian, LibreELEC, Lakka, RetroPie, Android Oreo, other Linux based distributions. Libre Computer has collaborated with BayLibre, which recently demonstrated a hardware accelerated codec running on Chromium through the V4L2 Linux subsystem on Amlogic’s S900. This means Soon, Le Potato and La Frite will be able to play H.265, H.264, and VP9 content on upstream Linux with Chromium for the first time.

The La Frite SBC also support Arm’s upcoming EBBR (Embedded Base Boot Requirements) boot specifications for the ARM64 kernel, which defines a part of UEFI that can be applied with upstream U-Boot. La Frite includes 128Mb of SPI NOR flash to enable booting of Linux with EBBR. This will likely give room for “customized booting of upstream Linux from various sources including USB flash drives, USB hard drives, and PXE.” The SBC is also equipped with a U-Boot button.

Specifications listed for La Frite include:

Processor: Amlogic S805X (4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.2GHz); 650MHz Mali-450 GPU (pentacore 2G + 3P) with OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 and OpenVG 1.1; Amlogic Video Engine 10 with VP9, H.265, and H.265 1080p60 decode and H.264 1080P30 encode
Memory/storage: 512MB or 1GB DDR4 RAM, 128Mb SPI NOR, eMMC 5x interface with optional 8GB
Networking: 10/100 Ethernet port (low profile)
Other I/O: HDMI port with HD output and optional cable, 2x USB 2.0 host ports, Micro-USB OTG port with power input, 40-pin low-speed header (PWM, I2C, SPI, GPIO)
Other features: IR receiver; U-Boot button
Power: 5V via micro-USB; optional 2.5A power supply with LED and power button
Operating system: Mainline Linux with support for Ubuntu, Debian, LibreELEC, Lakka, RetroPie, Android Oreo, and more.

Further information can be found on Libre Computer’s La Frite Kickstarter page and La Frite product page.

SP209 Series – 9 channel 200 MSPS logic analyzer with protocol decoders

Posted on 17 October, 201817 October, 2018 by mixos

SP209 series logic analyzers and protocol decoders offer in depth analysis of logic signals and protocols with 200MHz (5ns) timing resolution. 9-channel operation allows 8-bit parallel data to be captured along with a clock or strobe signal. SP Series is composed of two devices, SP209 and SP209i: The SP209 is the standard edition and SP209i is the industrial one with some additional features, like: Logic channels can be multiplexed with dedicated industrial inputs that can be directly connected to: RS232, RS485, CAN and LIN buses.

SP209 series logic analyzers rely on ScanaStudio software (runs Windows, Mac and Linux) to capture, display, analyze and decode signals. Most industry standard protocols can be interpreted, among which: SPI, I2C, USART, 1-Wire, CAN, LIN, I2C, RS232, RS485, TWI and much more (click for full list of supported protocol decoders).

Features

9 logic channels with adjustable thresholds (1.8V, 2.5V, 3.3V, 5V)
State of the art input stage, with Schmitt triggers that eliminate glitches on slow signals
200 MHz sampling rate, with all 9 channels used.
External clock option (state mode), up to 50MHz
Precise trigger-In and trigger-Out signals on SMA ports
Samples compression and streaming via USB.
2Gb DDR-3 memory kicks-in when USB isn’t fast enough.
Embedded receivers on industrial version: SP209i (RS232, CAN, LIN, RS485).
Guaranteed performances on all hosts.

The standard edition costs 299€ with a -50€ discount on pre-orders.

BL651 Series – Bluetooth 5 modules

Posted on 17 October, 201817 October, 2018 by mixos

Laird’s BL651 Series contains the latest Nordic nRF52810 silicon with Bluetooth 5 Low Energy capabilities and groundbreaking ultra-low power performance. Building on Laird’s multi generation module developments utilizing Nordic silicon (BL600, BL652, BL654) – now comes the latest series offering cost effective Bluetooth 5 enablement for simple BLE applications.

The BL651 series exposes all the capabilities of the Nordic nRF52810 silicon in a small, fully certified module with simple soldering castellation for easy prototyping and mass production manufacturing. Use the Nordic SDK & SoftDevice or Zephyr Project to deliver your BLE application.

In addition the BL651 series is 100% PCB footprint drop in compatible with the BL652 Series of modules.

Features

Bluetooth v5.0 – Single mode
External or internal antennas
Application development via Nordic SDK or Zephyr
Compact footprint (pin compatible with BL652)
Programmable Tx power +4dBm to -20dBm
Tx whisper mode (-40dBm)
Rx sensitivity: -96dBm
Ultralow power consumption
Tx: 4.6mA peak (at 0dBm, DCDC on)
Rx: 4.6mA peak (DCDC on)

The modules will be available on late October 2018.

Constant-on-time buck-boost regulator converts a positive input to a negative output

Posted on 17 October, 201817 October, 2018 by mixos

This is a LM5010 buck-boost regulator able to convert a positive input ranging from 10-50Vdc to -12V output. by Robert Bell @ www.edn.com

Buck regulators find wide application as step-down regulators for converting large positive input voltages into a smaller positive output voltages. Figure 1 shows a simplified buck regulator that operates in continuous-conduction mode—that is, the inductor current always remains positive. The output voltage, V_OUT, is equal to D×V_IN, where D is the duty-cycle ratio of the buck switch, Q₁, and V_IN is the input voltage. The duty cycle, D, is equal to T_ON/T_S, where T_ON is the on-time of Q₁ and T_S is the switching-frequency period.

Figure 3 shows a low-cost buck-boost converter based on the LM5010 buck-regulator IC that converts a 10 to 50V positive supply voltage into –12V. Although many applications use a fixed switching frequency and modulate the output pulse width, this design features a constant-on-time approach in which the IC’s internal output transistor turns on for an interval that’s inversely proportional to the difference between the circuit’s input and output voltage.

PureThermal Mini – FLIR Lepton Smart I/O Module

Posted on 17 October, 201817 October, 2018 by mixos

PureThermal Mini is a hackable thermal webcam for the FLIR Lepton (2.x – 3.x) LWIR camera core. It is the result of listening to our thousands of PureThermal 1 users and giving them what they want: four mounting holes, pads for optional EM shielding, less complex circuitry, and perhaps best of all, USB DFU. That’s right, a JTAG breakout board will no longer be required to update PureThermal 2. This is a development kit ready to be embedded into a production system.

STM32F412 ARM microprocessor. Execute on-board image processing without the need for an external system or SBC.
USB UVC works on Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android.
Open source reference firmware is on the GroupGets Github.
Open source reference image viewer software for Linux and macOS.
Powered by USB micro-B cable (included).
Device Firmware Updates (DFU) over USB.

The mini thermal camera is available for $365 with a FLIR LEPTON 3.0.