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The 8th Anniversary Sale at PCBWay + discount coupons

Posted on 22 July, 202222 July, 2022 by mixos

Witten by : Sasmita Behera

Good news for all the electronics engineers, students, and hobbyists. PCBWay is celebrating its 8th Anniversary !! So if you are searching for a PCB prototype with an amazing discount then this is it.

PCBWay is one of the most experienced PCB manufacturing company based in China with an experience of more than a decade in the field of PCB prototype and fabrication. It is committed to meeting the needs of its customers from different industries in terms of quality, delivery, cost-effectiveness, and any other demanding requests.

On the occasion of its 8th anniversary, PCBWay is offering free coupons, anniversary sales, a lucky draw, and many more for its users.

Grand coupons are waiting for you. Hurry up, guys! Limited quantity, so first come first served.

To avail of these offers visit PCBWay. The details of the coupons and how to avail of these are explained below.

8th Anniversary Promotion Coupons

Each PCBWay user ID can collect all coupons above, but each coupon can be only got once time.
Apply to all or specific items ( excluding shipping). Valid for 60 days.

How to Use Coupons?

Click “Apply PCBWay Coupon” before confirming the payment
Choose a coupon and the discount will be automatically applied to your order.

Here is the list of available coupons.

So, just click and collect your coupons at this page: https://www.pcbway.com/activity/anniversary8sales.html

Sharing the Coupon

If you have a friend who has never claimed the coupon on the event page but has claimed the coupon through the exclusive link you shared, you will receive an additional $5 off coupon.
You can either directly share the link https://www.pcbway.com/activity/anniversary8sales.html or share it through Twitter or Facebook.
Each person can get up to 10 extra $5 coupons.
The final interpretation right belongs to PCBWay.

You can also discover many more discounts and special offers for PCB fabrication and assembly services. The offers are listed below.

Avail Up to 50% off for 3D printing & CNC Machining

Offers on CNC Machining

The details of the offers for CNC Machining are listed below :

Offers on 3D Printing

You can avail the following offers on 3D Printing.

Offers on Injection molding & Vacuum casting

Offers on Sheet Metal

Special Sales in PCBWay Store

PCBWay is also offering many more gift modules for you to discover.

Lucky Draw!!

Log in to your PCBWay account now and claim your coupon code and you may end up as the lucky winner of one of two Raspberry Pi 4 Model B boards!

Rules :

This lucky draw will end on July 28th, 2022.
Each PCBWayer, who had ever purchased PCBWay products before, has TWO chances to draw the lottery. And ONE extra chance will be given if you place an order during the promotion time.
If you have no purchasing experience before, that means for new users, there is only one chance to draw.
The beans would be automatically added to your account. You can use it to redeem modules in the PCBWay store.
If you have any questions about how to redeem modules, please contact anson@pcbway.com.

PCBWayer’s Anniversary Videos

You can share the projects that are built on PCBWay or your blessings for PCBWay on social media.
If your video gets approved then you could get coupons worth $5-$50.
The deadline for submitting the video link is 28th, July 2022.

So guys, what are you waiting for!! Let’s celebrate PCBWay’s 8th Anniversary, and grab some amazing discounts & gifts.

Broadcom AFBR-S4N44P164M 4×4 NUV-MT Photo Multiplier Array

Posted on 21 July, 202221 July, 2022 by mixos

The Broadcom/Avago AFBR-S4N44P164M 4×4 NUV-MT Photo Multiplier Array features encapsulation achieving excellent mechanical stability and robustness. A clear epoxy mold compound realizes these features, which is highly transparent down to UV wavelengths, resulting in a broad response in the visible light spectrum with high sensitivity toward the blue and near UV region of the light spectrum.

The array is ideal for the detection of low-level pulsed light sources, especially for the detection of Cherenkov or scintillation light from the most common organic (plastic) and inorganic scintillator materials (for example, LSO, LYSO, BGO, NaI, CsI, BaF, LaBr3). Additionally, the device is lead-free and compliant with RoHS.

Features

4×4 SiPM array
Array size 16.00mm × 16.00mm
High PDE (63% at 420nm)
Excellent SPTR and CRT
Excellent uniformity of breakdown voltage
Excellent uniformity of gain
4-side tileable, with high fill factors
Cell pitch 40μm
Highly transparent epoxy protection layer
Operating temperature range from –20°C to +50°C
RoHS, CFM, and REACH compliant

Applications

X-ray and gamma-ray detection
Nuclear medicine
Positron emission tomography
Safety and security
Physics experiments
Cherenkov detection

more information: https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/AFBR-S4N44P164M-DS-4×4-NUV-MT-Silicon-Photo-Multiplier-Array

CotoMOS® CS140 High-Voltage MOSFET Relay

Posted on 21 July, 2022 by mixos

Coto Technology’s 140 series features high-voltage 1500 V switching and high-load current.

Coto Technology’s CotoMOS 140 series high voltage relays combine Coto quality and economy in an industry-standard 6-pin package. This MOSFET relay offers high-voltage switching and high-load current. The CS140 provides a surface mount option when the application requires it. Both configurations are ideally suited to test and measurement, solar, and battery management applications.

Features

Contact form: 1 A
Load voltage: 1500 V max.
Operation LED current: 5.0 mA max.
Load current: 45 mA (AC), 50 mA (DC), 75 mA (DC)
Low off-state leakage current: 10 μA max.
Output capacitance: 58 pF typical
3750 V_RMS/5000 V_RMS input/output isolation

more information: https://cotorelay.com/product/ct140/

Espoir — fully compliant Power over Ethernet+ ESP32-based devboard

Posted on 21 July, 2022 by Emmanuel Odunlade

Canadian IoT specialist Connaxio is preparing to launch a handy open source board that makes for a quick and easy way to wire up IoT projects. The new Espressif ESP32-based Espoir is a dual-core development board designed to drive projects using Power over Ethernet (PoE).

“Espoir is a fully compliant Power over Ethernet+ (PoE+ 802.3af/at) ESP32-based devboard that lets you jump straight to business. It provides up to 15 watts of power to your application at 5V and 3.3V,” said Connaxio’s Marc-Antoine Lalonde. “Four full copper layers give the board enhanced electromagnetic compatibility and thermal dissipation. Its PI-filtered power input and outputs give excellent analog performance.”

The board strengths:

reliable (with PoE+, batteries, solar panels, wind mills, and glued-together power supplies).
robust (through signal protection and filtering, proper isolation, and a four-layers PCB)
remote controllable (via Ethernet or WiFi)
modular (through compatibility with over 1,300 mikroBUSTM add-on boards and a 5V, 3A output)
standardized (compliant with applicable IEEE 802.x standards)

The Espoir features an on-board ESP32-MINI-1 module meaning it’s a fully-functional microcontroller board in a compact footprint. The Espoir board is designed majorly for outdoor use and can handle all kinds of sensors. You can use it to turn “dumb” devices smart or use it for smart lighting, access control, motion detection, audio applications, and item scanning.

Board Features & Specifications Include:

ESP32-MINI-1 Processor with Single/Dual core running at up to 240 MHz, 4 MB Flash @ 80 MHz, and, 520 KB of Static RAM (SRAM)
Power Input:
- 37 V – 57 V PoE through the Ethernet connector (no additional hardware is required)
- 5 V through the USB-C connector (4.6 V available through a protection diode)
Power Output:
- 5 V at 3 A (15 W) from PoE
- 3.3 V at 0.7 A (2.3 W) (Linear, derived from the 5 V power rail)
100Base-T Ethernet (80+ mbps UDP throughput)
Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n with integrated antenna
Bluetooth 4.2 BLE
USB 2.0 data connectivity via USB-C connector
Full mikroBUS™ socket with two grounds, 5 V, 3.3 V and 12 IOs
Extension header with two grounds, four additional input only pins, and the ESP32 reset signal (unsoldered socket header included)
Weight: 31 g
Size: 50.8 x 61.0 mm (2.0 x 2.4 in)
Mounting holes: 4x M2.5 / 4-40. The bottom-left hole is plated and connected to local ground.
Designed exclusively with free, open source software.

The pricing and availability of the dual-core variant board are yet unknown, but it is fully open source and design files have been published to Connaxio’s GitHub repository. Other useful details on the board can be found on Crowd Supply where the company is planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign for the board. You can sign up to get notified when the project finally goes live.

LILYGO T-A7068X: The Robust Wifi/ BLE Development Board

Posted on 21 July, 2022 by Saumitra Jagdale

LILYGO has released its new ESP32-based, T-A7068X boards with a 4G LTE modem. It consists of two variants T-A7608E-H & T-A7608SA-H that feature SIMCOM A7608E-H and SIMCOM A7608SA-H. The SIMCOM A7608E-H supports the markets in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South Korea, and Thailand whereas SIMCOM 7608SA-H serves regions such as Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

The SIMCOM A7608E-H and SIMCOM A7608SA-H offer download/upload speeds up to 150 Mbps and 50 Mbps. In comparison with its predecessors T-A7608SA and T-A7608E, the T-A7608SA-H and T-A7608E-H have enhanced from 10(DL)/5(UL) to 150(DL)/50(UL). As a result, the new T-A7608X boards have ten times faster Download Link (DL) and Upload Link (UL).

LILYGO T-A7068X Technical Specifications

The ESP32-WROVER-E module, based on an ESP32 dual-core processor operating at 240 MHz and includes 4MB Flash memory and 8MB PSRAM, drives these boards. For superior connectivity, it gets the support of WIFI 4 and Bluetooth 4.2/ 5.X technology along with the PCB antennas. The new T-A7068X boards support GPS since they are also providing a GPS antenna. It also consists of I/O expansions including two 16-pin headers which permit the expansion of these boards even with RS485 and CAN bus interfaces. These I/O expansions also support GPIOs, ADC, DAC, touch interface, UART, I2C, SPI, VN/VP, Reset, VBUS, VBAT, 3.3V and GND. The detailed pinout details for T-A7608E-H & T-A7608SA-H are given below.

In terms of power supply, the T-A7608X includes a 5v USB Type-C connector, 4.4V to 6V via 2-pin header for solar panel input or external battery s well as a 18650 battery holder. The given USB Type-C port can be used for programming as well. It includes a Micro USB terminal that enables a user to use the board as a 4G LTE USB dongle. These boards require a supply voltage of 3.4V to 4.2V and also have 30 x 30 x 2.5 mm dimensions.

T-A7608SA-H and T-A7608E-H Connectivity Specifications

Protocols supported – TCP/IP/IPV4/IPV6/DNS/ Multi- PDP/FTP/FTPS/HTTP/HTTPS
USB Drivers -Windows 7/8/10, Linux, Android
Wifi- 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth- v4.2 BR/EDR and BLE

The table below shows the comparison between T-A7068E-H/T-A7608SA-H

For more information about cellular connectivity visit Banggood’s website.

Speaking about SIMCom A7608SA-H and SIMCom A7608E-H, they support wireless communication standards such as LTE-TDD/LTE-FDD/HSPA+/GSM/GPRS/EDGE. They are also well-known for being extremely beneficial in high-bandwidth applications. To know more about the SIMC7608x refer to the user manual.

The LILYGO T-A7068X is shipped with an LTE antenna, GPS antenna, a two-wire cable consisting of a JST connector for an external battery, and two 16-pin headers. A user can find the code samples and documentation for Arduino and PlatformIO using the TinyGSM library on Github. The wireless module LILYGO T-A7068X Wifi/ Bluetooth development boards are available for $39.79. For more details or to buy this product, visit Banggood’s website.

Create DIY Zigbee Devices With ZigUNO

Posted on 21 July, 2022 by Saumitra Jagdale

ZigUNO is a development board that allows users to create custom Zigbee devices. It is compatible with the Arduino UNO shields and shares the same size as Arduino UNO. It comes with the Ebyte E18-MS1 module equipped with TI SimpleLink CC2530. TI (Texas Instruments) SimpleLink CC2530 is a system-on-chip (SoC) solution for IEEE 802.15.4, Zigbee, and RF4CE applications. The CC2530 combines the RF transceiver’s great performance with an industry-standard improved 8051 MCU, in-system programmable flash memory, and 8-KB RAM, among other powerful features.

The PTVO Zigbee firmware offers a graphical setup tool for selecting the Zigbee chip (CC2530), configuring I/O behavior (input/output, pull-up, etc), and more. DIYRuZ is chosen as an example to start with by the developers in their early stages of programming. ZigUNO includes a DC-DC converter with an output voltage of 5v and a current up to 1.5A. This can be also used to power external sensors and relays. Note that the CC2530 has a 3.3V operational voltage and is not 5V tolerant.

ZigUNO Technical Specifications

ZigUNO uses Zigbee technology and hence supports zigbee2mqtt.
The Ebyte E18-MS1 module (CC2530) features Zigbee 3.0 and IEEE 802.15.4 for connectivity along with a PCB antenna.
Ebyte E18-MS1 module has a flash memory of 256kB and 8kB RAM.
This board has dimensions 82x54x13 same as Arduino UNO.
Operating temperature ranges from 0 to 50°C
For power supply, it gets 5V up to 1.5A via 5.5/2.1mm DC jack, 2-pin terminal block, or micro USB port
ZigUNO features 3.3v Arduino UNO headers for expansion purposes and these headers are not 5v tolerant

The figure below shows the pin configuration of the ZigUNO development board v1.0

Since ZigUNO is an open-source development board, the developers can access the design files available on Github. This file contains numerous programs for beginners along with the schematics to get a better understanding of this development board. The delivery set of this board comprises the ZigUNO board with E18 MS1-PCB as well as a set of connectors providing easy interfacing. The ZigUNO board is presently unavailable, but the firm promises that the next batch will be available in August. For more queries about the ZigUNO board please visit Tindie’s official website.

iWave launches the Zynq® UltraScale+™ RFSoC System on Module with ZU49/ZU39/ZU29

Posted on 21 July, 202221 July, 2022 by mixos

iWave Systems is pleased to announce the Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC System on Module. The SOM features the ZU49DR, and is compatible with the ZU39 and ZU29. The RFSoC Gen3 family is known to be a right fit for increasingly complex and performance-demanding RF applications such as 5G wireless, Digital RF front end, Aerospace, Defense, and other high-performance RF applications.

The System on Module provides the industry’s highest RF channel count with 16Channel RF-DACs @ 10GSPS & 16Channel RF-ADCs @ 2.5GSPS. Integrated RF PLL, SyncE & PTP network synchronization enable the highest signal processing bandwidth in the comprehensive RF signal chain.

Complete with an ARM Cortex-A53 and Dual ARM Corex-R5 processors with a high bandwidth DDR4 memory, the iWave RFSoC System on Module creates a multichannel data conversion and processing solution.

Complementing the RFSoC resources, the SoM provides for:

64-bit PL DDR4 and 64-bit PS DDR4 with ECC
Integrated ultra-low-noise programmable RF PLL
Integrated SyncE & PTP Network Synchronization
Dual 400 Pin Board to Board connectors
- 16 ADC Channels up to 2.5Gsps
- 16 DAC Channels up to 10Gsps
- 16 GTY Transceivers up to 32.75Gbps
- 192 FPGA IOs

The System on Module supports a wide range of high-speed connectivity peripherals such as PCIe, USB3.0, SATA3.1, and Display Port through the GTR high-speed transceivers. High-speed serial connectivity is available through the dual 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet.

The module leverages the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC Gen3 device, making it ideal to be deployed into RF systems that demand a small footprint, low power, and real-time processing. Furthermore, the SoM brings in a drop-in solution for customers who wants to expedite integration of RFSoC Gen-3 technology into their products.

“The RFSoC System on Module packed with new Gen3 RFSoC, comprehensive programmable clock distribution & synchronization and integrated high bandwidth memory provides complete RF & Processing solution in lowest possible power & footprint” said Immanuel Rathinam, Vice President – System on Modules at iWave. “The flexibility offered by the SoM helps the user to deploy the new technology in the field by leveraging the design to match the specific application requirements.”

iWave also provides reference designs for the System on Module in the form of a development kit. The development kit enabled the user to begin application development and prototyping. iWave also provides custom design and manufacturing services around the SoM, presenting a comprehensive ecosystem for the customer on their product development.

More information on the RFSoC System on Module can be found here. For further information or inquiries, please contact mktg@iwavesystems.com

SiFive Intelligence X280 processor Gets Upgraded to Meet the Needs of Modern Workload

Posted on 20 July, 2022 by Emmanuel Odunlade

SiFive Inc., founder and leader of RISC-V computing, has enhanced its SiFive Intelligence X280 processor to deliver unmatched scalability, security, and great interoperability to the X280 processor– a powerful solution for anyone looking for alternatives to legacy SIMD-style architectures.

“The new X280 enhancements are a direct result of listening and collaborating with customers and are already designed into multiple sockets around the world,” said Chris Jones, VP Product at SiFive. “The market feedback about our X280 has been nothing short of incredible. The product maps extremely well to the needs of the modern workload and vector processing and was introduced at the exact right moment to accelerate RISC-V’s already considerable momentum. Additionally, the software ecosystem around the RISC-V vector extension is growing exponentially which ensures broad support for customers and is driving the inevitable, wide industry adoption of RISC-V.”

The multi-core and multi-cluster capable RISC-V processor build on the foundation of the SiFive Essential product portfolio to offer the utmost in flexibility to a designer, targeting applications with the most demanding vector computational capabilities.

The X280 processor is optimized for AI/ML computing at the edge. It was made publicly available last year and has seen rapid adoption in a wide variety of data-driven applications including AI inference, image processing, and datacenter acceleration, as well as in the automotive sector. This is largely due to its unique combination of performance, power efficiency, and an intuitive programming model.

Some Key Features of the Improved SiFive are:

a new interface (Vector Coprocessor Interface eXtension) that allows for seamless integration between the X280 vector unit and customer-designed external AI accelerators or other coprocessors
Scalability up tp 16-core cache-coherent complex, and,
WorldGuard trusted protection solution that brings execution environment to high core count platforms, protecting ML/AI algorithms from malicious attacks.

The SiFive X280 processor also features 64-bit RISC-V ISA, a high-performance memory subsystem, virtual memory support with up to 48-bit addressing, a multi-layer caching support for optimum data movement, 256-vector ALU, 512-bit vector register length, a high-performance and flexible connectivity to SoC peripherals.

The X280 processor has the full support of the RISC-V vector extension standard and SiFive Intelligence Extensions. It is most suitable for a number of applications including AR, VR, sensor hubs, gaming devices, IVI systems, IP cameras and digital cameras. It offers high-throughput alongside single-thread performance while under power constraints.

Other useful details about the X280 can be found on the product page.

Microchip introduces 5G connection in new 8-bit MCU board

Posted on 20 July, 2022 by Emmanuel Odunlade

Microchip Technology Inc, a leading provider of smart, connected, and secure embedded control solutions, has designed a new AVR-IoT cellular development board to help designers who need the ultimate in location flexibility, low-power consumption, and deployment simplicity. The board, which is based on the AVR128DB48 8-bit microcontroller (MCU), offers a robust platform to start building sensor and actuator nodes on 5G narrowband IoT networks.

“Microchip continues to expand its family of AVR® 8-bit MCUs for developers to implement a variety of embedded designs with ease and flexibility,” said Greg Robinson, VP marketing for the company’s 8-bit MCU business unit. “The ability to connect remote and mobile devices to a 5G narrowband network with an 8-bit MCU opens up new opportunities for battery-operated devices because of key factors such as low power combined with high-quality analog peripherals.”

The mini development board has a small form factor that makes it ideal for users who want to connect IoT to any available 5G network. This feature is particularly important for devices in areas with limited availability of Long Range or Low Power Wide Area Network Solutions.

It also offers functionality that covers the core requirements of many applications such as building automation and remote monitoring, alarm systems, transport systems, and other applications in the agricultural, industrial, and energy sectors. It comes with the ability to send data from on-board light and temperature sensors to the cloud, and be viewed via the company’s sandbox portal.

The company partnered with Sequans to include its Monarch 2 GM02S single-chip radio equipped with 5G LTE-M and narrowband IoT. It also collaborated with Truphone to provide the SIM card that would be used for cellular service, one with reliable coverage across the globe. All these attempts to provide an efficient and more cost-effective solution connecting IoT devices to 5G using the AVR128DB48 MCU.

“The Monarch 2 GM02S is a 5G-ready LTE-M and narrowband-IoT solution on a single-chip, which we designed specifically for narrowband IoT applications, including sensors, wearables and other low-data, low-power devices,” said Didier Dutronc, Executive VP of Partnership Strategy at Sequans.

The AVR-IoT Cellular mini development board fits the Adafruit feather form factor and is Arduino compatible. The AVR-IoT cellular mini development board is available and currently sells at $60. Other useful details can be found on Microchip’s Purchasing and Client Services Website, or just contact their sales rep. Microchip‘s sandbox page also has a tutorial on how to get started and establish a connection with the cellular mini development board.

IoTFi cellular connectivity board with RP2040 microcontroller and inbuilt GPS technology

Posted on 20 July, 2022 by Abhishek Jadhav

This one’s exciting! A UK-based embedded developer in collaboration with SB Components has designed an IoT development board with support for a rich set of connectivity options. The hardware platform has 2G and 4G cellular connectivity through a separate antenna for both. For 2G, the onboard SIM868 module supports GSM/GPRS and GNSS with low-power consumption and supported frequency bands of 800/900/1800/1900 MHz.

The IoTFi cellular connectivity board is built around the Raspberry Pi in-house silicon tapeout RP2040 microcontroller fabricated using 40nm silicon and comes with an integrated static RAM. The board also has an ESP32, a low-power system-on-chip with support for Wi-Fi and dual-mode Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The board is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack and an SD card slot to expand the onboard storage.

Apart from the enhanced wireless experience, IoTFi cellular connectivity board features a high-resolution 1.14-inch LCD display for displaying various sensor parameters. There is also an onboard accelerator and Bluetooth 2.0 module, making the hardware platform run next-gen applications. As the company says, “This All-in-One device is capable of calling and transmitting messages to any of your devices.”

Specifications of IoTFi cellular connectivity board:

Microcontroller: Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller featuring a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor core clocked up to a frequency of 133MHz
Wireless module: ESP32 system-on-chip with built-in support for Wi-Fi and dual-mode Bluetooth
Cellular connectivity: microSIM and SD slots for 2G via SIM868 and 4G via SIM7600G. Also, an inbuilt Bluetooth 2.0 module with support for enhanced data rate and faster PSK modulation
Antennas: 2x antennas– GSM and GPS
Display: 1.14-inch LCD display with a resolution of 135×240 pixels
Audio: 3.5mm audio jack
Sensors: Accelerometer module
Power: USB Type-C connector for power as well as transmitting data
Dimensions:
- 80×60 mm for 2G variant
- 100×70 mm for 4G variant

On the software support, the hardware platform provides the flexibility to use several programming languages, such as Arduino, Python, and C/C++. There are several applications that can be built including fetching GPS coordinates, using it as a navigation system, integrating it as a security device, as a vehicle tracking device, as well as a home automation system.

The package contains an IoTFi cellular connectivity board, a GSM antenna, and a GPS antenna. The board was primarily looking for crowdfunding through Kickstarter product page, but is currently unavailable. Interested people can sign up on the Mailchimp page to get notified when available.