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Motor Control Innovation: EEWeb Design Contest with Arduino Portenta and Altium Designer

Posted on 3 November, 2021 by mixos

The EEWeb Design Contest First Edition sponsored by Arduino and Altium is now open for submissions.

This inaugural contest challenges hardware design enthusiasts from all over the world to develop an imaginative and innovative design project of a motor control system with the Arduino Portenta H7 board. In the comments section below, participants present their design idea in a maximum of 300 words, i.e., the objective of the project, components required for its realization, and targeted applications.

Submission of proposals is open until Nov. 19, 2021.

EEWeb then reviews all proposals, and the best ones are granted the Arduino Portenta H7 board and a license to Altium Designer for the duration of the contest. They also receive a $200 contribution to purchase the components needed to complete their project.

The contest starts on Oct. 26, 2021 and ends on Feb. 27, 2022.

At the end of the contest, the winners have the opportunity to present their projects to industry experts at PowerUP Conference. They also win Amazon coupons and a one-year license to Altium Designer.

Schedule

Opening date: Oct. 26, 2021
Project submission: Nov. 19, 2021
Preliminary evaluation: Nov. 22, 2021
Closing: Feb. 27, 2022
Deliverables: March 2, 2022
Award ceremony: March 9, 2022

Good luck everybody!

more information: https://www.eeweb.com/motor-control-innovation-eeweb-design-contest-with-arduino-portenta-and-altium-designer/

PowerUP EXPO 2021 – Dec 7-9 2021

Posted on 3 November, 20213 November, 2021 by mixos

Power electronics is playing an increasingly important role in various markets such as automotive, industrial, and consumer. It is an enabling technology for a wide range of new functions that enhance vehicle and smart grid performance, safety and functionality. Power devices will improve system performance in energy-saving applications, as well as in all high-voltage industrial applications.

PowerUP Expo is a virtual conference and exhibition that aims to envision the future of Power Electronics.

Conference Program:

December 7 – Lectures/Tutorials & Preview

On Dec. 7, we will be running several 1-hour Lectures/Tutorials with live Q&A and we will preview the Technical Presentations from the whole conference. You may watch these presentations on demand all day on Dec. 7 and if you have any questions, you may come back on Dec. 8 and 9 for live Q&A chats with the speakers.

December 8 – Wide Bandgap Semiconductors

The next wave of GaN and SiC: The availability of wide-bandgap (WBG) devices is providing new solutions and answers to the challenges that power device designers face in an era in which the watchword is “efficiency.” WBG semiconductor technologies such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) promise benefits in wide-ranging applications, from universal wireless charging to power converters.

December 9 – Motor Control/Energy

High-efficiency Motor Control for Industry: Semiconductor devices serve the needs of motor drive and power control, which offer a better position, and torque, as well as much higher efficiency. The motor control circuit must switch the current flow to the motor coils on and off quickly, with minimal switching time or conduction period losses. As efficiency standards for these applications continue to strengthen, cost-efficient and energy-efficient motor control solutions simplify the design and provide a high level of integration, along with enhanced safety features and certified isolation capabilities.

The Future of Energy: One problem to be solved for the future of humanity is related to energy, global warming, and the depletion of fossil fuels. Renewables, energy storage, power grids, and other energy trends emphasize the reliability of aging electrical infrastructure and transmission and distribution lines around the world. Growing and supporting renewable energy poses a lot of challenges.

PowerUP works in the same way as a live exhibition and conference does: it has fair grounds, an exhibition hall, and a conference area.

During the technical conference, we will have topic-specific tracks with keynotes, panel discussions, technical presentations and tutorials covering major technical trends, market requirements, new applications areas, etc.

Parallel to the Conference there will be an Exhibition, featuring virtual booths from leading power electronics companies. A Live Chat tool enables visitors to directly contact the booth personnel.

STMicroelectronics ST25TV02KC/ST25TV512C RFID Transponders

Posted on 3 November, 2021 by mixos

STMicroelectronics ST25TV02KC/ST25TV512C RFID Transponders are NFC/RFID tag ICs that include ST’s state-of-the-art patented technology. The RFID Transponders provide an Augmented NDEF option, a tamper detection interface, and specific modes to protect customer privacy. The Augmented NDEF feature is a contextual automatic NDEF message service that allows the tag to respond with dynamic content without an explicit update of the EEPROM by the end-user. The tamper detection interface is only available on ST25TV02KC-T. This interface is not offered on the ST25TV02KC‑A and ST25TV512C devices.

The STM ST25TV02KC and ST25TV512C RFID Transponders hold a digital signature generated by TruST25 (a set of software and procedures) to prove the origin of the chip in cloning detection. This digital signature also embeds a configurable EEPROM with 60-year data retention and can be operated from a 13.56MHz long-range RFID reader or an NFC phone. The contactless interface complies with the ISO/IEC 15693 standard and NFC Forum Type 5 tag specification.

Features

Contactless interface
- Compliant with ISO/IEC 15693
- NFC Forum Type 5 tag certified by the NFC Forum
- Supports all ISO/IEC 15693 modulations, coding, subcarrier modes, and datarates up to 26Kbit/s
- Single block reads and writes, multiple block reads
- 23pF Internal tuning capacitance
Memory
- Up to 2560-bits (320bytes) of EEPROM
- Accessible by blocks of four bytes
- Typical 5ms per block write time from RF
- 60 Years at 55°C data retention
- 100k Write cycles minimum endurance
- 3-digit unique tap code
- Augmented NDEF (contextual automatic NDEF message)
Data protection
- User memory configurable in one or two areas:
  - Single area mode, access protectable by one 64-bit password
  - Flexible dual area mode, access protectable by two 32-bit passwords
- System configuration: access protected by a 32-bit password
- Permanent write lock of specific user area blocks
- Temporary write lock at user area level
- Permanent write lock of specific system configuration blocks
Product identification and protection
- Password features of cover coding, recovery, failed attempt counter
- Tamper detection capability with memorization of open/resealed events
- TruST25 digital signature
Privacy
- Configurable kill mode for permanent deactivation of the tag
- Untraceable mode with configurable responsiveness
Temperature range from -40°C to 85°C
Package
- 5-pin package, ECOPACK2 (RoHS compliant)
- Bumped and sawn wafer

more information: https://www.st.com/en/nfc/st25tv02kc.html

TSV791 Rail-to-Rail 5 V Op Amp

Posted on 3 November, 2021 by mixos

STMicroelectronics’ single 50 MHz bandwidth unity-gain-stable amp features rail-to-rail input stage

STMicroelectronics’ TSV791 is a single 50 MHz bandwidth unity gain stable amplifier. The rail-to-rail input stage and the slew rate of 30 V/μs make the TSV791 ideal for low-side current measurement. The excellent accuracy provided by a maximum input voltage of 200 μV allows amplifying accurately small-amplitude input signal. The TSV791 can operate from a 2.2 V to 5.5 V single supply, and it is designed to allow easy usage as A/D converters’ input buffer.

Features

Gain bandwidth product 50 MHz, unity gain stable
Slew rate 30 V/µs
Low input offset voltage 50 µV typ, 200 µV max
Low input bias current: 2 pA typ
Low input voltage noise density 6.5 nV/√Hz
Wide supply voltage range: 2.2 V to 5.5 V
Rail-to-rail input and output
Accuracy of measurement virtually unaffected by noise or input bias current
Signal conditioning for high frequencies

more information: https://www.stmicroelectronics.com.cn/zh/amplifiers-and-comparators/tsv791.html

Solliance sets records for perovskite solar cells at 29.2 per cent

Posted on 3 November, 20213 November, 2021 by mixos

4T tandem perovskite silicon solar cells reach a record efficiency of 29.2 percent. [via]

The European Solliance research group continues to set records for the efficiency of tandem perovskite solar cells using silicon and CIGS. Increasing the efficiency of low-cost perovskite solar cells is a key way of boosting renewable energy production. Combining the perovskite cell, which absorbs in the infrared, with existing cells based on silicon or other materials captures more of the available energy, providing higher conversion efficiency.

Working with the M2N group of René Janssen at the University of Technology Eindhoven, the researchers at Solliance in the Netherlands used a wide-bandgap (1.69eV) perovskite cell with high near-infrared transparency on top of a silicon solar cell from Panasonic with four terminals (4T).

The perovskite cell reached a stabilized efficiency of 17.8 percent during 5-min maximum-power-point tracking and achieved a record efficiency of 29.2 percent for the 4T perovskite/Si tandem cell.

In combination with the Miasolé copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) bottom cell, the team also showed a world-record efficiency of 27.1 percent for a flexible 4T perovskite/CIGS tandem.

www.solliance.eu

PiBox 2 Mini – A Raspberry Pi CM4-Based NAS And Cloud Storage Device

Posted on 3 November, 2021 by Emmanuel Odunlade

With the increased number of cloud storage solutions now available to support virtual data access, it is undeniably true that cloud computing has come to stay in the tech ecosystem. KubeSail, a self hosting company, has added to this number with their newest product called the PiBox 2 Mini.

The PiBox 2 Mini with a modular design is a network data storage server built on a Raspberry Pi CM4 board with up to 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash. The PiBox is designed to function as a standard NAS and specifically provide support for home-based private cloud hosting applications capable of replacing popular cloud storage solutions/services like Dropbox and Google photos with easily installable templates (apps/services) available in/for the box. It is furnished with two slots for 2.5″ HDD and SSD compatible drivers, USB ports, and an HDMI port to also function as a computer.

The box features a PCIe carrier board that carries the Raspberry Pi CM4, a PCIe slot for the Raspberry Pi CM4, and a SATA board with interfaces that I already mentioned. The carrier board also exposes a 40-pins GPIO header and a Gigabit Ethernet port. It requires a supply power of 5V/3A. Board specification references Jean-Luc’s content on Cnx Software.

Key Features and Specifications Include:

Raspberry Pi CM4/CM4 Lite
8GB RAM
32GB eMMC flash
5V/3A power supply (through USB-C port)
2x SATA port (for 2.5-inch HDD/SSD drives)
MicroSD card socket (CM4 Lite support)
RJ45 port
Optional 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 module of Raspberry Pi CM4
HDMI 2.0 port @ 4Kp60
Built-in 1.3-inch colour LCD
USB 2.0 ports x 2, USB-C port (power input)
Tri-color RGB LED, Disk, CPU, Power LEDs, PWM cooling fan

As for the software, the board runs KubeSail and supports open-source solutions (templates). These solutions include MySQL, WordPress, Nextcloud – cloud storage solution, Minecraft Server, PhotoPrism — a replacement for Google photos, and more. KubeSail platform is optional software that provides flexibility to its users by granting easy access to user files physically or virtually/remotely. Three subscription plans are included:

Community — $0.0 per cluster with limited proxy traffic, dynamic DNS and one user per month.
Standard — $5.0 per cluster with custom domains, encrypted backups, 25GB proxy traffic, up to 3 users and deploy from Github per month.
Pro — $25.0 per cluster, per month with nearly unlimited backups, many TBs proxy traffic, unlimited users and priority support.

So, with the community subscription available, KubeSail software appears free for an entire lifespan as long as you use limited resources and stay within the free zone conditions — of one cluster, one user. If you want to try the PiBox OS available on the Github repository on your Raspberry Pi compute module, follow the guides lines for installation.

The KubeSail PiBox 2 Mini is available on Kickstarter for crowdfunding campaign with rewards at $100+ (for bare PiBox circuit board), $ 250+ (for standard bundle), $450+ (for standard bundle + SSD drives installed), and, $2500+ (for founders Edition bundle).

Other useful details can be found on Kickstarter’s website.

Akida Development Kits For Raspberry Pi And Shuttle PC

Posted on 3 November, 2021 by Emmanuel Odunlade

Brainchip has announced the release of two development kits for its Akida AKD1000 neuromorphic processor to further help hobbyists, tinkerers and developers create ultra-low-power applications. This new launch intends to meet the need of developers who wish to run its AKD1000 silicon chip with configurable IP format with a Raspberry Pi or a Shuttle PC.

The AKD1000 silicon is designed to offer high performance for high-end (spiking) neural networks, and edge AI solutions while consuming power only when the spikes are actively processed and decoded. The AKD1000 also provides high security and low power consumption with the ability to undergo onboard AI training and learning without the need for retraining in the cloud.

According to a released statement by Anil Mankar, Brainchip Co-founder and Chief Development Officer of the launch, the new development kits are major steps by Brainchip towards full commercialization of its device. They are equally avenues to see how its present customers and future customers will utilize Akida in applications like industrial applications, consumer electronics, aerospace and defence systems, automotive technology, and healthcare and medical devices. The two development kits are Raspberry Pi-based and Shuttle PC-based. The first is built based on Raspberry’s Pi compute Module 4 open-hardware I/O carrier board while the latter is designed for compatibility with shuttle PC with 10th – gen Intel Core i9/i7/i5/I3, Pentium, Gold and Celeron processors.

Key Specifications of the two Dev Kits Include:

Akida Development Kit – Raspberry Pi:

SoC: Broadcom BCM2711C0 quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 (ARMv8-A) 64-bit @ 1.5GHz
GPU: Broadcom VideoCore VI
1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4 SDRAM
Optional 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet PHY
GPIO: Carrier board dependent
PCI Express, 2× DSI, 2× CSI, 2× HDMI
External (CM4 Lite), on-board 8GB/16GB/32GB eMMC (CM4)
Hirose U.FL antenna connector, 2× 100-pin high-density connectors
20.06cm x 10.5cm x 3.7cm (exc. carrier board)
Optional Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE
Additional: Includes Akida on Mini PCIe Board installed in the development kit, Meta TF Software Development Environment, Includes User Guide and examples of Akida Models

Akida Development Kit – Shuttle Pc:

Power Supply: External 180 W / 19.5 V power adapter
OS: Supports Windows 10 and Linux (64-bit)
Processor Support: Socket LGA1200 supports 10th-gen Intel Core i9/i7/i5/i3, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors, codenamed “Comet Lake-S”, max. 65W TDP
Heatpipe cooling system with two fans
1x 2.5″ bay for SATA hard disk or SSD, max. 9.5 mm
1x M.2-2280M slot (supports PCIe x4 NVMe or SATA)
1x M.2-2230AE for an optional WLAN card
1x PCI Express X16 v3.0 slot
Supports single-slot expansion cards with max. 208 x 120 x 30 mm in size and max. 75 W TDP
Onboard 5V auxiliary voltage (max. 2 A) with 4-pin Molex adapter cable
HDMI 2.0a, D-Sub VGA, 4x USB 3.2 Gen1, 4x USB 2.0, 1x USB 2.0 internal USB stick, 2x audio (line out, mic), Intel Gigabit LAN (RJ45), Connector for the external power button, “Always-On” jumper, DC input
Optional Accessories: WLAN Module (WLN-M), Vertical Stand (PS01), RS232 COM port (H-RS232), Cable for external power button (CXP01)
Chipset:
- Intel H410 Chipset
- Includes Akida on Mini PCIe Board installed in the development kit
- Includes Meta TF Software Development Environment
- Includes User Guide and examples of Akida Models

You’ll get the Raspberry Pi-based kit at $4,995 but the Shuttle PC-based kit sells for $9,995 on the company’s products page. They however have not given any date for shipping yet.

MEMS microspeaker for wearables weighs 56mg

Posted on 3 November, 2021 by mixos

Startup xMEMS Labs Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) has launched a MEMS microspeaker called Cowell that it claims is the world’s smallest.

It measures 3.2mm by 1.15mm by 6.0mm (22 cubic millimeters) and weighs 56 milligrams making it suitable for true wireless stereo earbuds.

Cowell delivers a sound pressure level of 110dB at 1kHz; provides up to 15dB of gain above 1kHz for improved speech-in-noise performance and greater vocal and instrumental clarity versus electrodynamic and balanced armature µspeakers. Cowell is the first speaker to use xMEMS’ second generation M2 speaker cell architecture enabling increased loudness in smaller form factors. Cowell engineering samples are available now, with mass production in early 2Q22.

“Cowell’s architecture addresses two key hearables market trends: 1) spatial and lossless audio; and 2) over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids,”

said Mike Housholder, xMEMS’ vice president of marketing and business development.

“Cowell’s small size and performance are perfectly aligned with these market trends with a fast mechanical response, up to 150x faster than incumbent speakers, near zero phase shift and +/-1 degree phase consistency enabling precise placement of audio in 3D space.”

For TWS applications, Cowell can be implemented as a full-range driver in occluded earbud architectures or as a small, high-performance tweeter paired with an electrodynamic woofer driver in non-occluded or leaky 2-way solutions.

For hearing aid applications, Cowell is a full-range driver that is 45 percent smaller than an equivalent balanced armature receiver, making receiver-in-canal applications a possibility.

As with all xMEMS microspeakers, Cowell is a monolithic architecture implementing both actuation and diaphragm in silicon resulting in better part-to-part frequency response consistency and reducing speaker matching or calibration time at manufacturing.

Cowell is paired with the xMEMS Aptos Class-H audio amplifier (1.92 x 1.92 x 0.6mm WLCSP).

more information: www.xmems.com

GENE-TGU6: Greater Performance for Embedded Edge Applications

Posted on 2 November, 20212 November, 2021 by mixos

AAEON, an industry leader in AI Edge solutions, announces the GENE-TGU6 subcompact embedded board. Featuring the 11th Generation Intel® Core™ U processors (formerly Tiger Lake), the board delivers performance and a great range of features designed to power applications from AI processing and Edge IoT, to digital signage and automation.

The GENE-TGU6 is powered by the 11th Generation Intel Core U processors. This latest generation of embedded processors deliver up to 20% better performance over previous generations. By leveraging both innovative thermal design and industrial CPU SKUs, the GENE-TGU6 can support operation in tough environments with temperatures ranging from -40°C to 85°C (0°C to 60°C on standard platforms).

The GENE-TGU6 allows users and developers to leverage the Intel® Iris® Xe embedded graphics to power brilliant displays and accelerate inferences. The GENE-TGU6 features five video outputs on board, supporting up to four simultaneous displays up to 4K, perfect for digital signage and kiosk applications. Additionally, the Intel Iris Xe is designed to be compatible with Intel® distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit, allowing it to perform AI acceleration tasks. Along with Intel® Deep Learning Boost™, the GENE-TGU6 is capable of AI compute performance 30~40% greater than previous generations.

With the need to meet demands for higher bandwidth data transfer and processing, the GENE-TGU6 comes with a host of features designed for speed and flexibility. The board comes with two LAN ports, one powered by the Intel® i225 chipset delivering speeds up to 2.5 Gbps, alongside an Intel® i219 Gbps port. Additionally, the board offers four USB3.2 Gen 2 ports as well as USB3.2 Gen 2 Type-C for greater flexibility with modern deployments. Video output is provided thanks to HDMI 2.0b, two DP1.4a ports, DP1.4a via Type C, and on-board LVDS port (eDP optional). Expandability is available through multiple M.2 slots, and Mini Card, supporting functions such as Wi-Fi, high speed NVMe storage, and AI scalability with modules such as the AI Core XM2280.

“The GENE-TGU subcompact board delivers a combination of processing performance and edge capabilities to enable users to power their projects,” said Alan Lan, Product Manager with AAEON’s Embedded Computing Division. “By leveraging features including the Intel Iris Xe graphics controller and scalable expansion support, the GENE-TGU can easily deploy to power applications from brilliant digital signage and displays to Edge IoT gateways and AI processing.”

The GENE-TGU comes with several key features for embedded deployment, including TPM2.0, wide voltage input (9V ~36V), and wide temperature operation. AAEON offers a range of industry leading services and support, from customization to OEM/ODM and manufacturer services.

Which LPWA Module to Choose for Your IoT Applications?

Posted on 2 November, 20213 November, 2021 by mixos

Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) network, including LTE-M and NB-IoT, is a power-efficient technology designed to transfer small amounts of data from a large number of devices, offering enhanced network coverage and capacity, lower costs as well as longer battery life suitable for low-power IoT applications. But how to choose the right LPWA module for your project?

NB-IoT vs LTE Cat-M: What Scenarios?

Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) operates over licensed spectrum designed for IoT devices with low bandwidth requirements. Since cellular technology offers remote support and strong signal penetration, NB-IoT is suitable for long distance and indoor or underground use. However, it cannot handle cellular tower switching, so it can only be used for fixed IoT applications. As a result, it is ideal for simple IoT scenarios that require small, intermittent data transfers and where latency is not critical, such as smart meters for gas, water and electricity, smart city (smart street lighting and parking sensors), smart agricultural (sensors that monitor irrigation systems and detect leaks), and so on.

Compared to NB-IoT, LTE Cat M supports higher uplink and downlink speeds of 1Mbps, as well as lower latency of 10 to 15 milliseconds. LTE M provides high enough bandwidth to replace many current 2G and 3G IoT applications. It supports cellular tower crossover switching so can be applied in devices that require mobility. Use cases of LTE M include smart wearables (fitness wristbands, smartwatches), asset tracking, fleet management, health monitors and smart alarms.

Defined in 3GPP Release 13 in 2016, both NB-IoT and LTE-M have not been globally available yet. NB-IoT is suitable for markets with late LTE adoption, while LTE-M is predominant in North and Latin American as well as Asian markets with early LTE adoption.

Fibocom’s High-Value LPWA Solutions Empower Industry Verticals

Fibocom’s commercial-ready LPWA modules can deliver cost-optimized wireless solutions for large-scale mobile IoT applications, bringing IoT solutions to the market with lower capital and time investment. The Fibocom NB-IoT module N510-GL and LTE Cat M module MA510-GL are especially suitable for IoT industry applications such as smart meter, smart home, smart parking, smart healthcare, asset tracking, smart cities, etc. Importantly, both types of modules are pin-compatible with Fibocom 2G module G510 and LTE Cat 1 module MC610, allowing customers to immigrate easily between different technologies without hardware changes.

Fibocom NB-IoT Module N510-GL

Fibocom LTE Cat M Moduel MA510-GL

Fibocom’s LPWA modules have been certified by various regional telecom operators (T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Vodafone, Telefonica), industry associations (HF, GCF, PTCRB) and local regulations (RoHS, RCM, NCC, IC, Reach, Anatel, CE, TELEC, JATE, CE-RED, FCC), aiming to satisfy different deployment requirements for customers worldwide.

For more information, please visit:

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