Page 240 – Electronics-Lab.com

Voltx.ai – AI-Based Rapid Battery Pack Design Service

Posted on 1 August, 20212 August, 2021 by Emmanuel Odunlade

The need for efficiency, speed, accuracy, and consistency in hardware design, in recent times, has spurred on the development of several AI systems that take in boundary parameters and return specifications, designs, and architectures to system designers. One of such tools is the recently launched battery design automation cloud software; Voltx.ai Alpha, developed by Battery Manufacturing expert, Voltaplex Energy.

The role of batteries in the current technological landscape cannot be overemphasized. From EVs to renewable energy solutions, and drones, battery packs are key components of the technological solutions that are being developed to reduce humanity’s carbon footprints. With the complexity of these solutions and the variations in their power requirements, it only makes sense to have an automated design process that takes care of everything about the battery, allowing designers to focus more time and energy on the other parts of the solutions. This is why Voltx.ai was developed, originally as an internal tool used in manufacturing at Voltaplex, but which after extensive use internally, is now being provided to the public for free usage.

An all-encompassing standard battery design tool, Voltx.ai was designed to give engineering teams the ability to rapidly design, prototype. evaluate, and compare new lithium-ion battery pack designs, at a speed beyond human capacity, generating thousands of manufacturing-ready battery designs per second using a database of real part specifications like cells, holders, wire and so on. The software takes in a few of your desired battery pack details like application, cell type, electrical characteristics like the voltage, current, capacity, etc, and automatically design, compare, and display the best packs for you.

Highlighting the importance of Voltx.ai during its launch, Voltaplex founder, Anton Doos said:

“Automating pack design is a key milestone in the company’s quest to automate battery manufacturing from concept to production. AI gives us superhuman abilities to quickly find optimal pack designs out of a search space that no engineering team would ever have the time to create”.

Asides from its use in generating pack designs, a major plus for Voltx is its ability to facilitate manufacturing by providing users with the opportunity of getting quotes for their design from Voltaplex, and also generating the files needed for manufacturing. According to Anton,

“some major bottle-necks to automating production lines are solved in an automated design phase. For example, once a pack is represented digitally then commands for an automated welding machine can be generated on-the-fly”.

More information on Voltx can be found on the website

Enclustra unveils Mercury+ XU6 based on Xilinx’s Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC

Posted on 1 August, 2021 by Abhishek Jadhav

Mercury+ XU6 SoM — [Image Credit: CNX Software]

Enclustra recently introduced two modules, Andromeda XZU90 SoM and Mercury+ XU6, capable of running Linux. Today’s focus will be on the Mercury+ XU6 that is built around the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC that is an ultra-compact package with integrated H.264 / H.265 video codec. The hardware Mercury+ XU6 system on module comes into the light with only measuring 65 x 54mm supporting UltraScale+ models with up to 256K logic cells.

As mentioned earlier, the Mercury+ XU6 system on module is powered by the Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC that features ARM dual-/quad-core Cortex-A53 clocked up to 1333 MHz and ARM dual-core Cortex-R5 running at a clock speed of 533 MHz. The system on module is integrated with up to 8GB DDR4 ECC SDRAM, 16GB eMMC flash, and 64MB QSPI flash storage.

Features of Mercury+ XU6 System on Module:

CPU: Xilinx’s Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC with ARM dual-/quad-core Cortex-A53 (64 bit, up to 1333 MHz) ARM dual-core Cortex-R5 (32 bit, up to 533 MHz)
GPU: Mali-400MP2
RAM: 8 GB DDR4 ECC SDRAM
Flash memory: 16 GB eMMC flash, 64 MB QSPI flash
Interfaces: PCIe Gen3 x4, PCIe Gen2 x4, 2x USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
Dimension: 65 × 54 mm
Power supply: 5–15 V supply

When we talk about any system on module, it requires a carrier board where it can be plugged or soldered. The manufacturer comes with two baseboards that support Mercury+ modules. The first Mercury+ PE1 has IO interfaces for almost every application and has three variants for building custom FPGA and SoC-based hardware.

The Mercury+ ST1 carrier board is designed for rapid prototyping and for building FPGA systems. For those looking to buy the Mercury+ XU6 module for the video codec and implement it in a video-based application, this Mercury+ ST1 baseboard is well suited for such applications due to its wide range of I/O interfaces.

Enclustra also unveiled the Andromeda XZU90 SoM, but it is still under development and is designed for high-end applications. For a single unit, the Mercury+ XU6 is priced in the range of $299.00 to $1134.00, depending on the variant. More details on the hardware specifications are available on the official product page.

Microchip Technology MCP6C02 High-Side Current Sense Amplifiers

Posted on 1 August, 20211 August, 2021 by mixos

Microchip Technology MCP6C02 High-Side Current Sense Amplifiers are amplifiers that provide input offset voltage correction for very low offset drift. These amplifiers offer preset gains of 20V/V, 50V/V, and 100V/V. The MCP6C02 high-side current sense amplifiers feature zero-drift architecture that results in very low input errors also allowing design flexibility. These amplifiers feature high DC precision, POR protection, and enhanced EMI protection.

The MCP6C02 high-side current sense amplifiers offer a maximum offset of less than 16µV with 3V to 65V specified input common-mode voltage range. These amplifiers are available in a small 6-pin SOT-23 package. Typical applications include motor control, analog level shifter, industrial computing, and battery monitor/tester. These amplifiers support both unidirectional and bi-directional applications.

Features

Bidirectional or unidirectional operation
High DC precision
20V/V, 50V/V, and 100V/V preset gains
POR protection
Enhanced EMI protection
Zero-drift architecture
Input offset voltage correction

Specifications

2V to 5.5V input power supply
154dB Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR)
138dB Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR)
50kHz (typical) bandwidth
490µA supply current
118dB @ 2.4GHz Electromagnetic Induction Rejection Ratio (EMIRR)
-40°C to 125°C extended operating temperature range
6-pin SOT-23 package

Block Diagram

Application Diagram

more information: https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/MCP6C02

OemSecrets – Bill of Materials (BOM) Management Tool Product Update

Posted on 1 August, 20211 August, 2021 by mixos

Since oemsecrets.com‘s last update, they’ve made some big changes to enhance the BOM Tool. Along with a new look, registration is no longer required to create and edit BOMs. They’ve added metrics such as price differences (target price vs best market price) to help you to make purchasing decisions. They’ve also revamped how you manage your BOMs giving you options to refresh data and duplicate BOMs.

It’s simple and easy to upload a list of parts and get the best price from each distributor. You can either upload a list of parts from a .csv, .xls or .xlsx file or add parts line by line.

No login is required and free to use
Upload your parts list to find the distributors with the best price
Add multiple parts to a distributor’s cart with a single click

UPLAOD a BOM for free

Other features include:

Refresh distributor data for your BOM for the latest pricing and stock
Store, view, and duplicate historic BOMs
Export your BOM data to Excel / CSV
Apply distributor preferences to suit your purchasing requirements
Get the best price based on your stock requirements or the lowest price
Add multiple parts to a distributor’s cart
Include a target price to view cost savings
Choose your currency and set your country preferences

ASRock Industrial’s iEPF-9000S/ iEP-9000E Series Edge AIoT Platform Empowers Smart Factory and Autonomous Vehicle

Posted on 1 August, 2021 by mixos

As strong demands of Edge AI storm across industries, ASRock Industrial delivers the most reliable, flexible, and powerful iEPF-9000S Series/ iEP-9000E Series Ruggedized Edge AIoT Platform with wide connectivity options (5G/4G, WiFi-6, BLE-5.1). It is capable and compact, a heterogeneous computing architecture that best suits your needs in various Industrial mission-critical applications.

ASRock Industrial Computer, the world leader in industrial motherboard and system is proud to release the new iEPF-9000S Series/ iEP-9000E Series Ruggedized Edge AIoT Platform powered by Intel^® 10th Generation Xeon^® W and Core™ i7/i5/i3 Processors (Comet Lake) with W480E, Q470E, and H420E chipsets for supreme performance, flexible integration, and reliable durability at the Edge. Featuring workload consolidation, the new Series provides super computing power, rich I/Os, expansions under the compact size, and ruggedness to ultimately replace traditional machines for PLC, HMI, Motion Control, Machine Vision, and more. This makes it well suited for Edge AI applications, such as smart factories, machine automation, AI vision in automated optical inspection, autonomous vehicles, and much more.

Super Computing Power for Edge AI Applications

There are two types of Ruggedized Edge AIoT Platform for next-level workload consolidation capability in different vertical markets. The iEPF-9000S Series Expendable Edge AIoT Platform is designed with flexible configurations and expansion slots for a variety of expansion cards; the iEP-9000E Series Compact Edge AIoT Platform is space-saving and fan-less in design with passive thermal solution. Both systems are powered by Intel® 10th Generation Xeon® W and Core™ i7/i5/i3 Processors (Comet Lake) with W480E, Q470E, and H420E chipsets for super computing power and support a total of four DDR4 SO-DIMM sockets up to 128GB, a phenomenal upgrade of memory size that is perfect for Edge AI applications.

Rich Industrial-centric I/Os and Flexible Expansions for Easy Integration

The iEPF-9000S Series/ iEP-9000E Series support up to five Intel® Gigabit LAN with two supporting PoE for reliable connectivity, four USB 3.2 Gen2, three USB2.0, six COM (4 x RS-232/422/485, 2 x RS-232), eight DI/DO (support 2.5KV isolation), and great visual through triple displays with two Display Port and one VGA, plus four SATA3 with hot swap trays for 2.5-inch SSD or HDD (CFast Option). Designed with flexible expansion slots, the iEPF-9000S Series supports one PCIe x16 (Gen 3) or two PCIe x8 (Gen 3), and two PCIe x4 for a variety of expansion cards such as graphic card, frame grabber card, motion card, and IO card. In addition, there are various sockets for RF modules and storage, one M.2 Key M for NVMe/ SATA SSD, one M.2 Key B for 4G/ 5G, one M.2 Key E for Wi-Fi/ BT, and two Mini PCIe for option modules.

Most Compact and Rugged Design for Harsh Environment

The iEPF-9000S Series includes models iEPF-9000S-EX4, iEPF-9001S-EX4, and iEPF-9002S-EX4 and is space-saving in design- 202 x 290 x 209.3mm (W x D x H); the iEP-9000E Series’ available models are iEP-9000E, iEP-9001E, and iEP-9002E with compact size- 202 x 244 x 108.7mm (W x D x H). Moreover, featuring rugged design, the new Series supports DC 9~36V wide range power input with ignition control and remote power switch, with 80V surge protection, OVP, UVP, OCP, and reverse protection and can also work under -40°C~75°C (-40°F~167°F) wide range temperature, plus high shock and vibration resistance to ensure always-on functionality even in a harsh environment.

“ASRock Industrial designed the Ruggedized Edge AIoT Platform with care and ambition, leading the industry forward with its strong and refined products. Through the consecutive releases of iEPF-9000S and iEP-9000E Series, we are approaching a new milestone, not only offering smarter hardware design and systems for customers but also accelerating system integration development. We hope to continue to provide complete solutions to cocreate an intelligent world together,” said James Lee, ASRock Industrial President.

With its high performance and stability, the Series is the essential core for workload consolidation and the exciting wide applications can revolutionize developments in a wide spectrum of transforming industries.

Product videos

To learn more about ASRock Industrial’s Ruggedized Edge AIoT Platform, please visit our Website Product Page, Product Video or contact us at Product Inquiry

Advantech Releases EKI-2701MPI-5G Hardened Multi-Speed Mega PoE Injector

Posted on 1 August, 2021 by mixos

Advantech, a leading supplier of industrial communication solutions, is proud to release the EKI-2701MPI-5G PoE injector. This compact, industrial-grade solution delivers Wi-Fi 6 network infrastructure, power over Ethernet (PoE) and advanced connectivity to out-of-date, extant infrastructure. It supports multiple data rates (10M/100M/1G/2.5G/5G) and IEEE802.3bt 90W PoE output and is an excellent choice for obsolete infrastructure applications requiring heavy network connectivity.

PoE and Multiple Data Rates Upgrade Network Infrastructure

Advantech’s EKI-2701MPI-5G supports downward compatible 2.5 and 5Gbps data rates to deliver Wi-Fi 6 capabilities to existing wireless infrastructure. It further serves as a PoE PSE — delivering up to 90W output to IP cameras, Wi-Fi 6 access points, and other connected devices. This injector’s PoE standard is downward compatible for 15, 30, and 60W PoE PD devices, easing network infrastructure upgrades. Using this solution to upgrade infrastructure saves manpower while reducing cabling weight and cost.

Compatible with Different Generation Devices

Advantech’s EKI-2701MPI-5G is PoE and data rate downward compatible. It helps extend extant device lifecycles and maximizes return on investment by futureproofing infrastructure from different generations.

Wide Operating Temperature Support and Compact Design

Advantech’s EKI-2701MPI-5G features a compact, palm-sized form factor adaptable to network infrastructure upgrade applications with limited space. Despite space constraints, EKI-2701MPI-5G is capable of delivering network service without overheating. Indeed, it supports wide operating temperatures (-40 ~ 75 °C/-40 ~ 167 °F) found in harsh working environments.

Highlighted Features:

Supports multi data rate 10M/100M/1G/2.5G/5G for Data in and PoE out
IEEE 802.3af/at/bt compliant
Force mode power supports up to 90W by DIP switch
Power input 54~57 VDC, injects power up to 90W
Slim, compact IP40 rated industrial grade metal solution with DIN-rail
Supports operating temperatures from -40 ~ 75 °C/-40 ~ 167 °F

EKI-2701MPI-5G hardened multi-speed mega PoE will be available for order May 2021. For more information about this, or other Advantech products and services, please contact Advantech or visit www.advantech.com

BOXER-8230AI: Connecting AI Edge with NVIDIA® Jetson™ TX2 NX

Posted on 1 August, 2021 by mixos

AAEON, a leader in AI edge solutions, announces the release of the BOXER-8230AI AI Edge box PC powered by the NVIDIA® Jetson™ TX2 NX System on Module (SOM). The BOXER-8230AI delivers powerful computing performance without breaking budgets, along with rugged design and diverse I/O layout including five Gigabit Ethernet ports. The BOXER-8230AI offers a solution that’s perfect for intelligent applications including surveillance, smart factory, and smart retail.

The BOXER-8230AI platform brings flexibility to meet the needs of customers, with industrial design and storage capacity. With two available configurations, the BOXER-8230AI-A3 and BOXER-8230AI-A4 systems offer flexible I/O loadout with five Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports to connect with IP cameras and other devices, as well as four USB3.2 Gen 1 ports and two COM ports. Storage flexibility is provided with 16GB onboard eMMC storage, microSD slot and a 2.5” SATA III bay (A4 model).

The BOXER-8230AI platform is powered by the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 NX SOM, delivering powerful AI edge computing without compromising costs. The Jetson TX2 NX delivers more than twice the performance of the NVIDIA® Jetson Nano™ thanks to its six-core ARM processor and NVIDIA Pascal™ GPU with 256 CUDA cores. This allows the Jetson TX2 NX to achieve speeds up to 1.33 TFLOPS, and enables the system to power a wide range of AI Edge applications.

The BOXER-8230AI is designed for rugged environments, utilizing a fanless design to keep dust and contaminants out, providing reliable operation no matter where it’s deployed. The system also offers wide operating temperature ranges, from -25°C up to 75°C (65°C A3), allowing deployment in any almost harsh environment.

AAEON provides a range of support for customers in software and customization to make the BOXER-8230AI ready to operate out of the box. Each system comes with the latest NVIDIA JetPack™ 4.5.1 SDK pre-installed, with no need to flash the OS. Additionally, AAEON offers customization to boot from different devices and other services on a per-project basis.

“The BOXER-8230AI powered by Jetson TX2 NX expands the already extensive lineup of rugged systems within the NVIDIA ecosystem from AAEON,” said Ken Pan, Product Manager with AAEON’s System Platform Division. “With its I/O layout, wide operating temperatures, and flexible storage capabilities, developers can power a range of applications from smart security to AI powered visual analysis.”

Coming later this year, the BOXER-8233AI will bring PoE PSE capabilities, HDMI input and more to the lineup of industrial AI Edge PCs from AAEON, powered by Jetson TX2 NX.

Temperature Sensing Tutorial With ESP32-C3-DevKITM-1 Using ESP-IDF

Posted on 28 July, 202128 July, 2021 by Saumitra Jagdale

Espressif’s ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1 is extremely popular due to its many onboard features. The development board comes with an onboard Temperature Sensor, an Onboard RGB LED, ESP32-C3FN4 4 MB embedded flash memory, 384 KB ROM, 400 KB of SRAM, universal connectivity with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and many more.

The ESP32-C3-DevKITM-1 features an onboard Temperature sensor. A temperature sensor basically generates a voltage that varies with temperature. Hence, the voltage is internally converted via an ADC into a digital value which is then scaled to standard units and displayed. This onboard temperature sensor has a range of –40 °C to 125 °C. Also, it is primarily for sensing the temperature change inside the chip.

In this article, we focus on programming of ESP32-C3 with ESP-IDF. You can go through the getting started article of ESP32-C3-DevKITM-1 if you are new to ESP-IDF environment. We use the in-built example provided with the ESP-IDF environment to program the sensor.

ESP-IDF or Espressif IOT Development Framework is the native software development framework for the ESP-32. It essentially contains all API (software libraries and source code) for ESP32 and required scripts to operate the Toolchain. ESP-IDF follows a Command Line Interface (CLI) approach to writing a program. You can learn more about ESP-IDF on Espressif’s official website.

Components for Temperature Sensing on ESP32-C3-DevKITM-1:

ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1
USB 2.0 cable (Standard-A to Micro-B)
Windows PC
ESP-IDF Software (master version)

The following is the procedure to build and flash the program for the ESP32C3 onboard temperature sensor to obtain and display the current out the temperature on IDF Monitor.

First, make sure that you have the latest version of the ESP-IDF with the latest API, libraries and toolchains installed on your computer.

Step1: Launch your ESP-IDF CMD Environment.

Step2: By default, you will be in the esp-idf home directory, change the directory by using the cd.. command.

Step3: Make a copy of the temp_sensor folder situated in the examples folder of esp-idf home directory in the current location using

xcopy /e /i %IDF_PATH%\examples\peripherals\temp_sensor tsensor command.

Step4: Switch to the newly created folder using cd tsensor command.

Step5: Build the program compatible with the board you have using idf.py set-target and idf.py menuconfig commands and then execute the idf.py build command.

Step6: Connect the board and flash the program using idf.py -p (PORT) flash. Enter the Port connection of your board. You can find this using the device manager on your PC.

A Done message will appear indicating completion of flashing operation. The Idf.py monitor command gives the real-time status of temperature from the board.

The following is the output result from the sensor on the IDF Monitor.

The temperature value depends on factors like microcontroller clock frequency or I/O load. Generally, the chip’s internal temperature is higher than the ambient temperature. You can also use this temperature sensor to monitor your ESP32 C3 board or as a supplementary data input to your project’s main code. For exploring more about the development, you can also program the development board on Arduino IDE as well. Check out this article for getting started with ESP32-C3-DevKITM-1 on Arduino IDE.

MYA15XC-T CPU module: MYIR’s second tiny ARM SoM

Posted on 28 July, 2021 by Abhishek Jadhav

We have seen many system on modules in the market already targeting consumer electronics and smart homes. For newbies, a system on module is an embedded computer that can be plugged in or soldered with the carrier board. China-based MYIR has launched the MYC-YA15XC-T CPU module that is the second tiny Arm system on module built around the STM32MP1 series processor.

Since this is the second module in the Arm-based system on modules manufactured by MYIR, this MYC-YA15XC-T has a smaller footprint, measuring only 39mm by 37mm. The MYC-Y157XC-T module comes with the STM32MP151AAC3T processor and STMicroelectronics’ STPMIC1 power management IC. However, it is important to note that the system on module is also compatible with STM32MP153AAC3 and STM32MP157AAC3 processors and can be customised.

When compared to its predecessor, it features no Ethernet PHY chip on board. This module is manufactured with different configurations varying in storage and memory. The module ranges from 256MB DDR3 and 256MB NAND flash up to 512MB DDR3L and 4GB eMMC flash storage.

The MYC-YA15XC-T CPU module is delivered with a shielding cover by default. A number of peripherals and IO signals are brought out through a 1.0 mm pitch 148-pin stamp-hole (Castellated-Hole) expansion interface to make the module an excellent embedded controller for applications like industrial control, consumer electronics, smart home, medical and etc.

Regarding the software support for the hardware, it is capable of running Linux OS and comes with detailed documentation for hardware and software setup. When we talk about a system on module, it often requires a carrier board. But what if the same setup is provided on a PCB making it a powerful development board with a rich set of interfaces. The MYD-YA15XC-T development board supports Linux OS and features 1x USB Type-C DRP, 2x USB2.0 host, a gigabit ethernet, LCD, camera, and Micro SD card slot.

According to LinuxGizmos, the MYD-YA15XC-T module is expected to be priced from $20 to $31. For more information on the module, visit the product page, and the specifications on the development board are also provided.

Meet LUNA; A Multi-tool for Building, Hacking and Analyzing USB Devices

Posted on 28 July, 2021 by Emmanuel Odunlade

Despite its popularity, the developments of USB-based devices are characterized by diverse challenges ranging from specialized and expensive tools to complicated software. To solve this, Colorado-based open-source hardware manufacture; Great Scott Gadgets, recently started working on LUNA; a multi-purpose tool for USB devices development.

Designed as a “swiss army knife” solution for all things USB devices, LUNA is a multi-tool for building, monitoring, hacking, and analyzing USB devices. It features a unique, FPGA-based, digital hardware architecture, which, combined with the remarkable nMigen gateware-generation library along with several supported ultra-fast open FPGA tools, puts in the hand of users, a device that can automatically customize itself to suit the task hand.

On the Hardware level, LUNA features the Lattice Semiconductor LFE5U-12F ECP5 FPGA with the Microchip SAMD11 debug controller which provides access for configuration of the FPGA along with a number of interfaces for diagnosis. For connection of USB devices, LUNA features 3 High-Speed USB ports(2 Type-C and 1 Type-A), each connected to a USB3343 PHY with up to 480Mbps speed, and defined for specific communication mode/usage. An onboard 64MB RAM aids buffering of USB traffic while a 32MBit SPI-connected flash is available for PC-less FPGA configurations. These hardware features and functionalities put LUNA on a close enough pedestal as some expensive commercial USB analyzers like the TotalPhase Beagle 480.

On the software Side, LUNA uses the open-source ViewSB analyzer frontend with a FaceDancer Backend. ViewSB makes USB traffic more human-readable at any abstraction level, while FaceDancer makes it quick and easy to create or tamper with real USB devices even if you don’t have experience with digital-hardware design, using just a few lines of Python. The combination of these two, along with their open-source nature, makes LUNA one of the most versatile USB hacking and development tools.

Beyond its use by experienced developers to craft new solutions, LUNA also prides itself as an education platform for those looking to learn about developing USB devices. The team at LUNA has a long history of USB education and the resources from the several open-source training and workshops developed in the past, along with more LUNA-specific, fully open-source materials, are available to walk beginners through the basics of working and hacking with USB.

The customizable architecture of LUNA, allows users to interact with USB traffic at every level. which facilitates hacking but also enables learning, as it gives you the ability to take the data apart, split it up and evaluate it in ways that are not available in other solutions. This makes LUNA a goto tool for both veteran low-level hardware designers and complete newbies.

Great Scott Gadgets recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for LUNA on Crowd Supply with a funding goal of ÚSD80,000 with prices set at $99 for the LUNA board without enclosure, and $149 for the full-featured LUNA. As of the time of this writing, the campaign has been oversubscribed by almost 50%, with over $149,000 raised just 5 days after the campaign was launched. The campaign is expected to run for the next 30 days after which manufacturing, which according to the LUNA team will be done in China, is expected to kick into top gear.

LUNA is entirely open source with its hardware, gateware, firmware, and software files, all available on the team’s GitHub page, along with developer documentation on ReadTheDocs that shows how to get up and running with the LUNA Board.

More information on LUNA can be found on the project’s page on CrowdSupply. You can also interact with the LUNA team, and ask questions about the product via the LUNA Discord Channel, the LUNA IRC Channel, or the company’s Twitter page.