Android APP Contact Us
login / register Upload
TRENDING:

Piezo contact microphone picks up voice through bone

Posted on by mixos

Vesper of Massachusetts is claiming high fidelity for a MEMs piezo microphone that picks up the vibration of the user’s voice through the skull.

Inside are the mems, an amplifier, and a power regulator.

Called VA1200, the company describes it as

“the world’s first analogue piezoelectric voice accelerometer. Unlike a traditional microphone, the VA1200 is completely immune to ambient sounds, and only picks up the user’s voice. It filters out background noises such as wind noise, music, subway noise and crowd noise.”

Specifications

  • Nominal supply voltage is 1.8V (1.6 – 3.6V) and it typically consumes 160μA.
  • Power supply rejection is -91dBA (217Hz, 100mVp-p squarewave, 100 – 2,400Hz A-weighted).
  • Output impedance is 400Ω and output offset is 800mV.
  • Operation is over -40 to +85°C

It comes in a reflow-compatible 2.9 x 2.8 x 0.9mm package, and applications are foreseen in in-ear hearable products. “Existing earbuds rely on mic arrays and algorithms to suppress environmental noise during voice calls,” claimed marketing director Roberto Condorelli.

VR and AR headsets, as well as smart-frames and smart-glasses are other potential applications.

Vesper also makes more conventional piezo mems microphones, except using broad cantilevers instead of membranes, arguing that these are less likely to clog with dirt and water.

The VA1200 product page is here and the data sheet here

Unexpected Maker’s TinyS2 Development Board with ESP32-S2 SoC

Posted on by Saumitra Jagdale

Yet another development featuring Espressif Systems’ powerful ESP32-S2 SoC. Unexpected Maker has launched the TinyS2 ESP32-S2 development board. We have seen many boards with this SoC. This includes Olimax’s USB development board and Adafruit’s Wi-fi feather board harnessing the functionalities of ESP32-S2 SoC. Also, the company’s own generic ESP Wi-Fi MCU module came with a rich set of peripherals.

TinyS2 development board comes with popular ESP32-S2 SoC, so it is capable of a wide range of use cases. The compact form factor with a powerful core makes it a special development board. As it comes with Espressif Systems’ SoC thus it has good compatibility with the software support. Discussing further, the board has ESP-IDF and Arduino support for C++ programmers. It also has CircuitPython support for coding the use case with the TinyS2 development board.

We also saw the TinyPICO ESP32 development board for giving access to the power of the ESP32’s dual-core 240 MHz and internet connectivity. So similarly the TinyS2 also has a LiPo battery charging feature locally on the board. The 4MBs of flash and an on-board RGB LED that can be shut down to reduce deep sleep current and a generous 700mA output 3.3V regulator are also some similar functionalities with TinyPICO.

TinyS2 development board comes with a wide range of interfacing options. This includes SPI, I2C, UART, ADC, DAC, 5V, 3.3V, and BAT signals. Additionally, it has booting and reset buttons, a battery charging status LED, and power LED. The compact dimensions of the board are 41 x 17.8 mm.

Technical Specifications of TinyS2 Development Board

  • ESP32-S2 SoC working at a frequency up to 240 MHz
  • Board has a USB Type-C port for power supply and programming purposes
  • It comes with an interfacing option of 4MP SPI flash and also features 2MP PSRAM
  • Wireless connectivity with 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 plus 3D antenna technology
  • The power rating of 5V DC supply through USB-C port
  • Lipo battery management for optimizing power consumption
  • 700 mA 3.3 V LDO regulator for linear regulation of the output voltage
  • VBAT and 5V Sense pins along with the 17x GPIOs

Open Cloudware has brought to our attention, TinyS2 development board comes with a compact 3D antenna ensuring a high gain for the board. The board can be compared with the Feather S2 board with a similar form factor. So, the TinyS2 development board has an output of 700 mA with an input supply of 3.3V linearly regulated by a single LDO regulator. Whereas Feather S2 has two such regulators for the same output.

Talking about the software support, the TinyS2 comes with a UF2 bootloader and the latest version of CircuitPython compatible with the ESP32-S2. Users can plug the development board into the laptop for getting started. TinyS2 appears in the filesystem similar to any USB flash drive or external storage. Programming the board is easier as the user has to copy the code over, or edit the code directly on the drive.

The TinyS2 development board is available at $17 on the company website. For more information about the board, visit the official product page. You can also see a FAQ section on the product page for general queries of the users.

Firefly’s Station P2 mini PC features RK3568, dual GbE, PoE+, WiFi 6 and up to 8GB RAM

Posted on by Emmanuel Odunlade

Sometime in November last year, we wrote about two fanless mini PCs that were introduced by T-chip Technology’s Firefly: the Station P1 and M1 geek computers, powered by the Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core and RK3328 quad-core processors respectively. We are back now to talk about a similarly powerful open-spec mini PC called Station P2, which is a bit bigger than the Station P1 but styled the same way with toothed aluminum alloy in matte black.

The new Station P2 feels so much like a standard x86 based mini PC, thanks to the kind of features that it comes with. The mini PC is based on a quad -A55 Rockchip RK3568 processor clocked at 2.0GHz. The RK3568 features a 2x core Mali-G52 EE GPU and a VPU with support for 4Kp60 decode and 1080p60 encode, as well as an 8MP ISP with HDR support and an up to 800MHz, 0.8-TOPS NPU for RK NN acceleration. Other features of the mini-computer include 64GB eMMC, support for up to 8GB LPDDR4, WiFi 6, 2x GbE with PoE+, 4x USB, HDMI, SATA, and M.2.

Software support for the mini PC includes Firefly’s own Android-based Station OS plus Android 11.0, Ubuntu 18.04, and Linux+Qt. The Station OS offers a variety of applications plus seamless switching between desktop and media modes.

Specifications of the Station P2 mini PC include:

  • CPU: Rockchip RK3568 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor at up to 2.0GHz
  • GPU: Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU
  • 0.8 TOPS NPU
  • 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4 “all-data-link ECC” RAM @  1600 MHz
  • Onboard 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB eMMC flash
  • MicroSD card slot
  • 1x USB 3.0 port
  • 2x USB 2.0 port
  • 1x USB Type-C OTG port
  • HDMI 2.0 port with audio and 4K@60fps support
  • 3.5mm headphone jack and digital audio via HDMI
  • Dual Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports (one of which supports PoE+ with up to 30W power)
  • 802.11ax (WiFi 6) radio with up to 9.6Gbps throughput
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • 2x external antennas
  • 1x M.2 PCIe 3.0 socket for 2242 / 2280 NVMe SSD
  • 1x SATA 3.0 for 2.5-inch SSD/HDD
  • Dual MIPI-CSI camera interfaces
  • RJ45 serial control port with 1x RS485 and 2x RS232 accessible via RJ45 to terminal block expansion cable
  • Earphone jack, and,
  • Power button
  • Power Supply: 12V input via 5.5/2.1mm DC jack
  • Operating Temperature Range: -10 ~ 60 ℃
  • Dimensions: 142 mm x 89 mm x 31.5 mm
  • Operating System: Android 11.0, Ubuntu 18.4, and Linux+Qt
  • Application: Media and Game entertainment

Station P2 has been launched on Indiegogo with about a $19,300 US funding goal. The 2GB DDR4 and 32GB storage model is selling for $120 while the 4GB/64GB variant is offered for $150, and the 8GB/128GB version for around $210. All options ship with a power adapter, an HDMI cable and a USB-C cable. Shipping is scheduled to start in May this year (shipping is free to China and 7 Asian countries)

Further details may be found on the Indiegogo page where the mini PC was launched.

Meet the Modern and Sleek USB Real Time Clock (USB RTC) Designed For Accurate Time Keeping

Posted on by Emmanuel Odunlade

A team of developers has designed a USB RTC for the Raspberry Pi; one that allows you to measure the passage of time while you build advanced products and gadgets.

“We understand the hustle programmers and hardware experts face in their projects that divert them creating many wonderful gadgets. A user needs to connect the RTC module with jumper cables, go through various soldering methods, or use an external PCB, and along with it, do a bit of programming required to run RTC, which all make the process complex, time taking and hectic. So with the powerful integrated circuit DS3231 that runs on low power-consumptions and with Integrated Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO), we were able to come up with a technologically advanced RTC device “USB RTC” that can perform an accurate I2C real-time clock (RTC),” they explained.

The USB RTC is one powerful device that allows you to measure the accurate passage of time. Simply plug it in with your system to maintain accurate timekeeping of the system – seconds, minutes, hours, day, date, month, year, and even temperature.

The device has an AM/PM indicator that makes it possible to operate its clock in either a 12-hour format or a 24-hour format. It also has up to two programmable time-of-day alarms as well as a programmable square-wave output for a better user experience. The issue of power failure was also not left out in its design as it has a precision temperature-compensated voltage reference and comparator circuit that monitors the status of VCC to detect power failures of the USB RTC. If detected, the device automatically switches to the backup supply system.

Features and Specifications include:

  • An MCP2221 USB-to-I2C/UART serial converter empowers USB connectivity in processes that include USB, serial UART, GPIO, and I2C interfaces .
  • An advanced DS3231 high precision RTC chip that runs the USB RTC with extremely high efficiency at low cost
  • An Integrated temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) — crystal oscillator with a temperature-sensitive reactance circuit in its oscillation loop
  • Built-in temperature sensor output with ±3°C accuracy
  • RTC battery holder
  • USB 2.0
  • Cross-platform compatibility
  • 16-pin, 300-mil SO package
  • Automated Backup Power Supply for continuous timekeeping
  • Time and date Stamp
  • 2x Time-of-day alarms
  • Programmable Square-Wave Output
  • Up to 400kHz fast I2C Interface (address and data are transferred serially through this)
  • Underwriters Laboratories (UL®) Recognized
  • Operating Voltage: 5V via USB
  • Operating Temperature Ranges: 
    • Industrial: -40°C ~ +80°C
    • Commercial: 0 ~ +70°C

Application Scenarios:

  • Utility power meters
  • Servers
  • GPS
  • Telematics, and,
  • Automation

The project was launched on Kickstarter and was fully funded in just two hours. You can purchase 1 USB RTC for £14 while a pack of 5 USB RTC goes for £65 and a pack of 10 USB RTC for £120. The product would be shipped to anywhere in the world and this is estimated to start in May this year.

Further details can be found on the Kickstarter page where the product was launched. It’s also interesting to know that there’s a reward for referrals, seems like a cool way to make some cash, lol.

IZIRUN – Compact, modular, and open STM32 dev boards in M.2 format

Posted on by mixos

IZIRUN modules are compact STM32 boards with lots of built-in peripherals that use the M.2 67-pin connection for external communication via I²C, SPI, CAN, and UART protocols. MCU boards are available in ARM Cortex-M0, -M4, and -M7 to suit your application, and can connect to your own board or to the IZIGOBOARD SHIELD for easy access to MCU board peripherals like Ethernet and GPIO, and additional functionality like USB communication.

IZIGOBOARD is a base board that can be used with IZIRUNF0, IZIRUNF4, IZIRUNF7 modules. The board includes a micro USB connector for power and communication thanks to the USB/UART converter chip. It also provides RJ45 Ethernet and USB OTG connectors.

IZIGOBOARD SHIELD

Open Source

KiCad project files, schematics, firmware, and software are all available on Bitbucket: https://bitbucket.org/izi_team/

The project will soon launch on Crowdsupply.com

3 Phase Isolated Hall-effect Current Sense Amplifier with +/-600V Working Voltage and +/-46A Measurement Range

The project described here is a 3-Phase isolated Hall-effect current sense amplifier with +/-600-V working voltage range. The current sensor senses magnetic flux generated from current passing through the lead frame at common-mode voltages 0 to 600V DC and provides proportional output voltage. The circuit is based on TMCS1101 IC which is a galvanically isolated Hall-effect current sensor capable of DC or AC current measurement with high accuracy, excellent linearity, temperature stability and has a bandwidth of 80KHz. A low-drift, temperature-compensated signal chain provides < 1.5% full-scale error across the device temperature range. The input current flows through an internal 1.8-mΩ conductor that generates a magnetic field measured by an integrated Hall-effect sensor. This structure eliminates external concentrators and simplifies design. Low conductor resistance minimizes power loss and thermal dissipation. Inherent galvanic insulation provides a 600-V lifetime working voltage and 3-kVRMS basic isolation between the current path and circuitry. Integrated electrical shielding enables excellent common-mode rejection and transient immunity. The output voltage is proportional to the input current with 50mV/A sensitivity. Fixed sensitivity eliminates radiometry errors, and improves supply noise rejection. The current polarity is considered positive when flowing into the positive input pin. The circuit is capable of sensing bidirectional current with +/-46A measurement range.

Features

  • Power Supply 7V to 12V DC
  • Current sensor Range +/-46Amps (Bidirectional) AC Or DC
  • Bidirectional Current Sensing
  • Output 50mV/A (Normally 2.5V/0Amp)
  • Working Voltage +/-600V
  • Zero drift internal reference
  • Signal Bandwidth: 80Khz
  • PCB Dimensions 97  x 72.71 mm

Applications

  • Inline Motor Phase Current Sensing
  • 3 Phase Motor or Load Current measurement
  • 3 Phase DC or AC Power Monitoring

TMCS1101 Typical Application

Internal Block Diagram

Schematic

Connections

3-Phase Current Measurement

Parts List

NO.QNTY.REF.DESC.MANUFACTURERSUPPLIERSUPPLIER PART NO
12CN1,CN34 PIN TERMINAL BLOCKSTE CONNECTIVITYDIGIKEYA98483-ND
21CN26 PIN MALE HEADER 2.54MM PITCHWURTHDIGIKEY732-5319-ND
34C1,C3,C4,C610uF/16V SMD SIZE 1210MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
43C2,C5,C70.1uF/50V SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
53C8,C9,C10DNP
61D1LED SMD SIZE 0805DIGIKEY475-1415-1-ND
73R1,R3,R410E 5% SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
81R21K 5% SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
93U1,U3,U4TMCS1101A1BQDRTIMOUSER595-TMCS1101A1BQDT
101U2LM7805-DAPK DTIDIGIKEYLM78M05CDT-ND

Gerber View

Photos

Video

TMCS1101 Datasheet

AVX PrizmaCap™ Capacitors

Posted on by mixos

AVX PrizmaCap™ Capacitors use an activated carbon electrode and have a propylene carbonate (PC) based electrolyte with a paper separator and SMT leads. The PrizmaCap current collector is made of a special low ESR type aluminum. The PrizmaCap features cell voltage of ~2.1V/cell and a 2.1V rated voltage. AVX PrizmaCap Capacitors offer a low profile product with high energy, low ESR and LC, and high-temperature capabilities with an operating temperature of -55°C to +65°C (actively qualified for up to +90°C).

Features

  • Low profile
  • Larger capacitance in prismatic form factor
  • High temperature
  • Lightweight design

Specifications

  • 2.16A to 8.63A peak current range
  • 110mΩ ESR max. @ 1kHz
  • 3.5F to 8.5F rated capacitance range
  • 2.1V rated voltage
  • -55°C to +65°C operating temperature
  • 0.5mm minimum height
  • RoHS compliant
  • Lead-free

more information: https://www.avx.com/products/supercapacitors/prizmacap-scp-series/

Murata Power Solutions DMR35 Digital Panel Meters

Posted on by mixos

Murata Power Solutions DMR35 Digital Panel Meters perform precision DC current or voltage measurements and feature a highly visible, 3½-digit display with a fast-acting 21-segment bar graph. This graph provides a helpful indication of quickly changing measured values. Rear-accessible DIP switches allow the selection of measurement range and display brightness. These meters are powered via an external 9VDC to 32VDC power supply and typically require only 37mA when operated at 12V. The measurement inputs offer +/-48V of the common-mode input range, simplifying use in a range of applications.

Murata Power Solutions DMR35 Digital Panel Meters have a rugged polycarbonate housing that is mountable in a round hole using the supplied screws. These units are designed as a mechanical drop-in replacement for many commonly available analog movement meters. The DMR35 series is ideal for use in laboratory instrumentation, factory automation, and other applications requiring precise DC current or voltage monitoring.

Features

  • Common
    • Bright, easily readable LED display
    • Up to 3½ digit measurements
    • Bar-graph display scale
    • 0.8% measurement accuracy
    • Selectable current measurement ranges
    • Unipolar / bipolar measurement options
    • User-adjustable display brightness
    • Mechanical drop-in replacement for common analog-movement meters
    • Operates from 9VDC to 32VDC
    • Low current consumption, 37mA typical at 12VDC
    • Two-year warranty
  • DMR35-DCA
    • Precision internal shunt resistor
  • DMR35-DCA3
    • Works with industry-standard external 50mV-output shunt resistors
  • DMR35-DCV
    • 1MΩ input impedance
  • DMR35-DCxA
    • Low-burden voltage internal shunt resistors

Datasheets

more information: https://www.murata.com/en-global/search/productsearch?cate=luDcAmmeterDigitalMeter&partno=dmr35&realtime=1

SBC powered by Intel Atomä x6000 Series processors

Posted on by mixos

IBASE Technology has announced the IB836 3.5” single-board computer powered by robust Intel Atomä x6000 Series (formerly Elkhart Lake) processors to meet the demands of critical real-time computing in applications spanning the retail, transport, industrial automation, and medical sectors.

To support the next generation of IoT solutions, IBASE’s IB836 comes with three processor variants with a TDP range of six to 12W, a maximum of 3.0GHz burst frequency, up to 50% improved CPU performance and up to two times enhancement in graphics from previous generation. The SBC has two DDR4 memory slots with a 32GB capacity and in-band error-correcting code (IBECC) functionality that corrects single-bit memory errors in standard, non-ECC memory. Three independent displays can be driven with up to 4Kp60 resolutions via two DisplayPort (DP & Type C) and one eDP or LVDS output.

IB836 features:

  • Onboard Intel Atom x6000 Series processor (Elkhart Lake platform)
  • 2x DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM, Max.32GB, support IBECC
  • Support 2x DisplayPort (DP and Type-C), eDP or 24-bit dual-channel LVDS
  • 3x Intel PCI-E GbE LAN
  • 2x USB 2.0, 4x USB 3.1, 2x SATA III
  • 1x M.2 sockets (E-Key), 1x Mini PCI-E slot (Full size)
  • Watchdog timer, Digital I/O, TPM (2.0), mSATA (share with SATA port)
  • Wide-range operating temperature from -40°C to 85°C

Rich I/O connectivity and expansion capabilities on the IB836 allow connection to numerous peripherals and include 3x GbE, 2x USB 2.0, 4x USB 3.1, 2x SATA III, 1x M.2 and 1x mPCIe interface, as well as three Gigabit Ethernet ports for high-speed connections to wired devices. Measuring 102 by 147mm, the board operates on a nine to 36V wide range power input and extended temperature range of -40 to +85°C.

IB836 is currently available with Intel Atom x6425E, x6413E or x6211E processor. Other features comprise TPM to enable applications to run securely and EuP/ErP power saving and intelligent scheduler to improve environmental performance.

GENE-CML5: Subcompact Solution with 10th Generation Intel® Core™

Posted on by mixos

AAEON, an industry leader in embedded solutions, announces the GENE-CML5 3.5” subcompact board featuring the 10th Generation Intel® Core™ processors (formerly Comet Lake). The GENE-CML5 brings the latest in computing technology and flexibility, enabling developers to deploy their next generation industrial and AI Edge applications.

The GENE-CML5 brings the LGA1200 socket 10th Generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors, as well as Intel® Pentium® and Celeron® processors to the 3.5” subcompact form factor. Supporting processors up to 4.4 GHz CPU frequency, the GENE-CML5 leverages the socket-type chipset to allow developers and end users to easily maintain, scale, and upgrade the platform to suit their processing requirements. Combined with 64GB DDR4 memory, the GENE-CML5 delivers fast processing speeds on par with desktop systems. Additionally, the chipset allows the compact board to take advantage of Intel vPro and Intel Active Management Technology (iAMT), enabling remote system monitoring and management.

The GENE-CML5 offers both flexibility and expandability to integrate into existing projects and bring the power of AI Edge Computing to any application. The board features a broad I/O layout including two USB3.2 Gen 2 ports, four USB2.0 ports, and dual Gigabit LAN ports. Display options include DP++, VGA and LVDS connectors.

For expandability, the GENE-CML5 offers an M.2 2280 M-Key slot which can support AI expansion modules, as well as NVMe storage. Additionally, users have access to PCIe 3.0 [x4] expansion with FPC connector. Other storage options include two SATA III (6.0 Gbps) slots, allowing greater storage expansion.

The GENE-CML5 offers developers and users desktop performance in a compact form factor, perfect for deploying AI Edge applications where they’re needed. With industry-leading manufacturing support and OEM/ODM services from AAEON, developers can customize their boards including I/O layouts to suit their needs.

TOP PCB Companies