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Pinky32 – The Tiny STM32F030 Development Board you always wanted

Posted on 10 January, 202010 January, 2020 by Emmanuel Odunlade

The STM32Fo30 is one of the most popular microcontrollers in the STM32 family. It’s relative low-power specification and high-resolution ADCs fetched it good followership among designers, as such, it was quite interesting to hear that Czechia-based electronics specialist and Tindie user, NiceThings, announced the launch of a new development board based on it, called the PINKY32.

The board was designed with the desire to make all the amazing features of the STM32F030, available to makers in an easy to use a form like the Arduino boards. According to NiceThings, the board was initially designed for a project that required slow dimming of more than one minute which couldn’t be achieved using the Arduino because its PWM is 8bit, forcing him to use the STM32F030 which has a resolution of 16bits.

The board comes with all the powerful features of the STM32F030 with 16kB Flash, 4kB SRAM, and hardware I2C and SPI buses for communication with sensors and actuators based on them. It was designed with a low quiescent current LDO on board, which ensures the board only draws few uA in shutdown deep sleep, making it a good option for battery-powered (IoT) projects. According to NiceThings, the Onboard LDO will, however, perform best when the input voltage is 5V but you can feed up to 12V on VIN.

Staying true to the “ease of use” goals for the boards, Pinky32 comes with a MicroUSB connector and an onboard CH340 serial-to-USB chip through which it supports flashing/debugging by the Arduino IDE over USB. The board uses the same STM32duino Arduino core which enables the programming of boards like; STM32 Bluepill, with the Arduino IDE.

The board is currently available on NiceThings Tindie page for $7 with 64 orders and lots of good reviews so far, but should you want to make your own version of it, NiceThings made the design openly available and all the files can be found on the project’s GitHub page.

More information on the board, it’s price and shipping possibilities can be found on its Tindie Product Page.

New dimension of brightness: Osram heralds a new chapter for LED projection

Posted on 10 January, 2020 by mixos

As projectors grow more and more popular in home entertainment systems, so have the expectations of users. In addition to ever-higher resolutions, the focus is also on richer colors, contrasts and, of course, higher brightness. With the Ostar Projection Power family, Osram has succeeded for the first time in achieving projector brightness levels beyond the 3,000 ANSI lumen barrier using LEDs instead of conventional lamps, making them accessible to a broad market.

Depending on the ambient light conditions and the distance to the projection surface, requirements differ for the light source. With 12 new products, Osram is now able to offer three different power classes for RGB solutions in deep blue (440 nm), blue (456 nm), converted green (520 nm) and amber (614 nm). In the lowest power class, two chips of the same color per component provide projector brightness of up to 1,500 ANSI lm. In the mid-power class, four chips of the same color per component can achieve 2,500 ANSI lm. While in the highest power class, six chips of the same color per LED can achieve more than 3,000 ANSI lm. As a result, products from the Osram Ostar Projection Power family emerge as a clear alternative to the high-pressure discharge lamps previously used in projectors above 2,000 ANSI lm.

This leap in performance was achieved, among other things, by improved chip and package technology. The developers at Osram have fundamentally modified the individual LED chips allowing them to be electrically connected in a series on the copper board. The system designer benefits not only from a significantly lower operating current (with the same power consumption) and reduced complexity of the LED driver but also from the much simpler contacting of the component. In addition, direct coupling of the LEDs to a heat sink is possible – without additional isolation costs.

The mechanical design remains largely unchanged compared to previous products enabling fast and uncomplicated exchange of the products in existing projector systems.

“With products from the Osram Ostar Projection Power family, we have successfully crossed the 3,000 ANSI lumens barrier using LED technology,” explains Wolfgang Schnabel, Product Manager in the Visualization & Laser division at Osram Opto Semiconductors. “Our customers can easily integrate the new components in their desired power class into their system design and replace conventional lamps with state-of-the-art LED systems.”

more information: www.osram-group.com

MYIR Introduces $29 ARM SoM Powered by ST STM32MP1

Posted on 10 January, 2020 by mixos

MYIR introduces a cost-effective MYC-YA157C CPU Module powered by ST’s STM32MP1 microprocessor which features dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 operating at up to 650MHz and an embedded Cortex-M4 core operating at up to 209MHz. The module is ready to run Linux OS and targets a wide variety of applications like industrial control, consumer electronics, smart home, medical and more other energy-efficient applications which require rich performance and low power.

Measuring 45mm by 43mm, the MYC-YA157C CPU Module is a compact System-on Module (SoM) that combines the STM32MP157 processor (STM32MP157AAC3 by default), a dedicated Power-Management IC STPMIC1 also from STMicroelectronics, 512MB DDR3, 4GB eMMC as well as an integrated GigE PHY chip. A number of peripherals and IO signals are brought out through 1.0 mm pitch 164-pin stamp-hole (Castellated-Hole) expansion interface to make the module an excellent embedded controller for system integration.

MYIR offers MYD-YA157C development board for evaluating the MYC-YA157C CPU Module, its base board has explored a rich set of peripherals and interfaces such as RS232, RS485, USB Type-C DRP, USB2.0 HOST, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi/Bluetooth, CAN, Micro SD Card Slot, JTAG, RGB888 based LCD/ HDMI, MIPI-DSI, etc.

The MYD-YA157C is delivered with necessary accessories, detailed documentation, optional MY-CAM002U Camera Module and MY-TFT070CV2 LCD Module which makes it ideal for evaluating and prototyping based on ST’s STM32MP1 microprocessor.

MYIR also offers design services to customize the base board according to customers’ requirements. Different SoM configurations such as other STM32MP1 CPU models, RAM or Flash configurations, industrial or commercial grade can also be customized.

Based on Linux 4.19.9 kernel, MYIR has provided abundant software resources for Yocto 2.6 based MYIR MEasy-HMI system, Yocto 2.6 based ST Weston system, Ubuntu 18.04 system and MYIR MEasy-IOT system including kernel and driver source code, STM32CubeProgrammer and STM32CubeMX tools to enable users to start their development rapidly and easily.

The MYC-YA157C CPU Module is priced at only $29 and the MYD-YA157C Development Board is $65.

More information about the new products can be found at: http://www.myirtech.com/list.asp?id=624

PICKitAutoWatch: A new application for both the PICKit2 and PICKit3 Programmers

Posted on 10 January, 20207 February, 2020 by mixos

PICKitAutoWatch is a new application and a new approach to programming microcontrollers. PICKitAutoWatch supports both PICkit2 and PICkit3 programmers. The software is feature rich and easy to use via a simple user interface.

PICKitAutowatch is the best value for money products if you are simply programming your part as it supports the PICkit2 and PICkit3 programmers.

PICKitAutoWatch provides support for the latest generation of Microchip microcontrollers and EEPROMs, and fully supports the Microchip Programmers-on-Board the Microchip Xpress Boards.

The intent of PICKitAutoWatch is to enable operations with auto-detection and recovery of the program to maintain the programming activity.

PICKitAutoWatch supports nearly 1000 different types of microcontrollers, EEPROMS and the Microchip Programmers-on-Board the Microchip Xpress Boards..

PIC10F, PIC12F, PIC16F, PIC18F, PIC24
dsPIC30 and dsPIC33 family
A wide range of EEPROMs
MCP2502X/5X & HCSxx
EEPROM 11LCxx, 24LCxx, 25LCxx and 93LCxx, M25Px and FL127x
Microchip Xpress Boards.
See here for the full list of supported parts

Core functionality

Programs the target part when a new hex file is generated
Automatic part detection
Recently used parts listed
Supports project settings – save and load of project configuration
Supports multiple voltages within constraints of physical programmer – noting that some clone programmers do not support voltage control
Supports ISCP protocol frequency management
Manages Microchip HEF and SAF memory with automatic merger of HEF/SAF memory into target part
Support a wide range of Windows operating systems (32bit/64bit): Windows XP ,Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Embedded 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
New programming protocols to support new classes of Microchips PIC microcontrollers
Updated and managed database for Microchip and other EEPROM devices
Supports the standard Microchip Microchip PICkit2 and PICkit3 programmer firmware. PICKitPlus does not require an update to the Microchip PICkit2 and PICkit3 programmer firmware
Control power on and off independent of programming state
Automatic parts database update
Internet connection not required

Internationalization Support

Supports local language.

Safe Usage Enhancements

Windows toast alerting of programming operations
Delays and file retry options
Sound notifications
Generation of log file with timestamps and automatic deletion

Environments proved to work

Windows file structures local hard drive, LAN and WAN shares
MPLAB-X IDE
MPASMX compiler and linker
GPASM compiler and linker
MPLAB-X Cloud IDE with remote HEX download to the local file structure
There are many, many more

Which parts are supported?

See the PICKitPlus website for the full list of supported parts.

Summary

PICKitAutoWatch is the easiest way to integrate your development tools with the programmer and the microcontroller or EEPROM.

Still to come …..

PICKitPlus for Linux
PICKitPlus for Pi
PICKitPlus Gang Programmer

See the www.pickitplus.co.uk website for more details on PICKitPlus software and hardware products.

Sonar-on-a-chip provides up to 5 metres ToF range

Posted on 10 January, 20209 January, 2020 by mixos

Shipping to strategic customers, the CH-201 MEMS-based ultrasonic Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor offers an extended sensing range of 5 metres. [via]

This ToF sensor uses a tiny ultrasonic transducer chip that sends a pulse of ultrasound and then listens for echoes returning from targets in the sensor’s field-of-view. TDK’s MEMS ultrasonic technology leverages a proprietary ToF sensor in a 3.5×3.5mm package that combines a MEMS ultrasonic transducer with a power-efficient digital signal processor (DSP) on a custom low-power, mixed-signal CMOS ASIC. The sensor handles a variety of ultrasonic signal-processing functions, enabling customers’ flexible industrial design options for a broad range of use-case scenarios including range-finding, presence/proximity sensing, object detection/avoidance and 3D position-tracking. The devices operates from ultra-low power, supporting always-on sensing in battery powered devices.

TDK – www.tdk.com

NEXCOM NDiS V1000: The 4K Digital Signage Player

Posted on 9 January, 20209 January, 2020 by mixos

Vibrant, 4k resolution multi-displays come to life with NEXCOM’s new NDiS V1000 digital signage player. Powered by AMD’s APU microprocessor, the seamlessly integrated CPU and GPU result in a high performance yet lower-power device perfect for retail environments – and even private use. The value-added and scalable NDiS V1000’s compact design is the result of customer feedback, with just the necessary onboard components (COM, LAN, USB, etc.) and an M.2 expansion slot to meet your everyday needs.

The highest resolution, from the best “APU” for the job

4k resolution is quickly becoming indispensable for quality graphic display and not just a nice option. In building the NDiS V1000 4k signage player, NEXCOM carefully selected the AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V1605 CPU and AMD Radeon™ Vega 8 GPU SoC, supplementing four independent HDMI 2.0 ports, to ensure that quadruple multi-displays will pop with amazing clarity. The integrated SoC also generates less thermal power while achieving better graphic performance than Intel’s, beating their CPU benchmarks with a lower price point. With such outstanding capabilities, it’s no wonder that retail businesses, such as shopping malls, department stores, and convenience stores, keep the NDiS V1000 top of mind. Yet the output quality is so superb and processing so seamless that museums and business war rooms are also in love with the signage player!

We heard you!

We carefully examined customer evaluations of previous digital signage player models in creating the NDiS V1000. First, we heard customers when they said they wanted less noise – hence, the fanless design. Customers also only desired essential components in a smaller size, which you can see in the simple and clean I/O design, with most components relegated to the back of the device. All of these redesigns have the added benefit of reducing power, thus saving you potential costs.

Simple does it

With only the essential components to help you run your business smoothly, the NDiS V1000 is the adaptable and suitable choice for a variety of needs. The onboard COM port is perfect for legacy devices, such as barcode scanners, so that you don’t have to replace equipment to connect to your computers. We also include four USB 3.0 ports for instances where connectivity speed is a priority, making the NDiS V1000 a perfect solution for factory automation and production monitoring and storage. Use the two LAN ports for various tasks, perhaps one for transferring data and displaying information, and the other for private monitoring and security. The M.2 E key expansion slot is customizable to your specific needs but an excellent fit for a Wi-Fi module, which, for example, could help franchisees and stores send data to and receive data from a centralized cloud overnight.

Main Features

Onboard AMD V1605B APU processor
Graphics processing speed up to 1.1 GHz
Dual DDR4 SO-DIMM, up to 32G
4 x HDMI 2.0 for video wall uses
4 x USB 3.0 support
Supports M.2 M/B Key, 2280/2242 size storage device
M.2 E key slot for optional Wi-Fi module

No pricing or availability information was provided for the NDiS V1000. More information may be found on Nexcom’s announcement and product page.

[via]

Ultra-Low Dropout Linear LED Driver from Diodes Incorporated Extends Lighting Strips

Posted on 9 January, 20209 January, 2020 by mixos

Diodes Incorporated today announced the BCR430UW6 linear LED driver with ultra-low dropout voltage and constant current regulation between 5mA and 100mA. This combination allows more LEDs to be driven from a low supply voltage, making the BCR430UW6 suitable for applications that require multiple LEDs to operate together, such as signage illumination and architectural lighting for commercial and retail installations.

The ultra-low dropout voltage of 115mV and low operating current of just 285μA provides a greater level of system efficiency and scope to drive more LEDs per string reliably. These factors are particularly important in applications where the characteristics of the lighting are essential to the user experience, such as signage and architectural illumination.

The device requires no external power transistors or capacitors, reducing the overall BoM cost and increasing system stability. Long-term reliability is also improved through the robust design, which is tolerant to overvoltage levels resulting from faults in the LEDs or supply transients. Integrated thermal protection limits the output current in the event of high operating temperatures, avoiding operational failure and maximizing the working lifetime of the LEDs.

Features

LED Current Tolerance of ±5% at 95mA Output Current
Thermal Protection Reduces LED Current at Elevated Temperature
Low Typical Saturation Voltage of 115mV at 50mA
5mA to 100mA Adjustable LED Current with an External Resistor
5V to 42V Supply Voltage
High Power 1W Dissipation in SOT26
No External Capacitors Required for Stable Operation
LED Dimming Using PWM
Parallel Devices to Increase Regulated Current

With an adjustable output current level between 5mA and 100mA, the BCR430UW6 can provide greater flexibility, allowing a single design to be used to drive various LED configurations. The output is highly stable, held at ±5% across temperature variations and supply voltage fluctuations. This stability delivers a uniform output lighting level under all operating conditions.

Other advanced features include PWM-based dimming, an operating voltage range of 5V to 42V, and support for parallel operation to further increase the regulated output current.

The BCR430UW6 is provided in a SOT26 package. Further information is available at www.diodes.com

650 V half-bridge SOI driver families with integrated bootstrap diodes offers superior robustness

Posted on 9 January, 2020 by mixos

Infineon Technologies AG broadens its EiceDRIVER™ portfolio with the 650 V half-bridge gate drivers based on Infineon’s unique silicon on insulator (SOI) technology. The products provide leading negative transient voltage immunity, monolithic integration of a real bootstrap diode, and superior latch-up immunity for MOSFET and IGBT based inverter applications. These unique features enable more robust and reliable designs at reduced BOM cost. The high output current family 2ED218x is tailored for high frequency applications like induction cooking, air conditioning compressors, SMPS, and UPS. The low output current family 2ED210x is targeting home appliances, power tools, motor control and drives, fans and pumps.

2ED218x is the 2.5 A high current EiceDRIVER family, while 2ED210x is the 0.7 A low current family. They include variants with shutdown functionality and separate logic and power ground. The integrated bootstrap diode offers ultra-fast reverse recovery with a typical 30 Ω on-resistance. A negative VS immunity of -100 V with repetitive 300 ns wide pulses provides superior robustness and reliable operation. Additionally, integrated dead-time with cross-conduction logic and independent under-voltage lockout (UVLO) for high and low side voltage supplies support safe operation. The propagation delay of the gate driver family amounts to 200 ns.

Features

Operating voltages (VS node) up to +650V
Negative VS transient immunity of 100V
Integrated ultra-fast, low resistance bootstrap diode, lower the BOM cost
High and low voltage pins separated for maximum creepage and clearance
Separate logic and power ground
Floating channel designed for bootstrap operation
Maximum supply voltage of 25V
Independent under voltage lockout (UVLO) for both channels
200ns propagation delay
HIN, LIN input logic
Logic Operational up to –11V on VS Pin
Negative Voltage Tolerance On Inputs of –5V
The floating channel can be used to drive an N-channel MOSFET, SiC MOSFET or IGBT in the high side configuration

Typical Application

Availability

2ED218x and 2ED210x are pin-to-pin, electrically and functionally, compatible with earlier generation IR(S)218x and IR(S)210x devices. They are available in industry standard DSO-8 (SOIC8) and DSO-14 (SOIC-14) packages with 2 kV HBM ESD rating (2ED218x only). Both the 2ED218x and 2ED210x product families can be ordered as production samples and in high volume. More information is available at www.infineon.com/SOI

3D Image Sensor REAL3 for Face Authentication announced at CES 2020

Posted on 9 January, 20209 January, 2020 by mixos

Infineon Technologies AG has collaborated with software and 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) system specialist pmdtechnologies ag to develop reportedly the world’s smallest, most powerful 3D image sensor. Designated the REAL3, the single-chip solution measures just 4.4 x 5.1 mm and is the fifth generation of time-of-flight deep sensors from Infineon. The sensor can be incorporated into even the smallest devices with just a few elements while providing high resolution with low power consumption.

The depth sensor ToF technology enables an accurate 3D image of faces, hand details or objects which is relevant when it must be ensured that the image matches the original. This is already applied in payment transactions using mobile phones or devices that need no bank details, bank cards or cashiers and the payment is carried out instead via facial recognition. This in turn requires reliable and secure image and return transmission of the high-resolution 3D image data.

“With the fifth generation of our REAL3 chip we are once again demonstrating our leading position in the field of 3D sensors,” said Andreas Urschitz, President of the Power Management and Multimarket Division at Infineon, in a statement. “It’s robust, reliable, powerful, energy efficient and at the same time decisively small.”

The 3D sensor also allows the device to be controlled via gestures, so that human-machine interaction is context-based and without touch.

The sensor chip (IRS2877C) provides additional options for ambitious photos with cameras, for example, with enhanced autofocus, bokeh effect for photo and video, and improved resolution in poor lighting conditions. Real-time full-3D mapping also allows authentic augmented reality experiences to be presented.

The chip was developed in Graz, Dresden and Siegen and combines the expertise of Infineon’s and pmdtechnologies’ German and Austrian locations. Production will begin in mid 2020. In addition, Infineon Technologies offers an optimized illumination driver (IRS9100C) that further improves performance, size and cost as a complete solution.

The sensor is the basis of pmdtechnologies latest 3D Time-of-Flight camera module. The module provides a VGA resolution depth data output and incorporates a newly designed 5µm pmd pixel core. The imager’s VGA resolution enables applications to produce more detailed 3D data. Uses include enhanced photography, 3D reconstruction of faces and objects, augmented reality, photorealistic relighting, and gesture control and measurement.

[via]

Meet the Arduino Portenta!

Posted on 9 January, 20209 January, 2020 by Emmanuel Odunlade

CES 2020 has been full of the usual intrigue and amazing display of technological advancements across different industries. As usual, it has featured the release/launch of several new products by different companies and one of such announcements we know will interest the community, is the launch of the Arduino Portenta Family of Boards, with the first member of the family; The Portenta H7 board.

The Portenta Family was created to fill the need for industry-grade boards and the first member of the family; the Portenta H7, shows they mean business as it was announced alongside a companion board; called the Portenta Carrier Board, which will leave you with an impression of this being baby steps towards Arduino getting into the SBCs and Embedded Gateways space.

The Portenta H7 is built around the STMicro STM32H747XI which implements a dual-core comprising of Arm Cortex-M7 (running at 480MHz ) and a Cortex-M4(running at 240MHz) on-chip. The dual-core nature enables applications that allow users to simultaneously run high-level code along with real-time tasks. It was consciously designed for industrial applications, with specific features that make it suitable for such an environment, like support for operating temperatures between -40° and 85°C.

Some of the features and specifications of the Portenta H7 include:

STM32H747XI Microcontroller with ARM Cortex-M7 and Cortex-M4
2MB SDRAM
16MB QSPI NOR Flash
MXP SE0502 onboard Security
Bluetooth 5.1
2.4GHz WiFi 802.11b/g/n
On-board 10/100M PHY
MIPI DSI with an 8-bit camera interface via an 80-pin connector
Single USB 2.0 Type-C port for power, programming, and DisplayPort (MIPI DSI)
Arduino MKR headers with UART1, 6x Analog input pins, GPIO, PWM, SPI, I2C, Reset, 5V, 3.3V, and GND
2x 80 pin high-density connectors which can be accessed via the Portenta Carrier Board to provide access to additional ports like; UART (4), CAN Bus(1), USB2.0(2), I2C(2), SPI(2), ADC(8 16-bits), DAC(2 12-bits), GPIO(6), I2S, DMIC, and SAI.
22 timers and watchdogs
Supports up to 5V via USB-C port or VIN pin
Supports Power to board via a 3.7V Single-Cell LiPo Battery with an Integrated Charger
Temperature Range – -40 °C to +85 °C (excl. Wireless module) / -10 °C to +55 °C (incl. Wireless module)

Some of the specs provided above can be customized to suit the user’s needs. For instance, memory could be increased to 64 MByte of SDRAM, and 128 MByte of QSPI Flash, an external UFL antenna connector could be added to the board, and you can choose between crypto-chips from Microchip® or NXP.

Showing an understanding of how much things has changed around embedded systems development, the Portenta H7, asides support for Codes written with the Arduino IDE, supports MicroPython and JavaScript code out of the box, making the board more useful to a broader category of developers including those not so familiar with C. Still on Programming, the Portenta H7 also supports the Arm Mbed OS IoT operating system, whose enterprise-grade features will be useful in any industrial application for which the board is deployed.

The Portenta H7 is currently being promoted alongside the Arduino Pro IDE and the ARM Pelion IoT platform, as an all-in-One suite for IoT Solutions. It is already available for Pre-Order at $99.99 with delivery by the end of February. More information on the board can be found on Arduino’s Website.

The Portenta Carrier Board appears to still be in development and as such, most of the details may still change, but based on pictures and information available online, it helps transform the Portenta into an eNUC computer and exposes all of the H7 physical interfaces. More information on the Carrier board can be found here.