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Isolated 2W 24Vdc-to-5Vdc Flyback DC-DC – Reference Design

Posted on 29 November, 201916 January, 2020 by mixos

The MAXREFDES111# reference design from Maxim Integrated is a compact 24V input flyback-converter module that features 5V at 400mA output. Transformer selection is often the most difficult step in isolated power design. Multiple transformers (Wurth Electronics 750315847, HanRun HR041087, and Sumida 06343-T588) have been qualified for this design, simplifying the process of transformer selection.

The reference design delivers a peak efficiency of 79% with the supplied components when the input is 24V. This general-purpose power solution can be used in many different types of power applications, such as programmable logic controllers (PLC), industrial process control, industrial sensors, telecom power supplies, isolated battery chargers, servers, and embedded computing.

Through-hole pins on the bottom side of the module allows quick and easy integration of this power converter into the main system. Pins are 15mm (0.6in) from power to ground, and 28mm (1.1in) from the input side to the output side.

The MAX17498B is a peak-current-mode controller for design of wide input-voltage flyback and boost regulators. The reference design operates over an 18V to 36V input voltage range, and provides up to 400mA (plus 20% overhead) at 5V output.

The device uses an internal n-channel MOSFET to implement switching and internal current sensing for current-mode control and overcurrent protection of the flyback converter. The device incorporates a flexible error amplifier and an accurate reference voltage to enable the end user to regulate both positive and negative outputs. The device has a fixed switching frequency of 500kHz.

The input undervoltage lockout (EN/UVLO) is provided for programming the input-supply start voltage (set to 18V in the design), and to ensure proper operation during brownout conditions. The EN/UVLO input is also used to turn on/off the IC. The overvoltage input (OVI) protection scheme is provided to make sure that the controller shuts down when the input supply exceeds its maximum allowed value (set to 36V in the design).

A capacitor is connected to the SS pin to program the soft-start period; hence, reducing the input inrush current during startup. Hiccup-mode overcurrent protection and thermal shutdown are provided to minimize dissipation in overcurrent and overtemperature fault conditions.

On The Web: Maxim Integrated Products Inc.

Slim Sensor Delivers Calibrated Data

Posted on 29 November, 2019 by mixos

Würth Elektronik presents a very compact MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) absolute pressure sensor: The 2.0 × 2.0 × 0.8 mm sized WSEN-PADS measures pressure in the range between 26 and 126 kPa. Its output data rate can be selected between 1 and 200 Hz. The sensor contains an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) and a temperature sensor. This means the output values are already calibrated.

The WSEN-PADS absolute pressure sensor offers the possibility of preparing the measured data for various applications using activatable integrated algorithms in such a way that the programming workload for a connected controller is greatly reduced. The measured data can be read out via a standard I²C interface. The I²C interface is extended by an additional interrupt pin whose function can be modified by the user. An application example is the use of the pressure sensor as an altimeter.

The Evaluation Board for WSEN-PADS Pressure Sensor.

Thanks to its high resolution, the sensor provides information that enables the position of individual floors in buildings to be mapped. This supports an indoor navigation system. WSEN-PADS is not only extremely suitable for mobile devices on account of its slim design: Since the sensor can be operated at very low power consumption, it is possible to supply it with batteries or even energy via energy harvesting – Würth Elektronik offers technical support here. The piezoresistive sensor is specified for an industrial temperature range from –40 to +85 °C. Würth Elektronik offers a tailored evaluation board.

The sensor is always available from stock without a minimum order quantity.

The new Orange Pi 4 has two new variants with RK3399

Posted on 29 November, 2019 by Rik

Shenzhen Xunlong has released introductory specs for a Rockchip RK3399 based Orange Pi 4 SBC. It is seemed to be smaller, more affordable than the Orange Pi RK3399, faster and more feature-rich than the Orange Pi 3. There is also an Orange Pi 4B variant which adds a Lightspeeur 2801S AI chip.

The new Orange Pi 4 utilizes the same RK3399 SoC as the Orange Pi RK3399 but it is designed to be smaller and more compact. The Orange Pi 4B variant adds a Lightspeeur 2801S (or SPR2801S) NPU from Gyrfalcon Technology, Inc (GTI). It is the 2.8 TOPS at 0.3 Watts (or 5.6 TOPS @ 100MHz) AI accelerator.

The Orange Pi 4 and Orange Pi 4B have a dimension of 90 × 64mm which makes it a little smaller than Orange Pi 3. These boards are powered by the RK3399, which houses two Cortex-A72 cores, typically clocked at 1.8GHz to 2.0GHz, as well as four Cortex-A53 cores at up to 1.42GHz. There’s also an ARM Mali-T864 for handling graphics.

The Orange Pi 4 is provided with HDMI, USB 3.0 Type-C, USB 3.0 host, single GbE (RTL811E) and USB 2.0 host ports. The Orange Pi 4B’s NPU connects to the RK3399 via USB 3.0 so, the 4B switches the USB 3.0 host port to a second USB 2.0 host port. Otherwise, the two models appear to be the same except for a minor change in layout. Both models have a microSD slot, dual LCD connectors, a camera header, a serial debug interface, a mic, and an audio I/O jack. Expansion can be managed with a 24-pin PCIe interface and Raspberry Pi like a 40-pin GPIO header.

The Orange Pi 4 has an Ampak AP6356S wireless module with dual-band 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1. The SBC has a 5V/3A DC jack, a PMIC (Rockchip RK808), and recovery and reset-button. Like the Orange Pi 4, the 4B model ships with 4GB LPDDR4 and 16GB eMMC. The Orange Pi 4 will be another community-backed, open-spec board with downloadable 64-bit Linux and Android images.

More information about the pricing and availability may be found on the Shenzhen Xunlong Twitter teaser and eventually on the Orange Pi website when they update the index page.

DepthAI enables real time depth vision to the Raspberry Pi

Posted on 29 November, 201929 November, 2019 by Tope Oluyemi

For a while now, Edge computing on the Raspberry PI has experienced a bit of ups and downs, especially with the trend of featuring AI in everything. The Raspberry Pi most times does not function properly with any reliable AI applications. A typical object detection on the Raspberry Pi would produce about 1 – 2 fps depending on the type of model, and this is because all those processing is done on the CPU. However, the poor performance of AI applications on the Raspberry Pi, has recently being addressed through AI Accelerators. One of this Accelerators is the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2, which is capable of somewhere around 8 – 15 fps depending on your application. The NCS2 is based on the Myriad X VPU technology, and this powerful AI module for edge computing called DepthAI. Essentially, DepthAI is an embedded platform for combining Depth and AI.

DepthAI’s idea was conceived by Luxonis, and it was Initially conceived from the need to improve bike safety of creating an artificial intelligence bike light that detects and prevents crashes from behind. It can also be used for health and safety, agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, mining etc. DepthAI functions by combine depth perception, object detection (neural inference), and object tracking, enabling power in a simple, easy-to-use Python API. The company says:

”Our ultimate goal is to develop a rear-facing AI vision alert system for cyclists that can help prevent them being hit by cars. On the path to building this, we developed hardware around the Myriad X, which we think could have huge value for makers, micro-factories, builders, and anyone who needs any combination of disparity depth and AI running in real time.”

The core of the device is the Myriad X SOM, the same module powering the Intel Neural Compute Stick 2. We should note that some of the capabilities of the Myriad aren’t being utilized; for example, from the image below, the stereo lanes are unused, and also some other features. However, by means of custom integration, DepthAI unlocks the full power usage of the Myriad X, and utilizes the four trillion-operations-per-second vision processing capability of the Myriad X.

Object localization in the physical world can be carried out on the module at 25FPS, where the x, y, z (cartesian) coordinates in meters can be achieved. The attachment of two MIPI cameras sparse apart enables this feature. Additionally, it comes with an accompanying RGB Camera. Apart from the module, DepthAI is also available in 3 variants: A fully-integrated solution with on-board cameras that functions upon boot-up for easy prototyping Powered by the Raspberry Compute Module 3+, Raspberry Pi HAT with modular/remote cameras, and USB3 interface that’s usable with any host.

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module Edition is a complete edition. It comes with everything you need: pre-calibrated stereo cameras on-board with a 4K, 60 Hz color camera, and a microSD card with Raspbian and DepthAI Python code automatically running on bootup. The Pi HAT Edition enables users to attach the module to the Raspberry Pi which has a HAT, and the camera is mounted on the HAT itself. The USB3 Edition however, will allow you to use DepthAI with any platform via only a single USB connection. DepthAI enables Object Localization, Object Detection, Depth Video or Image, Color Video or Image, Stereo Pair Video or Image features. Just like the NCS2, DepthAI functions with OpenVINO for optimizing neural models. This enables you to train models with any popular frameworks such as TensorFlow, Keras, etc, then use OpenVINO to optimize them to run efficiently and at low latency on DepthAI/Myriad X.

DepthAI is crowdfunding on Crowd Supply presently. The SoM is available for $99, while the USB3 Edition is available for $149, the HAT Edition is available for $149, and the Complete Version is available for $299. Shipping is expected to begin from February 2020, if they have a successful campaign.

Bluno Nano – An Arduino Nano with Bluetooth 4.0

Posted on 28 November, 201928 November, 2019 by mixos

Here comes the second member in DFRobot Bluno family, the Bluno Nano. Came in a size of a gum, the Bluno Nano is perfect for BLE projects with limited space or weight. You may also check Bluetooth microcontrollor selection guide to get more information.

Everything is getting smart now: wristbands and watches monitor your daily behaviors and become social; phone-controlled camera add-ons move and take shots as you like; smart gardens grow virtually in your ipad and sharing is made easy… The Bluetooth Low Energy technology has made it easy and achievable. It is exciting to see more and more smart gadgets poping out, but, isn’t building own smart device and solving your own problems even cooler?

DFRobot’s Bluno family is first of its kind in integrating BT 4.0(BLE) module into Arduino Uno, making it an ideal prototyping platform for developers to go wireless. You will be able to develop your own smart bracelet , smart pedometer and more. Through the low- power Bluetooth 4.0 technology, real-time low energy communication can be made really easy.

Specifications

On-board BLE chip: TI CC2540
Wireless Programming Via BLE
Support Bluetooth HID
Support AT command to config the BLE
Transparent communication through Serial
Upgrade BLE firmware easily
DC Supply:USB Powered or External 7V~12V DC
Microcontroller: Atmega328
Bootloader: Arduino Uno
Compatible with the Arduino Uno pin mapping
Size: 53x19x12mm(2.09×0.75×0.47″)
Weight: 20g

Bluno Nano also integrates a TI CC2540 BT 4.0 chip with the Arduino UNO development board. It allows wireless programming via BLE, supports Bluetooth HID, supports AT command to config the BLE, and you can upgrade BLE firmware easily. Bluno is also compatible with all Arduino Uno pins which means any project made with Uno can directly go wireless! Whatsmore, we also developed the App for the Bluno (both Android and IOS), and they are completely opensource, so that you can modify and develope your own hardware-software platform.

The board is currently on sale for $19.90.

Environmental Sensor FeatherWing Measures Temperature, Humidity, Pressure, and Air Quality

Posted on 28 November, 2019 by mixos

Add the capability to measure temperature, humidity, pressure, eCO2 and TVOC to your project! The Environmental Sensor FeatherWing is the perfect mate for the Icarus IoT Dev Board or any other FeatherWing compatible board to do so. Connect an SD card or even an external I2C Sensor with Grove connector. The Environmental Sensor FeatherWing features the sensors Bosch BME280, AMS CCS811, TI OPT3002 and SI SI7060.

“Measure air quality and other metrics with ease,” Actinius writes of the upcoming design. “Using the onboard sensors and the libraries added to the Zephyr OS, you can introduce Air Quality and other environmental metrics to your application in a jiff! Add the sensor to any FeatherWing compatible board of choice (such as the [Actinius] Icarus), in order to start gathering data while keeping the overall board size to a minimum.

“Use the FeatherWing with our Icarus board and benefit from using ready-to-use firmware without needing to download, develop or build the firmware yourself (coming soon). Modest in power requirements, the sensors on the FeatherWing enable use-cases that involve small-sized and portable, battery powered devices.”

More information, though not yet a data sheet, is available on the official product page, where the board is available to pre-order priced at €49.50 excluding VAT (around $54.) The first shipments are scheduled for the second week of December, the company has confirmed.

[via]

GPS Clock using uLisp

Posted on 28 November, 2019 by mixos

David Johnson-Davies writes about his experiments with interfacing a low-cost serial GPS module directly to uLisp, to create projects such as a GPS clock. He writes:

I’ll also describe a GPS speedometer and odometer, and a simple navigator, in later posts. The module I used is the GP-20U7, a small GPS module available for under $20 from SparkFun GPS Receiver – GP-20U7 (56 Channel) 1, but almost any other GPS module should be suitable. The GPS Clock and GPS Speedometer/Odometer will work on any version of uLisp, with sufficient memory, such as the Arduino Mega 2560. The simple navigator requires a 32-bit version of uLisp, running on a board such as the Adafruit ItsyBitsy M0.

GPS Clock using uLisp – [Link]

Small host-based module with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth low energy 5

Posted on 28 November, 201928 November, 2019 by mixos

u-blox has introduced the JODY-W2 multiradio module, a feature-rich and compact wireless module for automotive applications. by Ally Winning @ eenewsembedded.com

Measuring only a 13.8mm x 19.8mm to address the space constraints that car manufacturers face, the module can operate in temperatures from -40ºC to 105ºC. The module is also well suited for industrial applications.

The robust module uses the latest AEC-Q100 qualified wireless SoC technology. A variant is available for industrial control and monitoring applications without AEC-Q100 certification. It offers Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), covering both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency channels in addition to WPA3-compliant security mechanisms. It also has Bluetooth 5 capabilities, with both Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth low energy. Separate antennas are used for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Specifications

Dual band Wi‑Fi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Dual‑mode Bluetooth 5 (Bluetooth BR/EDR and Low Energy)
Supports operation at 105 ° C
Simultaneous access point (AP), station (STA), or Wi‑Fi Direct (P2P)
Optimized for parallel operation of Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth

JODY-W2 modules are able to provide an access point for connection with up to 8 devices with high enough enough bandwidth for video streaming through several devices at once. It can support parallel transportation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals, and can simultaneously act as an access point and as a station, or conduct peer-to-peer communication.

The JODY-W2 modules are manufactured to have the same form factor as the u-blox JODY-W1 series, making it easier to upgrade existing designs.

More information: https://www.u-blox.com/en/product/jody-w2-ser

DIY ISS Tracking Lamp

Posted on 28 November, 201928 November, 2019 by Tope Oluyemi

The International Space Station (ISS) is one of greatest feat of engineering achievements by mankind. It is a space station (habitable artificial satellite) in low Earth orbit. The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields. The station is suited for the testing of spacecraft systems and equipment required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The ISS maintains an orbit with an average altitude of 400 kilometres (250 mi) by means of reboost manoeuvres using the engines of the Zvezda module or visiting spacecraft.

The first component of the ISS was launched in 1998, and the ISS programme is a joint project between five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. The ISS has been continuously occupied since the first long-term residents arrived in early 2000, and it orbits the Earth once roughly every 92 minutes. For those interested in knowing the position of the ISS, with a little bit of hardware, you can build a lamp that shows you the exact position of the ISS over the Earth’s surface at any given time.

The ISS Tracking Lamp was designed by Antoine Seveau, and he provides a tutorial, explaining how you can produce yours. When switched off, the lamp has a minimalist white globe on a pedestal look. However, when you switch it on, a bright blue dot on the globe’s surface shows you exactly where the ISS is. The blue dot emitted from a laser pointer which is mounted inside of the globe, and that laser pointer is directed at the ISS’s current location, using coordinates from Open Notify—a service that gathers the data from NORAD and NASA. The lamp also displays the sunny side of Earth with Neopixels.

The globe for the project was purchased from AliExpress, but you can also 3D print it yourself as two hemispheres. Inside the globe, the laser pointer is mounted on a 3D-printed mechanism. Longitudinal position movement is performed by a stepper motor, and latitudinal position movement is handled by a servo motor. A Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 board controls both the longitude and latitude functions, and uses the Open Notify API to find the ISS’s coordinates and then converts them into motor positions. There are 10 WS2812b single -addressable RGB LEDs around the base of the mechanism illuminate the globe from within. For fans of the space program, or you just want to know where the ISS is at any given time, this is an incredible project to embark on.

Click here to learn how you can build your own ISS tracking globe.

GLUON丨Modular Desktop Collaborative Robotic Arm by SCA

Posted on 28 November, 201928 November, 2019 by mixos

GLUON desktop robotic arm, powered by INNFOS SCA QDD Lite. A best match for prototyping, photography, STEM & geeks. GLUON is an innovative creation. This robotic arm can perform much more complicated actions without being bulky and expensive. INNFOS integrated motor, drive, encoder and reducer in an all-in-one design jazzed-up actuator that created GLUON. The smart compliant actuator is called INNFOS SCA that breakthroughs the old limits of service robotic industry.

Industry experts INNFOS recently launched an advanced smart and compliant robotic arm that brings precision to the desktop and provides human-like flexibility for applications in prototyping, production, STEM and maker tasks. Their new product is available now on Kickstarter.

Desktop robot arms are growing in popularity due to the wide variety of applications they can be applied to, from education to assembly and automated tasks. Until now, these smaller desktop robots were limited by the performance of the stepper motors that drive them. Now, INNFOS Gluon has created an advanced desktop robot arm that is built around its industry-leading, self-developed SCA smart compliant actuator that provides the highest possible level of performance for precise control of position, velocity, and torque.

“Most desktop robotic arms are built for hobbyists and use a stepper or hobby servos motor that can only perform simple actions, thereby limiting their usability. Our goal was to bring the high performance of industrial-grade servo systems and compliant control to the desktop at an affordable price, allowing greater precision and the ability to perform more complex tasks. INNFOS Gluon is the most advanced robotic arm of its type and can perform virtually any task,” said David Yan, CEO, INNFOS.

As the world’s first desktop robotic arm with compliant control, INNFOS Gluon can handle multiple tasks with human-like flexibility and suppleness and includes safety features such as an advanced algorithm to stop the arm in the event of a collision with a person or object.

Here are some features make GLUON different from other robotic arms:

Compliant and Supple: GLUON is an quasi-direct drive based smart and compliant robotic arm. GLUON moves precisely and even performs challenging tasks like needle threading.
Safe and Flexible: With perfect motion control intelligent algorithm, GLUON is able to be both gentle and obdurate. It can meet the diverse needs at movement level.
Compact yet Powerful: GLUON Smart Compliant Actuator integrates motor, drive, reducer and encoder. It only has 1/10 size of traditional servo.
Open-source Firmware: GLUON is completely opened for DIY. It supports SDK, IAS, IRS and more open sourced platforms. Everyone can customize their own robotic arm.

In addition to outstanding precision and load capacity, the arm features a wide range of different swappable end effectors, such as suction cup, universal ball gripper, micro servo gripper, electromagnet head and others. By simply changing the end effectors, the robot arm is capable of virtually any task, including pick and place, assembly, drawing and writing, and games.

INNFOS offers SDK, IAS and IRS for users. SDK offers APIs for various programming languages as well as logging tools for developers to control INNFOS SCA in different environments and the robot is compatible with MAC, Linux, Raspberry pi and Windows operating systems.

The INNFOS R&D team was founded in 2011 and is made up of a group of robotics experts that has been focusing on the development of intelligent compliant actuators for high-performance robots for many years. This latest release puts high performance on the desktop and makes robotics easy and affordable for anyone.

INNFOS Gluon is available now via Kickstarter campaign with special deals and discounts for early adopters.