Aaeon launches M.2 and mini-PCIe based AI accelerators using low-power Kneron NPU

Aaeon’s M.2 and mini-PCIe “AI Edge Computing Modules” are based on Kneron’s energy-efficient, dual Cortex-M4-enabled KL520 AI SoC, which offers 0.3 TOP NPU performance on only half a Watt. by Eric Brown @ linuxgizmos.com

Aaeon took an early interest in edge AI acceleration with Arm-based Nvidia Jetson TX2 based computers such as the Boxer-8170AI. More recently, it has been delivering M.2 and mini-PCIe form-factor AI Core accessories for its Boxer computers and UP boards equipped with Intel Movidius Myriad 2 and Myriad X Vision Processing Units (VPUs). Now, it has added another approach to AI acceleration by launching a line of M.2 and mini-PCIe AI acceleration cards built around Kneron’s new KL520 AI SoC.

 

Aaeon’s AI Edge Computing Modules featuring the KL520 AI SoC are available for order at an undisclosed price. Presumably, these will eventually be available as individually price accessories for UP boards and the like. More information may be found in Aaeon’s announcement and on its preliminary product pages for the M2AI-2280-520, M2AI-2242-520, and Mini-AI-520 modules. More on the KL520 AI SoC may be found on Kneron’s website.

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Axiomtek Launches Ultra-compact Fanless Embedded System for Video Analytics – UST100-504-FL

Axiomtek – a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted in the research, development and manufacture of series of innovative and reliable industrial computer products of high efficiency – is proud to unveil UST100-504-FL, an extremely compact fanless embedded system for in-vehicle edge computing and video analytics applications. This ruggedized in-vehicle system is certified with CE and FCC and is in compliance with ISO 7637-2. Axiomtek’s UST100-504-FL features a single-sided I/O design for space-limited vehicle applications. The high-performance vehicle PC is powered by the LGA1151 socket 7th/6th generation Intel® Core™ or Pentium® processor with up to 35W TDP and comes with the Intel® H110 chipset. Thanks to its ruggedized structure and outstanding system design, the UST100-504-FL is able to operate under a wide temperature range from -40°C to +60°C and vibration of up to 3 Grms for extreme harsh environment.

“This embedded system, which is only 65 mm height, is supremely qualified for edge computing and video analytics on police and emergency vehicles. In addition, its top cover adopts the slide rail design which allows for quick and easy maintenance to the hard disk drive and mini PCIe expansion card,” said Sharon Huang, a product manager of Product PM Division at Axiomtek.” Furthermore, it comes with intelligent power management for ACC on/off delay, shutdown delay and over/under voltage protection.”

The development-friendly UST100-504-FL comes with one DDR4-1866/2133/2400 SO-DIMM slot with up to 16GB of system memory. It has three PCI Express Mini Card slots and two internal SIM card slots for wireless communication capabilities. It is equipped with one DB9 Serial console or RS-232/422/485, one HDMI 1.4b, one Mic-in, one Line-out, two RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet ports, four USB 3.0, and one DB9 4-in/4-out programmable DIO. The fanless box system offers one reset button, one power switch, one remote switch and four antenna openings. It also supports 12 or 24 VDC power input in the terminal block with ACC ignition for power management for vehicle applications. Besides, the ultra-compact in-vehicle PC is compatible with Windows® 10 64-bit, Windows® 7 64-bit and Ubuntu 18.04. This reliable fanless system provides an ideal in-vehicle solution for video analytics and peripheral integration.

Advanced Features:

  • CE, FCC certified; ISO 7637-2 compliant
  • LGA1151 7th/6th gen Intel® Core™ and Pentium® processors (up to 35W) with Intel® H110
  • Fanless and wide operating temperatures from -40°C to +60°C
  • 12/24 VDC power input, with power management (ACC ignition)
  • Single-sided I/O design for easy maintenance
  • Expansion capability for three PCI Express Mini Card slot and two internal SIM card slot

No price was supplied for the “coming soon” UST100-504-FL. More information may be found in Axiomtek’s announcement and product page.

Axiomtek’s UST100-504-FL is now available for purchase. For more product information or customization services, please visit our global website at www.axiomtek.com or contact one of our sales representatives at info@axiomtek.com.tw.

STM32CubeProgrammer – New version compatible with the latest STM32 MCUs & MPUs

STMicroelectronics is pleased to inform us that the latest version of our all-in-one multi-OS software tool STM32CubeProgrammer is available. [Download now]

This new release:

  • Allows developers to seamlessly program STM32L5 and STM32WB50 (expected Q4 2019) internal and external memories, as well as the STM32MP1 series’ external flash memories.
  • Supports the STLINK-V3SET and STLINK-V3MINI debugging and programming probes.
  • Includes Over-The-Air firmware upgrade for STM32WB5x wireless MCUs.
  • Enables Secure Firmware Installation (SFI) on STM32L4, L5, H7 eligible products:
    • Includes the Trusted Package Creator software tool to perform firmware IP encryption using AES-GCM key.
    • Manages authentication and licensing with the STM32HSM companion hardware security module to allow OEMs to restrict the number of devices that can be programmed.

The STM32CubeProgrammer release 2.2 comes in Graphical User Interface (GUI) and in Command-Line Interface (CLI) versions to ease programming automation through scripting.

Advanced and Scalable SOM-HMI Solutions for EV Charging Station

Technology is continuing to transform the automotive industry, particularly the EV segment. The decrease in battery cost and increase in battery capacity, coupled with other advantages such as zero-emission, noiseless operation, and overall cost savings have led to EVs becoming mainstream in India and globally. At the same time, more and more EV charging stations are being set up throughout the country to facilitate fast and easy charging of EVs. Subsequently, the EV charging infrastructure (EVSE system) is rapidly evolving, integrating enhanced features and providing more value-added services to the customers.

iWave Systems, a Bangalore based leading embedded solutions provider company has always been at the forefront of developing unique solutions for the automotive industry. With a broad portfolio of industrial and automotive grade modules (SOM, SBC, Development platforms, and ODM solutions), the company is uniquely positioned to empower the development of advanced and cost-effective solutions for emerging EV charging station requirements.

One of the most important components of the EVSE system is the Human-machine interface (HMI). The HMI facilitates easy interaction with the charging station and provides users access to real-time data and analytics associated with the charging process.

iWave’s System on Modules offers a highly efficient and feature-rich platform for enabling the development of smart, reliable and user-friendly HMI solutions. The SOMs support varying levels of GUI interface starting from entry-level low-resolution graphics to high performing 2D/3D GUI for enhanced user experience in the HMI interface. iWave’s high-end SOMs are capable of performing real-time communication with the EV Battery Management

System (BMS), collects vital data, perform analysis and enable remote access, real-time monitor and diagnosis of battery health and energy status. The SOMs supports platforms to enable secure customer authorization and payment and allows connectivity with Cloud platforms to generate advanced data analytics and diagnostics report for the consumers.

iWave offers various SOM platforms for satisfying both low and high-end EVSE HMI requirements. For low-end applications, iWave offers the entry-level NXP®  i.MX6ULL (Cortex A7) SOM, and for high-end applications, there are two variants offered: NXP® i.MX8M Mini (Cortex-A53 & Cortex-M4F) and Xilinx® Zynq 7000 SoC FPGA SOM (Cortex A9  & versatile I/O using FPGA).

The SOMs integrates powerful ARM® Cortex® cores and comprises of all the essential interfaces, connectivity and graphics acceleration for enabling high performance, rugged and cost-effective HMI solutions.

The Zynq 7000 SOM incorporates a flexible ARM® + FPGA architecture that enables hardware, software and I/O programmability to satisfy various design requirements. The SOM allows the integration of custom I/O interfaces, serial ports, hardware acceleration, etc. to complement the addition of extra interfaces and features at the backend BMS and the HMI interface.

The SOMs and its key features for HMI applications are illustrated below:

iWave also offers ready to use custom and performance scalable HMI panels with various configuration options in terms of processor performance, memory, display /resolution, OS, GUI, driver development/porting, etc.

For more details check out the link: https://www.iwavesystems.com/product/solutions/hmi-odm-solution/human-machine-interface.html

iWave’s vast experience in SOM ODM business with the added advantage of design service for Industrial, Automotive, Health Care and Embedded applications elevates us as a one-stop-shop for all hardware, software and customized design solutions.

With 10+ years of product availability, custom SOM configuration and dedicated technical support including carrier board review, software support, etc., designers and OEMs can be assured of our unwavering quality and long-term service. Our support resources include detailed hardware and software user manual, carrier board schematics, BSP package with toolchain support, reference designs, etc.,

For further information or inquiries please write to mktg@iwavesystems.com or contact our Regional Partners.

www.iwavesystems.com

Vissles – The Most Compact 2-in-1 Music Pill – Review

TWS Earbuds+BT Speaker+Charging Case| Palmsize|BT5.0 |Touch Control|Voice Assistant| IPX5 Waterproof, this is Vissles.

As digital devices and products continues to proliferate in our world, it can be a burden to add more and more accessories in our daily life. From smartphones to smart watches to home pods, etc., we are entering an era where having a device that serves two or more purposes is becoming a bliss. One of such situations where users have to deal with multiple devices is listening to music. People tend to have different devices for different music situations; earbuds for private music listening, Bluetooth speakers when in a meeting with friends, etc., but what if you could have one device do all of this? Serve as your earbuds and also a Bluetooth speaker for small gatherings? This was the question that led Vissles, an emerging brand of high-fidelity wireless audio devices, to develop their innovative 2-in-1 wireless earbuds that doubles as a powerful Bluetooth speaker.

Vissles box contents

The product which is going to launch in October (indiegogo.com page), provides music lovers with the opportunity of experiencing the best of both worlds in a single device as it delivers a versatile way to listen to music alone or with a group.

Vissles seamlessly transforms from earbuds to sound hub to perfectly suit any listening situation. When used as earbuds, users get to enjoy a comfortable and compact pair of earbuds with an advanced Passive Noise Cancellation (PNC) design that delivers a noise-free and crystal-clear audio experience in challenging environment, pumping out flawless sound with strong bass, accurate mids, and crisp treble.  In sound sharing mode, the storage and charging case doubles as a high fidelity Bluetooth speaker through which users can share their favorite playlists with friends and family anywhere. This demonstrates an high-level of innovative thinking as it is one of a kind and building some usefulness into the earbud’s case, definitely makes sense.

Vissles comparison with similar products

According to the company’s CEO, Vissles is always seeking a way to have more meaningful and convenient listening experiences. He said:

“ Our goal was to take versatility and convenience to the next level by combining the convenience of wireless earbuds with a powerful Bluetooth speaker so the device can seamlessly transform from earbuds for the individual, into a powerful Bluetooth speaker for the home and for sharing with friends”.

In addition to being the most versatile pair of digital audio devices for unparalleled sound quality, Vissles also add useful features like; intuitive touch controls for ease of use, and full voice assistant integration to access information with just a single tap. Vissels uses all of these, combined with low-energy consumption and a secure protocol to deliver stable connectivity and smooth audio transmission.

Vissles out of the box

The flexibility and immersive sound experience Vissles provides makes it excellent for sports, active lifestyles, and daily life as it sets a new standard for convenience and practicality for the busy nature of today’s users.

Specifications

Vissles is set for a launch in October and a pre-lauch page is published on Indiegogo.com along with some additional information. However, as long as the price is within the range of the combined cost of a pair of quality earbuds and a bluetooth speaker, I believe the 2-in-1 nature of Vissiles should be worth it. One less device to charge could actually translate to less complexity, less energy cost (hopefully), more space in backpacks, and more flexibility.

Playback time

One key feature I am looking out in Vissles is the battery life when used in speaker mode. The fully charged earbuds can continuously play for 5 hours. Used with the case, enjoy up to 4x the power for a total of 20+ hours of music! Simply put the earbuds back into the case and they will be automatically powered up. For the speaker, the fully charged case delivers 4+ hours of play time. Never let a dead battery ruin your gathering!

Unboxing Video

The campaign will last for a month. Users can grab one at the price of US$ 65 for the first 72 hours. After that, the price will increase a bit at US$69

You can get more information on Indiegogo.com page or www.vissles.com. Feel free to share your feedback regarding the campaign in the comments.

Coffee Lake embedded PC has six USB 3.0 ports and GbE with BMC

Trenton Systems is prepping a compact, Linux-friendly “Ion Mini PC” with 8th or 9th Gen Coffee Lake options and up to 32GB DDR4, SATA, DP, 6x USB 3.0, and 3x GbE, including one BMC-linked port for out-of-band, remote management.

Trenton Systems has released a photo and preliminary documentation for an Ion Mini PC due to begin sampling by the end of the month. Although this Mini-ITX-based, 178 x 173 x 36mm system is a bit larger than what we typically consider to be a mini-PC these days, it packs in a lot of features including 6x USB 3.0 ports and a Gigabit Ethernet port linked to a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) chip for remote, out-of-band management of network connections.

The Ion Mini PC supports up to 32GB of dual-channel DDR4-2400/2666, including ECC RAM. There’s an internal 2.5-inch SATA SSD drive and an M.2 slot (x4 PCIe) with NVMe storage support.

Other features include 6x USB 3.0 ports, a DisplayPort, and VGA and RS-2332 (DB9) ports. You also get include dual audio jacks, a power button and jack, and an LED.

The two standard Gigabit Ethernet ports use Intel i350 controllers while the BMC-linked GbE has an Intel i210. The port is monitored by an AST2500 Baseband Management Controller consisting of rKVM, system monitoring, out-of-band management, and a TPM 2.0 security chip. A customizable in-house BIOS is also available. The system supports 0 to 50°C temperatures with 5% – 90% non-condensing humidity tolerance.

The Ion Mini PC will begin sampling at the end of the month, with pricing undisclosed. More information should eventually appear on Trenton Systems’ website. Meanwhile, here’s the Ion Mini PC teaser page.

via linuxgizmos.com

Spectrum analyzer combines performance with ease-of-use

The SSA3000X-plus spectrum analyzer from Siglent Technologies combines the performance and reliability of the highly successful SSA3000X series with the features and ease of use of the SVA1000X series. By Nick Flaherty @ www.mwee.com

Siglent Technologies has launched a spectrum analyzer family that adds ease of use to its high performance platform.

The Spectrum & Vector Network Analyzer SVA1032X family is available with bandwidths from 9 kHz to 2.1 GHz. With the smallest resolution bandwidth (RBW) of 1 Hz, a noise level of
-161dBm can be displayed. Together with the amplitude accuracy of <0.7 dB, even the smallest signals just above the noise of the device can be detected and measured.

The “advanced measurements” option that combines the SSA3000X and AMK has also been extended with two additional measurements. In addition to the previous measurements of channel power (CP), adjacent channel power (ACPR), occupied bandwidth (OBW), TOI and waterfall diagram (monitor), the harmonic and carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) measurements are now also implemented. The available EMC option offers EMI filter bandwidths of 200Hz, 9 kHz, 120 kHz and 1 MHz as well as the quasi-peak detector defined in CISPR.

In addition to the improvements and additions to the well-known functions, a completely new function has been added to the SSA3000X-plus. So, now there is a vector signal analysis option for analog and digital modulations (SSA3000X plus-AMA/DMA) available. This can be used, for example, to measure the error vector magnitude (EVM) of PSK, MSK or QAM modulated signals.

The 10.1-inch touch screen, the possibility to connect an external mouse & keyboard and the integrated web server make the operation easy and comfortable.

The starting price for the SSA3000X plus series is €1469.

more: www.siglenteu.com

Cambridge startup Sorex launches particulate sensor

Mass sensing startup Sorex Sensors Ltd. (Cambridge, England) has launched its first product, a particulate sensor along with a development kit. By Peter Clarke @ eenewseurope.com

The Sorex sensor is designed for use in air purifier systems and in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, such as atomic layer deposition tools, where it can monitor amounts and rates. It is also suitable for air quality monitor where it can sense very small amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Sorex has reportedly said that this initial non-specific sensor of capable of detecting particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter. Particles of this size range can be inhaled into the lungs with potentially harmful effects.

“Our particulate sensor – to help with dust control – is the first step towards our development of an array of sensors for indoor air quality monitoring,” said Mario de Miguel Ramos, Sorex CTO, is reported as saying. “The aim is for our sensors to act as your eyes, ears and nose to detect any dangerous build-up of compounds before they reach harmful levels.”

The fact that the sensor is more sensitive than many competing sensors and is highly compatible with CMOS manufacturing gives it a couple of potential advantages in the market. Power consumption is down in the microwatt range.

The development kit can be plugged into a laptop to reveal the particles collected by the sensor as part of the product development process.

Sorex was spun out of the University of Cambridge engineering department in 2017 to commercialize film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) technology that uses a piezoelectric layer that can be excited to resonate. Attachment of mass to the surface changes the resonant frequency and provides a measurement of the amount of mass on the sensing area. The company claims the technology can be sensitive down to femtogram levels.

Related links and articles: www.sorexsensors.com

Toshiba Launches Voltage Drive Photorelay with a Tiny 2.9mm2 Footprint

Tiny device features lower input power to reduce equipment size and power consumption

Toshiba Electronics Europe (“Toshiba”) announces the availability of a new voltage driven photorelay with a tiny S-VSON4T package and reduced input power dissipation.

The new product, designated TLP3407SR, features a maximum LED current of just 1 mA at the input, which represents a reduction to approximately 33% of that of its predecessor, the TLP3407SRH. This allows the product to offer a maximum input power dissipation of 3.3 mW. For use with higher voltages of 5 V or more, the new device can be powered by adding an external resistor in series, allowing designers to implement a maximum trigger LED current of 0.2 mA. This expands the range of permissible input voltages, simplifying the task of circuit design.

With the reduced input power dissipation, the new voltage drive photorelay is suitable for reducing the power consumption of a wide variety of equipment including probe cards, automatic semiconductor test equipment (ATE), semiconductor testers, and other similar applications.

The TLP3407SR is housed in a tiny S-VSON4T package that features a mounting area / footprint of just 2.9 mm2 – a reduction of around 27% when compared to the existing VSONR4 package. As a result, this new product can help reduce the size of end products or increase the number of photorelays that can be mounted in a fixed space.

Features

  • S-VSON4T: 2.0 (L) mm × 1.45 (W) mm × 1.3 (H) mm
  • Normally opened (1-Form-A)
  • OFF-state output terminal voltage: 60 V (min)
  • Operating voltage: 3 V (max)
  • Trigger LED current: 0.2 mA (max)
  • ON-state current: 1 A (max)
  • ON-state resistance:0.2 Ω (typ.)
  • 0.3 Ω (max)
  • Isolation voltage: 500 Vrms (min)

more: toshiba.semicon-storage.com

Xenon Development Kit

Particle Industries endpoint and repeater development kit is designed for IoT projects and prototyping

Particle’s Xenon is a powerful mesh-enabled development kit that can act as either an endpoint or repeater for Particle mesh networks. It is based on the Nordic nRF52840 and has built-in battery-charging circuitry so it is easy to connect a Li-Po and deploy a local network in minutes. The Xenon should be paired with an argon or boron gateway to connect data to the particle device cloud.

BLE and NFC features are available on the Xenon development kit. With wiring APIs for both BLE and NFC, particle applications can be created that interact with mobile devices and integrate with off-the-shelf BLE sensors, peripherals, and other Particle BLE accessories. Plus, BLE and NFC complement one another and offer low-power, low-latency communication, getting critical data where it needs to be without wasting time or money.

The kit includes the Xenon development board, a mini breadboard, and a USB cable. Equipped with the Nordic nRF52840 processor, the Xenon has built-in battery charging circuitry which makes it easier to connect a Li-Po battery and 20 mixed-signal GPIOs to interface with sensors, actuators, and other electronics.

  • Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 SoC
    -ARM Cortex-M4F 32-bit processor @ 64MHz
    -1MB flash, 256KB RAM
    -IEEE 802.15.4-2006: 250 Kbps
    -Bluetooth 5: 2 Mbps, 1 Mbps, 500 Kbps, 125 Kbps
    -Supports DSP instructions, HW accelerated Floating Point Unit (FPU) calculations
    -ARM TrustZone CryptoCell-310 Cryptographic and security module
    -Up to +8 dBm TX power (down to -20 dBm in 4 dB steps)
    -NFC-A tag
  • On-board additional 2MB SPI flash
  • 20 mixed signal GPIO (6 x Analog, 8 x PWM), UART, I2C, SPI
  • Micro USB 2.0 full speed (12 Mbps)
  • Integrated Li-Po charging and battery connector
  • JTAG (SWD) Connector
  • RGB status LED
  • Reset and Mode buttons
  • On-board PCB antenna
  • U.FL connector for external antenna
  • Meets the Feather specification in dimensions and pinout
  • FCC, CE and IC certified
  • RoHS compliant (lead-free)

All Particle hardware can be set up in minutes using Particle’s mobile- and browser-based setup tools. Every device comes pre-installed with Device OS, Particle’s powerful embedded operating system. Particle hardware is built to scale, enabling seamless transition from prototype to a global deployment with device cloud hosted infrastructure.

Features

  • No single point of failure: build a local mesh network that is self-healing so if an individual device goes offline the network can reconfigure itself to the closest connection
  • Self-extending: if more range is needed, add another node and the messages can hop through the mesh back to the gateway
  • Reliable networks: interconnected devices can simultaneously transfer data smoothly and will not complicate the network connection
  • Low-cost, low-power: using wireless mesh networks eliminates the cost and complexity of installing fiber/wires between facilities

Applications

  • Smart home
  • Farming
  • Smart cities
  • Healthcare equipment
  • Industrial internet

more: store.particle.io

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