Working on an electronics project or doing an electronics repair job is usually tedious and one of the contributing factors to this is the usual lack of the right tools for the necessary tasks including screwing and unscrewing parts. One approach to solve this problem was the development of electric screwdrivers and quite a lot of them exist in the market with different form factors to ensure the burden of electronics repair, has nothing to do with screws. However, most of these electric screwdrivers lack in the form factor and portability, as they are usually plugged-in (must be used around a socket), bulky and come with designs that don’t really facilitate the screwing action. Those reasons and more was what Xiaomi hoped to change with the development of the Xiaomi WOWStick Dual Power Precision Screwdrivers and especially with the Wowstick 1f+, being one of their latest versions.
Released in May 2018, the Wowstick 1f+ is a rechargeable electric screwdriver which comes in a Slim S2 aluminum alloy housing with an intuitive pen shape design, and a host of screw-bits (52) to ensure its probably the only screw driver you will ever need. It is driven by a flexible circuit design that allows it to run continuously for 8hours using 2 x AAA batteries.
It is equipped with a magnetic end which holds on to screw after they have been loosed, and it comes with a Piano-feel buttons strategically placed on the side, in a way that is easy for your thumb to press it for either screwing or unscrewing operations.
Introduction Video
Some of the highlighted features of the screwdriver includes:
Electric
Wireless/cordless
Multitude of different screw-bits/tips (up to 56!)
Interesting accessories like Magnetic Mini-tray
Charging via USB
Familiar Pen form factor
Integrated Leds
Idle speed: 200 rpm
Electric torque: Max 0.15 Nm (1.5 kg)
Charging Time: 40 min
Vacuum autonomy: 2h
Dimensions: 173 x 15.8 x 15.8 mm
Auto self-locking ratchet wheel orientation
The efficient nature and easy handling of the screwdriver makes it an ideal tool in the repair of delicate electronics gadgets, like mobile phones, but it may not be as much effective for use in heavy duty applications as it’s power is limited.
A quality, high-class, screw driver without a screw-bit is like a drill without a drill-bit. This is where the Wowstick screw-bit by Xiaomi for precision electric screwdrivers comes in. It is a 56 different bits made from S2 steel alloy with strong wear resistance and high hardness. Measuring 18.50 x 6.50 x 2.50 cm (or 7.28 x 2.56 x 0.98 inches) with a packaging weight of 0.2170 kg, the Wowstick 4mm multiple bit screws was designed to meet most daily repair needs from light-duty projects to bigger ones. The screw-bits are shipped with/or without the Wowstick screwdrivers (depending on the order), indicating that they fit to the Wowstick series of screwdrivers. They are also sold separately as they are compatible with other great brands of screwdrivers.
Unboxing Video
The screw bits come in various point-head types – the Torx, the Phillips, the Square, the Slotted, Y-type, Triangle, the Pentalobe – which make them perfect for fixing watches, phones, laptops, eyeglasses, precision apparatus, pieces of jewelry, as well as other small appliances. These bits have the power to unscrew even the tiniest and toughest screws and because they are particularly long, its quite easy to get them into tight spaces. One beautiful thing about these bits is that they are magnetized so they will help hold the screws. The magnetic quality for the bits is strong so you wouldn’t need to worry about dropping a screw and losing it.
the compatible Wowstick bits
The 56 pieces screw bits packaged in three sets are to be used with a Wowstick battery-powered screwdriver tool. Each set of the screw bits comes in a clear hard case; the screwdriver tool on one side and the different bits on the other side. The screwdriver tool has a simple nice design with overall metal construction and a rocker button for forward and reverses screw directions.
The packaged set of screw bits include:
Set X0 (comes with the screwdriver)
Set X1 (purchased separately)
Set X2 (purchased separately)
Set X3 (purchased separately)
Set X1
Set X1 contains 20 different point-type screw bits which include– the Hex: H0.7, H0.9, H1.3, H1.5, H2.0, H2.5,and H3.0, the slotted: SL1.0, SL1.5, SL2.0, SL2.5, SL3.0, SL3.5, SL4.0, the Phillips: PH0000, PH000, PH00, PH0, PH1 and PH2
Set X2
Set X2 is another set of 20pcs screw bits of various point type including – the Torx: T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10, T15, T20, the Hex: H4.0, Y-type: Y0.6, Y1, Y2.0, Y2.5, Y3.0 and the Pentalobe: P2, P5 and P6.
Set X3
Set X3 come with 16pcs screw bits which includes, the Square bits: S0, S1, S2, W: 1.5, Needle bits: 0.8, Triangle bits: 2.0, 2.3, 2.5, 3.0, U-Type: U2.0, U2.6, U3.0 and extended 45mm bits: PH0, PH2, SL2.0, and H2.0.
To install the bits on the tool, just insert the drivers into the rubber end of the tool and you are ready to control it with the forward and reverse button. Without having to use a more powerful cordless or corded drill, there is much ease in screwing and unscrewing the screws and other fasteners.
Designed for use in Advanced Robotics and Drones, Premium Camera Applications, Artificial Intelligence Platforms, and other Cutting-edge IoT Devices.
Intrinsyc Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of solutions for the development and production of embedded and Internet of Things (IoT) products, today announced the Open-Q™ 845 µSOM (micro System on Module) and Development Kit, to be available in the fourth quarter of 2019.
The Open-Q™ 845 µSOM is the latest product in the evolution of Intrinsyc’s µSOM computing module series. It is an ultra-compact (50mm x 25mm), production-ready embedded module, ideal for powering the most advanced robotics, drones, cameras, and embedded IoT devices requiring the latest on-device AI powers. Featuring the Qualcomm® SDA845 system on chip (SoC) from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., the 845 µSOM integrates many new features and capabilities in the same small form-factor:
Higher performing Octa-core CPU – up to 2.6GHz on Gold cores
New hardware-based security layers for vault-like defense
Third generation Qualcomm® AI platform for immersive, on-device intelligence
Four camera ports with flexible configurations supports up to 7 cameras
New camera architecture for cinema grade video capture
DisplayPort 4K60 via USB Type-C with USB super-speed data concurrency
Additional USB3.1 port for device connectivity while using DisplayPort
Gen3 PCIe interface.
This powerful new hardware platform will be supported by your choice of full-featured Android 9 or Yocto Linux operating systems, with plans for offering Android 10 by Q2 next year. The Android 9 operating system will be shipped on the development kit and is an ideal starting point for evaluation of the SOM and to kick-start your product development. If you prefer a Linux OS, that will be available to download from Intrinsyc and program onto your development kit. Full software documentation will also be included with purchase of the development kit.
“We are excited to introduce this premium performance IoT computing module featuring; ultra-fast computational power, support for variety of AI frameworks, advanced video and image processing capabilities, an integrated secure processing unit, and other trailblazing features,” said Cliff Morton, Vice President, Solutions Engineering, Intrinsyc. “We will launch our development kit and SOM in the fourth quarter, 2019 and already have clients developing products with plans for commercial product launch in the first quarter, 2020.”
“Intrinsyc is a leader in developing embedded solutions for IoT products, and we’re excited to see them offer a premium-tier system to provide cutting-edge embedded solutions for drones, robots, and other applications using our Qualcomm SDA845 chipsets,” said Dev Singh, director, business development and head of robotics, drones, and intelligent machines, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Open-Q™ 845 µSOM Key Specifications:
Qualcomm® SDA845 SoC built on 2nd-Gen 10nm technology:
Qualcomm® Kryo™ 385 Octa-core CPU
Qualcomm® Adreno™ 630 Visual Processing Subsystem
Qualcomm Spectra™ 280 Image Signal Processor
Qualcomm® Hexagon™ 685 DSP
Qualcomm® Secure Processing Unit
Third Generation Qualcomm® Artificial Intelligence Engine for on-device intelligence
System Memory: 4GB or 6GB LPDDR4x RAM (POP) + 32GB or 64GB UFS flash storage
Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5Ghz 2×2 MU-MIMO + Bluetooth 5.x
Display Interfaces:
DisplayPort v1.4 on USB Type-C, up to 4K60 with USB data concurrency
To help IoT device makers accelerate time to market, Intrinsyc offers the Open-Q™ 845 µSOM Development Kit, a full-featured platform including software tools, documentation, and optional accessories – everything required to immediately begin evaluation and product development. The development kit marries the production-ready Open‐Q™ 845 µSOM with a carrier board providing numerous expansion and connectivity options to support development and testing of peripherals and applications. The development kit, along with the available documentation, also provides a functional reference design for your own custom carrier board. This will provide a low-risk, fast track to market for your latest new product.
In addition to production-ready SOMs, development platforms, and tools, Intrinsyc offers turnkey product development services, driver and application software development, and technical support. Contact Intrinsyc at https://www.intrinsyc.com/sales-inquiry/ with your product requirements and have one of the Company’s solution architects help plan your successful product development and launch.
Toradex, a leader in embedded computing, announced today general availability for its Apalis System on Module (SoM) based on the NXP® i.MX 8QuadMax applications processor. The SoM has been available as part of Toradex’s ‘early access’ program to its key partners and customers for several months and has a minimum product availability until 2030.
The SoM is pin-compatible with the Apalis family, including i.MX 6 and NVIDIA®-based SoMs. This allows Apalis-based products to be easily scaled. All Toradex software and support resources are available, including a high-quality Yocto Project-based Linux BSP and the new upcoming easy-to-use Industrial Linux Platform Torizon. Operating Systems provided by partners include Android from Kynetics, QNX, and Greenhills INTEGRITY.
The NXP i.MX 8QM SoC is the highest performance variation of the i.MX 8 family, featuring 6x Armv8-A 64-bit processor cores – 2x Arm Cortex-A72 & 4x Cortex-A53 – as well as 2x additional Cortex-M4F microcontrollers. The integrated HIFI4 DSP, a high-performance dual GPU, 28 nm FD-SOI technology for decrease in soft error rates, and extra safety features are other highlights.
“The high performance and rich feature set of the NXP i.MX 8QuadMax makes the part very attractive to a wide range of markets from Automotive to Industrial and IoT”, said Patrick Stilwell, Product Marketing Manager for the NXP i.MX 8 Family, NXP Semiconductors. “Partnering with leaders in the embedded board market such as Toradex enables NXP to serve a wider range of customers and help them get to market faster.” he added.
Highlights
Up to 2x Arm® Cortex-A72, 4x Cortex-A53, 2x Cortex-M4F
On-board dual-band 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5
Multiple OS deployment with heterogeneous multi-core architecture
Advanced hardware security and safety features
Ideal for signal processing, computer vision, and HMI applications
“The next generation of the Rimac Infotainment system, introduced with our all-electric Rimac C_Two hypercar, will feature a multi-screen consolidated cockpit based on the Toradex Apalis i.MX 8QuadMax SoM. The powerful A72 and A53 cores will allow us to provide rich graphics and a comprehensive multimedia experience, while the M4 cores, along with the capability of software domain separation will allow us to develop ASIL-B compliant solutions for our vehicles as well as for other OEMs.
Our long term cooperation with Toradex has allowed us to develop a comprehensive and flexible code base that can easily be upgraded from the previous Apalis i.MX6 based infotainment to the new i.MX8 based one” said Tomislav Lugarić, ICU Software Manager, Rimac Automobili d.o.o.
20×4 character alphanumeric I2C OLED shield for Arduino MKR series. It provides high quality OLED screen to the newest Arduino platform. With 3.3V operation you can power your project from lithium battery. This is a bright and wide temperature range OLED that works below freezing, making it useful for outdoor applications.
Dimensions: 65 mm x 25 mm x 13.5 mm.
Working voltage: 3.3V from Arduino
Temperature range: -40°C to +80°C
Interface: I2C + Reset line
Controller: SSD1311
This product comes as a soldered MKR shield ready to use. Pictures are for illustration, only the assembled OLED shield will be shipped, Arduino MKR in the pictures is not included.
This shield uses EA OLEDM204-LGA display from Electronic Assembly.
A pre-provisioned solution that provides secure key storage for low-, mid- and high-volume device deployments using the ATECC608A secure element is now available from Microchip Technology. According to the company, the Trust Platform for its CryptoAuthentication family enables companies of all sizes to implement secure authentication.
The platform consists of a three-tier offering, providing out-of-the-box pre-provisioned, pre-configured or fully customisable secure elements, allowing developers to choose the platform best suited for their individual design. As the first solution to provide ready-to-go secure authentication for the mass market, the first tier – Trust&GO – provides zero-touch pre-provisioned secure elements with a minimum orderable quantity (MOQ) as low as 10 units.
Device credentials are pre-programmed, shipped and locked inside the ATECC608A for automated cloud or LoRaWAN authentication onboarding. In parallel, corresponding certificates and public keys are delivered in a “manifest” file, which is downloadable via Microchip’s purchasing e-commerce store and select distribution partners.
With the ability to authenticate to any public or private cloud infrastructure, Microchip’s Trust Platform is also flexible and customisable. For customers who want more customisation, the program includes the TrustFlex and TrustCustom platforms.
The solution helps simplify provisioning logistics, says the company, making it easy for mass market customers to secure and manage edge devices without the overhead cost of third-party provisioning services or certificate authorities.
The second tier in the program, TrustFlex, offers the flexibility to use the customer’s certificate authority of choice while still benefiting from pre-configured use cases.
These use cases include baseline security measures such as transport layer security (TLS) hardened authentication for connecting to any IP-based network using any certificate chain, LoRaWAN authentication, secure boot, Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, IP protection, user data protection and key rotation. This can reduce the time and complexity involved in customising the device without requiring customised part numbers.
For customers who would like to customise their designs entirely, the third tier in the program – TrustCustom – provides customer-specific configuration capabilities and custom credential provisioning.
Arduino announced the launch of the Arduino MKR WAN 1310, which offers a practical and cost-effective solution for those looking to add LoRa connectivity to their projects.
The new MKR WAN 1310 enables you to connect your sensors and actuators over long distances harnessing the power of the LoRa wireless protocol or throughout LoRaWAN networks.
Your own LoRa network using the Arduino Pro Gateway for LoRa
Existing LoRaWAN infrastructure like The Things Network
Or even other boards using the direct connectivity mode
The latest low-power architecture has considerably improved the battery life on the MKR WAN 1310. When properly configured, the power consumption is now as low as 104uA! It is also possible to use the USB port to supply power (5V) to the board; run the board with or without batteries – the choice is yours.
Based on the Microchip SAM D21 low-power processor and a Murata CMWX1ZZABZ LoRa module, the MKR WAN 1310 comes complete with an ECC508 crypto chip, a battery charger and 2MByte SPI Flash, as well as improved control of the board’s power consumption.
Data logging and other OTA (Over-the-Air) functions are now possible since the inclusion of the on board 2MByte Flash. This new exciting feature will let you transfer configuration files from the infrastructure onto the board, create your own scripting commands, or simply store data locally to send it whenever the connectivity is best. While the MKR WAN 1310’s crypto chip adds further security by storing credentials and certificates in the embedded secure element.
Specifications:
MCU – Microchip Atmel SAMD21 32-bit ARM Cortex M0+ MCU @ 48 MHz with 32 KB SRAM, 256 KB flash (8KB for bootloader)
External Storage – 2MB SPI flash
Digital I/O Pins – 8x digital I/Os, 12x PWM, UART, SPI, and I2C, 8x external interrupts
Analog Pins – 7x analog inputs (8/10/12-bit ADC), and 1x analog output (10-bit DAC)
DC Current per I/O Pin – 7 mA
LPWAN connectivity
Murata CMWZ1ZZABZ LoRa module based on Semtech SX1276 and STMicro STM32L
Antenna power – 2dB
Carrier frequency – 433/868/915 MHz
Working regions – EU/US
USB – 1x micro USB port for power and programming
Security – ATECC508 secure element (ECC508 crypto chip)
Misc – Reset button, 6x LEDs, 32.768 kHz RTC
Power
5V via micro USB port or VIN pin
2-pin header for rechargeable Li-ion or Li-Po battery
I/O Operating Voltage – 3.3V
Power Consumption – As low as 104uA
Dimensions – 67.64 x 25 mm
Weight – 32 grams
These features make it the perfect IoT node and building block for low-power wide area IoT devices.
Several of our past tutorials looked at the possibility of building the hobbyist version of several important tools and equipment used by different categories of makers. We have explored how to build the DIY/Hobbyist versions of seemingly easy tools like a voltmeter to more complex and abstract tools like the VU meter, but for today’s tutorial, we will work on the development of a very important tool in the history of technology; the Geiger Counter.
The Geiger counter is an instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is one of the worlds best-known radiation detection instrument as it can be used to detect ionizing radiation such as alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays and its is usually used as a handheld radiation survey instrument, warning its users when in the region of dangerous ambient radiation levels with an all-too-familiar clicking noise. The counter detects ionizing radiation through the use of the ionization effect produced in a Geiger Muller tube which, you guessed right, is probably why it is named after the German Physicist.
While there are many DIY attempts at the Geiger-counter field on the internet, today’s tutorial will show the efforts of “Instructable” user Prabhat who combined an ESP8266 with a touchscreen display to create a unique device with a custom GUI through which the information is displayed in a very user-friendly way.
The principle of operation of a Geiger Counter is simple. A thin-walled tube with a low-pressure gas inside (called a Geiger-Muller Tube) is energized with a high voltage across its two electrodes. The electric field that’s created is not enough to cause dielectric breakdown – so no current flows through the tube. That is until a particle or photon of ionizing radiation goes through it. As such, when a beta or gamma radiation passes through, it can ionize some of the gas molecules inside, creating free electrons and positive ions. These particles start moving due to the presence of the electric field, and the electrons actually pick up enough speed that they end up ionizing other molecules, creating a cascade of charged particles which momentarily conduct electricity. This brief pulse of current can be detected using the connected electronic circuit and then be used to create the clicking sound, or in this case, fed to the microcontroller to perform calculations and display readings.
SBM-20 GM Tube
This project is built around the SBM-20 Geiger tube since it is quite easy to find it on eBay, and very sensitive to beta and gamma radiation.
At the end of this tutorial, you would have acquired the capacity to develop your own Geiger counter and the confidence to build more DIY based tools.
Required Components
The following components are required to build this project;
The components can be bought from online electronics component sales stores like Aliexpress and even eBay or directly via the attached links.
Schematics
While the project can be implemented on a breadboard, to reduce the complexity involved and ensure things fit nicely in the enclosure, a PCB was designed for the project. As a result of this, the schematics for this project won’t be in the usual Fritzing breadboard style but the connections will still be clear and easy to follow. The components are connected as shown in the schematics below.
Schematics
So, you can choose to either produce your own PCB or just replicate the schematics on a breadboard or VeroBoard.
High Voltages appear on circuit when powered. Please don’t touch it while under power!
The PCB design files are attached along with other files (Gerber) under the download section. A picture of the schematics implemented on a PCB is shown below.
For those who would like to replicate the project on a breadboard, below is an image showing how the project looks when implemented on a breadboard.
Breadboard Implementation
Enclosure Design
This project is one of those that deserves going an extra mile, this is why to make the project look neat and give it an appealing finish, an enclosure was designed to improve not just the physical look of the device but also the functional parts.
The enclosure was designed with flexibility in mind. It was broken down into different parts which can all be joined together with M3 countersunk screws except for the “sensor housing” which will need to be glued or “welded” (by melting with a soldering iron) to the “case top” part.
The standoffs help keep the PCB (which is 120 x 75 mm) securely attached to the front of the case and can be optionally glued to the underside of the cover for easier assembly and disassembly.
Four standoffs will be required for the full assembly. The .STL files of all parts of the enclosure are attached under the download section and can also be found on Thingiverse.
Code
With your breadboard or PCB version of the device ready, we can now upload code to it.
The sketch for this project is heavily reliant on the Adafruit_ILI9341 and Adafruit GFXlibrary. The ILI9341 library allows us to directly interact with the display as it was used to create the user interface for the display. We will create two major UIs; One will be the homepage while the other will be a settings menu.The home page will show important information like the dose rate, counts per minute, and the total accumulated dose since the device was turned on while the settings menu, on the other hand, will allow users to set things like the dose units, the alert threshold, and the calibration factor that relates the CPM to dose rate. All of the settings are saved on the microcontrollers EEPROM ensuring the data is not lost when the device is disconnected from power.
To help us access the EEPROM we will use the EEPROM library created for the ESP8266. It is one of the libraries that are automatically installed when you add the ESP8266 board reference to your Arduino IDE.
The code for today’s project is quite long but, as usual, I will do a run through to explain some of the very important and tricky parts. Ensure all the libraries mentioned above are installed on the Arduino IDE, then launch VSCode and create a new project. Open the main.cpp file and start typing in your code.
We start the sketch by including all the libraries required for the project. By default the Arduino.h library will be added by platform.io if not, go ahead and add it. Add the other libraries too as shown below.
The ESP8266WiFI library was only added to enable us to disable the WiFi so as to reduce power consumption while the SPI library is what allows us to talk to the display since it’s connected to the ESP over SPI. The XPT2046_Touchscreen.h library allows us to use the touchscreen feature of the display.
Next, we create an object of the touchscreen library with the CS pin as an argument and then create variables to hold the (4 extremes) calibration points for the touch screen and specify the pins of the Arduino to which the DC and CS pins of the display are connected.
We also create variables to hold the hex values signifying the different colors that we will be using after which we create an instance of the Adafruit TFT library and create several other variables used to hold different values in the code.
#define BLACK 0x0000
#define BLUE 0x001F
#define RED 0xF800
#define GREEN 0x07E0
#define CYAN 0x07FF
#define MAGENTA 0xF81F
#define YELLOW 0xFFE0
#define WHITE 0xFFFF
#define DOSEBACKGROUND 0x0455
Adafruit_ILI9341 tft = Adafruit_ILI9341(TFT_CS, TFT_DC);
Notably we also create variables settingsBitmap, ledOnBitmap, ledOffBitmap, and backBitmap which are used to hold the Char equivalent of a bitmap image. We covered how to generate this in a previous tutorial we did on displaying bitmap images on LCDs.
We start the void setup() function by initializing the serial monitor setting our baud rate to 38400. Feel free to set this to whatever you want.
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(38400);
We then initialize the touchscreen(ts) and the TFT using the begin command and we set the rotation to an orientation that suits us (2 in this case). We also fill the screen with a black color to create a sort of black background.
We follow that up by initializing the EEPROM and initializing a couple of variables including doseUnits, alarmThreshold and conversionFactor using data stored on the EEPROM.
Next, we disable the ESP8266 WiFi to increase the battery life of the project and call the drawhomePage() function to create the homepage on the display.
WiFi.mode( WIFI_OFF ); // turn off wifi
WiFi.forceSleepBegin();
drawHomePage();
}
Next is the void loop function. This is where all the action takes place. The void loop is definitely too long to explain but thanks to the very descriptive variable names that are used, it should be easy to follow. The basic idea is to monitor the dose adjusted parameter which is influenced by the dose rate which is in turn by the activities taking place in the GM tube. When the dose level attains a particular threshold, it triggers the alarm and displays the current critical level of radiation being experienced. Other sketches in the void loop function are related to displaying data and maintaining the good UI on the display.
Due to its bulkiness, the complete code for the project is attached along with other resources under the download section.
Demo
With your PCB or breadboard version of the build all set and ready to go, connect the ESP8266 to your computer and upload the code to it. You should now see the screen come up with the home page being displayed as shown in the image below.
Demo
To try the device, a couple of tests were carried out. According to “Phabat”, a small sample of Uranium Ore registers as moderately radioactive, at over 350 CPM
A Thoriated Lantern Mantle made things click faster than 1500 CPM when held up against the tube.
The Geiger counter measures a click rate of 15 – 30 counts per minute from natural background radiation, which is about what one would expect from an SBM-20 tube. It draws around 180 mA at 3.7V, so a 2000 mAh battery should last around 11 hours on a charge.
While the Geiger counter is probably not an everyday tool, if you look hard enough, you will see that the DIY version of several other tools that are directly related to the task you do every day can be built.
Thanks for reading this article, as usual, feel free to reach me via the comment section with any question you might have as regards this project.
If you’re looking to reduce quiescent current and extend the lifetime of your system’s battery, then the TPS62840 is the device for you. At an astonishing 60nA of operating IQ, TPS62840 is the world’s lowest quiescent current DC/DC switching regulator. From IoT to smart meters, and patient monitors to wearables, your system’s battery craves a device like TPS62840. Try one today!
In February, Novasom Industries launched its Linux-powered, Rockchip RK3328 based SBC-M7 single board computer, which Novasom now calls the Novasom M7, along with an SBC-M8 board based on a Snapdragon 410E. Now, Novasom has followed customer feedback to upgrade the somewhat Raspberry Pi-like Novasom M7 with a Novasom M7+ (or M7Plus) model that provides a variety of hardware and software improvements.
SW difference with M7
The M7plus is totally SW compatible with any M7 and RP3 on the market.
As usual, plug and play, not pray… The specific GPIO mapping library we include in our SW package is the only thing you need to include in your RP3 SW, in order to make it run with Armbian-Debian without any trouble.
And our tech support is there to help you. A real technical support, not a simple blog…
HW difference with M7
USB Power
On the M7plus, it’s possible – not mandatory – to power the unit by a 5V coming from the USB type A connector in addition to having the usual protected 12V power input option.
A Stronger Backlight Driver for display
When driving the backlight of a display, with whichever technology you would like to use, the direct drive of the backlight allows us to dim or switch it off and on the display by software. Things you cannot do if the unit is not powering the display. And in order to drive a brighter display, we have up-scaled to 6A (@5V) the drive capability of the novasom board.
FCC cable for the HDMI output
The HDMI output it’s a huge video connector. But in some applications the cost – dimension of the HDMI cable and it’s rigidity, makes it hard to industrialize the solution “Novasom display” that we call NovaPC. So we have added an FCC connector that replicates the HDMI’s output so an easy cable and path can be used.
More Outputs on strip pin
We know that the famous J3 pin strip is considered almost a standard in the market, but we saw several applications where the USB bus, not present on the J3 RP3 “standard” would be more than welcome. So we added those outputs.
A 485 line:
To allow our industrial customers to be ready for a needed connection with the most udes industrial field bus.
The Novasom M7+ appears to be available with pricing undisclosed. More information may be found on the Novasom M7+ product page.
An industry’s first, the 12-layer 3D-TSV (Through Silicon Via) technology developed by Samsung Electronics enables the stacking of 12 DRAM chips using more than 60,000 TSV holes, while maintaining the same thickness as current 8-layer chips. By Julien Happich @ eenewseurope.com
Developed for the mass production of high-performance chips, the layered packaging technology requires pinpoint accuracy to vertically interconnect the DRAM chips through a three-dimensional configuration of TSV holes. The thickness of the package (720㎛) remains the same as current 8-layer High Bandwidth Memory-2 (HBM2) products, which is a substantial advancement in component design. This will help customers release next-generation, high-capacity products with higher performance capacity without having to change their system configuration designs.
In addition, the 3D packaging technology also features a shorter data transmission time between chips than the currently existing wire bonding technology, resulting in significantly faster speed and lower power consumption. “Packaging technology that secures all of the intricacies of ultra-performance memory is becoming tremendously important, with the wide variety of new-age applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and High Power Computing (HPC),” said Hong-Joo Baek, executive vice president of TSP (Test & System Package) at Samsung Electronics.
“As Moore’s law scaling reaches its limit, the role of 3D-TSV technology is expected to become even more critical. We want to be at the forefront of this state-of-the-art chip packaging technology.”
Relying on its 12-layer 3D-TSV technology, Samsung will offer the highest DRAM performance for applications that are data-intensive and extremely high-speed. Also, by increasing the number of stacked layers from eight to 12, Samsung will soon be able to mass produce 24-gigabyte high bandwidth memory, which provides three times the capacity of 8GB high bandwidth memory on the market today.
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