Simple solar charger 35V/8A with automatic MPPT supporting SLA/Li-Ion/LiFePO4 up to 8s. by Adam Lučanský:
PCB DIN-rail mountable MPPT solar charger (software-less), as well as ideal-diode prioritizer (if battery is full, load is powered directly from solar panel without cycling battery). Prototype PCB is in production (as of 20.8.2018) and soon ready for testing. The project is open source and more info & schematics can be found here: https://github.com/lucansky/BrainDeadMPPT
The board is based on LTC4015EUHF (Multichemistry Buck Battery Charger Controller with Digital Telemetry System) from Analog Devices.
Another app note from Maxim Integrated on small current battery management.The circuit provides a 1-cell Li ion backup battery charger for low-current devices performing resistor limited current sharing.
A simple circuit sometimes needs to charge a 1-cell Lithium-ion (Li+) battery from a USB power source and simultaneously provide backup power for low-current-consumption devices. The circuit in Figure 1 shows such a solution.
MAX9646
Today, most handheld devices use USB as the power source. This design circuit includes a linear, 1-cell charger that accepts a DC power source to charge a 1-cell Li+ battery. The power source provides load current while charging the 1-cell battery. The circuit performs resistor-limited current sharing. The maximum current available is fixed by the setting resistor and that current will primarily drive the load. When the load does not require the full maximum current, the remaining current is available to charge the battery. When the DC source is not available and the cell voltage drops to a user-determined level, a voltage monitor activates an ultra-low-resistance switch to disconnect the cell from the load. This operation avoids a deep discharge of the cell.
Electronics has transited from a work meant for well-trained engineers to something which is dabbled into by people in other fields especially in Arts and related fields. The introduction of platforms like Arduino (which was created for reasons like this), has been one of the main facilitators of this trend which has produced diverse forms of electronics embedded art pieces, from interactive paintings to animatronic sculptures. For today’s tutorial, we will build our own work of “art” – a digital Photo Frame. Photoframes are used to display pictures or artworks and are made from wood, metal and several synthetic material. They were created to hold just one picture/artwork but with digital photo frames, you could have more than one picture stored on the photo frame, switching between them at desired intervals.
1.8″ TFT Display
Digital Photo frames are usually made up of four main components; a display/screen, a storage device, a microcontroller or microprocessor, and a power supply. For today’s tutorial, we will use the 1.8″ ST7735 based, color TFT as our display and the Arduino nano as the microcontroller. The TFT display is a 1.8″ display with a resolution of 128×160 pixels and can display a wide range of colors ( full 18-bit color, 262,144 shades!). The display uses the SPI protocol for communication and has its own pixel-addressable frame buffer which means it can be used with all kinds of microcontrollers and you only need 4 IO pins. The display module also comes with an SD card slot which we will use as the storage device for this project.
Beside just building the digital photo frame, at the end of this tutorial, you would have also learned how to use the SD card slot on the 1.8″ TFT display module for other projects.
Required Components
The following components are required to build this project;
As usual, the specific components used for this tutorial can be bought via the links attached.
Schematics
The ST7735 1.8″ TFT display is made up of two set of header pins. The first one at the top consists of 4 pins and are used to interface the SD card slot at the back of the display.
The second set of headers below the screen represent the pins for driving the display itself. However, the SD card slot and the display, both use the SPI protocol for communications with the MCU so they will be connected to the same pins on the Arduino nano. The only difference will be the CS/SS pin as each of them will be connected to a different pin.
Connect the components as shown in the schematics below.
Schematics
For this schematic, we used the Fritzing model of the ST7735 1.8″ TFT display and the arrangement of the pins is slightly different from that of our display. This model has the pins of the SD card slot and the display merged together breaking out only their CS/SS pins.
To make the connections easier to follow, here is a breakdown.
Go over the schematics one more time to be sure everything is as it should be. More on the use of the 1.8″ TFT display was covered in a previous tutorial here.
Preparing the bitmaps
The images that will be displayed on the TFT has to be in a bitmap format, thus before the images are copied to the SD card, we need to convert them to the recognizable bitmap form. To do this, I used the free Paint.net software (for windows) but you can use any other image editing software.
Load the images into the software one by one and use the resize tool to reduce its resolution and size to that (160×128 pixels) of the 1.8″ TFT display.
Editing with paint.net
With this done, save the image on the SDcard with a .bmp extension.
Code
The code for this project is a slightly modified version of the SPI TFT bitmap example shipped with the ST7735 library by Adafruit. Thus the code for this tutorial is heavily reliant on the Adafruit ST7735 and GFX libraries.
To do a quick breakdown of the code, we start by including the libraries that we will use, which include the Adafruit libraries mentioned above, the SPI library and the SD.h library.
//Modified by Nick Koumaris
//info@educ8s.tv
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h> // Core graphics library
#include <Adafruit_ST7735.h> // Hardware-specific library
#include <SPI.h>
#include <SD.h>
With this done, we declare the pins of the Arduino to which the CS pins of the SD card slot and the TFT are connected and also create an object of the Adafruit ST7735 library with the declared pins passed on as arguments.
#define TFT_CS 10 // Chip select line for TFT display
#define TFT_RST 8 // Reset line for TFT (or see below...)
#define TFT_DC 9 // Data/command line for TFT
#define SD_CS 4 // Chip select line for SD card
Adafruit_ST7735 tft = Adafruit_ST7735(TFT_CS, TFT_DC, TFT_RST);
Next is the void setup() function. We start by initializing serial communication which will be used to debug our code. After this, we initialize the TFT and the SDcard, setting the rotation of the TFT to landscape (represented by 1).
Next is the void loop function. Here we simply invoke the bmpDraw function for each of the images we will like to display, setting a suitable delay time between each of the pictures. The bmpDraw function makes it super easy to display images on the TFT. All we need to do is to provide the name of the .bmp file, starting coordinates and it will use that information to fetch the image from the SD card and display on the screen.
The complete code for the project is shown below. It can also be downloaded from the download section at the end of the tutorial.
//Modified by Nick Koumaris
//info@educ8s.tv
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h> // Core graphics library
#include <Adafruit_ST7735.h> // Hardware-specific library
#include <SPI.h>
#include <SD.h>
#define TFT_CS 10 // Chip select line for TFT display
#define TFT_RST 8 // Reset line for TFT (or see below...)
#define TFT_DC 9 // Data/command line for TFT
#define SD_CS 4 // Chip select line for SD card
Adafruit_ST7735 tft = Adafruit_ST7735(TFT_CS, TFT_DC, TFT_RST);
void setup(void) {
Serial.begin(9600);
tft.initR(INITR_BLACKTAB);
Serial.print("Initializing SD card...");
if (!SD.begin(SD_CS)) {
Serial.println("failed!");
return;
}
Serial.println("OK!");
tft.setRotation(1); // Landscape
}
void loop() {
bmpDraw("logo.bmp", 0, 0);
delay(3000);
bmpDraw("mezapos.bmp",0,0);
delay(3000);
bmpDraw("sparti.bmp",0,0);
delay(3000);
bmpDraw("mani.bmp",0,0);
delay(3000);
bmpDraw("lisbon.bmp",0,0);
delay(3000);
}
#define BUFFPIXEL 20
void bmpDraw(char *filename, uint8_t x, uint8_t y) {
File bmpFile;
int bmpWidth, bmpHeight; // W+H in pixels
uint8_t bmpDepth; // Bit depth (currently must be 24)
uint32_t bmpImageoffset; // Start of image data in file
uint32_t rowSize; // Not always = bmpWidth; may have padding
uint8_t sdbuffer[3*BUFFPIXEL]; // pixel buffer (R+G+B per pixel)
uint8_t buffidx = sizeof(sdbuffer); // Current position in sdbuffer
boolean goodBmp = false; // Set to true on valid header parse
boolean flip = true; // BMP is stored bottom-to-top
int w, h, row, col;
uint8_t r, g, b;
uint32_t pos = 0, startTime = millis();
if((x >= tft.width()) || (y >= tft.height())) return;
Serial.println();
Serial.print("Loading image '");
Serial.print(filename);
Serial.println('\'');
// Open requested file on SD card
if ((bmpFile = SD.open(filename)) == NULL) {
Serial.print("File not found");
return;
}
// Parse BMP header
if(read16(bmpFile) == 0x4D42) { // BMP signature
Serial.print("File size: "); Serial.println(read32(bmpFile));
(void)read32(bmpFile); // Read & ignore creator bytes
bmpImageoffset = read32(bmpFile); // Start of image data
Serial.print("Image Offset: "); Serial.println(bmpImageoffset, DEC);
// Read DIB header
Serial.print("Header size: "); Serial.println(read32(bmpFile));
bmpWidth = read32(bmpFile);
bmpHeight = read32(bmpFile);
if(read16(bmpFile) == 1) { // # planes -- must be '1'
bmpDepth = read16(bmpFile); // bits per pixel
Serial.print("Bit Depth: "); Serial.println(bmpDepth);
if((bmpDepth == 24) && (read32(bmpFile) == 0)) { // 0 = uncompressed
goodBmp = true; // Supported BMP format -- proceed!
Serial.print("Image size: ");
Serial.print(bmpWidth);
Serial.print('x');
Serial.println(bmpHeight);
// BMP rows are padded (if needed) to 4-byte boundary
rowSize = (bmpWidth * 3 + 3) & ~3;
// If bmpHeight is negative, image is in top-down order.
// This is not canon but has been observed in the wild.
if(bmpHeight < 0) {
bmpHeight = -bmpHeight;
flip = false;
}
// Crop area to be loaded
w = bmpWidth;
h = bmpHeight;
if((x+w-1) >= tft.width()) w = tft.width() - x;
if((y+h-1) >= tft.height()) h = tft.height() - y;
// Set TFT address window to clipped image bounds
tft.setAddrWindow(x, y, x+w-1, y+h-1);
for (row=0; row<h; row++) { // For each scanline...
// Seek to start of scan line. It might seem labor-
// intensive to be doing this on every line, but this
// method covers a lot of gritty details like cropping
// and scanline padding. Also, the seek only takes
// place if the file position actually needs to change
// (avoids a lot of cluster math in SD library).
if(flip) // Bitmap is stored bottom-to-top order (normal BMP)
pos = bmpImageoffset + (bmpHeight - 1 - row) * rowSize;
else // Bitmap is stored top-to-bottom
pos = bmpImageoffset + row * rowSize;
if(bmpFile.position() != pos) { // Need seek?
bmpFile.seek(pos);
buffidx = sizeof(sdbuffer); // Force buffer reload
}
for (col=0; col<w; col++) { // For each pixel...
// Time to read more pixel data?
if (buffidx >= sizeof(sdbuffer)) { // Indeed
bmpFile.read(sdbuffer, sizeof(sdbuffer));
buffidx = 0; // Set index to beginning
}
// Convert pixel from BMP to TFT format, push to display
b = sdbuffer[buffidx++];
g = sdbuffer[buffidx++];
r = sdbuffer[buffidx++];
tft.pushColor(tft.Color565(r,g,b));
} // end pixel
} // end scanline
Serial.print("Loaded in ");
Serial.print(millis() - startTime);
Serial.println(" ms");
} // end goodBmp
}
}
bmpFile.close();
if(!goodBmp) Serial.println("BMP format not recognized.");
}
// These read 16- and 32-bit types from the SD card file.
// BMP data is stored little-endian, Arduino is little-endian too.
// May need to reverse subscript order if porting elsewhere.
uint16_t read16(File f) {
uint16_t result;
((uint8_t *)&result)[0] = f.read(); // LSB
((uint8_t *)&result)[1] = f.read(); // MSB
return result;
}
uint32_t read32(File f) {
uint32_t result;
((uint8_t *)&result)[0] = f.read(); // LSB
((uint8_t *)&result)[1] = f.read();
((uint8_t *)&result)[2] = f.read();
((uint8_t *)&result)[3] = f.read(); // MSB
return result;
}
Demo
Ensure your connections are correct, then upload the code to your Arduino. After a while, you should see the pictures being displayed like a slideshow on the TFT.
Demo
The possibilities attached to the concept shared in this tutorial are limitless. You could make the pictures change based on weather, time of the day or gesture.
That’s it for this tutorial. Do let me know if you have any question about it via the comment section. Feel free to also share ideas on cool modifications and additions that could make the project bigger and more useful.
Till Next time!
The video version of this tutorial can be watched on youtube.
Teledyne LeCroy T3DSO1000 Oscilloscopes are a 2- and 4-channel series of high-speed waveform-capturing devices. The robust T3DSO1000 series can capture up to 400,000wfm/s (in sequence mode), using a 7-inch TFT-LCD to display 256-level, intensity-grading results at 800×480 pixels. This family of oscilloscopes features 100MHz and 200MHz models, a digital intelligent trigger system, security erase mode, pass/fail functions, and USB compatibility. The 4-channel Teledyne LeCroy model is compatible with a number of accessories, including an AWG module, MSO software, and Wi-Fi® software.
Key Features
100 MHz and 200 MHz bandwidths
Sample rates up to 1 GS/s.
Long Memory – up to 7 Mpts/Ch (14 Mpts interleaved)
7” Bright TFT LCD (800 x 480).
Serial Bus Trigger and Decode as standard – I2C, SPI, UART, RS232, CAN, LIN allowing users to debug serial buses directly in the Oscilloscope.
Optional MSO – 16 Digital Channels (4 channel models only) which adds mixed signal debugging to the Oscilloscope.
Advanced Trigger – Edge, Slope, Pulse Width, Window, Runt, Interval, Time Out (Dropout), Pattern.
Waveform Sequence Recorder – record and playback up to 80,000 waveforms. Allows users to replay the changes which have occurred in their waveform history.
Connectivity – USB for mass storage, printing and PC control, plus LAN for fast data transfer.
Record Length Up to 14 Mpts
Using hardware-based Zoom technology the maximum record length of up to 14 Mpts, users are able to over-sample to capture longer time periods at higher resolution and use the zoom feature to see more details within each signal.
Excellent Sampling Rate
Two channel series have one 1 GSa/s ADC, four channel series have two 1 GSa/s ADCs. When all channels are enabled, each channel has a maximum sample rate of 500 MSa/s. When a single channel per ADC is active, it has sample rate of 1 GSa/s.
The T3DSO1000 series employs a new generation of high speed display technology that provides excellent signal clarity, fi delity and performance. The system noise floor is also lower than similar products in the industry. It comes with a minimum vertical input range of 500 uV/div, an innovative digital trigger system with high sensitivity and low jitter, and a waveform capture rate of 400,000 frames/sec (sequence mode). The T3DSO1000 also employs a 256-level intensity grading display function and a color temperature display mode not found in other models in this class. Teledyne Test Tools latest oscilloscope offering supports multiple powerful triggering modes including serial bus triggering. Serial bus decoding for IIC, SPI, UART, CAN, LIN bus types is included. The models also include History waveform recording, and sequential triggering that enable extended waveform recording and analysis.
Another powerful addition is the new 1 million point FFT math function that gives the T3DSO1000 very high frequency resolution when observing signal spectra. The new digital design also includes a hardware co-processor that delivers measurements quickly and accurately without slowing acquisition and front-panel response. The features and performance of Teledyne Test Tools new T3DSO1000 cannot be matched in this price class. The four channel series includes even more functions, including: searching and navigating, on-screen Bode plot, 16 digital channels (Option), an external USB powered 25 MHz AWG module (Option), a USB WIFI adapter (Option), and an embedded application that allows remote control via web browser.
Maxim MAX17250 DC-DC Boost Converter is a high-efficiency, low quiescent current, synchronous boost (step-up) converter with True Shutdown™, programmable input current limit, and short-circuit protection. The MAX17250 has a wide input voltage range of 2.7V to 18V and generates an output voltage of 3V to 18V. The MAX17250 has a maximum on-time of 800ns and implements three modes of operation. The first mode of operation is a soft-start mode at power-up. The second mode of operation is normal operation and utilizes a fixed on-time/minimum off-time Pulse Frequency Modulation (PFM) architecture that uses only 60μA (typ) quiescent current due to the converter switching only when needed. The last mode is True Shutdown, where the output is completely disconnected from the input, and the battery drain is minimized to 0.1µA (typ) shutdown current.
Features
Input Voltage Range 2.7V to 18V
1 or 2 Cell Li-ion Batteries
Output Voltage Range 3V to 18V, > VIN
Integrated Power FETs
Selectable Input Peak Current Limit (ISET)
3.5A, 2.7A, or 1.85A
93% Efficiency
Low Power
0.1µA True Shutdown Current
60µA Quiescent Current
Protection
True Shutdown Prevents Current Flowing Between Input and Output
Soft-Start Inrush Protection
Short-Circuit Protection
Overtemperature Protection
-40°C to +125°C Operation
The Maxim MAX17250 DC-DC boost converter, available from Mouser Electronics, includes a selectable input peak current limit of 3.5 A, 2.7 A, or 1.85 A and operates over an input voltage range of 2.7 V to 18 V with an output voltage range of 3 V to 18 V. The device supports switching frequencies up to 1 MHz and offers short-circuit protection and a maximum on-time of 800 ns in a space-saving 12-bump, 1.72 mm × 1.49 mm package.
The MAX17250 converter implements three modes of operation: The first mode of operation is a soft-start mode at power-up. The second mode of operation is normal operation, which uses a fixed on-time/minimum off-time pulse frequency modulation (PFM) architecture that uses only 60 μA (typical) quiescent current due to the converter switching only when needed. The MAX17250 converter’s True Shutdown™ mode completely disconnects the output from the input, resulting in a current draw of just 0.1 μA, virtually stopping battery drain, providing long battery life, and eliminating the need for external disconnect switches.
Mouser is also stocking the Maxim MAX17250EVKIT#WLP evaluation kit, a fully assembled and tested kit that incorporates the MAX17250 converter and provides resistor-configurable output voltages from 3 V to 18 V.
EdgeX Foundry project has launched its first developer kit. The Ubuntu-based kit is designed around an octa-core Samsung Artik 710 Starter Kit paired with a GrovePi+ I/O board. Subsequent kits will have an Artik 530 kit, and ultimately, a Raspberry Pi/GrovePi+ mix. EdgeX Foundry project also announced at the recent IoT Solutions World Congress, where nine new members, including Intel, launched a Smart Building Automation Use Case Community Demo. The demo showcased the platform’s capability to bring together diverse solution components, including series of vendors, connectivity standards, operating systems, and hardware variants. The Artik 710 based EdgeX developer kit is initially available as a community-backed product.
Artik 710 Starter Kit Interposer board
Developers purchase the kit independently from Samsung and download the forthcoming EdgeX Delhi software from the EdgeX depository on GitHub. Unofficial community-based tech support is available via platform like the EdgeX Rocket Chat. This pioneer kit, and also future kits, will soon be available as part of a commercial track that gives professional support. The commercial kits are built primarily for EdgeX members but are now available to everyone.
EdgeX Design Architecture
According to the project, commercial selections will include “kits based on supported versions of the EdgeX framework itself (neutral to any plug-in value add), kits based on specific IoT platforms, and microservice plug-ins for value-add such as analytics, data orchestration and security. Samsung’s Artik 710 and Artik 530, which will be the groundwork of an upcoming EdgeX kit, changed their BSPs from Fedora to Ubuntu in October 2017.
The Artik 710 module has a 1.4GHz, octa-core, -A53 SoC with a Mali T400 GPU, and the Artik 530 has a 1.2GHz, quad-core, -A9 SoC. Both have hardware security properties. The 49 x 36mm modules incorporates 1GB DDR3 RAM, 4GB eMMC flash, and an Ethernet PHY. They also offer dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n (WiFi 4), Bluetooth 4.2, and Zigbee/Thread (802.15.4). The Artik 710 Developer Kit is a twin board set. The Interposer Board has the Artik 710 plus Gigabit Ethernet, micro-HDMI, and micro-USB OTG ports. LVDS interface and antenna connectors are available.
The Platform Board is placed under the Interposer board and offers a USB 2.0 host port, SD slot, audio jack, JTAG, 5V DC input, and MIPI-CSI and -DSI connections. The EdgeX version of the Artik 710 kit also has the optional Artik Interface II Board, which connects the bundled Seeed GrovePi+ I/O board. The GrovePi+ Starter Kit offers a a number of Grove sensors and LEDs, a backlit LCD, buzzer, relay, and button. The GrovePi+ Starter Kit is also a part of Samsung’s GrovePi+ Starter Kit for Eagleye 530 board, which will the foundation of the future Artik 530 kit. Unlike the Artik 710 kit, the Artik 530 fitted Eagleye 530 is a single board with a Raspberry Pi like layout, design , and 40-pin GPIO interface.
Eagleye 530 board
The Eagleye 530 is also fitted with GbE and HDMI ports, 2x USB 2.0 ports, and micro-USB OTG and power ports. Also, an SD slot, audio jack, and MIPI-CSI camera interface are available. Unlike the Artik 710 kit, the Eagleye 530 does not need the Interface II Board to hook up the bundled GrovePi+ board. The GrovePi+ board will be available in a future EdgeX kit that runs on the GrovePi+ Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi.
I²CDriver is an easy-to-use, open source tool for controlling I²C devices. It works with Windows, Mac, and Linux, and has a built-in color screen that shows a live “dashboard” of all the I²C activity. It uses a standard FTDI USB serial chip to talk to the PC, so no special drivers need to be installed. The board includes a separate 3.3 V supply with voltage and current monitoring.
I²C is Everywhere
It’s in every phone, in your embedded electronics, in every microcontroller, Raspberry Pi, and PC motherboard. It’s a mature technology – still going strong after 36 years. Because it’s everywhere, I²C is used by everyone from novices to embedded designers. But the common element of everyone’s I²C experience is struggle. Instead of being easy, I²C very often feels really difficult. Because there are so many ways for I²C to go wrong, things rarely “just work” and instead involve some painful debugging.
I²CDriver Makes I²C Much More Friendly
The heat map shows all 7-bit I²C addresses
While other I²C tools might offer a couple of LEDs, I²CDriver has a clear logic-analyzer display of the signal lines plus a graphical decoding of the I²C traffic.
In addition, it continuously displays an address map of all attached I²C devices, so as you connect a device, it lights up on the map. You’ll never have to ask “is this thing even switched on?” again.
The current and voltage monitoring let you catch electrical problems early. The included color-coded wires make hookup a cinch; no pinout diagram is required. It includes a separate 3.3 V supply for your devices, a high-side current meter, and programmable pullup resistors for both I²C lines.
There are three I²C ports, so you can hook up multiple devices without any fuss.
Do More With I²CDriver
I²CDriver driving three 8×8 LED modules
By controlling I²C hardware using the PC tools you’re most comfortable with, you can get devices doing what you want in a fraction of the development time. Calibrating devices like accelerometers, magnetometers, and gyroscopes is much simpler and faster when done directly on the PC through I²CDriver.
Features
Open hardware: the design, firmware and all tools are under BSD license
Live display: shows you exactly what it’s doing all the time
Fast transfer: sustained I²C transfers at 400 and 100 kHz
USB power monitoring: USB line voltage monitor to detect supply problems, to 0.01 V
Target power monitoring: target device high-side current measurement, to 5 mA
I²C pullups: programmable I²C pullup resistors, with automatic tuning
Three I²C ports: three identical I²C ports, each with power and I²C signals
Jumpers: color coded jumpers included in each pledge level
3.3 output: output levels are 3.3 V, all are 5 V tolerant
Supports all I²C features: 7- and 10-bit I²C addressing, clock stretching, bus arbitration
Sturdy componentry: uses an FTDI USB serial adapter, and Silicon Labs automotive-grade EFM8 controller
Usage reporting: reports uptime, temperature, and running CRC of all traffic
Flexible control: GUI, command-line, C/C++, and Python 2/3 host software provided for Windows, Mac, and Linux
The LPS22HH is an ultra-compact piezoresistive absolute pressure sensor which functions as a digital output barometer. The device comprises a sensing element and an IC interface which communicates through I²C, MIPI I3CSM or SPI from the sensing element to the application.
The sensing element, which detects absolute pressure, consists of a suspended membrane manufactured using a dedicated process developed by ST.
The LPS22HH is available in a full-mold, holed LGA package (HLGA). It is guaranteed to operate over a temperature range extending from -40 °C to +85 °C. The package is holed to allow external pressure to reach the sensing element.
Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of measurement solutions, announced that it has redefined the arbitrary/function generator (AFG) with the introduction of the AFG31000 series. A completely new design, the AFG31000 features many key firsts including the industry’s largest touchscreen and new user interface that will delight engineers and researchers who need to generate increasingly complex test cases for debugging, troubleshooting, characterizing and validating devices under test.
Despite their importance in electronics test and wide adoption, AFGs have lagged behind other test instrumentation in terms of usability, making do with small displays and other shortcomings that make them hard to learn and operate. Moreover, traditional AFGs lack the deep memory and programming capability needed to compose a series of test cases with complex timing – critical for optimum test efficiency. By addressing these issues, the AFG31000 represents the first of the next generation of AFGs with features and capabilities simply not available elsewhere in the market today.
A major point of emphasis for us is to put tools in the hands of our customers that make their lives easier so they in turn can bring innovative new products to market faster and more efficiently. With an interface defined last decade, AFGs have actually started to become an obstacle to productivity,” said Lori Kieklak, Vice President and General Manager, Keithley Product Line at Tektronix. “To turn that around, we looked at the AFG with fresh eyes and are already hearing from customers about how much easier and faster they can create the test stimulus they need using the AFG31000 series.
Advanced Capabilities Redefine the AFG
The AFG31000 series features a 9-inch capacitive touchscreen, the largest available on an AFG, that allows users to see all related settings and parameters on a single screen within a shallow menu tree. Similar to the modern touch-enabled smart devices, users can tap or swipe to easily select, browse, locate and change settings. The intuitive user interface saves users time in both learning and operating the instrument for major gains in productivity and efficiency.
Patented InstaViewTM Feature Debuts
Traditional AFGs assume they are driving a 50 Ω impedance. However, most devices under test (DUTs) do not have a 50 Ω impedance. This mismatch results in an inconsistency between the waveform as set on the AFG and the signal at the DUT. The new patented InstaView feature on the AFG31000 series addresses this problem by monitoring and displaying the waveform at the DUT without the need for additional cables or instruments. The waveform shown on the display instantly responds to changes in frequency, amplitude, waveform shape as well as the DUT’s impedance, saving time and boosting confidence.
Programmable Waveform Sequencing
In addition to traditional AFG operation modes, the AFG31000 series offers an Advanced or waveform sequencer mode. In the Advanced mode, the instrument’s up-to 128 Mpts of waveform memory can be segmented into up to 256 entries, and users can drag and drop long waveforms, or multiple waveforms in the sequencer and define how they are output. Compared to arbitrary waveform generators, the AFG31000 series reduces instrument costs by as much as 90 percent, giving users who need long, non-repeating waveforms, or multiple waveforms with complex timing an affordable alternative.
New ArbBuilder Delivers Time Savings
Taking advantage of the large capacitive touch screen, the new ArbBuilder tool built in the AFG31000 series enables users to create and edit arbitrary waveforms directly on the instrument without needing to create the waveforms on a PC and transferring them to the instrument. ArbBuilder improves test efficiency especially for arbitrary waveforms that need to change frequently. For users who wants to replicate waveforms captured by an oscilloscope, they can save waveforms as .csv files and use ArbBuilder to load them directly into the AFG31000.
Current AFG users, who are well aware of the limitations of AFGs, see the new sequencing and ArbBuilder features of the AFG31000 series as a significant boost to productivity and efficiency.
The advanced features on this AFG could cut my typical setup and test cycle nearly in half,
said John Moore, Engineering Manager, TZ Medical.
AFG31000 series instruments are available in 1- or 2-channel configurations and deliver 14-bit vertical resolution along with 250 MSa/s, 1 GSa/s or 2 GSa/s sample rate performance. Additionally, in traditional AFG mode, users can change frequency without worrying about waveform length and sample rate. Output amplitude range is 1 mVP-P to 10 VP-P into 50 Ω loads.
Availability & Pricing
The AFG31000 series arbitrary/function generator models with 25, 50 or 100 MHz bandwidth are available now globally. Models with 150 or 250 MHz bandwidth are scheduled for release in November. Prices start at $2,210 US MSRP.
This versatile embedded single board computer hits on all the main points for a low power, cost effective, Internet-of-Things (IoT) capable, and ready-to-deploy OEM board with an emphasis on data integrity.
The TS-7553-V2 offers the ability to communicate seamlessly with several different networks simultaneously from a single device. Using the onboard peripherals the system can connect to Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, RS-232, RS-485, and CAN networks or devices. Built in module interfaces like the XBee/NimbeLink socket and internal USB ports allow expansion to other networks like Cellular, DigiMesh, ZigBee, Lora, and other proprietary or industry specific networks. This ability to communicate over a wide variety of wired and wireless interfaces puts the TS-7553-V2 in an excellent position to be an IoT node or gateway.
A Nine-Axis Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) motion tracking device containing a gyroscope, accelerometer and compass is an on-board option for asset management, fleet management, and other applications which would require sensing motion or vibration in the environment.
The TS-7553-V2 is also well suited for applications which require a simple HMI interface. With an off the shelf, low cost enclosure that can include a backlit monochrome 128x64px LCD and four button keypad it is easy to create interactive menus for the user. An optional DIN mount makes it easy to mount to DIN rails for an fast off-the-shelf solution.
Applications with strict low power requirements will appreciate the work that’s been done to reduce power consumption to less than 2 W in typical conditions and a 9 mW sleep mode. Power over Ethernet (PoE) is supported via a daughter card, if desired.
Highlights
Connected with Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, XBee/NimbeLink, and USB radios
Robust TS-SILO Option Provides up to 30 Seconds of Hold up Power
Flexible Data Storage: FRAM, eMMC Flash, microSD
Extendable with Daughter Board Enabling Cell Modem and PoE Cards
The TS-7553-V2 single board computer features:
NXP i.MX6UL 698MHz ARM Cortex-A7 CPU
512 MB DDR3 RAM
4 GB MLC eMMC Flash, configurable as pSLC for added reliability
2x CAN Bus
1x RS-485
4x RS-232
1x TTL UART
1x Relay
1x XBee Interface (can support NimbleLink cell modem and XBee)