May 19, 2012
• Fully integrated, single-chip, low-cost motor driver in ultra-thin, 3x3 mm UDFN package
• Resistor-programmable driver enables the selection of multiple back-EMF coefficient ranges
• Quietly and efficiently drives fans in portable-computing applications
• Eliminates the need for an external Hall-Effect sensor to reduce cost and size
Microchip announces the expansion of its sinusoidal, sensorless, 3-phase BLDC fan motor driver portfolio with the MTD6505, the industry’s first and only standalone, resistor-programmable driver that enables the selection of multiple back-EMF coefficient ranges. This unique feature allows engineers to design for a wide variety of 3-phase BLDC fan characteristics with a single cost-effective and flexible device, thus saving time and money by standardising multiple product lines on one driver and very few external components. Additionally, the low-cost driver comes in a 3x3 mm UDFN package with a 0.5 mm thickness for space-constrained applications, such as thin laptops and tiny BLDC fans.
To enable high energy efficiency and quiet operation with low acoustic noise and mechanical vibration, the MTD6505 includes a 180-degree sinusoidal drive. Being a sensorless driver means that the MTD6505 eliminates the need for an external Hall-Effect sensor, reducing both cost and board space. Additionally, the driver provides a number of on-chip protection features to preserve the motor’s life and avoid harmful operating conditions, including thermal shutdown, over-current limiting and lock-up protection.
Microchip also announces the MTD6505 3-Phase BLDC Sensorless Fan Controller Demonstration Board (ADM00345), which is available now, priced at $59.99. This demo board integrates a 3-phase BLDC fan and three MTD6505 plug-in modules. Additionally, a free GUI is available for download, to simplify fan monitoring and control with the onboard PIC® microcontroller.
For more information, visit Microchip’s Web site at http://www.microchip.com/get/2B02
Microchip Technology
www.microchip.com
The Transfer Multisort Elektronik range of products has been extended with chokes manufactured by Italian company – Ducati for capacitive reactive power compensation. These components are used in industrial power supply networks in which there are multiple disturbances in the harmonic form (usually generated by non-linear loads, such as rectifiers and welding equipment).
While selecting the reactive power compensation devices, special attention should be paid to possible resonance effects. Capacities in the network together with transformer’s winding may create resonance effect operating at the frequency equal to one of the harmonic ones, which leads to excessive loads, and even damage of capacitive elements. In order to prevent this, proper inductance connected serially with capacities that help reduce resonant frequency and dampen any resonances at the higher harmonics. Reactive power compensation is also necessary because the transfer in the low voltage network causes active power losses, that is additional load of generators and all elements of the system and increasing the amount of emitted heat.
Available anti-disturbance chokes manufactured by Ducati, depending on the model, are designed for reactive powers from 10 to 50 kilovars, offer inductance from 3,84 to 0,77mH and operate with the current from 16,3 to 81,5 A. Accurate parameters as well as the prices of all models are presented in the table below.
More information available at:
Transfer Multisort Elektronik
Tel.: +48 42 645 54 44
Fax: +48 42 645 54 70
export@tme.eu
www.tme.eu
International Rectifier has expanded its PowIRstage® family of integrated devices with the introduction of the 40A IR3553, optimized for next-generation servers, consumer and communication systems.
Utilizing IR’s advanced silicon, packaging and control techniques, the IR3553 integrates a synchronous buck gate driver, benchmark figure-of-merit control, and synchronous MOSFETs and Schottky diode into a small, high density, low profile 6mm x 4mm x 0.9mm PQFN package to deliver a high current density and high efficiency power stage solution that simplifies the design and implementation of high current, high performance multiphase buck regulators.
The previously released 60A IR3550 PowIRstage® is proven to deliver very high efficiency combined with the smallest footprint in our customers’ designs. The new 40A rated IR3553 product extends all the benefits of existing PowIRstage® products into more cost-sensitive applications like entry level servers and high end desktops.
Using a single layout, with the choice of several plug and play PowIRstage® products, customers can now select the best price/performance solution while eliminating the risk of a board re-design due to changing requirements.
IR PowIRstage® products provide an integrated current sense amplifier that achieves superior current sense accuracy and noise immunity compared to best-in-class controller based inductor DCR sense methods. The IR3553 and IR3550 are fully PWM compatible with IR’s CHiL digital power control products, as well as most industry standard PWM controllers on the market.
International Rectifier
www.irf.com
Aventyn Inc., an innovative provider of remote patient monitoring and chronic disease management solutions, announced the collaboration agreement at the 2011 mHealth Summit. The summit is organized by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health in partnership with mHIMSS, the mHealth Alliance and the National Institutes of Health.
Aventyn will use the EPIC sensor integrated in a mobile platform to capture non-intrusive ECG measurements personalized to individual heart failure patients. The measured ECG data is displayed on the patient smartphone device and integrated with Vitalbeat™, a software application for remote monitoring and chronic disease management of patients diagnosed with heart failure and related comorbidities.
“Plessey has an innovative solution with the EPIC sensor designed to non-intrusively capture patient vital signs and activity levels integrated with Vitalbeat mobile health solutions. Emergency responders, cardiologists and general practitioners will have an easy to use ECG remote monitoring tool for heart failure patients at their convenience of location,” said Navin Govind, Aventyn’s founder and CEO. “Vitalbeat’s use of the EPIC sensor in ongoing and future clinical studies will enable patients and cardiologists to assess new ways of using diverse mobile devices and technology to share critical health information, resulting in more efficient and lower healthcare costs globally.”
“Plessey is delighted that Aventyn has chosen to use Plessey’s EPIC sensor in their smartphone ECG application,” said Dr Paul James, EPIC Program Director at Plessey Semiconductors. “We value Aventyn’s expertise in the area of mobile health and look forward to continuing to work with them.”
Aventyn Inc.
www.aventyn.com
Plessey Semiconductors Limited
www.plesseysemi.com
AVX Corporation, a leading manufacturer of advanced passive components and interconnect solutions, has expanded on its miniature ultra-broadband capacitors, GX Series, to include the GX01 ultra-broadband capacitor that addresses DC blocking issues from 160kHz (-3dB roll-off) to 40GHz. The GX01 capacitor provides a low insertion loss value of < 0.5dB through at least 40GHz. Designed utilizing AVX’s patented precision termination process, the GX01 ultra-broadband capacitor features a standard EIA 0201 footprint to minimize board space requirements, and is available with X5R or X7S dielectric characteristics.
The GX01 ultra-broadband capacitor is ideal for applications such as semiconductor data communications, optical receiver subassemblies, trans-impedance amplifiers and test equipment.
"AVX’s patented termination process allows the GX01 ultra-broadband capacitor to provide customers with ultra-low insertion and excellent return loss values" said Larry Eisenberger, senior marketing applications engineer at AVX. "We are working to further expand the GX Series product offering to include additional case sizes".
The GX Series is available in 100% tin terminations. All GX01 parts are RoHS compliant.
Lead time for the GX01 ultra-broadband capacitor is stock to six weeks.
AVX Corporation
www.avx.com
Mouser Electronics, Inc., regarded as a top design engineering resource and global distributor for semiconductors and electronic components, announced it is stocking the Freescale Semiconductor 32-bit Kinetis Cortex™-M4 microcontroller family. Freescale is one of the first companies to introduce production M4 products.
The ARM® Cortex™-M4 processor is the latest embedded processor by ARM specifically developed to address digital signal control markets that demand an efficient, easy-to-use blend of control and signal processing capabilities. Combined high-performance, low-power and low-cost, the Cortex-M4 family is ideal for motor control, automotive, power management, embedded audio, and industrial automation markets.
Freescale Semiconductor 32-bit Kinetis microcontrollers represent the most scalable portfolio of ARM® Cortex™-M4 MCUs in the industry. The Kinetis product line consists of five MCU families with more than 200 pin-, peripheral-, and software-compatible devices with outstanding performance and feature scalability. Also available is a suite of development tools, including controller boards for Freescale’s Tower System and evaluation kits, as well as software tools from Keil and Micrium to enable rapid development of new Cortex M4-based systems.
To learn more, visit http://www.mouser.com/freescalekinetis/
With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering What’s Next in advanced technologies. Mouser offers customers 19 global support locations and stocks the world’s widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics’ website is updated daily and searches more than 8 million products to locate over 2 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses an industry-first interactive catalog, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.
Mouser Electronics
www.mouser.com
Freescale Semiconductor
www.freescale.com
IAR Systems® announces a new 32-bit kit for STMicroelectronics’ first ARM Cortex-M4 based microcontroller series—STM32 F4. IAR KickStart Kit™ for STM32F407ZG includes an evaluation board featuring an STM32F407ZG microcontroller, an IAR J-Link Lite debug probe for ST’s Cortex-M devices providing JTAG and SWD connections to the board, and a CD with software tools, example projects, and board support packages for different RTOSes.
The STM32 F4 series is the highest-performance ARM Cortex-M processor-based microcontroller range in the market. It is optimal for low-power applications. IAR Embedded Workbench® offers a powerful tool suite for energy saving systems, which makes it a perfect match for the low-power STM32 F4 family.
IAR KickStart Kit for STM32F407ZG is in stock and available in IAR Systems e-shop: www.iar.com/Products/E-shop. It is priced at EUR 209/USD 289. The part number is KSK-STM32F407ZG-JL.
More information is available at www.iar.com/kits
IAR Systems
www.iar.com
Open-Source Integrated Development Environment Wins Design Tools and Development Software Award
Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, announced that its MPLAB® X Integrated Development Environment (IDE) has won the prestigious 2011 Elektra Award in the Design Tools and Development Software Award category.
MPLAB X is the industry’s only IDE that combines industry-leading productivity features with seamless migration through an entire product range. In making this award the Elektra judges commented; “Microchip has successfully adopted an open source software approach for its MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment which supports the complete product range of microcontrollers, digital signal controllers and memory devices in a single, multi-project environment”
“Since the introduction of MPLAB X customers around the world have experienced as much as a 20% increase in productivity as its full benefits are harnessed and explored” adds Steve Sanghi, Microchip president and CEO. “I would personally like to thank all those involved in developing this best-in-class design environment for embedded development and the Elektra judges for presenting Microchip with another major international award.”
MPLAB X IDE includes a feature-rich editor, source-level debugger, project manager, software simulator, and supports Microchip’s popular hardware tools, such as the MPLAB ICD 3 in-circuit debugger, PICkit™ 3, and MPLAB PM3 programmer. Based on the open-source NetBeans platform, MPLAB X runs on Windows® OS, MAC® OS and Linux, supports many third-party tools, and is compatible with many NetBeans plug-ins.
For additional information, contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor, or visit Microchip’s Web site at http://www.microchip.com/mplabx.
Microchip Technology
www.microchip.com/get/MSTE
element14, has announced availability of the DK-LM3S9D96 development kit, a low cost, high performance platform for developing systems around the advanced capabilities of the 32-bit Stellaris ARM® Cortex™-M3-based microcontroller. For development, the DK-LM3S9D96 board comes with features commonly used in networking, industrial controls and human machine interface designs. The board is CAN (Controller Area Network) enabled and also comes with an External Peripheral Interface (EPI) with Audio I2S (Integrated Interchip sound).
For communications, the board supports USB, a host of serial IO and Ethernet features. The DK-LM3S9D96 development kit includes a 3.5” TFT LCD display along with the supporting graphics libraries and software. The DK-LM3S9D96 board features the 32-bit ARM® Cortex™-M3-based microcontroller to deliver flexibility for applications that require high-performance processing.
element14
www.element14.com
MSC now offers the new RL78/G1A 16-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) from Renesas Electronics. The new devices are ideally suited for use in demanding sensor applications and are available in 3 mm x 3 mm land grid array (LGA) and 4 mm x 4 mm ball grid array (BGA) packages.
In addition to an accurate 12-bit A/D converter and up to 28 analog inputs, the RL78/G1A MCUs have an independent power supply for internal analog parts that significantly reduces or completely eliminates noise influence from digital peripheral lines.
At the same time, extensive measures were taken to lower system power consumption with these new members of the RL78 Family. In addition to only 66 µA/MHz current consumption in active mode and 0.57 µA with RTC + LVD active, the RL78/G1A MCUs support a new low-power mode called the "snooze mode". The snooze mode supports A/D conversion and serial communication while the CPU is in standby mode. This can significantly extend the operating time of battery-powered devices.
Built-in safety mechanisms - such as a flash memory cyclic redundancy check (CRC) function, RAM parity error checking, clock fail and frequency detection circuit, A/D test function and illegal memory access detection - support compliance with safety standards such as the IEC60730.
Renesas Electronics' low-cost E1 on-chip debugging emulator and the IECUBE full-spec emulator are available as hardware development tools. For flash programming, Renesas
Electronics offers the PG-FP5 programmer or factory programming. Powerful support for system designers of application software is provided by the IAR Embedded Workbench integrated development environment (IDE) and optimized C++ compiler.
Samples of Renesas Electronics' new RL78/G1A Group of MCUs are scheduled for availability during the first quarter of 2012.
MSC Vertriebs GmbH
www.msc-ge.com
Key Facts:
• Microstick II development tool with integrated programmer and debugger
• Use standalone or with a prototyping board
• Supports easier, more flexible and lower cost development
Microchip announces the lowest-cost development tool supporting 3.3V 16-bit and 32-bit PIC® microcontrollers (MCUs), as well as 16-bit dsPIC® Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) in 28-pin SPDIP packages.
The flexible Microstick II tool features everything designers need to start development with these MCUs and DSCs, including an integrated debugger and programmer, user LED, reset button, and DUT socket for easy device swapping. The USB-powered tool can be used standalone, or plugged into a prototyping board for extremely flexible development, and is supported by the MPLAB® Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This tool makes it easy to evaluate and develop with Microchip’s broad range of
16- and 32-bit products, enabling developers to find the best MCU or DSC for their applications.
The Microstick II tool (DM330013-2) is priced at $34.95 and includes a USB cable, two 1x14 header pins for proto-board use, sample MCUs, and sample DSCs.
For more information, visit the Microchip Web site: http://www.microchip.com/get/1JJH
Silicon Laboratories Inc. introduced the industry’s most energy-efficient microcontroller (MCU) and wireless MCU solutions for power-sensitive embedded applications. The new C8051F96x MCU and Si102x and Si103x wireless MCU families are based on patented low-power technology that enables 40 percent less system current draw and up to 65 percent longer battery life than competing MCU solutions. Designed to address the unique power requirements of battery-operated embedded systems, Silicon Labs’ ultra-lower-power MCU families are ideal for smart metering (water, gas and heat meters), in-home utility monitoring, wireless security, home and building automation, portable medical and asset tracking products.
Embedded developers designing battery-powered systems, particularly those using wireless data links, require power optimization strategies that are tailored to their application needs. Silicon Labs has designed the new F96x 8-bit MCUs with these ultra-low power and wireless connectivity requirements in mind. The Si102x/3x wireless MCUs combine the power-saving features of the F96x MCUs with the company’s EZRadioPRO® sub-GHz transceiver into a single-chip solution that is ideal for battery-operated embedded systems requiring both energy efficiency and industry-leading RF performance.
To achieve best-in-class low-power and wireless optimizations, Silicon Labs’ F96x and Si102x/3x families offer three major system-level innovations:
• Superior energy transfer efficiency for battery-operated systems. Greater efficiency in transferring energy from the battery results in less energy lost as heat dissipation, which reduces system-level power consumption and extends battery life. The F96x and Si102x/3x families’ on-chip dc-dc buck converter enables significantly higher efficiency in voltage conversion compared to a linear regulator, resulting in energy transfer efficiencies of up to 85 percent. The on-chip buck converter can supply up to 250 mW of power, providing energy not only for the MCU but also for other circuits in the system such as an RF transceiver. Silicon Labs is the first semiconductor company to integrate a power-saving dc-dc buck converter on an MCU, resulting in not only superior energy efficiency but also lower component count and BOM cost.
• Reduced time in active mode. Since MCUs use maximum power in active mode, the F96x and Si102x/3x devices incorporate several innovations to reduce the time spent in active mode. An on-chip Dedicated Packet Processing Engine (DPPE) with hardware acceleration blocks enables more than a fivefold increase in RF message processing speed and allows the CPU to remain idle during transactions, thereby reducing active time and the current load on the battery. The MCUs also include a low-power pulse counter that operates autonomously in sleep mode without CPU intervention. The on-chip pulse counter is especially useful in reducing power in utility metering applications that use pulse trains or switch closures while monitoring fluid flow.
• Reduced power in sleep mode. The new MCUs integrate the lowest power real-time clock (RTC) in the industry, enabling 40 percent lower power in sleep mode than competing MCUs. The MCUs achieve 400 nA sleep current with the RTC running and 70 nA sleep current (without the RTC) at 3 V. An ultra-low 10 nA sleep current mode is additionally available at minimum voltage. The MCUs also offer the industry’s fastest wakeup time from sleep mode at 2 microseconds. As a result of these state-of-the-art low-power design techniques, systems based on the F96x and Si102x/3x families can support battery life greater than 20 years.
To learn more about the UDP and WDS software, visit www.silabs.com/UDP and www.silabs.com/WDS
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
www.silabs.com
DSM Computer has added three powerful variants to its 19-inch Infinity® computer family, based on DSM‘s new PICMG 1.3 industry slot CPU 96M4371o. The compact plugin card incorporates an Intel® Core™ processor and the energy-saving Intel® QM57 mobile chipset. The robust 4 U and 2 U industrial PCs are housed in a solid, high-quality rack and lend themselves to being fitted in 19-inch cabinets.
The 4 U 96M1574 and 96M15801 Infinity® systems come with 12 free slots. The 510 mm deep model 96M1574 is designed for eight long and six short plugin cards, the 96M15801 system has a depth of only 455 mm. In total the 19-inch IPCs offer four 5.25-inch drive bays and a 3.5-inch bay. A SATA removable frame, for example for three drives, can be incorporated upon request. The drive cage is vibration protected. The slot CPU incorporates a controller for connecting four SATA II 300 devices with RAID 0, 1, 0+1 and 5 support.
The Infinity® computer 96M1584E has a height of 2 U. Its six free slots are designed for up to three long and two short cards. A 3.5-inch bay is available in addition to a 5.25-inch drive bay.
An internal mini PCI Express™ slot is available for expanding the industrial PCs. In accordance with the PICMG 1.3 standard, a number of PCI Express™ x16, PCI Express™ x1 and PCI-interfaces are available depending on the model in question.
The heart of the modular 19-inch computers is the industrial slot CPU 96M4371o based on the Intel® QM57 mobile chipset. The compact plugin card can for example be fitted with a 2.66 GHz Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor. The processor features two CPU cores and 4 MB cache. The powerful slot CPU offers two DIMM slots for fast DDR 1066/800 memory modules. Both the on-board LAN Controllers Intel® 82577LM and Intel® L82583V support 10/100/1000 Base-T/TX and Intel® AMT 6.0 for remote maintenance.
Upon request, all three Infinity® industrial computers can be delivered with DC power supply unit (12V / 24V / 48V). One or more fans for cooling the IPCs are accommodated behind a replaceable dust filter. Operating costs, especially in 24/7 operation, are optimised thanks to the mobile platforms' low power consumption.
DSM Computer GmbH
www.dsm-computer.com
Ericsson has introduced two new isolated DC/DC power converters that come in an industry-standard sixteenth-brick form factor and deliver an output current up to 20A, or an output power equivalent to 100W. The new PKU-C series has been developed to respond to the increased demand in the mid-range IT and communications power applications that are migrating from multiple-output power modules to fully regulated intermediate bus converters, and require compact DC/DC modules that save space for core components, in addition to providing a height of less than 9mm for low-profile applications.
Designed to operate with a 36V to 75V input voltage range, the PKU-C series is primarily designed for applications that are powered by a centralized 48V bus. However, due to its efficient and flexible power performance, the series is also suitable for a wide range of applications including those in industrial, process control and automation.
“According to market analyst Darnell Group, the migration from traditional board power architectures to intermediate bus architectures in high-power equipment is accelerating in the mid-power segment,” said Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communication Director of Ericsson Power Modules. “Based on Ericsson’s advanced design and thermal optimization, the PKU-C series are the ideal products to meet market requirements for high efficiency, low board space usage and low height.”
A key application for the devices is decentralized local data-storage equipment that requires 12V and 5V to power disk drives. Systems designers of these applications gain significant design freedom with the combination of the new 12V PKU4104C and 5V PKU4105C. Traditionally mid-power applications, and especially decentralized disk-drive storage systems, have used multiple-output DC/DC converters, but cost-optimization and shorter time-to-market demands, in the high-power segment, have led to the migration to intermediate bus voltage architectures.
Because the PKU-C devices are isolated and feature a floating output, the two modules can also be combined to power the 12V and 5V rails in a disk-drive-array application requiring higher power than 100W. Additionally, designers can combine the 12V PKU4104C with Ericsson’s BMR462 3E* digital voltage regulator to generate the 5V rail in single-disk applications.
Available in an industry-standard sixteenth-brick footprint, with dimensions of 33 × 22.9 with a low profile height of only 8.5mm (1.3 × 0.9 × 0.334in), the devices deliver up to 100W, and provide 92.7% efficiency at 50% load and 12V output, guaranteeing low power dissipation and reduced energy consumption.
The PKU-C series also delivers outstanding thermal performance for applications that have limited airflow. The series delivers full performance up to 80 degrees C with a 3.0m/s airflow, and, in worse case conditions, full output power with natural convection up to 65 degrees C.
Offering an MTBF (Mean-Time-Before-Failure) of 4.27 million hours, the PKU-C devices meets safety requirements according to IEC/EN/UL 60950-1, and offers input/output isolation of 1500V(DC) and various protection features, including Output-over-Voltage Protection (OVP), input under voltage shutdown, Over-Temperature Protection (OTP), output short-circuit protection and pre-biased output. The PKU-C series is available in both through-hole (PI version) and surface-mount (SI version).
* 3E - Enhanced Performance, Energy Management, and End-user Value are the key benefits delivered by Ericsson’s range of 3E digitally controlled DC/DC converters.
Ericsson Power Modules
www.ericsson.com/powermodules
Kontron announced the COM Express Reference Carrier-i Type 10 for COM Express mini Computer-on-Modules (COMs) with pin-out Type 10. It is Kontron's first reference and evaluation board validated for the use in the extended temperature range of -40 °C to +85 °C, making it the ideal platform either for direct deployment in, or for carrying out development of, rugged applications in extreme environments. It can host all COM Express mini COMs with Pin-out Type 10, such as the rugged Kontron nanoETXexpress-TT, that also supports use at the industrial temperature range by-design. In addition to COM Express Type 1 pin-out based designs, the Kontron Reference Carrier-i Type10 features new digital video interfaces such as DisplayPort and DVI, CAN Bus and COM ports. Developers and OEMs will now have more I/O flexibility for developing scalable and ultra-compact applications on a 120x120mm Nano-ITX footprint.
The Kontron COM Express Reference Carrier-i Type10 follows the path of the popular Kontron COM Express HMI carrierboard (120 mm x 70 mm) for pin-out Type 1 based COM Express mini COMs. On its compact footprint, the Kontron Reference Carrier-i Type10, besides LVDS, also accommodates dedicated interfaces for DisplayPort and DVI. For the first time, this allows the development of innovative dual-display appliances with two digital displays in the industrial temperature environment. OEMs can use the Kontron Reference Carrier-i Type 10 directly off the shelf in their applications or as an evaluation platform for developing extremely robust applications for market segments like automation, transportation, outdoor digital signage and medical. OEMs can drastically improve the quality and time-to-market of their COM Express mini form factor based designs as the Kontron COM Express Reference Carrier-i Type10 can be used for thermal test runs under real life conditions, even when the application-specific carrierboard is still being developed.
The Kontron Reference Carrier-i Type 10 in detail
The Kontron COM Express Reference Carrier-i Type 10 is suitable for all COM Express Type 10-compliant mini COMs and carries all of the interfaces defined for the COM Express pin-out Type 10. In addition to the availability of LVDS, developers will also enjoy the benefits of the DisplayPort and DVI interfaces that are directly accessible on the carrierboard. This reference carrierboard design offers remarkable flexibility when selecting the type of panel to be deployed. The carrierboard also integrates an Intel HD Audio Codec with optical and electric SPDIF connections for multimedia applications. Data memory can be hooked up via the two SATA standard connectors. For application-specific expansion, the carrierboard offers two Mini PCI Express extension slots with USB and SIM card support. This makes developing applications that are connected via GSM, UMTS or future LTE, a simple task. A total of seven USB ports are available, including port 7 as a USB client. That is especially important for the design of mobile applications that read data from other devices via the USB interface. Furthermore, the COM and CAN Bus interfaces, which have also been newly defined, are supported by the carrierboard. LAN connection takes place via a RJ45 plug for 10/100/1000 Mbit networks. Further I/O features are an SD card slot and a feature connector with several options e.g. the system management bus. The power supply can also fall within a wide range of 5.5 to 20 VDC.
The Kontron COM Express Reference Carrier-i Type 10 is available now. A COM Express pin-out Type 10 starter kit including the COM Express Reference Carrier-i Type 10 also is under development.
For more information on the Kontron COM Express Reference Carrier-i Type 10, please visit: http://www.kontron.com/products/computeronmodules/com+express/com+express+mini/starterkits+and+evaluation+boards/com+express+reference+carrieri+type+10.html
For more information on Computer-on-Modules please visit: http://www.kontron.com/mysafechoice
To download the whitepaper on COM Express COM.0 Rev.2.0 Type 10 Interface in comparison to Type 1 interface: http://www.kontron.com/_etc/scripts/application/getcollateral.php?file=whitepaper_comexpresscom.0rev.2.0_en.pdf
To download the whitepaper on extended temperature ranges: http://kontron.com/_etc/scripts/download/getdownload.php?downloadId=MTAzNDg
Kontron
www.kontron.com
The manufacturer of individual components and system solutions ELMA has now presented a CompactPCI PlusIO test system at PICMG CPCI-2.30 standard. This “little brother” of the two already existing 19-inch versions is equipped with eight slots in total; one system slot for the CPU, four for peripheral cards and the remaining three for CompactPCI legacy cards. For ELMA CEO Paolo Putzolu, this compact tabletop system realizes a long-cherished customer wish: “before a new technology can be used within the server cabinet, it has to be tested thoroughly. There were numerous requests for a smaller system that does not take too much space in the electrical lab. Now we are able to offer this comfort to our customers.”
CompactPCI Serial is seen as successor technology to the meanwhile outdated CompactPCI standard. The proven IEEE 1101.1-mechanics of the PICMG 2.0 CompactPCI specification were extended by USB2, USB3, SATA protocols, PCI Express and Ethernet, and with this spectrum, high-speed processes are made possible which under the old PICMG 2.0 CompactPCI specification could have never been reached. Furthermore, CompactPCI Serial uses serial point-to-point connections for data throughput what significantly increases speed of transfer.
And there is another important feature inside. As the old technology standard is not compatible with the new connectors used, a hybrid technology was developed for easier transition. Designation of this new specification: PICMG 2.30 CompactPCI PlusIO. Thanks to this technology, old PICMG 2.0 CompactPCI computers are able to cooperate with the new CompactPCI Serial technology; this replaces the complete change to the new system.
ELMA Electronic
www.elma.com
Kontron announced the new Kontron embedded Box-PC MICROSPACE MPC-pONE, an application-ready platform for cost-sensitive applications that demand a robust design and unmatched availability. The extremely compact, fanless Box-PC is based on the long-life Intel Atom Z5xx processors and the Intel USW15W Controller Hub. With the completely sealed aluminum housing, operation can be carried out maintenance-free for more than 11 years in 24/7 operation (MTBF > 100,000 hours). The Kontron embedded Box-PC MICROSPACE MPC-pONE delivers many advantages to OEMs who require an application-ready solution for limited spaces, low power and overall cost effectiveness.
The fanless Kontron embedded Box-PC MICROSPACE MPC-pONE is scalable from the Intel Atom Z510 processor with 1.1 GHz up to the Z530 with 1.6 GHz and provides up to 2 GByte system memory. It comes in a small footprint of only 122 mm x 99 mm which is smaller than a CD cover and can be deployed in a range of space constrained applications. The optional mounting kit enables top-hat rail mounting. Even with its low profile construction height of only 53 mm, it offers all the standard PC interfaces: Video signals with a resolution of up to 1920 x 1080 are transmitted via the integrated DVI connector. For data transfer, a Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) is available. External peripherals can be connected via the two USB 2.0 ports on the front and at the back. A TPM takes care of data security. The robust fanless aluminum housing also has enough space to integrate an optional 500 GB 2.5" hard disk or 40 GB SSD for maintenance-free designs. Alternatively, the system can be booted via the integrated MicroSD slot, so system designs without moving parts can be created that are shock- and vibration-proof.
Another advantage for OEMs is that the new Box-PC is available as an off-the-shelf application-ready platform and can be ordered as a pre-configured platform including OS licenses and with customer-specific designs modifications. This results in an optimized supply chain and saves valuable resources. Possible application scenarios are in industrial automation, or as a kiosk or POS/POI system and in customer or information terminals. The Kontron embedded Box-PC MICROSPACE MPC-pONE is available now.
Further information on the fanless Kontron embedded Box-PC MICROSPACE MPC-pONE is available at:
http://www.kontron.com/products/systems+and+platforms/embedded+box+pcs/fanless+box+pc/microspace+mpcpone.html
Kontron
www.kontron.com
LIN nodes continue exponential growth rate in Europe. To address this growing need for LIN transceivers Melexis introduces its next Generation LIN transceiver IC for LIN Bus systems according to the LIN 2.x standard. The MLX80020BA extends Melexis’ existing product line of LIN transceivers and System Basis Chips as well as fully integrated LIN solutions.
The MLX80020BA is a standalone LIN transceiver with outstanding performance. Designed and fabricated in 0.35 micron HV-CMOS technology enables lower system costs for our customers LIN implementations. This transceiver has built in safety functions including TxD dominant time out as well as high impedance bus pin in case of loss of ground and under-voltage condition. The pin configuration of this new LIN transceiver is compatible to the defined standard pin out of the OEMs.
The MLX80020BA design exhibits remarkable robustness when subjected to the injection of high frequency disturbances. The IC has also achieved very low electromagnetic emission to further simplify the design challenges of networked communication in hostile automotive environments. The timing parameters are optimized for the data transmission according LIN 2.x to obtain excellent EMC behavior.
The MLX80020BA meets the automotive temperature range of -40°C to 125°C and has on chip protection against over-temperature, 40V load dump and LIN short to ground resulting in a lower system component count and cost. The integrated standby management assures that the MLX80020BA can “wake up” from the LIN bus itself or directly from a connected microcontroller or an additional external source. Typical current consumption in sleep mode is lower than 9µA.
Melexis Microelectronic
www.melexis.com
element14, has announced availability of the SAM9 development kit, a full-featured evaluation board centered on Atmel’s ARM based AT91SAM9G45 processor. The kit provides developers with a feature-rich, development platform for ARM926 based embedded microprocessor design enabling shorter development cycles and significantly reducing time-to-market. The board, available via element14 at a promotional price while supplies last, provides a wide range of peripherals, including a high-speed USB host/device port, an Ethernet 10/100 interface, two high-speed SD/MMC slots and a QVGA 320x240 LCD panel with Resistive touch screen. In addition, the board supports Linux, WinCE and Android OS and offers plenty of example applications under these three OS, enabling engineers to develop their project based on this AT91SAM9G45 processor. The processor is supported by a broad ecosystem of compilers, debuggers and RTOS tools and a large variety of third party IP.
element14
www.element14.com
Express Logic, Inc., the worldwide leader in royalty-free, real-time operating systems (RTOS), and IAR Systems®, the leading independent provider of software development tools for embedded systems, announced that IAR Systems will sell and support Express Logic’s ThreadX® RTOS, integrated with IAR Embedded Workbench®, for development of real-time embedded systems. By becoming a single-source, total solution provider for ThreadX and IAR Embedded Workbench, IAR Systems answers developers’ needs for tightly integrated, easy-to-use tools that make embedded development faster, easier, and more productive. IAR Embedded Workbench is in use by over 14,000 companies worldwide, and Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS is deployed in more than 1 billion electronic products, in consumer electronics, medical devices, and industrial control systems.
Developers of 32-bit embedded systems generally use an RTOS to manage the real-time scheduling of multithreaded applications and an integrated development environment to build applications from source code into firmware. The more integrated the combined tools, the easier the development solution. IAR Systems and Express Logic have, therefore, combined IAR Embedded Workbench and ThreadX, each widely used and highly regarded, to provide a much more powerful, affordable, fully integrated tool, which developers can purchase from IAR Systems.
The Products
Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS is a priority-based, preemptive scheduling RTOS for embedded applications. ThreadX is small in size, fast in real-time performance, and 100% royalty-free, making it ideal for applications in SoC development and end products. ThreadX is widely used in a variety of electronic products from highly regarded manufacturers, such as Apple, Sony, Broadcom, Welch-Allyn, and GE.
IAR Embedded Workbench is a high-performance C/C++ compiler and debugger tool suite for applications based on 8-, 16-, and 32-bit microcontrollers. IAR Embedded Workbench features comprehensive and capable tools that allow developers to build new competitive products.
Integrated Features
The IAR Embedded Workbench and ThreadX RTOS integration provides an unprecedented level of intuitiveness and efficiency. Embedded development will become easier and faster, resulting in shorter time to market and better-performing, end-user products.
Express Logic and IAR Systems offer these integrated features:
• ThreadX C/C++ and Assembly source code is 100% IAR compiler/assembler-compatible;
• ThreadX source code and libraries are structured as IAR Embedded Workbench projects, enabling immediate project building and debugging;
• The IAR C-SPY® Debugger includes ThreadX RTOS Awareness, providing insight into application threads, message queues, semaphores, mutexes, and other kernel objects;
• ThreadX RTOS Awareness shows thread-level execution profiling, giving developers critical information about CPU timing;
• Automatic RTOS and application event-trace displays can be selected from the IAR C-SPY Debugger with just a single click;
• IAR Embedded Workbench supports project configurations to control compiler optimizations for size and speed, and ThreadX build options for debug, trace, and execution profiling, enabling various application and RTOS builds to support different development activities.
ThreadX for IAR Embedded Workbench can be downloaded for a free trial from IAR Systems’ web site at: www.iar.com/ThreadX The free trial is available for a variety of 32-bit processor architectures and includes a pre-built ThreadX library and full source code for a demo application that can be modified to form real applications.
Express Logic and ThreadX
www.rtos.com
IAR Systems
www.iar.com
Kontron announced the introduction of two new products, the Kontron FPGA Mezzanine Card FMC-SER0 and the Kontron VITA 57 Development Kit KIT-FMC-DEV, rounding off a robust portfolio of VITA 57 building blocks. With Kontron’s already-established product line of 6U VME single board computers (SBCs) and VME/VPX FMC carrier boards, the latest VITA 57 product offerings further minimize non-recurring development time and cost. Additionally, Kontron provides integration of IP cores and stacks for application-ready implementations in FPGA-based I/O hubs and can also handle the complete application development and production. This complete service offering also includes revision control, supply chain management and country/market-specific testing and verification procedures.
With VITA 57 FMC-based designs, OEMs can minimize latency for high data throughput in their COTS designs and still maintain flexible I/O configuration. The FMC optimizes the handling and formatting of data and is approximately half the size of a PMC. This makes Kontron’s VITA 57 products an ideal fit for applications where Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) are critical. Thanks to the modular approach of VITA 57-based designs, OEMs benefit from reduced development costs by integrating multiple functions into a single PCI Express-enabled FPGA. This will also aid system designers who want to re-target their designs without changing the PCIe interface implementation. Customers benefit from a high level of I/O flexibility when using Kontron’s VITA 57 building blocks by allowing upgrades and/or modifications without having to change the overall system design.
Kontron VITA 57 products in detail
Kontron FPGA Mezzanine Card FMC-SER0
The Kontron FPGA Mezzanine Card FMC-SER0 is a multi-channel interface card for buffering up to 16 IEA-232 or 8 EIA-422 serial lines. With a standard air cooled build, it provides up to 24 General Purpose I/Os at the front via 50 pin Tyco front connector for direct connection of peripherals. The rugged conduction cooled build complies to VITA 47-Class CC4 and is suitable for the extended temperature range -40 °C to +85 °C.
Kontron VITA 57 Development Kit KIT-FMC-DEV
The Kontron VITA 57 Development Kit KIT-FMC-DEV enables designers to use the Kontron FMC-SER0 as a reference design, providing a practical approach to VITA 57. For an immediate start into VITA 57 based designs, the FPGA Development Kit contains the Kontron FMC-SER0, a simple FPGA design, a Linux rpm with drivers, utilities for FPGA and FMC management and a FPGA demo program complete with a FPGA image for GPIO implementations. The software is available for x86 and Power PC architectures and customers also receive the source code, allowing for easy modification to the software for individual demands.
Kontron 6U VME SBC VM6250
With power consumption as low as 27 W, which is typical with Freescale MPC8640 1.00 GHz, the Kontron 6U VME SBC VM6250 reaches a new performance level while staying within a tight power envelope. The Kontron VM6250 combines high processing power with exceptional memory bandwidth with a choice of Freescale MPC8640 1.00 or 1.25GHz single- or dual-core processors or Freescale MPC8641 1.33GHz single- or dual-core processors. Prepared to host a customer-specific FPGA, it also offers a mezzanine extension slot for FMCs.
Kontron 6U VME SBC VM6050
The Kontron 6U VME SBC VM6050, with an Intel Core i7 processor, combines extremely high x86 computing and graphics performance with flexible and modular expansion possibilities in four different ruggedization levels. OEMs can tailor the Kontron VM6050 to the individual requirements of new and existing applications and benefit from a reduced time-to-market. Featuring a FPGA site, it can be expanded via two mezzanine sockets for up to two XMC/PMC or one FMC (VITA 57 FPGA I/O) cards.
Kontron 3U FMC carrier board VX3830
With the Kontron 3U VPX FMC carrier board VX3830 OEMs can easily expand the I/O flexibility of their dedicated VPX systems. The Kontron 3U FMC carrier board VX3830 is based on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA and offers enhanced I/O capabilities with high integrated performance logic. A Virtex-6 version is also under development. Kontron is currently implementing key customers’ demands to the feature set such as an external high speed memory.
All Kontron VITA 57 products are available now and can be ordered directly off the shelf or as customized application ready platforms and can be bundled with Kontron’s long term supply program, which guarantees customers multi-year supply of the product beyond its active life.
For more information on the Kontron FPGA Mezzanine Card FMC-SER0, please visit:
http://www.kontron.com/products/boards+and+mezzanines/pmc++xmc/fmc/fmcser0.html
For more information on the Kontron VITA 57 Development Kit KIT-FMC-DEV, please visit:
http://www.kontron.com/products/boards+and+mezzanines/pmc++xmc/fmc/kitfmcdev.html
For more information on the Kontron 6U VME SBC VM6250, please visit:
http://www.kontron.com/products/boards+and+mezzanines/6u+vme/processor/6u+powerpc/vm6250.html
For more information on the Kontron 6U VME SBC VM6050, please visit:
http://www.kontron.com/products/boards+and+mezzanines/6u+vme/processor/6u+x86/vm6050.html
For more information on the Kontron 3U FMC carrier board VX3830, please visit:
http://www.kontron.com/products/boards+and+mezzanines/vpx/vx3830.html
