Author Archives: richard wilson

Intel Baytrail in COM Express at RDS

RDSReview Display Systems (RDS) is offering three embedded boards from AAEON based on Intel’s latest Baytrail range of CPU platforms.

For handheld and space conscious applications, where users have configured their own base board, using the compact COM Express Type 6 format CPU module, the COM-BT, is available in single, dual and quad core versions, based on the Intel Atom E3815 (single), E3827 (dual) and E3845 (quad) processors.

It will support up to 4Gbyte DDR3L 1066/1333MHz SODIMM, two SATA 3Gbit/s I/O ports and an option 4GB eMMC port.

The board supports two simultaneous display outputs: VGA, DVI, HDMI, DP and eDP. There is also a high-definition audio interface and support for Intel Gigabit Ethernet.

The GENE-BT05 is a 3.5-inch, feature rich industrial sub-compact motherboard and features Intel Celeron N2930/ N2807 processors, with 204 pin SODIMM DDR3L, maximum 8Gbyte of system memory, and twin Gigabit Ethernet.

It supports CRT/LCD, HDMI/LCD simultaneous or dual view displays. A four-, five- or eight-wire resistive touch screen is available as an option.

The largest of the three formats is the EMB-BT1 thin Mini-ITX embedded motherboard is based on Intel Atom E3845/E3825 processors, delivering 1.91GHz and 1.33GHz respectively. The dual display board supports VGA, HDMI and LVDS and has SATA 6Gbit/s x 2 and SATA 3Gbit/s x 2 I/O ports.

 

 

 

richard wilson

TASKING C compiler supports Renesas automotive MCUs

taskingThe TASKING C compiler now supports the RH850 microcontroller from Renesas Electronics for automotive applications.

The TASKING VX-toolset for RH850, from Altium, is its first  compiler to incorporate support for the latest MISRA C:2012 guidelines for C programming, in addition to the MISRA C:1998 and C:2004 guidelines.

The MISRA C support enables developers to select the MISRA rules to enforce and configure the MISRA guidelines in accordance with the company’s prescribed rules in order to increase code safety, reliability and maintainability.

“By providing support for MISRA C:2012, developers now can benefit from the latest guideline improvements that can reduce the cost and complexity of compliance, whilst aiding consistent, safe use of C in critical systems,” said Altium.

TASKING’s Viper compilers are used to generate code for applications such as power train, body control, chassis control and safety critical applications.

A caching function will save the compiler’s intermediate results in order to avoid full compilations, which saves project time.

Digitally controlled converter drives 60A

tdk-lambdaTDK-Lambda has introduced an non-isolated surface mount DC-DC converter which will handle 60A currents.

The iJB series converters are PMBus read and write compliant and digitally controlled. The input voltage range is 8-14Vdc and the output is adjustable from 0.6 to 2.0V with a precision set point accuracy of 0.5%.

Conversion efficiency is specified at up to 93%.

Measuring 26.8 x 24.1 x 9.7mm.

Standard features of the iJB series include negative or positive remote on/off, Power Good signal, remote sense, configurable sequence and fault management capabilities, and fully automatic recovery protection circuitry for over current and over voltage conditions.

Models in the iJB series are approved to UL/CSA/IEC/EN 60950-1. The iJB series carries a 3-year warranty and is CE-marked in accordance with the low voltage (LV) and RoHS Directives.

Young engineers, are you up for a challenge?

Roma Agrawal, structural engineer from the WSP group

Roma Agrawal, structural engineer from the WSP group

Engineers, are you up for a simple but creative challenge and have an opportunity to learn more about the inspiring design of London’s Shard?

The IET London Young Professionals network has organised the Engineering Challenge 2014. It will take place on 14th August at 6pm at the London Hilton Tower Bridge.

No prior preparation is required for this team-based engineering design competition.

Guest speaker, Roma Agrawal, structural engineer from the WSP group, will discuss the highlights of London’s popular skyscraper The Shard.

 Find out more and register

Intel Baytrail SBCs are Mini and Pico ITX

baytrail-mobile-printSingle board computers (SBCs) based on Intel’s Baytrail Mobile processors are available in three physical sizes from BVM.

The formats are Mini-ITX, Pico-ITX and 3.5-inch.

The LV-67O is a 170 x 170 mm Mini-ITX board with up to 8GB of SO-DIMM in two slots.

Dual display capable, it supports VGA, DVI, two dual-channel LVDS and DisplayPort video interfaces with inegrated HD audio.

I/O includes a single RS232/422/485 and five RS232 ports, seven USB2.0 and a USB3.0 port, two Gigabit Ethernet ports and SATAII and CFast CompactFlash mass storage interfaces. One PCIe x16 slot and one PCIe mini card socket enables a mSATA or other expansion.

The 100 x 72 mm Pico-ITX LP-173 has up to 8GB DDR3L SO-DIMM in a single slot. Also dual display capable, it supports VGA, DVI, two dual-channel LVDS interfaces with integrated HD audio.

Two RS232, three USB2.0 and one USB3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a PCIe mini card socket form the I/O capability.

The 3.5 inch LE-37D comes with dual-display VGA, two LVDS channels, DVI and DisplayPort capability with HD audio.

It supports up to 8GB of SO-DIMM in a single slot.

The I/O includes a RS232/422/485 and five RS232 ports, SATAII and CFast interfaces, two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports five USB2.0 and a USB3.0 ports. HD Audio. Expansion capability is enabled with two PCIe mini card and one SIM sockets.

The SBCs are based around 64-bit quad core SoC processors - the J1900 is a 10W 2GHz processor; the N2930 a 7.5W 1.85GHz CPU and the Atom E3845 is a 10W 1.91GHz unit.

For all three SBCs power is supplied from an external 9V to 24V DC input; in addition, the LV-67O can be powered from a standard ATX PSU.

 

 

 

Raytheon designs SiC devices for more electric aircraft

Raytheon-ukRaytheon’s UK investment in commercial aviation power solutions has paid off and it has been selected to provide power systems know-how as part of several aerospace consortia developing the More Electric Aircraft (MEA) of the future.

Raytheon has a high temperature silicon carbide production facility in Scotland which produces devices for use in high temperature power supplies.

Silicon technology typically has a maximum operating temperature of around 150°C, as a result liquid cooling systems are required.

According to Raytheon, the silicon carbide devices can operate at temperatures of above 300°C,  “which is perfect for commercial aircraft, breaking away from the traditional tradeoffs while providing great value for money”.

The company’s collaborations under the Aerospace Growth Partnership include: Power Off-take and Power Conversion for the More Electric Engine (SILOET II, Rolls-Royce), Electric Engine Start power delivery (POMOVAL, Labinal Power Systems), Motor Drive power delivery sub-systems (LAMPS, UTC), Dedicated HiTSiC Power Modules (R-PSM, Raytheon), and the Harsh Environment Health Monitoring Devices (HEEDS, AEC).

According to Steven Doran, managing director of power and control, Raytheon UK: “Raytheon has a 25 year track record in electronic systems for harsh operating conditions where high current, power density, temperature and value are the key factors. The SWAP-V (Size, Weight, Power – Value) goal is being achieved through greater collaboration, with industry and academic experts in emerging technologies for harsh environments.”

Raytheon UK is a subsidiary of US firm Raytheon and is a prime contractor to the UK Ministry of Defence. It designs, develops and manufactures a range of high-technology electronic systems and software at facilities in Harlow, Glenrothes, Uxbridge, Waddington and Broughton.

 

 

Sony grabs big smartphone imager opportunity

sony-cmos-imagerSony is increasing production capacity in Japan for stacked CMOS image sensors used in smartphones such as the Apple iPhone.

This represents an important business opportunity for Sony which has been struggling in the consumer TV market.

Sony has gone on record saying that it “is positioning the imaging business as one of its core electronics businesses”.

Sony’s CEO Kaz Hirai said as long ago as 2012: “We can leverage our technology base in image-capturing sensors, lenses, 3D technology, image processing, to mention just a few areas. Those are areas where we already have in-house technologies that really allow us to differentiate ourselves.”

In January, Sony acquired a 300mm front-end wafer fab from Renesas to support its CMOS imager business.

The company is investing approximately ($345m) 35 billion yen in two imager production facilities in Nagasaki and Kumamoto starting in 2015.

Sony established the Yamagata Technology Center in Kumamoto earlier this year and this investment is expected to provide Sony with a fully integrated production system for stacked CMOS image sensors, at the two facilities.

“This investment forms part a mid – to long-term plan to increase its total production capacity for image sensors to approximately 75,000 wafers per month, and is expected to increase the current capacity of approximately 60,000 wafers per month to approximately 68,000 wafers per month in August 2015,” said Sony.

Stacked CMOS image sensors offer higher image quality and advanced functionality in a small package for smartphones.

 

Safety-critical IP firm has graphics support for Freescale i.MX 6 series

x737nightpanelCore Avionics & Industrial Inc. (CoreAVI) has announced the availability of embedded graphics drivers and safety critical certification support for Freescale’s i.MX 6 series single-, dual- and quad-core processor families based on the ARM Cortex-A9.

Freescale’s i.MX 6 series processor is typically used in graphics chips for panel-mount and portable avionics devices, cabin control and instrumentation displays.

Florida-based CoreAVI’s suite of i.MX 6 series OpenGL drivers are aligned with the latest FACE (Future Airborne Capability Environment) technical standards.

The i.MX 6 series product offering includes the availability of complete RTCA DO-178C / EUROCAE ED-12C Level A safety critical driver certification evidence.

“CoreAVI continues to invest in developing solutions designed to support the use of industry leading graphics and system-on-chip processors across automotive, rail transportation and other safety critical applications,” said Lee Melatti, president at CoreAVI.

CoreAVI’s program support includes complete RTCA DO-178C / EUROCAE ED-12C Level A safety critical certification evidence for safety critical environments.

 

 

 

Anritsu launch multiple protocol optical network tester

MT1000AAnritsu’s latest optical communications network tester is a multiple protocol instrument which supports Ethernet, Fibre Channel and SDH/SONET at rates up to 10Gbit/s, as well as optical transport network (OTN) testing.

Designated the MT1000A Network Master Pro, the optical network tester is aimed at technicians who install and maintain mobile-access, fixed-access, metro and core transmission telecoms networks.

It supports the new OTN features ODU0 and ODUflex, as well as Ethernet, Fibre Channel and SDH/SONET at rates up to 10 Gbps. It also handles legacy PDH and DSn interfaces.

The product can be configured to support dual-port testing at all supported interfaces and rates. The two ports can be used independently, creating the equivalent of two instruments in one physical device.

According to Jonathan Borrill, director of marketing at Anritsu (EMEA): “The MT1000A Network Master Pro is also the first compact all-in-one OTN tester to give the user the capability to test the network with Ethernet and SDH/SONET client signals. An increasing amount of traffic is transported over OTN lines; inside the OTN system the traffic is transported as an Ethernet or SDH/SONET signal. In some cases even Fibre Channel is used.”

The instrument also has WLAN/Bluetooth/LAN interfaces, it generates PDF and XML reports and can be operated remotely.

Swissbit goes global with Farnell element14

swissbit_slider_08Farnell element14 has signed a global sales franchise agreement with Swissbit, a European supplier of industrial DRAM modules and flash storage products.

Swissbit, which was created through a management buy-out from Siemens Memory Products in 2001, specialises in long-term product availability for markets such as industrial automation, military-aerospace, transportation and medical equipment.

According to James Alt, head of channel sales North America for Bronschhofen-based Swissbit, the supplier is looking to expand into new markets.

According to Mike Buffham, global head of product and pricing at Premier Farnell: “This new direct agreement with Swissbit is exciting because it expands our product offering around industrial DRAM modules and flash storage products. We have listened to our customers.”